2003.09.01_15h45m09 est link

~ as our fans may have been able to discern, the date of august 31, 2003, marks the ‘new’ literary release from the angry red planet. now available for purchase is ‘spain, recovered’; please see the zines section for ordering details.

~ a note on the text

The manuscript upon which this text is based was originally composed during a travel through Spain in the winter of 1996. That manuscript, with few modifications, was published as ‘spain’ in March of 1997. At this time it was unknown, but it was to be the first release by the publishing mark ‘the angry red planet’.

While preparing to reprint ‘spain’ for our clamouring audience, an editorial decision was made concerning the alteration of both the content and layout of the text. The original layout of the pages were found to be confusing; for example, the existence of conditions such as passages that should be distinct being forced together. Also, due to a lack of scrutiny, numerous typographic errata were permitted into the final print; a more rigourous editing process was to be undertaken to remove them. In addition, several factual errors, attributed to desultory organization of the source material, were uncovered; the application of research would serve to clear any misrepresentations of the people and places of Spain. Finally, because of the primitive state of technology in 1997, the images throughout ‘spain’ were of a poor quality; the original documents were taken from the angry red planet archives and digitized for a superior image resolution.

However, that which began as a handful of minor cosmetic and grammatical changes grew into a scopious retooling of the entire work. Whereas the original manuscript was written in situ, it contains many stream of consciousness episodes for which the reader, who does not see the whole picture or environment, will be able to muster limited appreciation at best. While the sequence of events has not been altered, an attempt has been made to add colour to this picture – an expanse of this environment. With entire pages freshly crafted, using both the original manuscript and the publication ‘spain’, it was clear that the finished product was something other than a edited reprint of a previous edition.

Instead, the result is a altered account of the same set of occurrences; the events are repeated, but the method in which they are relayed is new. The first publication remains a slightly separate work; it still stands a document on its own, albeit with an outcome divergent from the intentions of this one. Memories that we felt were lost in the original publication are now found in the new one. Herewith, ‘spain’ is not reprinted or re-released; it is, in fact, recovered.

~ happy labor day.
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~ open letter to george w bush:

while you were hanging out at camp david this weekend, at least – and at only the latest count – sixteen (16) of our marines and soldiers were killed and five (5) more captured. we are really sure that the parents and loved ones of these men and women are quite touched to hear a man in a suit and tie who sent those young folks to meet their doom
had time to stop in his walk from his helicopter to his mansion to promise that he and his wife prayed for the marines’ lives just earlier that morning. if praying is somehow going to keep these people safe, we recommend that, next time, you do the praying before they are shot or maimed.

regardless of whether there is any sincerity at all behind your crocodile tears, though we can not recall you having even shed those, don’t you have anyone at all at your office who can tell you that at least you can give the impression of being concerned about the situation? assuredly, neither you nor your cronies give a tinker’s cuss for the lives of anyone, american, iraqi, or otherwise, but for the sake of business – ie, keeping the public interested in the war until it turns a profit – could you not imagine that it would be necessary to go through the motions by at least sitting at your desk for a few hours?

we are sure that other, greater presidents, have left the office for the weekend; for example franklin d roosevelt, headed to warm springs, georgia, or to the hudson valley more than once during the years that the united states was embroiled in warfare with the first, true axis. however, fdr seemed to have the decency to at least postpone his trips until after the first weekend of the war that he declared (actually, congress declared that war, but that is another constitutional matter that you would find confusing). we are pretty sure that you had your handlers – advisors? – with you the entire time, and we have seen pictures that verify – to the extent that a photograph can verify – that there is a phone at camp david, so we know that it is a possible for one to have a working weekend while there.

nevertheless, do you think that there is anything more that you could have done to demonstrate that you do not take this shit seriously at all? we rednecks at the angry red planet are unwavering in our opposition to this unjust war, and we seem to be more worried about the safety of the american men and women than does your administration. the angry red planet does not give a damn who supports the war, but to stand in front of the nation after a weekend of cocaine and blow jobs at camp david and expect us to swallow the shit that you drop concerning your sympathy for the troops and their families is more than we can stomach, you smug, disrespectful simpleton. you have no more idea about the meaning of ‘pro patria’ than did young hoheimer; we all anxiously await the day that you cross your own, personal missionary ridge.

sincerely,

the angry red planet

ps. to all the hollywood folks who are not walking on your usual red carpet tonight: that’s very touching.

~ happy black history month! on an unrelated not, before february ends, why not take a look at at the top 10 (plus 1 alternate) greatest spider-man covers of all time?

the Amazing Spider-Man 006

~ we have been trying for ten (10) days to wish you a happy black history month (despite our distrust of institutionalized factionalism) and to inform you that updates to this log will cease immediately and indefinitely for reasons both personal and professional. in the past three years, we have made this claim a few times, and, as evidenced by the fact that you are reading this, we have never gone through with it.
on the other hand, we have repeatedly returned after a week of silence to mumble that we will be updating more often, only to disappear for a few more weeks. so, for once, in the name of consistency, we are declaring a policy of silence and we are intending to enforce it upon ourselves. we feel that this policy will be in effect for as long, at least, as our new york offices remain open, but the change could be permanent. check back in a couple days, just in case.

~ before we go, we hope to see many of you, new yorkers and oakies alike, at the march or demonstration or whatever ends up happening in manhattan this saturday. details: http://www.unitedforpeace.org [w]

~ those with neil morris mp3s should now contact us with your soulseek [w] user name so that we may duplicate your files on our local machines.

~ research has revealed that cordless phone conversations in the density of harlem are effortlessly received by neighbors with cordless headphones.

~ we are grateful and excited about that 4% increase in income for next year that our president has promised to us; we are looking forward to a dinner of 4% more canned beans.

~ while the angry red planet eschews all forms of idolatry, we wish the best for the celebrations for fellow georgian martin luther king, jr.

~ we hate you:

“that is so new york”
“you go, ….!”
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~ while our thoughts are on from the ground, please find on their projects page [w]
a new portfolio of postcards from paris, so that you may see who was spending their time in france working while the rest of us were fattening ourselves on bjorg and maoz.

~ front page image adjustment courtesy of from the ground [w]:

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~ we have not determined which is more disturbing: the mysterious arrival of an unsolicited copy of henry miller’s ‘quiet days in clichy’ in our mail room or the simultaneous arrival of an equally unexpected copy of george foreman’s ‘george foreman’s knock-out-the-fat’ cookbook.

~ our readers who nobly serve in the fdny should consider removing the tattered, smog-stained flags that you have been dragging behind your trucks for the past 16 months – unless, of course, it is your intention to desecrate your national banner.

~ the latest issue of ‘tangled web’, ’twas the fight before christmas’, is a hollow, disgraceful attempt to repeat the formula that brought acclaim to last year’s ‘open all night’. regardless, some in our office have indicated that they would like to make the acquaintance
of the young lady who works as santa’s elf – hopefully before johnny storm puts any more moves on her.