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Daredevil (1st series) #252
Ann Nocenti (writer), John Romita Jr (penciler), Al Williamson (inker), Joe Rosen (letterer), Max Scheele (colorist), Ralph Macchio (editor), Tom DeFalco (editor-in-chief)
As people go about their lives, a man sits in a cell in Hell's Kitchen and wonders how he will get through the years ahead behind bars. At Matt Murdock's hotline clinic, Matt, Karen Page and the Black Widow are listening to people who need help, when a boy Matt knows, Cain, rushes in with a kid who was being beaten up. Cain and Matt speak for some time, before one of Matt's associates arrives with good news - their free clinic has beat a team of high-powered lawyers in court. A boy called Lance watches television in his "bomb-shelter" style room while his father, Bullet, spends time with him. Suddenly, outside, chaos begins, as the sky goes dark, a storm arrives, and buildings start to explode. Lance, and people outside, begin to suspect the end of the world has arrived. In fact, a large ship hovers over New York City, while the Horsemen of Apocalypse go about spreading horror. In the resulting explosions, the imprisoned man manages to escape his cell. Lance's father wanders off into the night, and Pestilence makes many people ill. There is a blackout, and at the clinic, Matt manages to calm down his clients. He decides they should get to a hospital, and with Karen and the Black Widow, starts to lead them through the city, avoiding the mobs of people who are starting to gather and cause trouble, such as Ammo and his gang. Ammo plans to take over the city, and with his gang, they plan to raid the armory and steal drugs from the hospital. They find the armory unguarded and take it as their own. At the hospital, Matt and Karen liaise with the doctors, and set about helping where they can. Matt and the Black Widow leave after giving Cain some much needed advice, and after changing to Daredevil, Matt and the Black Widow survey the chaos-stricken city. The prisoner who escaped his cell earlier is about to kill a homeless man for his clothes, when he discovers a baby in a trashcan. Reluctantly, he picks the baby up and walks away. Ammo's gang starts to get restless, and Daredevil observes them after he and the Black Widow inspect the armory. They soon meet up with several vigilantes, and together, decide to prevent Ammo and his gang from causing any more trouble. At the hospital, Cain tries to comfort an injured woman, and when he tells her that the end of the world is taking place, she takes all of the painkillers he has to end her life. Daredevil, the Black Widow and the vigilantes arrive back at the hospital and formulate their plan with the police and military. The Black Widow gives Cain a gun. Daredevil and his allies return to the armory and plant several bombs throughout it, the plan being that when the bombs explode they will force Ammo and his gang out one entrance, enabling them to be captured by Daredevil and the rest. The bombs explode as desired, and Ammo and his gang emerge from the armoury. A battle between the gang and the vigilantes and police follows. When Ammo emerges in a large tank, Daredevil engages him in combat after Ammo shoots two children. Daredevil bears Ammo badly, and while Cain tries to get help for someone who has been injured in gun fire, he soon comes to the realization that everyone is dead and rushes off. Daredevil comes across a woman from Ammo's gang that the vigilantes and Cain have apprehended. They want to teach her a lesson, but Daredevil intervenes. He is not happy with Cain, and instructs him to keep watch over the woman until the cops get over to her. As the authorities arrive in helicopters, power is restored to Hell's Kitchen and Lance watches a news report in his "bomb-shelter". Cain learns from a police officer that there is no end of the world and feels bad about the patient who took all the painkillers. When he is distracted talking to the officer, the girl he was keeping watch over turns around and stabs him. Daredevil hears Cain's heartbeat skip, and rushes over to the dying boy, who asks him to tell Matt that he fought good. Daredevil almost removes his mask to reveal his identity to the boy, but Cain passes away first. Finally, as darkness fades from the city, the escaped prisoner looks set to take care of the baby from the trashcan.
A busy subway train, where people go about their business, reading books, magazines, newspapers… and are lost in their thoughts. 'I really liked the silver… but will I look like a jerk in such a fancy sports car?' a middle-aged man thinks to himself. 'If I accept that teaching job, it means a whole new life! Colorado is pretty…'a woman with large hair tells herself. A skinny man in a suit recalls how Mary said they were just having burgers, but supposes that he could surprise her with a bottle of red. 'She loves red wine…' A man surveys the other passengers, 'Could use some cash for tonight - who looks like they pack a fat wallet?' he wonders. 'To the beach, honey?' a woman asks the young boy she is sitting with. 'Yeah! Ma says during winter break we're going south!' the boy tells the older woman. A short, older an peers over his glasses at his newspaper, 'Hmmm… got a feeling about Black Streak, maybe I will go to the racetrack Sunday…' he tells himself.
A young man in a suit reads a magazine, 'How can this idiot say communism's an international movement? That's just not true anymore…' he thinks to himself, while another man standing nearby bites his fingernail, '…man, if that check bounces…' he worries, unaware that his elbow is shoved into the neck of someone standing nearby. '… gonna bite this guy's elbow…' they think to themselves. The woman with the big hair flips through a book and decides that Colorado is pretty, while the man who was surveying the other passengers for a fat wallet decides that the hard weight of the gun in his pocket is cool on his leg and feels good, but that these stiffs in here are all too blasted civilized - they would probably gang up on him if he slipped his piece. He decides that later he will pick one off. 'I'll let this batch live…hah! Yeah, they's only living another day at my whim…' he boasts to himself.
And, in a holding cell in New York City's Hell's Kitchen, a guard watches a small television, while in one of the cells, a man with a black ski-mask style hat sits on the bed. He is going nuts in his first hour in a cell, and wonders how the heck he is going to make it through all those years stretching ahead of him like a long grey highway to nowhere? 'Burns me up, especially when big lumps like him get to sit outside the bars and gloat' the man thinks, before calling out 'Hey you sadist, can't you turn that tube so I can see it too?' Without looking at the convict, the guard tells him to bag it and stuff it. 'From now on, you got no rights. Get used to it, bum!'
Meanwhile, at a Hell's Kitchen hotline clinic, the foyer is full of people needing assistance. 'But I know what brats did it…' one of them exclaims. 'Still, with no evidence…' another remarks. 'Easy, boys!' someone calls out. 'He's a drunk, he feels no pain…' someone declares. Another decides that Matt has let too many of them crash here - they are just clutter.
Matt Murdock, propped up by his cane, stands next to Karen Page and asks 'What's next, Karen? What about the injunction?' Karen informs Matt that they got the delay, but they could be closed down. Matt wonders if he should file an appeal and try to get his license back. 'This "ghost lawyering" has its limits…' He adds that everyone here needs such immediate help, he can't seem to get around to his own paperwork. Matt turns to where a large woman has got the attention of Natasha Romanoff a.k.a. the Black Widow. '…but it's the third time the brats smashed my wind-shield! I can't…' the woman exclaims.
Natasha wonders why she offered to help Matt at this crazy clinic, as she doesn't have his saintly patience. 'I can't take these whiners…' she admits to herself. Matt tells Karen that he thinks Natasha needs help, and he goes over to the woman. Asking her to calm down, he assures her that he will have a word with his street boys, and he will get those "brats" to cool it. 'Yeah? Thanks…' the woman replies, while Natasha watches Matt.
Suddenly, a boy shouts out 'Matt! Emergency! Kid's been beat up, bad!' as he races into the clinic. Matt checks the boy who is probably three years old, and touching the boy's face, Matt decides that it is moments like this he doesn't regret being blind - not when he can "see" so much more with the heightened senses he developed to compensate. Natasha watches, stone-faced, while Matt can hear the boy's blood flowing normally, meaning he has no internal bleeding. 'Can feel that no bones are damaged' Matt tells himself, before informing the boy that other than some nasty shiners, he will be fine.
Matt calls out to Natasha, asking her if she can take care of him. 'He should get some x-rays' he points out. 'Why me? I hate kids, I'm an international spy for pity's sake, I have no time for wiping snot noses…' Natasha mutters, before calling the kid over. 'You like ice cream?' she asks the boy as she walks him to another part of the clinic. 'No' the boy tells her.
Matt turns to the older boy, who brought the injured child into the clinic and asks 'Who beat him up?' The older boy reports that it was his Mom. 'I was out on my fire escape, saw this lady getting mad at him for not behaving. She started hitting him…' his voice trails off. Matt detects that the boy's heartbeat jumped, and he decides that he is hiding something. 'Tell me the rest of it, Cain' Matt asks the boy. 'Matt, I'm no hero! I don't know what's wrong with me but part'a me would'a hit him, too! I mean, I watched her hit him, I let her beat him! I didn't rush right in…I watched a while, I found it interesting! I had to force myself to go in and stop it…' Cain admits.
Cain tells Matt that he is like a father to him, that he can fix things. 'You gotta help me… I got so many dark thoughts, Matt…' Cain's voice trails off, as Matt puts a hand on Cain's shoulder and tells him that they all do - but that the important thing is that he conquered his thoughts and did save the boy. 'You don't get it, Matt. You're good by instinct, you can't be any other way. Me, I'm missing that instinct!' Cain exclaims. 'Guys like you just make me realize like a hard slap in the face that I'm missing something. That good stuff, it's missing in me…' Cain's voice trails off, as Matt starts to say something, before his radar goes off, and he detects that someone is moving towards him - and fast.
'Matt, we won!' a man exclaims, wrapping his arms around Matt. 'They had an army of lawyers, but your brilliant angle on the case won the jurors!' another man in a suit exclaims. 'David, you won, your delivery must have…' Matt's voice trails off as David tells him that it doesn't matter, as they both won - the clinic won. 'You're right! Yahoo! Our first winner!' Matt exclaims, raising his cane into the air. 'To justice!' someone shouts. 'Awright!' Cain exclaims.
Matt and Karen hug, as Matt tells Karen that it is working - their little free clinic, beating teams of high-powered expensive lawyers. 'Did you ever doubt it would work? Matt Murdock, you can do anything!' Karen exclaims. 'The little guy wins!' someone calls out. 'High five, baby!' someone shouts.
Elsewhere in Hell's Kitchen, a little boy is watching television, as a reporter announces that the entire community showed up to help rebuild the destroyed house. 'Wow…' the little boy exclaims. The room is filled with boxes and piles of paper, as a large man sitting on a mattress on the floor calls the boy Lance and tells him not to listen to those lies. 'A heart-warming event…' the reporter remarks, as the large man tells Lance that television is a sleazy racket, that they make up all that bad news to keep everybody scared and paranoid so people will be grateful for the wimpy police force, then they toss them one of those lame stories about people helping each other, like they are throwing them a chewed bone. 'More bull. Nobody helps anybody in this world…' the man declares. He adds that Lance is always complaining that his dad never visits. 'Well, here I am - and you stay glued to the tube! Watta you hide in here all day for? And when're you gonna grow outta this bomb shelter stuff?' the boy's father asks.
The man smirks at his young son, 'Why you so afraid of the world? I taught you how to fight and shoot a gun!' The television screen goes blurry, as Lance tells his father that guns are no help when they have bombs. 'Hey! What's that flash a light?' the boy wonders. 'TV's out' Lance adds. They look out a window, 'Look! Sky's glowing and there's stuff in the air' Lance tells his father. 'Must be a hailstorm' the man remarks, when suddenly, there is a brilliant light in the sky, and part of a nearby building explodes. 'Thy sky exploded! Daddy! This is it! The end of the world!' Lance shouts. Wide-eyed, the boy looks scared and backs away from the window, telling his father that it was a nuclear explosion, that they should back up as the radiation is coming. 'Shut up, Lance, just shut up!' the father exclaims, while wondering 'What the heck was that? No bomb I've ever seen… is the kid right?'
And outside, civilians caught in the wild weather look to the sky. 'News didn't mention rain…' someone calls out. 'It's dark, but the sun's out…?' a woman remarks, while a boy declares that this isn't rain. 'But what is it?' he wonders. Suddenly, a burst of light is seen across the sky, there is a mighty noise and someone shouts 'Look at the sky!' 'It's cracking open!' another declares. There is another cracking noise, 'Look out!' someone exclaims. 'Danny - was that a bomb?' another asks - but from the hole in the sky flies the Horseman of Apocalypse known as Death! 'If this is war - I gotta get home to Kris!' a woman thinks to herself. 'A rocket!' someone shouts, pointing to the sky. 'It's a weapon - with wings!' someone else calls out. 'Don't breathe - could be radiation!' someone suggests. 'Our Father, who art in Heaven…' someone begins to pray, while a man calls out to Mary, asking her to hold his hand.
Suddenly, a large object can be seen in the haze-covered sky. 'What's that?' someone gasps as the large craft looms over the city below. 'It's attacking! Run!' another person exclaims. 'Don't let go of me! Don't lose me!' someone shouts. The large Ship floats across the city, and the bottom of it hit's the top of the Empire State Building. More cries can be heard from within the city. 'Mary! Where are you!' the man calls out. 'Get under cover!' someone shouts. 'Is it Russian?' someone enquires. 'Aliens!' someone shouts. 'It's gonna attack!' another person declares. 'Grab my hand!' someone asks. Suddenly, the Horseman of Apocalypse called War claps his hands together, and the tops of several buildings explode. Then, on her mechanical steed, the Horsemen called Pestilence races past the civilians, who all start to keel over. 'What… can't breathe…' someone utters. 'Ughg…. hurts…' another gasps. 'So sick… radiation!' another declares. 'Mary… Mary… where…' the man utters.
While, in the jail, the guard is knocked onto the desk in front of him as an explosion rips open the cell where the prisoner is being held. The man sees that the guard is dead, and declares that he is free. 'Ha - justice!' he exclaims. Outside, War causes more explosions throughout the city, while more and more people scream as Pestilence speeds past them. A blinding light starts to glow, 'What's that light? It's blinding!' someone exclaims. The man calls out to Mary once more, while someone declares that they cannot see. 'They did it! They dropped the bomb! Stupid - how stupid!' someone exclaims.
In the apartment-turned bomb-shelter, the boy calls out to his father as the large man opens the door. 'Dad! Don't go out there! I got supplies! Food and gas-masks, I'm all ready for this!' Lance exclaims. His father tells him that he has to go where the action is, and standing in the doorway, Lance asks his father not to leave, pointing out that the radiation will kill him. 'Daddy! Gone! He's gone!' Lance utters, so he goes back to his fuzzy television, and stares at it, up close. 'The end of the world. Maybe I can watch it on TV' he hopes - but there is no picture, only static. Suddenly, Lance is plunged into darkness. 'Black out! Daddy!' Lance exclaims.
Elsewhere, and everywhere - the entire city is in darkness. 'Get your hands off of me! Help!' someone shouts. There is a loud THUNK noise, while someone exclaims 'Bobby! Don't breathe it…wrap this around you, baby…', while someone else declares that they have to go underground - deep down. 'But food - we'll starve!' someone points out. There is a crash, and someone calls out that they can't move, that their leg is broken. 'Hold my hand, don't let go!' someone tells them. 'No! Stop! You can't do that!' someone shouts. There is another THUNK, before a voice screams 'Don't touch me!' while the man from earlier calls out for Mary again. 'Air so thick - is it ash or dirt…' someone wonders. 'It's the fallout! Don't breathe it!' someone suggests. 'Who's that? Whose hand?' someone demands to know - and when they get no response, they slap the person who touched them. 'No! I'm sorry! I'm just scared, please… hold me…' a voice calls out. 'Okay, hold on' someone replies.
'Butch, that you?' someone asks. 'Ooooaaa…' someone utters. 'Something fell on me… help…' someone else calls out. 'Sticky… oh God, blood all over…' someone declares. 'Who are you? Hey, you alive?' a voice asks. 'Karen? Help me move this' someone remarks. 'No, too dark, we could crush him!' another points out. 'Watch it! Glass everyone!' someone alerts the others. Another declares that they need light. 'So black…black everywhere…no power…' someone utters, while another suggests that it is the fallout ash, that the air is thick with it. 'Oh, God, I need a doctor!' someone mutters. 'Doctor? No doctors! No nothing! It's all gone!' someone shouts. 'My leg…' another person declares. 'Watch it! You're stepping on me!' someone mutters. 'Karen? Do you think…it was nuclear…' someone asks. Karen replies that she doesn't know, before someone else shouts 'Hey! That's my arm!'
Suddenly: 'Easy, everyone! Don't move!' a commanding voice declares. There is a couple of scratching sounds, 'Everyone - calm down! This is Matt. I've got a light!' Matt Murdock announces, explaining that he is blind and used to navigating in the darkness. 'I'll lead you to safety!' he assures them, as he lights a piece of wood and holds it up like a torch, a small fire lighting the darkness. Matt instructs everyone to hold hands and link into a human chain, adding that he wants the strong to carry the weak and that they are going to head through the underground subway tunnels to the hospital. 'I know the way. Just help each other and follow me. And be strong' he tells them. 'Cool' someone calls out. 'Thank God. Thank God for the one light in the darkness' another remarks. 'Huh? Blind leading the blind, more like it. Ain't nothing out there, pal - but death!' another person exclaims. As everyone gathers outside, someone remarks that it is creepy out here. 'So silent…' another declares. 'I see shapes - people!' someone else calls out, while another asks why it is so quiet, like when snow falls - only it's black ash that is coming down.
Matt leads everyone to an alleyway. 'To the tunnels. Come on. Slow and careful. Hospital will have supplies to treat the wounded. We'll set up camp there' he calls out. He holds the torch out to some stairs which lead down to the subway trains. 'Why this way?' someone asks. Matt replies that he doesn't know if that explosion was nuclear or not, but that the more dirt and concrete there is between you and the radiation the better - just in case. As Matt leads everyone into one of the subway tunnels, he thinks to himself 'Who am I kidding? That's probably like putting a band-aid on cancer'. He tells everyone that they need to get to the hospital, as the whole city is numb right now, but once the shock wears off, the streets could erupt with violence. 'I didn't like the sound of all that unnatural quiet up there…' he adds.
And, back up on the street, the people that Matt and his companions saw across the road, gathered around small fires start to stir. 'Sez here right in the Bible - the world will be consumed by fire…look around you! All I see are empty faces and fire…' a woman calls out. 'Cripes, man! Hookers reading Bibles! I don't wanna live in this new world' someone mutters. 'So go jump, old man!' someone else tells him, adding that this new age is gonna be hot, that the streets are gonna belong to the people again. 'Shouldn't we be doing something?' someone asks. 'Like what? No radios, no TB, nobody knows nothing! And we got no orders!' another person points out. 'But we're the military…' someone remarks. 'Yeah, right. Grunts with no orders, so we do nothing' another announces.
Nearby: 'We've inherited the Earth!' someone exclaims. 'It is the end of the civilized world, the beginning of chaos. No more law no cops no jails no rules. Nobody telling us to pay taxes or drive slow or stand in lines. This world belongs to chaos and to those who know how to tear off a chunk of it and hang on!' someone calls out. A man with a patch over one eye, a crew cuit hair style, several earrings in each ear and a skin-tight costume with some pouches around his waist steps forward, announcing that the strongest men will win, will dominate and will rule. Fire lights up the area around him, and he declares that a world divided between the victors and the victims. 'Take your choice!' A large crowd has gathered, including some small children. 'Yeah…?' someone asks. 'Cool!' someone else exclaims. The man introduces himself as Ammo, and boasts that he is a victor. 'You can join me - or be my first victim!'
'Victors!' someone in the crowd exclaims. 'Yeah!' another shouts. 'Weapons high! To Ammo!' another declares. 'Yeah!' someone agrees, as they all raise their weapons into the air. 'Uh-huh' Ammo sniggers, while someone declares that they need food, fuel and arms. 'This block's got it all - a supermarket, a gas station and the armory' they add. Someone sniff, while another adds that they could use some drugs, so they want a hospital. 'We hit now while all the wimps out there are still moving slow in the anarchy' another suggests, while someone else declares that chaos is their element, and in it, they move fast. 'What will the others eat?' a young person enquires. 'Who cares. Let 'em die' an older person replies. 'Victims…' another remarks. Ammo sniffs something off of his hand, and declares that victims die, and victors live. 'Your choice' he tells those gathered before him. 'I know you, punk. You a bad seed. Always were always will be. You'll grab what you can and hang on, like the rest of us. I know you' Ammo calls out, before instructing everyone to move it, that they need weapons and will go to the armory.
Several of them pick up pieces of wood and light them with fire, and like an angry mob, run down the street with their flaming torches. 'Those with guns take the point! You know what they say - kill 'em all an' let God sort 'em out!' Ammo quotes. And soon, they come across others, and start to beat them up. 'No law!' someone shouts. 'No rules!' another exclaims. 'We're free! No pigs to stop us!' another shouts. 'No jails!' someone adds as the beatings continue. A scream is torn off at the throat. A heat beats its last. A watch stops ticking. A prayer goes unanswered. A red river begins to flow. A mob moves on. The military who were gathered nearby ready their weapons. 'Those screams coming this way!' one of them exclaims. 'Screams? More like howls, battle cries! Get ready -' another exclaims, when suddenly, the mob opens fire on the military, shooting them down.
The hooker who was reading the bible looks up 'Revelations! It's all here! Emptiness and fire!' she calls out. 'What does it matter now?' one of the mob asks as he walks past her - it's the young man who asked how the others will eat. 'Here - take this page from the Bible' the hooker offers. 'Why?' the young man asks. 'There is still light in your eyes. You aren't empty yet! You still have a choice!' she tells him. 'It's a new world!' the young man exclaims as he knocks the Bible out of her hand. 'And in this world they've named me - Bad Seed!' he announces. The rest of the mob storms the armory, 'The armory is ours!' one of them shouts. 'Find the weapons room!' Ammo orders. Soon, the mob are in the weapons room. 'An arsenal! We got it, were set. Fortify this foxhole - then we take the whole street!' Ammo announces. 'Soon the entire city will be ours! Ammo - the King of New York!' one of the others exclaims. 'That's it, baby' Ammo replies.
At the hospital, Matt, Natasha, Karen and the others that were with them have arrived. 'We got IV's left?' someone asks. 'I need blood here, fast!' a doctor calls out as he tends to a patient on the floor of the overcrowded hospital. 'A piece of wood, anything, I need splints!' someone exclaims, while another announces that they are running out of morphine. 'I'm sorry. He's left us' a doctor reports, shining a torch on someone who has just passed away. Another doctor speaks to Matt and Karen, stating that he is baffled, as the patients exhibit some of the expected symptoms of radiation sickness, but the decline is far too rapid. The doctor explains that he thinks it is some sort of plague, a mockery of radiation sickness. 'I just don't know. I'm so tired' he adds. 'What can we do?' Matt enquires, as the doctor reports that the emergency generators are failing and they desperately need a sterilizing system and refrigeration capabilities. 'You could get out there and steal whatever you can! Torches, ice, flares, freezer trucks…' his voice trails off. 'You got it, doctor' Matt replies.
Matt turns to Karen and asks her if she can handle that, to get herself some help and arm themselves some how, and send off a supply raid. 'No problem. And you?' the resourceful Karen replies. Matt explains that he and Natasha had better patrol and troubleshoot. Karen asks about the radiation and wonders if they can wear protection. Matt replies that it would not help, but that his senses tell him this catastrophe was brought on by conventional and perhaps chemical warfare, not nuclear. 'I hope I'm right' he adds. Their faces move closer together and Matt tells Karen to be careful out there. 'Hey, you too, lover. Come back to me in one piece' Karen tells him. 'I always do' Matt replies, before turning to Natasha and asking her if she is ready. 'Yeah, but you better check the kid there. He's babbling' Natasha announces, referring to Cain, who is staring out a window. '…this is it this is the end of all over this is it hone nothing left…' he rambles.
'Cain! Snap out of it!' Matt calls out. But Cain tells Matt that he doesn't understand, for any second a bomb could fly in here and he could lose a leg and an eye and his head. That one second, any moment, boom - limbless, crippled, blind and dead. 'Or the radiation! Your hair falls out, you get covered with… with…' his voice trails off, as Matt tells Cain to shut up. 'Yes - you're right - this is war. It can happen. It already has happened -' Matt tells the boy, pointing into the overcrowded waiting room, telling Cain that it is happening in there - the blind, the crippled, the maimed and the dying. 'But you? You're still whole and healthy! You got nothing to complain about! So get in there and help' Matt orders. 'Yes, Sir!' Cain replies.
Matt suggests to Natasha that they get far enough away before they change, adding that it may be the end of the world as they knew it, but he would still like to protect their secret identities. Matt and Natasha leave the building, and after changing, race along a rooftop. 'Now let's see what Daredevil and the Black Widow can do!' Matt exclaims. They stop at the edge of the rooftop, 'Why are we stopping?' Natasha asks as she looks out, sees fires raging and smoke rising from the streets towered over by the city's buildings. Matt shushes Natasha and tells her to listen. 'What are you listening for?' Natasha asks. 'For what I know is always out there - human nature's dark side' Daredevil declares.
A few blocks away, the man who escaped from jail skulks down an alleyway. 'Nobody nowhere. Some kinda apocalypse gig happening. Beats jail' he tells himself, before coughing, deciding that it is like breathing an ashtray at the moment. 'Cripes, what a blow-out. I been saved from the gallows by the end of the world, hah. Stuck in a bad joke' he remarks. He hears a scratching, 'Huh? Rats in the can' he wonders, looking at the trash cans lined up along the alleyway. But, when he takes the lid off one, he sees a baby, wrapped in a blanket, looking up at him. 'Oh, cripes! Abandoned! Poor bugger. Eh, ya better off, runt. Won't survive no radiated world anyhow' the man tells the baby, adding that it is better off not growing up. 'Ya spend your whole life trying to get over all the lousy stuff your parents dump on ya. Then ya finally figure out how to live just in time to die'.
The man turns away from the trashcan and decides that he has to hide these government issue rags. He sees a homeless man leaning against the alleyway wall, bottle in his hand, and approaches the homeless man, grabbing the back of his head, he puts a knife to his throat. 'Awright, touch break, old man. But I need your clothes' the escapee announces. The homeless man shorts, 'Huh? Wha…?' he asks. Suddenly, there is a crying noise. 'What's that? The runt?' the man realizes, turning back to the trashcan. 'Hey! You can't watch! Whatta ya think this is? Et lost, runt!' the man exclaims as the baby sits up and looks out over the top of the trashcan. 'I gotta slit the man's throat here! He deserves some privacy!' the man shouts. 'I said quit watching, you little rat!' the man exclaims, before releasing the homeless man, who gasps for breath.
'Aw, cripes. I can't kill with somebody watching' the man mutter as he walks back over to the trashcan and pulls the baby from it, holding it up. 'Listen, runt! You're gonna starve and die in about two days, you got it? So just stay in your can and go peaceful-like!' The baby coos, and then exclaims 'Da Da!' 'Da Da?' the man asks. The baby makes some infant noises and says 'Da Da' once more. 'Oh, cripes' the man mutters, pulling the baby close and hugging it.
Back at the armory: 'Enough work! Let's party!' one of the mob shouts. 'Yeah! We're armed to the teeth and splitting bullets!' another declares. 'We need drugs, man' another points out, while someone asks 'What we building these tanks for? let's get down to some serious pillage and plunder like proper barbarians!' Some small children run through the mob and one of them shouts 'I wanna gun!' Another man has red markings on his face and declares 'Yeah - proper blasted barbarians! Yeah!' and starts to howl. 'Hit it!' someone exclaims. 'Killer!' another declares. 'Action!' someone yells, as they raise their weapons high. Ammo remarks to Bad Seed that they have problems, as these guys can't trust each other so they have been sleeping with their eyes open - if at all. 'They're exhausted, wired, they need drugs…we gotta hit the hospital fast!' Bad Seed asks Ammo about the radiation.
'What radiation? I don't believe in nothing I can't see with my own eyes. Come on, Bad Seed, let's draw up a plan of attack' Ammo tells Bad Seed, unaware that Daredevil is listening and watching through an air vent in the armory. Daredevil starts to crawl out of the vent, 'A hundred or two. Nice odds' he thinks to himself, and climbing back out onto the rooftop, where the Black Widow is waiting, he tells her that they are going to hit the hospital. 'We have to hit them first' he adds. 'Gotcha. What about -' Natasha begins, as Daredevil shushes her, 'Three heartbeats' he announces quietly. 'Behind us!' Daredevil shouts as two figures leap towards them. Daredevil grabs his attacker and throws him overhead, while the Black Widow tosses hers aside. 'Cool it! I know this dude!' the third figure announces, shining his torch at Daredevil. 'You got a rep. I think we're on the same side' the heavily armed man in a military outfit announces.
The man reports that he and his buddies are all Vietnam veterans who have been trying to curb the street violence. 'You too?' he asks. Daredevil addresses the vigilantes and tells them that they have found a whole hornet's nest here. 'Yeah, Ammo's gang. We trailed 'im here. Sorry about the ambush. We mistook you for Ammo's watchdogs' one of the Vigilantes reports. Daredevil announces that he is taking this place down. 'You in?' he asks. 'What? You crazy? They got hundreds - we're five! It'd be a slaughter!' one of the vigilantes declares, suggesting Daredevil do like them and pick them off slow, wound them and tie them up. He then suggests they could bomb this place. 'No. Thanks. I'll do it alone. And no one dies. I'm no killer' Daredevil tells the vigilantes. One of the vigilantes is sure that Daredevil is crazy and points out that this is war. 'How we gonna win a battle like this if they're shooting to kill - and we're not?' he asks.
Daredevil states again that he is not a killer, and tells the Widow that they have got to move fast. 'Wait a minute. You got guts. I'm in, okay?' one of the vigilantes exclaims. 'Okay' Daredevil smiles, and they slap their hands together. The vigilante reveals that he was thinking how he was demolitions back in Vietnam, and he could rig a series of explosions at the doorway supports to block all exits but one and at the same time, release smoke bombs inside, like smoking a hornets' nest, they will be crippled and have to run right into their hands. 'I just gotta round up some chemicals' he adds. 'Let's do it, then!' Daredevil exclaims, as he and the Black Widow start to race back along the rooftop, he announces that he will check the chemicals at the hospital. 'Meet me there! And hurry - they're boiling down there and ready to blow!'
Back at the hospital, dozens of beds are lined up in the corridors, 'Here, Ma'am. Take your pill' Cain tells a woman who lies on one of the beds. 'A pain killer?' the woman enquires. 'No, we're all out. This is a sleeping pill' Cain explains. The woman asks him to be honest with her - 'Is this the end of the world?' she asks him. 'I…yeah, I think so' Cain replies. 'Then you tell me - I lost my leg in the explosion - what chance does a one-legged woman have in this new world?' she asks. 'I…' Cain's voice trails off. 'What's it like out there?' the woman asks. 'I guess…bad. Anarchy' Cain tells her. The woman tells Cain to use her food and bed for another. 'Just give me all those pills and let me die' she asks. 'But, lady! No!' Cain gasps, wide-eyed as the woman takes all of the sleeping pills from him. 'Look, I want to live, but not in the chaos you say is out there. They'd kill me. Go on, get out of here!' the woman declares.
Daredevil and the Black Widow have returned, as someone informs Daredevil that the weapons have been distributed, while one of the vigilantes reports that his homemade bombs should be as powerful as the army's. 'Good. Now everyone get this straight - Ammo's gang shoots to kill, but we shoot to wound only' Daredevil tells everyone who has gathered around him. 'Matt?' Cain exclaims as he pushes his way through the crowd. 'Where's Matt?' Cain asks the Black Widow. 'Busy! Here, quit sniveling and make yourself useful. I won't need this' the Black Widow declares, handing her pistol to Cain.
Soon, at the 7th Armory, someone follows Daredevil through the air duct vent system, 'So dark, how can you tell where you're going?' he asks Daredevil, who explains that air currents and the incline of the air shaft help. 'Mostly we're pivoting around a central point - I'm using Ammo's voice for that'. Down in the armory, Ammo and his men have gathered, and Ammo reports that they chuck in some bombs, enough to make a mess and tip them off guard. 'But only in the wings I've marked - we don't wanna blow up the drug supply' Ammo points out as they examine the hospital blueprints. 'I'm lost, how can you hear their voices?' the man with Daredevil asks as they continue through the vent system, placing a bomb at one location. 'Good ears. You just concentrate on the explosives' Daredevil tells his companion. 'Don't worry. I know my "ka-booms" They'll make the exits impassable and the smokers'll herd that mob right out into our lap' he replies.
Ammo tells his associates that the hospital is swarming with cops, but that the explosions will draw them out. 'Kill them all. Once the fighters are dead, the place is ours!' Ammo declares, while another bomb is placed outside an air vent. 'Only thing left is the white coats. Stupid doctors'll be too busy saving patients to fight. We grab a couple of doctors and force 'em to show us all the drugs' Ammo declares. 'Last one' Daredevil's associate announces. 'Let's go' Daredevil replies, as the bombs start to tick. One of the mob sniffs some more cocaine off their hand, while another exclaims 'Hit it!' 'We got the power - now we get the juice!' someone shouts. 'Rock an roll!' another declares as everyone starts to get to get ready to leave. One of the timers on the bombs indicates that there is only ninety seconds until detonation. Bad Seed turns to Ammo and remarks that the patients in the hospital will all die. 'So what? If you don't got the guts for this, Bad Seed - go join them!' Ammo reveals that when he was a young punk like Bad Seed, he was thrown into Vietnam - a real war. 'You hack it fast or you die!' Ammo exclaims.
Outside, Daredevil, the Black Widow, the vigilantes and as many police as are available are waiting. 'Five. Four. Three. Two…' one of them counts down, followed by the unmistakable sound and sight of several bombs detonating. 'This is the only way out' one of the vigilantes announces as they stand ready, smoke pouring from the armory, figures start to run out of the one remaining exit. 'Get read for it -' the add, as the gagging and coughing can be heard from the mob. 'My eyes!' someone shouts. 'Who…that red -!' someone exclaims, as Daredevil leaps towards them. 'Can't see…' someone mutters. 'What's that?' another asks. 'Oh, God!' someone gasps. 'NO!' another shouts. 'Just shoot!' one of the mob exclaims, and starts to fire, as the officers and vigilantes engage them. Daredevil is skilled at fighting, and is able to handle several of the mob at once as they swarm around them. Thuds and womps are heard as he slams the mob into each other, creating a large pile of them, which he kicks back, dodging some bullets.
The Black Widow has also engaged the mob, leaping onto one of their backs, she stretches her legs out and kicks two others. Smoke rises from the armor, as more thuds and cries can be heard. 'My leg!' someone shouts. Bullets are fired. 'Oh God! Oh God!' another declares. The battle rages on, more bullets are fired, more cries, more bashings. Daredevil suddenly looks up, he hears vibrations from the armory and suspects that a large vehicle is moving fast. Indeed, a tank-like vehicle bursts out of the rubble that has closed the armory off, and Ammo emerges from a hatch, firing two machine guns, 'Eat it, suckers!' he shouts. 'No! It's Ammo - he's flipped!' someone in the mob calls out. Another screams, while someone cries 'He's killing us all!' as members of the mob are struck with the bullets, they fall to the ground. Nearby, two small children appear from behind some trash cans. 'Cool! Lookit Ammo! Pow pow pow!' one of the kids smiles, waving his own gun about. 'Lookit me! I can shoot too! I'm - the kid begins, before he is cut off, and the other kid screams as they are gunned down by the many bullets that are fired in their direction.
'NO!' Daredevil roars as he rushes up behind the tank, 'You're dead Ammo - dead!' He leaps onto the tank behind Ammo and detects that his guns are mounted forward. 'He can't fire back this way' Daredevil realizes. 'AMMO!' Daredevil shouts. 'Clever, red man' Ammo mutters, spinning around to face Daredevil. 'Snuck up on me. Hah, snuck up on my knife' Ammo declares as he moves forward, knife ready to cut Daredevil, but the hero dodges and grabs Ammo by his wrist. 'Forget it, Hornhead, I'm the -' Ammo begins, before crying in pain as Daredevil grips his wrist so tight, causing him to drop the knife. Daredevil then pulls Ammo upwards, 'HEY!' the villain exclaims, as Daredevil shoves him down onto the tank, Daredevil punches Ammo over and over, drawing blood. Whacking him again and again, until suddenly, 'You ain't killing me, Daredevil!' Ammo boasts, leaping up, he pushes Daredevil off the tank rooftop, both of them falling into some trashcans nearby.
This gets the attention of the mob, 'Lookit Daredevil and Ammo!' someone exclaims. 'Huh?' someone else asks. 'Wild, man!' another declares. 'Hand to hand - to the death!' someone shouts. Ammo uses one of the trashcan lids like a shield and slams it into Daredevil several times, knocking the hero to the ground. Daredevil gathers himself, and pushes the lid back, forcing it into Ammo's face, bending it around his head.
In a building nearby, a middle-aged couple sit together on the sofa. 'Oh, the noise!' the woman exclaims, their living area lit by a candle. 'Easy, darling. It'll be over soon' the man remarks. 'But what is it? What are they doing?' the woman asks. 'It's only war, dear. The sounds of war. Try not to listen' the man explains, when suddenly, there is a knock at the door, and a voice cries for help. It's Cain, and he holds someone on the doorstep as the man looks out the window. 'Help me please let me in he's dying he's heavy gonna die help!' Cain shouts. 'Shouldn't we…' the woman begins, but the man hushes her and tells her 'No, no, dear. If you help one you end up helping them all. It's not our war' Cain struggles to hold the man up, 'Hey, hey! Get up! Hey!' he shouts, but the man dies. 'You're dead! No, man - ugh!' Cain exclaims as he kicks the body off the doorstep. Cain looks around and sees the sidewalk littered with bodies and covered in blood. 'Oh, God…look at them all - dead, all dead!' he gasps. 'Look at them lie there like they're sleeping so casual like they know each other ugh so familiar so promiscuous like lovers, how horrible…gotta get away still feel his weight still carrying his weight heavy on me… ugh he's so heavy…' Cain mumbles as he starts to rush away.
'Daredevil! Easy, man!' someone calls out as everyone turns to where Daredevil continues to punch Ammo over and over. 'We won, Daredevil!' someone calls out, 'We got control!' another exclaims. 'Let it go, Daredevil!' someone suggests, while another person assures him that it is over. 'No, it's never over!' Daredevil calls back, when suddenly, his heightened hearing picks up a struggle in an alleyway a block away. He races there, 'What is this? Let her go!' Daredevil calls out, as in the alleyway, a group of men has surrounded a woman. 'Stay out of this, Daredevil!' one of the men calls back, while another explains that she is from Ammo's gang and that she tried to blow them up with a grenade. 'Now she's ours! She deserves it! Stay out of this!' someone tells Daredevil. 'Spoils of war, man' another remarks. Daredevil realizes Cain is with the group: 'You too, Cain? You in on this?' he asks. 'What he said. Part of war. Our right' Cain announces.
Daredevil enters the group and pulls the woman free from them. 'Great, Cain. You're a big man. Now shut up, all of you. Come with me, girl' Daredevil declares. 'And you with the gun - just try it' Daredevil warns one of the group. 'Man, don't do it…' Cain exclaims as the guy with the gun raises it as Daredevil turns to leave the alleyway. 'You pretty fearless, red man. But you go against your own men in a war, you better watch it' the man warns him, adding that there are a lot of stray bullets flying around in a battle, and one of them might find its way into Daredevil's back. Across the road, the police and military round up the mob, while Cain calls out to Daredevil, telling him that he is sorry. 'I got confused I'm sorry! Without Matt here, I feel lost…I know I'm bad…' Cain exclaims. 'Shut up. You disgust me' Daredevil tells Cain, before shoving the woman towards him and telling Cain to hold his gun on her until the cops get her in handcuffs.
Suddenly, Daredevil's radar picks up something in the sky, a rumble, helicopters. He realizes they are coming this way, and that everyone else will hear it soon. Almost instantly, two choppers are illuminated by bright lights above, and a voice is projected from one of the choppers: 'Get off the streets! This is the US Army! There has been a catastrophe, but it's all over now! This is not a way! Go home, the electric power is being restored. Turn on your televisions, and await further news! Repeat - this is not a way! Get off the street! Go home!' Civilians look up from where they are gathered, while the Black Widow approaches Daredevil. 'That's it. Never was the end of the world' Natasha remarks. 'Amazing how everyone believed it so easily' Matt replies. 'Had me going for a while' Natasha admits. Daredevil tells her that everyone slipped right into the new world, accepted the disaster like it was a familiar face they were always expecting to return. 'Especially the kids - it was like "Yeah, we always knew the Bogeyman was real"!' Natasha remarks. Daredevil tells her that it is sad, somewhere in their unconscious minds, they all feel like a nuclear disaster is so inevitable - that when it does hit, they won't be surprised.
Little Lance is still in his "fall-out shelter" and looks up as the television switches back on, where a report announces that a super battle over Manhattan involving the super team X-Factor battling a giant spaceship, with multiple explosions, made citizens believe it was a nuclear war, and the damage plunged New York's Hell's Kitchen into a blackout. Lance is wide-eyed as he listens to the reporter who adds that unidentified chemical warfare caused hundreds to be poisoned, believing they had radiation sickness, and the area became a war zone with the residents actually believing that it was the end of the world, while army and navy troops have filled the city, restoring order.
'Officer?' Cain calls out as he holds the gun to the girl, and looks over at a police officer. 'What's everyone saying? You mean it wasn't a nuclear explosion? There's no war…? No end of the world…?' he asks. The officer looks over and laughs, telling Cain that life goes on - it is far from over. 'The one-legged lady…I told her it was the end…she could have made it! What have I done? I killed her! Where's Matt? I need him…' Cain thinks to himself, worried. The girl he is holding the gun to sees that there are cops everywhere, and knows they have her for looting. 'I ain't going to no slammer…gotta get ridda the boy-girl' she tells herself, as she pulls a knife from her jacket pocket, spins around and shoves it into Cain's stomach.
Nearby, Daredevil hears a heartbeat jump - skipped - it's Cain! Daredevil rushes over to where Cain's body lies slumped on the sidewalk, the girl has vanished. 'Cain!' he shouts. 'Matt?' Cain utters, as Daredevil crouches over him. 'No, it's Daredevil…' Matt replies. 'Daredevil? Please…say goodbye to Matt for me' Cain utters, adding that Matt is like a father to him, and that his clinic was the closest thing he had to a home and a family. 'Easy, Cain, don't talk…' Daredevil replies as he holds the boy. 'No. it's over. I'm going. Just listen -' Cain calls out, asking Daredevil to tell Matt that he fought good, to tell him that he was a good soldier. 'But, Daredevil - don't tell him about…before with the girl, okay. I couldn't stand it if Matt knew about that…uh, I hurt…I wish I could say goodbye to Matt…' Cain utters. 'Cain, you can - I'm -' Daredevil begins as he starts to remove his mask, 'Tell him…' Cain gasps, his last breath, as he passes away.
And, a few blocks away, the man who escaped from jail walks down a clear sidewalk, holding the baby, he remarks 'And it's real zen, too. Ya see, runt, there's like these million paths, and you gotta pick just one! Like the one I picked - robbery. Some people'd say it's rotten, but I believe I'm showing people how they shouldn't be so attached to their possessions…see I was a hippie once…' He looks at the baby in the face, adding that there is girls, he has to warn him about them. 'Ya see, women - Oh, man, I mean you just gotta have 'em…but at the same time, going out with a girl is kinda like having a wad of gum stuck in your hair…' 'Goo!' the baby utters. 'Yeah, goo' the man smiles, before deciding that it might be a bit too early for this stuff, and then he tells the baby that it is okay, as they have all the time in the world.
Karen Page
Death III, Pestilence III, War II (all Horsemen of Apocalypse)
Bad Seed
Gang members
Escaped prisoner
Homeless man
This double-sized issue ties into the "Fall of the Mutants" storyline.
X-Factor's battle that the reporter refers to can be seen in the classic X-Factor (1st series) #25.
First appearance of Ammo
« Daredevil (1st series) #249
Daredevil (1st series) #269 »
Mighty Captain Marvel #7
After the Juggernaut became Kuurth: Breaker of Stone, a Herald of the long-dormant god of fear, Colossus made a bargain with Cyttorak and became the new avatar of the Juggernaut.


While roaming the waterfront this week, the buzz was all about last weekend's maritime festival.
Every person I spoke with said they thought the festival was an unqualified success.
My wife and I went on both Saturday and Sunday. Each day, throngs of people swarmed each venue despite intermittent rain showers that did not dampen anyone's spirits.
I think it is fair to say that with the U.S. Navy Brass Band, the boat tours, tall ships, tours of the port facilities, tours of Platypus Marine and Westport Shipyard and the food vendors, there was something at the first annual Port Angeles Maritime Festival for everyone.
Astoria Bay moored to the Port of Port Angeles' Terminal 3 last Saturday.
She is a 610-foot-long cargo ship that will be in port for about 11 days, taking on a load of debarked logs that were harvested from Merrill and Ring's private land holdings that will be shipped to China.
This vessel was once known as Dry Beam. In early 2012 while heading to the Far East with a load of logs, Dry Beam was hit by a rogue wave about 300 miles northwest of Vancouver Island.
The ship was struck on the port side by a wave thought to be about 50 feet high, causing a shift of the deck cargo toward the starboard side which overloaded the stanchions that restrain the topside load.
The stanchions gave way under the additional strain of the shifted load, and a number of logs fell overboard while simultaneously destroying many of the stanchions.
The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Healy and the Canadian Coast Guard cutter JP Tully responded to the ship's mayday call and escorted her to Ogden Point.
Barge cranes offloaded the remaining deck cargo and stowed it on the dock, and when the vessel was deemed seaworthy, she got underway for Kashima, Japan, where her remaining cargo was offloaded and repairs undertaken.
The logs that were moved off Dry Beam's deck were subsequently moved to another location at Ogden Point and were ground up into chips for use as garden mulch.
Once Dry Beam was rebuilt, a new ownership group took possession of her and renamed the vessel Astoria Bay.
Rogue waves are not necessarily the biggest waves found on the water. Rather, they are unusually large waves for a given sea state.
Platypus Marine Inc., the Port Angeles-based, full-service shipyard, yacht-repair facility and steel-boat manufacturer, has NuExplorer in the Commander Building where personnel are repairing some minor water damage and dealing with a couple of electrical issues on the Molokai Strait 68, a stunningly beautiful expedition trawler whose owner brought her to Port Angeles from Astoria so that the professional crew at Platypus Marine could work on his yacht.
Platypus Marine also has a crew at the Coast Guard station on Ediz Hook working on the 87-foot Cutter Wahoo. Personnel are making repairs to the crew's shower, replacing some insulation and installing new carpeting.
Saturday, Tesoro Petroleum provided bunkers to Rainbow Star, a 599-foot petroleum products tanker that is flagged in Hong Kong.
I am often asked, Is there a requirement that oil tankers use a tug when coming into Port Angeles harbor?
Tugs are required to provide a tethered assist — their tow line affixed to bitts on the tanker's bow or stern in a procedure that is otherwise known as a ship assist. The rule is that laden tankers exceeding 40,000 DWT (dead weight tons) are required to have a ship assist when arriving and departing the harbor.
Another requirement for laden tankers is that those that exceed 90,000 DWT must anchor in the central or eastern portion of the harbor.
Brian S, the 98 foot tug that tows the Tesoro fuel barge to bunker the ships in the harbor, also provides ship assist services to tankers. She is able to assist tankers that do not exceed 90,000 DWT.
Vessels exceeding that tonnage would typically be assisted by one of the Foss or Crowley tractor tugs that were specifically designed and built to provide tug related services to larger ships.


The NISE Network runs a series of free online workshops focused on helping partners share their work and learn from others in the Network. The aim of the online workshops is to increase the number of professional development opportunities available to our partners and create more channels for Network partners to learn from each other directly.
This online presentation and discussion will cover the science behind three of the 2017 Explore Science: Earth Earth & Space toolkit and Space toolkit activities - Rising Seas, Investigating Clouds, and Orbiting Objects. After a brief overview of each activity and associated materials, Laura Peticolas, Ph.D., a space scientist and science educator, will facilitate learning more about NASA's contributions to discovering the primary cause of our rising seas, understanding cloud distribution and formation over time, and measuring Earth's gravity. How NASA satellite's orbit using Earth's gravity will also be explored. We will also discuss how to use the NISE Net's NASA Wavelength lists to enhance or extend interactions with visitors.


text:
1 hour GREEN NEW DEAL = BLIZZARD OF LIES
Shell's Gas Trading Booms While Oil Trading Slows
Shell expects the trading results…
The New Superpowers In Global LNG Markets
Europe's energy crisis has helped…
Daniel J. Graeber
Daniel Graeber is a writer and political analyst based in Michigan. His work on matters related to the geopolitical aspects of the global energy sector,…
Colorado Enacts Tough New Fracking Measures
By Daniel J. Graeber - Jan 14, 2013, 5:15 PM CST
The state government in Colorado announced that it enacted some of the most stringent laws related to oil and natural gas operations in the country. New regulations require energy companies to conduct before-and-after samples of groundwater wells in the state to determine what impact, if any, exploration has on water quality. The rules follow a decision by the U.S. government to wait another 8 months before it closes the comment period for a study on the possible contamination of water supplies from fracking operations in Wyoming. While Colorado officials cloaked their statements in cautious language, the regulations suggest lawmakers are starting to catch up with the debate over the U.S. oil and natural boom
The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation agency announced it crafted rules that require energy companies to sample as many as four water wells within a half mile of new oil and natural gas operations prior to drilling. After that, two more samples are required within a year and again within six years of drilling in order to determine what sort of impact oil and natural gas operations have on water supplies.
"This rule represents a strong, proactive step to monitor and protect our groundwater and is right for Colorado," said Commissioner Andy Spielman in a statement.
Related Article: What Stands in the Way of Natural Gas Replacing Gasoline in the US?
Colorado ranks among the top 10 states in the nation in terms of oil and natural gas production. The U.S. Energy Department states that parts of the Green River formation, the largest known oil shale deposit in the world with an estimated 1 trillion barrels of oil, are situated within the state. In terms of natural gas, the state ranks fifth in the country in terms of production, meaning it ranks above other shale-rich states like Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Shale oil and natural gas developments are emerging drivers behind a recovering U.S. economy. Amid the boom, however, comes growing concerns about the safety of working in shale plays like Green River. The U.S. government last week extended a comment period until Sept. 30 for a report on hydraulic fracturing operations in Wyoming. That report may be the first to show that the controversial practice may led to the contamination of water supplies. Environmental groups argue that fracking may eventually pollute groundwater with chemicals like benzene and glycols. Encana, an energy company included in the study for Pavillian, Wyo., however, said the government's probe was a waste of time.
Related Article: The Real Reason the Natural Gas Industry Hates Matt Damon's New Movie
Advocates of oil and natural gas operations in the United States contend there are no proven instances where fracking was tied directly to the contamination of drinking water. The Pavillion study, they say, used "faulty data" and included "heavily contested conclusions." Colorado regulators, for their part, said the new state regulations are meant to allay concerns about energy development "in the very rare instances of impact."
Only two states in the nation have groundwater programs in place like Colorado's and the state is the first to require post-drilling water samples. Regulators said the new measure will help state officials determine what factors of oil and gas operations, if any, are affecting groundwater. Despite the controversy over shale development, state leaders have decided it's time to face the issue directly.
"We have once again set the bar high in our assertive and judicious regulatory approach to oil and gas development," said Spielman.
By. Daniel J. Graeber of Oilprice.com
What Stands in the Way of Natural Gas Replacing Gasoline in the US?
US to Cut Volumes of Imported Oil by Using Natural Gas to Power Rigs, not Diesel
dennis hibbert on January 15 2013 said:
The Green River formation is not involved in oil production--it contains no oil. Kerogen is an oil precursor and that is what the Green River holds. What is called shale oil (Bakken, Eagle Ford) is found in fractured reservoir rock with oil in the fractures and is a different beast altogether. Fracking and horizontal drilling can recover oil from such, though it isn't cheap.
Shell has been sitting on a lease in the Green River formation for more than 30 years and has produced not a drop of oil, as it would take a great deal of water and energy to do so and both are in sort supply out there. Chevron gave back its leases early last year. Exxon walked away in 1982.
rebecca on January 18 2013 said:
We can and do have other ways to power cars, make electricity and heat homes.
There is no substitute for water to drink and grow food. Life itself (yours and mine and theirs) depends on it.
How about putting that money into building a solar panel, wind, hydro technology. Be a hero not a selfish villan.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Hillary Clinton breaks her silence to comment on Trump's immigration order
Chris Enloe
HEMPSTEAD, NY - SEPTEMBER 26: Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton speaks during the Presidential Debate at Hofstra University on September 26, 2016 in Hempstead, New York. The first of four debates for the 2016 Election, three Presidential and one Vice Presidential, is moderated by NBC's Lester Holt. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton broke her silence on Twitter late Saturday to condemn President Donald Trump's immigration executive order and to express her support for the protests taking place at airports nationwide.
"I stand with the people gathered across the country tonight defending our values & our Constitution," Clinton tweeted. "This is not who we are."
I stand with the people gathered across the country tonight defending our values & our Constitution. This is not who we are.
— Hillary Clinton (@Hillary Clinton) 1485661785.0
The tweet came as thousands were protesting at international airports across the country on Saturday after news broke early in the weekend that Trump's executive order caused refugees to be detained at U.S. airports and other visa holders who permanently live in the U.S. to be denied entry back into the country.
Trump's executive order, signed Friday, halts the U.S. refugee resettlement program for a minimum of 120 days until the nation's vetting process can be improved. The executive order also bars people from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. for 90 days. Those countries are: Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia and Libya.
Lawmakers, including those in Trump's own party, have denounced the executive order. Republican Sen. Ben Sasse (Neb.) labeled it too "broad," while Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) warned that Trump was using the same executive overreach that former President Barack Obama used.
Still, a federal judge issued a temporary stay late Saturday ordering that any refugee with a valid U.S. visa who made it to official American soil will be able to stay and won't be deported.
Clinton has been reletively quiet on social media since losing to Trump in the presidential election late last year. Since early November, Clinton has only tweeted for holidays, acknowledgement of her supporters, some get-well wishes for former President George H.W. Bush and his wife, in addition to support for last weekend's Women's March on Washington.
Breaking: Trump to sign an executive order aimed at social media companies - TheBlaze ›
Tech tycoon, 45, reportedly spends $2 million a year on his extreme anti-aging regimen. His goal? To achieve the body, inside and out, of an 18-year-old.
'Hawkeye' actor had been trying to protect his adult nephew when run over by snowplow


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Do you keep up with the news but still feel you're missing something? Do you ever question things you see or hear in movies, TV and music?
As it turns out, this is a common problem for many Americans, and the effects are showing.
In the modern world, it's a necessity to stay connected. Between an unfortunate disaster or simply checking the latest celebrity gossip, you consume a lot more media than you might think. Most of the time, you wouldn't even think twice if inaccurate facts were planted into an article.
To some people, like freshman Jo Wilson, details don't matter too much.
"I don't think minor details are that important, but major parts of a story just can't be left out," Wilson said.
On the other hand, some people find that news needs to have constant accuracy.
"I feel like news accuracy is at its worst whenever there's a really new topic, like a law passing or an important government policy. Most of the time, you'll see rushed work and inaccurate reporting," said Sammy Cornelius, freshman.
Cornelius says he stays up to date on current events, and he's noticed plenty of bias and false statements in even small day to day stories. He isn't the only one who has noticed inaccuracies in the news, though.
"A lot of news has hidden agendas or messages behind it that they try to push. You could call this 'fake' news since it's really biased. CNN and FOX like to do this a lot, mostly for views and higher ratings," said Carter Shuler, freshman.
Large news stations are often likely to include political stances in reporting, and they can be unreliable when it comes to politics. Most use their large viewer bases to push opinions that they might have, and this creates the biased "mainstream media" effect that many people cite.
To avoid bias and other things detrimental to reporting, find a source that consistently puts out factual information. Another thing that can't hurt is fact-checking against other articles to see if anything glaringly obvious is missing. These things help stop the spread of misinformation.
Another important thing to do is look for fallacies in interviews, like loaded questions. Loaded questions exist solely for ratings, and assume a rumor is true to attack a subject in a way. This makes interviewees uncomfortable and is "fake" journalism because it forces a false response.
Staying informed now is more important than ever, and the information age we're in can quickly turn into a misinformation age if you're not careful. Be mindful of the world around you and you might just learn something new.


About an hour before tipoff, and the most interesting sight was watching the Lopez twins of the Cardinal and UW's Quincy Pondexter spend a little time at halfcourt talking.
All three grew up in Fresno and played at San Joaquin Memorial High School. At one point, one of the twins gave a playful nudge to Pondexter as they chatted. They obviously have a lot of affection for each other, but they all promise to be all business on the court tonight.
Just in case you didn't see it, I detailed the relationship of the twins and Pondexter in this story today, as well as the fact that the game also marks a reunion of UW's Spencer Hawes and Jon Brockman with Stanford guard Mitch Johnson — all three played on the same AAU team, Friends of Hoop, during their high school years.
Johnson, interestingly, isn't likely to start tonight. With each of the Lopez twins now in the lineup, Stanford is going with just one guard — Anthony Goods — with Johnson coming off the bench. Goods has emerged as a better shooter than Johnson.
Figure outside shooting to be a huge key tonight as both teams are solid inside and likely to collapse on each other inside. The team that can hit the outside shots figures to have a big edge.


We start off with comments from many different wrestlers and fans about what NXT means to them.
We see the footage that aired earlier on the Kickoff Show and we are given an update that Itami suffered a torn rotator cuff.
They lock up and Balor with a side head lock. Balor with a shoulder tackle and he gets a near fall. Breeze gets to his feet. Breeze tries to stay away from Balor but Balor grabs the leg and applies a waist lock. Breeze with a side head lock and shoulder tackle followed by a near fall. Breeze with a side head lock.
Breeze with another shoulder tackle but Balor escapes a cover. Breeze with a side head lock followed by a take down. Balor with a drop kick and Breeze rolls to the floor. Balor sets for a dive to the floor but Breeze gets back into the ring and Blor with forearms followed by a chop. Balor sends Breeze into the turnbuckles. Breeze with an Irish whip but Balor goes to the apron when Breeze charges at him.
Balor misses a chop and Breeze knocks Balor off the apron with a springboard drop kick. Balor gets back into the ring and Breeze kicks Balor. Breeze sends Balor into the turnbuckles and he kicks him. Balor with punches but Breeze with a neck breaker for a near fall. Breeze kicks Balor and chokes him in the corner. Breeze with a snap mare and leg drop for a near fall. Breeze returns to the reverse chin lock.
Balor gets to his feet but Breeze pulls Balor back to the mat. Balor with elbows but Breeze with a knee. Breeze with a sunset flip but Balor rolls through and hits a drop kick. Balor with an Irish whip and a running chop. Balor with a baseball slide and Breeze goes to the floor. Balor goes to the apron and connects with a double stomp to the back.
Balor sends Breeze back into the ring and he goes up top. Breeze rolls to the other side of the ring and Balor goes back to the mat. Balor with another chop and then he sends Breeze into the turnbuckles. Balor with an Irish whip and a running enzuigiri in the corner for a near fall. Balor with a dragon sleeper but Breeze with a snap mare and forearm. Balor with Slingblade and he sets for the running drop kick but Breeze with a super kick for a near fall.
Breeze unties the turnbuckle pad in the corner and the referee warns him. Breeze sends Balor into the corner and he kicks Finn. Breeze with punches and kicks but the referee pulls him out of the corner and warns him. Breeze with a snap mare and he misses the Beauty Shot. Balor misses a double stomp and Breeze with a rollup for a near fall.
Balor sends Breeze into the corner but he stops short of the turnbuckle. Balor with a rollup for a near fall but Breeze kicks out and sends Balor into the exposed turnbuckle followed by the Beauty Shot for a near fall. Balor rolls to the floor while Breeze throws a tantrum.
Breeze goes up the ramp and Balor with a clothesline from the side. Balor climbs the scaffolding above the entrance and he hits a splash onto Breeze. They return to the ring and Balor with the running drop kick. Balor goes up top and hits the Coup de Gras for the three count.
We see Kevin Owens watching in the back in a room that only has a monitor. Owens walks away.
We have a video package from the NXT shows that took place last week in Philadelphia and Albany.
Bayley and Dana start things off. They lock up and Dana sends Bayley to the mat. Bayley picks up Charlotte and tags in Charlotte. Charlotte with a full nelson and she tags in Bayley, who chops Dana and Emma is tagged in. Bayley pushes Emma to the mat and Emma goes to the floor. Bayley follows after and Emma puts Dana in front of her. Bayley with a drop kick through the corner and takes both women down.
Bayley sends Emma back in and Bayley goes to the turnbuckles and Dana distracts Bayley, allowing Emma to pull Bayley off the turnbuckles. Emma gets a near fall. Emma kicks Bayley and slams her head into the mat and gets a near fall. Emma works on the neck. Emma with a knee to the midsection and a forearm to the back.
Dana tags in and she kicks Bayley in the corner. Emma tags back in and she kicks Bayley. Dana tags back in and she kicks Bayley some more. Emma tags back in and sends Bayley into the turnbuckles. Emma tosses Bayley across the ring by the hair. Emma with a cross body into the corner and she gets a near fall. Emma pulls on Bayley's hair and slaps her in the head. Emma hugs Bayley and punches her.
Emma mocks Bayley's gestures to the crowd and she wooos at Charlotte. Bayley with a suplex and Dana and Charlotte tag in. Charlotte with chops to Dana. Charlotte with a neck breaker and boot to Dana. Emma tries to interfere but Charlotte sends her to the floor. Dana hits Charlotte from behind and tags in Emma. Charlotte with a cartwheel through a double clothesline and Charlotte with a double DDT. Charlotte gets a near fall on Emma. Emma with an elbow to Charlotte and a boot to Charlotte when she charges into the corner. Emma goes up top and hits a cross body but Charlotte rolls through and she applies the figure four leg lock on Emma.
Charlotte bridges back and Emma signals to Dana but Bayley goes under Charlotte for a belly-to-belly suplex on Dana. Charlotte with Natural Selection on Emma for the three count.
We take a look at Sami Zayn's challenge of John Cena in Montreal on Raw.
They show the most recent NXT signees, including the man with no NXT name, but a number of video packages.
They lock up and Baron pushes Rhyno away. They lock up and Rhyno with a side head lock and shoulder tackle. Corbin with a kick and punch. Rhyno sends Corbin to the floor and Corbin returns to the ring. Rhyno with a kick and clothesline that sends Corbin over the top rope to the floor. Rhyno goes to the floor and he connects with forearms. Rhyno sends Corbin back into the ring and Corbin with a punch.
Corbin with an Irish whip but Rhyno with an elbow. Rhyno goes to the turnbuckles but Corbin knocks Rhyno off the turnbuckles to the floor. Corbin sends Rhyno into the apron. Corbin sends Rhyno back into the ring and he kicks Rhyno in the ribs. Corbin with a hard Irish whip to Rhyno. Corbin with another hard Irish whip to Rhyno and he gets a near fall. Corbin with forearms to Rhyno. Corbin misses a splash into the corner.
Rhyno with punches but Corbin sends Rhyno into the corner and he kicks and punches Rhyno while the referee warns him. Corbin sends Rhyno to the mat and he waits for Rhyno to get up. Corbin goes to the floor and he punches Rhyno in the head. Corbin returns to the ring and he gets a near fall. Corbin with a key lock but Rhyno with punches.
Corbin with an Irish whip but both men bump heads and both men go down. They both get up at eight and Rhyno with a punch but they go back and forth. Rhyno with the advantage and a back elbow and clothesline. Rhyno with an Irish whip and shoulder into the corner. Rhyno tries for the belly-to-belly suplex but Corbin with head butts and a kick followed by a punch. Rhyno with a spinebuster and he gets a near fall.
Rhyno with a belly-to-belly suplex and Rhyno sets for the GORE. Rhyno charges at Corbin but Corbin with a clothesline followed by End of Days for the three count.


Somehow, amidst all the Christmas hustle and bustle, we managed to sneak in this adorable Little Peanut baby shower last weekend! DimplePrints created all the beautiful printables in pinks and greys, which made my job of executing a fabulous event so much easier. We added some pink and grey lanterns, lots of adorable desserts and my latest favorite dessert table addition: A ribbon banner! Take a look.
For dessert, I asked two fabulous local bakers to create some custom pieces for us. One made peanut butter & jelly cupcakes and another made sugar cookies that matched the printables perfectly! We also served kettle corn and caramel corn in decorative cups, GF cookies to accommodate guests with dietary restrictions, and of course, a million Nutter Butters!
With DimplePrints' adorable Little Peanut printable set, I was able to easily coordinate decor throughout the party. We used custom water bottle wraps, napkin rings, center piece signs, food labels, cupcake toppers, and of course, a "Little Peanut" pennant banner. Here's a few more pictures!
Last but not least, we sent every guest home with their own little bag of Little Peanuts (circus peanuts in pink, white, yellow and orange), and tied them all shut with DimplePrints coordinating favor tags!
Hope you found a little inspiration for your next celebration today! Spread the word.


Think Kit, Day 3. Think Kit wants my strangest moment from the past year. Here it is.
daughter, who is leading me to the parking lot.
We are leaving Holliday Park, and they are arriving, with a boom box, tucking themselves into the late afternoon shadows of the Indiana limestone at the end of Constitution Mall. They are white-pink skin and black fabric, youth and punk rock-lite. They are plastic-headed safety pins, dangerous but barely.
Margot swings her arms and ambles forward in the ploppy, disconcerted way that two-year-olds get to move. My eyes flick to the top of her head, blonde and wispy in the wind, then back over to Blue Girl, Boy and Bunny, then ahead.
Ahead, a perhaps Amish perhaps Mennonite family of six stands together in two rows of pastel and gauze, black and starch, in the grass growing over-long in the crook made by two meeting paths. A photographer kneels 15 feet in front of them, framing up photos. They don't stop smiling, even when the camera is down.
In a moment we are a line and Margot and I are the middle; we are a spectrum and every point on it; it feels weird feels wonderful and I am barely moving but my heart is racing.


Many of the world's greatest dramas are not on a stage or a screen, but they are played out in that quadrennial spectacle we call the Olympics. One year Britain's representative in the 400-meter race, Derek Redmond, went down in the back stretch with a torn right hamstring. As the medical attendants approached, Redmond fought to his feet and set out hopping, desperately trying to finish the race. He knew he wouldn't win, he was just trying to finish.
When he reached the final stretch, a man came out of the stands, pushed past a security guard, and ran to Redmond and hugged him. That man was Jim Redmond, Derek's father, and he said to him, "Son, you don't have to do this." Gritting his teeth and with tears in his eyes, his son said, "Yes, I do."
His father's reply, "Well, then, we're going to finish this together." Derek's head was sometimes buried in his father's shoulder, but they stayed in his lane to the end. When they crossed the finish line, the crowd stood to its feet, cheered, and wept as those two men finished the race.
Moses says to Israel in Deuteronomy 1:29-31 , "Then I said to you, 'Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the desert. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.'"
Maybe today you are tired, banged up, or stressed out, and like that 400-meter runner in the Olympics, you are staggering right now. You're having a hard time finishing your race. You started well, and you have been running hard, but you're about to go down. Maybe you have been hit by discouragement, illness, family trouble, a lack of support, or a lack of help. Maybe you've run into obstacles or pain and you are hurting, and there is still more of the race ahead of you. God wants to give you the good news that someone has left the stands to help you. He is coming to the track to help you finish the rest of the way.
God left the stands to come to the cross, and there He rescued us from the sin wounds that would have kept us from reaching heaven. He knows we can't make it alone. He is an all-powerful Father who offers to carry us, but we have to let Him. If we are too proud to collapse in His arms and surrender to His control, then our power is limited, and we're not going to make it. If we will totally release control to Him and, in the words of Scripture, humble ourselves, we will have all His power. Even little children know where the power is when they sing, "...they are weak, but He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me."
Each of us experience days when we just don't have any more to give. Maybe you're there now. It's those moments in the race that can take you deeper into the love and power of Jesus than you have ever been before. Your Father is not a spectator in the stands today. His arm is around you right now, where you are. Listen to His voice saying, "We're going to finish this together!"


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Terrorism: May 18, 2002
The government is avoiding any action on the idea of allowing airline pilots to carry pistols, while the airlines have tried to stay neutral. The Air Line Pilots Association says that 73 percent of its members want to carry pistols, while the Allied Pilots Association says 90 percent of its members do. The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association says 70 percent of its pilots want to carry pistols. Pressure from the pilots has inspired both the House and Senate to launch different bills that would force the FAA to establish training to certify pilots to carry pistols within 90 days of passage. Flight attendants, on the other hand, have said they want unarmed combat training and steel batons to deal with knife-wielding terrorists.Stephen V Cole


Technologies are developing very fast these days, so it is no wonder that future might be very different. When it comes to cars, there is plenty of space for new ideas and technological innovations. In many auto shows we are already able to see prototypes of cars with incredible technologies that might become mainstream thing in the future sms lån på dagen. Here are some examples of features that every car might have in the nearest future.
This is the thing every car fan is talking about and all the world is waiting for. Actually there have already been created autonomous vehicles by Tesla, Google and Mercedes-Benz, but they are not fully autonomous in some cases yet. These cars will be soon available for commercial causes. Scientists' claims that only after 5 years cars will be able to drive anywhere and any time, without human involvement.
This also is something similar to autonomous technology, but the difference is that the car can disregard driver's commands and make its own decisions. It is like the more advanced version of autopilot – there is sensor technology used so the car ca save the driver is dangerous situations. For example, car can break or keep constant speed all the time even if the driver is willing to speed up. This technology could help to avoid many car accidents.
This is one of the newest technologies drivers are not too excited about, because it puts on many distractions. Comprehensive Vehicle Tracking means that insurance companies and other institutions will be able to track any car and record all its actions. Some institutions are already talking cars about fees and other things, but in the future every car might be tracked. At first it might be volunteer choice, but by the time of 2020 it might be an obligation.
Remote Vehicle Shutdown gives a chance to shut down stolen cars. This technology already exists and is being used for some of the cars, but it will become more advanced and more popular soon. In the future it might be useless to steal cars at all, because this system would make it impossible to use stolen cars, beside it would also be possible to track the cars as well.
Very soon it might be possible to have 2 in 1 cars thanks to reconfigurable body type. For example, a car with lightweight body panels and advanced motors could retract the roof and side glass into the lower body panels. Car buyers could have a lot easier choice if they could have one car with two different looks and body types. For now this technology is still in development phase and there are only some prototypes created but by the next few decades it might become mainstream option.
Cars in the nearest future really might become lot more advanced. Some of the technologies now might seem like a science fiction, but with the rapid growth of technology innovations, there is no wonder we all will experience this within next few decades.


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Tag: Sedation
Analgesic, Sedative, and Paralytic Strategies in COVID-19 Patients During Critical Shortages
This presentation provides an overview of strategies for triaging analgesic, sedative, and paralytic agents patients with COVID-19. This is SCCM curated COVID-19 microlearning content.
Coronavirus, COVID-19, Sedation, Therapies, Triage
SCCM Pod-440 Optimal Sedation in Patients Who Receive Neuromuscular Blocking Agent Infusions for Treatment of ARDS
Two previously published trials presented equivocal evidence on the effect of neuromuscular blocking agent infusions in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome. Host Kyle B. Enfield, MD, FCCM, is joined by Matthias Eikermann, MD, to discuss the different sedation regimens between these two trials, different regimens within the ROSE trial between treatment and control groups, and the hypothesis that the proportion of deeper sedation is a mediator of the effect of neuromuscular blocking agent infusions on mortality.
ARDS, Critical Care Medicine, Neuromuscular Blocking Agent, Sedation
Association of Sedation, Coma, and In-Hospital Mortality in Mechanically Ventilated Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019–Related Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: A Retrospective Cohort Study
From Critical Care Medicine. The authors tested the hypothesis that patients with coronavirus disease 2019–associated acute respiratory distress syndrome are at higher risk of in-hospital mortality due to prolonged coma compared with other patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome matched for disease severity.
Coronavirus, COVID-19, Sedation
SCCM Pod-VCCR4 Common Sedatives and Paralytics for Rapid Sequence Intubation
Sean P. Kane, PharmD, BCPS, speaks with Joseph Muench, PharmD, BCPS about airway pharmacology.
Intubation, Sedation
Because of the need for such high doses of sedatives and narcotics, how are you preventing post-intensive care syndrome and delirium?
Questions from social media, blogs and the various discussion forums, including the new SCCM COVID-19 Discussion Group, were answered. This microlearning content was taken from the COVID-19 Critical Care for Non-ICU Clinicians: Expert Panel Series held on January 13, 2021.
Coronavirus, COVID-19, Delirium, Sedation
Can you discuss sedation, nutritional needs, and CPR?
Questions from social media, blogs and the various discussion forums, including the new SCCM COVID-19 Discussion Group, were answered. This microlearning content was taken from the COVID-19 Critical Care for Non-ICU Clinicians: Expert Panel Series held on May 13th, 2020.
Coronavirus, COVID-19, Sedation, Therapies
Clinical Pearls on Sedative Weaning
This resource details tips for sedative weaning for COVID-19 patients.
This is SCCM curated COVID-19 microlearning content.
Corticosteroid Responsive Encephalopathy: Prolonged Coma in Patients Late in the Course of Dreadful Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection
From Critical Care Explorations. In this case report, the authors describe two cases of prolonged coma after weaning off sedation in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 with rapid neurologic improvement shortly after high-dose corticosteroid regimen.
Case Presentations, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Sedation
COVID-19 Pharmacology Debates: Management of Delirium, Pain and Sedation
The Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) in their third series of therapeutic debates in the management of COVID-19.
Do ICU patients with COVID-19 require a high amount of sedation or paralysis?
Questions from social media, blogs and the various discussion forums, including the new SCCM COVID-19 Discussion Group, were answered. This microlearning content was taken from the COVID-19 Question and Answer Webcast Series - Webcast 2 held on April 10, 2020.
Coronavirus, COVID-19, Sedation, Supportive Care, Ventilatory Support
Editorial: Do Our Sedation Practices Contribute to Increased Mortality in Coronavirus Disease 2019–Related Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome?
From Critical Care Medicine. In this Editorial, the authors discuss the article by Wongtangman et al. entitled "Association of Sedation, Coma, and In-Hospital Mortality in Mechanically Ventilated Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019–Related Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome" and suggest that reemploying the use of evidence-based strategies developed over the past 20 years through rigorous controlled trials is one of the best mechanisms by which to help critically ill adults with COVID-19 liberate from the ICU and transition toward recovery and survivorship.
Evaluation of Hypertriglyceridemia in Critically Ill Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019 Receiving Propofol
From Critical Care Explorations. In this study, the authors report the prevalence of, and evaluate risk factors for, the development of hypertriglyceridemia (defined as a serum triglyceride level of > 400 mg/dL) in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 who received propofol.
For patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome from COVID-19, how do you prevent delirium when you cannot provide a sedation vacation or spontaneous breathing trial?
Questions from social media, blogs and the various discussion forums, including the new SCCM COVID-19 Discussion Group, were answered. This microlearning content was taken from the COVID-19 Critical Care for Non-ICU Clinicians: Expert Panel Series held on March 10, 2021
ARDS, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Sedation
Increased Glucocorticoid Receptor Alpha Expression and Signaling in Critically Ill Coronavirus Disease 2019 Patients
From Critical Care Medicine. In this study, the authors found that ICU coronavirus disease 2019 patients showed upregulated glucocorticoid receptor alpha and glucocorticoid-inducible leucine zipper expression, along with cortisol levels, compared with ICU noncoronavirus disease 2019 patients. Thus, they concluded, on ICU admission, critical coronavirus disease 2019 appears to be associated with hypercortisolemia, and increased synthesis of glucocorticoid receptor alpha and induced proteins.
Intubation Medications/Sedation Requirements for Intubating COVID-19 Patient - Infographic
This resource is an infographic that details intubation medications and sedation requirement for intubating COVID-19 patients. This is a community developed COVID-19 microlearning resource.
Coronavirus, COVID-19, Sedation, Supportive Care
Once a patient is intubated and on mechanical ventilation, how do you keep the patient sedated appropriately without reaching extremely high doses of sedatives and narcotics?
Coronavirus, COVID-19, Intubation, Sedation
Online Letter to the Editor: Reasons for the Overuse of Sedatives and Deep Sedation for Mechanically Ventilated Coronavirus Disease 2019 Patients
From Critical Care Medicine. This Online Letter to the Editor was written in response to an article by Wongtangman et al. entitled "Association of Sedation, Coma, and In-Hospital Mortality in Mechanically Ventilated Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019-Related Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: A Retrospective Cohort Study."
Coronavirus, COVID-19, Sedation, Ventilatory Support
Sedation Practices
Focus on ABC elements of the ICU Liberation Bundle, specifically, 1) depth of sedation, 2) choosing the right agent, 3) daily interruption of sedation. This is SCCM curated COVID-19 microlearning content.
Curriculum Topic: ICU Liberation Bundle Implementation & Challenges
Coronavirus, COVID-19, Sedation, STOP VIRUS
Standard Sedation and Sedation With Isoflurane in Mechanically Ventilated Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019
From Critical Care Explorations. The authors describe sedative and analgesic drug utilization in a cohort of critically ill patients with coronavirus disease 2019 and compare standard sedation with an alternative approach using inhaled isoflurane.
Strategies During NeuroMuscular Blocking Agent (NMBA) Shortages
This presentation covers how to manage neuromuscular blocking agent (NMBA) shortages. This is SCCM curated COVID-19 microlearning content.
What is the recommended Richmond Agitation-Sedation score goal for patients who had "happy hypoxia" and who then decompensate and require intubation?
Questions from social media, blogs and the various discussion forums, including the new SCCM COVID-19 Discussion Group, were answered. This microlearning content was taken from the COVID-19 Critical Care for Non-ICU Clinicians: Expert Panel Series held on July 14, 2021
When should paralytics be initiated, when should they be weaned off, and how do you decide whether to monitor neuromuscular blockade?
Questions from social media, blogs and the various discussion forums, including the new SCCM COVID-19 Discussion Group, were answered. This microlearning content was taken from the COVID-19 Critical Care for Non-ICU Clinicians: Expert Panel Series held on September 8, 2021


My brain was on superdrive! Was my demise imminent? How long did I have on this earth plane? Was it going to quick/undignified? How do I break the news to my loved ones? What about my dogs? What about estate, living will, advanced directives, funeral planning and related expenses? What about work, paycheck and insurance? Questions galore!
Ironically, a strange tranquility descended upon me and my fears of dying just abated! My only concern was for my parents regarding how would they handle their own child's passing. I knew I had to be strong for them! But why was I so composed given that I had struggled with the dying and funeral process in the past? What changed? Was I still stumped or did I finally accept the inevitable? All I can say is that for the first time in my life, I felt alive, A-Ok, content, free, liberated, peaceful and protected! Whatever the outcome I knew I had the wisdom, teachings and strength of my Sikh faith, gurus and other eastern traditions, where we were taught that death is a natural part of living and a inevitable law of nature (where we all must return to our creator some day), however, the soul does not die but aspires to be released from the cycle of rebirth (which we Sikhs called 'Mukti', Hindus call 'Moksha', and Buddhists call 'Nirvana'). Its based on the principle that human birth is the highest form of birth, and unlike animals, we humans know the difference between right and wrong, so we can improve upon our 'Karmas' and gain transcendence from death and rebirth cycle.
So, in knowing finality of life is really no new news – think how many beings will not wake up from sleep tomorrow? how about the flu deaths gripping the nation? or the Russian air crash that took place today? Some had no chance to say goodbyes, put their lives in order or have a chance to live a more meaningful life! So getting this golden chance to overcome my pride/ego, desires, material pursuits, possessions, etc., and learning deeper love, compassion, contentment, and connections, and commitment to living a more vibrant, noble, thoughtful, richer and spiritual life is my plan to honor this blessing and protection by the Divine.
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Langston is a comedian, writer, actor and failed NBA ball-boy. He has appeared on Adam Devine's House Party on Comedy Central, and was also a part of Chris Rock's writing staff for the 2016 Academy Awards, as well as the new Comedy Central show Problematic with Moshe Kasher.
Langston has a recurring role on the HBO series Insecure from Issa Rae and is a staff writer on the upcoming Comedy Central show South Side.
None of this matters. He just wants another shot at being a ball-boy.


At this moment, my four-month-old son Milo is sound asleep for what I hope will be a long, deep nap. My dog Meander is snoring next to me on the couch, and the basset hound Mosey has taken over the recliner. It's quiet days here on our farm.
Here, I'm 4 . . . in a costume my mom made, my favorite ever.
I'm a writer, an editor, and a farmer. Sometimes more of one of those than the other. My husband Philip, our son Milo, and I live on God's Whisper Farm at the edge of Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains.
I used to say I wrote most creative nonfiction – and that's still where my heart and words most feel at peace – but I've also written two YA novels and a few books about the writing life, too. Most of my books are self-published, but most recently, I co-authored Plantation Jesus, a book about racism in the Christian church with Skot Welch and Rick Wilson that was published by the wonderful Herald Press.
Additionally, I edit manuscripts for other writers and provide coaching for folks who'd like a little accountability and support in their writing journey. I hold an MFA in Creative Writing and an MA in Literature, and I've taught at several colleges and universities all around the country including George Mason University, Cecil College, Stevenson University, Santa Clara University, and Solano College.
During my free moments, I crochet, cross-stitch, and spend time trying to grow lavender in the humidity of a Virginia summer.
I have a Facebook page where I post lots of pictures of libraries and try to share other writing links, and you can chat with me on Twitter, too, if you'd like. Our farm also has an Instagram page if you're the visual sort or enjoy goat pictures in with your bookish ones.