The Atlanta Zombie Apocalypse is an immersive Halloween attraction like nothing seen or experienced before. This isn’t a leisurely stroll through a haunted house. This will feel like you are in a Hollywood movie, running in and out of buildings, up and down stairs and covering a lot of ground as you flee from the undead who all want to eat your brains.

According to the official website:

A group is lead through the apocalypse by Sergeant John McKinsey. Known as Mack and with the swagger of Clint Eastwood he is a post military zombie fighter dedicated to try to help the human race survive the zombie invasion.  Mack will lead our group through this wasteland of destruction and gore keeping the zombies at bay with his Uzi 9mm (shooting blank rounds) and the help from friends they find along the way.  Will they make it through the chaos and constant zombie attacks from all sides?  If they move quickly and stick close to Mack they stand a chance, but most likely not everyone will get out alive. With plenty of gunfire, explosions, car crashes, gore, and of course many zombie attacks inside and out, this is what the end of the world would look like.

For those in the Atlanta or surrounding areas, this looks like an event you do not want to miss.  Get more information here: http://www.atlantazombieapocalypse.com

For those of you who like to be prepared for anything, you can now do so in style. Paracord bracelets have become somewhat of a fashion item due to the military and survivalist movements. More than a mere fashion accessory, the bracelets can contain up to 20 or more feet of paracord. Belts, watch bands, hat bands, and rifle slings can also be made from paracord as well.

Paracord can have almost as many uses as a person can think of, but in a survival situation it can be an invaluable tool. Used as a lashing for a raft, a swiss seat for rappelling, a tournaquet to stem the flow of blood from a wound, to hang a bear bag while camping, to catch wild game, to make improvised weapons, and the list goes on and on.

There are many ways to weave paracord to maximize the amount of paracord in the bracelets, and many patterns to weave it in. The one at the top of the article is called the Slatt’ Rescue Belt, the next one is the King Cobra Stitch or Soloman’s Bar, and below is the Dragon’s tongue.

As well as the normal military colors of black, OD green, and coyote tan, you can use red, blue, yellow, and many others are available at www.vtarmynavy.com
There are tutorials to learn how to do all of these bracelets, and more on youtube. The best by far are by JD from Tying It All Together. The music he uses is kind of new age, but he is great at knotting tutorials. You can find his channel here: http://www.youtube.com/user/TyingItAllTogether I had to rewind the videos a few times to learn some of the knots/weaves, but as complicated as they look, they’re actually pretty easy. Another resource for really cool knot ideas and other things is stormdrane.blogspot.com. Stormdrane does some really interesting stuff.

We can talk about scenarios, weapons, vehicles, and plan like there is no tomorrow.  But to be honest, there are times during the day when we get sidetracked.  We lose sight.  Planning takes a back seat to our regular routine.  Thankfully there is an answer. We were very fortunate to get our hands on the Zombie Survival Guide 2011 Day-to-Day Calendar from the kind, and survival-minded, folks over at Andrews McMeel .  What better way to keep zombie awareness fresh in your mind than a daily reminder?

According to the publisher:

There’s no time to lose. It could happen at any moment. It may have already begun. Everyone must prepare for the zombie apocalypse. “Other monsters may threaten individual humans, but the living dead threaten the entire human race. Zombies are slate wipers,” warns author Max Brooks. Based on the best-selling book of the same name, the daily Zombie Survival Guide 2011 Day-to-Day Calendar  provides on every page valuable information needed to survive a zombie outbreak: the most effective weapons, combat techniques, how to adapt in any situation, and so much more. Be vigilant. Zombies are coming, and they’re hungry.

One other helpful feature, that many desk calendars do not include, is a mini-journal. The journal gives you an area to document date, time, location, distance away, and other specific information from the outbreak.  But in case the outbreak has not yet taken place, this is a perfect location for maintaining notes, numbers, addresses, formulas, and other important information you could use when the outbreak is upon us.

The great thing about this is that in a pinch, you can grab your notes, throw them in your MZPK , and hit the road!

Do not hesitate friends, get yours today! Be sure to check out some of their other zombie related merchandise.  We have some 2 more reviews that will be on the way shortly!

Stay safe.  Stay informed.  Stay alive!

For those that might not be aware (those like me) Discovery is airing season two of a very interesting and pertinent series titled “The Colony”.  According to Discovery, the premise behind this series is as follows:

“THE COLONY is an experiment that simulates a post-apocalyptic world in which volunteers are tasked with surviving and rebuilding everything from scratch, using only raw ingenuity and supplies they scavenge from their environment. Here’s your destination to learn more about these bold experiments into a dark future that holds the promise of hopeful regeneration.”

Their season premier caught my eye immediately.

But the show is not about zombies, right?

Correct.  It is not about zombies.  However, when the undead walk and pillage the earth, would that not be a global catastrophe?  Surely many, if not most, of the issues the colonists in this television series face could apply to a post-outbreak world.  The basic concepts of survival and pushing beyond such a horrific event would still apply.  How do you know that your way of finding out about the attack would not come from some type of instant quarantine where you have very little control over how you react?

Despite what many believe, when zombies attack, it will not be as simple as grabbing your fully automatic shotgun with unlimited ammunition and hopping into the tank that is parked in your backyard. You will most likely not find yourself in a totally secure area with loads of basic supplies.  Chances are you are not an excellent marksman with years of training as a survivalist.

Chances are, you are a regular Joe.  If that is the case, how would you survive.  And not just that, how you would move forward?

So while this series is fictional and not surrounding a zombie-centered plot, The Colony is great research for gathering and collecting survival tips for when we are finally face to face with the zeds.

If anything else, this site is about being aware and ready for the undead.  Much like the military, law enforcement, etc., you learn to train like you fight, and fight like you train.  Meaning, if you can practice shooting at zeds, why not practice with some realistic targets?

The kind folks at at Fork Targets have made preparing for the undead apocalypse that much easier with an entire set of zombie related shooting targets.  Why shoot anything but a zombie when trying to prepare?  You need to be ready.  You need to train your body and your mind to recognize these threats and be ready to take them out!

You can check out their available packages here: http://forktargets.com/Fork_Targets/ZombieShootingTargets.html

Looks like some folks in California are prepared.  Via TopCultured.

Since I have begun working for ZombiesAreComing.com I have had the opportunity to meet and speak with a large number of people in regards to zombies and survival thereof., online and offline. While there is a large number of people out there who have made serious preparation for surviving a zombie out break or other situations where society falls. There is also those who I have come to term, the “Armchair Survivors” who do not train, who never go to the range or the sparring room, those who think that videogames and movies will teach them everything they need to know.

It is a sad day when I meet someone who thinks that they know more than I do about something that I have been doing for more than half my life, be that martial arts or shooting. While I am more than open minded and willing to listen I truly can’t stand it when someone brings up a movie or video as “proof” that they are right. Example.

Ignorant scumbag: “Dude, like the D-eagle is the most powerful handgun ever, and you can snipe someone sooo easy with it!”

Me: “One, the IMI Desert Eagle is not the most powerful handgun ever. And two, this really being the most important thing, you aren’t going to ‘snipe’ someone with a handgun, especially not one weighing in at three pounds, and you sure as hell are not going to dump the magazine and hit anything that is more than ten feet away with any degree of reliability.

Ignorant scumbag: “You don’t know (Insert your choice of expletive)”

Me: “Where you getting your data points?”

Ignorant Scumbag: “I play (Insert popular video game shooter, I.E. “Modern Warfare,”  “Counterstrike” ect.) Where you getting your info?”

Me: “Military vets with twenty years of experience and personal testing.”

In the end I usually end up leaving with sore knuckles and they are carried away, but I digress.

For those of you who think I am completely mistaken please by all means pick a place, I’ll stand 400 meters away, I’ll even handicap myself and use my 5.56 and you can have your beloved .50AE Desert Eagle. We’ll see who draws first blood.

For those of you out there who think that you know something about survival but have never sweated in real training let me educate you on how things work here in the real world.

1. With some training you can actually run father than twenty feet at a dead sprint. Try it.

2. Running with a knife does not mean you run faster, it only means that you give me less stress when I have to shoot you.

3. While we are on the subject, knife fighting is high stress, high intensity. Slashing at me is not an insta-kill. A bullet in your brain pan is! :)

4. Sniper rifles are for long range, fifty feet is not long range.

5. Just because the gun is different does not mean that it does different damage.

6. There is a point to camouflage, other than trying to look cool. Red tiger strip is a target.

7. Gravity is a bitch! It pulls your bullet down. Where you aim is not necessarily where the bullet will go, especially at a thousand meters.

8. Throwing knives are useless! Lose the pig sticker and bring more bullets!

9. Do you really think you can shoulder a 28 pound M240B and hit anything while moving?

10. There is no radar in your HUD in real life. You will not know where I am at, only that your buddy is dead and you are alone.

11. Ever hear of back blast? No? Come here and stand behind this RPG while I fire it, I’ll show you.

12. You have to aim to hit a target that is more than ten meters away. That is what sights are for, use them.

13. You cannot mod in real life.

And last but not least

14. There is no restart.

Welcome to a world where cancer and the common cold have been cured. Welcome to a world where George Romero is a nation hero, and not just known for B-grade horror films. Welcome to a world where zombies walk the land and everyone carries the infection waiting dormant in their veins. Welcome to the world of George and Shaun Mason.

From the first moment where Shaun is poking a zombie with a stick to the last fight during a massive outbreak Feed, by Mira Grant, is unique among most zombie stories. Why, because Feed does not take place during the rise of the undead, but rather twenty years after the first infection. Feed follows the story of a group of Bloggers, now a licensed profession, as they follow the presidential candidate on the campaign trial. Feed’s story takes off from there, while it may not be a true zombie story, one of a small group trying to survive, It does show, perhaps very accurately, that people will find a way to live, a way to go on, to prosper, and a way to kill each other. Feed also it of note, because it brings the reader close to the character and there are moments where the emotions of the characters are transmitted directly to the reader, both the moments of elation and humor, as well as the darker emotions, such as sadness. This alone puts Feed above many of it’s forbearers but it also takes the reader into the mindset of someone who is living in a world where the next zombie outbreak could quite literally a heartbeat away. Feed also looks at the ramification of zombie on the world stage, how not just people react but how countries and governments might react to the rise of the undead. Laws that demand blood tests to make sure that a man who is on his way to becoming a zombie does not eat his neighbor to Big Brother wanting to know where you are driving so that he might map the next outbreak.  Feed is a literary gem, not just for the reader of zombie horror, but for anyone looking for a good story to sit down to.

Okay, now that the fluff is out of the way, My honest opinion.

Feed is one of the few book, as of late, which I have picked up and gotten truly excited about once I started reading it. Not only is it a story that is immersive and captivating, but it is written by an author that is not afraid to take risks to tell the story. I found myself thinking about the story during the day and once I got into the true meat of the story I was not able to put it, finishing the last three hundred pages, half the book, in one night. The story is also well thought out and some of the combat techniques that are deployed are even sound, this coming from someone who has put as much thought in how to combat the undead as anyone and even I had not thought some of the techniques.

While Feed may provoke the ire of some for not being true to other zombie stories it is unique and deserves a look by anyone who claims to know anything about zombies or believes that they might survive the zombie apocalypse, because if you do this might be the world in which you will be living.

On ZAC’s book rating scale I give it two out of two stumps up!

After an apocalyptic breakdown, many social services will no longer be functioning. Police and other peace keeping forces will be gone, there will be no one to maintain water treatment or electrical systems, and it will fall to you, the survivor, to provide these things for yourself. You will have to re-invent ways to provide. Learn to think like MacGyver, and you might just be able to ride out the Apocalypse in style and comfort.

Before you need anything else, you’ll need water. Water is the most basic need for survival. Without it, you won’t last more than 3 days. Learning how to filter and treat water on a large scale will be necessary for you, and any other survivors. Think about drinking unpurified water. You’ll have the squirts or worse, and that could incapacitate you, leaving you as easy pickings for any zombie, or marauding survivors that came along.

Water filtration and purification is one of the easiest things to take care of, all you’ll need are a few easy to find materials and items.

Materials and Items needed:
30 gallon trash can
Window screening
Cheese cloth or Muslin cloth (Really almost any cloth will work, it will just slow the filtering time if its thicker)
Ceramic dishes
About 50lbs of sand
2 or 3 large bags of charcoal.
A large vessel to put purified water into.

Construction:

Take your 30 gallon trash can (preferably clean) and flip it bottom side up. Next, at the very center, begin to make small holes in the bottom. If you dont have a drill (assuming the power is still on for the moment) a small punch, or a medium diameter phillips head screwdriver will work. Just use a hammer to assist in the hole punching. Make the holes in an orderly fashion, and not too close together. You don’t want to compromise the structural integrity of the bottom of the can, its going to have to hold some weight.

Then, after turning over the can, place your window screening in the bottom, followed by your Cheese cloth. Now you get to do a little bit of destruction. Break up the ceramic dishes into shards about the size of a half dollar coin, and place them flat on top of your Cheese cloth. Now add another layer of window screening and Cheese cloth. Break out the charcoal, and using a blunt instrument, smash it up until its nearly powder. The best way to do this is to wrap it up in a shirt, bedsheet, towel, ect. and wail on it. Check the consistancy of the charcoal constantly, it should be in chunks no larger than a nickel in diameter. After you have a large amount of charcoal broken up, place it in the can, making a layer about 4 inches deep. Now you’ll want to pour a layer of sand about 4 inches deep as well. Repeat the charcoal/sand layering 2 more times and you’re done. You’ll have room at the top to pour in about 10 gallons of water at a time and it will filter pretty quickly, just pour in the water slowly to avoid disturbing the layers. Seems like a lot of work eh? Well, it will filter heavy metals, and other chemicals out of the water that could quite possibly kill you. You’ll still have to boil the water to kill off any bacteria that could make you sick. This filter will last about 3 months based on the amount of toxins in your water source. Your filter will last longer if your were getting your water from a spring as opposed to the L.A. River or other similarly polluted body of water.

OK guys, time to make your intentions known! Time is growing slim, and we need to know who all is going to attend Z.A.C. T.A.C.T. If you don’t know what that is, then reference http://www.zombiesarecoming.com/2010/01/28/zombies-are-coming-training-camp/ for a list of REQUIRED and suggested items.

Since only a few people have contacted us by email, we’re putting up this article so people can delcare their intent. We’re just a little over a month away from the event so its time to get your ducks in a row.

The event will be held at:

2738 co rd 1082
Vinemont, AL 35179

So google or mapquest it if you need directions. If you get lost, then my cell phone number is: 615-556-7347
DO NOT CALL ME BEFORE THE WEEK OF THE EVENT. If you do I will report you to the authorities. If you need any info prior to the established time frame, then feel free to email me at angryvikingman@yahoo.com

If you want to buy a shirt from/for the event, then you can do so at http://www.cafepress.com/zac_tact

Please do not use the comments section to discuss anything other than your attendance. I will be monitoring the original post about Z.A.C. T.A.C.T., so if you need to, ask questions there.

Thank you,

–Angryvikingman–