Above all things

Hello fellow survivors:

Today will be a day of links. Just a couple to hopefully keep you occupied while new survivors go back over my months of posts and seasoned survivors complain I only post once every couple of months. Well hush now, open these links and bask in stuff I didn't write.

For instance opensource. The concept is that the vast hivemind of the internet knows everything and the collective can make any decision, share any information and create any creation better than any select group of people could. To that end we have things like opensource.com who have supplied us with the open source to zombies (which reads more like an advertisement for opensource guides everywhere.) None the less it is a worthwhile lead and has links to download a couple of zombie related songs.

After that I am constantly telling people how important it is to eat right and know about good fitness and eating. The man who has taught me the most about healthy living is actually someone I've never met, Mike Geary, author of The Truth About Abs and he has a blog with all sorts of helpful and, in any emergency where you might have to use your body, life saving, information.

Finally, entertainment will always be an important part of survival. Keeping a healthy mind is just as important as a healthy body. To that end I encourage the use of storytelling in every way I possibly can. Many independent groups choose the method of creating short films to tell stories and while electricity will not last long after the fall, for now you can enjoy that style of storytelling.

But remember when you are reading, watching, scouting, snooping, listening and researching, above all things, it will be your own knowledge and skills that will keep you and your's safe in the coming ruin.

Stay vigilant, may the infection never reach you, and those close to you have the resolve to do what is needed should you be so unfortunate, Mike D.

Too long

Hello fellow survivors:

I'm back. Almost one year since I started the ZLC and I regret only that I haven't been able to keep up with the demand. I am currently without a computer of my own but will still post when and what I can in the hopes the world will continue to learn about this threat that we all must face together.

After the fall we will all have to learn to get by without computers, iPhones, GPS, the little technologies we've grown so comfortable with in North America. To this end I suggest to anyone to try going a week without just to see if you can. Find other ways to communicate and get things done. Trips to other countries can also show how these devices are not as essential as we believe them to be.

In my experience I've found technology to be more stressful than helpful and yet it always seems so important to use it over something else. Here are a few ways to relieve stress without using an app:
Blow bubbles
Meditate
Go bowling
Have some quite time
Read a book
Have a cup of hot tea
Take some time to make a good meal
Visit a library
Write a letter
Join an activity group
Window shop
Play with a pet
Go to the park
Have a nap
Plan your dream vacation
Sit under a shady tree
Watch a sunrise or sunset
Do some deep breathing exercises
Have a long bath or shower
Listen to the sounds around you
Prioritize your activities or goals
Play an instrument
Sing or whistle
Clean out a closet
Work on a puzzle
Do creative writing
Draw or paint
Take a walk
Pick flowers
Ride a bike
Weed your garden
Catch-up with family or a friend
Begin a new project or hobby
Use visual imagery
Lie down and cloud watch
Give of yourself
Reflect on your blessings
Enjoy the weather
Attend a concert or large social event
Listen to music
Play a board or card game
Tear up an old newspaper
Go roller-blading
Laugh at nothing
Go swimming
Reflect on your spirituality
Light some candles
Finish a task or goal
Reach out to someone

Obviously some of these will be harder to do or find after the fall but not impossible and knowing how to relax now will help the true survivor deal with stress later.

Stay vigilant, may the infection never reach you, and those close to you have the resolve to do what is needed should you be so unfortunate, Mike D.

Scouts motto

2% of people are natural killers. So say the SAS and I think they are somewhat of experts on the subject.
1% of people are estimated to survived the Zombie Apocalypse according to the ZRS.
Survival experts around the world say most people would not survive more then a week to a month without a modern support and supply system.
Health statistics show North Americans becoming ever more overweight and less healthy.

With all of these statistics staked against the average person, why wouldn't you take every precausion to be as prepared as possible? When the Fall -or any other catastrophy- occurs, the average person who is not prepared stands very little chance of making it out alive; let alone prospering. Don't be average, be prepared.

Stay vigilant, may the infection never reach you, and those close to you have the resolve to do what is needed should you be so unfortunate, Mike D.

Seriously

Seriously, I intend to provide more regular updates now that I have finished travelling. And while most of the information provided is vital to survival after the fall. Some posts, like today's, will simply be undead related.

For instance this video, just some good old fashion zombie fun.


And this video is a little more zombie learning directed. I do have one major issue with this video, do not set zombies on fire unless you can completely control the situation. A flaming zombie is more dangerous then a normal zombie and the amount of time it takes for the brain to boil might surprise you. Also note this is extremely simple in it's design and intend, it is not an extensive guide.



Follow me on Twitter for on the spot Zombie Tips and Awareness.

I have only recently got myself a smartphone and thus have begun to explore the world of apps. Naturally my first action was to download a few dozen zombie keyword apps. Here are my thoughts on a few of them.

Stupid Zombies is a puzzle game in which a character who looks an awfully lot like Ash with a boomstick, has a limited number of shots to kill all the zombies on the level.

It's fun, it's problem solving but it provides no actual zombie training. Unless you count the problem solving aspect, but even then the game, while hard to master, is easy to play and won't really push your problem solving skills too far. It's an entertaining way to spend a bit of time but not worth anything in the long run.

Zombie Village is another entertaining little game without too much training value. Kill zombies to gain coins and ammo, search houses to gain coins and ammo. Spend coins for better weapons after each level. The strategy of hiding is very important and should be a lesson well learned if it's not already understood. The benefit of surviving far out weights the benefit of whatever money or supplies the zombies might drop by you killing them. Never be afraid to hide from the undead.

Coins vs Zombies is a bit of whacky fun. Nothing too complex here, its a crazy game that actually requires a little bit of skill and timing to play. But the real joy of the game is just letting loose and everything happening at once. Any training or survival value here? Nope, unless you have the battery power to play just to ward off boredom.

Zombie Killer is a fairly standard side-scroller, melee/ranged attack game. What makes it a little different is interesting art used in the game but the art never really changes so it in itself isn't a selling point. Lessons like ammo saving and learning to take the path of least resistance are notable here but as with any side-scroller, better learned somewhere else, like in real life training. Definitely among my favorites in the genre, the genre just doesn't impress me a lot.

Stay vigilant, may the infection never reach you, and those close to you have the resolve to do what is needed should you be so unfortunate, Mike D.

Romania

Well survivors I have fallen quite behind in my duties but I have a lot of information gathered. I just need to find time to sort through it and then you will have a stream of zombie guidance unlike ever before.

At this moment I am waiting for a flight to Romania. Romania, home of Dracula, not a zombie but I believe a small tribute to him and a look at what a vampire is and some myths of undead might be in order.

It is easy to confuse old stories of vampires with old stories of zombies. After all the word zombie comes from Haitian voodoo and West African mythology. Just as the word Vampire comes from the Russian word Umpyr. In Romania the undead were known as Strigoi, and how much of the Strigoi are real zombies and how much are the basis for many of our modern vampire myths? Romania has had undead myths ever since it had people to tell the stories. They even have two specific dates for the observance of the undead, St. George's Day (April 23) and the Eve of St. Andrew's Day (November 29.) On these two days, especially Nov 29, it is advised not to go out at night or be near any crossroads. November 29th is reputedly a special day for the Strigoi at which they must all return to their living homes before travelling to crossroads at which they will do battle with other vampires.

The Romanian Strigoi are interesting creatures in that they are not all equal. Here are a view things from accounts of Strigoi:
When dorment (in coffin/during the day) blood pooled in the mouth or eyes.
Killed by a silver steak through the chest.
Killed by having heart burnt.
Killed by decapitation.
Dead looking, decaying purple toned flesh.
Bloated with the consumion of blood and flesh.
Feed on living family members.
Torment living family members.
Come to full strength 40 days after death.
Must be killed by family.
Put garlic in the mouth.
Place iron coins on the eyes and tongue.

The Gypsies also believe there are many forms of undead. The Romanian Strigoi could not harm the Gypsies according to their believes but they did fear the Mules. Demons who took the bodies of the living and returned to demand a wife. If the chosen woman was not given the mule would reek havoc on the village. The only ones able to kill mules are the Dhampir, mortal children of mule who had enhanced strength and speed because of their mixed blood and could see the mules true forms even when the mule was invisible to others. These mules sound a bit more like the vampires of legend. But where does that leave the Strigoi? This "other" form of undead that the Gypsies did not fear. Perhaps the average Romanian simply couldn't tell the difference between a Strigoi (zombie?) and a mule (vampire?) and over time and with retelling and extraction the myths blended together completely. This would explain why the Strigoi in the Romanian vampire tales don't always follow the same rules.

These myths still prevail in many areas which with all of our "modern" science and technology one has to wonder how much we are hidden from the truth here in North America. After all there are many accounts of many mystical and supernatural things all over the world and it is not hard for most people to believe in spirits, demons or the undead. Yet we in North America can't even decide for ourselves if we think there is a God or not. In 2004 the family of Toma Petre cut out his vampiric heart and made tea from it's ashes to heal his niece. Or in 1988 a 13 year old girl was found to be a vampire and killed by her family. These are only two examples of reported cases, that the media got a hold of and was aloud to make public. We know from zombie research how much the media is censored and in the case of other supernatural myths I have no doubt it is similar.

If it is so easy for the Strigoi and Mule to be confused as one monster and then converted into the generic "vampire" how hard would it have been for the official vampire plague of the 18th century to have actually been a zombie outbreak? An event the Catholic church publicly declared and supported but now will not let anyone view records of. Many modern scientists have theories about a strange form of rabies or a mental disease brought on my poor living conditions and food. But are those not possible causes of zombies as zombie researchers have proven? The biggest proof to zombies may actually be based in the confusion of undeniable vampire reports which science tries to explain away when the simplest answer is sitting right in front of us.

Stay vigilant, may the infection never reach you, and those close to you have the resolve to do what is needed should you be so unfortunate, Mike D.