Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Day of the Dead: How to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse

It's coming, and it's not an if, but when. The more people who survive the better, but how are you gonna make it? Plans are best executed if made in advance. If you have one, great. If not, these tips, tricks and know how are gonna help you come up with yours. 

FYI, these are also good for pretty much any type of apocalypse, or natural disaster. Use them as you will.
As most of you all should know by now, zombies are killed by destroying the brain, or its ability to comunicate with the body it's attached to.  However, what you don't know, is that your type of weapon can also influence the outcome. Guns are best (I'm not a gun advocate, or advocating gun violence, in fact I'm strongly against it, but in this situation, lets face it, we'll need them), but also are others. You want something that can inflict heavy damage, but can be used quickly. Something that won't leave you open to be grabbed. That is something people forget about. The mouth isn't the only way a zombie can hurt/inflict damage to you.  If they're able to incapacitate you, you're doomed.

You need to be prepared mentaly, emotionally and utility wise. You'll need first aid equipment, such as gauze, bandages, antiseptic, burn creme, slings, braces, splints, medication and cotton balls, flash lights (Solar powered, or crank powered if you can get them)and batteries. You'll also need fresh, uncontaminated water. Bottled or gallon sized jugs should be stocked at the ready. I cannot stress enough the need for a water filtration system. You can filter rain water or standing water if you run out of bottles. For food, I recommend MRE's. They're military grade meals in a packet that have super long shelf lives, and come with their own heater. These can last virtually forever, and can be aquired easily at either an Army/Navy supply store, or online. Also, canning can be a game changer. Things such as meats/sauces/veggies/fruits can last atleast a year or two because of the process, and they're still edible andsafe to consume if they begin to spoil. You can either buy them, or do it yourself depending on what you want/need. 

Placement of your camp can be a life saver. Farms and going underground can be your saving grace. Farms not only provide you with free protection in the form of fences, but also because of land to farm and animals to use for food. The only downfall is the risk of your protection being breached. Fences won't last forever, especially under force of zombie weight. Also the need to heat yourself and cook. Smells and smoke can be a dead giveaway of your position to not only zombies, but to looters and potential dangerous people. Underground affords you the comfort from all that the farm cant. You'll be virtually undetectable to zombies and looters, you'll get free heating from the ground itself, and you can cook without anyone knowing, and drawing any attention. However this comes with risks too. You'll be unnoticable to zombies and general bad people, but also from rescue. If you can't be seen, you can't be saved.  Also, you need an entrance and exit that cannot be easily found by others, but easily found by you should need to go top side to  gather food/firewood/Ammo. You don't wanna get lost and not know how to get back.

Lastly, and this I can't stress enough, is dillegence. You need to pay attention, you need to be aware, you need to learn all you can, and you NEED to take seriously news when you hear it when it happens. You need this to act quickly, as those with a plan, and act the fastest, can survive anything. Whether it's zombies, tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, snowstorms or whatever, nothing should be underestimated.

You can survive anything on knowledge and prepardedness alone.

Halloween: The Case for a National Holiday

It's that time of year again. Good ol' Samhain, or as it's more widely known, Halloween. My favorite of ALL the holidays. It's a celebrated tradition in my family, and has been since I was a kid, and even before I was born. Infact, it's celebrated with such furvor, it rivals Christmas in this family.  Mass amounts of candy, lights, pumpkins, decorations, costumes, movies (Most on old VHS tapes copied from TV when I was little), spooky sounds tapes, and even my own itunes playlist of fitting halloween metal songs. It's good to be "Among The Living" every once in a while! (CwatIdidthur?)

And that's just it. National statistics show that Halloween, 2nd only to Christmas, is not only the most profitable of all the holidays to businesses and establishments, but also the 2nd most celebrated and recognised holiday in the US. Well, even around the world for that matter. In a time where we have such silly holidays (Columbus Day, Valentines Day, Flag Day, Labor Day, Presidents Day, ect...), and kids being over-worked at school despite the nation saying they're behind where they should be (I blame that squarely on teachers. You can't teach a kid who doesn't wanna learn, and you can't teach a kid about something you don't wanna put time into and make interesting to them). Lets give them some time off when it'd be most advantageous to them, and make Halloween a National Holiday, and get rid of the other useless, outdated "breaks" they get. Give them the whole week off, and axe "Mid WInter Recess". Do they really need that between Christmas Break and Spring Break? It's only 3 months between them.


Also, think of it from a money stand point. Less kids in school that week, less need to pay teachers, and less money being used to pay heating bills when they're not there. More kids free to Trick Or Treat, means more people buying candy to hand out and more parents buying costumes. Also, bars and other establishments will more of an influx of older couples and younger couples without kids. Also, more people free that week, means decoration sales will shoot up aswell, as a main reason people cite for not decorating, is not enough free time to do so.


Halloween has even more of a following than other "main" holidays such as Thanksgiving, Haunaka (Sp?), St. Patrick's Day, Independance Day and Memorial Day. This is because Halloween has taken on a different meaning with people from its roots in Samhain. It's no longer about the God of the Dead, and animal sacrifices and any sort of religious overtone. The only people who whine and cry about it are those few "Christians" who fly in the face of their own religion, and seek to judge others and condem them for outdated and contradictory beliefs (Much like the ones they cling to). Which is why even athiests celebrate the holiday. Halloween is the only holiday that adapts to is surroundings, without seeming old, tired or hokey. It's become inclusionary and inviting to others, and can change to fit the times. No other holiday can do that. Most are very standard and paint-by-numbers every year. 


Making Halloween a National Holiday, by numbers and statistics alone, makes almost too much sense. That puts money in our country's pockets, and in our local and even big businesses. It cuts costs for schools, and allows for more school time later in the school year by reducing breaks by lumping them together for Halloween week. 


Most importantly, it will make our kid's live that much better by getting to experience, and learn life lessons like politeness, kindness, inclusiveness, manners and tradition, through fun. That's all Halloween ever was, and all it ever will be. Fun. 


Please be safe this Halloween, and have a great, FUN time, without judging others.