You can watch this and all of this seasons episodes online in case you missed it.

http://theusoffice.blogspot.com

Second, the "initiation" ceremony that Dwight threw together was a dead-on spoof of a fraternity (or sorority) initiation ritual. (Rather, how Dwight would imagine a fraternity initiation ritual to be after hearing little bits of conversation about it.) Any fraternity brother who watched that episode would have been in tears, but I guess if you hadn't been through that or known people who had, it might have left you a little cold. The overblown dramatic metaphors, the casket, the questions, it's all classic stuff you hear walking around campus. Especially since Ryan mentioned fraternities in the first place, I'd be shocked if that weren't what that scene was about.

Speaking of Ryan... clearly the superstar. What did Pam do to deserve it? Chat on the phone?

"For such a secretive organization, the DHARMA Initiative has left lots of evidence of its activities. Not only has it populated an island with territorial polar bears and sharks, it has defended its territory with a menacing monster that looks deceptively like black smoke.

Details about the group are a little sketchy. But it's pretty clear that members of the DHARMA Initiative -- or perhaps a group of its test subjects -- have made a habit of kidnapping and murder. This group, known as the Others, has threatened, intimidated and killed survivors of Oceanic Flight 815, which went down en route to Los Angeles, California from Sydney, Australia. For whatever reason, no one thought to ask the Others who they are or what they want.

So, who are the Others, and what do they want? How are they related to the DHARMA Initiative? What do they have to do with the black smoke, the polar bears and the bunkers scattered around the island? In this article, you'll learn about the DHARMA Initiative, its history and what might be going on at its island research center.

One-Eyed, One-Armed
Much of the available information about the DHARMA Initiative and Alvar Hanso comes from an orientation video. Doctor Marvin Candle narrates the video, and his lab coat and tie change during the film. The most logical explanation is that filming took place on more than one day. Something more sinister could be afoot. Dr. Candle's prosthetic left hand adds to people's suspicion. Some believe that Dr. Candle has a glass eye -- the same eye the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 found in an abandoned bunker.

DHARMA Initiative Basics
The DHARMA Initiative started as an ambitious science project in the 1970s. Its founders, Gerald and Karen DeGroot, aspired to create a large island research compound. They planned the construction of six underground and underwater research stations.

The stipends of two PhD students, even if used wisely, couldn't possibly cover the cost of building and maintaining such a large facility. So the DeGroots turned to Alvar Hanso and the Hanso Foundation. Since the 1960s, the Foundation "has offered grants to worthy experiments designed to further the evolution of the human race and provide technological solutions to the most pressing problems of our time."

Hanso has funded research on: Hatori Hanzo,
or Han Solo?
Alvar Hanso is of no relation to famed sword maker Hatori Hanzo -- his name really bears more resemblance to Han Solo's. The HowStuffWorks staff prefers to believe this is a coincidence, not an indication that the DHARMA Initiative has anything to do with midi-chlorians.

Life extension
Electromagnetism
Extra-terrestrial intelligence
Mathematical forecasting
Cryogenics
Juxtapositional eugenics
Psychic remote viewing
Some of these experiments have been successful. In 2005, the Foundation celebrated the 105th birthday of an orangutan called Joop. Joop had been the subject of life-extension experiments. Orangutans typically live to be only 60 years old, so the Foundation declared the experiment a success. It did not disclose whether the orangutan acquired other skills, such as the ability to read or run a library.
Not long after, though, the Global Health Organization (GHO) reported an outbreak of meningococcal disease in villages near the Foundation's Zanzibar research center. According to classified documents retrieved from the GHO, tests suggested that the disease originated in monkeys. The GHO theorized that it jumped the simian/human barrier and ordered the Foundation to terminate its operations. Although the GHO later reversed its decision, the event made Joop's longevity controversial. The Foundation's sizeable contribution to the GHO's defense fund also may have affected this reversal. It is still unclear whether Hanso Foundation experiments created or led to the spread of the disease.
Hanso's donation to the GHO and his research funding came from money from weapon sales. During World War II, he provided munitions to various European resistance groups. After the war, he provided high-tech armaments to NATO.

The DHARMA Initiative's distinctive name and logo seem to be at odds with funding from arms dealer. "

thats only part of it, but i was really confused :p. i think suffice to say it has something to do with lost......

When the voiceover comes on to announce the free pretzels, its the voice of the guy in the wheelchair from Season 2!
I vaguely remember him saying he was in charge of the business park or something like that..
Now that is attention to detail.

Yeah, the show has lost the Jim/Pam component that made it so amazing in the past two seasons. But have patience. The writers know what they're doing. Or at least I hope they do.

Maybe, but come on, she wrote down "Cosby Impression" for his hourly status when he was clearly making a sales call. Maybe a goofy, overly-familiar sales call, of course, but it ended up working...