_ _ _ ____. _ _ ____. ____ FJ_ FJ L] F___ J F L L] F ___J F __ ] J _| J |__| L '-__| L J \| L J |___: J |--| L ______ | |-' | __ | |__ ( | |\ | | _____| | | | | |______| F |__-. F L__J J .-____] J F L\\ J F L____: F L__J J L______J \_____/J__L J__LJ\______/F J__L \\__LJ________LJ\______/F J_____F|__L J__| J______F |__L J__||________| J______F ___ ____ __ __ __ _ _ ____ ____. _ _ ,"___". F _ ] F \/ ] / J F L L] F___ ] F___ J _ ___ F L L] FJ---L] J |/ | L J |\__/| L LFJ J \| L'--7 / '-__| L J '__ ",J \| L J | LJ | | /| | | |'--'| | J L | |\ | / // |__ ( | |__|-J| |\ | | \___--. F /_J J F L J J J L F L\\ J J L.-____] J F L '-'F L\\ J J\_____/FJ\______/FJ__L J__LJ__LJ__L \\__LJ__LJ\______/FJ__L J__L \\__L J_____F J______F |__L J__||__||__L J__||__| J______F |__L |__L J__| -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- t h e n e o - c o m i n t e r n e l e c t r o n i c m a g z i n e I n s t a l l m e n t N u m b e r 1 6 8 We Are the New International September 2nd, 2001 Editor: BMC Writers: Ahmed Balfouni BMC d""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""b. ;P Featured in this installment .b $ $ $ Excerpts from "The Painted Phallus" - BMC $ $ prang - Ahmed Balfouni $ `q p' `nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn' EDITOR'S NOTE (please do not read the following) I just got back from a driving vacation, where I was temporarily entranced by various cities and the beauty they seemed to hold and the superiority they had over my corner of the world. The streets were cleaner, the people more friendly, the food better, the community stronger, the parks more beautiful, the attitudes more ethical, and the options more limitless. I deemed this to signify that I had transported myself to a better place where troubles were fewer and life was more satisfying. As I looked around the city from my vantage point, I tried to determine what made this place so much better than the one I had come from. I scanned my sphere of vision until I saw nothing more - and as my eyes turned to the centre of the sphere, I noticed that was where the biggest difference was - I had money, I had time, I had power, I was not poor. It made me think of the difference between capitalism and socialism - in a socialist society, production is based on need instead of excess - meaning fewer hours for the socialist workers. The socialist workers also get paid more because businesses are designed to sustain themselves and their workers - there is no business-owner skimming the majority of the profit off the top, so the workers get a bigger share of the fruit of their labour. It seems to make sense to work toward a society where money, time, and power are things that don't only come around for one week in the summer. Then I won't have to save my money all year just to spend a week pretending that my country is good to me. On another note, buy my new book! d""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""b. ;P EXCERPTS FROM "THE PAINTED PHALLUS" .b `q by BMC p' `nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn' Selected excerpts from a masterpiece "The Painted Phallus: A True Voyage through Psychomania" may be my magnum opus. It is a true masterpiece, it screams literary genius, and it has even received some good reviews. It has recently been printed by Metroprole Press and has been nominated for several awards. While time, space, and legal agreements forbid me from printing the book in its entirety, I am able to present you with the next best thing (or perhaps something better if you cannot afford the book or have a short attention span) - selected excerpts from my greatest work of art to date. They say that punctuation is the base for all written language, and in this piece I have mastered it wonderfully. Observe some of the following excerpts from my book (note - all of the following come directly from the book and are not paraphrased in any way). "." - pg 1 "," - pg 1 "!" - pg 5 ":" - pg 57 ";" - pg 13 "-" - pg 22 "( . . . )" - pg 7 "*" - xxi """ - pg 86 "'" - pg 87 As you can clearly see, I am quite proficient when it comes to the use of these symbols. All of my sentences are thoroughly punctuated, and every sentence begins with a capital except for those that I wish to make seem "artistic" (note - they actually are artistic, I don't know why I used scare quotes on that word). The rest of the book is really good too, but I don't want to give it all away. I don't think it would be a good idea for me to copy entire pages out because it would ruin the story in case you ever decide to read it. I don't even want to use whole paragraphs, because I can't see any that aren't too revealing. Even full sentences are pushing it. OK, let's compromise. BEHOLD - more wonderful quotes from "The Painted Phallus": "It looked at me; I looked. . . it." - pg 34 "T. . . blem that not ev. . . cohol could solve." - pg 55 "This t. . . ized, alcohol COULD solve my pro. . . xpected." -pg 97 "As it died in my hands, I realized for the. . . t time that I had b. . . life the wrong way. I believed in something. . . in. . . " - pg 122 "But she wa. . . " pg 138 "I would not - nay, I could not ever . . . again" - pg 158 "The End" - pg 176 Those are some of the most moving quotes. I tell you with all honesty: it brings me to tears to reread some of the most moving passages from those chapters of the great novel - and chapters of my very life as well. And as my rereading of the novel continues to teach me things I never thought it possible to know about, vast information filling up fields of knowledge that I never knew existed or could exist, I have but one regret: that I did not write this novel thirty years earlier. And with that, I urge you to read "The Painted Phallus" in its entirety, for once you have experienced it, you will not believe that you have bothered to live life so wastefully until that very point. Even my mom said it was good, and she practically hates me. d""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""b. ;P PRANG .b `q by Ahmed Balfouni p' `nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn' prang the old cock's clock-a-doodle-doo towery clanging reclining in a basket like the heads of men of fashion true and ladies in his mite's cold grasp of likeness here the mystery unfolds deveils scot-free .d&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&b. ___________________________________________________ |THE COMINTERN IS AVAILIABLE ON THE FOLLOWING BBS'S | |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| | TWILIGHT ZONE (905) 432-7667 | | BRING ON THE NIGHT (306) 373-4218 | | CLUB PARADISE (306) 978-2542 | | THE GATEWAY THROUGH TIME (306) 373-9778 | |___________________________________________________| | Website at: http://members.home.com/comintern | | Questions? Comments? Submissions? | | Email BMC at: thebmc@home.com | |___________________________________________________| .d&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&b. Copyright 2001 by The Neo-Comintern #168-09/02/01 All content is property of The Neo-Comintern. You may redistribute this document, although no fee can be charged and the content must not be altered or modified in any way. Unauthorized use of any part of this document is prohibited. All rights reserved. Made in Canada.