I Feel Like Someone is Watching Me

During my senior year of high school at Lower Merion, many people signed up to participate in a nation state website, and run a country. It was actually quite stupid for a number of reasons: They repeated issues, there was not much activity etc... One issue that came up many times was a Big Brother proposal to install surveillance equipment to watch your citizens. That was for a fictitious country. Apparently, it is now happening for real and in the United States of America. This eavesdropping story is another huge blow for the current administration. Bush has so far not commented on the story, however it is no suprise that he used 9/11 again as a lame excuse for his policy decisions. But it doesn't stop there. And this one may affect me and my fellow college students more personally.

Shady Facebook

It is no doubt that The Facebook is now the most popular websites for college students. We check it 10 times a day at least, stalk people you would like to know, and start poking wars with other friends. Over the past year Facebook has grown to over 2500 schools in the U.S. and even now abroad. According to this article, it is no coincidence that the facebook community has grown so large. The article claims that Pentagon and CIA associated venture capitalist firms have been pouring large amounts of money in to the website. Clearly, if this is the case then the government is also using the Facebook to spy on us college students.

Of course, this could be one of those insane conspiracy theories that people seem to come up with for free press, however being the investigative journalist that I am, I decided to take a look at the the Facebook's privacy policy.

In the Facebook.com's help page one of the FAQs is about privacy:

I don't want Facebook to distribute my user information.

Facebook respects your privacy. We don't distribute your user information to third parties. If you would like to read more about our Privacy Policy.

Fair enough, they claim they don't distribute user information to third parties which would include government organizations such as the CIA.

However, When going to the Privacy Policy page, the following is said:

We may share your information with third parties, including responsible companies with which we have a relationship. For example:

• We may provide information to service providers to help us bring you the services we offer. Specifically, we may use third parties to facilitate our business, such as to send email solicitations. In connection with these offerings and business operations, our service providers may have access to your personal information for use in connection with these business activities.
• We may be required to disclose customer information pursuant to lawful requests, such as subpoenas or court orders, or in compliance with applicable laws. Additionally, we may share account or other information when we believe it is necessary to comply with law or to protect our interests or property. This may include sharing information with other companies, lawyers, agents or government agencies.
• If the ownership of all or substantially all of the Facebook business were to change, your user information would likely be transferred to the new owner.

I fully understand that it is the company's prerogative to change their privacy policy at any time for whatever reason. However, it sure is sketchy how their policy suddenly changes from one page to another and how their policy is worded so that it seems that they go out of their way to let outside parties in and find personal info.

Take this seriously or take this with a grain of salt, but always assume the stuff you put on your facebook profile, myspace account or whatever other online communities you participate in is open to the public. Maybe we should all just open profiles with terrorists names and sign each others walls with planned terrorist meetings and other types of "suspicious activities" so some circuits will blow down at CIA. That would be fun.

Of course it wouldn't be cool if they happened to find this blog. I'd probably be in trouble....

Oh well.

Always remember, Have Fun!

People like to Complain

Yea so, people have been complaining I haven't been updating at all...

So heres a really quick update: (because I must get back to having fun...i mean studying for finals.)

We got really neat hockey jerseys. I am #21 per usual.



Also, as a follow up to my jersey post a couple of weeks ago. I was reading ESPN.com last week, and found this article: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=hruby/051205

In it, Partrick Hruby unleashes a completely bitter tirade on wearing jerseys, but thats besides the point. My good friend Brad, in his comment on my jersey list, states the following:

You guys missed the best jersey ever...Buffalo - O.J. SimpsonThe rest of the picks were good, although a Ryan Leaf Chargers jersey would also be pretty sweet...

Mr. Hruby, as if to spite Brad because of a lost game of Madden or Halo, puts both of the jerseys that Brad suggested into his "Can't be worn at Anytime" category. To this Brad responded: "Patrick Hruby is a douche." I think we should all buy Leaf and Simpson jerseys and send them to Patrick.

Finally, I'm sure we've all encountered the bedtime story Goodnight, Moon at some point during our great childhoods, and maybe some of you still have your roomate read it to you before bed after a night of crazy parties. Whichever the case, I want to refer you to this article in the NY Times: Goodbye, Moon .

I've wasted enough time not studying, but keeping the critics happy is far more important.

Till next time, Have Fun! (and goodluck to all on their various tests and papers)

One Day, I'll be A Star!

Here is a song that Katy and I wrote in about half an hour. It needs a lot of work!

Your Associate was run over by an Iron Chariot and the Rotating Blades of Death lifted your associate and with that him being lifted my right ventricle was excised from my soul

[Piano + Guitar Riff]
[When over, Low Trumpet]

The white coats with circled gagdets electrocuted his weary cranium
They said he had a probability of 3 out of 5 or 60% chance of breaking through his emergency situation

[Banjo Riff]
[Harmonica Plays one not]

I waited in the room of excruciating pain
That was exactly what i felt as well
But as life goes on so did the pain

[Cue Harp]

I covered my face
I didn't want to believe
Because they have always said
It will never happen to me

[Piano + Guitar Riff]

Hours pass, Days Pass, Weeks pass, years pass
but in this case- it was only a few minutes
I get up but the only thing that was really getting up was my body

[Classical Dramatic Music Plays]

Sliding doors open and close like the blinking of my eyes
but then I realize....

.....to be continued

I expect ALOT of comments on this one!

Have Fun!

Music Power Rankings: Week of 11/19

This week has brought newcomers into the Top 10 list. Many other songs have dropped out. Enjoy. Last Week ranking in parentheses.

1 (1). Weezer- Say It Ain't So, 26
2 (UR). Weezer- Perfect Situation, 21
3 (UR). Ozma- Eponine, 20
4 (6). Beulah- A Good Man Is Easy To Kill, 18
5 (2). Weezer- We Are All On Drugs, 17
6 (3). Kaiser Chiefs- What Did I Ever Give You?, 16
6 (UR). Ozma- Restart, 16
7 (4). Beulah- Gene Autry, 15
7 (UR). Beulah- Silver Lining, 15
7 (6). Coldplay- Yellow, 15

Dropped Out:
Weezer- Prodigy Lover
Bob Marley- Buffalo Soldier
Dispatch- Open Up
Kaiser Chiefs- I Predict A Riot

Have Fun!

Jersey Collections:

So I was sitting with Henry and I thought about if I was allowed to have a jersey from every NFL team, which players would I choose?

I sat and thought about it and Henry joined my thinking about it and this is what we came up with:(note: includes non-active players and former franchises)

NFL Team	Assaf	Henry
NY Giants	Lawrence Taylor	Amani Toomer
Washington	Sean Taylor	Doug Williams
Dallas	DeMarcus Ware	Roy Williams
Philadelphia	Brian Dawkins	Randall Cunningham
Atlanta	Michael Vick	Keith Brookings
Carolina	Julius Peppers	Mike Minter
Tampa Bay	Vinny Testaverde	John Lynch
New Orleans	Archie Manning	Aaron Brooks
Chicago	Walter Payton	Gale Sayers
Minnesota	Randy Moss	Jim Marshall
Detroit	Barry Sanders	Barry Sanders
Green Bay	Brett Farve	Sterling Sharpe
Seattle	Marcus Trufant	Shaun Alexander
St. Louis	Torry Holt	Deacon Jones
Arizona	Larry Fitzgerald	Larry Fitzgerald
San Francisco	Jerry Rice	Ronnie Lott
New England	Drew Bledsoe	Curtis Martin
Buffalo	Jim Kelly	Thurman Thomas
NY Jets	Joe Klecko	Mo Lewis
Miami	Irvin Fryar	Larry Csonka
Indianapolis	Reggie Wayne	Marvin Harrison
Jacksonville	Natrone Means	Jimmy Smith
Tennesee	Earl Campbell	Randall Godfrey
Houston	Dunta Robinson	Andre Johnson
Cincinnati	Carson Palmer	Anthony Munoz
Pittsburgh	Franco Harris	Jason Gildon
Cleveland	Ernest Bynar	Bernie Kosar
Baltimore	Tony Siragusa	Ed Reed
Denver	Terrell Davis	Terrell Davis
Kansas City	Marcus Allen	Derek Thomas
San Diego	LaDanian Tomlinson	LaDananian Tomlinson
Oakland	Kenny Stabler	Marcus Allen

As always, feel free to comment, criticize, or post your own list.

Music Power Rankings: Week of 11/11 to 11/18

This is a new intiative by me that will help you, my readers, get to know my taste in music.
I will be posting the Top 10 played songs on my iTunes/iPod every week. Feel free to comment on the song list, or if you're up for it; criticize my music taste in general.
The table will go by rank, song name, and times played.

1. Weezer- Say it Ain't So, 19
2. Weezer- We are All on Drugs, 16
3. Kaiser Chiefs- What did I ever Give you?, 15
4. Beulah- Gene Autry, 14
4. Weezer- Prodigy Lover, 14
6. Beulah- A Good Man is Easy to Kill, 13
6. Bob Marley- Buffalo Soldier, 13
6. Coldplay- Yellow, 13
6. Dispatch- Open Up, 13
6. Kaiser Cheifs- I Predict a Riot, 13

So, from now on, visit Elucidation's Apex every saturday morning to check the updated rankings. These rankings might get more elaborate, but we'll see about that.

In other news, I was at the Sixers game and watched them beat the Lakers 85-81. The boos that Kobe Bryant received were amazing. And for some reason, they brough the LM Cheerleading squad to perform before the game started...weird.

A "Funny" Spin on a Sad Season

So, I was sitting in class the other day and our professor assigns us probably one of the dumbest assignments in my schooling career. Meaning, that from Kindergarten through junior year of college, I have not been assigned anything more stupid. Our professor gives us an in-class creative writing assignment. He wants us to write a story about 2 characters. One of these characters had to be death personified, and out to get the other character.

My professor then proclaimed that he will be collecting the papers, however he will not be reading them. I guess he just was gonna count the lines to make sure you put an effort. I decided that I was going to have some fun with this. It was the only way possible.

After about half an hour, some kids volunteer to read what they came up with. Their work was so depressing and really sad. A far contrast from what I wrote...............

I don't have enough money to feed my family, so we're going to have to renegotiate my 120 million dollar contract, said Toaster Oven. This was Oven's latest attempt at trying to get his football team, the Pitiful Eateries, to give up so more money so he will be happy. The local fans were overjoyed last year when Toaster decided to join their beloved Eateries. Toaster Oven was eager to bring his talent and star power and help the Eateries get to the big game.
What the locals didn't know, or didn't want to realize, was that Oven was, in fact, death personified, and a cancer.

Toaster Oven did have a history of ending player's lives prematurely. He most certainly had an affinity for targeting a team's quarterback. This time around, he would target all-star quarterback Dried Meat. Oven saw Meat as the leader of the team, and wanted nothing more to see him go down. Toaster Oven talked poorly about Dried Meat whenever he could. He said Dried Meat was horrible when under pressure, and that other players such as Brilliant Fighter would be leading the Eateries to an undefeated season. Of course, Oven was only agreeing with a statement of Meat Incinerator. Oven continued, he said that the Pitiful Eateries was a class less organization, you see, he was angry because he always liked cooking and expected the Eateries to at least have a cooking class he could take.

The fans expected Oven to apologize but he did not. His death personified cancer had already spread and was at the point of no return. Only a super duper football doctor would be able to excise it. The Eateries luckily had one and he happened to be their coach. He was Dr. Anti Run, and he was here to save the day. He easily completed the excision. Much to the relief of Dried Meat he will not need to deal with any similar ordeal ever ever again, at least until the Pitiful Eateries bring in another seemingly benign savior, like Rustic Mold...

I got a plus on this story, conclusion:

My professor wasn't lying when he said he wouldn't read them!

::::::::::::THE END::::::::::::

The French Henerie

So, as many of you might know, I meet up with a couple of friends to eat at the creperie almost everyday. It is probably the best food around the fuzzy area of North Philadelphia. For 5 bucks you get a crepe and a drink. Now, according to Bill, the guy who runs the place, they put 6 oz. of chicken along with 5 oz. of veggies and the crepe itself is around 2 oz. So that adds up to 13 oz.; 3 oz. shy of 1 pound. So its not a small food item. My good friend, Henry, decided that he was really really hungry, so I put his hunger to the challenge. I say Eat 3 of them back to back. Henry calls my challenge.

So we go, notify the crepe truck about the pending feat. Bill says good luck, and Alex says he will give Henry 5 bucks if he is capable of completing the feat. We get our regular orders, I get a chicken bbq and Henry gets a chicken ranch. We proceed to Annenberg Atrium. We meet up with Charlie and Mary and Katy and others and they look at Henry in disgust. Although, deep down, I think Charlie was truly admiring Henry's bravery.

It takes Henry about 10 minutes to down the first one. Piece of cake. Henry isn't feeling full yet. We go back to the creperie, Bill labels the first one and then proceeds to make Henry a Caliente Chicken. We go back to the atrium. This time around everyone was giving Henry a hard time, so we had to move tables, to let the master concentrate. Henry has a harder time with this one, not because of the fullness feeling, but because the peppers that they put in the crepe were somewhat spicy. Around 30 minutes after eating the first one, Henry finishes the second. Well on his way to the last third on. Bill says, while ordering the third one, if he can finish two of them, he won't have any problem eating this third one. I had to go alone to get the third one, well, because Henry can't move. The third one is a Chicken with Pesto. I told Bill to put in extra food, just because...

Overstuffed crepe? No problem for Henry.

After 56 minutes, Henry sets a new crepe eating record. Henry has now become a campus celebrity and is reminded of his achievement everytime he passes through the crepe truck as he is applauded and extolled by hundreds of admiring fans, waiting

Henry has already been approached with endorsements from dozens of restaurants and eating establishments, however Henry is not looking for any glory or fame. Henry just wanted to prove me wrong. and to quiet any doubters. meaning me. and charlie....and maybe mary and maybe even Bill....but most defintely...me...

::::::::The End:::::::::::

What is wrong with the Eagles?

Ladies and Gentlemen, I don't ask for much. I don't. A decent looking football team is NOT much to ask for.

So why, do we suck so much? Why are suddenly on the outside looking in? No, not the super bowl, but the playoffs.

Andy Reid has really got something wrong with him. As Big Daddy Graham says: "Maybe it is his diet. Maybe instead of seeing plays he is seeing double bacon cheeseburgers?"

Yet, I sit here and ponder, while munching on my Nature Valley Oats 'n Honey bar, what is the real reason for the Eagles horrendous performance?

It all boils down to this: The Eagles do not want to pay Running Back Brian Westbrook, therefore they are deflating his stats. You don't have to be John Clayton or Sal Palantonio to figure this one out. The Eagles are a company, they want profits while minimizing expenses. Westbrook is making a million dollars and change this year, that is insulting for a running back of his magnitude. The Eagles finally realized this and offered him a better deal which apparently is acceptable and will be finalized Friday.

However, one interesting note, I noticed over the past couple of weeks, how similar Andy Reid's playcalling is to my 6 year old brother's playcalling. My brother, Ori, is a huge madden kid. He probably can beat any one of you foolish enough to play against him. He has mastered the McNabb pass to a streaking Owens play. Oddly, enough, his offensive drives are eeriely similar to the actual Eagles in an actual game. Pass, Playaction Pass, Pass again, Punt (or in my brother's case: Bomb down field to Owens.) My brother, too, hates to run the ball. Maybe he should become Andy Reid's protege, and they can play Madden together and discuss McNabb passing plays.

Of course, then, Andy Reid would gain back whatever weight he lost, cause my mom makes unbelievable food.

Just a thought....

Speaking of my mother's awesomely delicious food, Look who is running for President! He has got my vote for sure! His house building quote is very very compelling and empowering! I LOVE IT!



::::::THE END:::::::

Quick Blub Edition:

End of Days?

Why am I hearing all these people...and by all these people i mean Pat Robertson, talking about the end of days?
You know what?
I'm not even going to waste time talking about ridiculous matters.


Ed Wade: Fired

As reported last week in Elucidation's Apex, Phillies General Manager Ed Wade was fired on today. Possible replacement: Brian Cashman of the NY Yankees. Stay Tuned...
The firing will usher in a new era into this unpopular organization starting with Charlie Manuel not returning for a second season along with all of his coaching staff.

Chag Sameach and Shana Tova. Here is Rabbi Joshua "Peach" Goldstein's Holiday Edition Post:

It is Rosh Hashannah at casa de Holtzman. Assaf requested that I write something in his blog for Rosh Hashannah. This is Peach. I did not know what a blog was and still don't, but I'm typing anyways. WOOHOO! So here goes nothing and it is probably some good old B.S.

As the new year comes around I realize I need start looking towards my imediate and long term future. Because that is what the new year is a new beginning. I look towards people at camp and wonder. What will my life be like when I graduate college will have a year round job or a job that gives me summers free? All I know is this that when the time comes for me to either leave school and get a real job, camp will be there only if I have my summers open. I will not decide in November that I'm going back to camp, instead I will work hard for as long as I can to get myself a job. Camp is great but it's not a future. So, to those who have used camp for too long this new year is a time to look forward to life past camp, and for those who have not been there too long start to really cherish your time there, because one day it will be gone, but you must first recognize when that day is. Take Rosh Hashannah to be greatful for such a thing as camp, and realize if it is actually still for you. Shannah Tova U Metukah. Chag Sameach

-Peach

Phillies Season Over: What Now?
(a.k.a. Fire Ed Wade)

The Phillies missed the playoffs for the 13th straight season. 13!!!! Last time the Phillies made the playoffs I was a 7 year old growing up in Boston and had just learned that 13 is in fact, a prime number. Ridiculous...

Ed Wade contract was extended for 2 more years. Rumor is Phillies management is going to buy-out that contract (which is apparently fairly cheap) and fire Mr. Wade. It is about time.
And I hate to knock a fellow Temple guy but honestly, he is terrible, I can do a better job on MVP 2004 using that stupid point system and not dollars. Look at his track record, he signs useless players trades away high prospects and doesn't do anything during the trade deadline. Sorry, he did trade for Kelly Stittnett two years ago on the day of the deadline so he does do something...
I am deathly afraid this idiot is going to trade Ryan Howard. I am.

Speaking of terrible. How about getting rid of David Bell? Another poor choice signee by Ed Wade. Ed Wade seems to have an affinity for signing players that have one good season to long term expensive contracts (see: Pat Burrell). After signing David Bell in 2002, Ed Wade proclaimed that Bell deserved the Season MVP of the San Fransico team that made the World Series. Not Barry Bonds. Not Jeff Kent. But DAVID BELL!, Ladies and Gentlemen. What a fool...

Remember that time that David Bell fielded a rountine ground ball from Jose Vizcaino, threw to first, and got the final out against the Astros? I don't!!! Maybe thats because Bell decided to bobble it! and maybe thats why Craig Biggio hit a 3-run shot to win the game!! Maybe thats why the Astros won the wildcard by a lone game!! maybe not...maybe i'm just picking on the guy...
Maybe i'm completely firing at the wrong direction..

The Phils need to resign Closer Billy Wagner. Normally, considering how Wagner has talked about us fans, his age, and his personal wants I would say let him go and have Ugueth Urbina close, and Ryan Madson setup. But Urbina, and Madson for that matter, have both been very shaky as of late, and I wouldn't have confidence in those two closing games.

More about the Phillies Off Season needs next time...

Ah sweet weekend.

I didn't work particularly hard this week, but i still am very happy that the weekend is upon us.

I opened this blog for...no apparent reason, other than I thought I would jump on the bandwagon and make one for myself.

I'm not sure what uses I will find for this, but i guess i'll write down thoughts about current events, sports, and other aspects of my life. Maybe i'll make a couple of funnies in the process.

About the name, I'm not sure how i came up with it. I am a big fan of the word apex though.