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Here are three numbers that tell the story of Egypt's simmering insurgency.

16,687. That's the estimated number of political detainees sent to Egypt's prisons since the military ousted the Islamist president, Mohammed Morsi, last July 3.

4,482. That's the estimated number of people killed in clashes since Morsi's ouster, many at the hands of security forces.

198. That's the number of people killed, mostly security force members, in armed attacks on the police and army between July and November 2013. Many more have died since.

These estimates by the Egyptian Center of Economic and Social Rights highlight the killings, insurgent attacks, mass arrests and point to the chronic tensions in what the government says is a war for survival against terrorists.

But analysts say oppressive practices by the military-backed government have encouraged more extreme actions by jihadists — and they predict that the attacks on the state will likely grow.

"The overthrow of Mohammed Morsi created a new narrative for Islamists, both nonviolent Islamists who opposed his overthrow and the more radical ones in Sinai," said Issandr El Amrani, director of the International Crisis Group for North Africa. "It was a green light for the more radical element to wage a much more widespread campaign of violence."

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This is the second in a very occasional series of posts in which we interview inanimate objects during fever dreams. This particular interview is with a paper bag that actor Shia LaBeouf put over his head during the premiere of Lars Von Trier's Nymphomaniac: Volume I at the Berlin International Film Festival.

What's that written on you?

It says "I AM NOT FAMOUS ANYMORE."

Huh.

I didn't write it.

No, I know. I'm just ... I'm thinking about it. It's perplexing.

You're telling me. You get to get up and leave this interview and never think about me again. This is permanent marker. Permanent.

So the intent is not to attract attention?

You're asking about the intent? I'm a bag. Ask me a bag question.

Oh. Sure. So ... how long have you been a bag?

Are you serious? This is your question? Why am I even here?

No, no, no. Sorry. So what were you doing before the film festival?

I was folded up, Cronkite.

Oh. Right. Okay. Well, was it fun being part of the festival?

It was ... well, I don't want to get philosophical.

That's okay. That's okay. Everybody wants to know how you feel.

The thing is, it's not what I was made for, you know? A bag, you know, its true purpose is to hold things. And I'm sort of a special bag; I'm a little bigger than a lunch bag, or what we call a "peewee," and I'm smaller than a big grocery bag, which we call a "venti." I'm right there in the middle. I'm good for takeout, I'm good for, like, picking up a few groceries on the way home. What I am not made for is being part of some actor's publicity stunt.

Gee ... that's sort of sad.

And he cut holes. He cut holes in my side. He cut holes for his little eyes, and he wrote all over me — I can see it when I look in a mirror — and now I'm ruined for actually holding anything. I can no longer do bag work. I'm like some kind of monster.

Do you talk to your friends about it?

I don't have a lot of friends. I'm in a dumpster right now.

Oh my gosh, are you okay?

It smells.

Can I ... do you need me to contact your family and tell them where you are?

You don't want to talk to them.

Why not?

My mother's an old bag.

Er.

That was a joke.

Oh, oh, right. Sure.

See? I'm funny. I can do comedy. I'm wasted sitting here in this dumpster with writing all over me. That dude, I swear.

If you've ever doubted the enduring power of Beatlemania, look no further than the vintage lunchbox market.

The Beatles are not only considered the top of the heap when it comes to musical acts of the 20th century, they're also apparently the kings of the lunchbox.

After John, Paul, George and Ringo shook their little mop tops on The Ed Sullivan Show, 50 years ago this Sunday, American lunchbox manufacturers figured out, hey, the kids dig 'em. Let's put these boys on lunchboxes. Iin 1965, manufacturer Aladdin released the light-blue metal ode to The Beatles you see above, widely considered "one of the Holy Grails" of the lunchbox-collecting world, says Barbara Crews, the collectibles expert for About.com.

It came with a thermos and some serious street cred, says Beatles historian Bruce Spizer. Last year, a mint condition version of that lunchbox sold for $1,625. Yeah, you read that right.

"Anyone who is despondent they didn't keep theirs" from childhood, says Spizer, "they need to remember how cool it was to go to school carrying that lunchbox and be the envy of their friends."

If you did keep yours but, you know, actually used it, don't despair. Even a beat-up version of that lunchbox can sell for $200 or $300, Crews says.

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Controversy is nothing new to figure skating, so perhaps it's not surprising that team figure skating, new to this Olympics, has already come in for some unwanted attention. The Russian and U.S. figure skating teams are strongly denying reports that they are in collusion.

L'Equipe, the French sports website, is quoting an unnamed Russian coach as claiming that the American and Russian teams will help each win gold medals. The allegation goes like this: the Russian judges will help U.S. team captain Charlie White and his partner, Meryl Davis, win ice dance in exchange for the U.S. clearing the way for the Russians to win pairs and team dance.

At a news conference, U.S. pairs skater Simon Shnapir defended the team: "We're not aware of this. And our focus is just on our skating and our work and our performance and that's it," he said.

U.S. figure skating spokesperson Barbara Reichert also denied the allegations. "I'll use the word laughable," she said.

"You saw them last night and they were excellent," Reichert said, "They're always excellent."

Interestingly, team figure skating is so far the best chance for Russia to win gold after Julia Lipnitskaya blew away the competition in her short program.

The allegations come at a time when figure skating, an already popular sport, is getting even more time during this Olympic Games.

Team figure skating allows for more televised ice time, with some skaters doing double duty for both the team competition and the individual competition.

Even so, the U.S. is not as strong this year after a marquee name has been kept on the sidelines: 2010 gold medalist Evan Lysacek has been forced to sit out this Olympics due to a hip injury. That leaves the figure skating field open. The favorite is Canadian Patrick Chan.

"I always think that a scary competitor is a consistent competitor," says Lysacek, who believes Chan, 23, is just that. Lysacek, who's 28, points to Chan's experience with injuries, coaching changes, and in a previous Olympics. "The most consistent ones are the ones who made me not sleep at night," Lysacek says.

On the women's side, there's controversy, as Ashley Wagner prepares to skate in the individual. Her ascendancy to the Olympics was controversial after she faltered in the U.S. Nationals.

But criticism of Wagner may have subsided a bit after her strong showing in the team short program on the first day at Sochi. And about the stress and the criticism, the 22-year-old says with a laugh, "You just try not to think about it."