For those of you who follow The Walking Dead television series on AMC, you should have caught the ending of episode 5 where it was revealed that the locked barn on the property was being used to “store” the undead.  We have to ask ourselves, what is the reasoning behind keeping the undead like this?  Is such an experiment too risky? We will leave this a bit open-ended here to see what your thoughts are?

For those of you in the area of Lenexa, Kansas, Westlake Ace Hardware has a special section of their website just for you.  Turns out this location has also been awarded a Zombie Friendly Business Certification as well.  It is a shame that more hardware stores are not doing the same thing.  Many of us have questions, need ideas, and will eventually require supplies to mount a proper defense.  Westlake Ace Hardware has a comprehensive FAQ section that can help you prepare for a proper home defense.  Great advice for fortifying your position for the day that the dead walk the earth!

Stay safe.  Stay informed.  Stay alive.

“CDC has a fun new way of teaching the importance of emergency preparedness. Our new graphic novel, “Preparedness 101: Zombie Pandemic” demonstrates the importance of being prepared in an entertaining way that people of all ages will enjoy. Readers follow Todd, Julie, and their dog Max as a strange new disease begins spreading, turning ordinary people into zombies. Stick around to the end for a surprising twist that will drive home the importance of being prepared for any emergency. Included in the novel is a Preparedness Checklist so that readers can get their family, workplace, or school ready before disaster strikes. ”

View the entire document here.  Found via Laughing Squid.

For those that have not yet heard the news, it looks like World War Z will be making it’s way to theaters in 2012. Here are some details:

It’s coming. World War Z. The long-awaited adaptation of the zombie cult classic is shooting, and will be in theaters late next year. Paramount announced a December 21, 2012 holiday release for World War Z, director Marc Forster’s adaptation of Max Brooks’ novel about a global zombie takeover. This stars Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, James Badge Dale and Bryan Cranston; Pitt is also producing with Plan B partner Dede Gardner, financed by Skydance Productions. This puts the zombie epic up against Disney’s The Lone Ranger and Ang Lee’s Life of Pi that very weekend, plus Tarantino’s Django Unchained on Christmas Day.

Though some claim that the movie will tick off some fans of the book since it will deviate from the book, it is hard not to get excited about a new zombie movie, especially one with a decent budget to get it done.

What so you, ZAC fans?  Will this be one to add to the collection or another failed attempt at a classic?

Run For Your Lives is a zombie-themed 5k/obstacle course starting in Baltimore on October 22nd that will allow participants to pit themselves against a zombie horde as they try to complete the course without “dying”, which sounds exactly like the beginning of a zombie movie where the fake zombies somehow turn into real zombies and actually try to eat the unknowing participants.

If you are anywhere near the Baltimore area and want a great training opportunity before the day the dead walk the earth, this event is for you.

In popular zombie media, whether it’s literature, video games or
Hollywood blockbusters, one rule remains in all of them, and it’s “Go
for the head”. A blow to the brain is the only way to neutralize the
zombie. While this may be the case in “magical” zombies, it won’t be
in the case in virus-infected zombies, which also have other
shortcomings.

You do not have to necessarily go for the head. A zombie will still
need oxygen, through blood, to support itself, and food to keep up its
legendary endurance. Defying laws of science, if zombies were to be
taken realistically, its merely impossible. It may not be human,
because it no longer thinks, and is “dead” and decomposing, but its
organs still run, and it is every bit as vulnerable as a normal
person, albeit one that doesn’t feel pain.

Zombies aren’t anywhere close to indestructible. They are constantly
rotting, and in cold
weather, why will stiffen up and their blood temperature will eventually drop
down, and ‘die’, the cells would freze and burst, or may be even
cryogenically preserved. The undead will dry up and shrivel into a
skin bag of bones, and will eventually desiccate in a hot, dry desert
climate (another reason, besides gun laws, that why Texas is ideal).
In a humid environment (D.C. summers, Florida, Southeast Asia,
Hawaii), decomposition will be accelerated, and it will not smell
pleasant, but the zombies’ flesh may be literally fallingoff the bone,
like good barbecue (a bit gross, but true). The choice of humans at
their target also puts them at a distinct advantage. Their only food
source is their top predator and their only method of reproduction.
That’s like a seal trying to get a polar bear to make it a seafood
medley, while it’s trying to have sex with it. Of course, it won’t end
well. A zombie is merely a slow, limping and rotting human, with its
only advantage being its inability to feel pain.

The laws of nature will be upheld on the undead, unless the virus
itself has further purposes. Maybe it photosynthesizes, to produce
glucose to power those never tiring, rotting muscles. Perhaps it
contains an artificial replacement for hemoglobin, allowing the ghoul
to operate even once its blood has dried into dust. This isn’t
possible, yet, with ‘yet’ being the operative term here. Pairing
chlorophyll and hemoglobin with a mind-altering disease, presumably a
prion, and a virus would be extremely difficult, but don’t take my
word for it, I’m not a genetic scientist.

So when the outbreak starts, don’t immediately go for the head,
experiment with body shots.If that fails, use what’s in between their
ears, and destroy what in between theirs.
Written by QAZZY 1-9th

The Zombie Survival Guide daily calendar, while usually a great resource, dropped the ball the other day.  They offered some advice for home defense which involved making a stand on the roof.

The tip for June 10 offered this tidbit: “If you find yourself in a one-story home with no attic, grab whatever supplies you can, take hold of a weapon, and climb onto the roof.” It goes further to say “Remain on the roof for as long as you can, until supplies are exhausted or a rescue patrol arrives.  It may be uncomfortable, but it is your best chance for survival.”

This is flawed thinking.  Not sure about you but getting on the roof of my house is not the easiest thing to do.  The ladder we have is on the lower level, and if that is compromised already by the undead, not sure how you would even get onto the roof.

Additionally, this says “grab whatever supplies you can” when we all know that we should already have a zombie plan and some supplies setup.  As many here would tell you, they already have a roof filled with fully automatic weapons, tanks, and helicopters.  For the average person, know where some type of weapon is and make sure you can easily take it with you.

Lastly, just sitting on the roof waiting is no plan at all.  This does not even account for any of the elements.  What if it is 95 degrees outside?  You really want to sit and bake on the roof of the house?  Since there is no guarantee that a roving rescue patrol will arrive, just sitting on a roof waiting is one of the last things you need to do.

Think about your plan, folks, so something like this doesn’t end up being your only solution.

Stay safe.  Stay informed.  Stay alive.

“Zombies take over Henry County highway” is a headline in several papers this week, including the Atlanta Journal and Constitution.  A portion Highway 20 in Henry County is being used for a scene in the TV show “The Walking Dead.” Here, a wreck is being staged on Monday for the movie.  Full article here. Here is a news video on the filming by WSB-TV.

In October we asked you to send us your best zombie and hunter outfits. Here are the winners!

In the zombie category we have our very own Semper Cogitant, one of our long time posters and the lead photo of this article.

In the Zombie Hunter category

We here at ZAC wish to thank our contestants for their entries.