#1 Future of Internet Debate Ignored by Media

#2 Halliburton Charged with Selling Nuclear Technologies to Iran

#3 Oceans of the World in Extreme Danger

#4 Hunger and Homelessness Increasing in the US

#5 High-Tech Genocide in Congo

#6 Federal Whistleblower Protection in Jeopardy

# 7 US Operatives Torture Detainees to Death in Afghanistan and Iraq

#8 Pentagon Exempt from Freedom of Information Act

#9 The World Bank Funds Israel-Palestine Wall

#10 Expanded Air War in Iraq Kills More Civilians

#11 Dangers of Genetically Modified Food Confirmed

#12 Pentagon Plans to Build New Landmines

#13 New Evidence Establishes Dangers of Roundup

#14 Homeland Security Contracts KBR to Build Detention Centers in the US

#15 Chemical Industry is EPA's Primary Research Partner

#16 Ecuador and Mexico Defy US on International Criminal Court

#17 Iraq Invasion Promotes OPEC Agenda

#18 Physicist Challenges Official 9-11 Story

#19 Destruction of Rainforests Worst Ever

#20 Bottled Water: A Global Environmental Problem

#21 Gold Mining Threatens Ancient Andean Glaciers

#22 $Billions in Homeland Security Spending Undisclosed

#23 US Oil Targets Kyoto in Europe

#24 Cheney's Halliburton Stock Rose Over 3000 Percent Last Year

#25 US Military in Paraguay Threatens Region

" The American Civil Liberties Union today expressed grave concerns about the due process and privacy implications of the Senate immigration bill. The proposed legislation would create a vast federal database to verify the work eligibility of all job applicants in America - including U.S. citizens; expand indefinite detention; and deny effective judicial review of Department of Homeland Security errors denying immigration status.

"The bill denies essential due process, seeks to overturn Supreme Court limits on detention and fails to guarantee meaningful judicial review," said Caroline Fredrickson, director of the ACLU's Washington Legislative Office. "Substantial changes must be made to ensure that the legislation adheres to the values of our country and our Constitution. Without effective judicial oversight, any new program enacted by Congress can be gutted by an overburdened, incompetent or hostile bureaucracy."

The proposed legislation would require every job applicant in America to have their eligibility to work verified by the DHS, using the error-plagued Employment Eligibility Verification System (EEVS). EEVS creates a massive government database containing extraordinary amounts of personal information on everyone in America, tied to each individual's Social Security number. If DHS makes a mistake in determining work eligibility, there will be virtually no way to challenge the error or recover lost wages due to the bill's prohibitions on judicial review.

As a part of EEVS, every person in America would be forced to carry a hardened Social Security card perhaps containing biometric information about the cardholder - essentially a national ID - and present a Real ID-compliant driver's license to get any new job. The proposed legislation also expands current practice of expedited removal. The ACLU noted that these policies do nothing to solve the problems of illegal immigration and violate the fundamental American value of due process. "

" A new Pentagon report claims China is building an expanded military with a force projection far beyond its home area.

....

As in previous years, the Pentagon report complained of China`s lack of transparency as to its intentions, as well as in its published national security budget.

'We would like to have greater insight into their intentions, why they are developing this force,' the U.S. defense official said.

China`s aggregate national defense budget is officially about $45 billion. But the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency and other U.S. government and research institutes put the number much higher, when added to China`s 'defense-related' expenditures, including in space, missiles and shipbuilding. The DIA expects China`s 2007 defense spending to total between $85 billion and $125 billion."

" The Department of Defense wants its budget for classified, or "black" programs to swell to $30.1 billion, according to a recent analysis by a Washington, D.C. policy shop specializing in defense budgets.

The Center for Security and Budgetary Assessments found that the classified acquisitions requested by the Pentagon for 2007 are double what they were in 1995. And while the Pentagon's budget to buy unclassified toys has grown also, its budget for "secret" equipment and operations has grown much faster."

"Though Defense has long been notorious for waste, recent government reports suggest the Pentagon's money management woes have reached astronomical proportions. A study by the Defense Department's inspector general found that the Pentagon couldn't properly account for more than a trillion dollars in monies spent. A GAO report found Defense inventory systems so lax that the U.S. Army lost track of 56 airplanes, 32 tanks, and 36 Javelin missile command launch-units."

"And then Flashback!Benry is all like "Lolz I can totally smell my own farts in this thing."

• I'm with Fishbiscuit - Jack's plan has more holes than a kitchen strainer.

  "Now, to be fair, Jack didn't go to West Point. And neither did I. But I don't think you need a degree in Military Strategy to see that Dr. Leader Man was seriously in over his furry little head. They were mining three tents to blow up... to be detonated by three sharpshooters who would have to stand near the beach (because Jack's secrecy had robbed them of the time needed to wire the tents for remote detonation)...and if the invaders maybe didn't all go to those three tents in three even groups....er, maybe most of them wouldn't even get hit? Unless I missed something, I do believe that was the entire freaking plan. ALL the invaders would have to split up, go to the three tents simultaneously, and die. Any other possible outcome and maybe one guy would get his eyebrows burned off while the rest of them would be free to rampage with their superior weaponry, quickly capture the exposed shooters and wreak all subsequent inevitable havoc.

  Now to continue our policy of being fair to Doctor Leader, he also was leading his flock of naive dummies up to the signal tower, which would not work unless Charlie's plan worked. Although he initially used his great leader powers to forbid Charlie going into the hatch. And if Charlie wasn't able to succeed, all the people would be on the hilltop, signalling nothing, without weapons, while the unharmed, well armed invaders were free to follow them. Do I have this straight? Because this doesn't sound like a plan to me. It sounds like a Keystone Kops cartoon. They might as well have stayed on the beach and thrown rocks."

• Crazy French milfs and dynamite-my kind of party.
• Hey kids, let's blow up trees! Maybe the Others will hear the blast and know we have explosives. Ummm...maybe that isn't such a good idea.
• Danielle's behavior is out of character. She's has always been the mistress of aloof-but now she's happily carting unstable dynamite and destroying foliage. And Jack's plan could blow up her daughter.
• The license plate on Driveshaft's van spells "Losery" backwards.
• You know what those bombs need? Shrapnel.
• The last helicopter that got near the Island went all kablooey. The Losties have a plan to enable radio communication but the Island has a history of wrecking transportation - Danielle's ship, Henry Gale's balloon, Yemi's Beechcraft, Desmond's boat, the Black Rock.

• The Looking Glass- Schematics

  More Looking Glass Schematics

• Ben told the Others that the underwater Looking Glass station was flooded.
• Does anyone else think Charlie is channeling Shelley Winters in The Poseidon Adventure?
• A lot of fans love Rose and Bernard, but I find them incredibly annoying. They're like Paolo and Nikki after 30 years.
• Tackle him Sayid! He's going to overpower the camp single-handedly!
• Alex is cleaning a dead white rabbit. Is that symbolism or what?
• Karl, you have a beautiful girlfriend who has a gun and who will rip bunnies apart for you-don't argue with the woman.
• Hey, let's all go to the Radio Tower-you know, the Tower that we've totally ignored since early in Season 1.
• Driveshaft was named after Charlie's ancestor Dexter Stratton. It gives him power over the Elves and can only be destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom.
• Charlie's guitar has a sticker that says "I was here moments ago". He's playing at the same spot he meets Desmond. Then he rescues Sayid's Nadia.
• Who is the Mystery Mugger?
• Hurley is wearing the red shirt this episode. Despite this he doesn't die at the hands of the Klingons.
• The logo on the Looking Glass station doesn't match the logo on Sayid's schematic. The station logo is missing the large "hole" in the neck. I wonder what the line going through the hole and the text on the schematic logo are.

  

• The Looking Glass station isn't flooded. So either Ben lied to Juliet or he doesn't know about the the two women in the station. If he lied to Juliet he probably lied to everyone-but then how was the disappearance of the two women explained? And how do the women get resupplied? Are there conspiracies between groups of Others? This problem brings up a whole can of worms that makes my head hurt.

  It is possible that the Calamity Janes are with Naomi's group, whoever the heck they are-Widmore Industries repo women?

  My cynical guess is that the writers just wanted to ramp up the drama of Charlie diving to his certain drowning doom and set up the big surprise of the appearance of two gun-totin' lassies and that this question will never be resolved.

• Dum dada da da dumdumdum-The Looking Glass is a total James-Bond-villain's secret lair, complete with Bambi and Thumper. And that makes Ben the evil villain, only with bunnies instead of persian cats. He's probably holding Jimmy Dean prisoner in the 5-star Dharma Hotel while he smuggles diamonds off the Island by submarine. Which is fine by me, as long as there's a Jill St. John analog in our future.
• king_of_bob's theory about The Looking Glass:

  " Remember how Juliet had to be unconscious for the trip to the island? Why? They said it could be intense.....whats so intense about a submarine ride? Nothing.

  Through the Looking Glass is the sequel book to Alice in Wonderland and it deals with mirror worlds, time running backwards, and transportation into other worlds.

  What if the Looking Glass station is the place that gets you to and from the island? It's a nexus point that allows instant transportation. That would seem intense and uncomfortable right? All the sub is used for is to transport people from the station to the dock. That is why she was unconscious for that trip."

• Smarter (and faster) than Me:
  • Things I Noticed - "Greatest Hits" by Vozzek69
  • Hit Lists - Review of Greatest Hits by Jeff Jensen
  • Thoughts on Through the Looking Glass... @ EYE M SICK
  • "Greatest Hits" by J.Wood
  • From Zero to Hero - A Greatest Hits recap by Fish Biscuit

"I am: a teenage girl caring for a younger brother on a quest to search for our missing father. He was seeking a way to bring back harmony to the planet when he disappeared while exploring in The Evil Zone.

You are: a rough, no-nonsense, attractive-yet-single, unscarred, honest, hardman who will insist on full pay for the bare minimum of assistance at first but who will eventually warm to us and aid us in our quest without accepting any recompense out of a growing sense of humanity you thought you'd lost for good. You will be an accomplished fighter, heroic but not stupid, and will sympathetically reject my sexual advances because of our age gap and my innocence and you will certainly not take advantage of these chaotic times and my naivety.

Location: The Evil Zone.
Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
Please, no mutants!
Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests."

"Comcast Corp. plans to drop Microsoft Corp.'s television software and on-screen program guide from its digital cable boxes in the Seattle area and the rest of the software company's home state."

Comcast will no longer use Microsoft's TV software

• Quick Overview: This was a great episode. It had everything I look for in Lost: Dharma jumpsuits, bunnies, mass murder, invisible Other elders, and savage headbutting. To me, Lost just keeps delivering WTF moments while managing to avoid the shark jump.
• Since Lostpedia places the on-Island date as Dec 21, 1994 ,and that day is Ben's birthday, I was struck by how balmy northwest Oregon (32 miles outside Portland) looks in winter. I guess Hawaii isn't the best place to film cold-weather scenes.
• It's really weird seeing Jon Gries with hair.
• If that was a brand-new 1960 VW Karman Ghia then Ben is 44 years old.
• It's quite a coincidence that the car that stops to help Roger Linus was being driven by a future member of the Dharma Initiative. And it's interesting that Ben's screw-up of a father kept in touch with Horace Goodspeed for around 10 years.
• Ben and Locke's mothers are both named Emily. Both killed their fathers in order to join the Others.
• Ben: You do remember birthdays, don't you Richard? It's possible that Richard has been on the Island for a very long time.
• Ben spends a lot of time in this episode freaking out to one degree or another. Until his spirit is crushed and he's destroyed utterly it'll have to do.
• Ben did not expect to see Locke again.
• My Ghod, it feels so good to have Locke asking, nay, demanding answers. I think his whole cranky-tell-me-NOW act is a nod to fans.
• Ben: Why would Richard take you?-wow, look at those eyes bug out. Ben does not want Locke talking to Richard.
  • If Jacob only talks to Ben, and Jacob never leaves his little shack, how does Jacob summon Ben?
  • As we learn later, Richard was an Other before Ben, and probably has been on the Island long before him. Why doesn't Richard have a relationship with Jacob?
• Ben: I was born here on this Island, I'm one of the last people that was.-Let's be clear: Ben is a frigging Liar.
• Ben is the only Other who has ever seen Jacob (according to Ben).
• Just being an invisible friend in a shack out in the jungle isn't all that impressive. Jacob must do something for Ben that impresses the Others.
• Locke makes a overt reference to The Wizard of Oz. Dorothy's Auntie Em was named Emily (Ben and Locke's mother's name). She was married to Henry Gale.
• Young Ben looks like Harry Potter.
• The sub trip doesn't seem to have involved tranquilizers or a disturbing ride.
• One of the women greeting Roger and Ben is a gemologist. Yah! Magic stones! The pirates are after the magic stones! Or maybe Lost will morph into Dragon Ball Z.
• Young Ben doesn't talk much - 20ish Ben is a "chatty cathy". guess planning mass murder cheers him up.
• Marvin Candle Video:

  "Welcome to the Island. For your own comfort and safety, we ask that you stay within the confines of your new living quarters. Our barracks are surrounded by a high-frequency sonar fence to protect us from the island's abundant and diverse wildlife. You are now a member of the Dharma initiative.

  Every morning you will be given a new code which will allow you to cross outside the fences if you so desire. There are properties on this island that exist nowhere else on earth. Our mission is to study these properties for the betterment of mankind and advancement of world peace. Most of you will be working on the mainland. Should you be assigned zoological study..."

• Besides the video, there's no sign of Marvin. The Degroots are not to be found either.
• One thing that's always bothered me: how did the DI build all their facilities? At some point they would have had to bring a freighter to the Island with construction materials and machinery. And you can't fit those VW buses in a submarine.
• New initiative members are given shots (of what?) and all the Apollo bars they want.
• Mikhail is smirkless.
• Whoever Naomi is, Ben and the Other's don't know her.
• Why haven't the Others gone all full-assault mode on the Losties before? Why tiptoe around them for almost three seasons and now decide that going in guns blazing is a good idea?
• Tom doesn't even stop drinking his coffee when Locke thumps Mikhail.
• Alex gives Locke a pistol. It would seem she has daddy-issues too.
• You have to add vinegar to the bicarb to get the volcano to erupt. Duh.
• Explosion as prop volcano blows: coincidence or sympathetic magic?
• Ben sees his mother outside the window. This can't be Smokey, because the Black Smoke is repelled by the Sonic Death Fence.
• Sawyer plays Juliet's tape for Kate - this time it isn't Phil Collins.
• There are "whispers" the first time Ben goes to the fence.
• Ben's mother is the woman in the painting. Maybe she's not holding a hamster, but a rabbit?
• From the Official Podcast (paraphrasing):

  "The powdery substance surrounding Jacob's cabin, and seen in his chair, may be volcanic ash. In combination with other substances, this powder is probably confining Jacob."

  From Lost Spoilers: Official Lost Podcast

• Sayid: ...And every time we try to get answers from this woman, he prevents her from giving them. - testify!
• Ben is sending "3 teams" to snatch the pregnant women.
• Ben is a master game-player. What if he anticipated Juliet's betrayal? She did try to have him killed.
• Ben came to his love of the large man-purse at an early age.
• More whispers on young Ben's jungle foray. He can hear them.
• Richard's gun and clothes:
  • "...his clothing could have been lifted directly off of the back of a British sailor or miner or factory worker from the 1870s or 1880s." His clothes could be made from the hempen sails of the Black Rock. Or he's wandered off from a heavily armed Phish concert. `
  • Richard is wearing the holster for a Luger P-08, designed in 1898-after the Black Rock wrecked in 1891.
• Richard isn't surprised that Ben has seen his dead mother. This is what probably told Richard that Ben was "special".
• Richard seems like a nice man, for a mass murderer.
• Jacob doesn't like technology. I think he might not like unnatural electromagnetic fields.
• Jacob apparently likes to sit alone in the dark.
• Things I Noticed - "The Man Behind the Curtain" by Vozzek69 has a good summation of the Jacob/Ben/Locke encounter:

  BEN (To Jacob): "I told you he wouldn't".
  
  Ben's telling Jacob that Locke can't see him. As the only one to see and hear Jacob, Ben wants it to stay that way. To keep in power he's vehemently kept anyone else from Jacob - especially someone as special as Locke.
  
  BEN (To Locke): "You can't see him?" (slightly mockingly) "Jacob...He's sitting right there, in this chair".
  
  Ben's giddily relieved that Locke can't see Jacob. He thinks Locke doesn't have the faith. He doesn't want him to.
  
  BEN (To Jacob): "Yes I know, but he insisted".
  
  Jacob just told Ben that Locke wasn't ready. Apparently Jacob wanted Locke to come, but only once he would be able to see him. Ben's half apologetic and half making excuses. Secretly, he's glad Locke came early.
  
  BEN (To Jacob): "I am not. He made me bring him here, did you think that it was my-"
  
  Jacob just accused Ben of conspiring to fail by bringing Locke early. Jacob's smart. He knows Ben wants to maintain control... he knows Ben doesn't want Locke to see him. Jacob is realizing that Ben's agenda is not his own.
  
  LOCKE (To Ben): "Do you think there's someone there?"
  
  BEN (To Locke): "I KNOW there is. I'm sorry John, (snootily) that you're too limited to see".
  
  Ben's not sorry at all, he's glad as hell. With Locke unable to see or hear Jacob Ben maintains control over his people AND he fulfills Jacob's orders to bring Locke to see him (if a bit early). He's in the clear on both counts.
  
  What happens next is Jacob gets pissed. Forget Locke's flashlight, Jacob is angry with Ben's complete lack of progress. It is at this point that Jacob abandons Ben. The transition occurs here. This is when he speaks to Locke, and for the first time Locke can hear him. For the first time, Ben cannot.
  
  After tossing stuff around the cabin, Jacob suddenly becomes visible to Locke (yes I missed it too the first time around). And if you watch Ben's reaction, I think Jacob actually disappears out of the chair to him. Ben's expression makes me think he just saw Jacob for the last time - at least while Locke is still alive - and I think Ben knows it.

• Jacob's chair is dirty. I don't think Jacob is an invisible physical person, but something else that can appear to be a human being.
• Some people are pissed at the vague almost-appearance of Jacob, but I thought it was brilliant. Jacob could have been revealed to be a real person - I was picturing him as an Island version of The Matrix's Architect: imperious yet mystical, and of course, very, very, vague. Then we could be left wondering about the power relationship between him and Ben. But TPTB have flipped this: we're left in doubt about what Jacob is, but it's fairly clear that Ben has either trapped Jacob or is exploiting his captive state. And I just loved the totally unexpected complete four-toed weirdness of the whole scene: the creeping suspicion that, oh crap, Ben is totally nuts/ the jars of mystery fluid / mournful portrait of a dog / telekinesis / "HELP ME" - just like Locke, I was left going "what was that?".
• "Where did you come from?" - "That's what I'm going to show you" The Ben we know came from a mass grave, an act of almost genocide.
• One nitpick: I'm no expert on nerve gas, but I do know that a lot of them will work through skin contact, which would make opening a canister on your lap in a closed vehicle fatal, gas-mask or not.
• Why did Ben close Horace's eyes?
• It would take A LOT of gas to kill everyone in the Barracks so suddenly. What was Dharma doing with a large arsenal of a WMD?
• Richard is wearing a very nice gold watch.
• How did Ben go from mass-murdering janitor to Other High Pubah?
• Ben: I was one of the people that was smart enough to make sure that I didn't end up in that ditch. - Other Dharma members survived the Purge and presumably joined the Others.
• I'm not worried about Locke dying on us. He was breathing when the episode ended. And his wound looked like it might be right where he's missing a kidney.
• Resources:
  • Things I Noticed - "The Man Behind the Curtain" by Vozzek69
  • The REAL Lost: "The Man Behind the Curtain", by J. Wood
  • Take me to Your Leader - The Man Behind the Curtain Recap by FishBiscuit
  • Curtain Call, by Jeff Jensen
  • ABC Podcast Summary "Man Behind the Curtain"

"When did UbuWeb Start?

UbuWeb was founded in November of 1996, initially as a repository for visual, concrete and, later, sound poetry. Over the years, UbuWeb has embraced all forms of the avant-garde and beyond. Its parameters continue to expand in all directions."

"Police in Tacoma are investigating the discovery of a dead fawn that was found dressed like an infant and was left abandoned at the Pantages Theater.

Police spokesman Mark Fulghum said an officer made the bizarre discovery shortly after 9 p.m. on Tuesday.

Tom Sayre with The Humane Society for Tacoma and Pierce County said the newborn deer was placed in a basket and was wearing an infant sleeper and a bib that read "You think I'm cute? You should see my aunt.""

"We know that Locke took Ben's tape recorder, but when? When he saw it in Ben's tent, he apparently thought that he would be staying with the Others. When he found out he was being left behind, Ben's luggage was packed up."

• Note: For simplicity's sake I'll refer to Locke's father as Cooper. His real name is still unknown.
• Locke burning Sawyer's file mirrors the beginning of Three Minutes (Ep #222) where Michael burns the list of Losties the Others want.
• That was a nice set piece of showing Locke his father. Notice how no questions are answered. "We don't have time.."-Locke has nothing but time, just lock him in the broom closet with Cooper. It's not like he has to pack or anything. And one little nitpick: tasering the elderly in the neck can be hazardous to their health.
• Locke believes he didn't "bring" Cooper to the Island. I think a good case can be made for Sawyer being the one responsible (bearing in mind that we have no solid information on just how Cooper got there). Cooper might be the last person Locke wants to see on his precious Island. Just before he was paralyzed Locke had given up on stalking Cooper to get his love. But Sawyer has plotted his revenge on Cooper almost his whole life and even flew to Australia to kill him. This of course assumes that Cooper was brought to the Island by the "magic box" and not an Other kidnap plot.
• Locke got his hand-wound (when he talked to Kate in the rec-room) from Cooper's bite.
• Sawyer: OK Tarzan, so now that you're back from your blow-up-everything-that-could-get-us-off-the-Island tour... - Hoot
• Locke mirrors Mikhail last episode: coming out of the jungle and asking to be allowed to leave.
• Cindy is quite the cheerful little camper.
• If Locke's healing of his paralysis marks him as someone especially favored by the Island, what does that make Mikhail? Patchy had his brains scrambled and was practically killed by the Sonic Death Fence.
• What, no Yurts?
• Ben not only has "his people" carting his books all over the countryside, somebody lugged a chest-of-drawers. It does seem that he likes his creature comforts a bit too much.
• Ben: This is not the first time we've done this, John. Trust me, no on will get hurt.
  • This is just so much Ben-poop, and Locke knows it-He's familiar with Ethan's messy Claire-napping.
  • Not the first time: Have the Others preyed on some previous group of castaways?
  • Did Ben let Locke know about the upcoming raid and Juliet's mission on purpose? It looks that way, but I can't figure out how Ben gains from warning the Losties.
• • Ben: ...I can't wait to show you what this Island can do. But unfortunately, you're not ready..John
  • Locke: Oh, No, I'm ready
  • Ben: No John, you're not. You're still crippled by the memories of the man you used to be before you came to this Island. You'll never be free until you release the hold that your father has over you. Why do you think you brought him here?
  • Locke: Oh-oh-oh...the magic box...Ok, Ben, how about you show me the..._
  • Ben: The magic box is a metaphor, John. I can't show you anything until you can show me that you're ready and willing to be one of us. When people join us here on this Island they need to make a gesture of free will, of commitment. That's why you're going to have to kill your father.
  • Cut to Cooper tied to an ancient piller ala Fay Wray
  
  
  Observations:
  • I find it interesting that Locke doesn't believe in the "magic box". He believes that the Losties are on the Island for a reason, that the Island is someplace special that healed his spine, and he's seen Cooper-but he doesn't have any faith in the metaphorical box.
  • Personally, I tend to be suspicious when people order me to make a Gesture of Free Will.
  • Commitment!?-Locke has blown up the Flame Station and the submarine to seal off the Island-looks like commitment to me.
• Sawyer is barefoot-A sign of innocence? That's going to change.
• I think Sayid is just digging a latrine. Sometimes a hole is just a hole. Though this could be foreshadowing-digging a grave.
• Bali is WAY off course for a flight from Sydney to L.A.
• If Naomi is telling the truth about the freighter, then somebody may come looking for her.
• The creek is a mirror.
• The Other's tents are all lit up-they don't seem worried about being discovered.
• Cooper acts like he wants somebody to kill him.
• Is that really Cooper or is it another manifestation of Smokey?
• Knocking old people unconscious with a club could easily kill them.
• The Others are just plain creepy. Gathering around to watch Locke kill his father was like something out of The Children of the Corn.
• Hey Kids, let's go watch a Gesture of Free Will! There'll be blood and death! It'll be fun AND educational.
• Cooper tied up like a sacrifice and Locke being given a knife to kill him recalls Abraham and Isaac.
• Good move Sawyer-leave the knife behind. What use could a tool like that be?
• How hard could it be to break out of a wooden ship that's been rotting in a jungle for 150+ years?
• Rousseau and Locke make a cute couple. Be careful, it's unstable - Yea...like you aren't.
• Rousseau is on a mission with a case of dynamite-I predict we can forget about seeing Otherville next season.
• Richard is nicely dressed compared to the rest of the Others.
• Richard: Ben has wasting our time with novelties like fertility problems. We're looking for someone to remind us that we're here for more important reasons. Richard thinks that the Others have another mission.
• Richard is playing Locke-calling him "special" is the key to manipulating Locke.
• At least part of the file on Sawyer is in French. More
• Now that Richard is on the Island and providing plenty of dark-eyed smarmy evil I predict that Ben is headed for a dirt-nap.
• • Sawyer: How did you get here? To the Island?
  • Cooper: Island? (laughs) Ok, I'm driving down I-10 through Tallahassee when bam, somebody slams into the back of my car. I go right into the divider at 70 miles an hour-The next thing I know the paramedics are strapping me into a gurney, stuffing me into the back of an ambulance, and one of them actually smiles at me as he pops the IV into my arm. And then...nothing, just...black. And the next thing I know I wake up in a dark room tied up, gag in my mouth, and when the door opens I'm looking up at the same man I threw out a window, John Locke, my dead son. (laughs)
  • Sawyer: He's dead 'cause you threw him out a window?
  • Cooper: No, he survived that, but it paralyzed him-permanently. He's dead because the plane he was flying on crashed in the Pacific.
  • Sawyer: Well I got bad news for you pops, 'cause I was on that plane with your son, and he sure as hell wasn't crippled. And we didn't crash into the Pacific, we crashed here, on this island.
  • Cooper: Are you sure it's an island?
  • Sawyer: Well what else is it?
  • Cooper: Little hot for Heaven, isn't it?
  • Sawyer: Oh, Ok, so we're dead?
  • Cooper: They found your plane on the bottom of the ocean. One minute I'm in a car wreck and the next minute I'm in a pirate ship in the middle of the jungle. If this isn't Hell, friend-then where are we?
  • Sawyer: Why did you throw Locke out of a window?
  • Cooper: He was becoming a nuisance. I conned him into giving me one of his kidneys...he never got over it.
  • Sawyer: Conned? (a little light goes on in Sawyer's head)
  • Cooper: Yes sir, conned.(Big Light)
  • Sawyer: What's your name?
  • Cooper: Hmm?
  • Sawyer: Your name?
  • Cooper: Con man goes by many names, friend. I've been Alan Seward, Anthony Cooper, Ted Mclaren, Tom Sawyer, Lewis Jackson...
  • Sawyer: Tom Sawyer...
  • Cooper: I was young, and Huck Finn was taken. And the ladies loved that one...Made me charming.
  • Sawyer: How about that?
  • Cooper: How 'bout what?
  • Sawyer: Sawyer's my name too
  
  
  Observations:
  • Is Cooper telling the truth (as far as he knows it) about how he got to the Island and what the world believes about Flight 815? Ben wants Locke to believe in the "magic box",so there's no reason for the Others arranging for Cooper to tell a story that casts doubt on the "box". His plane crash story matches Naomi's, but that means nothing. I don't see any way for Cooper to gain from lying, so I tend to believe him.
  • Or is the original Cooper dead in a Florida car wreck and the Island Cooper one of Smokey's manifestations ala Yemi? The Island/Smokey might have it's own motives for dissuading belief in the "magic box" and removing hope of rescue.
  • If Cooper is genuine and truthful, then either the Others kidnapped him or the "magic box" operates through the use of the Others.
  • How could the Others locate Cooper, a wanted con-man with the skills and resources to remain hidden?
  • Nitpick: A high speed car-crash is a very risky and complicated way to kidnap someone. Think about what would be required-a sizable crew, fake ambulance, a way to keep real police and emergency personnel away from the wreck, and intimate knowledge of Cooper's movements. And Cooper could easily die in the crash.
• Ben seems surprised at Locke's "embarrass me" comment. This would suggest that Richard is really Ben's political enemy.
• Ben uses Locke's own line: Don't tell me what I can't do, John.
• Ben and the Others "abandon" Locke - lots of mirroring: Cooper/Locke, Mom/Locke, Others/Juliet, Father/Shannon, Brother/Charlie...
• How could Ben and his heavily laden group of Others possibly not leave a trail that Locke could follow?
• Sayid: Did any of you actually see this helicopter? - Ah, the sweet voice of reason and skepticism
• Mental note: When Sawyer stops being blustery and gets quiet, you've got problems.
• See what you get when Lost is on at 10pm? Nice violent stranglings.
• Always thank people after they kill people for you.
• Much has been made of the similarities between Sawyer killing Cooper and Princess Leia strangling Jabba the Hutt. And now I've jumped on the meme too. Call me fanboy.
• I really, really wish the writers hadn't turned Kate into an total idiot this episode.
• I really, really hope that Juliet wanted to tell Kate about her and Jack's secret plan to screw over Ben and the Others.
• Jack: Why didn't anyone tell me this?. Ok, so Kate isn't the only idiot in this scene.
• It seems that whatever Jack is up to involves communicating with the outside world.
• Sawyer now has some idea of the Island's healing power.
• If I were John I'd show up with just Cooper's head-it would be more dramatic and a lot easier to carry.
• Extra Reading:
  • Things I Noticed - "The Brig" by Vozzek69
  • Getting Even With Dad by Jeff Jensen/Entertainment Weekly
  • EYE M SICK - Thoughts on The Brig...
  • The Child is Father to the Man - The Brig Recap by Fish Biscuit
  • Lost: "The Brig", by J. Wood

• I thought D.O.C. might stand for "Department of Corrections", but it's "Date Of Conception".
• The show opening with Sun in her garden echoes/mirrors Charlie's fake kidnapping attempt in "The Long Con".
• Jack's wearing a red shirt.
• Why is Jack asking Sun questions about her pregnancy instead of telling every female Lostie that all women who get pregnant on the Island die? Doesn't this sound like the sort of thing people ought to know?
• Jin: Who is she? Jin's English is coming along-I think this might be his first complete sentence.
• Parachute Woman's name is Naomi Dorrit.

  • "Little Dorrit is a serial novel by Charles Dickens published originally between 1855 and 1857. It is a work of satire on the shortcomings of the government and society of the period.

    Much of Dickens's ire is focused upon the institutions of debtor's prisons?in which people who owed money were imprisoned, unable to work, until they repaid their debts. The representative prison in this case is the Marshalsea where the author's own father had been imprisoned.

    Most of Dickens's other critiques in this particular novel are about other issues with regards to the social safety net: industry, and the treatment and safety of workers; the bureaucracy of the British government's ministries (especially the fictional "Circumlocution Office" [Bk. 1, Ch. 10]); and the separation of people based on the lack of intercourse between the classes."

  • Dickens is Desmond's favorite author.

  • The contents of her knapsack:

    "...a satellite phone and a copy of the novel Catch-22 (Ardil-22, a Brazilian edition in Portuguese), which contained a photograph of Desmond and Penny, among other things such as a packet of beef stew, a nutra fruit bar and the hula doll. A flare gun was also later discovered."

    Does anyone else find this collection strange? I know I would have packed a little better for my visit to Craphole Island. But if this was just her helicopter flight-kit why bring a sat-phone and a flare gun? And who eats a beef stew MRE on a helicopter?

• Naomi: Me estoy muriendo. (Spanish for "I am dying)
• It's actually good to see Desmond and Charlie arguing about how to save Naomi. It beats one of them coming up with a dumb idea and everybody just going along with it.
• Never, ever, give Hurley a gun. Ping Pong paddle=Light Saber.
• Sun's a little paranoid, and that's a good thing in my book.
• Why hasn't Kate told everybody about pregnant women dying?
• My god, Sun is actually asking questions about what the hell is going on. This better not become a habit, someone might figure something out.
• Jin was in the army? There's a flashback.
• The scene where Mikhail runs out of the jungle definitely goes on the highlight reel. And the dried blood on his ears was a nice touch.
• From the 4/30/07 Official Lost Podcast: The Sonic Death Fence wasn't set high enough to kill Mikhail, so he did not come back from the dead. I was hoping that Revenant-Patchy would turn out to be a manifestation of the Black Smoke Monster.
• Desmond drawing his machete at the sound of Mikhail approaching made me wonder: Why don't the Campers have a rifle?
• OK, Jin was in the army, and he has a karate trophy back in Korea-but why has there been no sign of his martial skills before now? And a handy tip: When chasing someone, just shove or kick them to make them fall, instead of going for a telegenic flying tackle that leaves you both on the ground. Though that spinning heel kick was Norris-riffic.
• Wait a gosh-darn-minute: Charlie has heard of Mikail!? Does this mean that the Losties have actually shared important information with each other? First asking questions, now talking to one another-will wonders never cease?
• Mikhail's self-satisfied little smirk irks me. Since they've already set a precedent, I hope TPTB kill Patchy off (again) in a colorful (gruesome) manner.
• Fire the flare-gun!
• Naomi: "Aiutami sto morendo"-("Help me I'm dying" in Italian). How handy that Mikhail understands Italian.
• Jin's biological father is a mystery.
• Claire and Kate told Sun about the Staff medical station-more info sharing. Too bad nobody did more than a cursory search of the place.
• The conversation between Mr. Paik and his underling:

  forged
  transportation/shipping
  a permit card/document
  we
  yet
  haven't obtained/got
  chairman/president

  from Hanso foundation
  from us
  the equipment
  didn't provide
  upset/agnry

  Source: More Korean Trivia (Lostpedia Blog)
• Sun borrowing money from her evil father was the cause of Jin becoming a leg-breaker.
• Hurley tells Mikhail about the sat-phone and Charlie gives him the best "Are you friggin nuts, shut the fuck up" look. Maybe Hurley loses his mojo out in the jungle.
• Naomi didn't say "Thank You" after her tube thoracostomy- she said "I am not alone" in Portuguese.
  • Maybe she's babbling-she has had a hard day. And this is her fourth or fifth language (when she should know full well they speak English).
  • She's just happy to have the company of the Campers.
  • Somebody else jumped out of the helicopter.
  • Just because she was supposed to be Penny until Desmond wouldn't let Charlie take an arrow to the throat and she has a picture of Penny and Desmond AND she knows who Desmond is doesn't mean she has to be part of Penny's rescue plan, or even a good-guy (or gal). She could from the Other's off-island organization trying to regain contact after the Purple Haze.
• Wouldn't it have been cool if, instead of having a picture of Penny and Desmond, Naomi had the "same picture" only with her instead of Penny?
• Why is Sun and Juliet's midnight stroll a big secret?
• Nine dead women in the last 3 years. Why are the Other's so obsessed with children that they didn't abort the babies after they knew what was happening?
• I bet herbalist Sun could concoct some natural Abortificant
• Notice how Juliet doesn't answer Sun's question about why the room was hidden. And why was it hidden behind a blast door? Was it to keep things out, or to keep things in?
• Patchy lets slide that wounds heal fast on the Island. He is just a chatterbox.
• There's that smirk again.
• Juliet says that the Island increases sperm count 500 percent.
• Why didn't Mikhail's eye grow back?
• Jin doesn't want to be indebted to Sun's Father, but it's too late.
• Eight weeks (53 days) ago was just before the raft set sail. Sun and Jin weren't speaking to each other then. TPTB should pay more attention to their own timeline.
• If Sun has 60 days to live, that's still almost 3 more seasons.
• Why would Sun buy Juliet's story that she needs to cover her tracks? Anybody could have gotten into the Staff.
• Can't Juliet just leave a note? And what kind of sample did she get from Sun? All she did was a sonogram. Is she going to follow Kate around waiting for her to pee?
• Why are only human females having death-pregnancies? The wild pigs aren't having any problems.
• Juliet hates Ben-join the club.
• Desmond: By my count, you've killed more of them than they killed of you..
  
  According to the Lostpedia Body Count the Other's are responsible for 4 Lostie deaths:
  • Scott, beaten to death to try to force the Losties to give up Claire.
  • Nathan killed by Goodwin to cover up Goodwin's Otherness.
  • Ana-Lucia and Libby shot by Michael. Extorting someone to commit murder is the same as murder in my book.
  
  And the attempted murders: Charlie by Ethan - Sawyer, Michael, and Jin by the Seabillies.
  
  The Losties have killed 7 Others:
  • Ethan Rom shot by Charlie.
  • Two of the Others killed by Mr. Eko when they tried to kidnap him in the middle of the night.
  • Female Other killed by Ana-Lucia during kidnapping attempt.
  • Goodwin killed by Ana-Lucia.
  • Other killed by Sawyer as they followed the rescue-Walt party.
  • Colleen Pickett killed by Sun in the course of piracy.
  
  Out of these only Ethan can't be defended as self-defense.
  
  The Losties may not be paragons of virtue, but I give Desmond's moral calculus an F.
• Oh Hurley, don't call Mom. Hurley's Mom=Satan
• Naomi: They Found the Plane, There Were No Survivors, They Were All Dead. Intriguing, but we just don't know enough to say much about this. She could be lying. Hell-I could be lying.
• Naomi's tattoo belongs to the actress, though TPTB could write it into the show like Matthew Fox's.
• Extra Study: The ever-excellent J. Woods on D.O.C.