sorry for any incorrect formatting such as the flair. i have never used reddit.
so I am being removed from my room in my shared apartment, I am not on the lease and have only been paying since july, so i know I have nothing I can do. I was originally supposed to leave on june 8th to work outside the city (i work on a farm) before returning on august 14th, however they decided it would be better if i just left permanently by july 1st. they want me to keep paying for june but im obviously not going to pay my 600 dollar rent for the 8 days i would be staying there, that would be insane. i plan on leaving before then
when i moved in i payed a 600 dollar deposit (the price of one months rent) directly to the roommate, the room looks horrible but it looks exactly the same as it looked when i moved in, I never painted the gross dirty nail filled walls from the previous roommate, nor have i even put up a poster, the room is exactly as it came with 0 changes.
i primarily want to ask two questions: can I move at the end of may? they gave me till july but i honestly just want to leave, i feel like if they can kick me out whenever they want then i can leave whenever i want too, but i dont know my rights.
my second question is if i can easily get my deposit back or if they will try to keep it for various reasons. and if they do try would there be some way to pursue legal action. i would be willing to spend more money on legal money than it would be worth just to fuck with them, but currently at this point i just want my 600 dollars and i want to GO. thanks for the help, id love to hear that i have anything at all i can do

Hi,
It's postgres version 15.4 RDS. We want to create foreign keys on three different partitioned tables which already have data in them in production. They all are referring to the same parent table which is also partitioned. All the tables(both parent and child) are having ~2TB+ in size each and having ~100 million rows in each of the partitions. These are range partitioned on truncated date columns and the total number of partitions in the tables is around 30 in each of them.
It's easy to create the foreign key on the new partitions of the child table which are blank and going to be filled with data in future, however adding the foreign key on the existing partition with data is going to take time. We tried with one sample partition with existing data in it and it took ~20minutes. So this way , it's going to take a long time and we may not have the application down for such a long time.
I have the following questions.
To make this activity faster we were thinking of using the "NOT VALID" option. I.e. create the foreign key constraints on the existing partitions with "NOT VALID" option and create the foreign key on the blank future partitions with the VALID option. Is this okay? As because we also see in some documents stating that , if the foreign key is in the "NOT VALID" state ,optimizer won't be using it for estimating the row counts during making join cardinality estimation, so want to understand from experts if its fine or we have to make that foreign key constraints "VALID" anyway, even if that runs longer?
We also tried to set the max_parallel_workers_per_gather to 8 and then run the "validate constraint" step but that is still running in a single thread only. So wondering if we have any other options available to make this foreign key addition faster with existing data in it?
******
ALTER TABLE ADD FOREIGN KEY ... NOT VALID.
ALTER TABLE ... VALIDATE CONSTRAINT;

Hello, glorious readers of EoD! Thank you for your patience in these two weeks' matters. My exams are now done, and that means I have a lot more time for writing. In order to reward your continued patience, I am planning something big next week. Here's a small hint: It's gonna take a long time for the ships to actually reach Sanctuary, so that means a lot of time for the Arxur commander and the CSSF commander to diss one another. The first chapter is going to be like one big rap battle.
First Chapter Next Chapter> (Coming soon)
The stars swirled above, labyrinthine in their structure and arrangement, the five moons casting an elegant light open the planet’s surface. A gleaming silver and gray object lays embedded in Mount Yth'Rathgor, searchlights scanning the surface and sky alike. Long convoys of trucks filed with materials lumber up the long, winding paths leading to the gate, the cumbersome and primitive internal combustion engines spitting out polluting gasses as they haul their cargo and passengers up the mountain side. As the leading truck reaches the gate, the mountain looms over the truck’s cabin, as the driver hands over his ID to the guard. A few seconds later, The trucks start flooding into the mountain’s hold.
Inside the base is a cavernous parking and cargo processing center, that feeds its resources into a hidden facility, buried deep under the hundreds of meters of rock. Screams of agony and pain echo through the halls, reverberations of the brutal and uncaring experiments that take place here. The bodies of the fallen are simply thrown into an incinerator, unthinking of the countless acts of trauma and suffering they endured. Reptilian eyes watch from the catwalks, making sure that the contaminated bodies are properly disposed of. More than one Arxur has thought about eating the bodies, but the risk of contamination is too great for such a prize.
This facility, known as Testing Center KL-1HC, is the development center for CHE. The Arxur themselves are immune to its behavioral effects, but the bodily processes are more affected. Contamination gradually leads to internal hemorrhaging, heart arrhythmias, and organ failure. Without immediate medical intervention, the mostly likely outcome is death. To the leaders of the Arxur, it is not worth all the time and money to save just one more replaceable life. Just another body thrown on the top of the brutal regime’s mountain of corpses.
In this facility, the commanders of the surrounding region come together, planning their vengeance against the unknown new aggressors that wiped an entire raid fleet off of the map. Probes detected the paths of the departing ships, and the exact pinpoint location of their destination was finally calculated. A main sequence star, a G2 type, is an excellent location for a possible base, being that they have a higher chance to contain habitable planets. They begin to construct a battle plan, using the forces shown at the Slaughter of Beta Jannik, as if it could be called any other name but a bloody massacre. After a few days of deliberations and simulations, the Arxur leaders quietly send their orders to the fleets harbored in gigantic fleet yards that orbit the many moons of this star system. One by one, the ships take on crew and supplies, before igniting their huge engines, and slowly gliding out of the many hangers, or undocking from umbilical-like docking ports. They begin to line up in formations, reporting in to their squadron leaders. It is not long before the fleet is ready.
Thousands of ships filled with hundreds of thousands of Arxur thirsting for the blood of those who would dare attack the righteous Arxur. They will pay for their insolence. There is no doubt that the property that they stole from the holds of the cattle ships will be there. They must be recovered, and the aggressors annihilated, for the Betterment of the Arxur race. They begin to move to the jump limit, in order to minimize the effects of the jump drives on the planet’s atmosphere. As they reach it, the Arxur commander broadcasts himself across the entire fleet’s comm links.
“Fellow Arxur, disciples of Betterment! Today, we stand upon the precipice of vengeance, our souls seething with the flames of righteous fury! Behold the scarred visage of our fleet, destroyed in Beta Jannik, once a beacon of our dominion, now reduced to naught but ashes and sorrow.
We gather here not as mere mortals, but as avatars of annihilation, sworn to deliver swift and merciless retribution upon those who dare defy our sovereignty. The Slaughter of Beta Jannik shall not go unpunished, for every drop of Arxur blood spilled shall be repaid a thousandfold!
To the aggressors who dared infringe upon our sacred flocks, heed my words and tremble! Your reckoning draws nigh, and the flames of damnation shall consume your very essence. No corner of the cosmos shall offer you refuge from our righteous fury!
We are the harbingers of oblivion, the heralds of eternal darkness. We shall rain down upon you a tempest of torment, and your cries of anguish shall echo throughout the void, a testament to the folly of challenging the might of the Betterment!
Let the heavens themselves bear witness to our wrath, for today marks the dawn of your demise! Prepare yourselves, for the Arxur fleet marches forth, and none shall escape the judgement of the Betterment! May our enemies cower in fear, for we are the instruments of their destruction!”
The Arxur cheer, and more than one cattle is sacrificed for good luck, and a good meal. The jump drives are charged, their coils glistening and pulsing with frantic energy as they prepare to breach the laws of the universe.
Something unexpected happens. The fleet splits in two, one smaller segment warping to the destination as planned, and the rest to a star close to the target. This is no error, nor a folly, but part of the plan. The smaller part is to scout out the system, relay the information back to the primary fleet, and then their assault the enemy, or start looking for their real base.
But, they do not know of the CSSF’s defenses. They have known that the Arxur would attack Sanctuary. After all, it is part of the plan. Lure the enemy fleet here, into the CSSF’s home territory, and then both gain more valuable information on the Arxur, as well as leaking the location of the home base of this attacking fleet. It also serves a third purpose. To drain the reserves of the enemy fleet stationed there, softening it up for a future CSSF assault.
The Arxur know none of this. But they will. Cowards hiding behind the facade of false warrior's valor. Their hollow threats echo in the void, mere whispers of delusion. The Arxur fleet may brandish its swords, but it lacks the spine to face true adversaries. Beware, for their arrogance shall be their undoing.
First Chapter Next Chapter> (Coming soon)

WEEKLY COVID STATEWIDE REPORT FOR MAY 14, 2024
TOTAL NEW COVID CASES REPORTED WEEK (Sun-Sat) OF: 02/04-02/10: 6,191 (VDH corrected from 5,663) 02/11-02/17: 5,432 (VDH corrected from 4,814) 02/18-02/24: 4,978 (VDH corrected from 4,494) 02/15-03/02: 3,891 (Figure is estimated from VDH data) 03/03-03/09: 3,134 (VDH corrected from 2,843) 03/10-03/16: 2,118 (VDH corrected from 1,909) 03/17-03/23: 1,764 (VDH corrected from 1,591) 03/24-03/30: 1,667 (VDH corrected from 1,449) 03/31-04/06: 1,255 (VDH corrected from 1,273) 04/07-04/13: 1,232 (VDH corrected from 1,113) 04/14-04/20: 1,151 (VDH corrected from 1,029) 04/21-04/27: 991 (VDH corrected from 899) 04/28-05/04: 885 (VDH corrected from 782) 05/05-05/11: 730 (preliminary figure) Counts reported after 4/30/24 may be incomplete
VDH's reporting of the numbers above (Sun-Sat) is by illness date.
COVID CASES SINCE LAST REPORT BY DAY This runs report day to report day, not Sun-Sat Case numbers are from the previous day unless indicated otherwise Previous week's cases day count in parentheses after this week's day count Report covers 05/08/2024 to 05/14/2024

Wed: 162 cases (142) Thu: 138 cases (155) Fri: 180 cases (130) Sat: 149 cases (125) Sun: 91 cases (65) Mon: 51 cases (74) Tue: 157 cases (127) 

As counts reported after 4/30/24 may be incomplete, I will not be computing percentages as accuracy can not be guaranteed
Total new cases reported (Wed-Tues): 928 (818 previous Wed-Tues) 7-day average of new cases: 132.6 (116.9 last report) Cases per 100,000 Population: 1.494 (1.317 last report) Some Figures and Percentages are usually slightly rounded by VDH
The 13-week graph has been posted. Curve shows a +13.45% increase. This may or may not be accurate due to voluntary reporting.
REPORTED DEATHS PER WEEK Week of: 04/07-04/13: 8 (VDH updated from 6) 04/14-04/20: 14 (VDH updated from 5) 04/21-04/27: 1 (VDH corrected from 5) 04/28-05/04: 3 (VDH corrected from 2) 05/05-05/11: 3 (preliminary figure)
The VDH death rate is never put out completely up to date due to delays in death data, which can run months. The death data above has been corrected to current reported deaths from VDH sources and is always subject to change.
The larger updated death chart covering more past weeks has been uploaded. Gray shaded areas are subject to change.
CURRENT POSITIVITY RATE AS OF MAY 10, 2024 CDC Region 3 7-Day Positivity Rate: 2.2% (was 2.9% (CDC corrected), -24.14%) US National level is 3.1% (was 3.2%, revised, last week). Highest is Region 9 (AZ, CA, NV) at 6.3% These are preliminary figures which the CDC may revise next week.
Tests this week were done on 2,438 samples.
The large jump last week in Region 2 stayed flat. Not sure what's up in Region 9. Most of the country is still going down or holding steady. Even with the big jump in Region 9, the National Average managed to decline.
Region 3 is still in the "Very Low" range, and still under the National Positivity Rate.
HOSPITALS
NOTE: COVID-19 hospital reporting requirements expired April 30, 2024. Data may be incomplete after this date.
Hospital report is partial.
VDH reported a decrease of -11.8% in ER visits last week that were diagnosed as Covid (0.30% of visits). Corrected last four weeks are now listed as 0.42%, 0.37%, 0.34% and 0.30% of ER visits. Virginia remains at a minimal level for ER Covid visits. Graph posted. This graph has no special wording on it about the end of hospital reporting, so I believe this chart may be one of the only ones that is accurate week-to-week.
Admissions: Incomplete data. Shows a huge drop (-90% to last week's -50%). The stopping of reporting, has made, for now, the hospital admissions graph useless. Graph is not posted. But.....
VDH reported an decrease of -15.5% in Covid bed use, at 0.60% of beds being used (both adult and pediatric) for Covid. The last four weeks run 0.77%, 0.68%, 0.71% and 0.68%. Virginia remains at the Minimal Level for Covid bed use. Graph posted. While not complete, as VDH knows which hospitals reported in, they can divide the total beds in those hospitals with the number filled with Covid patients and get a fairly good idea of what it happening. While not perfect, this may be the best figure for now of hospital admissions for Covid.
FINAL NOTES
Due to the voluntary reporting, we have a conflicting situation of an increase in reported cases against a probable drop in Hospital admissions (and definitely in ER visits for Covid). I think we will have to look for long trends to get an idea if things are increasing or decreasing. The PCR figure movement and wastewater will also probably help.
LAYOUT
First up is the total number of new Covid Cases for last week based on Sunday to Saturday. As the corrections VDH is putting in a week after the initial release makes following a trend impossible, I have stopped computing in this area as it would probably be incorrect.
Next is a listing of the cases from the last report to this one. It usually runs from last Wednesday to Tuesday, but could move based on holidays.
Reported deaths are next, which are based on Sunday to Saturday for the weeks listed.
The CDC Region 3 7-Day Positivity Rate is next, which at the moment just confirms or changes what the CDC put out Friday. They do another run on Monday nights taking a second look at things.
Hospital information for last week is next.
VDH's main summary page is located here. You can see all the latest trends at the link above - most graphics are interactive
EXPLANATION OF FIGURES ABOVE
Total New COVID Cases Reported Week (Sun-Sat) Of: cases reported for last week running Sunday to Saturday.
Reported Deaths Per Week: Number of deaths reported in the week (Sunday-Saturday) to VDH by dates listed.
Covid cases since last report by day: The previous 7-days since VDH's last update listed by day.
7-day average of new cases: Average number of daily COVID cases over the last 7-days
Cases per 100,000 population 7-day average: Within 100,000 people, how many were positive for COVID on a rolling 7-day cycle.
CDC Region 3 7-Day Positivity Rate (if included): The last state average percentage of PCR coronavirus tests performed that are positive. The lower the better.
Hospitals: Hospital information for last Sunday-Saturday.
Data from VDH, CDC
Edit: formatting

So, I've been on this sub a few months now and I've been surprised how little I see the term rumination thrown around while also seeing overthinking a ton -- and some discussion about what overthinking really IS.
Sooo, I'm going to take a moment to be too big for my breeches and maybe have a bit of wisdom, or at least some thoughts, to pass along to the community that hopefully some may find helpful. I'll keep it "brief" because I trust you all can use Google to fill in blanks 👍 (but really so it stays readable lol)
3 definitions of Overthinking: 1. A slang term for thinking a lot (neutral or positive connotation). Deep thinker pride!

1. A volume of thinking that creates issues socially due to some degree of compatibility mismatching with others in your life, but it's not distressing to you inherently
   
2. A high volume of thinking that is in some way for some reason distressing to you and you have trouble controlling it (commonly you may have a lot of justifications for why you shouldn't stop)
   

Number 3 is rumination. It's a legitimate known phenomenon in many mental health disorders. If you feel like you identify with 3, I highly recommend you follow that thread. Rumination is not a quirk or feature of our personality type or any personality type. It's not just how your brain is. I felt compelled to post this because of the bit in the parenthesis there -- it's actually hard to see rumination until you know what it is and start seeing it. The thinking (for me at least) always feels so IMPORTANT and we all need to think about distressing things sometimes right? Yes. Not THAT much.
If this post is off base in some way, or rumination is plenty known in the community, I apologize! I don't mean to insult anyone's intelligence or make any white noise in the sub -- or worse be the nth guy who's posted this exact post thinking he's the first one. (I did so a quick sub search and results were sparce)
At the very least I'll tuck in this PSA in a PSA that probably definitely isn't commonly discussed. I have an unverified purely speculative hunch that INTPs have an increased chance of having Pure O OCD. Its.... very in line with our deep thinker flavor. So maybe look into that. Unfortunately, I found the current set of articles on Google to be... Helpful but not enough to convince me I had it (how can thinking deeply about a problem be bad and I don't have to think "XYZ" 5 times!). The work of Dr. Michael Greenberg is what made everything click for me, particularly his episodes on the OCD Stories Podcast. He also has a bunch of articles on his website. So much of the struggle side of my INTPness turned out to be OCD, not my INTPness. The lightbulb moment was that he clarified that rumination can be the compulsion.
Thanks for indulging me 👋

I wanted to get some thoughts and feedback on something a few friends and I have been discussing recently: the problem with green based land ramp in commander, and how we have been considering addressing it in our playgroup.
The Problem: Land-searching ramp ≤ 3 offers green decks too much consistency and safety compared to options available to non-green decks The Solution: Removing all land-searching ramp ≤ 3 mana ([[Nature's Lore]], [[Farseek]], [[Sakura Tribe Elder]], [[Cultivate]] etc.) from the format
I'd also like to preface this by saying that I acknowledge that this could be a bad/dumb take, and that it is not a definitive way to solve a highly diverse and complicated format; it's just an idea we've been tossing around that we might try to implement into our own playgroup, and I wanted to get some outside opinions. I also acknowledge that this sort of "fix" will almost certainly never see the light of day on any sort of grand scale, as I imagine most commander players would not like to see a mass banning/format warp to solve a problem that you could argue doesn't even exist. I'd also like to say that this is all in regards to non-cEDH gameplay/playgroups, as I feel that cEDH is its own format and this discussion doesn't really apply to cEDH gameplay. All that being said, here are my thoughts:
In the current era of EDH gameplay it's pretty much been established that turns one through three are the setup turns where you deploy your ramp and mana fixing so that you can cast your proper board impacting beaters, card advantage engines, interaction, etc., on turns four and beyond. For decks not in green this typically involves playing mana rocks such as [[Arcane Signet]], talismans, signets, and maybe a [[Sol Ring]] if you're lucky. For green based decks, this usually means playing cards like [[Nature's Lore]], [[Farseek]], [[Rampant Growth]], etc., which are predominantly viewed as the inherently correct choices to run over the aforementioned mana rocks played by the non-green decks. These are often viewed as the preferred sources of ramp for green decks because they offer your deck more mana consistency (often able to ramp out shock lands and triomes in multi-colored decks) with greater safety and reliability.
Now why is this a problem for the format? I feel like the innate reliability and safety of land-searching ramp puts green decks at a significant advantage over other decks in both the early game as well as the late game. In the early game these ramp spells offer mana fixing, flexibility, and consistency at a much better level than most early game mana rocks available in non-green decks. For example, a Temur deck can easily keep a hand with two Forests and one of their ramp spells, such as Farseek or Cultivate, since they can search out a [[Ketria Triome]] or their two other basic lands they need and immediately have access to all three of their colors. If an Esper deck, on the other hand, has an opening hand with two Plains and one of their ramp spells, such as a [[Talisman of Hierarchy]] or [[Azorius Signet]] , they might be forced to mulligan since they don't know when they'll get access to their third color. In essence, green decks are able to keep greedier hands with greater consistency due to the mana fixing that their land-searching ramp spells often provide them.
The other problem with land-searching ramp spells is the "safety" they provide. The benefit of running land-searching ramp spells is that lands often remain safe from interaction from the rest of the table. When the board starts to fill up with too many troublesome creatures and other nonland permanents, some sort of wrath is almost always inevitable. Nowadays these wraths often include spells like [[Farewell]], [[Cyclonic Rift]], [[Austere Command]], [[Ondu Inversion]], etc., usually leaving the board empty, all mana rocks gone. This often gives the green decks a considerable advantage over the non-green decks, as they are often left with their ramp intact and are able to redeploy and build up a new board state quicker and more reliably than the rest of the table. Often times the solution to this particular problem is to run some sort of land destruction to counteract this, with [[Ruination]] being mentioned more as of late. Land destruction in EDH is a touchy subject; some people think it should be utilized more often, some people think it shouldn't be allowed at all. Personally, I don't think that destroying lands should be the solution. The problem is that single-target land destruction is inefficient, making it a poor solution to land ramp, and mass land destruction often goes against the "Spirit of Commander" because it often leads to prolonged games and a "feels bad" state of play. This is why I believe that the best way to "solve" the green based land-searching ramp problem is to cut it off at the source: removing land-searching ramp ≤ 3 mana from the format.
I am not advocating from the removal of green ramp, or even land ramp as a whole. I believe that ramp is a core part of the green color identity, and I believe that green should be able to ramp better and more efficiently than the other colors. I just believe that there should be a sort of check and cost to green ramp that can potentially be punished, rather than land-searching early spells that are almost always strictly better than what the rest of the color pie can play. If green decks want to ramp hard in the early game, I am all for them playing creatures like [[Delighted Halfling]] or [[Birds of Paradise]], or enchantments like [[Wild Growth]] or [[Utopia Sprawl]] - ramp that can be punished with a wrath or with interaction like everything else. And I am all for big land-searching ramp spells like Explosive Vegetation or Hour of Promise, where you actually have to sacrifice a turn and potentially leave yourself exposed, rather than taking advantage of the first three turns of the game when everyone is trying to setup for their future games. I don't think that removing land-searching ramp spells ≤ 3 mana would remove the viability of any decks and leave them unable to function; I just think it would lower the consistency and advantages that I feel green decks, particularly 3+ colored green decks, are currently taking advantage of in the format.
Anyways, that went on way longer than I'd anticipated. I'm just curious what the communities thoughts are. Is this just a god-awful take, or do you agree with me to some extent or another? Is there even a problem to address? Hell if I know, I'm just rambling based off of the experiences I've had with my playgroup at my LGS.
TLDR; I believe that land-searching ramp spells ≤ 3 mana give green decks a greater advantage in your average EDH games, and that removing them from the format would help balance the format.

If you ask other RVers which national park is their favorite, someone is bound to mention Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California. It's a camper's paradise with wide open space and panoramic views.
Most evenings, the landscape glows at golden hour, and the sky turns from red hot at sunset to dark blue and star-filled at night. You can enjoy the remoteness of the park but also its proximity to Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley.
Take the time during your visit to enjoy the endless roads of the desert landscape, play on the rock formations, and, of course, marvel at the Joshua Trees.

Why Visit Joshua Tree National Park?

The first reason to visit Joshua Tree National Park is to see its famous and fascinating Joshua Trees. Since the Mojave desert is the only place in the world where they grow naturally, Joshua Tree National Park is the best place to see them.
These trees range between 15-40 feet tall and can live an impressive 150 years. They’re members of the Yucca family and appear as though they're from a different planet, with limbs unpredictably jetting out like they have their own minds.
Another great reason to visit Joshua Tree National Park is the warm weather and abundance of sunshine. It’s no secret that RVers love to snowbird and the Californian desert is a wonderful place to be during the spring and fall months. You’ll enjoy sunny days and clear nights, perfect for dry camping with solar panels.

When to Visit Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree National Park is open year-round, but the best times to visit are during the spring and fall months. Park elevations range from 536 feet to 5,814 feet above sea level, so expect conditions to vary depending on where you go in the park.
Here’s more information on the seasonal weather in Joshua Tree.

Spring

Spring is a very popular time in the park because the temperatures range from the mid-60s in February to the mid-70s in April. Depending on the year, wildflower blooms can be seen in the latter part of spring at the lower elevations within the Pinto Basin.

Summer

Due to extreme desert heat (+100℉ days are the norm), the park is pretty quiet during the summer. Late in the summer, monsoon season hits Joshua Tree, which cools down the daytime temperatures but can also lead to flash flooding in valleys and ravines.

Fall

Monsoon season continues into the fall, but it soon gives way to one of the best times to visit. Temperatures from August into October fall from the upper 90s into the low 80s, and evening temperatures range from the low 70s to the low 50s, on average.

Winter

In the heart of winter, the park's average daily temperature is 60 degrees Fahrenheit, which is perfectly comfortable, but the nights get cold and often drop to freezing. Overnight temperatures in December and January average in the mid-30s.
Check the park’s website for the latest weather alerts and condition updates.

Where to Stay

Joshua Tree National Park is pretty remote and expansive. You'll want to stay a few days. Unlike other national parks, there are no lodges or resorts for overnight accommodations. There are eight developed campgrounds, however, and camping out under the stars at Joshua Tree is an unforgettable experience.
Here are a few important things to be aware of ahead of time if you plan to camp in Joshua Tree.

Reservation versus First-Come, First-Served

Four of the developed campsites require reservations. They’re larger than the first-come, first-served campgrounds, and some offer water and flush toilets. These campgrounds fill up very quickly. We recommend planning well in advance.

Reservation Required Campgrounds

• Black Rock Campground
• Cottonwood Campground
• Indian Cove Campground
• Jumbo Rocks Campground

Black Rock and Cottonwood are the most developed campgrounds (water, toilets, sanitation dump) and are the only campgrounds you can stay in if you have a larger rig.
Black Rock has six sites that can accommodate rigs with a total length (tow vehicle included) of 38-40 feet and seven sites up to 42 feet. Cottonwood has around twenty-five campsites that can accommodate rigs slightly longer than 35 feet.
Indian Cove and Jumbo Rocks both have a few spots for RVs up to 35 feet in total length. If you have a rig larger than 35 feet, site availability may be considerably limited.

First-come, First-served Campgrounds

These campgrounds are great options if you have a smaller rig and the good fortune of securing a site. During the popular season, these campgrounds fill every weekend and often during the week, as well.

• Belle Campground
• Hidden Valley Campground
• Ryan Campground
• White Tank Campground

These are primitive campgrounds, so you will need to bring (and carry out) everything you’ll need during your stay.

Staying Outside the Park

If you’re unable to find a site in the park or you’re looking for a campground with more amenities, here are a few nearby campgrounds:

• TwentyNine Palms RV Resort and Cottages: About 10 minutes from the north entrance.
• Sam’s Family Spa and Resort: About 45 minutes from the main visitor center.
• Catalina Spa and RV Resort: About 50 minutes from the main visitor center.
• Palm Springs Oasis RV Resort: About 45 minutes from the south entrance.
• Indian Waters RV Resort and Cottages: About 30 minutes from the south entrance.

Invest in a Good Sam Membership and save 10% on nightly stays at Good Sam Campgrounds.

Tips for Your Camping Stay

• Reservations for the reservable campgrounds can be made up to six months in advance.
• Reserve using the links below or by calling 1-877-444-6777.
  • Black Rock Campground
  • Cottonwood Campground
  • Indian Cove Campground
  • Jumbo Rocks Campground
• No campgrounds in the park offer electric RV hookups.
• Generator use is restricted to 7-9 am, noon-2 pm, and 5-7 pm.
• Hammocks are not permitted in campgrounds and must be hung from rocks or climbing bolts elsewhere to protect the park’s sensitive vegetation.
• Backpacking is permitted in the park, but it requires more advanced planning and preparation.

How To Get Around

Nestled between I-10 and California SR 62, Joshua Tree is located in Southeastern California and is easy to access. Several towns nearby, including Palm Springs, Indio, and Twentynine Palms, make perfect supply stops before entering the park.
Indio is the last best stop on I-10 if you’re entering the park from the south. The park’s south entrance is located off Exit 168, about 30 minutes east of Indio. The park also offers a west entrance on Quail Springs Road, about 10 minutes southeast of the town of Joshua Tree. And the north entrance is just ten minutes south of Twentynine Palms on Utah Trail.
Several paved roads allow you to traverse the park, but going from site to site can require long drive times. The most frequented sites are located near the northern edge of the park, so if you’re coming from the south along I-10, you’ll be driving through the park for an hour or so before you spot your first Joshua Tree.

Places to Go

There are many places to visit in the park that offer a variety beyond the infamous trees. It’s a unique location that features the intersection of two desert ecosystems.

Cholla Cactus Garden

The Cholla Cactus Garden is its own special area and is unlike any other part of the park. Be sure to enjoy the flat, ¼-mile nature trail to get the best look at the cacti. This patch of cacti is incredible because it mostly consists of Teddybear Cholla, which is the star of the cactus world.
The Cholla Cactus Garden is so impressive, and you’ll love snapping photos of these majestic plants. Their beauty changes throughout the day depending on how the sunlight hits them. A small word of advice, look but don’t touch. Ouch!

Arch Rock

Arch Rock is a very popular rock formation located a half-mile from White Tank Campground. The loop trail is easy to follow and a perfect activity for the whole family. Of course, the Arch Rock itself is the thing people most want to see, but there's lots of space to wander around and explore the other rock formations, too.
It’s also a very popular place for night photography and stargazing. If interested, White Tank Campground is a really convenient place to stay because of its proximity to the trailhead.

Keys View

Keys View is a popular lookout that offers incredible panoramic views of the park and the Coachella Valley. If beautiful scenery is your thing, make sure to visit Keys View. It’s about a 20-minute drive from the main road to the lookout via Keys View Rd.

Ryan Mountain

One of the most popular activities in the park is the hike to Ryan Mountain. This 3-mile round trip trail leads to the summit, where you’ll be treated to sweeping 360-degree views. The hike is listed as challenging by the NPS, so be sure to bring plenty of water and expect changing weather conditions.

Things to Do

The combination of the Mojave Desert and the Colorado Desert makes Joshua Tree a wonderful desert wilderness to explore. Here are some of the most popular activities in the park:

Hiking

Hiking is a great way to get off the road and experience more of the desert landscape. The National Park Service offers plenty of safety tips for hiking in Joshua Tree, and here are some of the park’s most popular trails:

• Barker Dam Trail: An easy 1.1-mile trail with interpretive exhibits containing information on park history. It’s a popular place for viewing bighorn sheep from a safe distance.
• Oasis of Mara Trail: A 0.5-mile trail to explore a desert oasis and learn how it’s harbored human and animal life for centuries.
• Lost Horse Mine Trail: A moderate 4-mile out and back trail to explore what was once the area’s most successful gold mine.
• Mastodon Peak Trail: A moderate 3-mile loop trail with an optional scramble to the top of a granite peak.
• Lost Palms Oasis Trail: A challenging 7.5-mile out and back trail down a canyon to one of the park’s most remote fan palm oases.

The Park Service DOES NOT recommend attempting challenging hikes in the heat due to the elevated risk of sun exposure and dehydration.

Mountain Biking

The majority of the park’s paved roads are not suitable for road cycling. However, several backcountry roads are perfect for mountain bikes. There are even three campsites within Ryan Campground dedicated to cyclists.
Be aware that bikes are only allowed on roads open to vehicle traffic but that the main park roads do not offer bike lanes or wide shoulders. Consult the park’s website for safety tips and road recommendations before biking in Joshua Tree.

Photography

Photographers love Joshua Tree because of the variety it contains. From sunrise to sunset, photographers can find landscapes, animal inhabitants, and even human visitors to place in frame.
Commercial photography does require a permit, and if you’re interested in expanding your knowledge, the Desert Institute offers field courses in partnership with the Joshua Tree National Park Association.

Stargazing

Stars can be hard to come by in urban areas like San Diego and Los Angeles, but Joshua Tree is a different story. Designated as an International Dark Sky Park, it offers some of the best stargazing in all of Southern California.
After the sun goes down, keep your headlamp in red light mode to preserve your night vision. Your eyes will need less time to adjust when you lie down to see how many shooting stars you can count!

Rock Climbing

Rock climbing, in addition to bouldering and slacklining, is another great activity to enjoy in the park. To date, there are more than 8,000 known climbing routes, over 2,000 bouldering problems, and numerous natural rock gaps that make the perfect spot to set up a slackline.
On a busy weekend, the park may have hundreds of climbers enjoying their slice of this monzogranite mecca. So be sure to follow Leave No Trace Principles and familiarize yourself with the park’s climbing management plan before your visit.

What to Bring and How to Prepare

• The desert can be dangerous, and the weather can change quickly. Check the forecast frequently and pack layers to prepare for changing conditions.
• The remote location means there is no cell service in many parts of the park. Communicate your plans to loved ones or authorities ahead of time, especially if traveling alone.
• Investing in a cell signal booster may improve cell reception in areas with limited service.
• A quality camping cooler is a great way to keep food and beverages cold in the heat of the desert.
• Bring an extra canopy tent and ensure your awning is in good condition so you can escape direct sunlight during the heat of the day.
• Keep up with air conditioner maintenance to regulate the temperature inside your RV.
• For the latest info on visiting Joshua Tree, visit their website: Joshua Tree National Park.

Brief History of Joshua Tree National Park

Despite its harsh desert environment, humans have inhabited the area that is now Joshua Tree for more than 5,000 years. In the modern era, the biggest threats to this natural environment were land developers and cactus poachers.
In the late 1920s, a Pasadena resident named Minerva Hoyt began voicing her concerns about the unregulated removal of cacti and other desert plants to be used in home gardens throughout Los Angeles.
In a relatively short time, her conservation efforts resulted in the formation of the Joshua Tree National Monument in 1936. The original protected area encompassed roughly 825,000 acres but was reduced by about 265,000 acres in 1950 when the Park Service excluded certain mining parcels in the eastern part of the park.
On Halloween in 1994, the Desert Protection Bill passed and Joshua Tree was elevated to national park status. The bill also added back approximately 234,000 acres of what had been lost in the 50s.
Plan your next trip to the national parks in an RV. Rent an RV, trade-In your RV, or buy a new or used RV and start traveling for less than $5 a day.
Have you been to Joshua Tree National Park? Share your tips and advice in the comments below.

Welcome everybody to the second SotW of May! We're returning to 'MMLP2' once again this week, but not for a song from the base album this time around. The track that we're featuring this week is actually listed on the deluxe edition of the album. The song that we'll be listening to for the next seven days, is 'Baby'.
The hook of this song is reminiscent of the song 'Taking my Ball' from the album 'Relapse: Refill'. The whole song is filled with dense rhymes and wordplay and is replete with pop culture references such as the titular hook which is a reference to the movie 'Dirty Dancing' or the mention of The Mighty Thor who is a major Marvel comic book character.
Every week there will be a new song that gets featured at the top of the subreddit. Users can leave a comment and the song that gets the most votes might be the new Song of the Week. Suggestions for improving the next post are encouraged.
This week's Nominator: jstylesx98
The Song: Baby - iTunes
In-App link(s): spotify:track:5sGzBBWPe4YC2YoW7lBYph
Featuring Artist(s): None
Length: 4:23
Recorded: March 2012 - October 2013
Release: November 5, 2013
Album(s): The Marshall Mathers LP2 - iTunes
In-App link(s): spotify:album:6DN7GcZF1HywzrkGN6Eeqk
Sample(s): None
Media: Album: Cover / Alternative - Back / Alternative
Label(s): Shady Records, Aftermath, Interscope
Format: Digital, Disc, Vinyl
Producer(s): Eminem, Luis Resto
Extra: Lyrics Video: Official Audio - Lyric Video Full header image
Live Performances: None
This is an open thread for you to share your thoughts on the current SotW or to nominate a new song. Avoid vague statements of praise or criticism. This is your chance to practice being a critic.

Hi all, a local farm/gardening organization Holly Hill Farm is working with several agencies in Quincy to put together a feasibility plan for a community garden. If you would like to share your feedback on what you would ike to see in a community garden in Quincy, please fill out the survey below. And share with anyone else who might be interested.
If you want to be placed on a mailing list to learn more as the process progresses, there is a space where you can share contact info, but you can also leave this blank if you prefer to remain anonymous.
Thanks!
The survey in English is here or use this link:https://forms.gle/kDJuUDP5hWQ1Q4sY6
The survey in Spanish is here or use this link:https://forms.gle/x5zRkhSw8kfuV5gGA
The survey in Portuguese is here or use this link:https://forms.gle/aKj46dc3BNWpGBdL8
The survey in Mandarin Chinese is here or use this link:https://forms.gle/z3hPc1AvVVKZPYZq6
The survey in Cantonese Chinese is here or use this link:https://forms.gle/AMHnujvFfPf91fkHA
The survey in Vietnamese is here or use this link:https://forms.gle/J1HPSEHWEGKz7dGK7

If you’d told me that the visitation with my son, an event that happened only every other weekend, would be extended indefinitely, I would’ve jumped with joy. In the end, I wish the circumstances under which they unfolded had never happened.
The clouds were sightless in the clear sky the day Jasmine dropped off my boy, a perfect day to play a little catch in the yard or go fishing at the nearby stock pond. Cyrus bounced out of the car and ran joyously toward me, unaware that his old man was a perpetual fuck up that had broken up the family in the first place. Oh well.
It was a happy day, the birds sang their old nostalgic tunes of a lost Summer in my own childhood. It was warm, not too warm, and the neighborhood was buzzing with excitement as the Spring showers had come to a close. It was as close as it could get to perfect.
The evening light danced against the tree tops, turning a violet hue as dusk began to settle in. Burnt orange water reflected the dying sun as it continued sinking away to nothing. We grabbed our tackle box, the giant beige one my uncle gifted me before he was stolen by cancer, and filled it with the empty, crumpled up bits of plastic that once held bologna sandwiches. As I said, it was a perfect day, very reminiscent of my own childhood.
We’d thrown the fat bluegill back that we had caught, I hadn’t felt like messing with cleaning and cooking them. Instead, dinner would likely be mac n’ cheese with some cut up hot dogs, a staple in my household whether or not Cyrus was visiting. Hopefully I hadn’t run through Oscar Meyer supply.
Home never felt so lonely, the walls never seemed so barren of old family pictures when Cyrus wasn’t around. Sometimes, he only added to the pain. I would never tell him that, though.
Even with the faucet turned all the way up, the water dribbled out and made boiling pasta a very patient game. Cyrus was babbling about some game he was playing on my phone. ‘He’s just a kid’, I thought, and pretended to be interested in whatever the hell he was talking about.
The sun had vanished and the moon was especially bright that night, having slid nearly halfway to its crescendo before dinner was finally done. Cyrus had stolen my phone to the living room, staring at the bright characters absentmindedly as a nondescript Netflix show played in the background.
“Here, buddy, sorry about the wait”, I sat the bowl of neon yellow stuff in front of him, the pink scramble of hotdog jutting out made me feel… a little ashamed? I plopped down next to him and flipped through the various titles on Netflix, most of which I had already seen a couple of times. Cyrus tossed the phone aside and picked at the mess of ‘food’ in the bowl. I can’t remember if he took a bite or not.
“Dad!”, I jumped, reeling from the doze I had fallen in. If Jasmine was here, it would’ve been such a perfect day, such a perfect day. Instead, this is where it all fell apart.
He massaged furiously at his temples, his knees pulled tight against his heaving chest.
“What’s the matter, are you okay?”, I jumped from the couch and got on one knee, putting my hands around his shoulders. I watched helplessly as Cyrus twisted and contorted his body, trying to run away from whatever pain was in his head.
Suddenly he fell still.
I studied him for a while, nearly on the verge of tears as his body had become totally limp. Then, a noise. At first it was quiet, then it grew and grew until it filled the room with totality. It’s hard to describe that noise, almost like a wind turbine if you were up close to it.
From behind the couch, just above my sons head, it peeked at me. Its thick, black fingers ended at sharp, nailess points. Just as I met its eyes, it slithered behind the couch and that’s when Cyrus awoke in a screaming fit.
I jumped awake again, Cyrus sitting next to me as pale as a sheet. His eyes were bulging, glued to the blank TV ahead.
I couldn’t help but check behind the couch, to make sure it wasn’t still there. Then, to my son who was still staring at the nothing on the television. His mouth was hanging open, just enough to allow the continuous stream of drool to fall out.
I ran to the kitchen to grab a paper towel and cleaned the odd amount of drool from his chin. There wasn’t a thermometer in the house but it didn’t take a rocket scientist to tell that he was burning up. A fever, I thought.
I carried the boy to his bedroom, feeling as though I was being watched the entire way, and tucked him into bed. A doctors visit would soon be on the horizon. I returned to the couch in the living room, careful to keep my gaze fixed on the TV and nothing else. Truthfully, I was too afraid to look in the shadowy corners.
That night was filled with nightmares.
The next day I rang Jasmine, letting her know that Cy was sick and needed to go to the doctor. Ordinarily, this wouldn’t have been an issue, but Jas was immunocompromised (she’d been diagnosed with breast cancer a few months before we divorced) and my son would be staying with me for the foreseeable future. I couldn’t complain, I didn’t get to see him nearly enough as it was.
That day was very much the opposite of the previous, the sky was gloomy and spits of rain fell consistently from dawn to nightfall.
The doctor had said that Cyrus had a particularly severe ear infection, but nothing that some antibiotics couldn’t fix. He sent us home with a tube of the stuff, my wallet noticeably lighter.
“Apply some of this twice a day, once in the morning and once before bedtime”, the older gentleman had said. He squeezed my shoulder and smiled, though there seemed to be something else behind his wary eyes.
He stopped me again as I turned to leave.
“Sir…”, he started, though he seemed to study his words carefully, “your son kept mentioning something he called the flumes”.
I shrugged, the only time I had heard the word was in reference to a ravine on the edge of town where we’d all smoke pot in high school. Nothing struck me as odd about it at the time.
“They come from the flumes, those noises, those noises, he kept saying”, the doctor pushed closer, his eyes growing wild. I stepped backward, tugging at Cy’s hand as we left the building wordlessly.
Aside from my busy mind, the car ride home was utterly silent. I could hear my boys heavy, labored breaths all the way from the backseat. ‘Inner ear infection, my ass’, I thought.
After laying Cyrus back down for bed, I fixed him a bowl of instant chicken and noodles and decided to give Jasmine a call. The phone rang endlessly before the robotic voice indicated that the caller wasn’t available. I tried once more but gave up after it rang a few more times. Probably sleeping.
I returned to the couch, deciding to rewatch Nightmare on Elm Street for the fourth or fifth time.
After a while, I decided to put on cable, growing tired of the listless titles on Netflix. I was never too interested in the local news, but today seemed as good as any to catch up on the towns happenings. The Grantfield Gators girls softball team had advanced to sectionals and one of the townsfolk were celebrating their 100th birthday.
A ‘Breaking News’ graphic slid below the frazzled newslady on the television. Wherever she was, it sure looked familiar.
‘Wild dog shits on mayors front yard’, I laughed at my own stupid joke and surely turned as white as Cyrus had the previous night as the lady on the TV continued.
“A local woman was found tied to a tree and disemboweled at the scene. Police are saying various symbols were branded all over the womans body, and the material used to bind her to the Elm tree was ‘of unusual property’”, she continued on for a while but I hadn’t noticed, the air had fallen heavy and that familiar warbling had filled the room again.
Heavy footsteps slammed up the staircase at an otherworldly pace. Up the staircase and towards my sons room.
I ran, I swear I ran as fast as I could but I knew… I knew.
When I got to his room, he was gone, the curtains blowing aimlessly in the wind as the window had been slammed open so hard that the glass had shattered in the panes. The bowl of chicken and noodles sat on the bedside table, untouched.
I tried calling Jasmine again and again and again. Still, no answer.
I wanted to write this, to whoever may be reading, so that you know where to look if I don’t return. I know where my son is, I know where Jasmine is.
The flumes took them, or whatever might be lurking in it.

Nothing irks me more lately than me sitting down and being friendly with a new table only to be met with blank stares or general unwillingness to play the social aspect of the game.
Help me understand this. Edh is a social format that involves being social in the majority of games I'm playing. Some people just refuse to take part in any of that, and it confounds me. Why are you here? Do you want to get focused down every game due to just being an unpleasant person? It feels like they think their decision is always the best one, and everyone else is dumb in their eyes (fair).
If I could visualize these people, it would be a wet blanket on a cold day.
Rant over.

Genocide looked to the sky. He thought of his mentor. The one who had saved him. He remembered his childhood. How powerless he was. He remembered the anger. He never wanted to hurt anybody. He thought of all the times he showed compassion. How much they hurt him for it. He saw the world before him, a graveyard. Humans. People that were supposed to be made in the image of some divine creator. They were but maggots feasting upon his remains. They ate away at his very being until nothing human remained. His thoughts were no longer his own. He had no joys in life that mattered. He hated humanity more than he could love anything about himself. He remember his first killing spree. Being gunned down by police. Left for dead. He remembered a hooded figure moving towards him. Getting closer the more he neared his death. He saw its pale face. Its impossibly black eyes. It was a man. This figure in question appeared to be of Japanese nationality with long, straight, loose hair. It emanated extreme malice. It offered him a choice. A purpose. Power. He thought the figure a reaper but it identified itself as Amakusa Masataka. Masataka guided him on how to kill and gave him specific locations to kill people in. In a sense, he became a hitman for quotas of people. He inquired what Masataka was. The presence of evil, his ability to appear and disappear at will, how he could control what people could see him and what people couldn't. While vague, years of killing for this being offered some insight. Amakusa Masataka belonged to a group of people not of this world. His people had been corrupted by a dark force long ago and had aligned themselves with the warlord who had subjugated their version of Japan. Their dark high priest assisted the warlord along with two others. These four rulers in turn served a larger order. The four were tasked with bringing about the end of the current world as an act of retribution for some fallen deity. Masataka's people acted as covert operatives for this empire. They were feared across the land and were collectively referred to as "Shinigami". An agent of the coming apocalypse, a servant of evil possessed by the will of those gods of death, Genocide would walk the earth.
Genocide stepped toward the station. A police cruiser rammed into him. He pulled out a knife and stabbed the hood of the car. The inhuman force of the knife created sparks which burst the engine into flames. The car crashed into a streetlight and exploded. A second cruiser neared the scene. No way a man could have done this. Yet still, out of the fires Genocide strode forth. It set upon the second vehicle, shooting out it's tires while jumping 9 feet into the air. The car tries to reverse but crashes into a wall. Genocide lands on the hood and kicks through the front window. Glass shatters under its boot, blinding the two officers inside. Genocide shoots one of the officers with a shotgun, killing him. The second officer in the passenger seat readies his pistol and takes aim. Only two shots fired, both directed at Genocide's head. It casually cocks its neck to avoid them. Then it grabs the officer's arm, breaking it. Genocide uses its free hand to grab the officer's head and bangs it into the dashboard no less than 5 times. The skull is shattered on the final impact. Genocide jumps off the car and continues on his mission.
Detective Evans speaks through a megaphone," This is your first and final warning. Stand down or we will use any and all means at our disposal to put you down." Genocide dropped its shotgun and raised its hands. A group of five SWAT team members rushed out the station, surrounding Genocide with riot shields. An officer accompanies them, edging behind the figure to apply handcuffs. Suddenly, Genocide springs to life , grabbing the officer behind him. He flips the officer over his head, slamming him into the pavement at his feet. Then Genocide stomps his head causing it to burst. Genocide drops a flash bomb from his coat sleeve, blinding the SWAT team as he draws his knife. He drives it into one SWAT member, the knife puncturing the shield and piercing his chest. Genocide kicks the corpse away withdrawing his knife. He goes to another, this time using the end of his boot toe in a rising kick to disarm their shield. He grabs them by the throat and drives the knife slowly into their eye socket. Another is tackled to the ground and beaten to death despite still being under the shield. Another is picked up and thrown into the fires still burning from the first auto incident. In no time, Genocide stood before an indistinguishable mass of gore, blood streaking across his black leather outfit. He laughed" So this is all you can give me. I'm not entertained." Officers took aim from the station windows, and snipers did so from other rooftops. Genocide laughed maniacally as he was rained down upon from all sides by a hailstorm of bullets. His body convulsed, but he did not fall. Moments more and he was on his knees. Still though, their efforts were futile. Gracia looked out and saw a black mist coalescing around the man in black. His blood. Blood erupted from his body only to transform into this dark mist that reentered his wounds. Genocide screamed. No. It was just an elevated pitch in his laughter. Optimism failed everyone yet again. Gracia saw Genocide holding something in his right hand. She could only make out a beeping red light. Genocide pushed the button triggering the carefully concealed explosives he laid in preparation for this event. C4 explosives went off in all the places he saw fit. The sniping posts he couldn't reach. The assault of lead lightened. Then Genocide drew an RPG from...somewhere. He collected himself and fired at the station's entrance. The explosion shook the station. From inside, the lights began to flicker. Communications were down on all fronts. Had he modified the rocket with some type of EMP? Not good. Amisdst the confusion Genocide entered using smoke bombs to mask his presence. Moving like a shadow, he killed everyone in the lobby silently with his knife. He made his way to the holding cells. Still they chanted. Still they praised. Still they raved for the arrival of genocide. Genocide shot the lock opening the cell. Jim Jimenez walked out and bowed before his master. Genocide smiled. He couldn't have imagined how proficient he had gotten with possession. Well, not quite possession. He had known of the Shinigami's ability to share their thoughts and emotions with humans. Shinigami like his mentor were ancient. They had so many years of memories, such strong a hatred for life that they overwhelmed the personality of the victim. The victim sees themselves as one of them. Shinigami can't force the will of the victim, so they find those who are already similar to them in some way. Genocide found the collective universal distrust of police to be a prime sentiment to capitalize on. He armed the inmates, infecting them with samples of his own dark essence.One particular inmate caught Genocide's eye. He knew the man's work. An arsonist. The one whom he recalls was responsible for blowing up his first car way back in high school. Rather than a standard firearm, Genocide gave the man a random assortment of grenades containing a special surprise. Genocide showed them visions of anarchy, of sending a message to a society that used and disregarded them. While this was also true of how he felt, years of living in darkness had changed him. He needed no purpose. No end goal. No justification. He just wanted to watch the world burn.
Genocide's small army broke off to engage several different wings of the station. Genocide went to the security room. He found Wayne, his informant, playing some FPS on one of the monitors. Wayne took of his headphones and asked," You kill everyone yet?" Genocide responded," No. You should get going before that happens. Your life becomes fair game if I run out of pigs to cook." Wayne clapped his hands, "Aight, GC my man, say less." He packed his things and left. Genocide drew a twin pair of handguns and laid waste to the station. He followed a group that took cover in the men's restroom. Kicking open multiple stalls he was surprised to find...nothing. Where had they gone? He turned around and saw his mentor, Masataka, smiling at him. It looked like him. Long, dark hair, black clothing, and soulless, empty eyes. But it wasn't. It was Genocide's own reflection in the mirror. Genocide smiled. He didn't notice the changes at first. They must have happened gradually. Subconsciously. From the final stall, an officer sprung into action, rushing Genocide, hitting him point blank with a shockgun round. Genocide felt the tingling sensation electrifying his body and grew numb. In spite of the pain, he took a single step. Then, another. He came within striking range of the officer and snatched the shockgun. Two more officers erupted from another stall, battering him with baton strikes. Genocide felt nothing. He clutched the shockgun in his hand like a bat and went to work pulverizing his attackers. An officer kicked in the bathroom door, a woman holding a pistol. She fired multiple times to no effect. Genocide stood covered in blood. He even let her reload. Twice. He wanted to see her despair. Her hopelessness. He walked towards her, shrugging off bullets as they pierced his body. His wounds healed nigh instantly due to the dark essence he had been imbued with. He held her face with both hands, lifting her body off the ground. As she screamed, he used her head to shatter the restroom mirror, running down the full length of it while smashing her into it at several points. He dropped the remains of what he held, washed his hands with soap, dried them, then exited the restroom.
The inmates that rallied for the cause of genocide attacked the station. Fortunately, they were nowhere near Genocide in terms of power and only carried one type of firearm each. They shared his healing ability but could be killed quite easily. Gracia encountered a sniper on the end or a west wing hallway. Other officers waited behind corners unable to get close. Gracia noticed the faulty lighting. In this hallway, the lights flickered in intervals of 3 seconds. Finding a pattern and timing her movements, she rushed the sniper at the exact moment the lights went out. Running the length of the hall, Gracia zigzagged, dodging the sniper inmate's bullets. She jumped on a wall, ran 3 feet on it, then kicked off it, pouncing on the assailant. She fired five shots into him, making sure to hit the brain and the heart. Two severe injuries that were impossible for Shinigami essence to heal simultaneously. Elsewhere, Evans took on another escaped inmate. A vehicular arsonist named Carson. Carson had a bag filled with an assortment of different grenades and was happily giving them out like candy on Halloween. "A flash bang here, a bit of tear gas there. Oh. Wait! Was that an ice grenade? Did the explosion freeze your leg to the floor? Whoops. Maybe a fire grenade will melt that for you. Hold on let me get one fore you," Carson rambled gleefully. Evans looked at the carnage before him. Officers burning. Officers partially frozen in blocks of ice. He took a breath and aimed his wristgun. He steadied his right forearm. Carson readied to throw a random grenade. Evans shot it the moment it left Carson's hand. The grenade exploded directly in front of Carson. Both Evans and Carson looked at each other in shock. Confetti. A party grenade? Carson quickly fumbled for another but was tackled and restrained by several officers. Meanwhile in the South wing, Lary had some colleagues set a trap for another shotgun toting inmate. He had them bait the inmate and flee. Giving chase he turned a corner and ran straight into Lary's fist. The inmate recovered and motioned to shoot Lary. "Let's tango. " Lary gave the code word. Nearby officers activated a device. A signal jammer of sorts. The inmate shoved the barrel of his gun into Lary's gut and pulled the trigger. Nothing. The special signal jammer in question was designed for firearms. It was a last resort as it left officers just as defenseless. Lary was having fun. He boxed the inmate in hand to hand combat. Despite the inmate's enhanced strength, Lary's technique pulled through. Lary ducked under one of the inmate's wide punches and did some type of rising uppercut where he jumped off the ground while spinning. One of the other officers whispered" The rising dragon." Lary smiled giving a thumbs up" Yeah, it was a rising dragon uppercut. Saw it in one O my kid's vidya games. Thought I'd try it out while I'm jacked on adrenaline".
Jim Jimenez looked long and hard at himself in the mirror. He was in the women's restroom. Some brainless woman had broken the men's restroom mirror with her face. For the first time in a long while Jim could think clearly. He was becoming sane. At the least he was no longer a raving lunatic. The life essence of the dark gods had healed the wounds to both his body and his mind. He saw his face, his scraggly dirty beard. He found a razor and shaved. He trimmed his beard somewhat. He liked it. He washed his hair. It fell down his face like silk, no longer greasy. His bloodshot eyes once burning with crazed intensity had cooled. He blinked. Just for a second, he saw the man known as Genocide. The man that attacked him. The one that killed him and gave him new life. The drug dealers. The police. They were all the same in his eyes now. They were all to blame for the world being what it is. Jim wanted to hate them. He wanted to take revenge, but he felt nothing. It didn't matter. He knew he was wronged, could logically justify acting against them, but he just didn't care anymore. About anything. He was finally free. Sensing his presence was no longer needed here, Jim vanished into the night. He needed to find someone who had had the answers he needed. Himself. Who had he been? Who was he now? Who could he become? Where was he going? So many questions to ponder indefinitely. So much time left in the rest of his life.
Genocide ran down the station's halls raining hailstorms of bullets upon its occupants. He had a handgun in each hand as well as a wristgun on each wrist. This effectively gave him 4 separate firearms that he could use simultaneously. Lary regrouped with Gracia, Evans, and a handful of others. They radioed all surviving officers near Genocide to flee to the roof. This plan had been set in motion days before the assault and had been kept hidden from most of the force. The plan involved scheduling flights for several helicopters to arrive at some point after Genocide arrived. There would be no way for him to prepare for them and pre-scheduling their arrival ensured they arrived regardless of if they were called or not. Lary and the others set about preparing the second jamming device. Genocide stood among a hallway of bodies. He saw one man clinging to life trying to crawl away. He decided on trying that other thing he saw his master do. He grabbed the dying man and pinned him to the wall. Slowly he drove a knife into his chest. As the man's life slipped away, something else entered his body. Genocide channeled a small amount of his essence into the vessel. He had steadily done this with other casualties around the station whose bodies were somewhat salvageable. He dropped the body he was holding and looked upon the others. He closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, his eyed were black, both sclera and iris. The scene before him changed. Genocide had a vision. He saw a dead gray wasteland littered with bodies. These people however weren't cops and wore traditional Japanese attire. In his hand wasn't a gun or knife but a short sickle akin to a farming tool. He heard a dark voice call out to him. Slowly, the corpses around him began to rise, now mere puppets bound eternally to their master's whim. The bodies sold to the reaper who had claimed their lives. Genocide's vision ended. His eyes had returned normal. Around him, dead cops began to rise. His dark essence had entered their bodies and reanimated them. He sent his dead army to attack the officers fleeing to the roof of the station. These zombies swarmed the stairwell giving chase to the few survivors. There were five of them. They had two flights of stairs to climb and a horde of their former colleagues close behind them. One officer tripped and was set upon by the horde. The zombies didn't bite them but held them firmly in place. The other four officers stared down wondering what to do. They could hear Genocide chuckling. They could hear humming. They could feel the temperature rising. Their colleague and the two zombies holding him were hit by an enormous green fireball. Genocide had fired a Magnum Opus and had charged the bullet to level 3. The Magnum Opus was simply a magnum that shot fireballs, with bullets that could be charged by holding down the trigger. It had three levels of charges. Level 1 was a small reddish ball of plasma. Level 2 was slightly larger and yellow. Level 3 was the maximum charge and resulted in a large slow moving green blast of energy. The officer was ignited and Genocide watched gleefully as the force of the blast sent him flying through a wall. The four officers continued up firing occasionally to slow down the zombies. Soon they made it to a door leading to the roof. Before one officer could reach it, he was sniped by Genocide, a bullet to the head killing him instantly. The remaining three made it out. They regrouped with the others already there, 12 in total, including Lary, Evans, and Gracia. This would be their final stand. They just had to hold out until Genocide made it up there. They just had to keep Genocide occupied until the helicopters arrived. Genocide slowly ascended the stairs behind his horde. On the roof, the remaining survivors faced off against waves of the undead. Evans recognized the attackers. These zombies were being controlled by nanomachines. He heard the stories of several weapons encountered by soldiers on the battlefield. These creatures were called Metaldeads as they were reanimated via machines. They had been officially banned by most of the worlds' governments for being unethical. However, this did not stop the technology from being spread still between shady organizations, terrorists, etc. Evans wondered how Genocide got this form of nanotechnology. Evans long speculated that the dark essence used by most of the killers they encountered was a a form of nanotech however it was different from anything else he had seen or heard about. The dark essence seemed to be an amalgamation of other types of nanotech. Evans had to save his inquiries for later. He reloaded his wristgun and took aim at the approaching group of Metaldeads. Gracia steadied her handgun and shot two Metaldeads in the head. From the single door countless arms seemed to spill forth from the darkness. The other officers took turns firing in intervals. this allowed them to create a steady stream of fire where no more that three guns needed to be reloaded at once. The horde seemed to thin out over time as if they were making progress. In actuality, the Metaldeads were just making room for Genocide to enter. Genocide exploded in a sprint from the door. Everyone fired upon the killer. Genocide had now chosen a wrist mounted mini flamethrower to use as his weapon. He stormed past the oncoming bullets taking some damage, but refused to slow down. He unleashed a stream of fire that caught five of the officers in one fell swoop. Gracia fired five rounds into Genocide's face. He stumbled back. Lary took the chance to fire several mine gun bullets at Genocide's feet. The mines quickly detected his movement and exploded. In seconds, Genocide was on his back.
Staring at the night sky Genocide saw the moon. He reached for it. He called for the darkness to give him more power. His wounds began healing. In the sky he could hear the whirl of propellers. There were six helicopters in total. The first two had evacuated the survivors while the others stayed to engage Genocide. Genocide got up and unstrapped the sniper rifle from his back. He stood before the searchlights as a black silhouette, cornered but unwilling to back down. Lary stared down at him smiling. "Okay!" He shouted, "Let's Tango!" Upon this declaration the second jamming device was activated. Now, isolated on the roof, Genocide's guns couldn't be fired and the helicopters were out of range of the device. Now Genocide stood like a sitting duck. A helicopter fired a rocket. Genocide side stepped and grabbed it. He turned his body redirecting the rocket to hit another helicopter. As it exploded Genocide drew his knife and threw it at another helicopter. Behind the knife was such force that it shattered the helicopter window's glass, embedding itself in the pilot. This helicopter too went down where it exploded. "Holy clucknuggets!Did you see that!?" Lary said dumbfounded. Evans looked out the helicopter door he was in jaw open in shock. "There's no way." He collected himself quickly and radioed the remaining two helicopters to keep moving and to use their machineguns as much as possible. The helicopters reigned down upon Genocide tearing apart his body. Shreds of leather and darkened blood sprayed across the pavement of the roof. Gracia watched as Genocide's body was destroyed repeatedly as it tried to heal. Surely he had to stop at some point. After 10 minutes the helicopters had exhausted their cache of ammunition and soldiers opted to fire their own rifles and occasionally throw grenades. After about six minutes, they too had run out of bullets. Genocide stood unfazed. He had long since healed himself and now appeared intangible with gunfire seeming to pass through his body. His coat once ripped , now appeared whole though on closer inspection seemed to writhe. Gracia looked in horror as she remembered the tales her adopted father had told her. Tales he had in turn heard from his predecessors. Every so often officers had reported encounters with ghost like beings cloaked in a cloud of living dark mist. The beings were rumored to be responsible for the deaths of multiple people ranging from scientists, veterans, mafia, politicians, etc. They were seen near such crime scenes and even more shockingly appeared around several sites where suicides were committed. These beings were reportedly impervious to bullets and filled anyone who got near with an impending sense of dread. If Genocide was connected to them or somehow turning into one , there was little chance they would be able to defeat him. Gracia's fears were confirmed when she saw that Genocide's leather coat had been destroyed and he had replaced it with the dark mist coalescing from his own spilled blood. The dark mist, swirling, grew larger and several tendrils sprouted out from it. Gracia could briefly make out a figure standing next to Genocide. A hooded figure cloaked in the same black substance. The figure stared up at her with soulless, blackened eyes which seemed to beckon her to jump from the aircraft she was standing in. Compelling her to give in to the death that plagued the earth. Genocide kneeled to his master. The Shinigami, Masataka stared down at his disciple. "You have done a great service to us. Even now the sealed god stirs in its slumber. Its...Awakening will soon be upon us. It calls out for war. It begs for famine. It longs to continue its conquest. We are the death it so desires. The death that is necessary for this civilization to grow. Use the power that I have bestowed upon you. Finish the mission as you see fit." The Shinigami vanished and Genocide stood.Genocide stared at his hands. He remembered the first killing spree. He was on a bus. It stopped. A woman got on the bus and walked to the back smiling as she passed him. Something about her eyes unnerved him. They were so bright but something dark reflected inside them. He ignored the thought and put in his headphones. In minutes he had dozed off. He jumped awake. He looked around and froze in panic. All around him, everyone had been hacked to pieces. He saw the driver, actively being stabbed by a masked assailant. The mask, painted white with black eyeholes, stared back at him. It raised a finger over where its lips would be. Even under the expressionless visage, he could feel that same smile. He ran home that morning. He went to his room to find it destroyed. His posters, his computer, his tv, everything, had been ruined. He turned around and saw a man at the end of the hallway holding a sledge hammer. "The hell you been, boy?", his stepdad sneered. The man dropped his hammer and walked closer, veins pulsing with rage. He tried to explain how his car had caught fire forcing him to walk 4 miles to the nearest bus stop, but the man's fist was faster than his words. "Boy!Answer me when I talk to you!!" the man says as he backhands the taste out of the would be Genocide's mouth. He took that beating for several minutes before being left to stare at his ransacked room. He hated how his stepdad went out of his way to destroy the things he loved. Soon, another set of footsteps could be heard. It was his mother standing behind his locked door. She didn't knock, or say anything. She just stood there, doing nothing as always. He never knew if she came to talk to him or apologize. All he knew was that she could never bring herself to speak to or even acknowledge him. Maybe out of guilt or perhaps shame. A year or two later after he had had enough he ran away from home. Living out on the streets alone, without friends, or family, he would embark on countless killing sprees. These killings weren't of his own volition however. He was coerced by some corrupt officers from The Unit. They made him kill on their behalf. Sometimes they were protesters, sometimes they were drug dealers, other times, petty criminals they couldn't be bothered to process. It was routine for him to be used to kill entire houses of drug riddled addicts. During one such venture he entered a drug den, killing the dealer as instructed. He took out several junkies before turning to leave. A woman who survived her injuries clung to his heel begging him to stop. Looking down he aimed the handgun he was carrying at her head of long disheveled brown hair and fired. Feeling nothing, he kicked her body aside like trash when it hit him. Her face. This woman had been his mother. What was she doing in a place like this? He felt a shock of emotion. He wondered if she had always been like this, or had she changed after he left. He never made amends, but decided to stop killing from then on. The unit did not like that. Once it became apparent that he was no longer of use to them they started a manhunt to apprehend him with lethal force. They found him. They killed him. But he survived.
He remembered the girl on the bus. He remembered her eyes. Those of a sadistic killer. Still there was something else inside them. Something faint but deeper. So. Much. Sadness. Just like him. He felt the hatred begin to spread. His purpose, he decided, was to make all humans rot in the hell they created for him.
These people, he thought to himself, these living diseases, all needed to die. Their struggles, their problems, they spread like cancer to others. The only cure for humanity's sin, its collective wrongdoings, was genocide.
Around him, dark tendrils continued to form and expand, spinning in a vortex. Genocide pulled out two pistols. He squeezed the triggers to no effect. "As I see fit, huh? Hehe." He squeezed both guns in his hands, breaking them into pieces. He concentrated. In his hands, two more guns materialized now completely black due to being forged from the dark essence. Forged by his will. Immune to the jamming device that shut down conventional firearms. He raised his arms at each remaining helicopter and opened fire. Countless tendrils whipped out and slashed at his targets joining the dark essence bullets. It was chaos. Dark tendrils and bullets tore through every direction as Genocide spun and swirled around in 360 degrees firing randomly with purpose. A tendril pierced Gracia's right arm, another, her abdomen. She was however, fortunate, as the other passengers of her helicopter were dismembered. She barely had time to jump from the vehicle before it crashed. She fell 2 yards onto solid concrete. She felt immense pain as her right shoulder shattered on impact. She looked up to see Genocide's blade like appendages ripping through the other escape helicopters. She rolled onto her back and tried to steady herself. Within seconds her body began to repair itself. The nanocells inside her had saved her life but were now depleted. She would need another supplement lest she receive another fatal injury. The standard nanocells she and the others had were much less potent than those of the killers they faced. In truth, they had only minimal strength boosts being able to lift 5-8 more pounds than before and healing being limited to one or two fatal injuries so long as death didn't occur instantly. Gracia blacked out. She awoke the next morning in a hospital. There the doctors refilled her nanocells. She learned that the station had been left in ruins. Genocide had detonated some type of minature nuke following his rampage. He always blew up the stations as if to send a message. Gracia looked out the window thinking about why she became a cop. Twice her family had been murdered by them. Her biological family had been killed in an on record drug raid committed by a group of corrupt officers called The Unit. She had been adopted by another officer that arrived at the scene who found her as a child hiding in a closed. Sadly, he too was killed for trying to expose the activities of The Unit. Gracia joined the force to avenge both losses and bring justice to the killers that disguised themselves as normal people. Law enforcement was neither good, nor bad. It depended upon the people that made it up. In the dying corrupt world Gracia lived in, she vowed to be a beacon of light. Evans laid in a bed adjacent to Lary. "That damn Genocide's somethin else in' he?Like the stories you told us were understatements. That man could legit not die at this point in the story. Like he has friggin plot armor or somthin.'' Evans cut him off" I get it. We all got our asses handed to us. But did you see that ..thing that appeared next to him. Right before he created that black vortex that wiped us out. That must have something to do with his power. Maybe there's a still a way to stop him."Lary chimed in," That fella looked like he was on the way to a black metal concert wit all the black facepaint he was wearin' Creeped me out to be honest." As the survivors mulled over their predicament, the cycle of evil continued to spread elsewhere.
Budley flips through the pages of a magazine. He checks his watch. He looks around the gas station and doesn't see any customers. Seizing the opportunity, he puts in his headphones and begins playing an imaginary guitar as he jams to a progressive deathcore album. Oblivious to the screams coming from outside, the store clerk moves on to thumping two candy bars on the counter to simulate drums. Budley sees that his shift has ended and begins locking up the store. He sweeps the aisles and jumps as a shadow appears behind him. He turns and sees a well groomed bearded man dressed in a black hoodie, black shirt, and black and gray camo pants. The man holds out his hand and smiles. Budley rings up the pack of nicotine substitute gum. "Tryin to kick the habit huh?" Budley asks. The man replies, "Somethin like that. Gotta get my priorities back in check. Focus on the things that really matter. That damn KonCreep's a hell of a band aren't they?" He nods to the playlist on Budley's phone. "Yeah, they're killer. just got into them a month back." Budley answers. "You know, I'm something of a musician myself. Maybe you'll hear of me on the news someday." Jim Jimenez says as he sees himself out. He walks to the back of the building and passes an ominous form of graffiti. A woman lays unmoving and above her, written on concrete in red is a message that simply says "Genocide Reigns".

Hello all,
I’ve attached a photo of a direct replica. my boss is looking for a chronological list view of an array dates accompanied by the value of a particular column, as well as the column header. I might have tried to go about it the wrong way.
I first tried to create the list of dates as so:
=SORT(FILTER(TOCOL(Table1[[Due Date 1]:[Presentation ]],3),(TOCOL(Table1[[Due Date 1]:[Presentation ]],3)>1000)*(TOCOL(Table1[[Due Date 1]:[Presentation ]],3)<>""),""),,1,)
Which gave me dates in order, and omitted blanks.
Then I tried to return the value of Column D with:
=XLOOKUP(B11,Table1[[Due Date 1]:[Presentation ]],Table1[Project / Presentation Date],"ERROR")
I keep getting a #value error. It’s not unmatched ranges, nor is it text formatting. I thought it might have to do with duplicates but that isn’t it either. Any help would be appreciated!
https://preview.redd.it/lsqbv7yoff0d1.png?width=1806&format=png&auto=webp&s=fef0dafdadcf8525fa85425929acfcf1aa00093d

Understanding HTML Email Design Challenges in Outlook

Email marketing is a pivotal aspect of digital communication strategies, often leveraging HTML templates to create visually appealing and engaging messages. However, designers frequently encounter challenges when ensuring these emails display correctly across different email clients, with Outlook being particularly notorious for its rendering issues. Among these, setting the background color in HTML email templates can be problematic, leading to inconsistencies that detract from the intended user experience. This hurdle stems from Outlook's use of Microsoft Word's rendering engine, which interprets HTML and CSS differently than web browsers and other email clients.
To navigate these challenges, it's essential to understand the nuances of Outlook's rendering engine and the specific CSS properties it supports. Crafting emails that look consistent across all platforms requires a blend of technical knowledge, creativity, and a keen eye for detail. This introduction aims to shed light on why background color issues occur in Outlook and provide a foundation for exploring solutions that ensure your emails look as intended, regardless of the client. With the right approach, overcoming these obstacles is not only possible but can significantly enhance the effectiveness of your email marketing campaigns.

Command/Property	Description
VML (Vector Markup Language)	Used to specify graphical elements in XML. Essential for Outlook background compatibility.
CSS Background Properties	Standard CSS properties to define the background of HTML elements. Includes color, image, position, and repeat settings.
Conditional Comments	Used to target HTML/CSS code specifically to Outlook email clients.

In-depth Analysis of Outlook's Background Color Dilemma

Email marketers and web designers often face significant challenges when creating HTML email templates that are compatible across different email clients. Outlook, in particular, has been a source of frustration due to its unique rendering engine. Unlike most email clients that use web-based rendering engines, Outlook uses the Word rendering engine, which can lead to discrepancies in how HTML and CSS are interpreted, especially concerning background colors and images. This difference means that techniques that work flawlessly in web browsers and other email clients may not work in Outlook, leading to emails that look different than intended. This inconsistency can undermine the effectiveness of email campaigns, as the visual aspect of an email plays a crucial role in engaging recipients and conveying the message.
To address these issues, developers have come up with various workarounds and best practices. One such solution involves using Vector Markup Language (VML) for defining background properties in emails intended for Outlook. VML is a Microsoft-specific XML language that allows for the inclusion of vector graphic definitions directly in HTML emails. By leveraging VML, designers can ensure that their emails display consistently in Outlook, with the intended background colors and images appearing as expected. Additionally, conditional comments are used to target Outlook clients specifically, ensuring that these VML-based styles do not affect the email’s appearance in other clients. Understanding and implementing these techniques is essential for creating engaging and visually consistent emails across all platforms, helping businesses and marketers to maintain a professional image in their email communications.

Fixing Background Color in Outlook Emails

HTML & VML Coding

[if gte mso 9]>     Your email content here...