"So where did that polar bear come from, anyway?"

"Screw the polar bear, I want to know what that old Plymouth is doing on the island. Ow! Stop shocking me!"

"Non."

With the tear in the cable and exposed steel on the beach, I doubt the cable is powered, at least now. I'm sticking with my theory that the survivors of the shipwreck used the cable as an aid to get back to the ship.

I don't believe that was a tear. I believe that was a coated steel cable wrapped around the main insulated cable, for reinforcement. I have power lines outside of my house with this. When you anchor both ends using the wrap around cable, there is less stress on the insulated cable, so it has less of a chance of stretching and splitting.

Are you sure they're power lines, and not phone lines? I know they do the reinforcing thing with phone lines (which is why you are far less likely to lose phone service after a storm than electricity), but I thought that there's too much leakage of power at higher voltages for it to be used in power lines.

Of course, now that I say that, I'm suddenly thinking it could be a phone cable of some sort.

I learn so much from Buffistas. Now I'm eagerly awaiting someone figuring out how to electrotorture a person with handy items around the house, 'cause I'm writing that one down. You just never know, in Bush's America, when you may have to torture someone one day.

I missed the W&P because I was offline while my computer was being upgraded. Of course, most of the points I wanted to make have been noted by others already. The two things that stood out most for me that have not been mentioned are 1) Why is Noor now called Nadia, and how should Sayid have known that? Isn't Nadia a Russian name?? and 2) does it bother anyone else that Sayid and Nadia fell in love while he was torturing her for weeks?? Very disturbing.

Of course, now that I say that, I'm suddenly thinking it could be a phone cable of some sort.

All they have to do now is follow it back to the phone booth on the island and they can call for help!!!

Good points, zenkitty! 1) I don't have a good answer for, but 2) is just about one of those more extreme hurt/comfort scenarios that you come across in fanfic.

I know! We can call it Fanfic Island!

Of course, now that I say that, I'm suddenly thinking it could be a phone cable of some sort.

All they have to do now is follow it back to the phone booth on the island and they can call for help!!!

That happened on an episode of Gilligan's Island, only they tapped in and got Gladys Kravitz, who cut them off for not paying the toll charges. Then they called at random, instead of calling, say phone numbers of people they knew...

Heh -- we should call this series Gilligan's Island Extreme....

1) Why is Noor now called Nadia, and how should Sayid have known that?

The first conversation they had in the prison set up the fact that they had known each other as children. He didn't recognize her, but she recognized him, and said something like "no one calls me Noor. You should know that, Sayid."

I'm pretty sure he did recognize her. He did a double take when the guards were first bringing her in. Perhaps he was hoping she wouldn't recognize him.