For those who haven't, I recommend reading "The Plague" by Albert Camus

[MineralMan]

A staple of existentialist literature, it's an interesting look at human reactions to deadly plague conditions. It's a good read for those who are panicked by the current outbreak of Ebola virus in West Africa. An excellent study of human nature. If you don't want to buy it, a PDF version is available at the link below, and can be read on your PC or tablet. I consider it a must-read novel.

http://evankozierachi.com/uploads/The_Plague_by_Albert_Camus.pdf

[thucythucy]

1. It's been a long time since I read it,

but I heartily agree with the recommendation.

My thought on "the plague" was that Camus was actually writing about the Holocaust and the German occupation of France, using "plague" as a metaphor. If I recall correctly, he wrote it during the occupation, while living in a part of France that served as a way station for Jews escaping to Switzerland or hiding in the hinterland. And of course, he was an essayist for the French Underground, helping to run its underground paper. He wrote a series of essays that quickly became famous, I think they were called "Letters to a German Friend." A very famous phrase comes out of them, which escapes me now. Could it be "the cult of efficiency"? I can't remember.

Makes me want to go back and read Camus again, if I only had the time.

Thanks for the OP.

[MineralMan]

3. Yes. "The Plague" was a metaphor for WWII.

It can also serve as a study in human reactions to any disaster that affects a community. It's been many years since I read it, too, but I'm going to reread it soon. I still have a paperback copy from my college days on the bookshelf.

[msanthrope]

2. Jeebus, MM.....I pulled it from my shelves 4 hours ago....

Great minds, right?

I also watched this again....

Duct tape and plastic sheeting!!!!

[MineralMan]

4. I haven't seen The Seventh Seal for quite a long time.

I think I'll see if I can find a streaming source I can watch with my Google TV dongle this weekend.

RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! EBOLA COMING!

I do advise, though, that people running for their lives drive carefully. Vehicle accidents kill tens of thousands each year. And stop smoking and eating too much at the same time.

[msanthrope]

5. Dude...I just gave you the whole movie on YouTube!

Did you think I would give you merely a clip?

People just watched too much Walking Dead.....and think this is coming to Bumfuck, America. It's not.

[MineralMan]

7. I know. I hate streaming movies from YouTube.

I'll check NetFlix.

[msanthrope]

9. Unavailable to stream on Netflix. Bastards!!! But in the Hulu Criterion Collection. Can

rent it on Amazon.

[MineralMan]

11. I can do Hulu.

I'll try to watch it this weekend. My wife doesn't much care for Bergman films, but I'll watch it when she's visiting her mom.

[Proud Public Servant]

6. I read it once every few years

Looking back from middle age, I now see that it's probably had a more profound effect on my beliefs and behavior than any other book. And I've always been intrigued by the suggestion that Camus, a film buff, was at least partly inspired by Casablanca when he wrote it.

[MineralMan]

8. I first read it in a literature class on the Existentialist movement.

That was an interesting semester. I read through a long list of novels similar to that. Took me a few months to get back to normal, it did.

[TBF]

10. As someone with a less than perfect immune system

I am definitely not thrilled with the thought of this virus making it's way across the ocean.

I guess the one positive we can look to is that these 2 flights are likely to be very secure and the CDC will learn much from treating these 2 patients regardless of whether either survive. When I am rational I can say that's probably a risk worth taking as it is for the greater good. Emotionally I still don't like it.

Thank you for the book rec though - it is better than sitting around and worrying.

[longship]

12. The virus has been here for years.

The CDC has been studying it since the first outbreak. They even sent an experimental vaccine to West Africa to test. One of the patients being flown to Atlanta received that vaccine. The other patient received a transfusion from an Ebola survivor.

There are many reasons to get those patients into a controlled situation, but especially one where arguably the best Ebola team on the planet can try to save their lives, and all others who contract the virus.