Tag Archives: information
Yosemite hantavirus warnings extend to Britain
The Health Protection Agency said in a statement Monday that officials were “providing health advice and information … about the ongoing situation in the U.S.” to about 100 people believed to have traveled to the national park between June 10 and Aug. 24.
The organization said it was also working with the U.S. and European centers for disease control and prevention in responding to the outbreak.
Six cases of the rare, rodent-borne disease have been linked to the park, two of which were fatal. Park officials have traced five of the cases to the “signature tent cabins” in Curry Village, one of the Yosemite’s most popular campgrounds, and said a design flaw allowed mice to get inside the walls of the insulated cabins.
Spread through urine, droppings or saliva of infected rodents, hantavirus takes between one and six weeks before causing symptoms in humans, officials said. The disease is generally transmitted when people come in contact with an enclosed area that has been infested by mice.
The disease is rare — 587 cases were diagnosed nationwide from 1993 and 2011, of which about one-third were fatal, according to the CDC.
But the cases at Yosemite are perhaps even more rare. Both park officials and public health authorities said they had not heard of more than one case of the disease in the same location within a year.
News of the outbreak has rattled recent visitors. Rangers have fielded thousands of calls from concerned travelers, and a spokeswoman with the concessionaire that handles park lodging said there was a 20% cancellation rate on a usually sold-out Labor Day weekend.
8 Tips For Surviving A Zombie Apocalypse
Here at What Culture we consider ourselves to be experts in many different things. Sure we have massive brains filled with the latest gaming news, movie tidbits and comic book geekery but did you know that we’re also the leading experts on surviving a zombie apocalypse? Darn tooting we are! In fact, if the Government called upon us to protect you lovely people from having your brains eaten by your dead grandma we’d know exactly what to do. So it seems only fair that we share this information with you – our dear readers – just in case we’re a bit busy helping the Governments of the world sort out their living dead problems.
So let’s begin with the basics.
1. How Likely is A Zombie Outbreak
According to the BBC, researchers in Canada concluded that unless a Zombie outbreak was dealt with quickly and aggressively it would in fact lead to the downfall of civilisation. You see, people have actually been funded to look into this kind of ‘eventuallity’ under the pretence that the idea of an outbreak of Zombieism works in much the same way as any other alien infection and thus the research can help prepare for such a real life scenario. Personally we think this is all part of the Government’s attempts to keep Joe Public in the dark. Research is being undertaken to prepare for Zombies, like it or not.
If you’re still unsure about the reality of Zombies then just take a look at nature and you’ll see that such infections already exist within the animal world. Take Toxoplasmosa Gondii for example. It lives inside the body of the common Rat, but the only place it can bread is inside the intestines of a Cat so it takes over the brain of Mr Rat and makes him get himself eaten. The parasite actually programmes the Rat, much like a similar parasite could programme the human brain. In fact over half the world’s population is infected by this little bugger already. What if it were to evolve? Scary thought, hu?
Need more examples? How about Haiti, home of the term Zombie. People there were infected with an acute neurotoxin that actually wiped the memories of the victims, left them in a barely conscious state and caused them to shuffle around performing basic daily tasks such as eating. There are books and documentaries on this – and we don’t mean ones called Zombie Flesheaters. And if you’re STILL not convinced then have a look at the symptoms of Mad Cow’s Disease – muscle spasms, dementia, rage, changes in gait – it’s all there in black and white for the sceptics out there. All that’s keeping us safe at the moment is the fact that none of the aforementioned causes have taken hold … yet.
2. Know Your Zombies
Like with most things there are different types of Zombie. As we haven’t been face to face with any as of yet it’s safe to assume that any of the weird shit you’ve seen on TV or in a video game could actually be true. However, tradition dictates a certain type of Zombie – at least in the first instance. Who knows if they can evolve or adapt over time?
Here’s what we do know:
1. Zombies can be both the reanimated corpses of the already dead OR any living thing that has been bitten and thus transformed.
2. Zombies are slow. Any notion that they may be able to run should be disregarded. Sure, if you’ve just been turned then you may have use of your full leg muscles a while but rigor mortis reaches maximum stiffness after 12 hours, so beyond that we should assume the creature cannot run.
3. The brain of a Zombie is not entirely dead. It continues to operate at 0.5%. No Zombie will ever win a pub quiz then – but they are brighter than most of the people who go on Jeremy Kyle’s TV show.
4. The primary weapons of a Zombie are it’s hands/claws and it’s teeth. You’re not likely to change sides if you get scratched but a bite will damn sure bring about a sudden case of death. Well, more like a slow agonising case actually.
5. The original cause of a Zombie plague grossly affects how us humans can be turned. For example, if the cause is airborne then you might become a Zombie just by breathing. Likewise the original Zombies may just be reanimated corpses and you could be turned by a bite – the transference of saliva which carries a parasite etc. Or in some cases you may already be carrying whatever it is that turns you (like in The Walking Dead) and when you die you will become a member of the undead without ever coming into contact with one. Let’s just hope that if/when Zombies walk the Earth the only way for you to be turned is by a bite. At least that gives you more of a fighting chance at survival.
ZOMBIE SURVIVAL – When the Food Runs Out
Survival food storage is becoming a major concern for Americans, mainly due to the vulnerability of the food supply. According to a recent online article from Absolute Rights, there is now a go-to source for the most valuable emergency food preparation information available anywhere.
“When the Food Runs Out: How to Choose and Store the Goods You’ll Need in a Crisis Situation” is the latest Special Report from the experts at Absolute Rights. The article said it is giving people the power and confidence to successfully prepare the food, water, and other essential items they’ll need in any disaster.
Absolute Rights knows that a major food supply disruption is only a few small steps away from happening. When it does, the article said the store shelves will empty faster than a vampire bar at dawn.
Written by uber-survivalist Wallace Streete, “When the Food Runs Out” is putting the capability of total preparedness into the hands of anyone with the motivation to protect themselves and their loved ones.
Nobody is paying close enough attention to the impending disasters, said the article, but the Special Report brings them into the spotlight. A number of drastic catastrophes could arise, rendering the modern food system useless.
One way to make sure the plethora of disaster incidents don’t interfere with the health and safety of yourself and loved ones is to start to plan for the most important items needed, said the article. That’s what “When the Food Runs Out” does for you, as well as providing useful calculators, lists, and suggestions.
From our trust in modern society’s fancy systems, the article said we’ve forgotten the lessons of simpler times and millions of Americans are completely unprepared for what’s coming.
The article said the good news is that those who are prepared will survive this. But the bad news is that the disruption could be long enough that people will needlessly starve to death before the food network is brought back on line.
People may have items set aside, but they could be missing out on the most vital survival supplies, including enough food and water, to get them through any disaster’s recovery period.
Absolute Rights informs patriotic Americans on their given rights, plus helps protect those rights from government or disaster intrusion. Most importantly, it prides itself on alerting people when their rights are being threatened, creating an active and informed community. For more information, be sure to visit AbsoluteRights.com.
That’s why “When the Food Runs Out” is being released to the public. The article said the experts at Absolute Rights hope it will reach most everyone in time before real threats to the survival of mankind happen.
SURVIVAL TRAINING – MAKING FIRE
Just cause you can shoot a gun and rummage for food.doesn’t man you can survive…We have decided to start a series on survival since you have to do more to survive then just shoot zombies
MAKING FIRE FOR WARMTH, PROTECTION, AND COOKING
There are three ways to start a fire without the help of matches. Each can be effective, and all take lots of practice, but they’re actually pretty fun to learn.
Remember: Even in a survival situation, try to avoid harming the environment when building your fire. Look for a spot from which a fire could not spread and where the surrounding area would not be damaged.
5 Things to Know About Zombies
The Bridgewater Township Library is holding its Zombie Party Thursday at 6 p.m. for grades six through 12, as everyone will be invited to see if they have what it takes to survive the Zombie Apocalypse. The party will include Zombie Trivia, Humans vs. Zombies tag and much more. So in honor of this exciting evening, we present five things to know about zombies.
Information from trivology.com.
- Completely Undead—Zombies are fictional characters that are brought back to life after death. Once back, they are said to feed on human flesh. They come back to life through some kind of magic.
- Programmed Robot—Supposedly, zombies are not conscious of having been brought back to life, and they act like robots with no other objectives.
- Long Popularity—Zombies have been popular in European and American cinema since the 19th century.
- Really Scary—Zombies are considered to be very scary villians in cinema because they are not afraid of anything. They also tend to pop up randomly in films, frightening those around them.
- Spread by Bite—Normally in films, if a zombie bites another human just once, that person will become a zombie too.