text:
Classroom Surprise
I suppose I might have first noticed something unusual in the hallway that
morning. Granted I was nursing a pretty incredible hangover, the kind that
whiskey itself isn't enough to generate. The kind that's got a fair amount of
marijuana and LSD on it. Burnt, wasted, these words paled in describing my
state. Hell, my eyes barely focused. It had been a long night. And shit, it was
only Wednesday.
Anyway, if there's ever any state in which I couldn't be confident in my own
observations it was right about now. But it seemed like the entire campus was in
a jubulant, energetic mood. In fact, for 10am on a Wednesday morning, there was
a real electricity in the air. People were smiling, people were talking loudly,
playing the hack, running a bit, hell, even bouncing. It was as if there was a
great party in one of the classrooms and everyone was about to go on in. It was
almost like, anticipation.
And that was interesting. But what really made me wonder was the girl at the
vending machine. I was walking slowly past, and I stopped for a minute to rest
and consider smoking a cigarette. And I saw this smart-looking sorority chick,
complete with greek-lettered sweatshirt and straight, black hair, getting a soda
from the Snapple machine. Fine, right? They do that a lot, don't they? Anyway,
this one was in a really good mood, or something.
She put a dollar bill in the slot, and the machine rejected it. She tried again,
and the machine again spit it back out. She tried a third time and succeeded in
crumpling up the bill trying to get it to fit in the slot. It just looked a
little more clumsy that you'd expect. And then she started to giggle.
Women giggle like that a lot when they're with their friends, but this was a
little strange because it was completely solitary. She tried the dollar once
more, again met with no success, and her giggle developed into a serious laugh,
with a slightly delerious tinge. You'd imagine she'd be really annoyed that she
couldn't get her Passion Supreme Snapple before her next big lecture, that she
might scowl and make some comment, but she laughed as though it were the
funniest thing in the world that this stupid machine didn't think her money was
good enough.
What good spirits. What good humor!
She walked away. Still laughing. Wow, maybe I'm not the only tripping fool in
this godforsaken school, I thought to myself, and moved on. It seemed to me like
all the girls were laughing now, and I heard their echoing noises through the
drug-induced tinitis and hallway echoes. I'm imagining this, I said to myself.
Of course I was.
I walked to my class. Of course, I'd cut the two before it. Inside were just a
few early arrivals, but fairly quickly the room filled. I noticed a small, perky
blond girl with beautiful little breasts and firm, little legs sit down in front
of me and I watched her a little bit. Then I looked to my left and saw a much
more plain, less attractive girl sit down right next to me. She had glasses and
a canary yellow shirt. She was blond as well, but her hair was a bit wavier and
it was styled. Her breasts were larger than the other girls', but you could
tell, not as firm.
I tried to conceal my stares. I'm fucked up, I said to myself, I'm making an ass
of myself.
The TA started to lecture. Blah Blah Blah (accent) blah blah... Test I scored
badly on... blah blah blah... This this that that... I started to lose track of
it all and nod off. Then a little motion out of the corner of my eye made me
The cute blonde, dressed in semi-tight grey jeans, was bobbing her left leg up
and down, taptaptaptaptaptaptap.... I watched. Someone had once told me that
girls could masturbate that way, just sitting in class or something. I got a bit
aroused at the thought of this girl masturbating five feet away from me.
Then she stopped and crossed her legs (tighlty?). Then her upper leg started to
move as well, in quick little rhythmic circles. Now it was possible to see the
subtle movements of her hips and pelvis as she did this, her back to me, facing
the teacher. She was actually moving pretty quickly and obviously, and I was a
bit amazed.
Then the killer came on. The plainer blond girl next to me giggled. The TA was
interrupted. He glanced at her and tried to press on, but she on laughed harder.
He stopped in mid-sentence and stared at her. I heard a loud cackle from across
the room - a 40-year old Hispanic woman had suddenly broken into uncontrollable
There were about eight women in a room of 22 people, and now all of them were
just laughing. Laughing like the audience of a TV-stand-up show, after the
comedian drops a real killer line. The TA started to grin as well, a little
nervous. You could tell he wanted to check his fly. The other men in the room
grinned a bit to, wanting to get in on the joke, but wary because it seemed so
spontaneous.
The cute girl's motions were starting to get jerky, and there was really no way
about it - she had to be masturbating. She turned her head occasionally and I
saw her face, lit up with a giggle. What the hell?
"AAAAhhhhh." she said, ever so softly. I could just barely hear it, it was so
much like a slow breath.
"Aah." she said again, a little louder. Then finally,
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH...!" And her legs did a rhythmic little series of jerky
motions, and the grin disappeared from her face for a second as she was
enveloped in some harder, less silly sensation. Her eyes were closing a bit, and
she had a look as though she was half-concentrating, and half- "ahuh" (she said,
moving a bit) unable to concentrate. It was a serious look. An
I'm-feeling-something-really-good look. "ahuhhhhhnnnn." she said. A few people
were looking at her, but the pandemonium was distracting.
Then the plain girl, who I was suddenly aware was sitting very close to me,
started to get the same look. Her eyes unfocused and closed a bit, her mouth
hung open, her jaw a little tight. She exhaled huskily, then inhaled loudly.
"Ahhhhhh." she said, as well. She had a look as though she were being washed in
some kind of unbelievable sensation, that she was more than just enjoying it,
but that she wanted it more than anything else in the world. For just a second,
I saw her shiver. Then, with startling volume, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Not
plaintively, but almost conversationally. She said it like, "there's really
something going on here!" Here eyes open up and searched myopically. "AAH! AAH!"
she started to insist, her smile coming back to full force, but still weighted
with this new expression.
"AH! AHAHAHAHAH! AHAHHAAAHHHH!" She said, with such apparently pleasant
enthusiasm it was blatantly startling. And then, quite clearly, "Oh my God. Oh
yes!"
That sent it over the edge. At that point, the classroom detached itself from
The cute blond girl actually got up. She was wearing a blue button down shirt.
She grabbed the front and ripped it open, sending buttons flying. She gave the
TA a look that would melt a blackboard. His mouth dropped. She tore her shirt
completely off.
"Take me..." she said, slowly, forcefully, mischieviously. She ran her hands up
from her beautiful hips, up her sides and then over her bra-covered breasts.
Somebody fell off their chair. The TA certainly would have, if he'd been sitting
The girl starting walking towards him. She was humming, or perhaps sighing. The
words "Sorority Gag" slipped through my head, but didn't last long. The prettier
girl started to unbutton her blouse. Then she noticed the large, husky boy she
was sitting next to. He was staring at her. She stared back at him and grinned
very widely. Then she pulled her blouse open. I got a glimpse of a little black
demi-bra. She arched her back, and thrust her chest out at him, sighing a happy
sigh. I noticed out of the corner of my eye, the older Hispanic woman was
masturbating with her right hand through her jeans.
The husky guy caught on quick. He reached out and touched her breasts. She
sighed again, this time a little husky herself. And she leaned toward him. I
looked up and saw the girl with the glasses rubbing herself up and down against
the TA, who was standing in the corner. There was only one girl in the classroom
who wasn't engaged in some sexual activity just then, and that was because she
was asleep.
Oh shit.
I was deeply aroused, and panicked, and suddenly I needed to smoke a cigarette
very badly. I'd felt this feeling only a few times before; when you see
something so outrageous that you can't even tell the tale, because no one would
believe you.
Slowly, I backed out of the room. When I closed the door, the girl with glasses
was masturbating the TA vigorously.
"Phew," I said. The halls were largely empty. There were echoes of laughter from
downstairs.
I lit up a cigarette right outside my classroom. Then I started down the hall. I
hesitated at the door to the stairs, but then pressed on.
Outside the building, on the cement walkway, everything seemed utterly normal.
People went about their business, running to classes late, studying on the
benches, or just sitting around doing nothing. A little more hastily now, I
walked down the stairs into the main complex.
As soon as I opened the door, I knew I was in for it. There was a real
pandemonium in there. I rounded the corner from the entrance and was greeted
with the most awesome sight I have ever seen in my life. There was a
fifty-person orgy going on. Every single woman in sight was in on it.
Actually, a few were asleep, or zoning out, leaning against the walls, and that
made me a little nervous. But I couldn't stay nervous for long. There were women
roving around, and a group of them came up on me. One was almost naked, wearing
just a pair of tight, unbuttoned jeans. The other three were almost fully
dressed. All of them looked like I had the night before. Fucked up, even if
pleasantly so.
They saw me. They saw me seeing them. I took a step back and they almost jogged
over in my direction.
"Hello," one of them said, in a sweet voice shrouded in Long Island accent.
"Ahhhuh." She said, and started untucking her shirt. The topless one, whose red
hair fell over her wide shoulders, and whose large, heavy breasts were bobbing
freely (nipples hard as knots, perky and erect) started to ever so lightly
massage my crotch. That was it. I was into this.
"Hi," I said, but my voice cracked a bit. None of them noticed. In fact, they
were all taking on a look of real concentration, like a bunch of drug addicts
about to get a good fix. I looked at the one who seemed the most together, a
youngish looking girl with straight black hair, thick glasses, and a plaid
skirt. "What's your name?" I asked her.
"Penny," she said. The one whose shirt was now over her head (revealing small,
pointy breasts in a white bra with a flower print) was starting to run her hands
over my chest. The fourth, standing the farthest away, was starting to run her
hand down to the crotch of her loose-fitting pants.
Penny's voice was fairly normal. Then the fourth girl reached her hand up from
behind her and gently stroked Penny's right breast through her white formal
blouse. Penny sighed in a little girl sigh. She looked into my eyes and licked
her lips. The topless girl started to unbutton my jeans.
"Penny," I said, trying to hang on to the situation, "what's going on?"
She stared back at me blankly, as though she hadn't understood the question and
didn't really care to figure it out.
I couldn't resist. I reached out and touched her chest. Lightly at first, but
then with more attention, especially to the nipples which were starting to perk
up through the fabric. She started to pant. She grinned briefly, and then that
look I'd seen before came over her, as though she was feeling something really,
really good. Something a little nasty. And something that she really wanted more
of.
"Penny, do you want me to touch you like this?"
"Yes," she said, quietly but enthusiastically. "Ohhh, yes."
Hands on my bare flesh. Bolts of ecstacy were firing up from my cock as miss
topless started to caress it, so gently. I was overwhelmed.
"Pull up your skirt and masturbate," I told Penny. I marvelled as she did so,
slowly, as though she wasn't quite sure of herself. Her skirt came up, and then
she pushed her white panties down, just a few inches. Her pubic hair was dark.
She was wet. The middle finger on her right hand snaked down and she started to
stroke herself with little, jerky motions. Her eyes began to roll back.
She did exactly what I said...
"You," I said to the Long Islander, "take your clothes off. Then help her touch
me," I said. The girl immediately complied. "And you," I said to the fourth
girl, "touch them both. Try to make them come." She grinned and exhaled at my
I'm hallucinating. Fine. Just don't let it end yet.
All the while I was fondling the girl with the big glasses. She reacted to me as
though my touches were overwhelming her. Her face was contorting sexily with
each caress. Her breathing was labored and she began to moan. The Long Islander
was starting to kiss me, full on the mouth. Her touches were gentle, but firm.
Penny started to writhe and shiver as she started to make herself come. I felt
the redhead's firm pale breasts make small feather touches against me and her
hands slow as she, too began to orgasm. The fourth girl was behind her, putting
her hand down the open front of her jeans. I felt the Long Island girl come in
mid-kiss. Then Penny, out of nowhere, put her mouth over my cock, and started to
lick. I came all over her.
It had taken less than five minutes.
As soon as the euphoria wore off, the shock set in. I sat bolt upright, losing
the Long Islander's kiss. Penny and the redhead were still stroking my softening
penis. I was almost positive I was in no danger. But I was just beginning,
microscopically, to edge away from them all. Then the dark-haired Islander began
to orgasm again.
No one was touching her. She was just doing it. She was shivering, her face was
contorted in ecstacy, her clothing was half-open. She was kneeling now.
It sounded like she was trying to "ahh" but was to busy inside what must have
been an incredible erotic high.
It seemed to pulse through her, about every three or four seconds at first. In
waves she would shiver and move. Then she started to really jerk and convulse.
She lost the rest of her balance and fell over on her side. I watched in awe.
The fourth girl and the redhead were starting to make out, shakily, as though
they were both barely capable of coherent movement. Their motions also seemed,
well, palsy, as though they were suddenly suffering from downs syndrome, or
drunkenness. Penny was still absently fondling me, pushing my member from side
to side, touching it, looking at it longingly.
The Islander was now beginning to make incoherent, spasmodic noises. They were
not the coos of ecstacy. They were the sounds of someone whose brain was being
churned up by a blender. Yet in her eyes, and in her face somewhat (which was
now not only twisting up, but beginning to twitch and tick), I could still see
that she was enjoying it, soaking up whatever was coming over her, and letting
it consume her. It looked like it was consuming the hell out of her, to be
honest, and there wasn't going to be anything left afterwards.
I was in shock. I stared for over a minute. When I looked back, The redhead and
the fourth girl, who had struggled out of their clothes a bit more, were no
longer really touching each other. They were almost on top of one another, their
hair was entangled, and they flopped and twisted. But they weren't really doing
anything but just weakly thrashing. Then I caught a line of drool coming down
the redhead's chin.
Penny was the only one still, apparently, nascent. I spoke to her.
"Penny."
She looked up. Her eyes were sort-of focusing.
"Are you feeling okay?" I asked, and to my ears it sounded incredibly stupid.
"Yeeaaaah," she said, softly, dreamily. She was feeling reeealy okay.
"Why are you doing that?" I asked, indicating my penis with my eyes.
"Be-cause," she said. She was smirking a little bit. It was the kind of answer
someone gave you when they were half-asleep.
I took her hands in my right hand and tucked my still-wet dick into my pants. I
felt her shiver. She had no resistance to my actions. Utterly passive. I looked
at her carefully, all the sex drained out of my body in post-orgasmic numbness.
I pulled her a little closer. Her heart was, I swear to god, fluttering. Her
lids hung low over her eyes. She had a great big shit-eating grin on and now her
hands were tugging down towards her thighs again.
"Penny?"
She made no answer this time.
"Hello? Penny?"
Still nothing. I let her hands go and she dropped over on her side, fortuitously
not banging her head. She was still breathing. But now it looked like she was
asleep.
I let my eyes get sucked back to the Long Islander. Her noises weren't very loud
anymore. Her movements had almost ceased, except for the occasional jerk. But
her face, that was twitching every few seconds or so. I stood up and backed away
along the wall. I buttoned my pants back up and pulled my shirt back into place.
"Fuck," I said. The girls I had just let fall all over me were now lying
unconscious on the floor. My heart was pounding and the world started to sound
like it was come at me through a long cardboard tube.
I looked around the large open area just inside the where I was standing. The
floor was a mass of writhing bodies. Many women were lying or thrashing on the
ground by themselves. One was half-sitting against the far wall, shaking her
head rapidly and jerkily.
There were guys everywhere, but not as many as women. Many were actively being
fondled by them, and many were stumbling or walking around. And not one met any
other's eyes, including mine.
I don't know what instinct I was running on at this point, but I started to walk
forward into the building. I had to step over several girls who were laying
right in front of me in various states of undress, not moving, but breathing and
with the ghosts of smiles on their faces.
I heard a shout. Against the far wall, there was a table, and on that table, a
large, bulky man had bent a youngish-looking blond down over the edge and was
fucking her from behind.
It occurred to me at that point that very few people on the ground or against
the walls had actually been having sex.
The shout had come from the girl, and not from the man, who was pounding
hastily, if a little nervously.
Actually, not only was the girl crying out, but she was moving like a 500
horsepower reciporocating engine. If the other girls I had seen were getting
shocked, this girl had grabbed a high-voltage power main. Her eyes were, as I
watched, approaching slowly, rolling back into her head. Her saliva was frothing
at her mouth. She was in pain, I was sure, but then I realized it must have been
the most deeply satisfying, pleasurable, orgasmic pain anyone might have ever
It was apparently because he was actually penetrating her. And she looked like,
honestly, she was being penetrated by an electrified cattle prod. The guy was
apparently enjoying himself, but getting more and more nervous. And maybe even a
little scared, or frustrated, because he didn't want her to go this nuts.
Before he even got off, she started to bounce off the table. She gave three
violent, full-body convulsions, the second of which almost knocked him over
backwards and her off the table, and then produced a remarkable, inhuman mewling
sound. Then she went as limp as a corpse.
The big guy started to freak out and look around really nervously. He saw me. I
booked it down the hall to the left as fast as I could run. I remembered I'd
lost my bag somewhere, cursed with unbelievable frustration, and then pressed on
even faster. I got in an open elevator door and pressed "SB".
I think it took about a minute and a half for those doors to pull closed on the
incredible scene in the main entrance to the building.
Then they opened up again, almost immediately, and I was in the dank, concrete
tunnels below the building. The sub-basement.
There were women here. They were all sprawled all over the ground. More of these
were dressed, and more were older. Here, it looked as though they were trying to
go somewhere, but never made it. Almost.
I let the thought slip into my head that the inert women I was stepping over,
with half-closed eyes and clothes pulled open, might actually be dead or dying.
And then I started to feel sick. I'd never been claustrophobic ever before in my
life, especially in a basement, but here I was suddenly trapped, enclosed,
buried in some grotesque tomb. I swallowed it. I kept walking. I put my hands
over my ears.
I didn't even know where I was going anymore, but at least there was nobody down
here who was conscious. There were no men, stealing from the lifeless bodies of
unclothed women, no women, walking menacingly towards myself.
Rounding a corner, I saw the broadcasting lab, and caught the silhouette of a
man moving inside the broadcast room.
I realized I was seeing him through glass. Then I realized I was seeing him in a
control room and that there was another pane of glass between him and the
soundproof, sealed-up room where there was some kind of TV-news set assembled,
with several television cameras.
The this guy, a little wiry man with gray hair and green corduroy overalls, was
staring right at me. He was scared for a second, because his eyes got really
big, but then he grinned a wide, crazy grin. In seconds he was out of the
control booth and walking into the hallway!
Hello! (Did he say something?)
I was about to faint. My vision started to crumble at the periphery, there was a
growing buzzing in my ears, and then I caught myself.
"Hello!" he had said, still fresh in the memory of my ears.
"Hello," I said to him. I had no idea what else to say. He seemed frenzied, yet
strangely calm. He let the collapsed women at my feet, stretching back and
forward along the hallway, pass right under his attention....
As if he knew exactly what was happening.
"Do you know what's going on here?" I said, my calmness and directness startling
"Well," he said slyly, "I might..."
"Okay, what?" I said, conversationally enough to get him to put his guard down.
He looked so much like a gnome.
"Bee-Zee-Eight-Eff-Nine-Eleven!" He said proudly, as though he were announcning
the presence of a king. "It goes through the air like rhinovirus! It cuts
through to the mark in seconds! IT'S STUPENDOUS!"
He wasn't making much sense. But then I realized he was talking about a
chemical. A drug.
I raised my eyebrows in what should have looked like absolute curiosity.
"It's a gas?" I asked, again surprised by my own presence in the conversation.
It was as if I had been doing this sort of thing for years.
"Why yes! Carry it around in those big Nitrogen tanks they use in Chemistry!
Hardly smells like a thing, to us," he said. Us meaning... men! It only
affects...
"Women! It only affects girls!" I finished my thought out loud.
"Exact-a-mundo!" he said, like some kind of deranged sit-com father lecturing
his delinquent son. "Socks 'em upside the head like a hundred pound sledge,
turns 'em to mush, to GOO!" he said, grinning from ear to ear now, clearly
gratified immensely by the idea of bludgeoning women in the head.
"I-"
"Look, I can see you're not one of those sissy men. I bet you're just like me.
You hate women?"
I paused. I stared. It was a loaded question. Suddenly I wondered if he had a
weapon.
"Yes," I said. I tried very, very hard to look him straight in the eye when I
said it. It was just so important, something in the back of my head told me,
that he believe me.
"Aww," he said, "they're not all that bad," grinning. He suddenly let his eyes
latch on to a woman next to his feet. It was a forty'ish secretary, white,
blond, with slightly aging features and a skimpy bust. But she looked closer to
his age. Unabashedly, he reached down and fondled her chest. She was completely
out, unconscious. Her hands flopped and her eyes drooped. He unbuttoned her vest
and quietly ripped her white blouse apart, and started to paw at her remarkably
shaped breasts. They were, I guess, old. They stuck out a lot at the bottom. But
they were tits, none the less. I stared.
"...At least, now that they've had a good whif!" he grinned at me again, his
eyes sparkling. "See? Ol' Gloria here, she don't give a what's-for that I'm
grabbin' her good ol' bossom. Yeah, see? Ol' Gloria don't mind a bit, now." He
started to get a little rougher with her breasts. She was as still as he allowed
her to be.
"That's not like you were before, Gloria, was it? Now you got a little respect
for your buddy Elmo. Not like you were before, when I grabbed ya. You ain't
complainin' to Mr. Fennerman now!" And then he started to laugh, to actually
titter, with glee. He had himself a good little laughing fit. Then he glared at
"Go on, they aint gonna scold ya away now. They aint got nothin' left upstairs!
Just a great big brain full of happy-transmitters. Go on, take that one down
there, and do what you like! Ol' Sharon there, she's just not gonna make
comment!"
He indicated a young brunette with his head. She was attractive and fully
clothed. Numbly, I walked over to her, knelt down, and kissed her unconscious,
responseless lips. She was warm, and she was breathing. I touched her face, and
then let my hand slide down to the neck of her shirt. Then I unbuttoned it and
pulled her bra up off her breasts. Her nipples were still erect, even in this
state. Her eyes were almost, but not quite closed. I touched her breasts, just
as he was doing. And then he slapped me on the back. It seemed like a friendly
gesture.
"I bet I know what you're wonderin'," he said. "I bet you wonder if she's ever
gonna get up again, 'n be the real Sharon." I said nothing. "Well, here's the
kicker... SHE'S NEVER GONNA! Permanent alteration of the forebrain, the
prefrontal lobe, the brainstem... Her limbic center's swelled up to the size of
your fist, I swear!"
Now he was spouting neurobiology, and getting a little hard to follow. But his
main point was clear.
"But you just bet," he said, giving me a friendly jab in the gut, "that she went
out with the best come she ever had in her whole damn life! Hah haw!" He
laughed.
"Now come on, look what I got in the TV room!" I watched him walk back in.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Mountain lion found with unusual deformity
Mountain lion was found with a set of teeth and whiskers growing out of its head. (Idaho Fish and Game)
(FoxNews.com) - A mountain lion, which was legally killed by an unidentified hunter, was found to have a set of teeth growing out of the side of his head.
The Idaho State Journal reported the lion was harvested near Weston on Dec. 30 and baffled wildlife officials after a conservation official sent a picture to the Idaho Fish and Game's Southeast Regional Office in Pocatello.
"It has all of us scratching our heads," biologist Zack Lockyear told the State Journal. "It's a bizarre situation and a bizarre photo."
Idaho Fish and Game said in a news release Friday officials cannot fully explain the abnormal deformity on the lion's head, but did offer some theories as to why the lion had teeth and apparently whiskers growing out of the part of its head.
Read more on FoxNews.com.


Inspired by fossil finds on our local beaches, these perfectly formed sterling silver ammonite drop earrings are great for adding interest to a summer top or winter woollies. 11mm across. Part of our Jurassic coast collection. Matching pendant necklace also available.


I have dedicated my life to working with wood. If I can reconnect people with our natural history, my job is done. The NZ Swamp Kauri is approximately 32,000 years old and although ancient the colour is still alive!
Below are a few videos of large works I have created.
I french polish my work, give it a buff and then put a wax finish over it. This gives a nice warm glow to the work.
To view Work for Sale please click here. Most work is priced and I also do commissions upon request.
If you want to Contact me just click here.


text:
STUDENTS' PERCEPTION OF WOMEN TRAFFICKING AS A SOCIAL PROBLEM IN NIGERIA (A CASE STUDY OF AKOKO SOUTH WEST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF ONDO STATE)
The study is an investigation into student's perception of women trafficking as a social problem in Nigeria, a case study of Akoko South West Local Government. Two hundred and fifty respondents were randomly selected for the study. The study showed that women trafficking has significant effect on health situation and hinders economic development of the country. It was therefore recommended that a data bank should be established and countries should review their bilateral agreements.
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Overview of women trafficking in Nigeria
Measures and policy against women and child trafficking
States of inter-country cooperation and women and trafficking
Key actors in Nigeria on women and children trafficking
Summary of the review of literature
Population for the study
Validity of the instrument
Reliability of the instrument
Procedure for data collection
Procedure for data analysis
DATA ANALYSIS AND DICUSSION
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
BACKGROUND OG THE STUDY
Woman trafficking is the recruitment, transportation, transfer her boring or receipt of persons, by means of threat or use of force of other forms of deception of the abuse of power or of position of vulnerability or of benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person for the purpose of exploitation. Porous borders and desperately poor economic conclusions in west and central African sub-region have prompted people to migrate to trade and farm. But poverty has led families into more desperate measures as green seen in the increasing number of children and young people being trafficked into exploitative labour and prostitution (Akinbayo 1998)
In Nigeria, children have traditionally been as assets to assists with house business and farm chores. The socialization process and its related out within the social safely net of the community. However, with increasing unemployment, a weak institutional frame work and a breakdown of the extended family system, millions of children have been forced into new types of labour that are exploitative, hazardous and prejudicial to their welfare and development, middle men have now emerged who exploit the desperation and ignorance of parents particularly those in the rural area to produce children and exploitative labour this as become known as child trafficking. As child labour and trafficking in the African region began increasing media attention studies for a conducted to confirm the extend of the problem UNICEF constructed a pilot study in 1998 on the solution in the southern Nigeria border town of Calabar Ugo Owerri port-headcount and Lagos and found that 40% of Nigeria girls living on trafficking for prostitution activities. In addition, regional conferences in continuo in 1998 and in Libreville in 2000, sties more light on the problem. The conference called for concerted action at the country and girls trafficking with appropriate laws, sensitization programme and bilateral agreement between countries on the sub-region. Specifically the Libreville plat form of legal frame works and improving border patrols repatriation, reliabilitation and reintegration of trafficking children (Ebigbo 1997). Many people assisted in the development of this report, while each one's contribution is most warmly appreciated, special motions must be made of professor peter O. Ebigbo, the lead consultant on this report, who brought expensed know ledged of child labour and girls trafficking to the project. Dozens of federal, state and local government partners contributed and continue to reduce the problem and effect of child trafficking. There are also NGOS addressing the problem, many of whom are noted active organizations. An example of an innovative practice in the war against child trafficking is the establishment of a skill acquisition center by India renaissance in Edo State. Also India renaissance was established in july 1999 in response to the rising incidence of drug abuse, drug trafficking. Many girls from Edo State, mostly in secondary schools unable to with stand the pressures from parents and family members, progressively came to seek, refuge at India renaissance.
As most of the girls are repatriated from Haley, India renaissance is working in partnership with the Italian Government and two Italian based NIGOS, TAMPED and CARITAS, as part of a transactional approach to reaccept this modern-day slave trade. India renaissance is also collaborating with the committee for the dignity of women and hood, a group out of the caloric church in Benin.
This study therefore intends to investigate perception of women trafficking as a social problem in Nigeria, a case study of Ilorin metropolis (Effati 1996).
The issue of women trafficking in Nigeria has become a matter of concern to schools and the government due to the increasing wave of the activities and its adverse effect on the health of the victims and the image of the country. in this case, the victims have been departed back to multiple set abroad before been deported back to the country, this shows that they must have been deported back to the country, this shows that they must have been infected with sexually transmitted disease such as AID, syphilis
This situation will increase the number of AIDS and other sexually transmitted disease victims on the country. The problem will also give a bed image to the name of country. In the course if the reliabilitation of the deportees the government will have to commit the meager resources available to their welfare at the expanses of increasing industries to reduce the employment figures in the country
The aim of the study is to investigate into perception of women trafficking as a social problem in Nigeria, a case study of Ilorin metropolis. The study is also aimed at providing suggestion to wards eradication of women trafficking and effective reliabilitation of the deported victims in the country.
The study intends to provide answer to the following questions
(1) Does women's trafficking have any effect on economic development in the country?
(2) Does women's trafficking have any effect on the image of the country?
The funding of the study would be useful to parents in that it with educated them on the problem of women trafficking in Nigeria
The study will also inform the entire people in the country on the disadvantages inherent in women trafficking activities. It will ensure good image of the country through effective measures taking to eradicate the problem. The study will serve as a useful resources tool for further research works.
Women's trafficking refers to the practice of taken women to other countries for the purpose of prostitution.
UNICEF: refers to united Nation Children funds
WOTCLEF: refers to women trafficking and labour eradication foundations


Adama Dieng: Should the Media Actively Support Transitional Justice Efforts?
Should the Media Actively Support Transitional Justice Efforts?
The role of the media in advancing transitional justice should be considered in light of the role it has played in the past as part of warfare to fuel incitement and hatred resulting in atrocities. I therefore argue that before we contemplate on the role of the media in transitional justice, it is useful to understand both the positive and negative role the media has played in the past, both as a tool to advance reconciliation and general human advancement and also a tool to manipulate populations and perpetrate evil resulting in unspeakable horrors that have shaken the conscience of mankind.
If one would like to look at the negative role of the media, then we would need not go far to consider Julius Streicher, publisher of the anti-Semitic German weekly Der Stürmer who was convicted on October 1, 1946 by the Nuremberg Tribunal for crimes against humanity in connection with his incitement of the mass murder of Europe's Jewish population. One can also consider the Media Case, as it was commonly known before the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), where Hassan Ngeze was found guilty of direct and public incitement to commit genocide through his publication, Kangura. And Ferdinand Nahimana and Jean-Bosco Barayagwiza, founders of a radio station called Radio Télévision Libre des Milles Collines (RTLM) whose broadcasts after 6 April 1994 were confirmed by the ICTR's Appeals Chamber to have directly incited the Rwandan population to commit genocide against the Tutsis.
Despite the negative role the media has played in incitement resulting into atrocities as confirmed by the Nuremberg Tribunal and the ICTR, it is also true that the media can play a positive role. In the aftermath of atrocities—mostly characterised by repression, injustices and a general break down of social fabric and political order—the media can play a key but also a complementary role, especially when the society is attempting to constitute itself by picking up the pieces. Through its unique position as a public disseminator of information it can expose the various and at times competing perspectives that led to the events of the past. Through this information, the media can encourage society to refrain from and avoid acts that plunged the society into conflict in the first place. In general, the media can play a role to promote reconciliation, truth commissions and general institutional and political reforms consistent with values and wishes of the society in question. I strongly believe that if the media has the power to incite and fuel such heinous crimes as we witnessed in Rwanda and elsewhere, then, it is also possible that it can be used as force for good to promote peaceful coexistence among the population.
However, the active role of the media in advancing transitional justice is not without its own challenges. When the media is used to promote a particular agenda or particular (and in some cases preferred) version or perspectives of what happened, not only can it expose itself to ridicule and loss of trust from ordinary citizens, but it may also end up causing more harm than the good it claims to do. It may sow seeds of divisions and hatred especially when it attempts to rewrite the history of the conflict to suit a particular narrative. It may also lead to further conflict, especially if it actively seeks to apportion blame and victimhood to particular groups based on political rather than objective considerations.
I strongly believe that the media has a natural and indispensable role in galvanizing public opinion on the importance of transitional justice. I say this because I believe that every citizen and institution has a civic and complementary duty to ensure that events of the past do not reoccur through addressing comprehensively acts or grievances that led to such events. Further, those responsible for the events of the past should be objectively identified and held to account based on appropriate legal and political framework determined by the concerned society.
The media can also play a key preventive role for atrocities. It can do so through objective reporting and exposing human rights abuses and other signs that, if not addressed in time, may plunge the society into conflict. We have repeatedly seen that precursors to atrocities and a general breakdown of law and order include unaddressed and persistent human rights abuses, neglected grievances (especially of the minorities and other socially marginalized groups), and general disregard of the rule of law. The media can play a role by exposing these issues and reminding those in charge of their primary obligations to address them.
In conclusion, I would like reiterate my strong belief that the media has a huge role to play in advancing transition justice in the aftermath of conflicts. One might as well say that the media is a final frontier in truth telling. At its best, objective media has no regard for religion, political affiliation, social status, power: it is there to document the truth—all sides of the truth. As such it can play an invaluable role in ensuring that the truth is told, that lies are exposed for what they are, that those who seek to manipulate populations by insisting on differences and sowing seeds of hatred are not allowed to succeed. Without regard for either political will or the balance or imbalance of power, the media can achieve what many of us who sit on roundtables to discuss so much resulting in so little action, are unable to achieve. At times defined as the direct presentation of facts or the description of events without an attempt at interpretation, the media presents us with an opportunity to achieve our goals: of preventing atrocities and peacefully addressing our differences without resorting to violence.


Nicki Minaj performs at Drai's Beach Club - Nightclub at the Cromwell Las Vegas during a New Year's Eve celebration on Dec. 31, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Besides chugging an entire cup of tea, singing the Spice Girls and other tremendously blissful things Adele did while cruising around with James Corden for The Late Late Show, the 25 powerhouse also spat some rhymes -- specifically, Nicki Minaj's manic "Monster" verse.
Of course, Minaj saw Adele's rendition (like everyone else in the world who experienced the 15 minutes of joy that was this edition of "Carpool Karaoke") and took to Twitter.
So when are Nicki Minaj, Adele and Beyonce going to do BFF-esque things in a music video, à la "Feeling Myself"?


With The Accidental Indexer, Nan Badgett has written the definitive guide to the indexing profession. Badgett presents a clear-eyed overview of the field, describes a range of specialties, shares insights from her fellow accidental indexers, and offers a wealth of savvy advice on starting and running a freelance indexing business.
You ll find strategies for staying on deadline, maintaining work life balance, collaborating and subcontracting, and creating new work opportunities. In addition, Badgett recommends important resources-and provides useful forms and checklists-on such topics as training and professional development, promoting your services, managing multiple projects, contracting with clients, and ensuring index quality.


text:
The  is an autonomous Eastern Orthodox church within the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate.

History

Early Orthodox Christianity
The first purpose-built Orthodox Christian church to open in Japan was the wooden Russian Consulate chapel of the Resurrection of Christ, in Hakodate, Hokkaidō, consecrated in October 1860.

In July 1861 the young Russian Hieromonk Nikolay Kassatkin (subsequently canonized and known as Nicholas of Japan), arrived in Hakodate to serve at the consulate as a priest. He became the first to learn the local language and customs sufficiently to spread Orthodox Christianity amongst the local populace. Though the shōguns government at the time prohibited Japanese from converting to Christianity, some locals who frequented the chapel did convert in 1864. One of Kassatkin's first converts was a Samurai, named Sawabe. These early converts acted as missionaries amongst their own families and community. While they were Kassatkin's first converts in Japan, they were not the first Japanese to become Orthodox Christians: some Japanese who had settled in Russia had converted to Orthodox Christianity earlier. On Kassatkin's initiative, the Russian Imperial government established the  in 1870. Kassatkin's early approach to spreading Orthodox Christianity throughout Japan involved a degree of indigenization. Kassatkin searched for the points of religious union between Orthodox Christianity and Buddhism and Shinto. It was envisioned by Kassatkin that the Orthodox Church would be the state religion of Japan, an institution to serve the state and to protect Japanese culture from Western influence.

Kassatkin moved to Tokyo in 1872; he remained in Japan for most of the time until his death in 1912, even during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905. He was consecrated bishop in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in Saint Petersburg in the Russian Empire in March 1880 (initially with the title of auxiliary bishop of Reval; he became Archbishop of Tokyo and Japan from March 1906). Kassatkin travelled across Russia to collect funds for the construction of the Orthodox Cathedral in Tokyo, which was inaugurated in Kanda district in 1891 and went on to be known after him as Nikorai-do. Nikolay Kassatkin made Japanese translations of the New Testament and of some liturgical books (Lenten Triodion, Pentecostarion, Feast Services, Book of Psalms, Irmologion).

By the end of 1890, as reported by Kassatkin, the Orthodox Church in Japan (the Russian Spiritual Mission to Japan) had 18,625 baptized faithful.

20th century
The Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905) created a politically difficult situation for the Orthodox Church in Japan. Although Kassatkin remained in Japan, he withdrew from public prayer as Orthodox liturgy required that prayers include blessings for the Japanese armed forces who at the time, were at war with Russia. Throughout the war, the Orthodox Church attended to the spiritual needs of 73,000 Russian POWs held prisoner by Japan. The POWs showed their gratitude by building a number of chapels for the Orthodox Church. Throughout this period, the church grew and by 1912, the Orthodox Church in Japan had some 33,017 members, organized into 266 congregations.

After the Russian Revolution of 1917, communications with and support from the Church in Russia (in the USSR from 1922) diminished greatly. The Japanese government had new suspicions about the Japanese Orthodox Church; in particular fearing that the Soviets used it as a cover for espionage. The second bishop of Japan (from 1912), Sergius (Sergii) Tikhomirov, was one of a handful of Russian émigré bishops who remained loyal to the USSR-based Moscow Patriarchate (rather than supporting the Kingdom of Yugoslavia-based ROCOR). From the late 1920s communion with the Moscow Patriarchate automatically implied loyalty to the government of the USSR - the Japanese government according treated Metropolitan Sergius with suspicion, and he was forced to resign his position in September 1940.

The Great Kantō earthquake in 1923 did serious damage to the Japanese Orthodox Church. The headquarters, Nikorai-do, was destroyed and burnt, including its library with many valuable documents. Nikorai-do was rebuilt in 1929 thanks to contributions gathered from the faithful, whom metropolitan Sergius visited nationwide.

During the Sino-Japanese War of 1937–1945, which merged into World War II (1939 to 1945), Christians in Japan - and especially the Orthodox Church - suffered severe conditions. During the war the Japanese Orthodox Church had had almost no foreign contact. Following the surrender of Japan (August 1945), the Allied occupation regime had a benevolent attitude toward Christian groups, given their predominantly American connections. As the majority of the Slavic- and Greek-Americans would attend local Orthodox Christian parishes and more Russian refugees began to arrive in Japan - fleeing the Communist regime in China - the Orthodox Christian community in Japan revived. In 1946, the precursor to the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), the Metropolia (a de facto independent jurisdiction at the time), on the initiative of U.S. Army Colonel Boris Pash, took steps to prevent the Moscow Patriarchate from re-establishing its control over the Japanese Church - despite the vigorous efforts Moscow undertook to this end. The following year the Japanese Church largely switched to come under the Metropolia′s jurisdiction, and would be governed by bishops sent from the U.S. by the Metropolia until March 1972. Several Japanese youths who would study at the Metroplia'''s Saint Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, then in New York City, would subsequently become leaders (primates) of the Japanese Church.

As the Metroplia in the late 1960s gradually restored relations with the Moscow Patriarchate (whose external activity was fully controlled and guided by the Soviet government and specifically by the KGB) with a view to obtaining autocephaly (i. e. legitimate administrative independence), the Japanese Church transferred to Russian Orthodox Church jurisdiction. On 10 April 1970, a few days prior to the death of Russian Patriarch Alexius I, the Moscow Patriarchate canonised Nikolay Kassatkin as part of a package deal of granting autocephaly to the OCA and re-establishing control over the Church of Japan. The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople strongly condemned the act of granting autocephaly by the Moscow Patriarchate as violating canon law.

21st century
In 2005 the first Orthodox Christian male monastic house of the Japanese Autonomous Orthodox Church opened in Tokyo near Holy Resurrection Cathedral (Nikolai-do). The abbot of the monastic community, Hieromonk Gerasimus (Shevtsov) of the Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra, dispatched by the Holy Synod of the Moscow Patriarchate,
arrived in Japan at the end of 2005.

Current administrative organization and statistics
The Orthodox Church in Japan has three dioceses:

 Tokyo Archdiocese (Tokyo: Archbishop Daniel Nushiro)
 Eastern Japan Diocese (Sendai: Bishop Seraphim Tsujie)
 Western Japan Diocese (Kyoto)

The Primate of the Orthodox Church in Japan is Daniel (Nushiro), Metropolitan of All Japan and Archbishop of Tokyo (since May 2000). Before becoming Archbishop of Tokyo and Metropolitan of all Japan, Daniel had been bishop of Kyoto and since 2001 he has been also in charge of the Kyoto diocese as locum tenens.

As of the end of 2014, according to the data provided by the Ministry of Culture of Japan, the church had a total of 67 parishes (communities), 37 clergymen, and 9,619 followers (registered members).

The Orthodox Church in Japan runs the Tokyo Orthodox Seminary. The seminary accepts only male faithfuls and gives a three-year theological education to those who expect to become ordained presbyters and missionaries. The Seminary also publishes a monthly journal, "Seikyo Jiho".

The Orthodox Church in Japan publishes religious books, including the Japanese Orthodox translation of the New Testament and Psalms and liturgical texts, available as texts alone or with musical scores. Its headquarters in Tokyo and local parishes publish brochures for the faithful looking for further religious education.

As of the end of 2021, according to the data provided by the Ministry of Culture of Japan, the church had a total of 64 parishes (communities), 25 clergymen, and 9,249 followers (registered members).

Liturgy
The Orthodox Church in Japan celebrates its liturgy in Japanese, and occasionally in other languages such as Church Slavonic or Greek. As many liturgical and Biblical texts were first translated into Japanese by Archbishop Nicolas and Nakai Tsugumaro, a Japanese Christian scholar of literary Chinese, their Japanese today reads archaically.

The liturgical style found in the community of the Orthodox Church in Japan remains influenced by that of the church in late 19th-century Russia.

See also
Holy Resurrection Cathedral
Christianity in Japan

References
Derived with permission from Church of Japan at OrthodoxWiki.

External links

"The Orthodox Church of Japan" in The Eastern Christian Churches: A Brief Survey'' (2008) by Ronald Roberson, on the CNEWA website.
 Orthodox Church in Japan Official website.

Japan
Church
Religious organizations established in 1886
Eastern Orthodox organizations established in the 19th century
Christian denominations established in the 19th century
Japan–Russia relations
Japan–Soviet Union relations
1886 establishments in Japan

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
The Cutest K9 In Columbus as voted on by you
The votes poured in from far and wide, but there could only be one top dog of the cuteness totem pole. Thanks to our good friends at ALL PURPOSE K-9 LLC, a champion has been crowned. Columbus, meet Aurora. Aurora, we're rolling out the bacon-flavored red carpet for you!
Breed(s): Siberian Husky
Occupation: Full-time chewer
Number of siblings: 0
Can most often be seen: Ripping cotton out of my toys.
Favorite way to spend a Friday evening: Playing with my cousin Kitty the German Shepherd.
Best dog park? Walnut Woods dog park in Groveport.
Cats: Impersonal or shy? Impersonal.
Squirrels: Entertainment or evil? Entertainment!
I know I'm not supposed to, but I… love to sneak into my aunt TT's room to play with her cat and eat her cat food.
Best thing about Columbus: All the trails and parks for me to run on and play at.
To all the friendly, cuddly, and furry friends that were submitted, we want to say you all deserve a few extra Good Boy and Good Girl treats as well as plenty of belly scratches this month.
Amp up your home style with color and quality from Georgie Home
Kerry Francis
Move over, Pantone Color of the Year! A new local business offers a coordinated collection of quality home goods designed in rich color palettes, so consumers can easily and affordably elevate their home style.
Georgie Home, launched by Lauren Wagner and Laura Sullivan, offers thoughtfully designed home and lifestyle products. The company is dedicated to producing high- quality, simple, friendly goods to make your home feel fresh.
"We wanted to create something where we felt really good about the quality and offer products we'd want to have in our homes. We didn't want something that you just run to a big box store and buy," Wagner said.
Photos: Brian Kaiser
Wagner and Sullivan's journey to launch their company was relatively quick. The pair worked together as graphic designers at a national company headquartered in Columbus in the early 2010s. As they searched for inspiration and created mood boards for work projects, they realized they had a similar vision.
"We'd get excited and say, 'Wouldn't it be great if we could do our own thing some day?'," Wagner said.
A few short years later, that shared vision was realized when Georgie Home's first collection launched in November 2019. Phoenix is a line of hand and bath towels in coordinating colors and patterns. The duo started with towels because it's an easy way to bring a bit of luxury into the home, and high-quality towels will last. While most high-quality towels are plain, Georgie Home offers something unique by combining quality with patterns.
"When you reach a certain age, it's nice to have a little bit of luxury, and you might as well get something that you will have a while for just a little more money," Wagner said.
FOR THE LOVE OF COLOR
As designers, Wagner and Sullivan are passionate about color. And when they first started working professionally, there weren't a lot of ways to feed that passion.
"I was having trouble coming up with color palettes and there weren't a lot of online resources, so I started creating my own," Wagner said. "I would find images that inspired me and pulled my color palette from that." She began sharing these online in a blog about a decade ago, a collection that has evolved into an Instagram account.
As one can tell by Georgie Home's collection, their current favorite colors (because, like all of us, Wagner said it changes over time) are sage and ochre (a warm yellow- brown) for Wagner, and dusty blue for Sullivan.
CREATE A COZY, PERSONAL SPACE WITH COLOR
Carrying color over into home decorating doesn't have to be hard or expensive. Wagner suggests using neutral colors such as whites and greys for walls, flooring, and furniture, and using pops of color throughout your space with items like throws, pillows, and wall hangings. She also likes to add natural elements such as dried flowers, which are trendy now.
"I keep my walls the same and change up everything around it," she said. "My taste changes over time and this lets me update my décor without painting."
This approach also makes it easy to decorate for the seasons.
"I will add things for the holidays, and I'll add color in the summer and greenery in the winter," Wagner said. "I keep it simple–I won't change my wall hangings, but I'll update my dining room table, my mantel, and towels."
If you're not sure where to start, Wagner suggests perusing Instagram and Pinterest for inspiration.
"There are a lot of home bloggers that are inspiring," she said. "Find something that you love and recreate it."
Wagner has a long list of local, chain, online, and brick-and-mortar stores where she finds her decorating elements. Locally, she recommends Jewelweed Floral Studio and Stump as great sources for plants, and Trove Warehouse and Elm & Iron for accessories and furniture. The outlet malls and Wayfair are great for budget-friendly options, and antique shops and Etsy are great if you're looking for something no one else has. The big retailers such as West Elm, Pottery Barn, and Pottery Barn Kids also have some great pieces.
Wagner and Sullivan hope to move Georgie Home into the brick-and-mortar space. With the first collection launched, they are reaching out to retailers to explore wholesale opportunities locally and nationally.
They're also planning for their second line, which will launch next spring or summer. The collection is likely to include placemats, table runners, and tablecloths. While they haven't decided on a color palette, it will be fresh and coordinated, and inspired by the season.
Shop Georgie Home's inaugural collection at georgiehome.com.
14 of the best events happening in Columbus this month
1/10 | JEFF DUNHAM: SERIOUSLY | The Schottenstein Center
Jeff Dunham is coming to Columbus and he's bringing a whole crew of maniacs with him. The comedian and ventriloquist has created iconic characters on stage such as Walter the angry old man, or Peanut, the purple creature who is a bit of a loud mouth. As an entertainer who has been in the game for many years, Dunham and his cast of puppets should make for a comical night.
1/11 | LOUIE VITO RAIL JAM | Mad River Mountain
Ohio might not be thought of as a snowboard and skiing destination, but don't tell that to the athletes competing in Louie Vito's Rail Jam. This competition puts boarders and skiers to the test with difficult rails to perform tricks on. Even if you aren't interested in participating, the spectacle itself is worth checking out.
1/11 | DANCEVILLE, USA 6TH ANNIVERSARY | Danceville, USA
Danceville, USA is celebrating six years of grooving and this year's party is burlesque themed. The night will include cocktail and hors d'oeuvres, plus a performance from headliner Trinity Taylor of RuPaul's Drag Race. The night promises to be bigger and bolder than years past and we'd expect nothing less!
1/14 | COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS VS BOSTON BRUINS | Nationwide Arena
The Columbus Blue Jackets will be welcoming in the Boston Bruins midway through the month and the Jackets are in for a battle as the Bruins come in as the No. 1 team in their division. We are sure the guys on the ice will bring the pressure, but some extra help from the fans never hurts. Show up and be loud!
1/17 | COLUMBUS WINTER BEERFEST | Greater Columbus Convention Center
Happy New Year! 2020 will be fully underway as the Columbus Winter Beerfest returns to the Convention Center for another year. Similarly to the last stop, visitors can find hundreds upon hundreds of IPAs, stouts, lagers, pilsners, and just about anything else they can dream up. This festival is two nights, meaning you'll have to prepare yourself for this endurance test, but with a beer in hand and a designated driver by your side, we know you'll pull through.
1/18 | HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE IN CONCERT | The Ohio Theater
The world of Harry Potter will be brought to life through the sights and sounds of CAPA at the Ohio Theater. The music in Harry Potter is sometimes epic, and other times somber. CAPA does their best rendition with a live orchestra of the fourth installment of the Harry Potter saga.
1/18 | COLUMBUS FAIRYTALE BALL | NOAH's Event Venue
It's looking like a magical night as all the princesses from favorite films are flooding into NOAH's for a glorious ball. Everyone from Rapunzel to Tinkerbell will be in attendance and there will be plenty of chances for photos, dance offs, and candy. It's the perfect princess party for all the princesses in Columbus.
1/18 |2020 FIRST RESPONDERS NIGHT | The Schottenstein Center
There's a showdown on the ice at the Schott this January, but it doesn't involve the Blue Jackets or either of the OSU ice hockey squads. Instead, this one features Columbus' first responders as the Columbus Police Department takes on the Columbus Fire Department. Who will go home with bragging rights and the Buckeye Cup Trophy for another year? There's only one way to find out!
1/20/20 - 1/25/20 | (614)'S RESTAURANT WEEK | Varies
New year, same great deals on three course meals! (614)'s very own Restaurant Week is back in action! During Restaurant Week, anyone can visit one of the many participating restaurants to enjoy a three course meal ranging in price from $15 to $35. It's the perfect weeknight date night option, or a way to treat yourself to double the food for half the cost. As always, follow (614) on social media for chances to win gift cards and prizes throughout the week!
1/24 |LEBOOM 9 YEAR ANNIVERSARY | Skully's Music-Diner
Happy nine years, LeBOOM! Skully's Music-Diner is hosting its biggest LeBOOM yet, as Ghastly, Aweminus, and Roevy will headline the high-energy night. The doors open at 8 p.m. and the dancing doesn't stop until 2 a.m. It's a marathon, not a race!
1/25 | WONDERBALL 2020 | Columbus Museum of Art
Wonderball is back! This year, throw on your best black and white attire for an evening of food, cocktails, and entertainment from local performers. Tickets are on sale now and this event helps benefit the museum as well as the arts community here in Central Ohio.
1/25 | 5TH LINE 5K | Nationwide Arena
It seems like no matter what the weather is, runners will find a way to do a 5K. And in the frigid temperatures of January, it seems the 5th Line 5K is the next challenge for cardio fans in the city. The 3.1-mile course begins in the Arena District and finishes at Nationwide where a post-race party will be held.
1/25| THE TURBOS, GO GO BUFFALO, AND COYA HILL | Rumba Cafe
Rumba Cafe will be welcoming in two Columbus favorites, The Turbos and Coya Hill, as well as one of Cincinnati's most popular bands, Go Go Buffalo, near the end of the month. These rock bands are sure to put on a high octane performance and help bring January to a close on a high note.
1/31 | NORM MACDONALD | Hollywood Casino Columbus
Norm MacDonald is no stranger to the comedy game. His list of accolades includes performing on Saturday Night Live for five seasons as well as multiple appearances on The Drew Carey Show. MacDonald and his brand of dry comedy will be taking the stage at the Hollywood Casino to cap off the month.
Cover photo courtesy of Byron Photography
5 unique ways to improve wellness without a treadmill
Jeni Ruisch
A big percentage of the resolutions we make every year involve getting in shape and/or improving our overall wellness. But running on a treadmill is only slightly more attractive an activity than, say, waiting in line at the DMV. And unless you can sit still for more than two minutes, meditation is out of the question. If you want to really challenge yourself to step outside your normal bubble, face your fears while finding balance. You'll conquer your phobias AND the scale.
True REST Float Spa
truerest.com
You can achieve a state of buoyancy akin to floating on a cloud. The key is a pod filled with hyper-salinated water, heated to the temperature of your skin. Reduced Environmental Stimulus Therapy can help your mind find peace.
Life Energy Yoga
leyyoga.com
Did you ever dream of becoming an acrobat? This exercise consists of poses done with a partner. You can make human pyramids, or even learn to stand on each other's shoulders, or contort yourselves into knots of fun.
Infinity Aerial
infinityaerial.com
Raise your skills to the roof with aerial silks, the skill made popular by Cirque Du Soleil and performing artist P!nk. A long swath of fabric pours down from ceiling supports, and the performer uses friction and strength to support themselves in poses among the waterfall of silk.
Columbus Scuba
columbusscuba.com
The depths of the ocean hold more mysteries than the surface of the moon. Brave men and women strap Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus to their backs every day the world over, and dive into the unknown.
The Buckeye Bounce Club
thebounceclub.com
If you thank your lucky stars for gravity, and the hard ground under your feet, maybe it's time to shake yourself free of the terra for a few ticks. The Buckeye Bounce Club is a gym where the workouts are done on wall-to-wall trampolines, or rather, ceiling-to-ceiling, as the walls themselves are bounceable, just like the floors.
Originally appeared in (614) Magazine December 2017


Orthobiologics are products used by orthopedic and sports medicine physicians to help fractured bones, or injured muscles, ligaments and tendons heal more quickly. They are made of substances that are naturally occurring in the human body.
What are the different types of orthobiologics?
Bone grafts, autologous blood, autologous conditioned serum, platelet-rich plasma, stem cells, and growth factors are all considered orthobiological treatments.
What conditions and injuries can be treated with orthobiologics?
Orthobiologics can be used for injuries and conditions such as cartilage damage, joint malfunction, joint pain, osteoarthritis, rotator cuff strains and tears, ACL injuries, pelvic pain and injury, tennis elbow, knee pain, tendonitis and more.
Orthobiologics are a safe, effective, and natural treatment option that have been shown to be highly-effective in promoting healing and recovery.
Ortho Sport & Spine Physicians uses a wide range of biologic treatments as both an early intervention treatment for conditions such as osteoarthritis, as well as a supplementary treatment to surgery to help facilitate a quicker recovery.
If you're interested in learning more about how biologics can help you overcome an injury or condition, contact our offices today.


Thanksgiving Is a Sham Holiday. Give Yourself Permission To Enjoy It. — Catalyst Wedding Co.
Thanksgiving Is a Sham Holiday. Give Yourself Permission To Enjoy It.
So tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and obviously, it's a pretty complicated holiday.
Remember in Season 4, Episode 8 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (oh, I'm sorry, do you not have all of the episodes memorized?!) when Willow is trying to make everyone realize that Thanksgiving is a sham holiday commemorating the slaughter of native peoples? (It's sort of sad that the best pop culture reference I can come up with for why Thanksgiving is messy is from 1999, but stick with me here.) Willow is right. Thanksgiving has long glossed over the fact that Europeans came to the Americas and killed thousands of native peoples in order to use their resources and take their land. The idea that we all just sat down together after that and had a great big meal doesn't seem likely, and it ignores all the damage that was done, and is still being done, to Native Americans.
And even though Buffy agrees with Willow, her argument that Thanksgiving makes her feel safe and happy in a world where she is constantly fighting for her life is a strong one. "It's a sham with yams," she says. "It's a yam sham!" The episode sort of goes off the rails from there, but this conversation is important. While I want all of us to remember the origins of this historically toxic holiday and to educate others on why having kids dress up as pilgrims and "Indians" for a school pageant is NOT OKAY, I'm also going to acknowledge that a lot of people need this holiday.
Our world is a pretty scary place right now, and depression and anxiety are very real issues that people are facing. Stress-related long-term health issues, such as heart disease, also tend to more greatly impact marginalized communities, especially black people. In the last year, 10.3 million people in the U.S. suffered a depressive episode that severely impaired their ability to function. Add in the factors of seasonal depression, and this time of year becomes a mental health perfect storm. So when I say people need this holiday, I mean that for some people coming together with their friends and family, feeling safe and loved, and eating some damn good comfort food is a literally a lifeline. Bonus, did you know that tryptophan, the amino acid found in turkey and other traditional Thanksgiving day foods can actually reduce anxiety? The more you know.
Now granted, I'd like to see our country give people time off to connect with their love ones for less problematic holidays, or at least change the narrative around Thanksgiving to honor native communities and acknowledge their endless contributions to our country and end this myth that Europeans are the heroes of the story. But if you need this holiday, I want you to give yourself permission to enjoy it. Take the time off, snuggle on the couch, and forget the world for a day. Believe me, it will still be there when you get back.
Finally, since this is a sham holiday and it's only real purpose is to let you relax and show gratitude for the people in your life that love and support you, you DO NOT need to spend it with people who don't do that. If spending time with your family leaves you feeling more depressed and alone, then make up an excuse and spend the day with yourself, your friends, or with your favorite TV show. If this holiday is about giving thanks for the things and people that make you happy and sustain you, then why spend it any other way?
So happy comfort food day, y'all. May it bring you the solace and support you need to make it through the rest of this year. We'll see you back here on Monday.
Jen Siomacco is the CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Catalyst Wedding Co. She works to mesh together her love of feminism, love stories, accessibility, equality, and design into the Catalyst brand. When she's not traveling the country working to make the wedding industry a more inclusive place, she's writing on her couch and snuggled up with her husband and SUPER lazy cats.


NMM is a specialist provider of; warehousing, mail fulfillment, local, national and international distribution and product development.
NMM has grown to become one of the industry's largest and most respected service providers, servicing the public and private sectors since 1993.
Having a reputation built on our ability to exceed our customers' expectations by consistently delivering high level results throughout the entire process.
We deliver all our specialised services in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
It doesn't matter if you are a large government department or a small business; all clients receive the same high quality service, competitive pricing, and value-for-money.


This listing has a vintage Hickok black leatherette – could be leather, not certain -- cigarette holder or case.
It measures 4 ¼" x 3 5/8" x ¼" and is perfect to put in a jacket pocket or carry in a purse. It kinda smooshes king size cigarettes (see photo) so perhaps it could be used for something else like lots of money???
This listing has 4 McCoy small, party size ashtrays! Measure 4" diameter, 4 ¾" long (at longest), and are marked McCoy, USA. Ashtrays are in excellent condition. Nice!
These unmarked McCoy ashtrays are such neat collector items! Ashtray measures 2 ¼" tall, 7 ¾" diameter, and is in excellent condition. Super!
This neat ashtray is the same golden yellow color of most Happy Face (Smile) items! There is one major difference – it has a frowning face!
I'm not certain if it's a "don't smoke" frown or a "put your ashes here" frown – either way, it's a most unusual piece of unmarked McCoy and a rare piece to add to a collection!
This is a cute item – it's a miniature lighter! Measures 1 ½" x 1" x ¼", is gold color, front has "LORTOGS", and it's in the original box. Neat!
This is not your everyday Shawnee item – it's a large pink ashtray! Measures 8 1/8" diameter, 1 ½" tall, and is marked on bottom: Shawnee, USA, 214. It's in excellent condition – has a teeny 1/16" glaze ding on rim – that's it!!
These are too pretty to use as ashtrays but that's what they are -- a set of 4 ashtrays by Davar Originals!
I don't believe they have ever been used because each one still has the original Davar foil paper label/sticker.
This listing has an unmarked McCoy cuspidor from the 1920s!
It is a pretty green color and measures 5 1/8" tall, 7 3/8" diameter. The design is a grape cluster and panels (panes).
This listing has a very nice McCoy cuspidor!
It's a light green (minty) color, has grape clusters with leaves and panels (panes) design on front and back.
Cuspidor measures 5 1/8" tall, 7 1/2" diameter. It is in excellent condition -- no chips, no cracks -- does have some crazing. It has some typical production McFlaws, interior glaze pops and some glaze runs/skips -- of no consequence!
MCCOY BOWLING "SPOOF" ASHTRAY! THIS ONE DEPICTS 3 GUYS SITTING IN A BAR -- LOCATED AT THE BOWLING ALLEY. ONE OF THEM SAYS "I AIN'T BOWLED IN YEARS, BUT MY WIFE DON'T KNOW IT!" NICE SIZE ASHTRAY, MEASURES 2 1/8" TALL, 7 3/4" DIAMETER. HAS NO CHIPS, CRACKS, OR CRAZING. DOES HAVE SOME COLOR WEAR ON THE LETTERING. THESE FUNNY ASHTRAYS BY MCCOY ARE DIFFICULT TO FIND AND ARE WONDERFUL COLLECTIBLES.
WHAT A COLLECTIBLE! DOUBLY COLLECTIBLE ITEM -- A RUBBER TIRE ASHTRAY AND A FIRESTONE ADVERTISING PIECE. THIS IS A LARGE TIRE, MEASURES 2 1/4" TALL, 6 1/2" DIAMETER. MARKED: FIRESTONE (AND TRADEMARK F INSIDE A SHIELD), GSR, GIANT STEEL RADIAL. THE CENTER OF TIRE HOLDS A CLEAR GLASS ASHTRAY THAT HAS A FIRESTONE DECAL APPLIED TO BOTTOM. HAS SOME FLAKING. NICE ITEM!
NEAT UNMARKED MCCOY ASHTRAY! IN THE PRETTY BROWN DRIP COLORS, ASHTRAY HAS A VERY PRETTY SHAPE (ALMOST HEART SHAPED). MEASURES 8" WIDE (AT CENTER), 7 1/2" LONG (AT LONGEST), AND 1 1/2" TALL. HAS NO EVIDENCE OF "USE". DRY RING HAS A COUPLE ROUGH SPOTS THAT I BELIEVE TO BE PRODUCTION -- ONE HAS GLAZE AND NEITHER SPOT IS DETRIMENTAL IN ANY WAY! NICE ITEM.
VERY NICE! THIS IS A CIGARETTE BOX FOR YOUR VANITY OR COFFEE TABLE. MEASURES 6 1/2" LONG, 4 1/8" WIDE, 2 1/2" TALL. THE HOLDER (BOX) PART IS 3" WIDE, 4" LONG, 1 11/16" TALL. IT IS CLEAR AND HAS AN ENCASED RED/ORANGE ROSE WITH GREEN LEAVES AT EACH END. WHEN I PURCHASED THIS ITEM, I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A WONDERFUL DESK ACCESSORY TO HOLD BUSINESS CARDS, MINTS, ETC OR A NICE VANITY ITEM TO HOLD JEWELRY ITEMS -- HAS LOTS OF POSSIBLE USES.
This listing has an exceptional and difficult to find Frankoma ashtray -- a really large ashtray!
It is in the pretty light brown color of satin brown and measures 10 1/2" wide, 10 1/2" long, and 1 3/4" tall.
Bottom is marked: Frankoma, 464.
Ashtray is in excellent condition -- no chips, no dings, no cracks, no crazing!


text:
\section{Introduction}
The Micro-X sounding rocket X-ray imaging spectrometer (Fig. \ref{MicroXrail}) was launched for the first time on the night of July 22\textsuperscript{nd}, 2018 from the White Sands Missile Range (New Mexico, USA). The aim was to demonstrate the use of Transition Edge Sensor (TES) microcalorimeters with Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID) readout using time-division multiplexing in space \cite{Wikus2010, Irwin2005}.  The science goal was to obtain a high resolution spectrum of the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant\footnote{The supernova remnant considered for this mission depends on the time of the year. The primary target (Puppis A) is not visible during the summer, so the secondary target was chosen for the first flight.}. Micro-X uses TES devices developed at NASA GSFC with intrinsic energy resolution of 4.5~eV over the energy range of interest (0.1~-~2.5~keV) \cite{Goldfinger2016}.

The Micro-X detector array is comprised of 128 individual TES detector/pixels, each with a 590~$\upmu$m x 590~$\upmu$m absorber organized in a 12 by 12 square grid at a 600~$\upmu$m pitch. The readout system determines the number of channels, so we instrument a circular pattern with an 11.8~arcmin total field of view, omitting the corner pixels \cite{Wikus2010}. The sensors and their support stems are suspended on a 1~$\upmu$m silicon nitride membrane \cite{Eckart2009}. The X-ray absorbers have 3.4 $\upmu$m of bismuth on top of 0.6 $\upmu$m of gold, designed to achieve high spectral resolution and near-unity quantum efficiency over the science bandpass while remaining mechanically robust. The molybdenum/gold bilayer TESs have a transition temperature of T$_{c}$=120~mK.

The detectors are cooled by an Adiabatic Demagnetization Refrigerator (ADR) to 75~mK with a hold time of 9 hours \cite{Goldfinger2016thermal}. A system of three vibration isolation stages with progressively higher resonance frequencies decouple the ADR salt pill and detector stage from launch vibrations \cite{Danowski2016}. These are comprised of mechanical isolation of the cryostat from the rocket skin by six wire rope isolators divided in two sets (top and bottom); decoupling of the helium tank inside the cryostat from the outer cryostat skin by a spring mount fixture; and isolation of the detector stage from the helium tank via kevlar suspension.

The detectors are read out with time-division multiplexing using a three-stage SQUID amplifier (designed by NIST in 2006) with 8 columns of 16 rows each \cite{Korte2003, Stiehl2010}. The readout consists of two independent sets of 4 columns each with a sampling frequency of 65~kHz per pixel, decimated to 21.7~kHz. To reduce the ambient magnetic field seen by the detector system, the SQUIDs and the TESs are placed in a superconducting niobium enclosure with openings for the X-ray photons, the thermal bus and readout wiring. To prevent trapped flux, a Metglas\textsuperscript{\textregistered}\com{not for today, but let's add a citation to the paper we used to make the Metglas Blanket} shield is wrapped around the rocket skin before the initial cooldown and removed prior to launch. The ADR magnet is equipped with a bucking coil to reduce its field near the detectors.

\begin{figure}
	\begin{center}
		\includegraphics[width=0.9\linewidth,keepaspectratio]{MicroXrail.pdf}
		\caption{\label{MicroXrail} Micro-X rocket in horizontal position on the rail at the White Sands Missile Range, July 2018. (Color figure online.)}
	\end{center}
\end{figure}

A two-stage conically approximated Wolter I mirror, previously flown on the SXS rocket payload, with a focal length of 2.1~m is used to focus the image on the detector plane \cite{Wikus2010,Aschenbach2009,Petre2010}. The mirror provides an effective area of 300~cm$^2$ at 1~keV, and a 2.4" point spread function.  In flight, the rocket pointing is maintained using a celestial Attitude Control System (ACS) constituted of a ST-5000 star tracker \cite{Percival2008} with bi-level cold gas thrusters.  Four mesh optical/infrared filters (28~mm in diameter, 250~$\AA$ Al, 500~$\AA$ polyimide) and two non-mesh filters (15~mm in diameter, 200~$\AA$ Al, 500~$\AA$ polyimide) are placed across the X-ray aperture to reduce radiative loading\footnote{The silicon mesh provides mechanical support to the aluminum and polyimide films for the filters with larger diameters.} \cite{SarahThesis}.  Inside the cryostat, a potassium chloride crystal illuminated by the 5.89~keV \textsuperscript{55}Mn K-$\alpha$ line from an \textsuperscript{55}Fe source is used to calibrate the detectors, both in flight and on the ground \cite{SarahThesis, DavidThesis, Lopez2012}. It produces four main X-ray emission line complexes: Cl K-$\alpha$ at 2.62~keV, Cl K-$\beta$ at 2.81~keV, K K-$\alpha$ at 3.31~keV and K K-$\beta$ at 3.58~keV, plus a small fraction of 5.89~keV backscattered X-rays. These lines are outside of the science band so they do not interfere with the supernova remnant science.

\section{Baseline Performance}
The performance of the instrument was evaluated by measuring the integrated Noise Equivalent Power (NEP)\footnote{The integrated NEP is calculated using the optimal filter algorithm used in the XCAL GSE software discussed below, using an integral of the pulse shape and noise spectra \cite{XCalGSE}.} of all detectors/pixels in the array both prior to and after integration with the rest of the rocket payload. Out of the 128 detectors, 117 were operational. In the pre-integration tests, the instrument achieved an integrated NEP of less than 10 eV on 107 detectors with some reduction in performance due to RF pickup \cite{Goldfinger2018}. However, once fully integrated for flight, this number dropped to 39 detectors with integrated NEPs less than 10 eV. The best detector after integration had an integrated NEP of 4.4 eV (Fig. \ref{nep_hist}).

\begin{figure}
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[height=5.2 cm, keepaspectratio]{nep_plot.pdf}
\caption{\label{nep_hist} Histogram of the integrated NEP of different pixels within the Micro-X array while in flight configuration during preflight testing.  These resolutions are measured from the integrated NEP, which compares the detector noise spectrum to the average pulse from K K-$\alpha$ photons.  The tail of this distribution out to high NEPs is primarily due to oscillatory telemetry signal in flight configuration, for which the susceptibility varies between pixels.}
\end{center}
\end{figure}

One of the major differences between the pre-integration and post-integration tests was that before integration we only operated one half of the array at a time, with flight electronics assembled on a lab rack. We call this the ``laboratory configuration''. During integration we had all the electronics in the rocket skin, and were operating the entire array at once. We call this the ``flight configuration''.  In order to maintain redundancy to failures during flight, the Micro-X detector readout is split in two halves, with each independent set of readout electronics operating on half of the array. During laboratory testing, only one side was operated at a time, while in the flight configuration, both sides were operated simultaneously.  Tests showed that the oscillators used to run digital clocks on each side of the readout, which were in close proximity to each other in the flight configuration, were beating with each other producing an oscillatory signal that impairs the performance of the array. Post-flight tests showed that this noise is removed by synchronizing the clocks to a single oscillator, using the laboratory telemetry simulator, which should result in future performance comparable to the laboratory configuration. We will be implementing this change for the next flight.

The energy resolution of the instrument was evaluated by collecting long data sets (to collect enough statistics) and fitting the calibration lines for each detector. Past measurements with the Micro-X array have shown a difference between the integrated NEP and the energy resolution at an X-ray emission line, measured as the Full-Width at Half Maximum (FWHM) of a gaussian convolved with natural spectral shape of the emission line \cite{Goldfinger2018}. In Fig. \ref{groundspec} we show a fit to the Cl K-$\alpha$ line taken post-flight while the payload was still in flight configuration demonstrating a 7.03 eV FWHM energy resolution from a pixel with an integrated NEP of 5.97 eV FWHM.

\begin{figure}
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[height=6.2 cm, keepaspectratio]{GroundSpectrum_Color.pdf}
\caption{\label{groundspec} Spectrum of the Cl K-$\alpha$ line from a single pixel in the Micro-X array, recorded during post-flight testing in the laboratory with the instrument still in the same configuration from flight.  The measured spectrum is indicated in red, with the best fit in sold blue and the inherent line shape in dashed blue.  This pixel was selected as having the best performance, so this represents the ideal energy resolution achieved by the first flight configuration of the Micro-X instrument. (Color figure online.)}
\end{center}
\end{figure}

\section{First Flight}
On the night of the July 22\textsuperscript{nd}, 2018, the Micro-X rocket payload was launched for the first time. The complete flight lasted for approximately 13 minutes. After ignition, both motors separated before the opening of the shutter door located at the aft end of the science instrument. The gate valve separating the X-ray optics from the cryostat environment was opened on a timer, at the altitude where the ambient pressure is compatible with the cryostat vacuum. This event marked the beginning of the science observation period. However, during the ascent an unexpected software reboot resulted in the loss of attitude reference and the subsequent failure of the attitude control system (ACS) to point to the desired target. This resulted in the payload slowly tumbling for the duration of the flight, with no time observing Cassiopeia A. After 320 seconds of data taking, the gate valve closed as the instrument descended into the atmosphere. A parachute located at the forward end of the payload opened after reentry, and landing occurred 780~s after ignition in the White Sands desert.

During flight, the instrument sent 42$\%$ of the science data to telemetry, which was successfully communicated to ground through an antenna system. The full 32 GB data stream was processed by the on-board electronics and was recovered after flight. All of the flight timers were successfully actuated. The rocket experienced a peak vibration load of 12.5 g during the ascent, but no temperature change was visible on the detector stage of the ADR during the launch.  The instrument launched with an ADR temperature of 300~mK. This temperature is a trade-off between increased entropy of the salt pill and therefore less susceptibility to heat loads from launch, and the time to cool down to the 75~mK operating temperature after rocket burnout for the science observation. The system achieved successful regulation 99~s after the start of temperature regulation with 7~$\upmu$K precision.  This temperature regulation error is a subdominant contribution to detector performance. However, the science observation began 51~s after the start of temperature regulation, so the temperature was still changing during the first 49~s of observation. We are optimizing our time-to-regulation parameters based on the first flight data to avoid this temperature drift for the next flight.

\begin{figure}
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[width=0.8\linewidth,keepaspectratio]{YD_pulses.pdf}
\caption{\label{flightpulses} X-ray pulses from the K-K$\alpha$ line measured during the science observation from different pixels in a multiplexing set.  An artificial offset is added for clarity, sorted by pulse height.  The oscillatory noise can be seen in the baseline of these pulses, where the level of pickup differs between detectors.}
\end{center}
\end{figure}

\begin{figure}
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[width=0.8\linewidth,keepaspectratio]{livetime_plot_revised.pdf}
\caption{\label{livetime} Histogram of the fractional livetime of different pixels within the Micro-X array during the portion of the flight with stable temperature used for analysis.  For the inactive pixels, the SQUID readout had lost lock due to a shift in the V/$\Phi$ response curve of the higher stage SQUIDs that is not actively corrected for changes in input.  The state of the detector is determined via the stability of the detector baseline using the algorithm discussed in Sec. \ref{sec:flight_perf}.}
\end{center}
\end{figure}

As expected due to the pointing failure, all X-rays observed during flight are consistent with coming from the on board calibration source with an average rate of $\sim0.7$ counts/pixel/s (Fig. \ref{flightpulses}).  This yields a K K-$\alpha$ rate of 0.23 +/- 0.06 counts/pixel/s. \com{Tali made this change:} No astronomical X-ray sources strong enough to accumulate a detectable number of counts passed through the FOV during the flight, so no counts from external sources were expected.

During the flight, many of the SQUID amplifiers lost the lock used to track the input signal, so their detectors could not be read out.  The amount of time that the SQUIDs were locked varied across the array (Fig. \ref{livetime}) but was similar among detectors that share the higher stage SQUIDs of their SQUID readout.  One possible explanation is the pick-up of ambient magnetic fields by the SQUID amplifiers.  The SQUIDs used in this flight are an older (2006) design that have poorer gradiometry than current designs and are sensitive to external magnetic fields \cite{Stiehl2011}.  Since the pointing failure led to tumbling, the ambient field direction from the magnetosphere with respect to the detector pointing axis changed during the flight, which is hypothesized to explain the loss and regain of lock.  This motion is not part of a nominal flight, so the magnetic shielding was designed under the assumption that the only time-varying fields would arise from the ADR magnet.  The openings in the niobium enclosure reduce the shielding factor for certain field vectors more than others, so the field would have aligned with the axis of poorer shielding as the rocket tumbled. The susceptibility is very hysteretic so while it is possible to reproduce the loss of lock with magnetic fields of similar amplitude in the lab, it cannot be precisely reproduced. The most significant effect is seen along the openings for the readout cables, so this might be improved through the addition of a high-permeability material at an outer stage of the cryostat for future flights without requiring that the cables be changed to accommodate this.

Another possibility notes that the detectors and SQUID readout are known to be susceptible to pickup of RF noise \cite{Goldfinger2018}.  Thus the rocket telemetry may have caused a problem once the instrument gate valve was opened to space during flight, as the cryostat is not a sealed RF cavity with the gate valve open.  The end result is that only a subset of detectors had a significant exposure during the observation portion of the flight, which limits the detectors available for analysis. For the second flight, a two-stage fully gradiometric SQUID system \cite{Reintsema2019} which is much less susceptible to magnetic pickup has been installed.

\section{Flight Performance}
\label{sec:flight_perf}
To generate a spectrum from the flight data we used the XCAL GSE software written for the Igor Pro environment \cite{XCalGSE}.  This allows the user to apply cuts to the data and apply an optimal filter.  It then calculates a gain calibration for the overall response, as well as a time-varying gain correction for instrument drift to generate a spectrum from the dataset.  Since there were no pulses from the astronomical source, the time stream is sparse enough that the pulses could be triggered individually with 39~ms window traces, with a small number of double pulses, defined as two pulses within the same record.  Had the target been visible, the count rate would have been high enough that an analysis of the full time stream would have been necessary to avoid pile-up.

To eliminate traces when the SQUID readout was unlocked, a cut was implemented based on the derivative of the baseline.  Any trace in which the derivative was precisely zero was unlocked because the output had railed and no data was being digitized.  Any trace with a baseline derivative greater than 1.6 A/s was also marked as unlocked.  The rapid change in output indicates that the controller was unable to establish a lock on the SQUID feedback.

For the analysis of the in-flight performance, we considered the time after the system achieved tight temperature control until the start of reentry for a net time of 317 seconds.  This excludes the first 39 seconds of the science observation when the detectors had yet to reach temperature stability and adds 36 additional seconds following the science observation when the cryogenic subsystems were still stable.  Without any time on target, the detector observed the same source after the gate valve had closed as was observed with the gate valve open.

In flight, there was a significant drift in the detector gain, to a level exceeding $2\%$ of the measured pulse height within the set of pixels with continuous readout.  This is significantly larger than the intrinsic energy resolution, so the quality of the drift correction has a significant impact on the best measurable energy resolution.  We have fit the gain's changes with time using a 4\textsuperscript{th}-order polynomial function that is unique for each pixel since there was no correlation between the time evolution of the gain of nearby pixels.  One challenge that was faced in this fit was the paucity of data, due to the short sounding rocket exposure and the low brightness of the internal calibration source during flight.  The brightness of the source was originally chosen to balance the desire for a high count rate for calibration with the need to minimize pile-up with the science data. The 2.75 half-lives elapsed since the acquisition of the calibration source led to a lower rate than would be ideal to do this calculation. A new calibration source has been acquired and will be used for the second flight.

\begin{figure}
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[height=6.2 cm, keepaspectratio]{FlightSpectrum_Color.pdf}
\caption{\label{flightspec} Coadded spectrum of the K K-$\alpha$ line from a collection of 6 pixels in the Micro-X array, recorded during the analysis period of the flight.  The measured spectrum is indicated in red, with the best fit in sold blue and the inherent line shape in dashed blue.  The pixels were selected for having comparably good performance among those detectors whose SQUID readout was controlled throughout the flight.  The measurement only observes the internal calibration source due to the ACS failure, which limits the number of events in the spectrum. (Color figure online.)}
\end{center}
\end{figure}

Of the eight columns of pixels, each read out by a single second stage SQUID and SQUID array, only one column maintained lock on all pixels for the entirety of the science observation, providing 14 out of the 19 pixels that maintained consistent readout.  Since each of these channels had fewer than 110 events from the brighter K K-$\alpha$ line, we coadded the spectra of several pixels from this column to give a combined energy resolution for the array.  To demonstrate the capability of this instrument in flight, we selected the 6 pixels whose individual energy resolution was measured at better than 15.0~eV, leading to a total of 568 events which have a FWHM energy resolution of 13.0~eV at 3.3~keV (Fig. \ref{flightspec})\footnote{Additional pixels with partial data do not add sufficient counts to help the fit when compared to the worse drift correction arising from the shorter observation.}.  The remaining operable pixels are omitted due to their greater susceptibility to the oscillating signal generated by the simultaneous operation of both halves of the array in flight configuration, which leads to worse detector performance (Fig. \ref{nep_hist}).  The degradation in the energy resolution from the NEP projections here is larger than is seen on the ground, however this is to be expected given the magnitude of the detector gain drift in time.  As there are many competing variables that will determine the state of the TES, it is difficult to ascribe the drift to a single mechanism, although it is possible that the unstable motion of the sounding rocket due to the ACS failure played a role.  The temperature stability on the detector plane suggests that thermal drift was not the cause.  Gain drift of this magnitude was not seen in testing on the ground, including in pre-flight sequence testing and vibration tests that replicate the conditions during flight.

\section{Conclusion}
Despite the rocket pointing error, the Micro-X first flight was an engineering success. It demonstrated the first operation of TES and SQUID multiplexing in space. The unexpected tumbling environment limited the detector resolution and readout, which demonstrated 13.0~eV resolution from six selected pixels as compared with 7.0~eV measured in the same configuration on the ground. Full data recording, recovery and real time data transmission were successful and the ADR was able to maintain the 75~mK base temperature through the end of the observation with the required stability.  Micro-X will fly again in a similar payload configuration in December 2019 to survey the Puppis A supernova remnant. For that flight, the enclosure for the electronics is being upgraded to improve the RF shielding. The MUX system has been replaced by a new SQUID readout featuring a two-stage design with higher order gradiometry for lower susceptibility to external fields. In order to reduce the oscillating noise visible when operating both sides of the science chain, the clocks are planned on being synchronized by a single oscillator. A new stronger calibration source has been installed. These modifications address some of the leading challenges from the first flight so that the instrument can achieve its optimal performance in future flights.

\begin{acknowledgements}
The Micro-X project is conducted under NASA grant 80NSSC18K1445. Part of this work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.
\end{acknowledgements}

\pagebreak

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


Feto Natural Tofu has a unique, salty taste reminiscent of feta or goat's cheese, so there's no need to season. Eaten raw with salad or slightly sizzled in a pan and thrown in a stir-fry it's a versatile little vegan wonder. Because it's fermented using traditional methods it makes an excellent and easily digested source of plant protein.
Tofu* (98%) (soya beans*, water, magnesium chloride, calcium sulphate), sea salt, vegan yogurt culture: Str. Thermophilus * = produced to organic standards. For allergens, including cereals containing gluten, see ingredients in bold.
Keep Refrigerated. Enjoy hot or cold. Heat with a little oil in pan, roast, BBQ.