Last night was only the second Nav Nite I’ve been to this semester (out of three). I enjoyed it quite a lot. More than anything, I enjoyed being around my friends. I got to sit next to the venerable Jesse Luebbe and the wonderful Cora (both of whom are featured prominently in the quotes).

At dinner yesterday I discovered that I could interpret Jesse’s expressions to a third party. I was amused and so was he. I guess that’s one of the benefits of living around a person for so many years.

Nav Nite Message Summary: Don’t waste the opportunities you have, because life is short. Live for God and tell others about him.

After Nav Nite, six of us packed into Misty’s car and headed down to The Mill. Didn’t get anything to drink (I figure on being broke until at least 2007), but I played cards with The Varv, Cora, and Brian (an Edge member visiting from UNK). Brian and I ended up winning in a “winner-takes-all” hand playing 10-point Pitch.

After my initial dissapointment with having to take another three credits of arts/humanities to graduate, I’m not too angry about it. In all honesty, it’s a mistake of my own that caused me to still need that class. I’ve still got to hammer out the details, but I’m hoping they’ll still let me go through the ceremony in May, then I’d take a three week History of Rock & Roll class, and then Florida for a Navigator’s Summer Training Program.

I’ll let you know how it works out. (And maybe those CDs I ordered in December will finally get here today!!!)

As a final piece of joy and cheer, I leave you with the newest addition to the quote database: “My purity today has been compromised by a naked orange.” - Jesse Luebbe

Categories: Life
Tags: college, Cora, Luebbe, Misty, Navigators, quotes, The Mill, The Varv

I’m going to be bitter tonight. Maybe tomorrow. So much for the Appalachians, instead I’m going to pleasant summer school for three credits of arts/humanities. Arts/humanities. Yes. “Is Van Gogh expressing deterministic views of society in this painting? What? Oh, he just wanted to make a cool watercolor. Well, dang it, what am I wasting my time here for, YOU B^&$*#(@!!!!!”

In closing, I’m going to pull a Howard Dean.

“YEEEAAAAAARGH!!!”

Categories: Life

At Healing Iraq Zeyad has come up with a list of oil bribes undertaken by Saddam’s administration in Iraq. (Originally published in an Iraqi newspaper.)

These shady deals were all done under the auspices of the UN and the Oil for Food program. The bribes add up to a total of 3.3 billion barrels of Iraqi crude oil (worth over 70 billion dollars). Here is the translated list. And here the original in Arabic.

Now you know why Iraqis suffered from the UN sanctions. Now you know why hundreds of thousands of Iraqi children had to die during the last ten years. Now you know why those people were vehemently anti-war.

I would like to assert that the economic and humanitarian problems in Iraq are certainly related, and the U.S.’s reasons for going to Iraq include both of these. Saddam wanted his way, the money was spent, but not in accordance with the program’s supposed rules. WMD’s are another discussion, but there were plenty of humanitarian reasons. International law would play a part, but these violations were unenforced by the UN. The bribes were reason enough for France and Russia to not complain. Just look at the list. They got mad flo. (Russia received 1.366 billion barrels!)

Update: Russian total corrected. After thinking about it, the mistake is probably due to the use of commas in numbers to signify the decimal point in other parts of the world instead of the “.” we typically use in America.

Categories: Politics

The Passion of Christ is going to be released in theaters on February 25, 2004.

Of concern to myself and others in the area, it will be showing at the following theaters in Lincoln:
• East Park 6
• Edgewood 3
• The Lincoln 3

See the theater listing for your area.

Categories: Movies

Whoever you vote for as president, please don’t vote for this man.

And if you do, let me know so I can count on your support for dropping out of school, reading a lot of books, and running for president in about 14 years.

Categories: Politics