virus – Looking to God

Zombie Apocalypse: Revisited

Posted on December 14, 2015December 13, 2015 by Jack Flacco

I’ve always wondered if a zombie apocalypse were to take place now, where would it hit first?

You know, I’ve thought about this question. It’s not one of those precious topics floating around lunchrooms across America. Like, how many Twitter followers does Lady Gaga have? Does Justin Bieber like chocolate chip ice cream? What will Katy Perry choose as her next hair color? Or some other mind-numbing question like that. No, since I began my study into zombie propagation methods, I’ve pondered on possible contagion locations.

According to zombie folklore, zombies become zombies when a virus infects and kills a victim. The victim rises from the dead as a zombie and carries on the cycle of infection by biting other victims. That is, if there’s anything left of the victims after the zombie attacks. Zombies are known to have a voracious appetite for human flesh and will do anything to consume as much of it as possible.

Which begs the question I asked earlier: Where in the world would a zombie apocalypse have a greater chance of beginning?

Let’s use some logic and think about this for a moment. It would be fair to assume a typical zombie virus falls under the category of designer viruses engineered to deliver its payload to as many victims as possible. Obviously, no one in their right mind would volunteer to release such a virus into the population, therefore, should it happen, it would happen by accident.

Okay, how about location? For a virus of this magnitude to cause such devastation, the lab would have to be located near a huge population. Like a city. I did a quick search on Google for labs located near large populations and found one just outside a metropolis in a quaint suburb. Located across the street is a hotel.

Forgive me if I’m naïve, because sometimes I don’t get things right away. But if this lab should ever have a breach, isn’t it reasonable to say the hotel across the street would fall victim to the contagion first? Don’t hotels contain travelers? Travelers need airports. Aren’t airports in cities? If a whole city gets infected by these busy travelers, wouldn’t the likelihood of the contagion spreading to surrounding communities increase? And let’s not forget the infected flying out of the city. Where are they heading? Europe? Africa? China?

Now, let’s say, for the sake of argument, I’m wrong. Let’s say a zombie apocalypse starts in a rural community first. What are the chances of it stretching its legs beyond the borders of a small town? Do you think the military would allow it? I don’t know. Seems unlikely. The military’s response is quick when it comes to these types of situations. They’d have the location secured once they see zombies running around town trying to make meals of its residents. They’d then execute a containment protocol to prevent the spread from affecting outlining regions.

No, a zombie apocalypse wouldn’t survive in those conditions. The military would make sure of that. If it does happen, it’ll happen in a large urban area. As for my research, I’m not silly enough to reveal what I found online, although if you’re smart, you probably already figured out my Google search. You also know to which lab I’m referring.

Get the Ranger Martin trilogy now!

What do you think? Big city or small town? Do you have any other locations where a zombie apocalypse could start?

Monday Mayhem

Fire Sale

Posted on November 2, 2015November 6, 2015 by Jack Flacco

For my Monday Mayhem post, I’ve written a lot in the past about zombies, aliens and anything else, really, that could cause the downfall of humanity. In some respect, I’ve documented how the world left to its own devices could collapse.

For instance, an antibiotic-resistant virus could either appear from an accidental release from a lab, or spawn from a myriad of other origins. The last known incident took place a number of years ago when swine flu (H1N1) originated in a rural area in Mexico to make its way to the Americas. The other notable event happened in 2014 when the Ebola virus, a malady that causes the internal organs to liquefy, surged in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia to affect thousands of people. Surprisingly, an experimental drug just happened to be waiting in the wings to help Americans affected by the brutal condition.

Then there is the notion we are not alone. For years, scientists have sent all sorts of messages into space in the hope that another sentient civilization might respond to the greeting. Yet, should a alien presence exist, and should it be of higher intelligence than humans, can you blame it for not revealing itself, given the mess we humans have made of this world we call home?

In all this, a movie captures my greatest concern. How can a motion picture do this? The film has nothing to do with the environment, such as The Day After Tomorrow where the earth plunges into another ice age due to global warming. It also has nothing to do with a piece of entertainment where the earth becomes a launching pad for an escape due to a predicted destruction of the earth, such as depicted in the film 2012.

That stuff doesn’t frighten me.

What really scares me is the premise to the film Live Free or Die Hard where the idea of a fire sale comes to play. In financial circles, a fire sale is a liquidation of assets performed by creditors in order to pay off debt accumulated by a now-bankrupt company. In the film, hackers gain control of the stock market, public utilities and transportation system as a means to erase all of America’s wealth with one single click of a button. The same idea comes to play in the movie Sneakers where a little black box could in essence decrypt websites throughout the world yielding control to malevolent organizations wanting to usher the destruction of America.

Of course, the whole idea of “everything must go” is fiction, but it would be reasonable to say the opportunity exists that such a fictional scenario is possible. Look at what happened with the blackout of 2003. In August of that year, the entire eastern seaboard went dark for three days all due to a power surge that tripped relays designed to prevent such a thing from happening.

That was an accident.

Imagine if such a thing were to take place, but not because of it being an accident. As horrifying as it sounds, and given the fragility of an aging infrastructure holding our systems together, again I ask, what’s to say it’s not possible?

Get the Ranger Martin zombie trilogy now!

What do you think about an entire North American blackout? Do you think we can survive without power for a week?

Monday Mayhem

Why I Love Zombies

Posted on March 16, 2015March 20, 2015 by Jack Flacco

It’s spring break here in Canada, so I thought I’d give you a treat today. Rather than a laborious tome of sorts you have to work through, I’m going to give you something different to chew on (‘scuse the pun).

Toronto Zombie Walk 2014 [Photo credit: Igor Baranov, SolarWorksArt.com]

For today’s Monday Mayhem article, I’m going to scrawl a list of reasons why I think zombies are cool. A single list. No elaborate references. No major theories—although that would be cool, too.

Here we go:

There are fast zombies for some of us and there are slow zombies for some of us.
They’re Horror’s biological Terminators.
Once they see something they want, they never surrender pursuing it.
The genre is always changing.
A virus that can turn people into the undead is a pretty scary thing.
A shotgun is the weapon of choice for many zombie slayers.
Zombies make great crash test dummies.
Zombies can’t swim.
Zombies can’t fly either, unless you throw them off a cliff. But even then…
A Louisville Slugger, popcorn and a horde of zombies make for a fun evening staying in.
A lot of thought goes into pulling off a memorable zombie kill.
A narrow alley, a truck and a crowd of undead proves you don’t need a shotgun to kill them.
Sharks and zombies share many similarities.
Throwing a zombie from a plane still doesn’t prove they can fly.
Zombies vs. Skunks. I still say skunks would win.
They’ll keep pounding on the door no matter how many chairs you put in front of it.
They don’t take no for an answer.
Running up a tree doesn’t guarantee your safety. You’ll eventually have to come down.
If the undead is slow, you can outrun them in a field. Inside a building, you are dead.
A chain-linked fence provides a great deterrent against the undead.
A woman with a samurai sword rocks.
A woman with a shotgun rocks even harder.
A zombie bite does not make you a vampire.
Zombies never have to use a restroom.
They aren’t very smart even though they know how to open a door.
Much like wolves, the undead hunt in packs.
They have an acute sense of hearing.
Zombies don’t eat hamburger. Seriously, they don’t!

That’s all there is to it. These are the reasons I love zombies. Now it’s your turn.

[Thank you Igor Baranov for granting JackFlacco.com the use of your 2014 Toronto Zombie Walk photography for this article.]

RANGER MARTIN AND THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE, on sale now.
RANGER MARTIN AND THE ALIEN INVASION, on sale now.

Why do you love zombies?

Freedom Friday, Other Things

How to Sleep Well

Posted on February 20, 2015May 10, 2017 by Jack Flacco

Toss. Turn. Fluff the pillow. Covers. No covers. I’ve been there. Getting a good night’s sleep had been a goal of mine for a long time. It took me a long time to understand what a good night’s sleep involved. Once I found the secret—because really, that is what it is, a secret—I now gorge on the ZZZ’s.

For today’s Freedom Friday post, I’m going to talk about the most important productivity booster you will ever know—sleep.

It wasn’t too long ago when I suffered from insomnia. I have posts dedicated to the subject and my stories are legendary. For instance, there was a point four years ago that I was getting two hours of sleep a night. You may ask how on earth I could have functioned on so little sleep. It wasn’t easy. The condition had lasted for years culminating in the worst year of my life. I’d fallen ill three times that year, one major blow after another. This is from a guy who hadn’t gotten sick since 2005. Flus, fevers, coughs, colds—you name it, I had it.

The bright side to that year was finding a rhythm that worked for me, but not after many attempts and a few failures along the way.

This is how I do it.

Say Good Night—Interesting how the simple act of a goodnight kiss will prep the body to begin shutting down. For me, as soon as I begin my goodnight tour, my eyes begin to drift, my muscles relax and I find that I’m dragging my limbs upstairs instead of walking. This is all very well and fine, because it’s the body’s way of telling me it’s ready to hit the sack. And it all starts with saying goodnight.

Prepare the Sleeping Area—My ritual entails stripping the bed and making it over again, even if it’s done. Yes, I admit it is strange. But it’s my thing. It’s another step toward solid sleep. I remove the wrinkles. Tighten the sheets. Fluff the pillows and create a fold. I know, and I agree that it’s obsessive compulsive. You know what, though? Every time I get under the sheets, it feels great knowing I’ve made the bed minutes earlier. Call me strange.

Wash and Get Dressed—Hygiene is very important for a sound, restful sleep. Every night I brush my teeth, wash my face, comb my hair and go pee—and wash my hands again, of course. Then I slip into my PJs made of 100% cotton. The material is important because I find 100% cotton allows my skin to breathe. Try sleeping with polyester on your skin. Not a fun night Charlie Brown.

Downtime—Once I’ve taken care of the prerequisites, I’ll turn off all the lights except for the one on my nightstand. I’ll dim that one to its lowest setting. Next, I’ll pray, listen to music, read, perhaps play a game or two and slowly allow my eyes to close. Sometimes I won’t even have the chance to do anything. I’ll simply be ready for bed. The downtime provides my body to ease into its sleep cycle. It’s not about the activity, but about allowing your body to shut down naturally. For a long time I didn’t do this and found myself wide awake at two in the morning.

In Bed—Once I’ve completed the Twenty-Mile Marathon, I put everything away, tuck myself under the sheets and turn off the light. Seriously, within seconds I fall asleep and wake up every morning feeling refreshed and invigorated. The trick while sleeping is to never look at the clock. Eventually, the alarm will go off and you’ll bounce out of bed with all the energy you need to tackle the day’s events.

That’s all there is to it. Now you know me a little more than you had a few minutes ago.

Last piece of advise, if you’re looking to get a good night’s sleep: find your rhythm. It’ll take a while, but once you find it, your body will be happy you did.

RANGER MARTIN AND THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE, on sale now.
RANGER MARTIN AND THE ALIEN INVASION, on sale now.

Have you suffered from insomnia? What was your cure?

Monday Mayhem

Zombie Apocalypse: The Aftermath

Posted on December 1, 2014December 3, 2014 by Jack Flacco

I haven’t read many zombie books to know for certain, but I know my movies, and I would have to say I haven’t seen this issue explored—what would society be like after a zombie apocalypse? Zombie movies typically concentrate on the time when the undead take over the world. But, what of the aftermath? Society would need rebuilding.

Attribution: Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-J31347 / CC-BY-SA (This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Germany license.)

Today’s Monday Mayhem will explore what would society need to do to rise from the ashes of a zombie apocalypse. Of course this is all speculation, and for the most part, for entertainment value. However, I will assume some truth lies therein, and I’m rather opposed to revealing what that truth is. I’m sure you’ll figure it out—eventually.

First thing on the agenda? What to do with all the bodies of the undead once a cure for the zombie virus hits the streets? I will presume a zombie virus antidote will render the survivors immune to the virus and kill everything else undead. Even more so, let’s take that assumption to include zombie traps that would disperse the antidote to the undead masses like a net and relieve them of their zombiehood. So, again I ask. What will happen with all the dead zombie bodies?

Gas stations would need gas. If there is gas in gas stations then tractors can have gas in order for survivors to use the tractors to dig ditches. The survivors can then use the ditches to bury the dead bodies.

The other solution is to burn the dead bodies and bulldoze the ashes into the fields where former farmers could fertilize their crops. Morbid? Yes, but it’s a positive solution for a negative event.

Next, as it happened after World War II, a baby boom will take place. Those left will have nothing else to do but to procreate the next generation of survivors with the hope that generation will build a society void of the threat from the undead.

With all the children born, a number of things will need to happen if society wishes to survive another generation. Not necessarily in this order: The survivors will need a leader to instruct them in the way of civility. Laws will have to come into effect to address quarrels among families, individuals and other areas of the land. With growth also comes farming, education and healthcare. Who will do what? will be the big question on everyone’s lips.

Lastly, as with all great emerging societies, comes the sanitation question: What to do with all the human waste once society gets into a rhythm of birth, growth and death?

So you see, even though we may have won the war against the zombies, we’ll still have to win the bigger war—the war of rebuilding after the undead are no longer a threat.

To me, that is the greatest challenge of them all.

RANGER MARTIN AND THE ALIEN INVASION, on sale now.

What do you think the world would need to do to rebuild from the ashes of a zombie apocalypse?

Monday Mayhem

The Walking Dead: Opinion

Posted on October 27, 2014October 29, 2014 by Jack Flacco

I’m dedicating this Monday Mayhem post to all the fans of The Walking Dead. There really is no two ways about it—the show is one of the best series on TV today. This is what I like about it.

AMC's The Walking Dead — AMC’s The Walking Dead

As many of you are familiar already, the show delves into the heart of humans, giving an often-frightening glimpse into the darkness that lays beneath the otherwise innocent exterior projected to others. The depths of depravity to which humans can reduce themselves to appears each week as one survivor offs another in a matter-of-fact way. This is not a show for juniors. There is a message there that we should soon not forget. If, and when, an apocalypse truly does hit the world, as foreseen by the prophets of old, humanity would benefit being prepared. Neighbor against neighbor will be the norm.

This is realistic, and as depicted in episode after episode, people will be ready to take others down if it guarantees their own survival.

I also appreciate the show’s intense value for resources. If someone comes upon a rare find—a satchel perhaps, a box or a jar—which by today’s standards means nothing, it’s as if the rare find is treasure. Money, jewels, precious ore mean nothing in the world of the apocalypse. For in that world, money, jewels and precious ore will not feed survivors. Neither will they clothe, bathe or shelter them. The value in today’s riches will mean nothing in the future end times. The Walking Dead does an incredible job demonstrating how futile a chase it is when money, jewels and precious ore makes an appearance into a story.

The absolute best part about The Walking Dead is the zombies. What will the world be like when friend turns against friend all because of a virus? What will it be like when that friend will not only turn away, but also deliver the fatal blow that will destroy what they perceive as the enemy? Remember now, zombies were once human who fell to the infection. What’s that to say about the human compulsion to destroy one another? There isn’t a doubt it exists, and the zombies attest to that. Every time a zombie appears in the show, a lesson speaks to the audience—no one is safe. The show’s zombies have a purpose, and with that purpose, it enlightens the viewer to a world that could be, a world filled with pain, and a world crippled by the destruction of morality.

I ask this—isn’t the show The Walking Dead fun?

RANGER MARTIN AND THE ALIEN INVASION, on sale now.

What do you like about The Walking Dead? Is there someone who you can’t do without in the series?

Monday Mayhem

Zombie Apocalypse: Alternate Endings

Posted on September 15, 2014September 12, 2014 by Jack Flacco

Every enemy has a weakness. Every foe has a flaw. With zombies, it’s the head. You’ve heard it before. Shoot them pointblank in the face and they will no longer pose a threat.

Photo by Martin SoulStealer [Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.]

But what if a new breed of zombie doesn’t respond to the universal bullet to the temple, then what? What if zombies could withstand a pummeling, and rise again to keep advancing toward a fragile humanity ready for extinction?

We’d all be in trouble, wouldn’t we?

For today’s Monday Mayhem, let’s explore the universe of zombies and their alternate endings. Humans can’t always win.

An Invincible Brain—In the 1978 movie Halloween, Michael Myers is a little boy who grows up to become a possessed psychotic out to seek vengeance against his hometown. Michael withstands a knife to the face and a coat hanger to the eye. Yet, he still keeps coming back again and again. Imagine a zombie with the same talent as Michael. It would be the ultimate opponent to defeat. Bullets would no longer work. Knives would become playthings. The undead would rule the earth and humans would flee for the mountains. There wouldn’t be anyone left after they’d get through with us.

Self-Healing—Imagine a world where zombies could self-heal from their wounds. The comic superhero Wolverine has the power to self-heal despite a body riddled with bullets or knife slashes to the throat. Take it a step further and ponder on the thought of zombies possessing that same power. No telling what would become of humanity if the guns can’t stop the undead from attacking. Every wound would heal. No one would be safe from the zombies’ destructive path. In this case, it bleeds but we can’t kill it.

Contagious Scratch—The zombie bite is the universal form for spreading the undead contagion. However, what if that was to change? What if the zombie bite no longer posed a threat? What then? What if instead of the bite a simple scratch would prove equally as menacing? No longer would the undead seek to propagate their kind with their teeth, but they would rip through doors with extended arms searching for people to scratch. The rate of infection would rise and the population would suddenly become undead in a matter of days. All because of a little scratch. A Band-Aid won’t help in this case.

If zombies featured invincible brains, self-healing as part of their makeup or a contagious scratch, one thing is certain, there wouldn’t be anyone left to tell the tale. Nevertheless, should humans know in advance of the fundamental shift in zombie behavior, the arms dealers throughout the world would dream of new defenses for the cities and new weaponry to put the undead back in their place—the grave.

RANGER MARTIN AND THE ALIEN INVASION, on sale October 21.

What new zombie trait would you find the biggest threat to humanity?

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