Apocalypse Now?

Was just turning the TV off last night when I caught this freaky little story on BBC 3's 60 Second bulletin:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12105157

Basically, a whole load of birds fell out of the skies above Arkansans, USA.  Now, if like me, you've seen FlashForward (ABC, 2009) and/or The Core (Amiel, 2003) you too will be freaking out about just how long humanity has left on this fragile rock.  See, I have watched a lot of disaster movies, and they scare me way  more than any horror ever has.  Of course, I'm not saying I've never been spooked by a good horror, I saw Candyman (Rose, 1992) far too young, and kept imagining Tony Todd rising up from under my bed *shudders*.  But I am able to rationalise that, for the most part, the content of horror films is very unlikely to come true.  Even those that are 'based on true events' have huge amounts of artistic licence.  Horror films play on the whole storytelling tradition, as that's just what they are; stories.  Who hasn't scared themselves shitless while sitting around a campfire (or miniature fondue set on your bedroom floor), telling horrific ghost stories?

Disaster films, on the other hand, Could Happen.  Anytime.  And this is what's flipping scary.  The Earth has been hit by asteroids before, so who's to say it won't happen again, soon??  Just because humans have taken over the lease, doesn't make us any safer.  It's not like the greenhouse gases are going to act as a barrier against anything hurtling towards us at 50,000 mph (give or take).  Now these birds are falling out the sky, á la The Core (where the Earth's core stopped spinning), and it makes yer think.  Well, it makes me think anyway, I also think it rather strange that there have been so many earthquakes, mine collapses, tsunamis and freaky weather etc.  I mean, coincidence?  Really?

Maybe I should just steer clear of the disaster genre altogether, focus on the minutia of life, like what to have for tea, whether I need a haircut, when my next essay's due in, the current shocking state of the TV schedule, etc.  Still, they do say that the world's gonna end on 21.12.12, so maybe this is the beginning... On that note, I'm off to play Sims 2, where the world never ends, unless I make it so, muahahaha.

BW xxx