Hey guys, found a cool video about a new channel talking about how they are going to upload video's about survival and guns.
Check it out and subscribe to them if you're into it:
Survival Hour Promo
Friday, August 3, 2012
Thursday, August 2, 2012
A Zombie Proof Hideout - Electrical Substation
The first in our series exploring the various possible places in
which to seek shelter during the inevitable Zombie Apocalypse starts
with a lesser mentioned 'Zombie Fortress'... the humble and often
unnoticed Electrical Substation.
You are bound to have one of these mini blockhouses within walking (well, running) distance of where you live, they are dotted everywhere especially in urban areas. They are perfect locations for waiting out a zombie plague having been purposely designed to keep people out, usually surrounded by 6+ foot metal spike topped fencing but sometimes barbed wire topped brick or concrete wall and even rarer built underground or into hillsides. Unfortunately therein lies the first obstacle: getting yourself over the fence or wall and inside the compound. But that isn't the purpose of this article, and every situation would be different so you'll have to figure that out yourself, use your imagination.
The actual buildings themselves are always thick walled and windowless (so no zombie entry points to board up) structures with reinforced metal doors. Getting the reinforced metal doors open and gaining entry is the second obstacle (again that's down to you) but once inside you would have a very safe base from which to gather supplies and in which to safely hunker down with a modicum of security. One of the biggest killers in a zombie outbreak would be sheer lack of sleep through feeling the need to be permanently on your guard, once inside one of these buildings you'd be pretty much zombie proof and free to enjoy plenty of sleep.
With the doors closed you could also sit quite happily under candle light given that there are no windows, and would probably be able to speak at normal talking volume to any companions or imaginary friends due to the thickness of the walls and doors. Although I personally would still keep communication down to whispers, it's safe to say it would be difficult to ascertain the hearing capabilities of reanimated corpses and I honestly wouldn't like to be the one to test it.
You would have not only the enclosed compound but also the building itself, so that's two levels of protection plus many electrical substations have roof hatches and secondary doors. So, should things go very wrong (zombies pile themselves at the fence like a ramp) you would have options and routes to haul ass and attempt to move to another location... it goes without saying ALWAYS have an escape plan.
So there we have it, the electrical substation, a veritable neighborhood zombie proof fortress... make sure you know where your nearest one is.
Note to any kids or idiots reading this who think it would be a good idea to get into one of these places when there ISN'T a Zombie Apocalypse in progress... Don't. They are very dangerous places, with high voltages likely to kill you stone dead if you're that idiotic enough to creep inside to poke around.
You are bound to have one of these mini blockhouses within walking (well, running) distance of where you live, they are dotted everywhere especially in urban areas. They are perfect locations for waiting out a zombie plague having been purposely designed to keep people out, usually surrounded by 6+ foot metal spike topped fencing but sometimes barbed wire topped brick or concrete wall and even rarer built underground or into hillsides. Unfortunately therein lies the first obstacle: getting yourself over the fence or wall and inside the compound. But that isn't the purpose of this article, and every situation would be different so you'll have to figure that out yourself, use your imagination.
The actual buildings themselves are always thick walled and windowless (so no zombie entry points to board up) structures with reinforced metal doors. Getting the reinforced metal doors open and gaining entry is the second obstacle (again that's down to you) but once inside you would have a very safe base from which to gather supplies and in which to safely hunker down with a modicum of security. One of the biggest killers in a zombie outbreak would be sheer lack of sleep through feeling the need to be permanently on your guard, once inside one of these buildings you'd be pretty much zombie proof and free to enjoy plenty of sleep.
With the doors closed you could also sit quite happily under candle light given that there are no windows, and would probably be able to speak at normal talking volume to any companions or imaginary friends due to the thickness of the walls and doors. Although I personally would still keep communication down to whispers, it's safe to say it would be difficult to ascertain the hearing capabilities of reanimated corpses and I honestly wouldn't like to be the one to test it.
You would have not only the enclosed compound but also the building itself, so that's two levels of protection plus many electrical substations have roof hatches and secondary doors. So, should things go very wrong (zombies pile themselves at the fence like a ramp) you would have options and routes to haul ass and attempt to move to another location... it goes without saying ALWAYS have an escape plan.
So there we have it, the electrical substation, a veritable neighborhood zombie proof fortress... make sure you know where your nearest one is.
Note to any kids or idiots reading this who think it would be a good idea to get into one of these places when there ISN'T a Zombie Apocalypse in progress... Don't. They are very dangerous places, with high voltages likely to kill you stone dead if you're that idiotic enough to creep inside to poke around.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Found another good read
Found another great article about bug out bags. If you're wondering if you're bag is ready check out this Bug Out Bag Checklist
I never thought of getting putting a map of the area in it.
I never thought of getting putting a map of the area in it.
Zombie Horror Movies
Ultimately, zombies are terrifying for a number of reasons.
Unlike vampires, there is nothing romantic about them. Zombies are
simply there to not only destroy humanity but to convert it. After all,
the end result of a zombie apocalypse is that a population of people who
were once alive are transformed into the bloodthirsty walking dead.
Zombies are apocalyptic, which also conjures up certain nightmares in our psyche. People are obsessed with the end of the world. Writers, religious scholars, scientists, etc., have all theorized since the early days of civilization about how the world will eventually end. Zombie horror movies represent one more theory that while obviously fictional still appeals to that certain yearning for apocalyptic fantasy that seems to exist in most people. While outlandish, the thought of a world in which the living return to consume the dead is both terrifying and wildly imaginative. And it really isn't any more fantastical than those believed by numerous societies and religious devotees.
As a fan of zombie movies, I particularly enjoy the claustrophobic feelings that a good zombie film can create. To watch as a group of survivors have to fend for themselves while fighting off hordes of the dead makes for excellent drama, which accounts for the success of the genre to begin with.
Of course, not all zombie films focus on the survival aspects of a potential epidemic. Some zombie movies are comedies. So what is the appeal there? Well, I think zombies are a way for us to shatter the taboo of death. After all, we're all going to die eventually. Those are the grim facts. By watching zombie movies, we can assuage our anxieties about the inevitable end. Perhaps some of use even wish to become zombies ourselves.
Fortunately, there is a wide range of zombie movies available for fans of the genre. First, there is the hardcore survivalist movies, followed by the action-comedy variety and then the offbeat comedy films. There is always something new on the horizon as well, since filmmakers are constantly trying to re-imagine the traditional zombie movie. Zombies have changed a lot since the release of Romero's 1968 classic Night of the Living Dead, and will probably continue to change well into the future. Our desire to see these lumbering, hungry dead folks on the big screen seems to have no end, as well. So we can all look forward to a brighter future with more undead entertainment coming our way.
Zombies are apocalyptic, which also conjures up certain nightmares in our psyche. People are obsessed with the end of the world. Writers, religious scholars, scientists, etc., have all theorized since the early days of civilization about how the world will eventually end. Zombie horror movies represent one more theory that while obviously fictional still appeals to that certain yearning for apocalyptic fantasy that seems to exist in most people. While outlandish, the thought of a world in which the living return to consume the dead is both terrifying and wildly imaginative. And it really isn't any more fantastical than those believed by numerous societies and religious devotees.
As a fan of zombie movies, I particularly enjoy the claustrophobic feelings that a good zombie film can create. To watch as a group of survivors have to fend for themselves while fighting off hordes of the dead makes for excellent drama, which accounts for the success of the genre to begin with.
Of course, not all zombie films focus on the survival aspects of a potential epidemic. Some zombie movies are comedies. So what is the appeal there? Well, I think zombies are a way for us to shatter the taboo of death. After all, we're all going to die eventually. Those are the grim facts. By watching zombie movies, we can assuage our anxieties about the inevitable end. Perhaps some of use even wish to become zombies ourselves.
Fortunately, there is a wide range of zombie movies available for fans of the genre. First, there is the hardcore survivalist movies, followed by the action-comedy variety and then the offbeat comedy films. There is always something new on the horizon as well, since filmmakers are constantly trying to re-imagine the traditional zombie movie. Zombies have changed a lot since the release of Romero's 1968 classic Night of the Living Dead, and will probably continue to change well into the future. Our desire to see these lumbering, hungry dead folks on the big screen seems to have no end, as well. So we can all look forward to a brighter future with more undead entertainment coming our way.
Survival Techniques article
We found a cool article about survival techniques. Make sure to brush up on it for some basic information like how to signal SOS.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Zombies - A Brief History
Zombies have become an increasing popular topic for video games, movies and Halloween during the past couple of decades. Why is this and what really started the craze? Are Zombies real and does history support these creatures?
Why we are so fascinated with Zombies? One of our greatest fears is death, but the thought of potentially turning into a Zombie after death is even worse. When you think about Zombies, you never think about just one. For some reason, we always think about a mob of Zombies that are out on the prowl for human flesh and whose appetite is insatiable. What's even worse is that Zombies may look human but, in reality, they're not.
First Major Zombie Movie
Probably, one of the first movies about Zombies that had a major impact on the public was the "Night of the Living Dead" which premiered in 1968. This cult film was directed by George Romero and played on our fears that the world might be coming to an end. That may sound funny now, but there were several major worldwide conflicts that were happening during that time period. In order to understand this, you need to understand what was going on in the world and why people were edgy.
Worldwide Political Conflicts and Tensions of War
The Cold War basically spanned a period from 1946 to 1991 and fears were based on both political conflicts and tensions of wars. World War II had just ended and many countries were in political upheaval which led to the fear of the United States getting involved in another war. So, what was happening back then?
The following is a list of just some of the more prominent political tensions that caused people's fears about the potential for the end of the world:
September 11, 2001
When the "Night of the Living Dead" was made, it played off people's fears that existed during the time period. Here's an interesting fact about Zombie movies. Did you know that more than half of these movies were made after September 11, 2001?
I'm sure you remember what happened on that date. For those that don't, this was the day that suicide terrorists, an al-Qaeda militant group, hijacked and crashed several U.S. airline passenger planes into both the Twin Towers in New York City and the Pentagon building in Washington, DC. As a result of these terrorist actions, approximately 3,000 people died and many more were injured.
This was the first major catastrophe caused by terrorists in the United States. Many Americans realized that even though we were an ocean away from these types of terrorist groups, we were not exempt from their attacks. That realization had a devastating impact on everyone.
People began to wonder. When would we be attacked again? Was the world coming to an end? Was the Apocalypse just around the corner? Playing on these fears of the world ending, the release of Zombie related products increased considerably. These products include movies, video games and books.
Zombies in the Past
The first known appearance of Zombies in written form was from a poem titled "Epic of Gilgamesh" which is dated around 2100 BC, but the actual story is thought to be from a Sumerian legend much earlier. The following is a quote from this poem - "I will raise up the dead and they will eat the living. And the dead will outnumber the living."
Zombie basically means "animated corpse" and appears to originate from the Haitian Voodoo religion which has its roots in western Africa. A Zombie was considered as a person whose mind was actually controlled by someone else, so they were basically a slave. It is interesting that this belief originated in Africa and ended up as a very strong belief in Haiti.
Now, let's move forward to the 2nd Century BCE in China. During that time, the Chinese called Zombies "Jiang Shi". These were hungry ghosts that came back to life to eat the living, but they weren't interested in just any eating any person. They came back after their own family members. Why would they do this?
Every culture around the world has its own burial ritual. It has always been believed that if the dead were not buried according to these rituals, their spirit would not be able to move on to the next "world" and they would be stuck in limbo. As a result, the dead would return and seek retribution from its family members for the improper burial.
Let's take a look at Arabia during the 7th Century. The term used by Arabians for Zombies is "Ghoul". They believed that any dead person that came back as a Ghoul was being punished for living an amoral life. It is interesting that these Ghouls were primarily female. At any rate, the Ghouls would act as sirens in the desert and would call out to any travelers that they might encounter. After luring these unsuspecting travelers closer, the Ghouls would then proceed to attack and devour them.
Moving on to the 8th Century in Scandinavia, we find that any undead Vikings are generally called "Draugar" (plural form of Draugr). Depending on the Scandinavian country, you will see various spellings for "Draugr". For example, in Iceland, it is "Draugur", while in Sweden, Norway and Denmark, the term is "Draugen".
Draugar are very well-known in Norse mythology and they are considered as unstoppable beings. According to this mythology, the Draugar know what they are and they really like being the undead. It was believed that every dead Viking became a Draugr when buried. These creatures were extremely strong, could increase their size when they wanted and they really smelled due to the rotting flesh. Supposedly, the only way to stop a Draugr was to lure it back into the ground where it belonged.
As folklore goes, the Draugr appears to be the most savage type of Zombie. These creatures enjoy wreaking havoc on both people and animals. Not only do the Draugar have super strength, they also had magical powers. With these attributes, the Draugr could intrude upon a person's dream, drive both people and animals mad and kill its victims in torturous ways. After having its fun with victims, the Draugr would then devour them.
Finally, we're going to take a look at Zombies in Great Britain during the 12th Century. In Western Europe, but primarily in Great Britain, Zombies were called "Revenants". These were ghosts that could be seen and whose purpose was to terrorize those still alive.
It was believed that anyone that became a Revenant was a person who was evil, vain or an unbeliever when they were alive. It is interesting to note that there are several folklores that also state that Revenants liked to suck the blood from their victims.
Another interesting fact about the Revenants is that William of Newburgh, an English cleric, appears to be one of the first to document why certain dead people became Revenants and what they really were. In one of his many documentations, he wrote "One would not easily believe that corpses come out of their graves unless there were so many cases supported by ample testimony." Hence, he decided to pursue these beliefs and document his findings.
Zombies Today
Although every culture will maintain its beliefs, it is probably safe to assume that the majority of people do not believe that any creature like a Zombie truly exists. With the popularity of Zombie video games, these are creatures that are fun to kill while playing the game.
Zombie movies and books are entertaining and they might even get a little chill to run up your spine. It shouldn't be any surprise that during the Halloween season, Zombies are one of the most favorite characters to imitate.
Why we are so fascinated with Zombies? One of our greatest fears is death, but the thought of potentially turning into a Zombie after death is even worse. When you think about Zombies, you never think about just one. For some reason, we always think about a mob of Zombies that are out on the prowl for human flesh and whose appetite is insatiable. What's even worse is that Zombies may look human but, in reality, they're not.
First Major Zombie Movie
Probably, one of the first movies about Zombies that had a major impact on the public was the "Night of the Living Dead" which premiered in 1968. This cult film was directed by George Romero and played on our fears that the world might be coming to an end. That may sound funny now, but there were several major worldwide conflicts that were happening during that time period. In order to understand this, you need to understand what was going on in the world and why people were edgy.
Worldwide Political Conflicts and Tensions of War
The Cold War basically spanned a period from 1946 to 1991 and fears were based on both political conflicts and tensions of wars. World War II had just ended and many countries were in political upheaval which led to the fear of the United States getting involved in another war. So, what was happening back then?
The following is a list of just some of the more prominent political tensions that caused people's fears about the potential for the end of the world:
- Berlin Blockade - 1948 to 1949
- Korean War - 1950 to 1953
- Berlin Crisis - 1961
- Vietnam War - 1959 to 1975
- Cuban Missile Crisis - 1962
September 11, 2001
When the "Night of the Living Dead" was made, it played off people's fears that existed during the time period. Here's an interesting fact about Zombie movies. Did you know that more than half of these movies were made after September 11, 2001?
I'm sure you remember what happened on that date. For those that don't, this was the day that suicide terrorists, an al-Qaeda militant group, hijacked and crashed several U.S. airline passenger planes into both the Twin Towers in New York City and the Pentagon building in Washington, DC. As a result of these terrorist actions, approximately 3,000 people died and many more were injured.
This was the first major catastrophe caused by terrorists in the United States. Many Americans realized that even though we were an ocean away from these types of terrorist groups, we were not exempt from their attacks. That realization had a devastating impact on everyone.
People began to wonder. When would we be attacked again? Was the world coming to an end? Was the Apocalypse just around the corner? Playing on these fears of the world ending, the release of Zombie related products increased considerably. These products include movies, video games and books.
Zombies in the Past
The first known appearance of Zombies in written form was from a poem titled "Epic of Gilgamesh" which is dated around 2100 BC, but the actual story is thought to be from a Sumerian legend much earlier. The following is a quote from this poem - "I will raise up the dead and they will eat the living. And the dead will outnumber the living."
Zombie basically means "animated corpse" and appears to originate from the Haitian Voodoo religion which has its roots in western Africa. A Zombie was considered as a person whose mind was actually controlled by someone else, so they were basically a slave. It is interesting that this belief originated in Africa and ended up as a very strong belief in Haiti.
Now, let's move forward to the 2nd Century BCE in China. During that time, the Chinese called Zombies "Jiang Shi". These were hungry ghosts that came back to life to eat the living, but they weren't interested in just any eating any person. They came back after their own family members. Why would they do this?
Every culture around the world has its own burial ritual. It has always been believed that if the dead were not buried according to these rituals, their spirit would not be able to move on to the next "world" and they would be stuck in limbo. As a result, the dead would return and seek retribution from its family members for the improper burial.
Let's take a look at Arabia during the 7th Century. The term used by Arabians for Zombies is "Ghoul". They believed that any dead person that came back as a Ghoul was being punished for living an amoral life. It is interesting that these Ghouls were primarily female. At any rate, the Ghouls would act as sirens in the desert and would call out to any travelers that they might encounter. After luring these unsuspecting travelers closer, the Ghouls would then proceed to attack and devour them.
Moving on to the 8th Century in Scandinavia, we find that any undead Vikings are generally called "Draugar" (plural form of Draugr). Depending on the Scandinavian country, you will see various spellings for "Draugr". For example, in Iceland, it is "Draugur", while in Sweden, Norway and Denmark, the term is "Draugen".
Draugar are very well-known in Norse mythology and they are considered as unstoppable beings. According to this mythology, the Draugar know what they are and they really like being the undead. It was believed that every dead Viking became a Draugr when buried. These creatures were extremely strong, could increase their size when they wanted and they really smelled due to the rotting flesh. Supposedly, the only way to stop a Draugr was to lure it back into the ground where it belonged.
As folklore goes, the Draugr appears to be the most savage type of Zombie. These creatures enjoy wreaking havoc on both people and animals. Not only do the Draugar have super strength, they also had magical powers. With these attributes, the Draugr could intrude upon a person's dream, drive both people and animals mad and kill its victims in torturous ways. After having its fun with victims, the Draugr would then devour them.
Finally, we're going to take a look at Zombies in Great Britain during the 12th Century. In Western Europe, but primarily in Great Britain, Zombies were called "Revenants". These were ghosts that could be seen and whose purpose was to terrorize those still alive.
It was believed that anyone that became a Revenant was a person who was evil, vain or an unbeliever when they were alive. It is interesting to note that there are several folklores that also state that Revenants liked to suck the blood from their victims.
Another interesting fact about the Revenants is that William of Newburgh, an English cleric, appears to be one of the first to document why certain dead people became Revenants and what they really were. In one of his many documentations, he wrote "One would not easily believe that corpses come out of their graves unless there were so many cases supported by ample testimony." Hence, he decided to pursue these beliefs and document his findings.
Zombies Today
Although every culture will maintain its beliefs, it is probably safe to assume that the majority of people do not believe that any creature like a Zombie truly exists. With the popularity of Zombie video games, these are creatures that are fun to kill while playing the game.
Zombie movies and books are entertaining and they might even get a little chill to run up your spine. It shouldn't be any surprise that during the Halloween season, Zombies are one of the most favorite characters to imitate.
Zombies are very popular for the Halloween season and this popular holiday is steeped in rich traditions and history. Over the years, different cultures have added their own little twists to this fun holiday.
Have you ever wondered why certain symbols are linked with Halloween? If so, then click on the link to learn about Common Halloween Symbols and Their Meaning.
Have you ever wondered why certain symbols are linked with Halloween? If so, then click on the link to learn about Common Halloween Symbols and Their Meaning.
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