Still not quite awake yet, we're back again this week for another jam packed edition of News Watch, binnall of america's creepy little glimpse at the news cycle.

This week in the Hot 5, we've got the traditional goat burning of Sweden, scientists acknowlege the veracity of ancient myths, string theory on the ropes, Europe goes back to Mars, and a drunk guy kills himself. Future News Now looks at the renewal of the Patriot Act. That's Entertainment with Khyron reviews Saw II, one of the Fall's scariest films. My Fandom : Year 2 looks at the Red Sox big moves coming out of last week's GM meetings in Texas. Noory Story Scores and an editorial on the War against Christmas.

Meanwhile, if you scroll all the way down to the bottom of this week's edition for End Notes, you'll get the inside scoop on who will be appearing this weekend on BoA : Audio. The interview is in the can and ready to go on Saturday and it's a big one.

Enough of all that, let's get cooking.

Future News Now

Patriot Act Use Against US Citizens Extended (infowars.com)

It's the bane of existence for conspiracy theorists and freedom lovers everywhere : The Patriot Act. Many thought when it came up for renewal this December that it would be shot down, now that Congress had a chance to, you know, read it. Sadly, no such thing occurred.

Instead, it's approved and rubber stamped, making many of the Patriot Act provisions permanent. Oh great. There may even be some parts of Patriot Act II slipped in there for all I know. What do I look like, Alex Jones.

What it amounts to is yet another nail in the coffin of the US constitution.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., announced that the negotiating committee had reached an agreement that would extend for four years two of the Patriot Act's most controversial provisions — authorizing roving wiretaps and permitting secret warrants for books, records and other items from businesses, hospitals and organizations such as libraries. Those provisions would expire in four years unless Congress acted on them again.

Also to be extended for four years are standards for monitoring "lone wolf" terrorists who may be operating independent of a foreign agent or power. While not part of the Patriot Act, officials considered that along with the Patriot Act provisions.

Most of the Patriot Act would become permanent under the reauthorization.

Posted @ Khyron.net, 11.3.5

Last Halloween, the low-budget, high-intensity Saw took audiences by surprise. Fiendishly graphic and very unique, this taught horror/thriller was an astounding success. So much so, that mere weeks after its initial release, distributor Lions Gate Films announced a sequel was in the works. Halloween has come again and with it the highly anticipated Saw II.

In Saw II, detective Eric Matthews (Donnie Wahlberg) is hot on the trails of the Jigsaw Killer (Tobin Bell). After he realizes an overlooked clue, the police raid the suspected base of the infamous Jigsaw. There, however, they bear witness to a grizzly game of life and death being played out on a set of computer monitors. Now, Matthews must force Jigsaw into giving up the game's location in order to save its participants, his son among them. But is Matthews in control? Or is it all a part of a much larger game?

What I liked the most about the original Saw was its originality. The horror movie industry has been in a slump lately, resorting to Japanese and John Carpenter remakes to fill seats. While not all of these movies are entirely bad, their lack of creativity and toned-down, PG-13 ratings leave much to be desired for many fans. Saw, on the other hand, was violent, thought provoking, and uncompromising. The low-budget feel gave it a sense of realism no longer common in modern cinema. Thankfully, Saw II passes the torch nicely.

Granted, there is a much greater budget this time around (evident in the larger cast, sets, and scope of the story), but the gritty realism and graphic content remained true to the original. Everything about this movie just seemed a little more polished than in Saw. The dialogue improved, the acting was a little better (fewer English accent slip-ups, anyway), and the plot had a few less holes. And although the larger cast takes away from the sense of confinement from the first one, the leading interactions between Jigsaw (Bell) and Matthews (Wahlberg) helps to keep the film localized and emotional.

The main device in the plot, Jigsaw's ironically ingenious death traps, remain intact and disgusting. Quite a bit of imagination has gone into thinking of different ways for people to kill themselves, making this movie as imaginative as it is sickening. And, as an added benefit, the blurry, super-fast motion set to hard rock music montages to show-off the traps have been reduced from the original. It still feels intense, but I think the effect was over-done in Saw.

Finally, as far as conclusions go, Saw succeeded in blowing away many a mind with its shock ending. Saw II had some pretty big shoes to fill, and although it may not have matched the pure stupefaction value of the original, it makes up for it in believability. For the hardcore fans this series now has, as well as new-comers, the last 10 minutes will leave you breathless.

The formula for Saw is so great and so open-ended, I predict this will become the Halloween and Friday the 13th of this new generation. Horror has finally returned to the big screen. I give Saw II 4 severed fingers out of 5.

Rating: 4/5 *Khyron's Choice*

Contact Khyron here : mjbrun@gmail.com

When we last left off two weeks ago, the Sox were mired in the baseball's off season, known as the "Hot Stove" period. They'd just made the big Beckett trade and things were looking up. In the last two weeks, they've made two key moves. One is really good, I think, the other is suspect at best.

We start with the good trade. Much maligned shortstop Edgar Renteria was traded only one year after the Sox signed him to a huge contract and lured him away from the St. Louis Cardinals. Last December, everyone thought signing Renteria was a great move, but once the season started things started to look quite different. Renteria was tepid, at best, at the plate. And his much vaunted fielding was just plain awful, committing 30 errors, the most in the Major Leagues. This was what the Sox were paying 10 million a year for ? Apparently, the management at the Sox agreed and sent Renteria to Atlanta for a highly touted infielder prospect. While I was skeptical about this move at first, it makes more sense when looking at the big picture.

First of all, the Sox drop that huge salary from the books, which was key. Second, the pick up a strong prospect after giving up Hanley Ramirez for Josh Beckett. And, finally, Renteria just wasn't cutting it and another year with him committing atrocious errors left and right was not going to be allowed.

We move on the the other big trade the Sox made, one that I just don't see the logic in from where I sit. They gave up a great back-up catcher in Doug Mirabelli for a decent second baseman (some dude whose name I forget). Mirabelli was Tim Wakefield's personal catcher, only playing once every five games or so, and was a good hitter and defenseman. The dude they got was coming off of a rough year, but had an awesome year in 2004, so I guess the Sox think he can recapture that momentum from '04 and bring it to Fenway. Unfortunately, now they will have to find another back up catcher and the market's not too great for them. I don't see the logic in giving up a sure thing in Mirabelli for a potentially good to great 2nd baseman, when they could have signed someone like Tony Graffanino to a deal and made him a utility infielder and kept Mirabelli. Oh well, I suppose that is why I am not a general manager.

Meanwhile, Manny Ramirez still insists on being traded. And, just South of Boston, Miguel Tejada insists on being traded from Baltimore. Both have hefty contracts and the rumour right now is that there is some serious dealing between both teams to possibly make a swap. While I'm not really a fan of giving up Martinez, Tejada is probably the best you'll get for him. Tejada is a great hitter, a strong defensive shortstop and a friend of Sox slugger Big Papi David Ortiz, so he has a strong up side. That said, if they do pull off this trade, then the Sox will have to face Manny a bunch of times next season as the Sox and Baltimore are in the same division.

And, of course, there is always Johnny Damon floating around looking for a contract as well. We'll have to wait and see if the Sox can lock him up for a few more years. I think by the time we roll out the next News Watch, we'll have some answers there as well as at some other key positions like shortstop and first base, two spots with vacancies for next season. The 2006 Red Sox are a work in progress, so it's hard to judge how they look until all the tinkering is done.