UConn James

Well, my TeeVee was on. Too bad I was ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ until I woke up ~ a minute before the Pens won. The games are on too f---ing late (West Coast bias) and the multiple intermissions go too long. I know it's the SC and it was 3OT, but the games really drag with watching talking heads three times for 20-25 mins.

Oooo. That's probably what she meant when she said to her father that two people killed Jin. Locke probably told her how flippant Ben was when he knew that killing Keamy would kill everyone on the boat. Christian is an odd character in this regard and I'd think twice before pinning him to science. Remember in totality in his flashbacks... when Jack was young, after a surgery where a boy died, he said 'How can I... blah blah/move on with his life like nothing happened. How can I do that?!?' Well, one part was with alcohol, for sure. But at the same time, he was moving on the same way Locke --- the Man of Faith --- moved right on after Boone died at his behest, among other things in his search for Signs from the Island. I would contrast Christian's drinking as relief/comfort from his plight (per the bar scene with Sawyer, he's a fun drunk even tho he's a kind of bad father ) with Widmore's expensive highbrow cold-hearted You're-Not-Worthy McClutcheon. Mehh. He really tempers anything in those comments here.

I think this is very possible as well.

I don't think Ben shooting Locke in the pit has anything to do with "Jeremy Bentham"'s death. Locke recovered from that in short order due to the island's healing powers/universe 'course correcting.' Even Ben said he should have known better that it wouldn't have killed Locke. I'm not sold that all of this healing that has been done magically goes away once they leave the island, as Rose has intimated. Being on the island can heal wounds/conditions that they had previously or that they experienced on the island. It's some property that hasn't been explained. But note that the Others have likely been the source for people off the island getting miraculously cured --- Juliet's sister, Locke as a newborn recovering from severe infection, just off the top of my head (this may also include Claire's mother who we now know woke from her coma sometime after the crash)... as well as Dharma/Other representatives being present at the time of death or critical junctures. Locke's death seems to coincide with the Sayid flashforward storyline where people are after Ben and the Others and questioning the Oceanic 6. The spy girl that Sayid shot worked for someone that he was trying to assassinate (Widmore, whom we've previously seen beating up on someone from Ben's archive). I would guess that this same person got Locke, as he was trying to recruit the Oceanic 6 and Walt to come back three years after they left (note that Locke/JB had time to visit with all of them off the island and he did not die). This probably conflicted with someone's plans and they killed him.

I don't think it's a given that he will revive. Remember, it's taken a year for them to even show us that it was Locke in the coffin. His story of the preceding 3 years on the island as well as some details of what he discussed with Jack, Kate, Sun, et al, as well as the circumstances of his demise are yet to be shown. He is a major character, so I would expect this kind of extended treatment for what happens to him --- it would have been so shi--y to just have an episode where Locke dies and that's it. That said, per Ben's telling, I think they have to bring Locke/Jeremy Bentham's body back with them when they go back to the island. And when that happens, it's anybody's guess. I definitely don't get the sense that Jin is dead, or that Faraday's story is finished. Sun may be operating on that assumption , either b/c she's not entirely sure or it's just the official story front that Jack said they needed to do to protect the other Lostaways. Seemed like she knew he wasn't dead in the birth flashforward this season. She said that 2 people are responsible for Jin's death, her father and ...? And, we know that Mr. Paik is friends with Widmore. More things connect. Jack also told Desmond to take care of Penny b/c someone will be after her. Who? Ben? How would he know this (that was from the flashforward that Ben says he's going to kill Widmore's daughter as a tit-for-tat for Alex. How much of the island was moved? Is it's sphere of influence extended into the ocean like that glass dome in the comic book? Also, how did the island move? Did it really sink underwater like was shown and everything submerged and we're led to believe it's going to re-emerge somewhere else? Are structures still intact? Well, the plane crashed on 22 Sept 2004 and the Oceanic 6 were stranded for ~ 4 months. Then, Kate said in the extended airport meeting with Jack that it had been 3 years since their rescue (vaguery here, for sure) so that would likely place it at early 2008. --- Some other observations... It really struck me how much Sawyer's character has changed even from the start of this season where everything he did was him "survivin'" and now he's trying to protect everyone else by putting himself in danger. Ran toward the house to save Claire, trekked off to get Hurley at the Orchid station, jumped from the helicopter (anybody see Hurley's eyes go when Frank said he'd feel more comfortable if they dumped about 300 more pounds). With Claire appearing in Kate's dream combined with being in the cabin, I'm nonplussed to say whether she is alive or not. Others say that the scene where Ben moves the island was 'high-school-theatre-ish.' Dude, it was awesome. I would seriously put this show in the top 5 all-time, so far. It's about the only thing I watch on non-PBS TeeVee besides news and Jeopardy.

Mmm hmm. On a similar tack, I marvel at the entertainment shows showing celebrities driving away in a throng of paparazzi that they don't hit anyone more frequently. Seriously, the car is moving. Don't go near it, or you're probably going to get bumped/hit. The cluelessness of many people today is remarkable. Especially when talking on their cellphones. We were pouring concrete for a mall sidewalk during a summer job many moons ago, and a lady stepped through three layers of bright orange construction cones, right into the wet concrete as we were floating and edging it. !@#$ oblivious!

We don't know much yet. But the fact that nigh two days have passed and ML hasn't said boo to anyone and is waiting on his lawyer speaks volumes. If he wasn't in the car or driving at the time, he and the team likely would have said so post haste in today's PR world. If he was driving, I'm having a hard time seeing ML missing much time. He'll likely deny realizing that he had hit someone (the non-serious nature of the injury may help in this regard), cop a plea to lesser charges and beg for the mercy of the court for an honest mistake, which odds are he'll receive, then make this woman independently wealthy in civil court. Again, we don't know exactly what happened, and the details will hopefully be released soon, but if ML was driving, this movie has been shown before. Well, actually, it looks like they're any old football team despite the 'character' mantra that's been spewed out of TBD --- usually, people who say they're of higher character than others are sooner or later shown to be mere hypocrites. And you may be wrong. Limited bad-boy-ism has been a hallmark for many playoff and SB teams in the past several years.

All the brew-ha-ha of which, being Wright, Hagee, Robertson, et al, has me wondering once again why churches are not taxed as quasi-political organizations. Church used to be about Jesus-God. Now it's abortion-this, stem cells-that, illegal-immigration-the-other... It's not even subtle these days. I hope seeing this downward spiral of fundamental discussion in the church is why Obama quit this parish, rather than it being politically expedient. But I know that if my minister started talking for me as if he were my puppetmaster, I'd be right pissed and it wouldn't have taken me this long to officially part ways. Those listed above and many more are political animals dressed in frocks.

And on top of that, how can they afford soda? Seriously, tho, I know people who pick up redeemables while they're walking their doggies. It's a little $ (very little) and it beautifies the roads from asshats who can't be bothered to use refuse bins. They also pick up many more of the plastic water bottles; there should really be a deposit on those f--kers too. FWIW, people who do that in bulk can make some coin. For an intro journalism class, I interviewed a guy who collected cans after football games at the U, and he said he collected ~ $200 worth after each game from the ground, in the garbage, etc. The low-rider-like sag in his beater sedan convinced me he was telling the truth. These are the times we live in.

And more than most that are.

She can't coordinate friggin' campaign messages, yet she says she's the best qualified to coordinate the free world. The fact that she's brought it up... well, it's always a present reality (Obama was the first to receive Secret Service protection, and you'd think that was b/c of perceived or actual threats) but for pols to actively bring it up in almost any context --- especially to broadly explain why she's staying in the race despite it being all but over --- is a pretty big faux pas. Any chance she had of being the VP selection --- and it was b/w slim and none before --- just went out the window. Everyone, including RFK Jr., is backing away from criticizing her for this b/c they don't want to diminish hold on a Dem Senate seat, but what she said was just.... Assassination is like Fight Club. First rule is you don't talk about Fight Club.

You can get digital teevee most anywhere. You need either an HDTV or a set-top box digital tuner for a standard old television. With antenna configurations, some locations require more work than others. I've got a thread in the Consumer forum on this subject... should update it with what I've done.

Johnny Coli, where are ye?

Oprah says to vote for him. Case closed! EVERYBODY GETS A CAR!!!!!! EVERYBODY GETS A CAR!!!!!! EVERYBODY GETS A CAR!!!!!! EVERYBODY GETS A CAR!!!!!!

He will not be in the Democratic Caucus for very much longer. Whether that's by his choice, Dem choice or if McCain picks him as VP (the two have been virtually attached at the hip for quite some time now --- this would be a gross error on JMac's part). This certainly doesn't build him any bridges from the many he's burned in the last few years. With everything that's happened, I just don't see how he wins another term in CT when he'll no longer be able to say "Hey, people, I'm still a Democrat at heart!" Four more years is an eternity, for sure, but that's this board's CT Yankee view. I also think he's a little disingenuous on the 'You don't talk to your enemies' tack. Piss on JFK not meeting with Castro and all that. Perhaps someone should remind him of the red phone on the President's desk? The lines b/w us and our biggest enemy were always open in the Cold War. Not saying that we should talk to AQ, for sure, but there's no harm in a president talking/meeting with adversaries to let them know personally exactly where they stand. Talking with someone does not mean you're capitulating or compromising yourself; it just means you're talking. That's the spirit of the Olympics, as well; every 4 years, the nations send their best athletes to compete in good sportsmanship regardless of politics, and hopefully each begins to see the others as people rather than a blob of land on a map whose citizens they're vaguely (or overtly) told by their govt to hate for reasons that may or may not be valid. Keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer. I'm officially registered in the party, but I don't get the Republicanism of saying 'You don't exist in our world' such that there's not even a speck of a chance for improving relations.

Those states disenfranchised themselves. They were told the consequences of pushing up their primary date --- the loss of their delegates at the convention --- and did it anyway (and as AD has pointed out numerous times, this was unanimous and bipartisan). If the DNC now allows the votes to be counted and for the delegates to seat, it's a slap in the face to the system that was created to bring a geographically diverse range of results early in the process. Fla and Mich. flouted that, going against that Midwestern axiom of "don't think you're important because you're not." If they are seated, what's to stop, say, New York or Texas from having their primaries on Oct. 1? You cannot reward someone for cutting in line. It encourages others to do the same. Seriously, the leapfrogging for attention has risen to new heights of stupidity. They couldn't get a re-vote worked out in time, under the proper circumstances fair to everyone or cost. A revote would have been ideal, but responsibility lies with the state leaders, and ultimately in our representative democracy, on the people who elected them. If those states' citizens are displeased with how their state leaders voted, they should watch how they vote in their state elections. Maybe next time all this moving up primary dates won't won't be chaotic and stupid and rife with "We're better than you, so we're going first"... but don't count on it.

Agreed. JMac needs someone who can shore up his weak areas. With the way things are going, even if it's perception and numbers on paper show something else to try to keep people from looking longingly at tall buildings, his weakest policy area --- the economy, as he freely admits --- will be the No. 1 issue of '08. Screw Iraq, screw stem cells... when things aren't going well with the economy, the rest is on the back burner (and, if we don't have a good economy, how do we fund all this spending besides more deficits?). The arching theme is that in such times, more people vote for the nurturing/mother Dems vs. the security/father Repubs. The Huckster might be the one who can garner JMac some votes in the Bible Belt. But in terms of offering help to the campaign in real issues/contribute to the tenor of the campaign, he comes up really short of what is needed right now. Palliative Southern drawl doesn't put food on the table. There's a short list circling among the talking heads of Pawlenty, Crist, Carly Fiorina a former CEO of HP (have to say, that would be interesting). And that Mitt Romney, whose strong suit is the economy and who many 'conservative' voters have said would be a good VP choice b/c he needs to prove his mettle to them first, likely burned the bridge during the primary. In contrast, if Obama is smart, he picks Bill Richardson. That would give instant polish to the campaign from someone who is very experienced in foreign policy, an area where Obama has been painted as inexperienced by the Clinton handbook. I think Richardson was viewed as being too... how do you say... bumble-y personality-wise for a President, but he is generally well-respected. It would also help Obama attract the Latino vote and put some of the southwest states in play.

Well, I'd consider it more a reflection on whatever team was stupid enough to fire a guy mid-season, not change their packages, and expect everything to be hunky-dory. Did the guy have a certain non-compete clause in his contract? What if he were hired by another team? He couldn't use what he knew about his former team? Also, you'd think that by halftime at least, said team would suspect that the guy spilled the beans. This is a similar situation to RJ shouting out signals to the D during the Jags game. This doesn't even come close to the Paytoilets*. At worst this was ungentlemanly. The NFL, tho, is no place for gentlemen, which is why it happens a lot.

Ramius asks a good question here.... My assumption is it might be some residual magnetic force. IIRC, the hatch and entering the numbers was merely a way of releasing pent-up energy from a strong magnetic field (remember Jack's keys). When Des turned the key, it was kind of understood that the magnet lost its strength. Could it still be enough to throw off a compass reading? Or is it caused by something else on the island? Oooo! That's a good one. Kind of like how Richard visited/checked in on Locke at different points in his life, while appearing as his contemporary age. Walt could be traveling back in time from the future to get people on the island that need to be there. Remember that he and Locke have a weird sort of connection, from the earliest episodes. I'm sure this is not for nothing. How cool of Hurley was it last night that when he saw Sayid had no one to greet him, he introduced him to his parents. It's trite, but he's the glue that holds them together. --- It's amazing to see how much progress the show has made, when you think back to how much we've learned since S1. And no, Sherman, I wouldn't say this is a repeat of the S2 conflict either. We're already deep into their organization. The flashforwards have been a brilliant device that allows the show to progress at such a fast rate in a short time. After we're shown how the Oceanic 6 get off the island, we're going to be where Jack screams out "We have to get back!" People've been so worried about the timeline, and it's like, dude they know what they're doing.

On WBZ in Boston last night, one of their commentators was speaking over the title "PATRIOTS CLEARED" and his diatribe made it sound like a complete vindication. What a !@#$ joke.

No sh--. Walker, Dockery, Peters, Butler, Stroud, McCargo, Johnson, Schoebel, Kelsay are seriously not enough? OK, I'll spot you Kelsay if he doesn't produce this season. But on the whole, our lines aren't nearly as bad as some would have us believe. OL play was one of the few bright spots last season. Fowler ain't the best, but he ain't the worst; you can't have worldbeater$ everywhere. There's new ingredients been added to the pot --- let's see how the stew tastes 'fore throwing it out. Going after mostly skills players this draft wasn't what I consider a serious faux pas. That said, I hope these UDFAs can push the current backups and contribute in the future, and I also expect that we draft at C, G/T next year for replenishing/eventual starter.

Well, I think yall and ieatcrayonz (is it sad to be upstaged by him? Honestly... I think I'd shoot myself) did my light work yesterday. 'Here's a guy that didn't do anything but deliver an unmarked package! Ask him! He'll tell you! It's all trumped up! ... Oh, that part about providing passports and attending a terrorist training camp? What, I left that out? No biggie!' What a f--kin' joke. Yeah, I don't know that. I also don't know that aforementioned bleeding heart ACLU/AI-types will use these redactions as a way to claim that any conviction was not fair and that 'the blacked out sections would prove it all... if they weren't blacked out. So it needs to be reversed.' "Heavily (intimation=unnecessarily) redacted/What do they have to hide?" are regular cries from the apologists. At least you admitted to it. Amazing how a little Google searching can lead to startling revelations that your previous ignorant slanders were off base. Maybe you should try doing research before you make more baseless assertions of what the big, bad, faceless admin is and is not doing. So, the admin wanted to limit or block access to those lawyers who broke rules of communication and encouraged uprisings that put guards' lives more at risk? I'm shocked! That article has a little dust on it, tho. As for Stimson, what of it? He's surprised that NY lawyers have taken the detainees as clients? Perhaps we could get The Law Offices of Cletus Soreass Esq. in Branson, Mo. He had Robert Vaughan do some commercials for him, yaknow! Who should represent the detainees? It's not really any different than lawyers who defend murderers, rapists and the like --- that lawyer serves as the defendant's legal counsel, not as his best buddy. I'd say there is some truth to his statements and some lies. I do think however this does show that prisoners subjected to torture will say anything to get out of the torture and information gleaned from them is mostly useless despite what the pathologically lying Bush administration claims. After all they can't say we've gotten no decent information after submitting these guys to torture can they? As I wrote before, this thread wasn't about torture, it's about detention. I don't support torture b/c I don't think it works; much more effective info is gleaned in other ways. I think the admin mostly accepts this too, just wanted to keep their options open for some relatively milder forms (i.e. not causing lasting physical harm), and Congress iirc passed an anti-torture bill incl. waterboarding. But like I said, I don't support torture. Well.... maybe in the extremest of cases --- like if we caught OBL/Zahari and had evidence that he was financing an attack to be carried out in the next week and only he knew the details. And even then, that would have to be in one of my weaker moments. I know there's not much to go on there, and I'm not saying for sure this guy above is lying, but if you were tortured, wouldn't you say, when questioned, specifically what torture was inflicted on you? Wouldn't it be burned into your soul? 'One way and then another way' reeks of lawyer-inspired talk. Maybe we have a hard time b/c... oh I dunno... the people in Gitmo are the scum of the earth and would invite terrorist attack. Like I wrote, you aren't going to find any neutral countries. "You're either with us or with the terrorists." Lynch was hesitant for Bragg to write for all the world to see that she had been raped by her (initial Iraqi army) captors, as was verifiable from her medical records. She had final editorial control of her own book. That she now has regrets about including it is understandable for that type of victim.... and also from a standpoint of whatever it may mean for future GI Janes. I don't get what you're trying to argue. --- Tom, it just don't seem to be sinking in to him no matter how many times it's been explained. You'd probably have more success talking to a brick wall. And then there's the old phrase, "I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed person." (One obstinate person I said that to once said, "What is that supposed to mean?" Checkmate.)

My brother has diagnosed PTSD after 3 tours in Afghanistan. I'm not on board with giving a Purple Heart. God knows that it's a serious issue, but the PH was created for soldiers who have been physically wounded in action. There are some who argue that mental conditions that develop as a result are an injury nonetheless.... I can see the fundamental point, but there's a distinction b/w physical pain/injury that is enemy-inflicted with bullets, knives, etc. and mental pain/injury. One could rightly argue that any soldier who's seen combat is mentally affected to some degree --- it comes with the job. I also see the point of codifying that serious mental disorders as a result of combat stress above and beyond the norm need to be given more respect through the corps. There're a lot of soldiers who still denigrate it, look down on soldiers who suffer this, say they're faking, harass them, don't factor it in regarding assignments. And regardless of all the training, it still happens. Perhaps a middle ground would be to create a different medal confined to this area to work to reduce the stigma corps-wide over time, and help alleviate the problem that those who suffer don't come forward for fear of such reprisal. But there's others who might say it'll never go away and such would just better mark targets for harassment.... I don't know.

It says that based on medical records he had access to, and (now-hesitant-to-admit, which is not uncommon) confirmation from JL, the ghostwriter wrote in her book that she had been raped.