Waterloo, Ontario-based Research In Motion released information on its latest BlackBerry smartphone, its first 3G or third-generation GSM device, the Bold

In an effort to prove it’s more than just a multi-functional workhorse, BlackBerry is jazzing up its personal style.

Yesterday Research in Motion Ltd. launched the new BlackBerry Bold. And it was obvious from the moment the veil was lifted that the company is elevating its cool, urban style.

Through its various incarnations – first the Pearl, then the Curve – the BlackBerry has always been the serious, hard-working type. Particularly when compared to its main competitor in the U.S., Apple’s iPhone – the fun-loving party animal of the smart phone category.

And while BlackBerry still touts speed, power and functionality as its best assets, now it’s also what’s on the outside that counts.

The BlackBerry Bold, expected to hit the market this summer, has been enthusiastically described as elegant, dramatic and vivid, even confident.

The exterior is jet black with a satin chrome-finish frame and a leather-like backplate. Its QWERTY keyboard has also been redesigned. RIM is calling the BlackBerry Bold “a symbol of accomplishment and aspiration.”

The new BlackBerry marries the functional world of technology to the cool world of fashion.

Some, like Toronto realtor Kara Reed, rely on a BlackBerry for immediate access to the outside world and she’s unconcerned about its looks. But for Holt Renfrew’s Barbara Atkin, it’s important that the device look “fierce” when she sets it on a restaurant table.

RIM is banking on the Bold’s slick appearance, as much as its upgraded features, to win over style-conscious consumers.

“As a culture, we are into smart design. It has to work for us. But it also has to be sexy,” says Atkin, vice-president of fashion direction for Holt Renfrew.

Atkin’s Pearl is permanently welded to her hand. “It’s a live product. I am constantly communicating with it. So it should look good.”

Les Minion, president of Hugo Boss Canada, agrees. “There’s always a group of people looking for something more – more modern, sleeker.”

He believes men approach such devices the same way they approach cars and watches. “It’s not about the price. It’s about the innovation, the newness. It’s about people who are addicted to the specifics.”

Reed isn’t convinced new means better. The sales representative for Chestnut Park Real Estate Ltd. is brand-loyal. She has owned five BlackBerrys since they were first introduced.

“I’m a text-er,” she says. For Reed her BlackBerry does it all. “I don’t really care what it looks like as long as it does its job.”

Reed says she has closed a lot of deals with her BlackBerry. And that’s good enough.

For her, looks would never be a deal breaker.

– by David Graham of the Toronto Star

Milton grew 71% in five years, thanks mostly to its small-town charm and low property taxes

Welcome to Milton, the middle kingdom. A town that still boasts a mill pond.

A place where would-be residents can choose between homes with verandas on Court St. or subdivision living near big box stores.

Thirty minutes from Toronto, its backyard is the Niagara Escarpment.

“It’s small enough that it feels like a small town, but there’s everything here that you need,” said Holly Young who, with husband Shawn and their 11-month-old daughter Makayla, moved here last fall.

Judging by the latest census results, plenty of others, much like Goldilocks, also seem to consider Milton just right. While other GTA municipalities are losing middle-income earners, Milton’s gaining and can lay claim to being the quintessential middle-class community.

Of the entire Golden Horseshoe, it has the lowest percentage of people whose total income was less than $25,000 – 38 per cent. Nearly 56 per cent earn between $25,000 and $99,000, the highest in the area.

The town’s also seen some big changes – besides the arrival of Wal-Mart or the expansion of the “Milton Hilton,” as the Maplehurst “superjail” is affectionately known. Milton grew 71 per cent between 2001 and 2006, from 31,471 to 53,939.

Gordon Krantz, who’s been Milton’s mayor for 28 years and remembers when it had just 2,000 people, believes “several different factors” explain its drawing power.

“We do have the lowest property tax rate in the GTA, save and except for Toronto. That is a factor. I know that,” he said. “But we also have one of the lowest crime rates in Halton and the education system here is very good.”

Janice Syan, 30, an elementary school teacher who was grocery shopping on Main St. late yesterday with her husband, Bal, 29, an architect, and their son, Jeevan, 18 months, said lower property taxes were a factor in their decision to move from Mississauga.

But “cheaper houses, that’s what really attracted us here,” she said. Bal, who commutes to downtown Toronto, said it’s quicker for him to get to the GO Train station in Milton than it was in Mississauga.

At the opposite end of Main St., at the co-op known as the Country Depot, 16 newly hatched chicks huddled under a warming lamp. Up the street, you could sip a cappuccino at A Country Mile gift shop and café.

Not so long ago, it was a fried chicken outlet. Yes, Milton’s gone upscale – but, like in most Canadian small towns, the regulars still gather daily for a cup.

“You talk to some people (about the town’s surging population and popularity) and they say, `It’s not Milton anymore,’” said café owner Kimberly English. “But you still have that warm, fuzzy thing.”

– by Tracey Taylor, Staff Reporter at the Toronto Star

The recent announcement that the Apple iPhone will make its long-awaited Canadian debut later this year generated considerable excitement. While analysts focused on the bottom-line impact for Rogers Wireless, it may be that the most important impacts have already been felt in Canada.

The reason is that, more than any industry statistics or speeches, the iPhone’s slow entry into Canada has crystallized the view that the Canadian wireless market is hopelessly behind the rest of the world with limited competition, higher prices, and less choice.

The year-long delay of the iPhone – Apple first launched the device last June in the United States followed by France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland, and Austria – provided tangible evidence that the Canadian market desperately needs an injection of competition (as the sole GSM provider, Rogers was the only carrier capable of supporting the iPhone) and more competitive pricing (Canadian data prices are far above the U.S. offer of unlimited data for $20 per month).

As the country falls further behind the competition, it is time to acknowledge that market forces alone will not solve the issue. It therefore falls to policy makers to focus on developing a marketplace framework that encourages greater competition and innovation.

The first step in that direction came last fall when Industry Minister Jim Prentice announced a set-aside for new entrants in the forthcoming spectrum auction. The auction, which runs over the next few weeks, is expected to pave the way for several new wireless competitors, who may join forces to create a fourth national carrier.

While the spectrum set-aside was a good first step, more is needed. Prentice’s goal should be to create the world’s most flexible regulatory environment that encourages openness and interoperability. The next round of spectrum auctions, which involves the coveted 700MHz band, could include mandatory open access requirements that allow carriers, device manufacturers and service providers to use Canada as the sandbox for mobile innovation.

Many companies are also beginning to focus on the potential of “white spaces,” small bits of spectrum that exist between television frequencies. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission is currently considering a proposal to make the white space home to unlicensed uses, thereby encouraging further experimentation. Assuming that potential frequency conflicts can be resolved, Canada should follow suit.

The emphasis on openness could also extend to telecommunications ownership where the current foreign ownership restrictions may artificially limit Canadian competition. There remains concern about completely opening up the Canadian market to foreign ownership, however, that may be a price worth paying to address the current malaise.

Prentice could also encourage competition by removing the barriers that consumers face in moving between providers. The introduction last year of wireless number portability, which allows consumers to retain their phone number when they change carriers, helps in this regard.

However, restrictive long-term contracts and government plans to introduce legislation that could prohibit consumers from unlocking their cellphones would represent a case of one step forward, two steps back.

Finally, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission may want to take a closer look at the mobile marketplace. The CRTC is committed to a de-regulatory approach and has for years largely left the mobile marketplace alone (with the exception of undue preferences and unjust discrimination), yet the regulatory hole has not served Canadians well.

Canadian iPhone fans may finally get their coveted device, but it is going to take more than a great phone to fix what ails the Canadian mobile marketplace.

Losing our Competitive Edge

In many ways, the iPhone saga merely confirmed what many Canadian consumers and businesses have known for some time.

Mobile data pricing in Canada is among the highest in the world, creating a significant barrier to the introduction of new mobile services and causing many consumers to carefully ration their mobile use for fear of being hit with a hefty bill at the end of the month.

The impact of uncompetitive pricing is felt beyond the consumer market. Last month, the World Economic Forum pointed to problems in the wireless market as a key reason for Canada’s slipping global ranking for “network readiness” (Canada has gone from 6th worldwide in 2005 to 13th today).

Canada ranked 75th in the number of mobile subscribers, trailing even El Salvador, Kazahkstan and Libya. It also lagged behind countries such as the United Kingdom, Singapore, Italy, Sweden, and Norway on mobile pricing.

Michael Geist holds the Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law at the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law. He can reached at mgeist@uottawa.ca or online at www.michaelgeist.ca.

THE WAR ON PARVATI: She won despite taking the most hits at the final tribal council

Poor Amanda. She spent 39 days suffering in China, went home for a few months, and then spent 39 more days getting rained on in Palau. She made it to the very end twice — the only Survivor contestant ever to do so. She won the final challenges of each season and got to hand-pick her finale opponents. And what does she have to show for it besides two crappy-ass final tribal council performances? Now, make no mistake about it, Amanda wasn’t as insanely awful this time as she was in China, when she basically handed Todd a million dollars on a silver platter, but she wasn’t very good either. Her low point came when Cirie asked her why Parvati deserved to be there over her, leading the doe-eyed dummy to give a speech on what a ”powerhouse” Parvati was and how she made so many bold decisions, in essence telling the jury to vote for the person sitting next to her.

Here’s the thing: Amanda was no slouch in this game. She was smart enough to ask to be sent to Exile Island so she could go find the hidden immunity idol, and then sold it to her tribemates that she didn’t have it. She won challenges. She was completely left out of the loop on a major decision (to get rid of Ozzy) yet still managed to reinsert herself back into a position of power. But then she got back to the final tribal council and just refused to own it. And thus the game became Parvati’s.

I don’t have a problem with that. Love her or loathe her, Parvati played a totally solid game. Probably the second best strategist out there this season after Cirie. But first let’s look at what went down in the season finale leading up to this Shallow victory (no pun intended). The episode began with the women doing a very awkward victory dance and laughing at how stupid men are. Like men that have immunity idols but don’t use them. Or men who win immunity and then give it away. Or men who stay up late at night drinking cheap beer and writing recaps of reality shows for no particular reason. Men like that. Look, I love what the women have done this season. I think it’s awesome. I just don’t need them to hammer their awesomeness down my throat every two minutes. That ‘’stir the pot” dance of theirs is already about as old as the macarena or electric slide.

So what else would they do with no men around? Well, Parvati scaled a tree and cut down a bushel of coconuts. Honestly, had I been there with her, I probably wouldn’t have been much help. Of course, that’s because I would have been busy barfing after getting a close-up view of her big bitten and sore-covered legs. As for Natalie, she revealed that she felt she needed to be more of a bitch in real life. Uhhhhhhh, okay. You do that. A piece of advice, Natalie: The black-widow thing works wonders in Survivor. In real life, it just kinda makes you trashy. Save it for the game, babe.

Natalie actually had a big early lead in the first immunity challenge but then evidently began daydreaming about new, improved ways to be bitchy during the step-puzzle portion and was easily passed by Amanda. And that was it for Natalie at a truly historic tribal council — historic because I believe it was the first ever TC to feature a heart drawn onto every single piece of parchment. (You know, you’d think a group of women who love to brag about what cutthroat black widows they are would come up with a more badass symbol then a heart. How about a skull? Or a knife? Or a picture of Jeff Probst having his head blown off by a shotgun? Basically, anything but a heart.)

Before being voted out, however, Natalie gave us a little sneak peek into her bizarre views on sexuality by insisting that they should allow their chicken to go free and ”let the rooster have his way with her.” Okay, I get it, it’s been over a month on an island. You guys are pretty bored. But watching chickens have sex? Far more entertaining (and far less disturbing) was watching Cirie and Amanda go at it at tribal council, when Cirie pointed out she was on the outside of the Amanda-Parvati alliance. Which she was. They made up back at camp after a group hug. (Again, not very badass; wouldn’t a group slap be more in keeping with their new image?) As dumb as the guys were this season, Parvati, Amanda, and Cirie weren’t much smarter for assuming that it would be a final three as opposed to a final two. Hello, you haven’t had to take part yet in the cheesy, yawn-inducing ”fallen comrades” tribute, which always precedes the final challenge! You can’t sniff the finals until you sniff that thing (in which this time we were treated to such fascinating nuggets as Parvati’s incendiary comment that ”I didn’t really know Mary” — riveting stuff). The only interesting thing about the fallen-comrades montage this time was trying to figure out who sounded more in love with himself, Jason or Natalie. Jason informed us that ”I came out here as a strong competitor and solid provider, and nobody really saw that because I think everybody was just focused on Ozzy.” (Wait, you think everybody else was too focused on Ozzy?) Meanwhile Natalie told us that she is her biggest fan. (By the way, backtracking a bit, I’ve never liked the final-three concept, even if it did get Ozzy into the Cook Islands finals. The inherent drama in a two-person face-off is much greater than having votes scattered among three people. Just wanted to wedge that in awkwardly before we moved on…which we kind of already had. Sorry about that.)

The ladies finally made it to the real final challenge, which involved balancing a silver ball on a cylinder while adding pieces to it. It was very similar in spirit to the final China challenge, which Amanda dominated, so it was no surprise to see her win here as well. While I’m blabbering on about things I don’t like, I’m not a big fan of these balancing challenges either. I’d like them to get back to something involving people standing or hanging in awkward positions for as long as possible. I just like the idea of contestants having to endure something really, really painful to get that million dollars, not just balancing a ball or some teacups. If nothing else, it makes the stakes seem higher.

Back at camp, Parvati inadvertently did her best to persuade Amanda to take Cirie to the finals instead of her by pointing out how Cirie would get no votes. Amanda seemed generally torn as to whom to bring with her, pointing out how Cirie had pissed so many people off but was a good speaker. ”It’s kind of a catch-22,” said Amanda, proving once and for all that she has no idea what a catch-22 is. She got to tribal council, busted out the doe eyes, and looked like she was going to break down. And then she did! As soon as she started weeping, I have no doubt that someone in the production booth began yelling, ”Get me an Eliza eye-roll shot, stat!” And sure enough, there it was. It was the end of Cirie, as well as my chances for once again predicting a Survivor winner from the very beginning. Oh, well, the streak was nice while it lasted. Now I can finally get back to the mediocre predictions you all know, love, and mock incessantly.

So what to make of the final tribal council? Just plan odd. Eliza told Parvati she ”might just be a mean person” yet then (after milking every single second of camera time possible) voted for her, and James told Parvati, ”You fluffed me on several occasions,” which may or may not be the first time Parvati has been mistaken for a fluffer. (This is a family-friendly, PG-13 recap, so if you don’t know what a fluffer is, you’re going to have to Google it yourself, and neither I nor EW.com can be held responsible for some of the sites you may come across in the search.) And then we were back to rooster-sex-watching Natalie, who brought up Parvati’s flirting and asked, ”How does that resonate for you in the bedroom?” Say what? I think Probst’s look of utter confusion pretty much summed it up. Wait, is she hitting on her? I wondered? ”You flirted with me on several occasions.” She is hitting on her! And why does everything Parvati does have to happen ”on several occasions”? I’m not sure if this whole exchange was more or less uncomfortable than Parvati trying to talk gangsta to James. Speaking of uncomfortable, wow, what was Ozzy’s deal? He must have been pounding some Keystone Light at the jury house before tribal because he was sporting some serious bitter beer face with those accusations at Parvati. Dude, she played you. It was a good move. Nothing more. Nothing less. Which, to his credit, Ozzy seemed to realize after he’d calmed down for a few months.

So even with everyone throwing arrows at Parvati, Amanda still couldn’t capitalize — again. I feel sorry for the girl. Maybe it’s just because she hot. Who knows? As for the reunion show, well, I’m still bummed that Probst no longer delivers the votes from the foreign locale via hang glider or some other ridiculous means of transportation. Those have always been the funniest moments of Survivor finales, and I beg the producers to start doing them again. It’s season 16, for crissakes — have some fun with it! Have him and the votes be delivered on the shoulders of giant fire-breathing, break-dancing robots. I don’t care. Just do something! My other initial thought upon seeing the contestants at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City was that Amanda and Parvati must have just come straight from some sort of tacky-earring convention. I was secretly praying for a 4-4 tie just so we could see what the hell the tiebreaker would have been. Were they going to have to make fire right then and there on the stage, and if so, exactly how many New York City fire codes would that have broken?

If you tuned out after Parvati won the million bucks, you didn’t miss much. Fairplay tried to get Probst to hug his infant daughter, Chet gave Probst crap for giving him crap, and Joel kind of looked like crap with his new buzz cut. Ozzy forgave Parvati, James won $100,000 as the viewers’ favorite contestant, and I swear I saw that Baba Booey guy from Howard Stern in the audience.

Okay, guys, it’s late, and I’m out of pistachios. A few notes before I sign off for the season. First off, we will be doing Survivor Talk installments with Parvati, Amanda, Cirie, and Natalie, so look for those on Tuesday. (Our interview with Erik is already up.) Doing Survivor Talk was a blast, and I hope you guys enjoyed watching it as much as we did shooting it every week. While I’m doling out the thanks, thanks again for reading and playing along here on the Survivor TV Watch. You guys have made this one of the liveliest and most entertaining boards on the entire site and…well…I…oh, jeez, I think I’m gonna make like Amanda and start crying if I keep this up. You get the point. Have a great summer, and I’ll see you next fall for Survivor: Gabon. If that season is even half as good as this one was, we’re all in for a treat. And hey, it can’t be any worse than Fiji, right? C ya!

– by Dalton Ross of EW.com

KNIFE GUY FINISHES LAST Little John Locke chose the wrong thing in the test

Last night was for us. The cultists. The obsessives. The crazies who have committed to this long, strange trip and gotten lost in it. Like the candy bar Hurley generously shared with Ben while Locke was chatting with the spectral squatters inside Jacob’s shack (a nod to the Neo-Oracle-cookie scene in The Matrix?), ”Cabin Fever” was an episode packed with a chunky abundance of brain-fattening cryptonuggets to nourish our fevered theory making and message-board blustering. Comic-book references. Biblical allusions. Mythological connections. Double meanings to scores of lines. I loved Hurley’s ”theory” that he, Ben, and Locke were chosen for this vision quest because they were the craziest ones on the Island. This in an episode whose ’50s-set flashbacks evoked, fittingly, AMC’s Mad Men and whose thematic concern with fate mirrors that of No Country for Old Men, a narrative about three men dangling on sanity’s thread, though at different points. Amid the clues, red herrings, and tomfoolery, I saw in the episode a fiendishly clever love letter to those of us who’ve become so locked up inside Lost that they’ve been somewhat deliriously messed up by it. That’s really why they called it ”Cabin Fever.” Just my theory, but who knows? Maybe I’m just seeing things again.

”Can history then be said to have an architecture? The notion is most glorious and most horrible.” — From Hell

Should John Locke be lucky enough to see the year 2008, he would be 50. That would make him as old as the central figure in the aforementioned text, one Sir William Gull, a 19th-century English physician. Some interesting overlaps between these characters. In From Hell, Gull is a middle-aged man uncertain of his purpose, but he is convinced he is special and senses that the architecture of his life is building to a point. Or, in the sweet, hiccupy phrasing of Buddy Holly that was quoted by Lost last night, ”Every day it gets a little closer/Rolling faster than a roller coaster/A love like yours will surely come my way.” At 50, though, Gull suddenly finds his calling in the form of a mystical mission to defend his country — an island, don’t you know — from an insidious conspiracy. You know, just like Locke. Gull is also, probably, totally crackers; he’s Alan Moore’s speculative pick for being Jack the Ripper. And while Locke is not yet a mass-murdering maniac, I have the strangest feeling, based on what we saw last night, that the architecture of his life is building exactly to that horrifying point.

”Cabin Fever” began by showing us the foundation for such a life: Locke’s birth. We’ve previously been given reason to believe Locke was born in May of 1956. But in the opening scene, we saw his mother, a rebellious 16-year-old Emily, secretly six months pregnant with John, dancing to that Buddy Holly song and primping for a date with an older man — presumably, John’s con-man biological pop, Anthony Cooper. ”Everyday” was released on vinyl in July 1957. This sounds picky, but timing is crucial in light of future events. I got that whiff of Cormac McCarthy’s No Country for Old Men when Emily ran out in the rain and got hit by a car. No Country also featured an out-of-the-blue automobile accident, one that involved Anton Chigurh, one of three debatably unhinged dudes who drive McCarthy’s plot and the one who serves as the author’s embodiment of terrifying inevitability, a mass-murdering monster formed in the William Gull-From Hell mold.

Struck down by…well, we never saw who was behind the wheel, did we? Maybe that’s important, maybe not, or maybe not yet, but anyway, Emily was rushed to the hospital, and with that, John Locke entered the world three months ahead of time. ”He’s okay,” said the nurse. ”He’s just a little early.” As Preemie John was wheeled away in a toasty incubator that looked like a microwave oven (talk about cabin fever!), Emily cried out her wish that the boy be named John. Now, all of that should have sounded familiar to you. Flashback one year ago this week, in which Lost gave us another cheery Mother’s Day edition, ”The Man Behind the Curtain.” That episode told the origin story of Benjamin Linus, who, if you recall, was also born prematurely, and also born to a woman named Emily who cried out his name, although she did so as she died. Some points of difference: Ben was raised by his biological father (oops), while Locke was given up for adoption and raised in foster care. Also, Ben was born about five years after Locke; call it 1963. But as it so happens, Locke’s fifth year was a key marker in his fate-whipped trajectory, for it brought Richard Alpert into his life.

We had seen the forever young Other No. 2 earlier in the episode, checking in on Preemie Locke and beaming like some admiring magus from the east. Or west. Or wherever in Christendom the Island is/was/will be positioned in the space-time continuum. Returning five years later, the wise man unexpectedly dropped in on Locke as the boy was playing backgammon, much to the consternation of his sister. Alpert claimed to be with a school that catered to ”extremely special” children. He said that Locke could be a candidate for his institution and wanted to assess his aptitude. And then, after puzzling over one of John’s drawings — a stick-figure man bowled over by a cyclone of black scribble (Smokey?) — Alpert gave Locke a test, and with that, Lost gave us a scene so dense with (potential) subtext it just might take all of the forthcoming eight-month hiatus to unravel it.

The test involved Alpert setting six objects in front of John. They were a baseball mitt; an old tome titled Book of Laws; a corked vial containing a granular substance (sand?); a compass; a Mystery Tales comic book (”What was the secret of the mysterious ‘Hidden Land’?” asked the cover; other stories in the issue were ”The Travelers” and ”Crossroads of Destiny”); and a knife. ”I want you to look at these things, and think about them,” said Alpert. ”Now…which of these belong to you…already?” There will surely be a great debate on how to interpret that ”already.” To me, it seemed that Alpert was asking Locke to consider looking forward into his life for these objects — as if for people like Alpert and perhaps Locke, past, present, and future happen all at once. That’s just my take, and anyway, Locke seemed to fail the test. He slid the vial toward him and off to the side. Then he picked up the compass and set it down. Both of these actions seemed to please Alpert. But then Locke chose the knife and held on to it, and even seemed to enjoy holding on to it, like a knight getting the feel of his sword. Alpert was not only crestfallen but vaguely pissed. ”I’m afraid John isn’t ready for our school,” he said as he left in a huff, and raced out to…catch the next time machine back to the Island?

This is where Lost nutjobs like me lose our minds, or at least much sleep — deconstructing scenes like these. As it turns out, these six objects are portals that, if opened, can flood your mind with possibilities on how to ”read” the show. Taken individually and separately — and further reinforced by other winks and nods throughout the episode — these embedded clues can link provocatively to The Uncanny X-Men (may I recommend Giant Size X-Men #1, in which ”new” X-Men must save ”old” X-Men from ”Krakoa, The Living Island”); Jewish and Mormon history; Egyptian mythology; Freemason conspiracy theory; and, yes, even that From Hell business. The underlying connection: ‘’special people” and ”chosen people,” tapped by fate, biology, or higher powers to execute great work in the world, often in secret. In a word: ”Others.”

But the Book of Law reference is worth focusing on for a few sentences, because it strikes me as proof positive that the writers of Lost not only are keenly aware of how its cultists scrutinize their work but mischievously play to this crowd too. After all, Book of Law evokes a bona fide cult text — or should I say occult text? It’s called The Book of the Law, written in 1904 by ”the wickedest man on the planet,” Aleister Crowley. The book extols the philosophy of Thelema, which is summed up thusly: ”Do what thou wilt.” Or, in the words of Lost-cited Mama Cass, ”Make your own kind of music/Make your own special song.” Or, as 16-year-old John Locke raged in the character’s third flashback scene, ”Don’t tell me what I can’t do!” This came after a bunch of bullies locked Locke in a locker — continuing a recurring theme of a boxed-in confinement throughout the episode — and a kindly teacher encouraged John to attend a summer science camp run by Mittelos, which we know is the off-Island outfit run by the Others. But the brainy Locke refused. He didn’t want to be a man of science — he wanted to be a boy of action. Play sports. Go on adventures. Play with knives and hunt some boar, presumably. His teacher responded, ”You can’t be the prom king. You can’t be the quarterback. You can’t be a superhero.”

I guess that’s some pretty good advice to get from a teacher, though I think a very sharp point was being made by keeping the name of the school’s athletic teams in constant view during the whole scene: the Knights. Locke might be a geek by nature, but he lives in a culture that idolizes the stud. Toss in the female issues in his life — abandoned by his mother, only conditionally loved by his foster mother and sister — and factor in the daddy anger and desperate-for-purpose disposition, and you have the portrait of a conflicted, impotent man yearning for clarity and empowerment. Such men are known to make very stupid choices — and sometimes, deadly ones. See: Benjamin Linus.

Which brings me to the provocative Big Idea that I strongly believe ”Cabin Fever” was jerking its head toward, hoping that we would ”get it” without spelling it out. There was a moment last night when Ben accused Locke of manipulating Hurley into going with them to Jacob’s cabin by using Ben-patented reverse psychology. Locke denied doing so, saying, ”I’m not you.” Ben jumped on this, saying, ”You’re certainly not.”

Now, do the timeline math.

Locke is born early. At age 5, he takes a test that most likely would have taken him to the Island if he had passed. He didn’t. That same year, Benjamin Linus is born. At age 16, Locke is invited to go to a science camp that again would have taken him to the Island. He refused. About that same time, Benjamin Linus and his father joined the Dharma Initiative. The implication, it seems, is that Ben has been walking the path that was originally meant for Locke. Ben was the contingency plan — the course correction — for Locke’s altered destiny. But Ben is his own person, of course, and he has done things differently from what Locke would have done, and this, in turn, has created further changes in the original order of things — changes that I think a certain ticked-off, Island-deprived billionaire named Charles Widmore is trying to reverse. The scene at the rehab center between paralyzed adult Locke and his wheelchair pusher, the creepy Matthew Abbaddon — who accepted the description of ”orderly” with knowing irony — was meant to suggest one way Widmore is scheming to restore the original order: by getting Locke on that Island and taking back the birthright that was supposed to be his.

(Unless I’m getting this reversed: What if Ben was the man of destiny, but for decades, various forces — including Alpert and Widmore-Abbaddon — have been vainly trying to change destiny by getting Locke to the Island to supplant the über-Other?)

Regardless, here’s the twist — the twist that could turn Locke into a mass murderer of sorts. As we saw at the end of the episode, Locke’s plan for saving the Island is moving the Island. Now, I have no idea how he intends to do that. But if I’m tracking correctly the weird science Lost has been laying down this season, I wonder if where we’re headed is a catastrophic gambit in which Locke will move the Island not only in space but also in time, which I’m guessing will cause some kind of massive retroactive course correction — or, rather, already has enacted a course correction. In fact, I wonder if the secret to many of the metaphysical mysteries of Lost is that all of the show’s drama is playing out against the backdrop of a timeline that’s in flux — where old history is giving way to new history as the consequences of Locke’s future Island-saving actions trickle down through time. And so that wreckage of Oceanic 815 at the bottom of the ocean? That isn’t a hoax — at least, not in the new timeline taking hold. That’s real. And it will be John the Quantum Ripper’s fault.

OTHER THINGS

Locke’s dreamy encounter with dead Dharma dude Horace Goodspeed We learned that ”Jacob’s cabin” was actually built by the Dharma mathematician as a getaway pad for himself and his wife, Olivia. But other than tip Locke off to the whereabouts of the map that could help him find his now on-the-loose lodge, Goodspeed didn’t give up any more factual info. Other details may be symbolic or foreshadowing of events to come. Did the nosebleed mean that Horace was a Dharma time traveler? Was the looping nature of the dream a clue that the castaways are caught in a time loop? And where was Olivia?

Ben’s big Purge spill In between griping about not being the Island’s chosen boy anymore (you buying that?) and how fate can be a ”fickle bitch” (great line — and possibly yet another punch at Locke’s issue buttons; I don’t totally believe Ben isn’t in complete control of what’s currently going down), Ben revealed that he hasn’t always been the leader of the Others — and that he didn’t order the Purge. So who preceded him in leadership? And who ordered the gassing of the Dharma barracks? Michael Emerson’s line reading — as always, perfectly intoned to suggest a multiplicity of possibilities — seemed to hint that it might be someone we know. So maybe Charles Widmore? Time-looped John Locke? Who?

The death of the freighter doctor First, let me say that I think Kevin Durand, the actor who plays Keamy, is emerging as a real find this season; he plays that mercenary part with a scene-stealing mix of menace and damaged vulnerability. Profoundly angry — and profoundly spooked — by his ill-fated Island excursion to extract Ben, Keamy rallied his merc squad with a ”torch the Island” mandate. To that end, he pulled out a secret Dharma file that revealed to him where Ben will probably go next (what was that — the script for the season finale?) (just kidding — Ben’s destination is probably the Orchid station), then he shot the captain and slit the freighter doc’s throat to motivate Lapidus to fly him back to the Island. Keamy’s sarcastic line after dumping the doc overboard was interesting: ”Did that change anything?” It changed more than Keamy could imagine. As we saw in ”The Shape of Things to Come,” the doc’s corpse traveled through the offshore anomaly and washed up on the beach in the past. As a result, Jack and company confronted Faraday and Charlotte and finally confirmed that the freighter folk aren’t there to save them. This is all to say that, thanks to the doc’s death, Jack’s camp knows to either avoid that helicopter or, if they follow after it, do so cautiously, and with a battle plan in their back pocket, just in case.

Finally, where was Jacob? When Locke went into Jacob’s shack, he found the grumpy old specter was still out to lunch. But a spry Ghost Christian Shephard played his representative, and his daughter/sidekick/death friend (?) Claire sat nearby flashing an array of coy smiles, implying some kind of enlightenment or some kind of evil. What do you think? Is she dead? I think so. And where did Jacob go? Was it just me, or did anyone else think that Locke in the wheelchair at the hospital looked similar to the Jacob we’ve seen, if he had a little more hair. Finally: Are you thinking that Locke spent more time inside Jacob’s shack than we saw? Do you think there was more to his meeting than just ”Move the Island, dude”?

– by Jeff Jenson of EW.com

I’ll get to why I think Claire is actually a ghost in a minute — but first, a word about Alice.

Alice of Alice in Wonderland fame, of course. You’d think Lost was trying to tell us something the way it keeps pointing toward Lewis Carroll’s beloved children’s book on its bookshelf. In last night’s episode, ”Something Nice Back Home,” flash-forward Jack — enjoying domestic bliss with flash-forward Kate — read a whole stinkin’ passage from the thing as he put flash-forward Aaron to bed. Perhaps by Lost’s last episode, if not sooner, we will realize that Carroll’s topsy-turvy underworld was a clue to the show’s essential metaphysical enigma; perhaps, for example, the castaways have literally tumbled into a hidden, beyond-microscopic dimension tucked into the seams of reality, as described by current superstring physicists. (For those of you who insist on a ”hard science” explanation of Lost, check out The Elegant Universe, which makes such a scenario plausible.) But the specific Alice in Wonderland reference cited in last night’s episode (taken from the book’s second chapter, ”The Pool of Tears”) reminded us anew that Lost is first and foremost about its characters, and more deeply, the tough, often impenetrable mystery of ourselves:

”Alice took up the fan…and, as the hall was very hot, she kept fanning herself all the time she went on talking: ‘Dear, dear, how queer everything is today. And yesterday things went on just as usual. I wonder if I’ve been changed in the night? Let me think: Was I the same when I got up this morning?…If I’m not the same, the next question is, who in the world am I? Ah, that’s the great puzzle.’ ”

”The Pool of Tears” is a transitional chapter in Alice’s adventure. She’s just fallen out of her world but finds herself stuck in a stuffy corridor on the other side of a door leading into Wonderland proper. As she ponders the riddle of herself and the problem of opening the door — a problem because the door is rather tiny and she has grown very large thanks to a piece of magic cake — she cools herself with a fan left behind by the White Rabbit, oblivious of the fact that the very act of fanning is magically making her smaller. The dilemma is making her weep: Poor Alice can’t figure out how she fits — literally — in her new world. (I swear to you, this is relevant.) Similarly, ”Something Nice Back Home” was partly a transitional passage in the Lost saga, a busywork episode designed to put all the characters in position for the year’s big finale, a three-part affair that starts in two weeks. Jin cut a secret deal with Charlotte, Claire went MIA, Christian Shepherd bonded with his grandson, flash-forward Hurley went nutty, and flash-forward Kate did secret favors for left-behind Sawyer. But mostly, it was about Jack.

For those with long, telescoping memories, the tenth episode of the show’s fourth season provocatively communed with the fifth episode of the first season, ”White Rabbit.” This was the episode where Jack — pushed hard by Locke to become a leader and distraught over failing to save a drowning castaway named Joanna — began seeing visions of his father on the Island. Chasing after Ghost Dad, Jack found the Caves of Mystery: Adam and Eve skeletons, black and white rocks, and Christian Shepherd’s empty coffin. In the flashback, we were introduced to Jack’s deeply rooted daddy issues. In one scene, Christian ridiculed his young son for trying to save another kid from a playground beating: ”Don’t play the hero, Jack. You don’t have what it takes.”

And so it went that ”Something Nice Back Home” began with Jack’s iconic eyeball flittering awake, an ironic wink at the first scene of Lost’s very first episode, in which the good doctor, having just fallen from the sky, pops awake and springs into life-saving Hero of the Beach mode. He staggered out of his tent and into a squabble between his castaway friends and Faraday and Charlotte; apparently, the sat-phone-turned-telegraph wasn’t working as it did last episode, when Camp Jack came to grips with the hard truth that the freighter folk have exactly zero interest in taking them off the Island. Despite being sick as a dog (”Food poisoning,” he said), Jack tried to play his elected part of commander in chief: He vowed to vanquish those freighter evildoers should they attack, and he renewed his pledge to formulate an exit strategy out of their tropical, possibly quantum quagmire. ”I’ve gotten us this far,” he said, groggy and pale. ”I said I was gonna get us off the Island, all of us. I promised that I would….” Then he fell flat on his face.

As it turned out, Jack didn’t have a stomach bug but appendicitis — the kind of hardcore castaway survival plotline we haven’t really seen since season 1. Combined with a strong character-driven ”flash” story, it was very old school Lost. (Cut to the chase: Juliet performed surgery; Jack’s okay, though that sloppy stitch looks like it could easily bust open in any freighter skirmishing to come.) The appendix is a weird thing. It’s an utterly useless organ that, paradoxically, turns deadly when inflamed. If I were smart enough, I might be able to explicate a theory that suggests Jack’s toxic appendix was a symbol of his seemingly dormant psychological baggage, which catastrophically ruptured in his flash-forward story. So I’ll just leave it at that. We learned that shortly after Kate’s trial, Jack got over his aversion to Aaron (though it wasn’t explained how or why he was so anti-Aaron to begin with) and shacked up with the former fugitive. ”Something Nice at Home” sure offered a lot of nice things for all the Jate ’shippers out there — rumpled sheets and red panties, a sexy post-shower smooch, and even a marriage proposal. But the omens of relationship collapse — caused by Jack’s backslide into old, self-destructive patterns (jealousy, paranoia, insecurity) — were planted early. There was Jack stepping on a toy Millennium Falcon and grumbling ‘’son of a bitch!” (Not a fatherly thing to say, and certainly not a nice way to talk about your half sister.) There was also the sports news of the day: Jack’s beloved Red Sox had just been swept by those damn Yankees. So much for reversing the curse…

…and so much for Jack reversing the destructive influence of his accursed father issues. Initially, he appeared to have made peace with his past. He actually spoke nice of Christian, warmly recalling to Kate that he had been a great storyteller. But he was also nagged by doubts that he could ever be a decent dad himself, much in the same way that he was nagged by doubts that he could be a good husband to Sarah. Alas, he was given reason to indulge these anxieties after being summoned to the Santa Rosa Mental Health Facility for an emergency meeting with Hurley. Talk about Alice in Wonderland links: We learned Hurley had become as mad as the Hatter — a character, intriguingly enough, who believed he had literally murdered time. More to the point of the episode’s cited passage, Hurley had become like Alice: despairing over how he fit into the post-Island world, puzzling over the man he was — or wasn’t. Off his meds, Hurley had come to believe that he was dead, that his after-Island life was actually the afterlife, that his doctor wasn’t real, and that Ghost Charlie was visiting him and imparting important intel intended for Jack. The messages: (1) that Jack ”wasn’t meant to raise him” (presumably, ” him” means Aaron) and (2) that Jack himself was about to get haunted. Jack — not courageous enough to engage in Hurley’s kind of self-reflection (and all the worse for it) — tersely told his friend to get back on his meds and left, trying hard not be spooked. But he was.

And so it went that during a late night at the hospital, Jack was lured by the bleatings of a malfunctioning fire alarm to the lobby, where his father was waiting. ”Jack,” he said sharply, causing his son to almost jump out of his tattooed skin. Actually, it played more like the instinctive flinch of a battered dog, reacting to his master’s raised hand. Christian quickly vanished after that, but it was enough to make an impact on Jack. He asked a colleague for some anti-anxiety meds, then went home and washed the pills down with beer. Jack’s transformation into a pill-popping, booze-guzzling, airplane-crash-yearning, bridge-jumping-wannabe grizzly bear had begun.

Sealing the deal was his mounting paranoia that Kate was pulling a Sarah and stepping out on him. And as it turned out, Kate did have another man on her mind: Apparently, she had been secretly fulfilling a promise she made to Sawyer before leaving the Island. (My guess: The shaggy con man asked her to look in on Clementine, the daughter he had with con gal Cassidy.) Furious over learning he was still competing with Sawyer for Kate’s mind, heart, and time, Jack raged: ”I’m the one who saved you!” Does he actually love this woman, or does he view her as some reward for being a good boy? Connecting that back to Jack’s statements to his fellow castaways earlier in this episode (”I’ve gotten us this far. I said I was gonna get us off the Island, all of us. I promised that I would ”) and even further to the hurtful, defining comments of his father in ”White Rabbit” (”Don’t play the hero, Jack. You don’t have what it takes”), and what you have is one really complicated guy whose savior complex not only is an expression of his damage but gets in the way of his own redemption. Jack might be a good man, but he’s a control freak (see: insisting on observing and guiding his own surgery) who hates himself and will sabotage any chance at happiness that he gets (see: driving Kate away). For Jack, there will never be ‘’something nice back home” — both literally and spiritually — until he gets over himself.

Early in the episode, a perplexed Rose made the observation that the Island is a place ”where people get better,” not worse, which raises a question: Why did the Island allow Jack to get sick? If this question is indeed relevant — if the Island is truly a place that giveth and taketh away both sickness and health like some almighty, all-knowing God — my answer is this: The Island is punishing Jack for failing to learn the fundamental lessons it has been trying to teach him all along. The lesson? Let go of the past; stop trying to play the hero; cultivate the capacity to trust. I think Locke was dead wrong when he pushed Jack to become castaway commander in chief in ”White Rabbit,” because it set him on a course that put him in profound conflict with what the Island wanted Jack to learn. Maybe that’s why the Island is calling him back in the flash-forward future — to complete the finishing-school education that he flunked the first time.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS

On the timing of Jack’s flash-forward The headline of Jack’s newspaper read, ”Yankees bludgeon Red Sox in series sweep.” The Yankees swept a series with the Red Sox late in the 2006 season (a historic five-game wipeout) and the 2007 season (a traditional three-game set). If you pause the picture (on a high-def DVR), you can make out the score 5-0, which is how the 2007 series ended. So I’m going to call it: Jack’s flash-forward took place in late summer of 2007.

On Claire If you were baffled by Claire’s statement ”at least I’m not seeing things anymore,” I’ll repeat the intel I reported last week: Apparently, there was a scene in ”The Shape of Things to Come” in which Claire had a hallucination after the freighter mercs blew up her New Otherton cabin, but it was cut for time. My hunch is that her hallucination foreshadowed the moment last night in which she saw Ghost Dad (now Ghost Grandpa) cradling Aaron by the campfire. ”Dad?” she exclaimed — echoing Jack’s very same exclamation back in ”White Rabbit” when he spied (and chased after) White Rabbit Christian for the first time. When Sawyer awoke and found her missing, Ghosthustler Miles reported that she took off with Christian in the middle of the night. Sawyer subsequently found Aaron abandoned in the bushes. Where did Claire go? Spoilery images released to the Web indicate we’ll learn the answer next week, so I won’t pretend to guess. But this thought occurred to me last night as I tried to make sense of Miles’ fixation with Claire: What if she actually didn’t survive the obliteration of her home in last week’s episode? What if she died? What if the Claire we’ve seen since then is some kind of spectral but physically tangible manifestation of Claire generated by Island magic, just like Eko’s brother Yemi, Kate’s horse, and now, apparently, Christian? Could that be why Miles is so intrigued by her — because he can sense that she’s no longer human?

On the Millennium Falcon Sure the toy was chosen for a reason. My theory? The ship’s notoriously erratic hyperdrive = the Island’s unpredictable time-space-bending properties.

On Hurley I found that the name of Hurley’s doctor — the one who he thinks isn’t really real — was ”Stillman.” The name links provocatively to Paul Auster’s trippy existential mystery novella City of Glass and a character named Peter Stillman, who has a mother lode of father issues, was the subject of a bizarre pseudoscience experiment straight out of the Dharma playbook, and who may or may not be real.

On Jin’s deal with Charlotte After discovering that the freighter lady can speak Korean — and intuiting a possible romantic rapport between her and Faraday — Jin threatened her, strongly intimating that if she didn’t make sure Sun was on the first chopper off the Island, he was going to mess up her buddy Faraday. It was a little shocking to see Jin’s underworld-heavy past reasserting itself, and it made me wonder what additional lengths he’d be willing to go to to save his wife. Would he be willing to hurt his friends? As for Charlotte’s Korean, the crazy thought occurred to me that perhaps this Dharma-hunting anthropologist uses it to converse with one of her secret masters, someone I suspect has more to do with the larger Lost mythology than we’ve been led to believe — Sun’s father, Mr. Paik.

Finally, on Jack and Juliet I liked how the episode neatly neutralized one of my least favorite season 4 moments, the Jack-Juliet smooch, with Juliet’s expressed theory that Jack was merely taste-testing which Island honey he preferred. Or Juliet may have been graciously giving Jack a way out of committing to her. Either way works for me!

One more Jack thing… In case you guys end up debating on the message boards the possibility that Jack’s mind might have been literally toggling back and forth through time, especially during those agony-induced blackouts, my vote is no.

– by Jeff Jenson of EW.com

WHERE THERE’S SMOKEY: Ben unleashed the monster on the freighter mercenaries

The future has become unknowable and unreliable — at least as far as the once great and powerful Oz of the Others, is concerned. ”He changed the rules,” muttered Ben, his battered and bloodied face dawning with horrifying awareness. ”He” is Charles Widmore, the man on the other side of the cosmic chessboard to which fate-whipped Ben is shackled. And in ”The Shape of Things to Come” — the ninth episode of Lost’s fourth season — the whiskey-soused, nightmare-plagued billionaire Brit made a desperate, most unexpected move against Ben in his mad bid to gain (or is that regain?) that which was once his in the past, or (buckle up for this one, kids) that which was supposed to be his in the future.

P
L
O
O
O
O
OOOOOOOOOOOOOP.

(That was your brain sliding out your head and onto the floor, wasn’t it? Don’t worry. It gets slightly less ridiculous from here.) (Maybe.)

Benjamin…Benjamin of Araaaaaaabia!

”The Shape of Things to Come” was one of those deliciously dense episodes in which the nourishment of revelation is mixed with huge chunks of sugary intrigue. Case in point: Ben’s flash-forward, a kind of Indiana Jones tale — that is, if said tale focused exclusively on that evil idol-swiping rogue Rene Belloq. It began in the Sahara, where King Other suddenly (but perhaps not unexpectedly) found himself lying in the broiling North African sand, suffering from a bloody wound on his arm (also unexplained) and wearing a borrowed Dharma Initiative-issued winter parka. Was that a gust of frigid air we saw escape his mouth? I thought so. If Ben can bend space and time like our friend Hiro Nakamura — and this episode was studded with clues suggesting he has the means to do so — perhaps moments before doing the old squishy-blinky he was hanging with Penelope’s geologists in the Arctic Circle. Or building a snowman with Henry Gale in Minnesota! Time to brush off my Heroes/Lost theory….

Seriously, I think we are looking at some kind of time-warping teleportation hoo-ha here. The name on Ben’s Dharma jacket merits investigation: ”Halliwax.” If you’ve seen the Internet-distributed orientation video for the Orchid, a Dharma station not yet seen in the show (but it will be — soon), you know it was narrated by the latest incarnation of Marvin Candle/Mark Wickmund, one Edgar Halliwax. You are probably also aware that the popular speculation is that the Orchid was conducting teleportation and/or time-travel experiments, perhaps using polar bears as guinea pigs. Did Ben launch himself into the Sahara from Dharma’s own Quantum Leapster? And when? Is that where Ben disappeared to when he ducked behind his glyph door? Or is his time traveling yet to come?

Like Ben, I’m getting ahead of myself. After dispatching two gun-toting Bedouins on horseback, Ben wearily trekked to Tozeur, Tunisia. (Famous denizens: Aboul-Qacem Echebbi, a poet whose famed poem ”To the Tyrants of the World” sounds like it was written for Charles Widmore.) Like Peter O’Toole walking out of the desert in Lawrence of Arabia, Ben walked into a hotel dusty and parched and checked in under his On the Road-inspired alias, Dean Moriarty. How often has Ben been here? He claimed that he was a ”preferred guest,” and the clerk’s nervous eyes confirmed that he was either an important client or a really notorious one. Oh, no! Not the guy who whizzes on the walls again! She was also a tad baffled when Ben fished for the correct date. It was October 24, 2005. I’ll let you guys research the date for illuminating connections, although I can’t resist noting that (1) October 24 is Take Back Your Time Day, appropriate to this season’s time-travel themes, and (2) October 24, 1593, is the day in which a Spanish soldier named Gil Perez ‘’suddenly appeared” in Mexico City, claiming that he had just teleported from the Philippines. Believe it…or noooooot. (My Jack Palance needs some work, huh?)

Of course, we must note here that Lost has once before brought us to Tunisia. Flash back to ”Confirmed Dead,” when freighter folkster Charlotte Lewis discovered the Hydra-station tag at an archaeological dig — the one that turned up a polar-bear skeleton. In my ”Confirmed Dead” TV Watch, I wondered if Dharma was using polar bears as guinea pigs in its time/space-warping experiments. But given the implication that Ben is something of a frequent visitor to Tozeur, I wonder if he’s the conniving agent responsible for the skeleton. After all, there is the increasingly popular theory — well promulgated in this space over the years — that dark forces have been manipulating the lives of the castaways so that they would wind up on the Island for the purpose of preserving (or destroying) the current timeline. Certainly the freighter folk could have been similarly manipulated; did Ben plant that dead polar bear in the desert to facilitate a future in which Charlotte came to the Island? Time will tell.

After Tozeur, globe-trotting Ben bummed it to Iraq, which also happens to provide a crucial setting for the book from which this episode took its title: H.G. Wells’ 1933 novel The Shape of Things to Come, a work of speculative sci-fi in which a technologically oriented cabal based in Basra attempts to foist its notion of world-state utopia upon the planet. (Wells also penned a screen adaptation, 1936’s Things to Come, in case you believe that investigating a moldy movie for Lost resonance is easier than reading a moldy book.) What brought Ben to Iraq? Giving flash-forward Sayid his avenging-angel makeover. We discovered that early in his off-Island Oceanic 6 life, Sayid reunited with lost love Nadia and married her. Alas, shortly before the events of this episode, she was killed, and according to Ben, the murderer was an assassin in the employ of Charles Widmore. Ben’s pursuit of this Widmore pawn was merely an elaborate setup designed to manipulate Sayid into wanting to become his dark-knight avenger — confirmation of and payoff to Sayid’s cryptic assertion in the climactic twist ending to ”The Economist.” But the revelation here is that both master and servant — the Darth Sidious and Darth Maul of Lost — are motivated by deep personal loss. With just a few scenes to execute this business in a busy-busy episode, Michael Emerson and Naveen Andrews did some really nice work selling us on everything we needed to know and feel about their angry, bloody alliance. (Coincidence or conspiracy? Bob Kane — creator of pop culture’s most famous heartbreak-spawned dark knight, Batman — was born in 1915 on…October 24.)

Ben’s V for Vendetta motivations were established in his part of the episode’s Island-present story, in which Widmore’s freighter mercenaries stormed New Otherton determined to abduct their boss’ nemesis. I liked the comedic touches: the high-stakes game of Risk (Sawyer’s foolish if successful play for Siberia foreshadowed Ben’s mad and unsuccessful gambit to save Alex); the ringing phone signaling the deactivation of the sonic fence (”I think it’s for Ben”); the ringing doorbell bringing Miles Straume into the action. (I was also amused to learn Ben was hiding a shotgun in his piano bench; so much for being under house arrest.) The action was intense; lots of redshirts got wasted, while Claire’s house was obliterated by a rocket, though Aaron’s mama herself survived. Kinda hard to believe, but I rolled with it. (FYI: A scene in which Claire experienced a hallucination/prophetic vision was shot for this episode but cut for lack of running time, but I’m told we can expect Claire intrigue to ramp up next week.)

The death of Alex was hardcore. Clearly, the girl’s executioner, Keamy, didn’t want to pull the trigger, despite his vaunted Ugandan badassery. My take on what happened is this: Papa Linus — hoping Keamy wouldn’t have the stones to kill Alex if it gained him nothing — tried to convince him that his adopted daughter, kidnapped from ”an insane woman” out of pity, really did mean nothing to him. It was a moment reminiscent of the coldhearted father-son square-off in the final act of There Will Be Blood. (I will spoil no further if you haven’t seen it.) Keamy put a bullet in the back of Alex’s head, anyway. Ben was devastated, naturally, but there was more to his soul-rocked shock than the mere sight of Alex’s murder. My interpretation of ”He changed the rules” wasn’t so much Widmore and I agreed to wage our battle according to a certain set of limitations and regulations, but rather, simply This was not supposed to happen. As I’ve long insisted, I believe Ben’s genius is derived from having knowledge of future events, via time travel, Desmond-esque precognitive flashes, or the other hot conjecture of the moment, time-loop theory, the idea that Ben has lived this life many times before. So a monkey wrench like this pretty much wrecks Ben’s entire game.

Then came the episode’s other soon-to-launch-a-thousand-theories scene, not to mention what might be one of the most important ”Easter eggs” Lost has ever planted. After yanking himself out of his stupor, Ben retreated to his secret room, the Island’s wizard scurrying behind his curtain to consult his gizmos and magic for answers. Shutting out Locke and company, Ben opened a wooden door carved with all sorts of hieroglyphics — similar to the ones on the countdown timer in the Hatch — and disappeared down a secret passage. As it happens, when I visited the set of Lost a few weeks ago during the filming of this episode, I stumbled on the glyph door. I’ll take my stab at decoding it in a theory in my Doc Jensen column next week.

But where did Ben go? For now, I’m going to side with what is certain to be the popular conjecture: that he crawled into the Island underworld and asked Smokey the hellhound to eat that bad man who killed his daughter. His ash-covered clothes would seem to confirm that. So would the fearlessness and glee on his face as Smokey indeed thrashed the freighter mercs to death in the most spectacular display of Smokeyness the show has ever given us; it reminded me of the God storm unleashed upon the Nazis at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark. While all of this seems almost too obvious to be true, for the moment I can’t come up with any alternative theories, but if we were to find out that Ben’s hidden corridor leads to the Dharma Quantum Leapster (created, no doubt, using instructions decoded from that glyph door), and that in the five minutes he was absent from Locke and company he did weeks if not months of off-Island traveling (and grieving, regrouping, and re-strategizing) before coming back focused, strong, and empowered with the necessary knowledge to defeat his enemies, well, it wouldn’t surprise me at all.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Island…

Jack wobbled around the beach, sick; the freighter doctor washed up in the surf, throat slit; Faraday telegraphed the freighter and told the castaways that all was cool, that the choppers were coming to rescue them in the morning; Bernard, who can decipher Morse code, busted Faraday for lying, revealing that what the freaky physicist was actually told was that the freighter doctor was still on the boat, alive and well; and Jack, finally resigning himself to the fact that Locke was right and he was wrong about the freighter folk, asked the question that promises to finally galvanize his season 4 story line: ”Were you ever going to take us off of this island?” Faraday broke his heart: ”No.”

I’m sticking to basics here, as I happen to know more than I can tell; reporting our recent feature story made me privy to upcoming developments in the Jack Camp arc, and I find it hard to analyze and theorize without betraying what I know. More on this next week.

(Fun Fact! The first U.S. transcontinental telegraph line was finished on — yep — October 24, 1861.)

In the episode’s final moments, Ben paid a visit to Charles Widmore at his London home in the middle of the night. Ben blasted his enemy for killing his daughter. Widmore — who has taken to self-medicating with MacScotch as a result of nightmares — blasted right back, saying it was Ben’s own damn fault that Alex was dead. ”We both know very well that I didn’t murder her at all, Benjamin….You have the audacity to pretend you’re the victim….I know who you are, boy! What you are. I know everything you have you took from me….That island’s mine, Benjamin. It always was. It will be again.” Ben then dared him to find it — right after pledging to get even with his game-changing opponent by killing his daughter, too: none other than Desmond’s sweetie, Penelope.

Widmore’s cryptic comments will no doubt be as debated as the glyph door. My interpretation returns us to the beginning. Ben and Widmore seem to be engaged in a war — a war for the Island, a war over time itself. For a long time, Ben was winning that war by either facilitating or managing a new timeline of events, one that denies Widmore his predestined life — a life that may have been ruinous for the entire world. But victory for Ben hinges on knowing or at least anticipating the future — and with Alex’s unforeseeable death, it appears Ben has become omnisciently challenged. Once, he was able to see the shape of things to come. Now, the future is as hazy as Smokey himself.

And with that — PLOOOP! I turn it over to you. What did you see? What are your theories? Why do you think it’s so important to Ben that Locke stay alive? What do you think is ailing Jack? Go!

– by Jeff Jenson of EW.com

Series previews and predictions including a breakdown on Toronto’s first-round matchup

THE STARS

Toronto Chris Bosh 22.3 ppg, 8.7 rpg
Orlando Dwight Howard 20.7 ppg, 14.2 rpg

Two diametrically opposed players: Bosh is finesse and quickness, Howard is power and strength. They won’t guard each other very often – neither team wants to subject its player to foul trouble – and how they handle what defences are thrown at them could determine the outcome. Bosh has seen every imaginable double-team and must be decisive with his moves. The Raptors might want to guard Howard straight up with Rasho Nesterovic and stay home on Orlando’s shooters.

THE ROLE PLAYERS

Toronto T.J. Ford, Anthony Parker, Jamario Moon, Rasho Nesterovic
Orlando Jameer Nelson, Maurice Evans, Hedo Turkoglu, Rashard Lewis

This is the group that could be the deciding factor in the series. Lots of similarities among them. They both have good shooters who can get red-hot or go stone-cold on a moment’s notice and they generally operate off what the big men give them. There really isn’t a lock-down defender in the bunch, so open shots should abound.

THE BENCHES

Toronto Jose Calderon, Andrea Bargnani, Carlos Delfino, Jason Kapono
Orlando Keyon Dooling, Keith Bogans, Adonal Foyle, Pat Garrity

Magic will be without Brian Cook, who can stretch defences with his shooting, which gives Toronto another edge. Dooling and Bogans are just the kind of guys who can get hot and score in a hurry. The inconsistent Bargnani has to be good for Toronto to really have a chance, but Calderon should be able to put Orlando in pick-and-roll hell.

THE X-FACTOR

The Raptors are a wretched 10-26 heading into the post-season and while they talk a good game about being able to turn things around in a hurry there’s been no evidence that they’re capable of it. But if shots fall and they decide to defend, who knows? Magic’s breakout season really never hit a lull. They have been third-best in the East all season and go in brimming with confidence.

THE COACHES

Toronto Sam Mitchell
Orlando Stan Van Gundy

The playoffs are all about adjustments in the coaching ranks. Little wrinkles for Game 1 have to be dealt with in Game 2 and everyone’s going to be trying to come up with something new every night. Van Gundy’s been through the wars with Pat Riley for more than a decade and has 17-11 playoff record. Mitchell’s in his second post-season series; he went 2-4 against New Jersey last year.

SEASON SERIES

Orlando won two of three from the Raptors. In Toronto’s lone win, Bosh went off for 40 points. Howard dominated both Orlando wins, as to be expected.

PREDICTION

The stars could very well cancel each other out and it’s going to come down to which team gets – and makes – more open shots. Toronto’s defensive deficiencies might be too much to overcome. Magic in seven.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Boston vs. Atlanta
Hawks’ first post-season since 1999, young squad might find itself overwhelmed. . . Even if Hawks aren’t overwhelmed, Boston’s new incarnation of the Big Three will make it nearly impossible for Atlanta to win a game, let alone the series. . . . Rookie Al Horford gets to guard Boston’s Kevin Garnett? Good luck with that. … Celtics sent message by hammering Hawks in final week of regular season to complete three-game season sweep.
Celtics in 4

Detroit vs. Philadelphia
Pistons are weird; they coast for periods and then turn it on in a second. That’s a dangerous way to approach the playoffs. . . . Sixers love to run and press and play with youthful exuberance, which is not something that the Pistons really enjoy. . . . Philly has been second-hottest team in East for a month, wonder how much they have left in the tank. . . . Philly split the four-game season series.
Pistons in 6

Cleveland vs. Washington
Repeat of last year’s first-round series, won in seven by Cavs when Gilbert Arenas blew huge free throws. . . . Trash-talking Wizards (”We want Cavs”) may want to tone down rhetoric, a riled-up LeBron James can be dominating. . . . Cavs so-so since big February trade and are without injured Sasha Pavlovic. . . . Agent 0 Arenas seems a big “team-first” guy, but he’ll always take last shot.
Wiz in 6

WESTERN CONFERENCE

L.A. Lakers vs. Denver
It’s hard to imagine a team less concerned with stopping people than the Nuggets and defence wins in the post-season. . . . Kobe Bryant seems on a mission to deliver another title and Denver really doesn’t have anyone to guard him. . . . Marcus Camby makes it difficult for opponents to get to the rim, but Pau Gasol should be able to draw him out from the basket. . . . Lakers do everything a wee bit better than the Nuggets.
Lakers in 5

New Orleans vs. Dallas
Surprising Hornets were second overall in the West behind Chris Paul, who is younger and perhaps better right now than his opponent, Jason Kidd. . . . Peja Stojakovic has never shot better than the 44.1 per cent he shot from the field this season. . . . Dallas was 5-3 in April after a rocky start to the Kidd era. . . . They split the season series with New Orleans winning in Dallas in Kidd’s Mavericks debut.
Hornets in 7

San Antonio vs. Phoenix
This would be a marquee matchup for a conference final; it’s a shame it has to come in the first round. . . . Shaquille O’Neal’s presence in Phoenix took some getting used to, but he seems pretty acclimated now and so do his teammates. Tim Duncan against Amare Stoudemire might be the most intriguing matchup of any in the entire first round. . . . Championship window closing on each franchise.
Suns in 6

Utah vs. Houston
Rockets took off without Yao Ming, but after that 22-game winning streak they were just so-so. Get home court despite worse record. . . . Tracy McGrady, for all the good he’s done, has never won a playoff series. . . . It’s a rematch of last year, when Utah rallied from down 3-2 and won Game 7 at Houston. . . . Rockets’ Shane Battier might be best defender in the league.
Jazz in 6

Now Milton, what do you think?

Homes close to transit also good investments, real estate experts say

Whether it’s a condo in the city or a detached home in the suburbs, homebuyers looking for the best bargains should turn their sights to the east and west, industry experts advise.

David and Gilma Simon recently sold a home in Port Hope and moved to Oshawa, which offers the least expensive homes in the GTA.

The average sales price in Oshawa last month was $221,464 – significantly lower than the average GTA price of $394,000 or the Toronto average of $432,000, according to figures from the Toronto Real Estate Board.

The Simon family only has one car and, between David’s trips to work at the Darlington nuclear plant and shuttling Gilma to classes at Durham Continuing Education three times a week, all that driving was getting costly. The couple also felt that job prospects might be better in the GTA for Gilma, who emigrated from Panama.

The couple looked in Ajax and Whitby, where all they could find in their price range were townhouses. In Oshawa, they could get a detached home for the same money.

“We wanted an old-growth neighbourhood with mature trees and a street that wasn’t too active for traffic, as well as access to amenities such as shopping and nature,” David explains. “Transit was another consideration. And Oshawa feels like it has its own identity and sense of community, instead of being just a bedroom community.”

The 1980, three-bedroom backsplit they purchased for $241,000 meets all those criteria: it’s close to three parks, a walking trail, a wealth of stores, a bus stop and good schools for Gilma’s 13-year-old son.

Although it does have the cheapest real estate, Oshawa also has the dubious honour of the highest property taxes in the GTA.

For example, for a home valued at $275,000, a homeowner will pay $4,157 in taxes this year. That’s mainly due to the city’s heavy investment in replacing aging infrastructure.

But Maureen O’Neill, president of the Toronto Real Estate Board, feels Oshawa is an area that is “really going to go, ” noting GO train service offers convenient commuting for downtown workers.

Bowmanville, just east of Oshawa, also offers good value, with an average price of $238,000.

On the other side of the GTA, Milton continues to boom as the fastest-growing community in Canada, according to Statistics Canada.

“It’s popular, not just because of affordability but it’s close to the country. People who buy there like land,” says O’Neill. The average house price there is about $347,000.

However, O’Neill suggests anyone considering a home in suburban areas should test their commute to work for five days before making a decision.

“Burlington’s not bad if you work downtown,” she says. The average price there is $323,000 and sales last month were up 18 per cent over March 2007. “You get a lot of house and good value and you have a GO station. Anywhere near the GO, like Clarkson and Port Credit, is a good bet, too.”

O’Neill is also optimistic about Mimico’s prospects: “It’s going to go and it’s by the lake. The houses are older and you can buy one for about $400,000.”

In the city itself, O’Neill says neighbourhoods such as Corktown, Parkdale and Roncesvalles have become very popular, “when you couldn’t give a house away there three or four years ago.” Areas such as the Beach and Riverdale continue to be hot, although prices there are steep.

For condo buyers, O’Neill says the Bloor Street corridor continues to be popular, as well as Queen and King Streets.

The lakeshore and Harbourfront are also showing “tremendous stats,” she says, as well as the St. Lawrence Market area. But downtown, it’s tough to find anything for less than $350 per square foot, and that would be for low-end, small units.

She says good condo buys can often be found along the city’s border with the 905 regions.

There are also many good condo projects in the downtown west market, according to Jane Renwick, editor and executive vice-president of Urbanation, a research firm that publishes a quarterly report tracking the GTA condo market.

She says first-time buyers might consider looking to Liberty Village, a former industrial area under revitalization, where there’s a mix of new construction and conversion projects.

“It’s perfect for first-time buyers, retail is picking up there and it’s an area with character that has an urban feel,” she says. To the east of downtown, several new projects are underway in Corktown, the Distillery District and Queen St. E.

“The thing about staying a little bit east or west of the downtown is the pricing is a little less,” she says. Just east of downtown, expect to pay about $436 per square foot for a new condo and $491 in downtown west, compared to $674 in the downtown core. (Based on figures from the end of 2007).

If money is no object, suites in the Bloor/Yorkville area are commanding $1,282 per square foot.

For investors, Renwick says the best bets are the downtown core or the North York city centre. “There are a lot of rentals in North York and it’s close to the transportation hub,” she explains.

Scarborough had few new launches in 2007, though it is “a great option from an affordability standpoint,” says Renwick, with new suites selling for an average of $332 per square foot.

Mississauga was also quiet in 2007, with only two new launches, but look for a flurry of activity this year, says Renwick.

Other hot condo markets will be the upscale neighbourhoods of Rosedale, Forest Hill and Summerhill, as empty nesters looking for less maintenance than their detached homes look for alternatives to stay in the area.

What you get for $380,000 in …

MILTON

Three-bedroom, 2- 1/2-bath, two-storey detached brick home with 9-foot ceilings, hardwood floors and 1,990 sq. ft. On a 36- by 80-foot lot directly across from a park.

MARKHAM

Five bedroom, three-level 2,500-square-foot brick and stucco semi-detached home in Cornell. Cathedral foyer, 9-foot ceilings, upgraded cabinetry, single-car garage.

DOWNTOWN

One bedroom plus den condo in the Waterclub, with a solarium, two baths and a walkout to a terrace. One parking spot included. Maintenance fees: $447/month.

OSHAWA

Three-bedroom, two-bath brick bungalow, with crown mouldings, hardwood flooring, double-car garage, formal dining room and interlocking patio on a 50- by 112-foot lot.

– by Tracy Hanes of the Toronto Star

Can the Southeast Division Champion Washington Capitals continue their torrid pace led by the dynamic Alexander Ovechkin?

Well, here it is: Wednesday is opening night of the Stanley Cup playoffs 2008 edition, featuring some juicy matchups in what is arguably the best round of playoffs in any sport.

And what a wrap-up to the season we just witnessed, with many of the playoff races going right down to the wire. Alexander Ovechkin led the Capitals’ unreal 2nd half surge to the Southeast Division title, leapfrogging a bunch of “better” clubs into the #3 seed (in a related note, how has Carolina missed the playoffs now for two straight seasons after copping the cup in ‘05? Strange.)

On the other hand, the Senators dropped like a stone from the #1 seed in the East most of the year to barely scraping into the postseason.

The Sharks are the hottest team going into the playoffs, but many questions surround the club yet again - do they have what it takes to finally reach their potential and win the West led by Joe Thornton?

The Wings are the President’s Trophy winners yet again, but do they have the toughness to grind it out with Nashville first, then teams like the Ducks, Sharks or Flames?

Get set for the best two weeks if you’re a hockey fan, so ladies, find a good reality TV show like The Bachelor or America’s Next Top Model and leave us guys alone. You can find us surgically attached to our favourite couch/armchair with adult beverage in hand for the next few weeks…. Until our favourite team/playoff hockey pool loses out anyway….

Now onto the predictions:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Montreal vs. (8) Boston
These two teams always seem to find each other during the final days of playoff positioning, don’t they? Kinda like the Leafs/Sens a few years ago. This should be a barn-burner, although you have to think the Habs should handle the Bruins handily. They simply have more offensive weapons to counteract the Bruins’ trapping system and Carey Price is playing out of his mind right now after Gainey’s shrude move at the deadline, trading away Huet to the Capitals. Um, oh yeah, did anyone notice Montreal is 8-0 vs. the Bruins this year?
Canadiens over Bruins 4-1

(2) Pittsburgh vs. (7) Ottawa
I have a weird hunch that Ottawa is going to put up a better fight than most think. I know, I know, a few of their better players are out, the team has been horrible down the stretch and there’s internal strife and a goaltending controversy….. But, they’ve been there before - they’re playoff tested. Pittsburgh is still very inexperienced despite their solid season and promise for the future. That said, I can’t see Ottawa winning this one, but I see a competitive six-game series with some OT thrown into the equation.
Penguins over Senators 4-2

(3) Capitals vs. (6) Flyers
This old Patrick Division battle should be a goodie. The Caps’ new/old logo and red/blue colour scheme harkens back to the series’ these two played in the late 80’s - you know: Pete Peeters/Dale Hunter v Ron Hextall/Tim Kerr et cetera…. This is a tough one to call. The Flyers struggled a bit in the 2nd half, dropping from near the top of the East to barely scraping into the postseason, while the Capitals’ run to the finish has been well-documented. Here’s the thing though: how much does Washington have left in the tank? Teams on these crazy streaks always seem to run out of gas - they’re guaranteed 4 games now - they don’t HAVE to win every one. They’re also short on playoff experience. The Flyers have some experienced guys, plus you have to like young guys like Richards and Carter who play a smarter playoff-brand of hockey. I think they’ll grind down the Capitals who may just be happy to have made a playoff appearance this year. Also, I think the Flyers’ strategy is pretty simple: shut down one guy, #8.
Flyers over Capitals 4-2

(4) New Jersey vs. (5) New York Rangers
Another Patrick Division clash which brings back memories of the 1994 Eastern Conference Final. This should be a tight, nasty series. A year or two ago, and I would give the Rangers no chance with a roster full of fancy, schmancy Czech players. Shanahan and Avery give this team a little bit of grit and experience which should serve them well against the Devils, but hey, New Jersey is New Jersey. Lou Lamoriello has been able to re-shape this club while barely missing a beat. How? It all starts in net. You can’t go against Martin Brodeur. Yet.
Devils over Rangers 4-3

WESTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Detroit vs. (8) Nashville
As I mentioned earlier, the big question is: can Detroit handle the grittier, tougher teams in the playoffs? They’ve been ousted by tough, hard-skating teams in the last three seasons in Calgary, Edmonton and Anaheim. Can Nashville knock them off? The short answer is: no. I don’t see this Red Wing club going all the way - they’re old at a few key positions and I don’t think Datsyuk and Zetterberg, despite great regular season numbers, have what it takes to lead them to the promised land. They should beat Nashville rather easily however, before they are really tested.
Red Wings over Predators 4-2

(2) San Jose vs. (7) Calgary
Here we go again. Everyone’s perennial Stanley Cup dark horse is the Sharks again this year, and they’re also everyone’s biggest question mark again this year…. Will they finally live up to their potential? I think the answer is yes - this is the team and this is the year they could emerge from the West. One little problem: the Flames are a reeeeeally bad matchup for them, especially in round one. Calgary plays San Jose tough, winning the season series 3-1. If Kiprusoff can get hot, and the team can quickly come together and reach its potential behind the leadership of Iginla on the ice and Keenan off it, then look for an upset here. Actually, I think I just talked myself into picking the Flames, but I have to go back and pick the team I think will win the West this year…. This series will be worth the late start times, though and promises to be a long, hard battle. If San Jose does hope to advance past the 2nd round, they need to stay injury-free which may be hard to do for the winner of this grudge match.
Sharks over Flames 4-3

(3) Minnesota vs. (6) Colorado
I honestly don’t see or know too much about these clubs. I think this should be a very even series however, going to seven games with the Wild coming out on top thanks to a little more toughness, attention to detail defensively, goaltending and just enough scoring punch. Can the Avs seriously go with Theodore in net and hope to win a series??
Wild over Avalanche 4-3

(4) Anaheim vs. (5) Dallas
Calgary/San Jose: worth staying up late; Anaheim/Dallas: catch the highlights and get some sleep. If you like 1-0, 2-1 games with shot totals at 15-12 and the like, this is the series for you…. Granted, there should be some tough physical play, but this one has multiple OT’s written all over it. The Stars inexplicably have had a nice season, but it comes to an end here - the Ducks are the defending champs and don’t let their #4 seed fool you. I fully expect they will be playing in the Conference Final yet again.
Ducks over Stars 4-2

Okay, there you have it. Take these picks to the bank and here’s to a magnificent, channel-surfer’s dream round one of the NHL playoffs (remember to avoid carpal tunnel by stretching during commercial breaks).

Now, what do you think, Milton?