Post #14 - 5/13/09 28 Days Later

For a while now, a lot of people have been afraid of the so called "Swine Flu." Many doctors have already agreed that there is little to be worried about. There are those, of course, who see this as a global pandemic, (which "is an epidemic of infectious disease that spreads through populations across a large region; for instance a continent, or even worldwide") that will claim the lives of many. I, however, see it as a normal flu virus.

This whole "epidemic" reminds me of a movie called "28 Days Later," which has a story that "depicts the breakdown of society following the accidental release of a highly contagious virus and focuses upon the struggle of four survivors to cope with the ruination of the life they once knew." For some people, that sounds like the swine flu. In this movie, it isn't.

Here's a small piece of the plot: "Late one night, British animal rights activists break into the Cambridge Primate Research Facility to free chimpanzees being used for medical research. The local scientist warns the activists that the chimps are infected with something he only calls "Rage," but the activists disregard him and set a chimp free. It immediately attacks and infects the activists and scientist. 28 days later, a bicycle courier named Jim (Cillian Murphy) awakens from a coma in a deserted hospital. As he leaves the hospital, he discovers London is completely deserted and rife with signs of catastrophe. Jim is soon discovered and chased through the streets by infected people before being rescued by two survivors, Selena (Naomie Harris) and Mark (Noah Huntley), who rush him to their hideout in the London Underground. They reveal that while Jim was comatose, the virus spread uncontrollably among the populace, turning most people into vicious monsters ("the Infected") and resulting in societal collapse, possibly on a global scale."

Some people predicted that something like this could have happened if the swine flu was that serious, or if it mixed with the bird flu that happens to be a much deadlier version. Well, what do you think? Do you think the swine flu will ever become so deadly? Could a global pandemic like the one in this movie ever happen in the future? Feel free to share any thoughts below.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/28_Days_Later

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandemic

Post #13 - 5/5/09 "Desire"

If you've ever read A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams, then you know that this word is of great significance throughout the book. I'm not going to spoil anything, but the characters in this play show various forms of desire. In this play, the prevalent meaning is

"...a sense of longing for a person or object or hoping for an outcome. The same sense is expressed by emotions such as "craving" or "hankering". When a person desires something or someone, their sense of longing is excited by the enjoyment or the thought of the item or person, and they want to take actions to obtain their goal."

Also, the motivational aspect of desire has long been noted by philosophers; Hobbes (1588 – 1679) asserted that human desire is the fundamental motivation of all human action.

That goes the same way for the story in this play. The character Blanche DuBois shows constant signs of desire for love and men as a way to escape her troubles. So, in fact, it correlates to the motivational aspect of desire in philosophy as stated above. It is the fundamental motivation for almost all of Blanches actions. She either constantly needs men, or money.

If my views on this are undoubtedly incorrect, please kindly say so. Otherwise, what does desire mean to you? How far can it go emotionally and/or mentally?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desire_(emotion)