Zombie Preparedness...REI style

Last week I had the pleasure of attending REI's Zombie Preparedness Class at their Cary, NC location and it was a blast.  Employee Si Wilson and his two zombie visual aides did a fantastic job teaching this full class how to have the upper hand when the SHTF.

This class follows the same train of thought as the CDC, Homeland Security, and the military.  That is if you're prepared for the zombie apocalypse then you're prepared for anything.  All major disasters were covered, whether it's a tornado, hurricane, earthquake, disease, nuclear, terrorist, or zombies. 

Anyone who preps for anything probably knows the basics and I'd like to think that I know a pretty good bit about surviving on my own but I definitely left the class with some new knowledge.  Take maps for instance.  Most people probably have a map and a compass included in their bug-out-bag and can probably read a map fairly well but do you know how to give someone actual grid coordinates to your location using only a map and compass?  What about food?  Eventually all the food you brought with you will run out and you will be forced to find other means of nourishment.  No matter where you live there will be plenty of plants that you can use for food and medicine and probably and equal amount that can kill you.  Do you know which plants in your area are usable and which ones to stay away from? 

Do you have a plan for where you are going in the event of a zombie apocalypse or any disaster really?  I do and I'm sure most people do but what I didn't take under consideration is how my plan relates to the situation.  You should have multiple plans for different situations and know all these plans inside out in case you have to implement them at a moments notice..

If I had to take one thing away from this class it would be to have a positive mental attitude.  Finding something positive about everything you do can make the wost situations seem not so bad and you are always at your best performance moral is high.

Thank you Si and the Cary REI store for and awesome class.

http://www.rei.com/stores/cary.html

Walking Dead Review: Killer Within

Man oh man, S3E4 of The Walking Dead was one for the books.  Not only did we lose one, but two main characters that have been with us since the beginning.  Glen Mazzara is definitely keeping it moving this season and no one is safe.


Lets take a look at the first one to punch out for the last time, T-Dog.  When I found out a main character was getting killed off in this episode I immediately thought it would be T-Dog.  This guy was definitely behind the scenes since the show started.  He might get one or two lines per episode and that's if he even has any air time.  At first, when I found out season 3 was going to be in the prison, I thought maybe T-Dog was going to play a more dominant and "bad ass" role kind of like Tyreese from The Walking Dead graphic novel.  Perhaps they are saving that for the x-convict, Oscar.

Even though T-Dog didn't have much of a role I was glad they made him go out like a champ.  The selfless act of sacrificing himself to save Carol was just right touch to portray him as the hero of the episode and get him a bunch of last minute fans.  The twitter feed was blowing up with positive comments about T-Dog and whether or not you liked him you have to admit, you were sad to see him go.

The second one to exit the show was Lori Grimes.  I have to say, this was a pleasant surprise.  I never would have guessed they were going to off Lori with so much unfinished business between her and Rick.  At least they let her go out with a little dignity. giving her life for her unborn child and all.  I think deep down she knew she was never survive the pregnancy anyway.

If by some off chance you were a Lori fan then there might be some good news for you.  We never actually did see if Carl had the guts to shoot his own mom in the head.  Who knows, we may get to see zombie Lori walking around... wondering... where's Carl?

Military Prepares For Zombie Apocalypse!

Just a month after the Department of Homeland Security urged citizens to prepare for a zombie apocalypse as part of their emergency/disaster preparedness campaign, Halo Corp. announces that they are putting together a zombie apocalypse training event for roughly 1000 Marines, law enforcement, and medical personnel. The event will be on October 31th at Paradise Point Resort in San Diego. 
Do I think the zombies are coming?... probably not.  This training exercise is suppose to prepare the participants for any kind of biological, natural, or terrorist threat.  The theory is that if you are prepared for a zombie attack, the same preparations will help during a hurricane, pandemic, earthquake, or terrorist attack.  I don't know about you guys but I don't think bullets work to well against hurricanes, but them seem to work really well on zombie heads.  The CDC had this same plan to prepare the public for such disasters back in May 2011 with their Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse.

http://www.app.com/viewart/20121028/NJNEWS18/310280048/Marines-police-prepare-mock-zombie-apocalypse?odyssey=nav%7Chead

http://blogs.cdc.gov/publichealthmatters/2011/05/preparedness-101-zombie-apocalypse/