Not in Portland from Johna...

I am pretty sure we have discovered that by the time you have been recruited or crashed to this island - hell or high water - you will do just about anything to get off the island. Hence, Juliet's pretty scary attitude about saving Ben and killing whomever she needed -- all to get off the island. Now that they have Jack, I am guessing they are more willing to let Juliet go - although I have read that she is in at least 5 or 6 episodes for sure this season. So, we also know that they will take whatever measures necessary to get the people they want on that island...they hit Edmund, Juliet's ex with a bus to take care of the obstacle they had in recruiting Juliet.

The vials of medicine Juliet was stealing only said "Test Sample" on them.

Juliet said she had been on the island for 3 years, 2 months and 28 days. Ben told her they would finally let her go home if she saved him and let Sawyer and Kate go. I really doubt it, but maybe?

I like this quote to Juliet:

"Well, actually, we're not quite in Portland."

Sawyer/Kate
I loved that Sawyer rammed Pickett's head into the very button that he had struggled with during his entrapment in the bear cage. Looks like Kate maybe loves Jack as much as she lusts Sawyer. Poor Sawyer just stood there watching her connect with Jack when they were making their escape. Maybe Kate was brought here simply to play Jack against Sawyer and vice versa. With all of the Jacobian references, I decided to read a little more about Jacob and Esau. The reference I read interpreted Jacob as a "con" man. So, while we know Sawyer probably isn't Jacob (or?) he is a con man...just another layer of the Lost writers mythology.

I thought the "escape" from the island was interesting considering the Others know right where to go to bring them back. It wasn't really an escape was it? What is the point?

Jack
Not a lot to say, except Jack is pretty much doomed it seems:

Until "They" figure out what to do with you. "They".

What was on the screen in the brainwash room?
- Plant a good seed and you will joyfully gather fruit
- Everything Changes
- We are the causes of our own suffering
- God Loves you as he loved Jacob
- Think About Your Life

So, we see the Jacob references again when we find Karl in the Clockwork Orange -like brainwashing room.

"Plant a good seed and you will joyfully gather fruit"

According to Wikipedia: The Dhammapada (Pali ??????, translates as Path of the Dharma. Also Prakrit Dhamapada, Sanskrit Dharmapada) is a Buddhist scripture, containing 423 verses in 26 categories. According to tradition, these are answers to questions put to the Buddha on various occasions, most of which deal with ethics. A fifth century commentary by Buddhaghosa includes 305 stories which give context to the verses. [1]

The Dhammapada is a popular section of the Pali Tipitaka and is considered one of the most important pieces of Theravada literature.

Although the Pali edition is the most well known, a Gandhari edition written in Kharosthi and a seemingly related text in Sanskrit known as the Udanavarga have also been discovered.

Despite being a primarily Theravada text, the Dhammapada is read by many Mahayana Buddhists and remains a very popular text across all schools of Buddhism.

But, here is something else I found on http://homepage.mac.com/clearintent/snowlion/wisdom_3truths.html
1. Nothing is lost in the universe
The first truth is that nothing is lost in the universe. Matter turns into energy, energy turns into matter. A dead leaf turns into soil. A seed sprouts and becomes a new plant. Old solar systems disintegrate and turn into cosmic rays. We are born of our parents, our children are born of us.

We are the same as plants, as trees, as other people, as the rain that falls. We consist of that which is around us, we are the same as everything. If we destroy something around us, we destroy ourselves. If we cheat another, we cheat ourselves. Understanding this truth, the Buddha and his disciples never killed any animal.

2. Everything Changes
The second universal truth of the Buddha is that everything is continuously changing. Life is like a river flowing on and on, ever changing. Sometimes it flows slowly and sometimes swiftly. It is smooth and gentle in some places, but later on it snags and rocks crop up out of nowhere. As soon as we think we are safe, something unexpected happens.

Once dinosaurs, mammoths, and saber-toothed tigers roamed this earth. They all died out, yet this was not the end of life. Other life forms like smaller mammals appeared, and eventually humans, too. Now we can even see the Earth from space and understand the changes that have taken place on this planet. Our ideas about life also change. People once believed that the world was flat, but now we know that it is round.

3. Law of Cause and Effect
The third universal truth explained by the Buddha is that there is continuous changes due to the law of cause and effect. This is the same law of cause and effect found in every modern science textbook. In this way, science and Buddhism are alike.

The law of cause and effect is known as karma. . Our thoughts and actions determine the kind of life we can have. Every moment we create new karma by what we say, do, and think. If we understand this, we do not need to fear karma. It becomes our friend. It teaches us to create a bright future.

The Buddha said,
"The kind of seed sown
will produce that kind of fruit.
Those who do good will reap good results.
Those who do evil will reap evil results.
If you carefully plant a good seed,
You will joyfully gather good fruit."
- Dhammapada

Also check out this link for more on Dhammapada:
http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/dhamma/dham-hp.htm

For more insights on Jacob and Esau try:
http://www.pbc.org/library/files/html/3361.html

Other tidbits
* Plane flies by when looking out of Rachel's apartment
* "Everything is on the beach" - lot of beach references.
* Ever since the sky turned purple - Tom (what the heck did the purple sky do?
* Did anyone catch the appearance of one of the stars from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia? Aldo in Lost is Rob McElhenney - Mac on Philadelphia! I loved that!

Okay, I think that is it! Catch the podcast later today!!!