Tag Archives: zombie

New zombie course helps students learn about survival behavior

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From Michigan State http://news.msu.edu/story/10412/

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Coming soon, zombies will be invading Michigan State University.

The School of Social Work is offering a one-of-a-kind online course called “Surviving the Coming Zombie Apocalypse – Catastrophes and Human Behavior” that will do a lot more than teach students how to fend off the undead.

Starting May 14 – the first session of the summer 2012 semester – students enrolled in the seven-week course will learn how human behavior and nature change after catastrophic incidences – from the historical to the hypothetical – through a blend of traditional coursework, online forums and a catastrophic event simulation, which will be in the form of a theoretical zombie pandemic.

Aspects of anthropology, sociology and geology, among other disciplines, will be woven into the two-credit course, which will be scored on a traditional 4.0 scale.

“We are using the idea of a zombie apocalypse to attract attention to the important research and science on the topic of ‘Catastrophes and Human Behavior,'” said Glenn Stutzky, social work instructor and creator of the course. “Students will learn about the nature, scope and impact of catastrophic events on individuals, families, societies, civilizations and the Earth itself.”

During the simulation, which is the focus of the first week of class, students will be placed in survivor groups and tasked to work with each other to develop ways to survive the zombie pandemic. As the course continues, so will the simulation, but students also will learn about catastrophes like the Black Death and meteor strikes, and the impact these events had on the planet. During the final days of the course, students in their survivor groups will use what they learned and will face the conclusion of the simulation event.

“Though the topic is serious and worthy of academic study, the challenges presented in surviving a hypothetical zombie pandemic have real-world applications,” Stutzky said. “After all, zombies make everything more interesting.”

Stutzky and a team from Virtual University Design and Technology are using social media to promote the course, including the use of a YouTube channel, Facebook and Twitter.

The course is part of a new venture called Summer Online Electives Initiative in Social Work. It is made up of nine courses meant to appeal to a broader pool of students, as well as provide more accessibility to social work courses for both current MSU students, guest students from other universities and members of the general public.

Zombies At the Door

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From my column at Firearms Talk, Zombies are at the Door and the products to repel them are here ! (link)

 

Are you prepared for zombie apocalypse?

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CDC partners with AMC drama ‘The Walking Dead’
Author: By Aaron Sagers Special to CNN

http://www.wfmz.com/Are-you-prepared-for-zombie-apocalypse/-/121798/8932668/-/7lffic/-/

(CNN) –

Look at you, all plump and fleshy, with a quickening pulse and body jam-packed with sweet meats. That brain of yours, with the scrumptious gray matter and thinking cap makes certain re-animated corpses crave a dining bib.

So what are you to do when the formerly living awaken with a hunger for a little human takeout? Are you ready for the zombie apocalypse?

Probably not. If you have to ask yourself that question, or took a moment before answering, then definitely not. In the time it took you to hesitate, even the slowest zombie could pull a dine and dash — or shamble — on you.


On the upside, you’re in luck since most people haven’t made the adequate preparations for Z-day.

Here’s the deal: A zombie can be a member of the walking dead or a barely living victim from a curse, virus, etc., and alternately run or shamble. They can be the creation of stupid humans, angry gods, black magic, mad science, cosmic events or — as is most often the case — comic book/sci-fi/horror nerds. But whatever their origin, they are a problem that must be dealt with.

But not even the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention thinks the masses are ready for the onslaught of the undead.

“There are insufficient people prepared for emergencies in the United States,” said Rear Adm. Ali S. Khan of the CDC.

A multi-credentialed doctor, assistant surgeon general and director of the CDC’s Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response, Khan was behind the zombie preparedness guide the organization published online May 2011.

Inspired by zombie-related social media buzz after the Fukushima Daichii nuclear disaster in Japan last March, and released days before Harold Camping’s predicted rapture, the preparedness guide is a tongue-in-cheek plan. Its message boils down to the idea that if you’re ready for a zombie apocalypse, you’re ready for any more likely crisis or disaster. The CDC website received 2 million page views the first week as a result, and the guide went viral.

The CDC has also recently partnered with AMC’s zombie drama “The Walking Dead” — based on Robert Kirkman’s comic book series — to utilize clips from the TV show and add helpful tips such as, “Clean water is zombie-free water.”

Apparently, according to TV Land, another tip to survive the zombie apocalypse is to not work at the CDC, which may have been the last hope for humanity in “The Walking Dead,” and went kablooey in a giant explosion at the end of Season One.

Khan reminded us, however, that the real deal is “alive and well” and that even in any scenario where the CDC would be blown up, they would have “contingency plans” to make sure they’re still addressing public health — which might be a subtle way of suggesting the government agency has a way cooler underground bunker than we originally thought.

Still, being prepared for a zombie uprising isn’t the same as surviving, and thriving, in one.

The rest here http://www.wfmz.com/Are-you-prepared-for-zombie-apocalypse/-/121798/8932668/-/7lffic/-/

Zombie math and Biology

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USU professor uses zombie apocalypse to teach math and biology
http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/02/22/usu-professor-uses-zombie-apocalypse-teach-math-and-biology

By Nancy Van Valkenburg
Standard-Examiner staff
Thu, 02/23/2012 – 5:55am

If a zombie apocalypse hit Cache County, 70 percent of the population would be devoured or infected within seven to 10 days.

The contamination and death toll would climb much faster in Weber County, and faster still in Davis. In the more rural counties of Morgan and Box Elder, the end would come much more slowly, because of the increased distances “the walkers” would have to walk.

So says James Powell, who teaches both math and biology at Utah State University, and who for years has used diseases from the headlines to teach his students how to chart the pace at which real epidemics spread.

“I think it’s nice to be topical,” said Powell, who on Friday in Logan will give an all-age workshop, “Mathematics and the Life-Impaired: How the Theory of Disease Predicts the Zombie Apocalypse.”

“Over the years, I have had my students chart H1N1, and before that there was a rabies outbreak, and years before that we talked about the number of new AIDS cases worldwide. We’ve charted other diseases and the maximum growth rate, and how much death we should expect.”

Powell said he is a lifelong science fiction fan.

“I’ve been watching science fiction movies since I was a rodent,” by which he meant small child. “When I started searching for zombie material on the Web, I was stunned by how much stuff there was out there. There’s a kind of zombie chic.”

AMC’s “The Walking Dead” has birthed a new generation of fans, but Powell’s interest dates back to the first time he saw the 1968 horror classic “Night of the Living Dead.” In between, zombie blockbusters have included “28 Days Later,” “I am Legend” and “Zombieland,” to name just a few.

But some films had slow zombies, and some had speedy ones. Some films had living dead that worked well with others of their kind, and some films had zombies that seemed oblivious to everyone who was not a potential entree.

Powell hit on his parameters when he discovered students on the USU campus who play Humans vs. Zombies, a live-action game played on many campuses since it was created in 2005 at Maryland’s Goucher College.

The game begins with a limited number of “zombies” and many more humans, all wearing armbands to mark them as players. Zombies multiply by “tagging” humans, and humans can fend off zombies with Nerf guns, marshmallow guns, rolled up socks, or whatever non-harmful weapon is agreed upon.

“Zombies starve if they don’t feed frequently enough, and humans can defend themselves,” Powell said of the game’s rules. “And here, part of the way they organized the game is that humans have cards, and when a zombie gets you, he gets your card, so they can keep track of the numbers. So they had all this data already collected,” Powell said.

Powell worked from the game’s website, http://www.humansvszombies, to determine his zombie rules. Then, factoring zombie behavior, USU Human vs. Zombie “mortality” rates, and the number of humans in Cache County, he determined 70 percent of humans would be dead in seven to 10 days, then more zombies would begin to starve, taking them out of the equation as well.

For the rest of the article, go here http://www.standard.net/stories/2012/02/22/usu-professor-uses-zombie-apocalypse-teach-math-and-biology

‘Zombies’ will help promote disaster preparedness in Kelso

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By Barbara LaBoe / The Daily News | Posted: Monday, February 20, 2012 8:15 pm |
http://tdn.com/news/local/zombies-will-help-promote-disaster-preparedness-in-kelso/article_033f3e34-5c2f-11e1-b19e-0019bb2963f4.html

Zombies are coming to Kelso Saturday — but they’re coming to help rather than harm.

Rather than feasting on brains, the zombies at the Three Rivers Mall will help residents prepare for several types of disasters during an Emergency Preparedness Fair. They’ll also star in some locally produced commercials.

Organizers say adding the “zombie factor” is a good way to grab people’s attention about serious topics.

“I’m a personal fan of zombies,” said organizer Markus Azeltine.

The 16-year-old Mark Morris High School junior is organizing the entire fair — including the zombie commercials — as his Eagle Scout project. “Basically, it’s how I got myself excited about emergency preparedness, and I figured it would work with others, too.”

The zombie theme also is a play off the federal Center for Disease Control’s own zombie campaign. Started as a tongue-in-cheek web campaign, “zombie planning” has become quite popular, according to the CDC website.

“If you are generally well-equipped to deal with a zombie apocalypse, you will be prepared for a hurricane, pandemic, earthquake or terrorist attack,” Dr. Ali Khan, the CDC’s director of the Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response, notes on the CDC website.

All kidding aside, Azeltine said last year’s Japanese earthquake and tsunami wave brought home the importance of being prepared for emergencies and natural disasters.

“I sort of realized that disasters can happen anywhere, and so I should be prepared,” he said. “And we’re near water and have Mount St. Helens here, so its especially important.”

County officials weren’t sure what to think when Azeltine first approached them about the fair. They’ve been pleasantly surprised, though, as Azeltine has handled all the organizing.

“He’s done a great job,” said Jennifer Engkraf of the county’s Department of Emergency Management.

There will be 20 booths at the fair, including those by PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center demonstrating CPR and the Civil Air Patrol teaching about cold weather survival. Participants can enter to win prizes, including an Apple iPod Touch.

And then there are the zombie commercials — or emergency preparedness public service announcements as they’re properly called.

Anyone who brings pet food or pet blankets for the Humane Society can join in as a zombie actor or extra, Azeltine said. Scripts and props will be provided. Regular street clothes are all that’s needed “because zombies turn into zombies when they’re in normal clothes,” Azeltine said.

The commercials will be posted on the fair’s Facebook page, search for Cowlitz Emergency Preparedness Fair 2012, and Azeltine also hopes to see them on KLTV.

Saturday’s Emergency Preparedness Fair runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Three Rivers Mall in Kelso

Read more: http://tdn.com/news/local/zombies-will-help-promote-disaster-preparedness-in-kelso/article_033f3e34-5c2f-11e1-b19e-0019bb2963f4.html#ixzz1n2pSfmSH

Zombies invade Rhodes campus, South Africa

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Zombies invade Rhodes campus, South Africa
21 February 2012
DAVID MACGREGOR
http://www.dispatch.co.za/news/article/2922

ZOMBIE fever gripped Grahamstown yesterday as hundreds of paranoid Rhodes University students fought running campus battles with “the living dead”.

More than 350 students – and even a  history lecturer – signed up this week  to take part in the four-day Humans vs  Zombies (HvZ) bloodfest that has fast  become a global phenomenon since  launched in America 15 years ago.

Held in South Africa for the first  time late last year when the Rhodes  University Gaming Society dug deep  in their pockets to host the Zombie  Apocalypse, this time round HvZ has  been given the thumbs up by campus  management – who even sponsored  the event as part of their Live Smart  Week.

Larissa Klazinga, student services  officer in the dean of students’ office,  yesterday said the focus of Live Smart  was student wellness.

“We hope teaming up with a diverse  group of roleplayers to host unorthodox events like HvZ on the one hand  and traditional sporting events like  athletics on the other will ensure that  for this week at least, students spend  less time in bars and more time enjoying themselves without drinking  excessively.”

Described as a “massive game of tag  (catchers)”, Klazinga said besides encouraging newcomers to make friends  with “returners”, HvZ also attracted  those who were more at home in front  of a computer than running around  outdoors .

According to former GameSoc chair  Monique Mulholland – who got the  HvZ concept going at Rhodes last year  – new technologies played a huge part  in keeping “humans” informed of the  whereabouts of the ever increasing  hordes of “zombies” who stalked the  campus.

“New media plays a big role.”

Besides shouting verbal warnings  to each other, players also use Facebook and Blackberry Messaging  (BBM) to try and outwit and outlast  the opposition.

Starting with one randomly picked  secret “original zombie” – who is given a purple bandanna to wear on one  arm just like the humans for the first  few hours of the game – the aim is to  tag as many humans as possible before all the zombies are forced to wear  the bandana around their heads to tell  them apart from their living enemies.

The only way for humans to keep  the zombies at bay is to throw “anti- undead projectiles (AUPs)” – clean,  rolled up pairs of socks – at them to  stun the undead for 15 minutes, while  the only way for zombies to notch up a  kill is to tag touch their human prey.

At least one tag must be recorded  every 48 hours on the GameSoc website or the zombie dies of starvation.

Dressed from head to toe in a custom made camo ninja outfit , star HvZ  player Matthew “the chain soldier”  Funcke, 23, said people who knew  nothing about the game got nervous  when they spotted him skulking  around the campus bushes.

“I also get a fair amount of mockery,” the computer science honours  student admitted – before adding he  even attended lectures in his camo  fatigues and resorted to using a night  vision monocular as he lurked in the  shadows at night dodging zombies.

Areas like buildings are off limits  and hordes of zombies are known to  lay siege to canteens and lecture halls  waiting for human victims.

Veteran GameSoc member Will  Walters said the idea of HvZ was to try  to break away from the clich�d idea of  gamers being stuck in “caverns” behind computers doing nothing.

He said the best way for humans to  survive the zombie onslaught was to  adopt a herd mentality.

Common Myths to Debunk Before a Zombie War

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Things I fear the most:  spiders, walking sticks (bugs), and zombies.  While I know how to deal with the first two threats, I must constantly study how to off a zombie before I become one.  Yet, the hardest part of studying good tactics for a zombie war is that it hasn’t happened yet; there is no comparison to base how one would destroy these creatures.  The only thing we have to prepare ourselves for a possible zombie war is sound logic.  That’s when it becomes necessary to debunk the myths that many horror movies show, however, make no sense when you are really thrust into a world of zombies and survival.  So here are the most basic myths that should be dismissed:

Sadly, they both missed the online blowout Christmas specials.

MYTH:  Zombies run as fast as humans, if not faster.

Well, no and yes.  Unlike the movies, when a zombie is first turned they undergo a stage when their bodies physically die.  Immediately after the death occurs the zombie suffers rigor mortis (a stiffening of joints and muscles) for the first few days until the muscles eventually return to a permanently altered state.  The ability to run down or slowly slide to a living person depends on the state of the zombie before they were changed.  If a person was a runner before being changed then they will most likely be a good runner in the undead realm, if not better.  The reason I say that zombie might now be a better runner is that muscle fatigue will no longer affect the body.  Therefore, the ability to feel no pain will keep the zombie running until the living person is devoured, moves from the sensory range of the zombie, or until the muscles eventually shred themselves to pieces.

Yet, the chances of meeting a sprinting zombie are as slim as meeting a triathlon neighbor in today’s society.  Luckily, this is the rare moment when I would actually thank America for being out of shape.  Yet, the flip side of this is that based on America’s low health scores many of us wouldn’t even be able to out-walk a zombie without overly frequent rest stops.  This brings me to my next point….

THE Zombie Safe-House

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Appropriately named “Safe House,” the award-winning two-story home was designed by Robert Konieczny of KWK Promes for a private client and took about four years to build (it was finished in 2009, well before the latest Rapture predictions.) It has a second-storey entrance accessible only by drawbridge, and a moveable exterior wall that allows the home to be completely sealed off from marauding hordes. The house has zero curb appeal, Which is good when you’re trying to prevent your brains from becoming someone else’s meal.


Even when in totally open mode, the view from the street is pretty grim. No windows. No visible doors. But the sliding gates part to reveal a pretty yard.  Twenty-foot tall garage-like doors cover the open areas on the south and west sides of the home. The exterior walls slide forward, creating a courtyard in the front, and the thick shutters open, letting light inside. The floor-to-ceiling windows make the home seem open and inviting when it’s not locked down.
The massive concrete shutters open and the 20-foot doors roll up to reveal that when it’s not in monolith mode, the home actually looks pretty modern and inviting.    The bottom of the drawbridge rests over the dry moat on the top of the pool house, allowing access to a roof deck. Which means that it’s probably not the main front door, per se, but it makes for a great look-out area. Cats optional.


The pool house, a long strip of a building that lies to one side of the home, glows eerily in the night. Um, peacefully… glows peacefully. Yeah.

The CDC Now Has been updated for ZOMBIES……(from thier own site!)

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Social Media: Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse

The following was originally posted on CDC Public Health Matters Blog on May 16th, 2011 by Ali S. Khan.

Image of zombie

There are all kinds of emergencies out there that we can prepare for. Take a zombie apocalypse for example. That’s right, I said z-o-m-b-i-e a-p-o-c-a-l-y-p-s-e. You may laugh now, but when it happens you’ll be happy you read this, and hey, maybe you’ll even learn a thing or two about how to prepare for a real emergency.

A Brief History of Zombies
We’ve all seen at least one movie about flesh-eating zombies taking over (my personal favorite is Resident EvilExternal Web Site Icon.), but where do zombies come from and why do they love eating brains so much? The word zombie comes from Haitian and New Orleans voodoo origins. Although its meaning has changed slightly over the years, it refers to a human corpse mysteriously reanimated to serve the undead. Through ancient voodoo and folk-lore traditions, shows like the Walking Dead were born.

Photo: A couple dressed as zombies - Danny Zucco and Sandy Olsson from the movie Grease walking in the annual Toronto Zombie Walk.A couple dressed as zombies – Danny Zucco and Sandy Olsson from the movie Grease walking in the annual Toronto Zombie Walk.

In movies, shows, and literature, zombies are often depicted as being created by an infectious virus, which is passed on via bites and contact with bodily fluids. Harvard psychiatrist Steven Schoolman wrote a (fictional) medical paper on the zombies presented in Night of the Living Dead and refers to the condition as Ataxic Neurodegenerative Satiety Deficiency Syndrome caused by an infectious agent. The Zombie Survival Guide identifies the cause of zombies as a virus called solanum. Other zombie origins shown in films include radiation from a destroyed NASA Venus probe (as in Night of the Living Dead), as well as mutations of existing conditions such as prions, mad-cow disease, measles and rabies.The rise of zombies in pop culture has given credence to the idea that a zombie apocalypse could happen. In such a scenario zombies would take over entire countries, roaming city streets eating anything living that got in their way. The proliferation of this idea has led many people to wonder “How do I prepare for a zombie apocalypse?”

Well, we’re here to answer that question for you, and hopefully share a few tips about preparing for real emergencies too!

Better Safe than Sorry

Photo: Some of the supplies for your emergency kit.Some of the supplies for your emergency kit.

So what do you need to do before zombies…or hurricanes or pandemics for example, actually happen? First of all, you should have an emergency kit in your house. This includes things like water, food, and other supplies to get you through the first couple of days before you can locate a zombie-free refugee camp (or in the event of a natural disaster, it will buy you some time until you are able to make your way to an evacuation shelter or utility lines are restored). Below are a few items you should include in your kit, for a full list visit the CDC Emergency page.

  • Water (1 gallon per person per day)
  • Food (stock up on non-perishable items that you eat regularly)
  • Medications (this includes prescription and non-prescription meds)
  • Tools and Supplies (utility knife, duct tape, battery powered radio, etc.)
  • Sanitation and Hygiene (household bleach, soap, towels, etc.)
  • Clothing and Bedding (a change of clothes for each family member and blankets)
  • Important documents (copies of your driver’s license, passport, and birth certificate to name a few)
  • First Aid supplies (although you’re a goner if a zombie bites you, you can use these supplies to treat basic cuts and lacerations that you might get during a tornado or hurricane)

Once you’ve made your emergency kit, you should sit down with your family and come up with an emergency plan. This includes where you would go and who you would call if zombies started appearing outside your door step. You can also implement this plan if there is a flood, earthquake, or other emergency.

Photo: Family members meeting by their mailbox. You should pick two meeting places, one close to your home and one farther away.Family members meeting by their mailbox. You should pick two meeting places, one close to your home and one farther away.

  1. Identify the types of emergencies that are possible in your area. Besides a zombie apocalypse, this may include floods, tornadoes, or earthquakes. If you are unsure contact your local Red Cross chapter for more information.
  2. Pick a meeting place for your family to regroup in case zombies invade your home…or your town evacuates because of a hurricane. Pick one place right outside your home for sudden emergencies and one place outside of your neighborhood in case you are unable to return home right away.
  3. Identify your emergency contacts. Make a list of local contacts like the police, fire department, and your local zombie response team. Also identify an out-of-state contact that you can call during an emergency to let the rest of your family know you are ok.
  4. Plan your evacuation route. When zombies are hungry they won’t stop until they get food (i.e., brains), which means you need to get out of town fast! Plan where you would go and multiple routes you would take ahead of time so that the flesh eaters don’t have a chance! This is also helpful when natural disasters strike and you have to take shelter fast.

Never Fear – CDC is Ready

Photo: Get a Kit, Make a Plan, Be PreparedGet a Kit, Make a Plan, Be Prepared

If zombies did start roaming the streets, CDC would conduct an investigation much like any other disease outbreak. CDC would provide technical assistance to cities, states, or international partners dealing with a zombie infestation. This assistance might include consultation, lab testing and analysis, patient management and care, tracking of contacts, and infection control (including isolation and quarantine). It’s likely that an investigation of this scenario would seek to accomplish several goals: determine the cause of the illness, the source of the infection/virus/toxin, learn how it is transmitted and how readily it is spread, how to break the cycle of transmission and thus prevent further cases, and how patients can best be treated. Not only would scientists be working to identify the cause and cure of the zombie outbreak, but CDC and other federal agencies would send medical teams and first responders to help those in affected areas (I will be volunteering the young nameless disease detectives for the field work).To learn more about what CDC does to prepare for and respond to emergencies of all kinds, visit:
http://emergency.cdc.gov/cdc/orgs_progs.asp

To learn more about how you can prepare for and stay safe during an emergency visit:
http://emergency.cdc.gov/

To download a badge like the one above that you can add to your social networking profile, blog, website, or email signature visit:
http://emergency.cdc.gov/socialmedia/zombies.asp

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