As I am writing this I just want to point out I’m a bit overwhelmed at the amount of zombie news out there. A good majority of it is on The Walking Dead, and iphone games. As I have recently signed up for Google alerts to help my searches for zombie content, I am now laterally filtering through hundreds of articles a week to bring you the best articles related to zombies. So I wanted to give you a heads up of what to expect from the current events segments from now on.
First, you will not be seeing news about movies, TV shows, or video games on a regular basis. I will occasionally post a blurb or two about these things if something really important or cool is going on. For instance if a release date for a highly anticipated game is announced, I’ll mention it. Or if zombies are used in a show that has nothing to do with zombies, it might get attention. Or if it’s a really slow zombie week, you may see some news about these items. But as I’m going to try to bring in references to zombies in more news worthy matters I will automatically filter out the 30 or so articles about the obscure iphone game coming out tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after. The fact of it is that these stories are too common for me to report on all of them. As it is I have spent over five hours sifting through content and I expect to be writing this for the next three hours at least.
Second, user submitted content will get precedence over searched content. That means if someone brings to my attention the zombie walk they are having next week, I’ll report it before I report about the zombie walk I read about in my searches, even if my zombie walk was bigger. This is incentive for you the readers to get interactive with me. Leave comments or email me at penguinprince@grimcrew.com if you have any articles you would like to see.
Third, due to the sheer number of articles I will be going over, if I will limit the blog to the 10 most important articles I have found. If I get more than 10 articles that are news worthy, I will link to them by my Twitter, or by the Dead Future Facebook, or Google + pages. So make sure you are checking out our social media pages for updates you might otherwise miss.
Now on to the news.
Researchers are now actively searching for a way to create zombie ants. Yea that’s right, stock up on that shotgun ammunition because it looks like researchers at the University of Texas are looking for a way to make fire ants abandon their colonies to reduce their populations. To do this they are studying the way parasitic flies interact with the ants. The ants themselves are not indigenous to the area, so they don’t have natural predators. By introducing another non-indigenous fly that uses the ants for breading purposes they hope to quell the population. The flies plant eggs on the ants, and when the eggs hatch into a maggot, the maggot works its way into the ant head. The ant then leaves the colony as a result of the maggot’s influence. After a while the maggot will kill the ant by releasing chemicals that decapitate the ant.
The researchers have also found out that due to the threat from the flies, the ants spend more time hiding than foraging for food, which could also help reduce the population. They also hope that the flies will introduce diseases to the ants that otherwise they could not contract.
I say you are playing with fire by introducing yet another non-indigenous species to the mix, but what do I know right? At least they are not genetically altering the ants or flies. Using a natural means of population control is far better, but this is still a story to keep an eye on. Original source: http://www.readthehorn.com/news/52251/ut_study_to_reduce_fire_ant_population_by_creating_zombie_ants
A judge has dismissed a case where a Muslim man attacked another man dressed as a zombified version of the Prophet Muhammad. The attacker was not from the US and evidently was under the impression that depicting the prophet was illegal. The zombie was a member of the Parading Atheists of Central Pennsylvania and was walking along side a zombie Pope, who was not harmed during the attack. The judge has dismissed the case because he felt that there wasn’t enough evidence to convict the alleged attacker, despite video evidence. Original Source: http://dailycaller.com/2012/02/24/judge-dismisses-charges-against-muslim-man-who-attacked-atheist-dressed-as-zombie-muhammad/
In another case of zombies in court, you may remember me reporting about a protester in Pennsylvania who was arrested under charges of trespassing while wearing zombie makeup and protesting Black Friday at a mall. Well her case has finally been seen by a judge who has dismissed her case stating lack of evidence as well. Case law was in support of the defense as previous cases that went to the Supreme Court supported the defenses position. Also brought into question was the mall’s Halloween event that also had people with “obscured faces” who weren’t arrested. Original Source: http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2012/02/judge_dismisses_charge_against.html
A zombie walk was recently held in Sydney Australia last Saturday to raise funds for the Brain Foundation of Australia. Hundreds of zombies participated in the 2.5 kms walk to support the research done to help people with brain disorders. What may make the event memorable was that at the same time a wine festival was being held. Nothing says class like a drunken pirate zombie. Visit the original source for pictures of the event. Original Source: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/320181
In London England, the website Living Social has had some fun with zombies. Hundreds of customers and pedestrians were witness to the clever advertising campaign which was made to bring awareness to the unique opportunities that Living Social has to offer. Zombies roamed around parts of London interacting with customers and providing an effective advertising campaign for the website. Original Source : http://www.dailydealmedia.com/642livingsocial-zombies-are-dead-and-loving-the-streets-of-uk/
At New York State University, students are holding a zombie survival lecture series. Our Original Source tells us that the campus police got into the most recent lecture discussing the importance of using your brain in dangerous situations. Similarities between zombies and people participating in various legal activities were made, stating that both parties will be distracted, and you can use those distractions to your advantage. Emphasis was also put on finding alternative weapons to deal with zombies, as firearms are illegal on the campus. Original Source: http://www.bupipedream.com/news/8293/officer-speaks-zombie-concerns/
In a strange twist of events, CD sales are on the rise for a deceased musician who was recently impersonated by someone who claimed that instead of being dead, that they have been living with zombies for the last two years. New interest in the work of Khulekani “Mgqumeni” Khumalo has spread as the event has brought a resurgence of interest in the late artist’s work. According to retailers, they can’t keep his cd’s in stock. Original Source: http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/kwazulu-natal/cd-sales-soar-in-zombie-uproar-1.1242622
Utah State University recently had some fun with the undead when Professor Jim Powell issued his presentation entitled “Mathematics and the Life-Impaired: How the Theory of Disease Predicts the Zombie Apocalypse.” The speech mainly was focused on vaccinations, and how mathematicians can predict viral epidemics. Who said zombies were brainless? Original Source: http://www.cachevalleydaily.com/news/local/Zombies-to-invade-USU-for-Science-Unwrapped-140320663.html
The Florida Gainesville Police Department has started using zombies in a campaign to help students and residence become smarter about crimes of opportunity. In a attempt to promote awareness about safe practices, the campaign replaces criminals for zombies. Using posters and commercials the police department hope to cut down on crimes of opportunity by telling people to lock their doors, hide their valuables, and use locks on parked bikes. You can see the commercials created by visiting the original source. Original Source: http://www.gainesville.com/article/20120221/ARTICLES/120229936/1002/news?Title=Zombie-alert-A-tasty-no-brainer-for-fighting-crime&tc=ar
Finally, we have more evidence of the Star Wars universe containing zombies. In a recent episode of The Clone Wars, the Nightsisters resurrect an army of the undead to help defend themselves against Grievous and his army of battle droids. The website i09 has a clip from the show if you are interested in seeing the epic fight. Original Source: http://io9.com/5888203/optimus-prime-joins-the-decepticons-and-zombie-nightsisters-fight-grievous-on-clone-wars
That’s all for the zombie news of the week. Don’t forget that if you find a zombie current event you would like to share, email me at penguinprince@grimcrew.com. You can also follow Dead Future on Facebook and Google +. You can also follow me on Twitter and Google +.
Till Fate brings our Future…
Penguin Prince.
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What do you guys think about the 10 story limit? Too much? Not enough? Where do you want to see the links to the rest of the stories? Let me know with a comment!