Social Media: Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse

This is no joke everyone... This is a serious article that was published on a government website. This either means that the government is warning us about something that they fucked up on or they are working on something that may cause such an epidemic, you decide.

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

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 Evil), 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.

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

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.

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

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).

For more information regarding this article visit the link in the source below.

Source: (CDC)

Wrestler Randy Savage, known to fans as "Macho Man," died in a car accident in Tampa, Fla., on Friday, according to news reports.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Savage, 58, was driving his Jeep Wrangler when he veered across a concrete median, through oncoming traffic, and "collided head-on with a tree." He was transported to Largo Medical Center, where he died. Savage's wife of one year, Lynn, was a passenger but sustained only minor injuries, according to TMZ.

Fox News reported that Savage suffered a heart attack prior to the accident.

Savage's brother, Lanny Poffo told TMZ that the wrestler suffered a heart attack while he was driving and then lost control of the vehicle.

Savage joined the World Wrestling Federation in 1985.

The Monroe County District Attorney has determined four Tomah police officers acted appropriately last month when they killed a man who shot at them during a traffic stop. District Attorney Dan Cary said Tuesday the officers acted with “tremendous courage in the face of life-threatening gunfire” April 22 when they fatally shot 28-year-old Seth M. McCloskey of Ohio.

On administrative leave since the shooting, the officers have been cleared to return to work as early as Thursday.

McCloskey was a suspect in an earlier drive-by shooting in Tomah in which no one was hurt. Police have said he may be linked to as many as 10 other seemingly random drive-by shootings across Wisconsin and Illinois.

Authorities held a press conference Tuesday where they released squad car video footage of the Tomah shooting that shows McCloskey calmly exit his truck, point a handgun directly at police and open fire moments after being pulled over on Saratoga Street.

The video then shows McCloskey trying to climb back into his truck, which was rolling because he had not put it in park, as police shoot back. The slow-moving pickup strikes a nearby utility pole, and McCloskey’s hat flies into the air in a hail of gunfire. His head falls limp, and the truck’s accelerator echoes through the neighborhood.

Tomah Police Chief Wes Revels said McCloskey’s autopsy shows he died from police gunfire.

“Seth McCloskey intended to take the lives of police officers,” Revels said. “I believe that because of the officers’ actions at the location of the traffic stop, they saved the life of a police officer somewhere at sometime.”

Officials found extra ammunition in McCloskey’s truck. The pickup had been stolen in Wyoming, and police do not know why he was in Tomah or how long he was there.

“He had been traveling through multiple states,” said Jed Sperry, a Wisconsin Department of Justice special agent in charge of the Division of Criminal Investigation. “From what we’ve been able to find, there is no local ties.”

Officers tracked down McCloskey after an investigation into the drive-by shooting led them to two local auto repair shops and a bar. Police said a patron there warned McCloskey that officers were looking for him.

The Justice Department is still analyzing autopsy results and investigating whether McCloskey had been drinking before the shooting.

Investigators determined McCloskey fired two shots at Officer Josh Kenworthy, two shots at Sgt. Scott Holum and one more at Kenworthy, who was wounded in the foot.

Kenworthy said Tuesday he didn’t realize his left foot was shot until after the firing stopped. When he looked down, he could see the exit hole in his boot. The bullet went through the big toe, and he lost the tip of his third toe.

His doctors predict he could return to work in 12 weeks.

“I’m getting kind of stir crazy,” he said. “I’m not used to hanging around my house that long. I can’t wait to come back to work and go back to moving around without crutches.”

Meanwhile, police will continue to investigate whether McCloskey was involved in a series of recent similar shootings reported in Tomah, Janesville, Albion Township in Dane County and in communities near Rockford, Ill.

But Tuesday in Tomah one thing was clear, Sperry said. “This person was set on doing this. He was an evil person. ... The officers were heroes here.”

Be safe.

"Tyrtl"

North American PlayStation Network customers will get free game downloads and video rentals as a "welcome back" following a massive outage and data breach caused by a cyber attack.

The company said network members will be able to download two PlayStation 3 or PlayStation Portable games for free from a select list during the 30 days after the PlayStation Store comes back online.

Sony began restoring services to its Playstation Network on Sunday after nearly 3 weeks offline. Sony’s PlayStation Network was nearly 100 percent operational on Monday after weeks of downtime, but the restoration was not without its own problems.

By Monday services were restored across all of the United States and most of the rest of the world with Japan being the glaring exception.

Japanese representatives refused to let the company fire up its network there until it could prove that it had adequate security in place.

Media and Content Industry department at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, demanded two things.

"The first is preventative measures. As of May 13, Sony was incomplete in exercising measures that they said they will do on the May 1 press conference," Kazushige Nobutani, the ministry director said.

The second was in how Sony hoped to regain consumer confidence over personal data such as credit card information.

Aside from problems at home, Sony also faced hurdles getting the network back up in the rest of the world.  The Japanese based company said late Saturday that services would be back up on Sunday following a region-by-region roll out. But servers crashed during the process and users quickly took to Twitter.

"The PSN was back for like an hour, and now it's gone. How does that work," wondered Twitter user sebsub2272.

Representatives from Sony were quick to respond, asking customers to remain patient as they facing an unprecedented amount of demand.

"Please bear with us as we continue working on the PSN restoration. We are experiencing extremely heavy traffic," Sony said across its PlayStation EU twitter feed.

The hiccups were the latest hurdle that Sony is facing as it attempts to get its beleaguered PlayStation Network back online, but they pale in comparison to the complete blackout of the last 2 weeks.

Saturday night Sony No. 2 Kazuo Hirai offered his "sincere" apologies to customs that have been without service, and explained t hat a number of security measures needed to be installed after last month's devastating hacker attack.

"While we understand the importance of getting our services back online, we did not rush to do so at the expense of extensively and aggressively testing our enhanced security measures," Hirai said.

The executive explained that Sony had put in place upgraded systems including”advanced security technology," increased levels of encryption, firewall and early warning system.

The company would start bringing back its gaming network this Sunday, on a country-by-country basis, and expects it to be completed by May 31.

Among the 100 million user accounts, Sony said about 92 million can access the limited PlayStation network service.

Respect...

"tyrtl"

The Philippines has long been known as a Mecca of professional fighting, and next month, the country's millions of MMA fans will be in for a treat, courtesy of Pacific X-Treme Combat (PXC). On June 11, the highly-respectable Guam-based fight promotion that has made a name for itself as both a breeding ground for future stars as well as a showcase for established talent will promote and broadcast the first ever "PXC Philippines" event at Resorts World Manila.

The event will feature fighters from the United States, Brazil, Korea, Guam and the Philippines, including three skilled fighters from the world famous American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida coached by renowned Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Red Belt Master Ricardo Liborio, a long time supporter of PXC. The night's card will be headlined by a fight PXC fans have been eagerly anticipating: a heavyweight title rematch between champion Roque Martinez and Kelvin Fitial. The two warriors first squared off in January at PXC 22, and after five brutal rounds of stand-up action, the fight was declared a controversial draw. When the men square off again in Manila, it's unlikely either fighter will leave outcome in the hands of the judges. "It will be interesting to see if these two guys change up their game plans or if they will choose to go toe to toe again," said PXC matchmaker Eli Monge.

PXC has teamed up with TV5, the Philippines' fastest-growing television network, as its broadcast partner in the event. "TV5 is exactly what we are looking for and exactly like us - aggressive, young and excited about producing mixed-martial arts events and expanding the sport in the region," said PXC promoter and general manager EJ Calvo. "We selected them as our partner in the Philippines because of their position in the market and focus on sports. We have exciting plans for growth in 2011 and confident the PXC will be huge in the Philippines, and will be viewed by millions."

The June 11 event in Manila will be the promotion's 24th professional offering. Since breaking onto the MMA scene in 2004, PXC has been the driving force of MMA in Guam and the Micronesian region, creating an international stage for world-class athletes from several countries and launching the professional careers of several MMA fighters, including Tyson Griffin, Rich Clementi, and Eben Kaneshiro. Other fighters who have done battle inside the PXC Cage include UFC veterans Dan Severn, Jeremy Horn, and Roy Nelson.
"The PXC will send a Philippine fighter to the UFC before the PBA sends a basketball player to the NBA -- that is our mission," said Calvo, adding, "the outfit's secret to success has been its ability to recruit, develop and showcase the best fighters in the region."

Source: (PRWEB)

I was doing some research on the Playstation Network being down and came across some information about “Modern Warfare 3”. There is a lot of information regarding what the storyline will be, but for now I will consider all of it to be speculation until Activision conducts the reveal. Here is the article I found regarding the information I found:

There's no official word from Activision yet, but according to the Kotaku story the next Call of Duty game will be called Modern Warfare 3 and jointly developed by Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer Games and Raven Software. The release date will be November 8, 2011.

The single-player story will start directly after the events of Modern Warfare 2. The villain Vladimir Makarov and heroes "Soap" MacTavish and John Price return in 15 stages set across the world, including New York City, Dubai and Paris.

The Spec Ops co-operative mode from Modern Warfare 2 will return, as well as survival maps that sound similar to Gears of War's horde mode or Call of Duty: World at War's zombie mode. The competitive multiplayer mode will feature around 20 maps.

I’m sure that more information should be released sometime in early June during the E3 convention in Los Angeles. As more information is made available I will let you all know.

Source: (KOTAKU)

Shoot!!

"Tyrtl"

Above is footage taken at the Annual Fighters Summit by Tito Ortiz and Matt Mitrione.

This week in Las Vegas, Zuffa, LLC gathered the world’s greatest fighters under one roof to conduct their annual Fighter Summit. Apparently, weight classes don’t apply when mixed martial artists collide in classrooms.

Shortly after one of Wednesday’s session wrapped, former UFC light heavyweight champ Tito Ortiz and heavyweight Matt Mitrione were involved in a minor altercation. Thankfully for fight fans, Roy Nelson was on hand to capture the footage (That is indeed “Big Country’s” mullet in the picture above, courtesy of Chad Mendes). LOL!!

As Strikeforce commentator Gus Johnson once unforgettably said, “Sometimes these things happen in MMA, a lot of testosterone in the [hotel].”

“That’s @titoortiz sitting front row. I haven’t had the opportunity to meet him yet!” Mitrione tweeted earlier in the day.

Their beef started when Mitrione appeared on ‘The MMA Hour’ in March. “Meathead” suggested Ortiz would likely pull out of his UFC 132 scrap against Ryan Bader and have girlfriend Jenna Jameson step in for him.

“We all know that Tito is going to give some type of excuse and back out, so Jenna is gonna have to step in and fight Bader for Tito’s honor,” Mitrione stated. “But Bader, be really carefully because this is a trap fight. We all know that she’s awesome off her back and that she’s got phenomenal top control, but remember that she doesn’t choke easily.”

Jameson has a set of twin boys with Ortiz. She retired from the adult entertainment industry in 2008.

Source: (5th Round)

For what it's worth Tito I think Jenna is a hot woman and I think that Matt might just be jealous.

Respect

"Tyrtl"

The PlayStation Network has been down for nearly three weeks now, and despite previous reports, it doesn’t look to be back any time soon. Sony is currently assessing the extent of the damage and testing new security measures, but it could be as late as May 31 before regular service is restored, according to current reports.

In the meantime, people are pissed. Gamers are upset, naturally, at the loss of online gaming services, but game companies are in an even worse spot. Capcom senior VP Christian “Sven” Svensson responded to a post on the Capcom-Unity forums stating he was “frustrated and upset.”

“As an executive responsible for running a business, the resulting outage obviously costing us hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars in revenue that were planned for within our budget,” Svensson said. “These are funds we rely on to bring new games to market for our fans.”

Game publisher Bethesda is in a similar bind, as their multiplayer-based FPS Brink launches tomorrow, a game intended to be played entirely online. The game still functions without a network connection, but only thrives when played with other humans rather than computer-controlled bots.

While these are legitimate concerns, lets not forget the significant data breach and compromise of personal data that caused the outage in the first place. Nobuo Kurahashi, an analyst for Mizuho Investors Securites estimated the data-breach to be costing Sony something in the vicinity of $1.25 billion in lost business so far. The company’s shares have plummeted 6 percent so far, with long term repercussions still being assessed.

The main question remaining revolves around the responsibility for the attack. Sony has claimed hacker-collective Anonymous is behind the breach, but Anonymous has systematically denied any involvement in the PSN attacks. Anonymous originally took credit for their “OpSony” which was aimed at attacking Sony’s corporate websites in retaliation for Sony’s actions against PS3 hacker George “GeoHotz” Hotz, but they say is entirely unrelated to the PSN data breach and outage.

Souce: (Paste Magazine.com)

As always, Sony says they will share more information as it becomes available, but with the downtime stretching longer and longer—well, let’s just say I’m starting to think about purchasing an XBOX….. What do you think??

SH-shoot!

"Tyrtl"