If you've been paying attention, you've already read my award-winning essay on Radiohead's Kid A, submitted to David Barker's 33 1/3 "Under 21" essay contest back in June, and just recently posted here on the good ol' BBW. Please, take a seat, enjoy a fine glass of whatever swill you've got nearby, and listen closely to the dulcet sounds of John Mayer actually doing something good for once. His cover of Radiohead's "Kid A" is, embarassingly enough, what persuaded me to not hate Kid A's easily hate-able electronic ass. Which you would know if you had read the feature I assume you already read.

John Mayer - Kid A
Radiohead - Kid A

[o] (Republican) Conspiracy Gone Wild

In yet another disclosure of hyper-corporatism gone wrong and a seemingly unending path towards the eventual total collapse of the Republican party--what one can only hope is a prelude to former Majority Leader Tom Delay's court appearance--Republican congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham has pled guilty to conspiracy and tax evasion (if the IRS can't get you, who can?). The decorated Vietnam war pilot admitted to receiving 2.4 MILLION BUCKAROOS in bribes from defense contractor MZM Inc. Anyone starting to notice a trend here?

While current Iraqi war veterans wondered why the hell Cunningham ever voted to send them over to lose moral and limbs, he was apparently having a blast hanging out on the m-fing yacht MZM Inc. bought him. This yet while this prick is getting nailed with up to 10 years in prison, some random jackass got caught selling weed for the third time is spending the rest of his life in Chino getting raped by his new cellmate.

My only regret? Mr. Duke was a Republican congressman from San Diego. You want to know who else is a Republican politician from San Diego? Paul Betancourt. Why the fuck is it not him going down?

Should Have Been Gone in Vietnam, Sellout

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Posted by paulito pacifica to o at 11/28/2005 11:11:00 AM

[o] This Week in Conflict

An Israeli Soldier Greets Palestinian Schoolgirls, Armed to the Teeth

A Palestinian Boy Greets An Israeli Army Jeep, Armed to the Teeth

An American Soldier Ruminates the Implications of Ruthless Occupation

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Posted by paulito pacifica to o at 11/26/2005 03:45:00 PM

[o] yay for our disease

¡HAPPY DEAD INDIAN DAY!

Wholesome American FFM Teenage Outdoor Action, Thankgiving Style

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Posted by paulito pacifica to o at 11/24/2005 02:51:00 PM

[o] Toy Trumpet

A dear friend of ours here at Bornbackwards, Jonathan Pfeffer, has launched his new blog Toy Trumpet. Pfeffer is the leader of Capillary Action, who wrote us a tour diary not so very long ago. In his position as the leader of a relatively unknown up-and-coming band he'll be using his blog to showcase other relatively unknown up-and-coming bands, complete with mp3s. So if you wanna be the first kid on your block to listen to Iron Lung or Hi Red Center before they blow up like Clay Aiken then get your ass on over to Toy Trumpet.

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Posted by exadore to o at 11/22/2005 05:21:00 AM

[o] The Eighth Wonder of the World... on DVD

Thanks to Peter Jackson’s remake, due to be released in theaters Dec. 14th, the original 1933 version of King Kong will finally see a DVD release today. Widely considered one of the greatest adventure films of all time, and voted by the American Film Institute as one of the 50 greatest films of the last 100 years, it is also one of the last great American films to finally make it onto the digital format (excluding some obviously out-of-print and now obsolete laserdisc releases in the mid 80's to early 90's). The DVD release will be a two-disc special edition with remastered picture and sound, commentary by visual effects masters Ray Harryhausen and Ken Ralston, as well as by director Merian C. Cooper and star Fay Wray, and several hours worth of making-of documentaries and Kong related features. A collector’s edition tin, which includes a reproduction of the original souvenir program and other collectables, will also be available for all the consumer whores and real nerds out there.

In addition to King Kong, its sequel, Son of Kong (1933), and the amazing Mighty Joe Young (1949), probably the second best giant ape movie ever made, will be included in a box set with Kong as well as released individually. Now you can throw out that 70’s remake you have starring Jeff Bridges, Jessica Lange and a man in an ape suit and pirate yourself a copy of the original stop-motion classic. I’ll be busy watching my collector’s edition.

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Posted by the mystery cow to o at 11/22/2005 12:38:00 AM

[o] Soundtrack to the Apocalypse Part 2 and Contest

The second part of our "Soundtrack to the Apocalypse" feature, dealing with the 1960s, has been posted. You can download the songs above. We will also be holding a contest for a 2-to-3-CD mix containing all the songs included in the feature, so if you miss any of the mp3s during any particular week you'll be able to collect them on these official unofficial BBW "Soundtrack to the Apocalypse" mixes. All you have to do to win them is send an email to contests@bornbackwards.com with the subject "Apocalypse" telling us any apocalyptic songs we missed from any of the eras included, with a short description of said song. Note: please do not send us a glut of crappy apocalyptic metal songs from the '80s and '90s, that shit is too easy, too insincere, and quite franky doesn't count. Except maybe Slayer. Good luck.

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Posted by exadore to o at 11/21/2005 06:15:00 PM

[o] Uproar in Congress Just a Load of Schmidt

Last Thursday, respected Democratic Pennsylvania Representative John P. Murtha advocated withdrawing the 153,000 American troops in Iraq within six months, saying they had become a catalyst for continued violence in the country. Murtha is a Vietnam combat veteran and one of the House's most respected members on military matters and has been considered a hawk in most War on Terror issues. His name is also a combination of Bertha and Martha, which is sort of hilarious, and his face looks sort of like a bulldog, which is definitely hilarious. You'd think with these things on his side, he would immune to criticisms of being 'weak on terror', 'not understanding the nature of war', 'hurting troop morale', 'not being adorable', or 'being a coward'. But remember, we live in a world where nothing anyone in the government ever says or does makes any goddamn sense whatsoever.

Representative Murtha: on TV and raiding pots of hunny.

So of course, he gets attacked. The Republican leadership of the House sponsored an alternative to Murtha's plan calling for an 'immediate pullout' but without the timetable. They called it the 'Murtha Plan' knowing full well that it was exactly not what Murtha proposed. The measure failed, with both Democrats voting against it, because they knew it was a deceptive attempt to flatten discussion of the matter and an even more deceptive attempt to discredit Murtha's proposal, and Republicans voting against it, because of course they don't want to pull out the troops, stupid!

In the debate leading up to the actual debate of the so-called 'Murtha Plan', the House broke out into an uproar, with boos, catcalls, yelling, rivers running red with the blood of the innocent, and much gnashing of teeth, much like the reaction to my performance in a local production of King Lear entirely in the nude, called Leering at King Lear. It was also much like the British House of Commons except instead of calling their opponents "Right Honorable Gentleman," they called them dirty, filthy cowards. That's where Ohio Representative Jean Schmidt stepped in to calm things down. Schmidt, a Republican and the most junior member of the House, sought to deliver a soothing and reconciliatory message relayed to her by a Marine colonel back home: "He asked me to send Congress a message: stay the course. He also asked me to send Congressman Murtha a message: that cowards cut and run, Marines never do." Keep in mind that Murtha is a decorated Marine veteran, and that Schmidt was dressed like the wicked witch of the west at an elementary school Memorial Day bakesale at the time.

Schmidt beat out an Iraq War veteran for her seat in the House, but its alright because her patriotism is displayed in her continual choice of terrible clothing. Ruby slippers not pictured.

The House erupted into protest as Democrats booed and shouted Schmidt off the floor, and the entire House came to an abrupt standstill [video]. Representative Harold Ford, Democrat of Tennessee, ran across to the chamber's Republican side screaming that Ms. Schmidt's attack had been unfounded and unwarranted. "You guys are pathetic!" yelled Representative Martin Meehan, Democrat of Massachusetts. "Pathetic." Howard Fineman of Newsweek was in the viewing gallery and said that it was the first time that he had ever seen anything like it.

As if realizing what a colossal fuckup she had just made--as a junior member of the House with terrible fashion sense accusing a well-respected ex-Marine and adorable puppy-face of cowardice--she rushed to issue an apology. Apparently, some members of the Republican leadership had to remind Schmidt that she was a complete fucking idiot and that Murtha was, in fact, a Marine that could cut and run if he damn well felt like it. "The poor lady didn't know Jack Murtha was a Marine - she really just ran into a hornet's nest," said Representative Jack Kingston of Georgia. Representative David Dreier of California said, "Very clearly, she did not know that Jack Murtha was a Marine." He added, "Much like most Congressmen, she had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. She is truly full of Schmidt."

Schmidt then attempted to have her remarks struck from the record, saying that she had not intended them to refer to any one member of the House, and certainly not the distinguished Representative from Pennsylvania. Let's take a look at her quote again, "He also asked me to send Congressman Murtha a message: that cowards cut and run, Marines never do." The retraction was far too late and her hateful image was beamed out to the rest of the country, igniting a storm of controversy over the war and inspired a really unfunny SNL skit about it [video]. As punishment, she was doused with a bucket of cold water. Her last remarks before vanishing from this world were, "I'm melting, I'm melting!"

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Posted by exadore to o at 11/21/2005 02:29:00 PM

[o] Genuine Marvels

What could be more American than the time-honored sport of Competitive Eating. And yet, this past weekend, Takeru Kobayashi, a Japanese man who speaks no English, won $10,000 by consuming 67 hamburgers in 8 minutes, thus retaining his title as the Krystal Square-Off World Hamburger Eating Champion. What's more, this man also holds the title of Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest Champion. That's right. Takeru Kobayashi has made a career of gorging on American meats on American holidays, usurping these contests and the unnecessarily long titles that accompany them from the hard-working Americans whose ancestors sacrificed their dignity to found them and fought the Nazis in World War II to preserve these sacred American traditions. Hitler hated hot dog eating contests, but it is little known that his Grandmother was in a four-way tie for the title of Frankfurter Weisswurst heißer Hundeessenwettbewerb.

Mr. Kobayashi would do well to head back to the Orient and take a few lessons from 15-year-old Ram Bomjon, whom many are hailing as the new Buddha. Six months ago, young Ram sat down under a tree in Nepal and hasn't had anything to eat or drink since. Thousands are flocking to behold this remarkable boy, who is said not to have moved since he began his fast, not even to relieve himself. Which probably means that the kid has been sitting in his own urine and feces for half of the past year. Some call it enlightenment, I call it gross.

But you'd be amazed at the disgusting things people are drawn to these days. When they aren't crowding around sit-in-his-own-shit boy, the masses are gathering at the U.S. Botanic Garden to see the incredible "corpse plant," so named for its noisome odor. It has been described as being "not as rancid as roadkill," but has been compared to such foul-smelling things as garbage, spoiled meat, and dead fish. In its natural habitat of Sumatra, this plant's stench works to attract pollinating beetles that lay their eggs in rotting animals. In the U.S. Botanic Garden, it serves to attract hordes of misguided tourists with nothing better to do than smell garbage--at least 2,000 by Sunday afternoon. Here's a tip guys, check out the boy's locker room of any local high school for the same effect.

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Posted by Baroness Von Hartmann to o at 11/21/2005 05:20:00 PM

[o] Free Pachyderms EP

In case you missed it: check out the new free downloadable Pachyderms EP A Communique From the International Society of Pachyderms, previously only available on handmade 3" CD-Rs. Now with bonus tracks about dinosaurs and Neanderthals and monkeys, lots of monkeys. Avant-pop that's cheap as free.

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Posted by exadore to o at 11/21/2005 06:30:00 AM

[o] Pirated DVD's the New "Hot" Drug, Freebasing Rampant.

The MPAA has made yet another in a series of ridiculous statements:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 15, 2005

PIRATED DISCS, DVDS BECOMING "THE NEW DRUG ON THE STREET"

WASHINGTON -- A fatal car chase on November 10 between a convicted
felon in Virginia wanted by authorities on several criminal charges
including cocaine possession yielded hundreds of pirated CDs and DVDs
in the man's trunk, giving rise to a new kind of traded drug, according
to the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) Inc's Dennis Supik.

"A lot of people we were arresting had drug conviction backgrounds.
Actually, what they said was, 'This is the new drug on the street,'"
said Supik, an MPAA field investigator who assists local law
enforcement in anti-piracy raids.

This is about the equivalent of those anti-drug commercials that said you support the terrorists if you smoke weed.

Burn DVDs and you're a filthy drug-peddling low-life!

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Posted by Austin to o at 11/18/2005 05:39:00 AM

[o] Fire Fire Pt. 3, Now with Heat

The white phosphorus debacle only continues to get bigger. Last week we reported allegations against the United States concerning the use of white phosphorus as a weapon against insurgents and civilians in Iraq. The official response then was that the United States does "not use napalm or white phosphorus as weapons" and white phosphorus was only "fired into the air to illuminate enemy positions at night."

Which nicely compliments yesterday's statement in which the United States admitted to using white phosphorus as a weapon against enemy combatants. Apparently they felt they kinda had to maybe admit it after they re-(?)discovered an article in the March/April issue of Field Artillery Magazine--which is published by the United States Army--in which a captain, first lieutenant and a sergeant outline the usefulness of white phosphorus. . . as a weapon.

"WP proved to be an effective and versatile munition. We used it for screening missions at two breeches and, later in the fight, as a potent psychological weapon against the insurgents in trench lines and spider holes where we could not get effects on them with HE [High Explosive]. We fired 'shake and bake' missions at the insurgents, using WP to flush them out and HE to take them out."

Shake and bake? Hah, wow that is cold. Yet justified, and here are three United States Military justifications as to why:

I) We were not using Willie Pete (cute Vietnam era slang for white phosphorus) against civilians, we swear.
II) The white phosphorus is used to get enemy fighters out into the open so we can kill them with legal weapons. If they decided they would rather stay hidden and slowly die as their skin is burnt off as the chemical reacts in contact with oxygen and that later in life causes liver and kidney cancer, it is their own fault.

Except embedded journalist Darrin Mortenson of the North County Times in California reported the following during the attacks on Falluja:

"The boom kicked the dust around the pit as they ran through the drill again and again, sending a mixture of burning white phosphorus and high explosives they call 'shake 'n bake' into a cluster of buildings where insurgents have been spotted all week."

A mixture? Wait, so how do you expect the insurgents to try and escape the white phosphorus and com. . . ohhhhh. Excuse me, what was that sir?

III) Even though we already clarified that we did not intend for enemy fighters to stay in a combat zone where white phosphorous had been exploded, if we ever decided to--which we did--it is still not considered a chemical weapon because it is not the toxic chemical reaction which they die from, it's the heat caused by the toxic chemical reaction that kills them.

Well thank goodness for that. Just in case you were still worried about the chemical non-chemical weapon usage of incendiary weapons by the United State military against civilians, let the US military reassure you that either way they "encountered few civilians in its attack south." Yes, they left all the greeting duties to white phosphorus and maggots.

Willie Pete and Maggots Saying "Hello" the American Way

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Posted by paulito pacifica to o at 11/17/2005 02:12:00 AM

[o] Mission (Almost) Accomplished

Yesterday the Senate backed a resolution to make 2006 "a period of significant transition to full Iraqi sovereignty," which means getting the troops the fuck out of there sometime in the near future. The resolution also requires the Bush administration to report to Congress quarterly on the progress towards finally listening to the American people and the rest of the world and ending what is amounting to the most unpopular war in this country's history. "We want accountability from this president. It's not good enough for the president to make speeches about staying the course when the course has led to so many lives being lost, so many dollars being spent," said Senator Richard J. Durban of Illinois. Donny Rumsfeld had this to say: "While the American people understandably want to know when our forces can leave Iraq, I believe they do not want them to leave until our mission is accomplished..." Wait a minute! Wasn't the mission accomplished way back in 2003? Bring 'em home, bitch!

I must have misinterpreted this picture

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Posted by Conrad Wilson to o at 11/17/2005 01:39:00 AM

[o] Dead Disnee

This past summer, two children died on separate occasions at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. The medical examiner came out Tuesday with the information that both died of natural causes due to irregular heartbeats. People with these conditions are at risk of sudden death throughout their entire lives, much like anyone in this country who drives a car or works in a tall office building (too soon?). Disney released a statement that said, "our sympathies are with the families during this difficult time. In regard to the reports, we believe they speak for themselves." In a post script to the statement, Disney stated, "PS - Just in case you didn't get what we were saying there, totally not our fault. Feel free to bring your disabled kids to our park and ignore the warnings about heart problems posted all over the place in those lines you wait in for two hours. Don't you even fucking glance at those things? Jesus Christ."

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Posted by Conrad Wilson to o at 11/17/2005 01:45:00 AM

[o] Root Canal or: Up Shit Creek

For those of you that haven't been keeping up, Sony-BMG has been up to some nastiness behind their consumer's backs. You see, Sony has been putting a little DRM copy-protection on many of their albums, which is perfectly within their rights (although, it's totally a dick move, if you ask me). But unbeknownst to consumers, Sony decided to opt for a little extra protection as well.

That's where security researcher and Windows expert Mark Russinovich comes in. Russinovich discovered that many Sony-BMG releases install a root-kit (a tool also used by the malware and spyware programmers who run your favorite porn site). A root-kit basically implants itself into a kernel of your Windows installation. Once in, it open up your computer to all sorts of "opportunities" for progams, viruses and hackers. Removal may cause your OS to never work the same again. Or not at all.

So what is Sony's response?

First, Sony says it's not that big of a deal and "not very many people know what a root-kit is". Then under pressure from threats of legal action overseas, they release a root-kit "remover" that does little more than tell you that you have a root-kit on your hard drive. All the while, the company keeps downplaying the risk of their software. However, Ed Felten, a DRM researcher at Princeton was not convinced that Sony was being completely straight with us.

"...it appears to contain new versions of almost all the files included in the initial installation of the entire DRM system, as well as creating some new files...they're almost certainly adding things to the system...And once again, they're not disclosing what they're doing.

No doubt they'll ask us to just trust them. I wouldn't. The companies still assert -- falsely -- that the original rootkit-like software 'does not compromise security' and '[t]here should be no concern' about it. So I wouldn't put much faith in any claim that the new update is harmless. And the companies claim to have developed "new ways of cloaking files on a hard drive". So I wouldn't derive much comfort from carefully worded assertions that they have removed 'the ... component .. that has been discussed'."

So now, as consumers, what are our options? Well, Wired magazine is calling for a boycott of Sony. And AnyDVD, a DVD ripping program, advertises that their program will innoculate your system against Sony's shitty software. Those options are all well and good for people who haven't put a Sony-BMG album in their computer. What can be done if you already have the root-kit? Well, sue the fucking pants off of Sony!

Oh and if you're reading this from your Mac, you cappucino-sipping bastard, you're not out of reach of Sony's DRM. It affects Apples too.

And to top this all off, there are indications that the software that Sony used in it's DRM protection is pirated. That's right, the overzealous Sony pricks trampled on copyrights to make their copy protection.

All of this has Sony scrambling to cover their tracks and make amends. So they're trying to recall the infected CDs and have supposedly stopped production on all of the affected releases.

But it still doesn't seem like Sony is being completely honest with us. The company has stated that there are only 20 CDs affected by the malcontentious software. But there are many releases from Sony-BMG subsidiaries and sister companies being reported as causing similar problems. So far, the list is up to 45 CDs.

Want to know if you have an infected CD? CLICK HERE.

The only legal kind of CD burning.

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Posted by Austin to o at 11/15/2005 08:16:00 PM

[o] Oh No Tu Didn't

More sass than you can shake your Latin love at: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, apparently taking a break from riding Bush's ass while hanging an oil barrel in front of his face, and Mexican President Vicente Fox are currently engaged in a full-on one-of-a-kind 'Presidential Edition' South of the Border Cat Fight.

It started this past Sunday, November 13, during a speech in which Chavez proceeded to chastise Fox as being a "puppy dog of the empire." The empire of which he speaks is, of course, the United States. So I guess this break was not so much a "vacation" from riding Bush's ass but more of a "weekend in the Hamptons" sort of deal. In response, Fox issued a statement in which he demanded an apology, also adding that Chavez's comments "strike at the dignity of the Mexican people." And by the way you are so uninvited to my birthday party.

Oh.

Snap.

Saying that personal attacks are attacks against his country's people? Sounds like someone has been playing puppy. In response to this, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Ali Rodriguez called the demand "unjustifiable" and proceeded to withdraw Venezuela's ambassador in Mexico. In a speech given the same day, Chavez once again repeated his "puppy" claim, accused Fox of violating the Summit of the Americas protocol by trying to press for further agreement on the issue of the agriculturally (and otherwise) unfair Free Trade Agreement of the Americas (FTAA). He also added, "Don't mess with me sir, because you'll come out pricked," as he withdrew a chewed piece of gum from his mouth and pressed it firmly into Fox's hair. Mexico proceeded to also withdraw their ambassador from Venezuela and retorted that Fox's birthday party was not only going to have fireworks and a petting zoo, but that Macho Man Randy Savage would be making a guest appearance.

Fuck.

Yes.

Just to let you guys know; the quoted statements in the article? Yea, those are actual quotes.

Scientifically Proven to Make Birthday Parties More Awesome

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Posted by paulito pacifica to o at 11/15/2005 05:52:00 PM

[o] Alito Confesses to Kissing Ass

Presidential nominee to the Supreme Court Samuel Alito has been dancing for Grandpa, and Senators all over Capitol Hill, this week in hopes of winning Democratic support and Congressional approval for a position on the high court. The catalyst for his recent trysts was a document released Monday containing a 20-year-old application for the Reagan administration in which Alito boasted of his work against abortion and affirmed, "the Constitution does not protect the right to an abortion."

Alito insisted that when he wrote the document in 1985 he was basically sucking up to get a job as Deputy Assistant Attorney General. Unfortunately, Alito couldn't suck hard enough for that position, but he did make runner-up! Five years later, Bushy Sr. appointed him to the 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals, where he has selectively interpreted the Constitution for the past 15 years. Alito told Democratic Senators that he's much wiser today than he was twenty years ago, when he would suck off any political lacky or administrative figure head that came along if it meant a chance to crack down on baby-killers. Senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts observed, "Though Alito laid it on pretty thick about how good I look for my age, he did indicate that he's an older person, that he's learned more, that he thinks he's a wiser person and he has a better grasp and understanding about constitutional rights and liberties."

Alito himself stated, "I was seeking a job; it was a political job and that was 1985. I'm now a judge, I've been on the circuit court for 15 years and it's very different. I'm not an advocate, I don't give heed to my personal views, what I do is interpret the law." To which he added, "the law of Jesus Christ as dictated by his divine interceder, George W. Bush."

Alito replaces former nominee Harriet Miers, whom Bush chose based on her asexuality, faith, ability to take orders, firm young breasts. When Miers stepped down, Bush named Alito based on his soft lips, faith, numerous decisions against minorities and immigrants seeking asylum, and of course his great respect for Roe V. Wade.

Americans at large need not worry however, as Sen. Kennedy and other large-headed members of Congress promise to lay the smack down during the January confirmation hearings. "He's obviously an intelligent and informed nominee, but the real criteria that all of us look for is whether the nominee is going to have a core commitment to the constitutional values and the rights and liberties and interest of the American people," Kennedy said. He went on to say, "I've taken down many teacher's pets in my day, and this little shit is no different."

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Posted by amira to o at 11/15/2005 11:37:00 AM

[o] Mobiles are Un-Thai

While most first world citizens only concern in Thailand is whether or not the sex-peddlers will take American dollars, the Thai's currently have a few things bothering them. Aside from that whole avian flu PANDEMIC *DUN DUN DUN* that... isn't a PANDEMIC *DUN DUN DUN*, there's been an active Muslim insurgency in southern Thailand since 2004. Or so says the Prime Minister. If you look at the facts, there have been a series of violent attacks in the southern region of Thailand, which has a mostly Muslim population. When questioned, authorities (media is not allowed and does not elaborate on the term) admit that they blame (not suspect) the constant attacks on "criminal gangs, Muslim extremists or local corruption."

So what to do when you don't have a clue? Blame the Muslim extremists! Not really. Well yes, blame terrorist, but also mobile phones. That's right. In addition to already having implemented measures that make Rumsfeld cringe with jealousy, such as laws that allow these very sharp authorities to censor the media and to detain suspects without charge, they have "banned" mobile phones. This is due to the fact that, as Interior Minister Kongsak Wantana clarifies, there are three, and only three, ways "to detonate a bomb - by time-setting, by cable and by phone." Whether watches, clocks, and metal wires will be banned soon is up in the air.

While these measures may seem extreme to us, this fits in with other protective government measures such as "banning" mouths, anuses, vaginas and penises to prevent AIDS, "banning" mouths (again) and veins to prevent drug trade and usage, and banning birds to prevent the spread of the avian flu PANDEMIC *DUN DUN DUN*.

Have no fear though; the Thai government at the same time announced the "alternative" to having your mobile "banned." Confused yet? Don't be, in what amounts in legally justifying invasion of privacy, the Thai government has "banned" mobile phones, unless you register it with the government, therefore allowing them to monitor your calls and access your call record. When asked for an opinion on this issue, United States President George 'Revisionism' Bush responded, "See, this is exactly what we meant when we said that the 'New, Improved, American Run and Owned' Iraq would set a great working example of 'American Style Democracy' for the rest of the world."

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Posted by paulito pacifica to o at 11/15/2005 04:54:00 AM

[o] The New Space Race

You may have thought that the space race ended in the late '60s, with America putting the first men and young boys on the moon. Not to mention flags, we put those there too. So we showed the Russians that U-S-A was #1 with a multibillion dollar pissing contest--and they thought they were clever after their little Sputnik stunt. Then it was all over and now we share spacestations like good little nation-states, right? HOW WRONG YOU ARE! The pissing contest continues unabated! You see, experts are warning that if NASA's budget is cut any further, we could be in danger of losing our space dominance.

You're probably thinking, "Well, so what? What good has anything in space done us in the past 35 years?" Well besides providing a wealth of science fiction adventures to keep the world's nerds occupied--instead of hacking into our global mainframes and surfing the cryosphere until they jack out the world's hypersystems and leave everything in syntax ruin--space hasn't done a whole lot. But here's the real problem, if NASA cuts its R&D budget, America is in danger of losing its technological dominance over the rest of the world. After all, we can't have nerds from Kazakhstan jacking out the world's hypersystems, now can we? After all, now that we've outsourced every other job in America, we won't have much left if we do fall behind in technology. Your only hope for employment after that might be as a jizzmopper at McDonald's or a dealer at one of Buffalo's many Pot'n'Waffles establishments.

Racists will be happy to know the world's Chinese population will be soon be shot into space.

First on the list of competitors is red China. China's already the second largest economy in the world, after us of course, and is poised this year to usurp the #2 spot in technological development from Japan. However, Japan remains the world's #1 source of animated tentacle rape porn. The People's Republic of China announced plans last year to land a Chinaman on the moon before 2020. Not be outdone, within the week President Bush had announced that we would have a man on the moon by 2018. U-S-A! U-S-A! And not only that, but we were gonna go to Mars. Remember that? So fuck China.

The Japanese economy is now fueled exclusively by dirty things.

Only the Mars thing was kind of bullshit, because NASA has no extra funding and is on the verge of slashing their Research and Development budget. NASA has long been a source of technological innovation and its health, or lack of, is seen as indicative of America's technological advantage, or lack of. Case in point: a Chinese company was recently closed for selling land on the moon. The Beijing Lunar Village Aeronautics Science and Technology Co. was charging a bargain rate of 298 yuan (37 US dollars) for each acre (0.4 hectare) on the moon, supposedly on behalf of the 'Lunar Embassy' in China. Thirty-four people bought 49 acres of prime lunar real estate before the company was shut down and everyone figured out that the 'Lunar Embassy' only exists in Babylon 5 and our wildest imaginations.

This is exactly what I'm talking about! If anyone should be swindling people by selling fake deeds for possession of the moon it should be red-blooded Americans! Were we not the ones who screwed Native Americans out of an entire continent? Were we not the ones that stole Texas and California from Mexico? Were we not the ones to launch a war based on absolutely nothing against a man we helped place in power in the first place? Was Nixon not ... an American? We are the masters of swindling! We can't let these red bastards beat us to the punch by landing a man on the moon and then selling fake deeds to that land for 40 bucks a pop! It's our national heritage, at stake! I say we find a way to ship our garbage to the moon and turn the whole thing into the Earth's landfill, then when the Earth has been stripped bare of all its resources, we start mining our OWN garbage on the moon for more resources to sell back to everyone. Now THAT's a swindle I can get behind as an American--if only there were some way to include small-pox infested blankets. Just watch the Lunar Embassy try to stop us!

Also, if you're one of those nutballs that thinks the Apollo program was a hoax, then according to you, China may be gearing up to put the first man on the moon. You got your McDonald's uniform yet?

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Posted by exadore to o at 11/15/2005 11:44:00 AM

[o] Booyakasha!

In response to comedian Sacha Baron Cohen's (Da Ali G Show) portrayal of Kazakh television presenter Borat on MTV Europe's Music Awards, Kazakhstan's Foreign Ministry is threatening legal action because the character casts the country and its people in an unfavorable light. "We do not rule out that Mr. Cohen is serving someone's political order designed to present Kazakhstan and its people in a derogatory way," says the Foreign Ministry's spokesman, a man with little or no sense of humor as evidenced by the Dilbert strips pinned to his cubicle walls. Now that Kazakhstan has uncovered the plot to make them look silly, thousands of comedians are going underground to avoid the fate of their fearless leader in the fight against taking Kazakhstan seriously. When asked to comment on the possible charges against him, Cohen burst out laughing and held his quaking belly.

Terrorist.

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Posted by Conrad Wilson to o at 11/14/2005 06:16:00 PM

[o] Only because he's famous

No huge commentary here, just a link to some good commentary by John Cusack.

On Bush, the Dems, Jon Stewart, Hunter Thompson, Bill Moyers, and King (not Don)

Maybe we can get him to write for Bornbackwards?

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Posted by Conrad Wilson to o at 11/15/2005 12:40:00 AM

[o] Wilco Correction

It seems we, the infallible megabrains at Bornbackwards have made a mistake. Wilco has canceled their live DVD, but the live album Kicking Television will be released tomorrow, you can get it here. I blame the poor writing and lack of clarity of our sources. You can blame me.

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Posted by exadore to o at 11/14/2005 03:37:00 AM

[o] condi = nightmares

Still Worse than Michael Jackson. Without Surgery

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Posted by paulito pacifica to o at 11/13/2005 10:08:00 PM

[o] Hunters using prehistoric weapons on mythical creatures

The Pennsylvania game commission is considering allowing hunters in the state to use the atlatl, a small prehistoric weapon used to propel a six-foot dart as fast as 80 mph. The weapon has been used for thousands of years by Native Americans against their natural enemy, Spanish conquistadors, and to kill their favorite food, McWooly Mammoth nuggets. The idea is to let hunters use atlatls to hunt deer, but in Alabama where atlatls are already legal, they are barely used at all. In fact, Alabama law for some reason also allows spearhunting, and spears vastly outnumber atlatls. This confirms my thesis that the people of Alabama are, in fact, 500 years behind the rest of the country, ignorant spearhunting motherfuckers.

Hell, even a manufacturer of atlatls, Bob Perkins, has only ever killed two deer with the crazy thing! A few weeks ago, he also got his first buffalo. Aren't they endangered or something? Sales of Perkins' weapons have averaged only about 450 in recent years. Customers pay $140 for his atlatls, called "The Warrior," meaning that with that kind of income Perkins may have actually needed to kill that buffalo in order to survive. Let's just hope he used every part of it.

To use an atlatl, throwers hook arrowlike hunting darts into the end of the atlatl, which is generally a wooden piece about 2 feet long. The leverage of the atlatl allows them to throw the 5- to 8-foot darts much farther than they could throw a spear. It is propelled by pure hope... and physics.

On the other hand, maybe those hunters could use their atlatls to hunt mythical Swedish monsters. Hundreds of people claim to have spotted a large serpent-like creature in Lake Storsjon in the northwestern province of Jamtland, Sweden. The so-called Storsjo monster was first mentioned in print in 1635 with hundreds of sightings reported since then. The creature has been described as a snakelike animal with a dog's head and fins on its neck. Unfortunately in 1986 the regional council shut down any hopes that we had of hunting down and slaughtering such a beast, the highest goal of humankind, by putting it, if it did really exist, on a list of endangered animals. Yet another example of Big Government interfering with the will of the people again!

It is my pleasure to announce that hunting season on the Storsjo monster is once again open. The local government finally decided that it was really quite stupid to offer government protection to an animal that probably doesn't even exist at all. The regional council agreed to remove the listing this month, but declined to rule out that a monster lives in the 300-foot deep lake. Now remember, all the glory, and Storsjo-burgers, only go to the man who nabs this freak of nature. I don't want to hear about the Chimera that got away or the Sasquatch that you threw back. Happy hunting boys, get your atlatls ready!

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Posted by exadore to o at 11/13/2005 06:00:00 AM

[o] Grand Theft HIV

Andrew Stimpson, a London resident, recetly became clear of the HIV virus without the aid of HIV medication or a lucrative basketball career to fund the medicine that he didn't take. Doctors are obviously interested in this unusual case and are looking to run extensive tests on Mr. Stimpson in order to understand why he became clear of the virus and hopefully find something that could lead to a vaccination.

Andrew Stimpson thinks he's "one of the luckiest people alive," but he obviously hasn't met Steve West, his wife, Carolyn, and his in-laws, Bob and Frances Chaney, who won the $340 million Powerball jackpot! Congratulations, folks! What are you going to do with all that money? They're not sure what to do with all of it, but one of the men (the particular man doesn't matter only because I don't remember and I have no journalistic integrity, but are you surprised that it was the man that wanted what you are about to read after the end of this parenthetical? I can't, that's for sure. I totally ruined the flow of this sentence) bought a Hummer! Hooray! Pretty soon I won't even have to go to the arena on MONDAY MONDAY MONDAY to see monster trucks crush feeble used cars, I can just bring a lawnchair out to my local highway and wait for the inevitible. Look at all this freedom you are missing out on, Iraqi insurgents! What are you thinking?!

This picture is neither funny nor sensical. I have just ruined my reputation.

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Posted by Conrad Wilson to o at 11/12/2005 11:28:00 PM

[o] Wilco cancel live album/DVD, preview still available.

Wilco has decided to scrap a live DVD by I Am Trying to Break Your Heart director Sam Jones and an accompanying live album titled Kicking Television. Could this be the great lost concert film of our time? Could it be as mesmerizing as the Talking Heads Stop Making Sense, as personal as Dylan's Don't Look Back, as disturbingly abrasive as Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band's Live Peace in Toronto, 1969, or as mind-numbingly self-indulgent as Led Zeppelin's The Song Remains The Same? Probably not, no.

Explaining the DVD's sad destiny is the man himself, Wilco's songwriter Jeff Tweedy, "Some of the reasons were technical, some of it had to do with the way it was shot." In your face, Sam Jones! "The footage ended up being really claustrophobic. Basically, it gets down to my feeling that the audience should be a part of any live document. You should get a sense of the audience, a sense of the time and place. And the footage didn't do that." Also, Tweedy demanded more big suit ala Stop Making Sense, with Sam Jones hoping for more 20-minute drum solos and sword fights ala The Song Remains The Same.

Tweedy dreams of bigger suits.

However, Kicking Television came so close to release that Wilco still has a four-track preview streaming off their site, along with a link to preorder. Songs include "Airline To Heaven", "Company in my Back", "At Least That's What You Said", and the mysterious "Kicking Television." So for a taste of Wilco live, sans the 20-minute drum solos, click right here.

[o] Joe Scarborough is a Douche

Three Texan college students are dead and one severly emotionally scarred after last night's airing of "Scarborough Country." Although details are still coming in, preliminary reports conclude that the youths were participating in a drinking game, "Reagan from the Grave." The basis of the game is taking a shot of hard alcohol every time Joe Scarborough says the word "Reagan" reminscantly. The remaining student is said to have reported that 10 minutes into the show, two of the deceased were already vomiting from massive alcohol intake and the 3rd had already lost conscousness and defecated on his person. When contacted, Joe Scarborough declined to comment while loudly mumbling incoherently, a staple of his nightly show. More information to come.

Douche + Wealthy = Republican

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Posted by paulito pacifica to o at 11/11/2005 11:55:00 AM

[o] KFC to Produce Bird Flu Commercials, Give Employees Their Shots.

The Associated Press is reporting that restaurant chain and bigger proponent of obesity than Pot n' Waffles, KFC, will have commercials ready in case of a bird flu epidemic. The ads are to reassure patrons that, yes, it is safe to eat their chicken. What they neglect to mention is the reasons KFC chicken is not safe to eat. For example: Selling hormonally "enhanced" chicken, 460 Calories to a chicken breast, or the fact that every third bucket contains what they call "a little piece of the colonel".

Break off a piece.

But if there were widespread bird flu infections, are we to believe that it wouldn't spread to the employees of KFC? Wouldn't they be some of the most likely candidates to be without health insurance? The only logical conclusion that one could come to is that KFC has developed a vaccine and is sitting on it for employee only use.

So, that's it, you heard it from Bornbackwards first. The only way to survive the coming black death is to take up a job at KFC. (I hope you like minimum wage.)

The face of death?

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Posted by Austin to o at 11/10/2005 09:56:00 AM

[o] Florida Mall and US Dept of State

It's truly 2005 when you can walk into an Apple store and post on a blog without anyone asking if you need help. I can check my email and balance my check book, pay bills too! It's easy and fun. I can even listen to REM.
I think I'll see how long it takes for one of these weirdos in black tees to notice I'm here, taking up space, and raping their display models.

In other news, the State Department has issued a travel warning for Americans in Lebanon, urging those considering trips to the country to carefully evaluate the necessity of their travel. So basically, all those Americans planning trips to Lebanon for the good hash, fresh produce, and unregulated fireworks should postpone--or at least pay a poor local five bucks a day for taxi service and protection. Besides, there's a wealth of unclaimed weapons leftover from the civil war, you just have to know where to look, and really Hezbollah won't bother you if you just turn that American flag shirt inside-out when you're visiting the Israel-Lebanon border.

The State Department also advises that Palestinian groups operating in Lebanon are hostile to the Lebanese government as well as the US (really? but why?) and that Americans should not plan visit to their autonomous camps south of the nation's capital, Beirut. I must agree, visiting those camps really puts a damper on being able to enjoy the elite Lebanese night club scene and (almost) pristine beaches without feeling a twinge of guilt. This warning is great way to keep Americans at home where we belong. I think the State Department should issue more travel warnings to places like France, London, Spain, Egypt, Jordan, Japan, China, Germany, and Venezuela. We'd be a heck of a lot safer if we stayed right here in North America eating hamburgers where we belong. Actually, add Mexico to that list. For more information on the dangers of the world visit www.state.gov.

We're going on 20 minutes, at least. [Editor's note: Amira is Lebanese and enjoys long walks on the beach, potato skins, Winnie the Pooh, conch fritters, and international travel.]

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Posted by amira to o at 11/10/2005 05:12:00 AM

[o] Trucker caught hauling waffles and pot

Now we all know that Buffalo, NY is one of the fattest cities in America. And why wouldn't they be with such tender, juicy, delicious chicken wings that just melt off the bone, leave sauce all over your fingers, and make you drool worse than Terri Schiavo. Yes, if bird flu does hit the United States we can be sure that the city of Buffalo will be wiped out in a single lunch hour.

Aside from wings there are also two other scourges plagueing the big-bottom lard-asses of Buffalo: waffles and pot. See, the pot only fuels Buffalo's hunger for sloppy chicken wings and/or deliciously addictive waffles, creating a vicious circle that feeds off the most underprivelged in our society--potheads. So Buffaloians should rejoice at the capture of Canadian truck-driver Daniel Herbert, who was caught carried both illicite substances into the city. Sure enough, hidden amongst the boxes of frozen waffles was 320 pounds of hydroponic marijuana, about $1 million dollars worth.

The pot was discovered when inspectors used a gamma ray scanning device to examine the truck from outside. The gamma-rays also turned Herbert into a raging Hulk after he warned police that they wouldn't like him when he was angry. The Hulk then stormed off into the night to, quote, "SMASH!" No word yet on whether this was an insidious plot by the Canadian government to fatten up Americans and undermine our North American dominance. DEATH TO CANADIA!

Hulk hunger ... for pot'n'waffles!

[o] Follow-up to Fire Fire: more on White Phosphorous

Yesterday, Paulito reported that our soldiers in Iraq have used white phosphorous chemicals bombs against civilians in Fallujah, Iraq. Those seeking more information need look no further than this British video of the original Italian report. Be warned, the video is nearly 30-minutes long and contains graphic images of disfigured corpses whose skin has been dissolved or caramelised by the effects of the phosphorus shells. The use of incendiary weapons against civilian targets is banned most of the world except the United States, and the video presents evidence that white phosphorous was decisively used in combat, killing women and children, contrary to US Military lies.

[o] Beach Boys Battle: Mike Love sues Brian Wilson

You may remember that last year Brian Wilson, musical visionary and creator of all your favorite Beach Boys hits, finally shook off decades of fear and insanity to finish and release his long-lost Smile project, an album that was originally intended to compete with the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper in 1967. Those who don't remember, don't read BBW enough, so shame on you: check out its high spot on our year-end list of 2004. Now comes word that Wilson is being sued by his cousin and former bandmate Mike Love, who currently owns the rights to the Beach Boys name.

Brian Wilson is bat-shit insane...

Brian Wilson wrote every one of those hit Beach Boys songs you love or loath so much, with Love contributing his 5th-grade-reading-level lyrics about cars and surfing to many, but certainly not all, of those. This is the second time Love has sued Wilson, the last time being over songwriting credits. Now, Love is upset that Wilson "shamelessly misappropriated Mike Love's songs, likeness and the Beach Boys trademark, as well as the Smile album itself." That allegation is apparently based on a promotion in England's The Daily Mail, which gave away 2.6 million copies of a Beach Boys compilation CD. In response, Love is seeking damages for "millions of dollars in illicit profits" and another million to put toward international advertising.

...but Mike Love is a Grade-A creep.

Before joining the Beach Boys and becoming an international star thanks to the strength of Wilson's pitch-perfect pop compositions, Love was quite literally pumping gas for a living. He now makes a career out of touring the country with anonymous backing musicians as 'The Beach Boys' and singing 40 year Brian Wilson songs. You may recall that one of the strongest voices against the Smile project in 1967 was Love and many Beach Boys fans blame Mike Love personally for defeating the project--a defeat that led to Wilson's mental breakdown. Now that the project has finally been completed, and debuted in the Billboard Top 20 to critical acclaim no less, Love obviously wants a cut of the profits. Love has also previously sued former Beach Boy Al Jardine for touring under the name "The Beach Boys' Friends and Family." Meanwhile Wilson has raised over $210,000 for Katrina relief with a recent benefit single and fund-raising personal phone calls.

Further damning evidence: Mike Love is also a redhead and nothing good ever came out of those genetic freaks. For example, you may recall that he wrote 'Kokomo' a song that continues to ruthlessly assault the eardrums of new generations and sits as a permament scourge upon our musical landscape. Thanks a lot, carrot-top.

[o] DON'T PANIC

That's right, if you haven't heard, the center of our galaxy might be a massive black hole. And no, I'm not talking about that tasty drink that any of your local bartenders can whip up. I'm talking about the celestial objects that suck in everything around them, including light.

So, what does this mean, exactly?

Not a whole lot. And before you go crazy and riot because the end is near, and we'll all be sucked into a black hole with no slight possibility of a chance of escaping a death of instantaneous radiation poisoning and being simultaneously converted into anti-matter, don't. We're not even sure it's a black hole. I could just be a cluster of millions of stellar remnants that will one day become a black hole(20,000 years from now).

But in any event, no matter what, we can't do anything about it. So what's the use in reporting on it? I wanted to use a Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy reference.

My only reason for getting up in the morning.

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Posted by Austin @ 02:21:00 AM

[o] Does Yoko Ono have enough money yet?

From the people who brought you the John Lennon Peace Chuck, auctions of John Lennon's personal things, use of "Imagine" in TV commercials, and useless rehashings of his great solo works (selling for nearly $24, no less), comes (legal) digital downloads of your favorite Lennon tunes. Now normally I wouldn't be against this, but not only will you be able to buy John's albums, but ringtones will be available as well! Yeah! Now I can hear "Jealous Guy" every time the dumbass next to me forgets to turn off his cell phone in class!

What man would want you now?

This is what the money grubbing bitch had to say for herself.

"I am very happy that John's music is now available to a new generation of music fans," says Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono. "New technology is something he always embraced and this is something he would have loved. I always say that he would have been very excited by all the opportunities offered by the development of new means of communication."

Yeah, and I bet he'd love his name on some shoes made by eight year-old Malaysians for 9 cents an hour.

For more Yokoism, look here, and here.

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Posted by Austin @ 07:52:00 PM

[o] An example of danger

[music] the endless tapping of the bird outside my window
[mood] quixotic

Ugh, I'm so fed up with all this NEWS in the world. When will people just grow up and realize that I DON'T CARE ABOUT WHAT IS GOING ON IN FUCKING FRANCE!! I mean really, all these people are all, "Oh shit, did you see that craziness going on in France? They're like, burning cars because some Muslim kids were electrocuted on the rails while hiding from the police!" Blah blah blah, I have my own problems. I simply must have the new 60 gig video iPod!!! I have all these music videos from bands you probably haven't heard of and I can now watch them any time I want... if only I had the money. I spent all my money on these awesome new shoes and a couple of designer scarves for the coming cold season. Maybe a little more debt won't hurt... Anyway, now I've got my roommate blabbing all in my ear about some stupid protests that have been going on in the US and Argentina and ugh I just want to tell him to shut the fuck up but he's buying tickets for the Putrid Folly Fest show next week so I don't want to piss him off. Yeah, the World Can't Wait... for these people to stop blocking the roads and making my commute to work take for-fucking-ever. Los Angeles was like shutdown last week! I hate Bush as much as the next guy, but really people, do you think you'll really change anything? These people are too powerful, I'd rather just complain and keep my corporate job that gives me money to buy anti-establishment books that I will read and enjoy from the comfort of my own couch or local coffee shop, not in the streets. I am not homeless! I mean really! Ok, I gotta go to the mall.
* * *

Oh..oh, god. We can't let this happen to BBW! I just get these urges, you know, with this newfound ease of use, to tell you all about what's on my mind and how I feel. This is so dangerous. I vow to have more self control next time. I could just not post all of the above because I am recognizing the fact that it has no place on Bornbackwards, but I spent so much time on it...fuck it, let it ride.

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Posted by Conrad Wilson @ 11:06:00 PM

[o] Libby is a creep

Lewis "Scooter" Libby -- the Steve Erkel of the Bush administration's Family Matters and the one cabinet member being indicted in this week's episode "The Valarie Plame Leak" -- is one creepy guy. It's not just the fact that he worked as Cheney's Chief of Staff, although having a man named Scooter at such heights of power is rather mortifying on its own, he also wrote a really fucked up novel. Now out of print, The Apprentice : A Novel, was written by Scooter in 1996 when he was just a nobody in D.C. with a silly name. Signed copies of the book were recently selling for $2,400 on Amazon.com. Preposterous as it may seem, its probably worth it. Libby's novel, which took him twenty years to write, is a bizarre coming-of-age story involving an innkeeper's apprentice in Japan in 1903. It is full of weird sexual material, strong language, and includes voyeurism, bestiality, pedophilia, and, best of all, corpse robbery.

One passage goes, "“At length he walked around to the deer's head and, reaching into his pants, struggled for a moment and then pulled out his penis. He began to piss in the snow just in front of the deer'’s nostrils." ”Here'’s some more for the kids: "“He asked if they should fuck the deer." That's right: clean-living and family-values man Lewis "Scooter" Libby, a Republican -- the people who burn books in the name of God -- is thinking about sex with animals and little girls. Just reporting it how it is.

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Posted by Anthony S.H. @ 03:55:00 PM

[o] fire fire

It has been confirmed, the use of chemical weapons in Iraq... by the United States. Apparently the search for chemical, biological and "of mass destruction" weapons in Iraq has been so unsuccessful and, well, forgotten that our fine nation has decided to spruce up the news a bit by introducing a little action of their own. The weapon in question is the white phosphorous bomb, a chemical weapon commonly used as an incendiary weapon. Other known incendiary weapons are molotov cocktails, fuel-air explosives, flamethrowers and, a 1960s United States Military favorite, napalm. Despite civilian and ex-military claims to the contrary, the United States Military has denied using white phosphorous bombs as a weapon in combat, they do admit to them being "fired into the air to illuminate enemy positions at night."

A white phosphorous shell being "fired into the air... at night."

Without further prompting the United States Military would also like us to remember the interesting fact that even if said denial was false, the United States is one of the few countries in the world not to sign the 1980 Geneva Protocol on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Incendiary Weapons (Protocol III), which "prohibits the use of incendiary weapons against civilian populations or by air attack against military forces that are located within concentrations of civilians." Why the United States would mention the fact that they declined to sign a treaty that prohibits the use of certain weapons immediately after denying such usage seems like a pretty valid question. Of course, United States media fails to see the relevance.

Not so for Italian state-run channel Rai, which has broadcast a documentary that explores the use of white phosphorus by the United States Military in Iraq. In it, several eyewitnesses and ex-United States soldiers testify to hearing orders and seeing the usage of the weapon in built-up areas of Falluja. Ex-soldier Jeff Englehart describes the results as "burned bodies, burned women, burned children; white phosphorus kills indiscriminately... it's absolutely irreversible damage, burning flesh to the bone." Sorry guys, no cute quip on this one.

From the makers of Napalm, white phosphorus.

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Posted by paulito pacifico @ 12:23:00 PM

[o] Welcome to the new BBW

Thanks for bearing with us over the past few weeks. As you can see, we've redesigned the site to make it both more efficient and easier to use. Hopefully you agree and appreciate no longer having an egg-eye staring at you every time you want to read the news. Technically, our 4th anniversary was in August, but the layout was delayed for several reasons, first among them being the ineptitute and laziness of our staff. There may still be a few bugs here and there and we’ll be working on getting those ironed out. The reviews archive is down for the moment as it is transferred over to the new system but we’ll work on getting that back up shortly.

As for news, there will be no more Wednesday update. I repeat, there will be no more Wednesday update. From now on, our news will be continuous, or more accurately it will be whenever our writers feel like updating. The new system allows them to update the site whenever and wherever they like without waiting for the approval of your humble editor and without the large number of stories required for a weekly update. We hope you enjoy the new system and new layout. It should make checking BBW more exciting for yo and writing BBW more exciting for us. Log your approval or outright scathing hatred on our board, which is currently like a cemetery.