Zoe Kazan/ 21st Century Sex Slaves

Jun. 3 Zoe Kazan: I was reading a 2012 Globe and Mail article "A blue blood only in her name" by Johanna Schneller.  Zoe Kazan is the granddaughter of Elia Kazan who wrote A Streetcar named Desire.   Zoe is now a filmmaker and wrote a movie called Ruby Sparks. "Not surprisingly, Ruby Sparks is about creating an identity- on multiple levels.  A novelist named Calvin (played by Paul Dano, who is Kazan's boyfriend in real life) begins writing about his ideal woman.  Then one morning she magically shows up in his kitchen.  At first, Ruby is the idealized girl of Calvin's dreams.  But when she proves to be both less and more than simply his fantasy, he tries to write her 'better' -that is control her- and things take a darker turn."  Zoe: "I used to date men who were older than me, and I often felt controlled by them.  They had an idea of me, and I tried to fulfill that.  Whatever their music choices were, or the way they lived, I was more fluid than they, so I was happy to fill in the holes they had, rather than asking them to come to me.  But I also realized that feeling loved can be a burden- like, who is the person that you're loving?  Is it me, or just some idea of me?" Here's the movie and it's got good reviews: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1839492/ Immortality: I have this article I clipped out from the Edmonton Journal years ago.  I don't know when like 2002 or 2003?  It's called "Immortality just a few decades away, futurist predicts" by David Stonehouse for the CanWest News Service.  It discussed how science halt aging or reverse it in humans. "Immortality is within our grasp" says Fantastic Voyage: Live Long Enough to Live Forever.  The uses of genomics, biotechnology and nanotechnology will help.  The book is co-authored by anti- aging specialist Dr. Terry Grossman.  We will be able to ward off diseases, organs can be grown, and nanotechnology in our bodies will find illnesses. Scientists manipulate genes in the lifespan of worms can extend their lives sixfold. Modify yourself: On Nov. 10, 2012, I read the Edmonton Journal article "How Science can build a better you" by David Ewing Duncan for New York Times New Service.  It asked the question: "How far would you go to modify yourself using the latest medical technology?" There have been hypothetical questions like: "If you could take a pill that improves your memory by 25%, would you take it?"  It mentions ADD drugs like Adderal.  It mentions how this pill could help people like pilots, surgeons, and police officers. Bio-ethicist Thomas H. Murray is the former president of bioethics group Hastings Centre.  He says: "It might actually be immoral for a surgeon not to take a drug that was safe and steadied his hand.  That would be like using a scalpel that wasn't sterile." It talked about how 4 yrs scientists have been manipulating genes in animals to make them smarter and stronger. "Ethical challenges for the coming Age of Enhancement include, besides basic safety questions, the issue of who would get the enhancements, how much they would cost, and who would gain an advantage over others using them.  In a society that is already seeing a widening gap between the very rich and rest of us, the question of a democracy of equals could face a critical test if the well-off also could afford a physical, genetic or bionic advantage.  It also may challenge what it means to be human. Still the enhancements are coming, and they will be hard to resist.  The real issue is what we do with them once they become irresistible." My opinion: I remember way back in 2006, I had to write a test to get into the Professional Writing program in college.  The test was Part A: "Write an article about this drug." Part B asked the question: "If you could take this drug to get good grades in the Professional Writing program, would you?"  I said yes.  I know one other student who said yes.  I mentioned my experience with taking Ritalin in school. Movies and TV: This has been done in the movie Limitless, and an episode of The Invisible Man (2000) TV series.  Here's the show: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0220238/?ref_=sr_6 It was on from 2000-2002 and had 2 seasons.  I didn't see it until 2004 and I thought it was good.  It was about a convict named Darien Fawkes (Vincent Ventresca) and he is working for the govt. to get a lighter sentence.  His handler is Robert Hobbes (Paul Ben Victor) and they don't always get along.  It was a sci-fi, action, comedy. Smart question: There was an episode where Hobbes was attacked and he got this chemical inside of him and he became very smart.  He later learns he could die from the chemical.  The question then became: "Would you live dumb or die smart?" I asked my sister that question and I knew her answer was going to be "die smart."  I think it really depends on the case.  Like if I was going to be a vegetable then you can pull the plug on me because I'm not really here anymore.  But in the Invisible Man episode, it was about: "Die exponentially smart or go back to being average intelligence?"  I would say average intelligence. I then see the pilot is here on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LrrB3rjnPU Jun. 10 21st Century Sex Slaves: I watched this yesterday on National Geographic.  It's a 2012 documentary.  It's set in Thailand about the human trafficking.  A lot of women choose to be prostitutes, but some don't.  There were a lot of blurred faces of prostitutes, pimps, and cops. Steve Galster works for the FREELAND Foundation and Matt Friedman is a UN worker.  Friedman saw an Indian 15 yr old girl beg for his help when he visited a brothel.  There is a group of international investigators named Operation Graceland. A woman named M who is forced to be a prostitute by this woman named Rano.  M and Rano meet at the police station, and they're yelling and swearing at each other.  I got angry when watching this, because I couldn't do anything about it.  M then gets her passport and some cash.  She escapes and goes home. M did give lots of info of the prostitute ring that is run by the Uzebekistan.  Rano is released because there wasn't enough evidence to hold her. They talked to Annie Dieselberg who is the founder of Night Light International.  She has helped prostitutes for 17 yrs by walking the streets at night and talking to them.  She offers them help if they need it. Dieselberg: They don't know what sex acts they have to do, they don't know they are locked up in the day. There is an Uzebek sex slave named "Anna."  An Undercover poses as a customer and takes her to the safe house (which is a hotel room.) Pattaya is like Sin City in Thailand.  The cops are able to find the hotel with a dozen prostitutes.  The police busted them and some girls work for themselves, some don't.  The women are scared to talk at police station.  After 10 hrs of interrogation, women N and D say they were trafficked.  They're put into a shelter.  They are scared of getting killed. Shallo is a human trafficker.  There is an East Indian man hunting N and D.  At the court room, N and D flip their story. Galster: It's extremely hard to arrest human traffickers. They show the SWAT team rehearsing a take down.  The Assault team arrests 2 traffickers, one named M7.  The team threatens jail time to get info on the network. Here's the full- length documentary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4zjso7h0z4