Meadowlands Zombie Walk

While I'm typically nonplussed about zombie walks -- I really don't get the point though I know a lot of haunters enjoy them -- the Meadowlands State Fair will be hosting one this Friday, June 29, from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. (that's a lot of shambling to do).

While you're free to zombify yourself, they will have makeup artists on hand to do the job for you for a fee: basic zombie is $15, deluxe $20, and extreme $25. Of course, since it's going to be held at night how much is anyone going to see the makeup anyway. Can this be good?

But it goes to show how popular zombies  have become today and now permeate our society. While I might not be into zombie walks, I do appreciate anything that helps spread the virus.

Die & Save the Environment

Banana Leaf Casket

You've likely heard about the environmental movement's drive to reduce your "carbon footprint," but now there's a company that wants to help you reduce your "final footprint." The company, which goes by the same name, manufactures eco-friendly caskets made out of rattan, willow, bamboo, sea grass, banana leaf, and wood.

According to Final Footprint, there is enough steel buried each year to rebuild the Golden Gate Bridge and enough concrete to construct a highway from New York City to Detroit. They're also quite expensive, running upwards of several thousand dollars each. Final Footprint's so-called "e-coffins" cost only around $1,000.

While you might be tempted to think cremation is a more environmentally friendly means of disposing of one's remains, Final Footprint says a single body requires up to 356 cubic feet of natural gas because humans are mostly water and produces 1.6–8.5 grams of toxic mercury (from dental fillings). If nothing else, these green coffins will certainly help you return to a natural state -- as in "dust to dust" -- faster than their steel cousins, which the coffin maker says is the only real purpose of a metal casket: to prevent decomposition faster.

Wicker coffins are certainly a greener alternative, but hardly the stuff nightmares are made of.

Bamboo

Rattan

Seagrass

Wood

Fabric

Zombie Max

It's been a heckuva week for zombies. There's been an outbreak of cannibalism all across the country with people threatening to chew off a hunk of flesh, attempting to, and in several cases actually doing so. The so-called "zombie attack" in Miami has only been the most publicized.

But we now have a weapon. Ammunition maker Hornady Manufacturing has available Zombie Max bullets that are available in .380 ca. auto, 9 mm, .40 ca. Smith & Wesson, and .45 ca. auto. From the Cabela's website where you can buy a box of 20 rounds for less than $20, the green tipped bullets even come with tips for surviving the zombie apocalypse:

Lock ’n load with Zombie Max. From Hornady’s Z-Max "Zombie" green-tip bullets to the "zombie-apocalypse survival tips" on the box, this ammo is sure to start fun conversations. Even better, its top-quality Hornady components ensure accuracy and smooth cycling through semiautomatic firearms.

Now you can be prepared for the end of the world in real shoot-'em up style!

More Signs of the Apocalypse

As bizarre and disturbing as the zombie attack in Miami was the other day, it's not as isolated an incident as you might suspect. The Daily Beast has put together a map showing there has been a rash of attacks that are happening around the country. Actually, it seems concentrated along the East Coast at the moment.

By the way, in case you haven't seen it before, that's purportedly the face of the zombie attack victim Ronald Poppo.

If you go to the article, the actual map is hyperlinked and you can read about the actual incidents. However, they have left off a couple (when the apocalypse starts spreading, these things can increase exponentially) such as the case in Hackensack, NJ, where a man threw his intestines at police (even Time calls it a Zombie alert?!).

[EDIT: I see the map has been updated to include the Hackensack attack now.]

I do note that it was pointed out by an acquaintance it may not be a zombie outbreak we're experiencing, but in fact is a Wendigo that has been loosed upon us.

According to the esteemed Wikipedia, a Wendigo "is a mythical creature appearing in the mythology of the Algonquian people. It is a malevolent cannibalistic spirit into which humans could transform, or which could possess humans."

Although it could very well be two sides of the same coin -- popular culture may have missed that zombies are not necessarily only the dead coming back to life, but rather is a mass possession of humanity by a Wendigo -- it would appear there is some wickedness afoot, and rather suddenly too.