Elsewhere, Matthew -- who really hasn't done anything of note up to this point -- is giving Daniel a pep talk. Yeah, way to pick your ally, there, Matt. Among other things, it's the most generic pep talk in history. It's all about how people are "jockeying for position" and how there's still "momentum" and Daniel shouldn't worry, but should just play it by ear. I have a feeling Matthew found this speech on a version of Who Moved My Cheese? that's abridged to fit on a sticker for the sun visor on your car. Next up, they start speaking Chinese. No, really. Matthew was born in Hong Kong and speaks Mandarin Cantonese, as does Daniel, so they talk, and of course this creates an instant bond between them. The bond isn't harmed by the fact that Matthew throws in a few English words like "position" and "firm." Given the prominence of those two particular words, it's surprising to note that the talk is strictly G-rated. Okay, the text is G-rated. As for the subtext, you'll have to leave that to be deconstructed at a symposium conducted by the faculty of the University of HoYay!, of which I am not a member. Daniel talks about how much he digs Matthew.

And now, birds of death loom over the proceedings. Well, they might just be birds of flapping and fish-eating, but that isn't nearly so filled with portent. And I prefer to maximize the portent.

Over at Jaburu, the place is a mess. There are so many insects buzzing around that it looks like what always happens right after my Sims have lunch. It's not easy to make this much of a mess when you have practically no stuff to speak of, so the tribe is to be congratulated for its ingenuity, I guess. Jeanne notes in an interview -- somewhat redundantly in the face of the bugs and rotting food -- that hygiene-wise, they're definitely not cutting it right now. Among other things, failure to thoroughly clean out last night's dinner pot has led to a nasty infestation of wasps this morning. Shawna claims to be allergic to bees and tries to trap them in the pot with the lid, but because the lid doesn't close tight, the wasps immediately swarm out. Since Shawna doesn't get stung, puff up like a balloon, and die of anaphylactic shock, that's kind of funny. Elsewhere in the world of many-legged critters, Deena finishes off an invading tarantula. Jenna wonders aloud why the insects are so interested in their food. I'm sorry, is she serious? Why do they want food? They want food so they can live, you moron. Hasn't she ever been to a picnic? Worst of all (it seems to me), they've somehow let the mantioc flour grow mold, so they have to throw a bunch of it away. It makes me wonder if somebody didn't close the barrel and it got rained on at some point, because I don't think dry flour would grow that much mold in this period of time.