Sex trafficking is an extreme problem in the world. Organized crime has followed globalization and is something like 20% of the global economic output. Misha Glenny has written a book on this titled McMafia. Here's a short interview with him from Charlie Rose. In this interview he doesn't mention sex trafficking but in other interviews I've heard him talk about it. http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/9126 Regarding the viagrafication of sex, viagra wouldn't be necessary if humans weren't obsessed with sex. Obsessions are just distractions from something else that's bothering you. Viagra is a cardiovascular drug with a side effect of erection. What it treats can be treated with weight loss and exercise. One of the symptoms of coronary artery disease is not being able to get an erection because of the poor blood flow. Philosophy appeals to a part of the brain that humans mostly don't use. Humans go with their animal nature, sex, power, money (basically they're all the same thing). I'm sure even philosophers buy into the world's obsession with sex. They're only human. Andy --- On Sat, 7/18/09, Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx <Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx> wrote: From: Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx <Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx> Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: The Tango To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Date: Saturday, July 18, 2009, 5:39 PM In a message dated 7/17/2009 10:37:01 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, mimi.erva@xxxxxxxxx writes: There's nothing less romantic than ballroom dancing. I personally don't see (or hear) a tango in this, but then I never see the actual steps in professionally done ballroom dance. It's beautiful to watch though, exactly for its precision. ---- Well, J. L. Borges was _fascinated_ with the history of tango. It started as an 'all-male' dance in the _brothels_ -- very common in Buenos Aires, 'common' not in a snobbish way, but meaning, unrare. Cfr. that book that should interest you bunches, "The Road to Buenos Ayres" about white-slave trade. Girls -- esp. in France -- were reported missing and then suddenly finding theirselves on the River Plate. Very odd. The pimps were French, mostly. ---- So, with the French prostitutes (for they _had_ to be French!) the brothels proliferated. Also, by 1900, 3 out of 4 people (I counted them) were _males_, and 3 out of 4 _males_ were furriners ('dagos' mainly, as the Anglo-Argentines, who had arrived earlier, would call them). So you can imagine the brothels. Now for _one_ prostitute to cater for, say, 15 'dagos' a day, they had to _line_. And what to do in the interim. As Yost notes, it's an Italian thing, -- 'belcanto' almost, the bandoneon. They started to play a tune -- and embraced. Later, the prostitutes joined. But they soon realised that this 'operants' (they worked in the harbours mainly where the Red-District still operates) _smelled_. When Walton and Edith Sitwell composed their Facade (which was all the rage among Noel Coward in the 1920s), they included a little 'tango' piece -- there is an orchestral arrangement as well, only. Now, in the recent (well, 4 decades ago) revival in Sadlers Wells (I know of this because of the Collier _Tango_ book I was talking about -- with lavish photos) the choreographer made the excellent suggestion to re-enact the original tango-choreography. So you'll see that the ESSENTIAL posture -- made popular by Valentino in "Four Riders" as well -- where he plays an Argentine -- is STRAIGHT ARMS both partners -- and NO EYE-CONTACT ---- Victoria Ocampo (our Mecenas in more than one way) would recall how she installed Tango in "La Belle Societe" when after touring London ("Hippodrome") with Ricardo Guiraldes, and the cafes of the Trocadero -- with the Argentine lounge lizards catering for the weary divorces -- or Monte Carlo -- broke and all -- decided to add the spice in Buenos Aires. The districts of Buenos Aires (very much alla early dance-band history in England -- or London -- where each orchestra was associated with a hotel) followed suit. I live blocks away from The Palais de Glace. This was of course, Putnam's idea of translating his 'twater' -- for 'glace' is 'ice' in French. It is a _most_ beautiful building and became the Mecca of the _good_ stylish tango that my family would promote. Other types of tango were a no-no-no-no-no. They had their own resident orchestra. Any other orchestra was a no-no-no-no. Gardel started as a crooner for these tangos. His hit was called "The Moorish". Unfortunately, while walking away from the palais de dance, someone shot him to death. "You'll never sing The Moorish no more" -- he said. Obviously implicating, "I'm killing you". As it happens, he survived -- but a few years later (after he entertained the Prince of Wales in an estancia in Buenos Aires -- and the Prince, never wanting to be _less_ -- wanted the 'bombachas' -- what embarrassed Gardel was that the Prince would add his 'ukelele' to the orchestration, killing the whole point of the sadness of the bandoneon) he died, Gardel did. Oddly, when they did the autopsy on him, they found a bullet (in his stomach). And they said, "Murder!" -- but it was soon proved that the bullet was _rotten_ and dated from the days of the Palais de Glace. The bullet did not kill him but fell in love with him! Cheers, J. L. Speranza Buenos Aires, Argentina **************A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just 2 easy steps! 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