Zombie Walks- A New Phenomenon (Guest Post by Matt Fordham)

A wacky new phenomenon is taking over the world- Zombie Walks!

This strange new hobby involves large (or small) groups of zombie fanatics dressing up as their favourite un-dead creatures and walking pre-determined routes through city centres. This un-dead ‘mob’ attempt to make this recreation all the more realistic by making authentic zombie moaning noises and also the trademark ‘zombie walk’. As you can imagine, the sight of this motley crew coming towards you would scare anyone to high heaven. What makes it even scarier is the fact that zombie walk devotees spend a great deal of time and effort on make-up as well as their zombiecostumes. The results they achieve are nothing short of amazing, and you would be hard-pressed to notice any difference between zombie walkers and the zombie monsters you would find on a Hollywood horror flick!

But what exactly compels the zombie walkers to, well, walk?? It’s very difficult to pinpoint an answer to this question as motivations can vary. Some of the walkers are just out and out zombie fanatics. Others organise walks for political reasons, as a form of protest, and still others hold walks as anti-capitalist protests. The zombie has long been used as a symbol of consumerism, and it’s no accident that so many zombie films are set in shopping malls!

The earliest zombie walk on record was held on in Sacramento, California back in 2001. Since then the phenomenon really caught on, spurred by the advances in social networking. Facebook and Twitter have both been critical in both increasing the profile of walks and also in their organisation.

The world’s biggest zombie walk took place in October 2010 in New Jersey, with a massive 4,093 zombie participants. Despite numerous attempts to break the record since, this particular record still stands! It’s really amazing to see how this small scales phenomenon has ‘gone global’ and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them spread out to the regions and smaller towns right around the globe. This is one phenomenon that is here to stay!

About Matt
Matt runs a blog dedicated to offering the very best (and scariest) selection of zombie costumes which you can find at:
http://www.scaryzombiecostumes.co.uk

BodyPUMP

BodyPUMP is the original Les Mills Barbell workout found in almost every gym and fitness center across the nation and globe. Until recently they quite literally had a monopoly on the classroom styled group fitness workout market. The classes are designed to be lead by a fitness instructor who is trained and certified by Les Mills Int’l. The workouts are primarily done with low level barbell weights while using high reps for each exercise move. This combination is what’s referred to as the REP EFFECT and is the unique technique behind the program. This technique is designed to lean you out and tone up muscles while at the same time building muscle mass without bulking up.

This program was only available through fitness clubs and gyms until Les Mills International teamed up with Beachbody LLC on the joint venture called Les Mills PUMP. This new program just released a couple months ago is the first ever in home workout based on the BodyPump class. Why is this important and who is it for? This is important because many people have expressed interest in BodyPump classes but would prefer not to pay for a gym membership or exercise in front of other people. Perhaps they lack confidence or experience, yet have heard of the tremendous success others have had with BodyPump. The new in home version is ideal for the person who prefers to exercise in the comfort of their own home yet wants to be challenged and see real results.

The Les Mills PUMP base kit comes with seven DVD’s all about one hour in length. These DVD’s are done with one lead instructor teaching a large class of people. So while you may not actually be surrounded by lots of exercisers you get the synergy, energy, and feeling that you are. In addition to the DVD’s you get an easy to use barbell and two sets of weights that are five and ten pounds. Along with the DVD’s and equipment, PUMP comes with a calendar that not only allows you to track your progress but outlines which DVD’s to use and when to use them along with a comprehensive nutrition guide.

With these tools and the BodyPump reputation and proven track record this new workout program is a guaranteed success to anyone who tries it. If your goals are to not just lose weight, but get a sculpted body from head to toe without overdoing it than Les Mills PUMP is right for you.

Who said "Nice guys finish last"?

Manning picks Broncos...

Tebow To Miami?

"Nice Guys Finish Last" is a song by American punk rock band Green Day. It was released as the fourth and final single from their fifth album, Nimrod. Quotation #36834 from Classic Quotes: Nice guys finish last. Leo Durocher, (attributed, see notes) US baseball manager (1906 - 1991)

Amerika

Home, sweet car ::: “People feel so powerless, that there’s nothing they can do about food prices or gas prices or any of these things.” ~ Victoria Langling, founder and director of Woodstock’s Daily Bread Soup Kitchen and advisor to the Hudson Valley Food Bank.

Radio talk-show host Michael Savage mentioned something the other day - not his exact words here, but, close: "how come if the economy is so bad I see so many people eating in restaurants" ? - Indeed, Mr. Savage, I've noticed that too... from the Chinese take-outs to Mr. Subb to McDonald's to the more "upper Crust" establishments - people are there - people of every walk of life, class and colour... but then again, as I saw so eloquently expressed elsewhere, "we do gotta eat."

Having written that: "American optimism about finding a quality job rose substantially in March, with 19 percent of those surveyed saying this is a “good time” to find employment, according to a survey released Friday." [Politico]

But there are pockets of sparse poverty - and folks who aren't working - or eating - some right here in New York's Hudson Valley. From The Woodstock Times ::: "Otia Lee, President of Phoenicia’s Helping Hands Food Pantry, tells the story of a little girl who refused to attend school because she was embarrassed by the growls from her empty stomach. A town worker in Olive recounts how the requests from families for the town’s annual Adopt-a-Family Christmas Tree event have changed over the past few years, from games and toys to necessities such as winter coats, shoes and mittens.

Thurman Greco, of Woodstock’s Good Neighbor Food Pantry, notes that there are homeless people who spend their nights in an unheated bathroom at the Woodstock Town Hall, on the back porches of Tinker St. businesses and in tents in the woods."

The paper continues "Volunteers and staffers at local frontline organizations see no signs of recovery. Continuing high unemployment and sharply higher prices for food, gas and heating oil, combined with scarce affordable housing and skyrocketing medical costs, are making it difficult or impossible for more and more local residents to make ends meet. Not to mention the devastating impact of Tropical Storms Irene and Lee on homes and businesses in the area."

Yeah - and not to mention, with the weather trending toward "wacky" who knows what anomalies Mother Nature may spring upon innocent state residents in the months to come!

• Hard Times Generation: Families living in cars
• "Something with a roof"
• "Everyone can do something"
• Growing up homeless
• CBS »

Blog Spotlight ::: CAR INSURANCE GROUPS

??? QUESTIONS ???

Confused when it comes to car insurance?

Here's a neat blog that offers help:

Car Insurance Groups blog features a great guide about how to get the cheapest Car Insurance Quote. The blog presents a database with over 17,000 car models and their car insurance groups along with a box for you to type in your info to find the best match for you!

The 6 Biggest Mistakes Bloggers Make

...And How to Avoid Them
The internet is littered with the remnants of defunct blogs. Successful blogging requires more than just selecting a "niche" and a template to go along with it. It requires avoising the big mistakes that can seriously hurt your blog's long-term growth potential.

Before we get started here, wipe your brain clean of all the blog barf the "gurus" of blogging have been telling you!

I created this simple guide to help you make better blogging decisions. It explains many of the common mistakes bloggers make and how to avoid them. Matter of fact, just sidestepping any one of these mistakes could greatly enhance your ability to reach your blogging goals, whether they entail money, love or both!

Mistake # 1 ::: Not Having Clear, Long-Term Blogging Objectives

I started my blog out of need for an internet presence for a radio program I was hosting back around 2001. Eventually it morphed into a personal diary, then into pretty much what it is now. I modeled my blog in the spirit of Boing-Boing "a directory of wonderful things." Maybe this ain't no directory, but it is an aggregation and a compilation and artistic realization all stirred into one dish, served up by the wonderful blog*spot...

So if you want some straight-on starting fluid - Nikko Marasigan has posted what you need to do to begin on Famous Bloggers - and really what you should do, is PRINT everything out as hardcopy that you can refer to, check things off when you've completed them, make notes in the margins: have a WORKING piece of material that you don't need a computer to access!

NOTE::: DO NOT PAY ATTENTION TO "Choosing a Domain Name and a Hosting Company" - that is

Mistake # 2 ::: Choosing a Domain Name and a Hosting Company

Find a self-hosting platform like Blog*Spot or WordPress - NEVER trust your design, your images , your blog or anything else to any third-party! I've seen too many hosting companies (even "big" ones) suddenly wither and die - leaving bloggers high and dry. I've seen image-hosting companies abandon bloggers, leaving their blogs stranded with crazy graphics where images and pictures and infographics once lived.

YES - the internet is forever - YOUR BLOG IS NOT - you are at the mercy of a domain name and / or hosting company - so better safe than sorry - go Blog*Spot or WordPress - back up your blog every single day - and never look back!

EVERYTHING ELSE NIKKI MENTIONS IS IMPORTANT - RIGHT NOW -MARCH 2012- but if you are reading this and it is JANUARY 2013 (and we beat the Mayan end-of-time curse) any or all of that info may no longer be releavnt, because the Internet is ALIVE and that is why we have

Mistake # 3 ::: Don't Apply Any Blog "Tips" If The Source Has NO DATE

A long of blogging "gurus" are getting smart - even advising folowers to do away with dates and times when posting. if you don't see a date, don't put much faith in what you are reading - things change really fast on the infobahn! Don't screw yourself by trying to apply outdated techniques to your blog!

Mistake # 4 ::: Listening To Those Blog Gurus

So many of them! Wannabee know-it-alls who are after one thing - YOUR MONEY! Keep it! YOU NEED IT!

::Hunger Games Cooking :: (Recipe): Capitol-Grade Dark Chocolate Cake

Recipe: Capitol-Grade Dark Chocolate Cake

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

The feast served during Katniss’s first night away from her family ends with a decadent chocolate cake. Amidst the depression of facing almost -certain death (not to mention Haymitch’s dispiriting drunkenness!), this sweet ending perhaps makes Katniss realize that things aren’t as bad as they may seem.
(The Hunger Games, Chapter 3)
Yields 1 cake, or 8–10 servings
CAKE:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
1 cup fine-quality unsweetened cocoa powder, such as Scharffen Berger
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup cold brewed coffee
1 cup buttermilk
½ cup vegetable oil
ICING:
2 cups (1 pound) butter (no substitutes),
softened
9 cups confectioners’ sugar
2½ cups fine-quality unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a 9" x13" pan.
2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center and pour in the eggs, coffee, buttermilk, and oil. Mix with a wooden spoon until smooth; batter will be thin. Pour into prepared pan.
3. Bake for 35–40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 45 minutes.
4. While cake cools, prepare the icing. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment on medium speed or using a wooden spoon and lots of muscle, beat butter until smooth and creamy. Reduce speed to low and add confectioners’ sugar, cocoa, and vanilla, scraping down sides of the bowl with a spatula as you go. Add milk as needed until frosting reaches preferred spreading consistency. (For thicker frosting, add less than a cup of milk. To thin out your frosting, add more milk. The choice is yours!)
5. Once cake has thoroughly cooled, spread icing over the top.