text:
Thursday, 31 July 2008
The Amtrak Wars to resume?
Unfortunately, after the publication of the sixth volume in 1990, the author apparently abandoned the series. He published one more novel, a middling SF comedy called Star Waltz, in 1995 and nothing since then. Tilley later revealed that the series was supposed to be a twelve-book series divided into two natural stages: the setting-up of the Talisman Prophecy and its later fulfilment. Apparently he had started writing Book 7, Ghost Rider, and had been hoping to publish it before the end of the century but he lost faith in the project after being turned off writing violent stories by real-life events (specifically the Balkan wars).
Last year, The Amtrak Wars was optioned by an Australian development company to be turned into a series of feature films, although at Tilley's request the series was renamed The Talisman Prophecy. It's unclear if, as with some reprints of the original series, the Amtrak Federation will be renamed. The scriptwriter set up a Facebook group to reveal progress on the project. Apparently emboldened by this development, Tilley claims to have restarted work on the latter books, but has shortened them to a trilogy. Since he just turned 80 years old, he decided to hedge his bets and finish the series as succintly as possible.
Whilst these developments are encouraging, they may come to nothing in the end, but if this interesting and 'different' SF/fantasy crossbreed series can be brought to a more definitive conclusion it would certainly be worth taking a look. I remember reccing this series to friends with the tag-line, "Lord of the Rings with flamethrowers and samurai," and even my more cynical, older self has to admit that's still pretty cool.
The original series seems to be out of print, but I've rarely found a second-hand bookshop that didn't have at least a few of the volumes in stock (it was a huge seller back in the 1980s) and Amazon seems to have second-hand copies readily available. Intrigued by this news, I'll be re-reading the series in the near future and hoping it lives up to my fond memories of it.
The Amtrak Wars by Patrick Tilley
1: Cloud Warrior (1983)
2: First Family (1985)
3: Iron Master (1987)
4: Blood River (1988)
5: Death-Bringer (1989)
6: Earth-Thunder (1990)
Dark Visions: An Illustrated Guide to the Amtrak Wars (1988)
10 comments:
Maybe this will inspire David Gerrold to get off his ass and finish the "War against the Chtorr" series.
- 31 July 2008 at 21:48:00 GMT
- Adam Whitehead said...
And then Harlan Ellison can deliver The Last Dangerous Visions. And airborne bacon could become commonplace :-)
- 1 August 2008 at 00:31:00 GMT
Wert, would you recommend them even if he never finishes the series? It sounds like a lot of fun but I doubt I would be interested if there are an excruciating number of loose ends.
- 1 August 2008 at 03:02:00 GMT
- ThRiNiDiR said...
Great news Adam, I'm all into retro lately. I'm looking forward to your reviews.
- 1 August 2008 at 09:37:00 GMT
- Adam Whitehead said...
kmgrey: yes, I'd say so. My original thought was that the sequel series would pick up 20-odd years later after the first, so the 'immediate' storylines that begin in Book 1 are all resolved at the end of Book 6. The storyline is about a prophecy and the series as it stands sets up the prophecy and the sequel series would have resolved it, but the setting-up works well as a story by itself. I know other series which have finished for good which had less closure than The Amtrak Wars.
- 1 August 2008 at 14:12:00 GMT
Thanks Adam! Might need to look at picking this up second hand then. Sounds like a lot of fun. Also sounds like it's ripe for someone to put out in omnibus form...
- 1 August 2008 at 14:38:00 GMT
- RobB said...
Every few months, somebody drops into the SFFWorld forum asking about these books. I haven't seen any US editions anywhere, but I've been intrigued for some time.
- 4 August 2008 at 16:10:00 GMT
- mongoose said...
I've been having a hard time finding the books that aren't super expensive but i really want to read them.
they sound amazing story wise.
- 18 January 2009 at 02:27:00 GMT
- C Whitehorn said...
Late to the game on this post, but the ebooks are now available in the US, but just for books 1-3 so far.
Still no news on the rest of the series, or a possible film!
- 2 January 2013 at 20:40:00 GMT
- Dom said...
The Amtrak Wars are available on Amazon in kindle format. I just purchased all six of the books. I had read these books about 20 years ago and just found them again. Haven't been able to put them down. helped on my long commute to work and back on the train.
- 4 May 2014 at 02:13:00 GMT


text:
Male games for male gamers: A case study
By Lesley | July 23, 2011
Several of you have emailed me about this today, so here you go.
Some dudes are planning a LAN party in Austin, TX to coincide with the release of Battlefield 3. Pretty much every FPS gamer I know is super-psyched for this title, and honestly, the LAN party in question sounds pretty boss. Until you get to the section that originally said:
Are there other restrictions? Yes. Nothing ruins a good LAN party like uncomfortable guests or lots of tension, both of which can result from mixing immature, misogynistic male-gamers with female counterparts. Though we've done our best to avoid these situations in years past, we've certainly had our share of problems. As a result, we no longer allow women to attend this event.
Since it's been picked up by some blogs, the text has been changed to describe the event simply as a "gentleman's retreat", with a link to this site, in an effort to either elicit hilarity (that said men are trying to be better people by playing Battlefield 3 together) or to earnestly reframe the male-exclusive space as a positive thing. There is also some weird drama in which possibly-imaginary female attendees describe harassment at prior LAN parties put on by this group that may have never happened.
Ultimately, the question of whether women have been egregiously harassed at past events — although it would seem to be implied by the original wording — is irrelevant to this post. All I want to unpack here is the original language in the original pre-drama announcement quoted above, because I think it demonstrates a lot of what is wrong with games culture in an especially clear way.
The encoded, indirect message behind that text is this:
We don't want this to be difficult. We just want to play our games and not have to worry about forcing people to behave. We don't want to think critically about what kind of ground rules would need to be laid down, how we would make them clear, and how we would enforce them, because that seems like a lot of work without any worthwhile payoff. We don't want to be distracted by having to police our participants. We just want to play some motherfucking Battlefield 3, and have fun doing it. Because dealing with misogyny, racism, homophobia, or any kind of hate speech? It's just not fun. So in the interest of making this event fun for the men and safe for the women, we're just going to require that the women stay home.
The idea that it is somehow "safer" to make the event male-only is problematic in that it reinforces the assumption that men are feral fucking animals who are incapable of controlling their allegedly natural chromosomal need to be assholes. It presupposes that getting dudes to treat women and other non-dudebro people like human beings is, at best, a huge imposition, or at worst, an impossibility.
But even the most rancid douchebag takes his actions by choice — men can choose to be assholes, but being an asshole is not an inherent and unavoidable aspect of being male. Said men can also choose not to be assholes, and can choose to think about their shit-talking before they do it, and can choose to recognize that their words and actions contribute to a toxic game culture that explicitly excludes anyone unwilling to ally hirself with a particular white hetero male perspective.
When men choose NOT to behave like reasonable and thoughtful adults, it's because they just don't feel like it. And they can get away with that because men have the option (dare I say the privilege?) to refuse. Because they hold a disproportionate amount of cultural and social clout, especially in games culture.
A woman who engages in misogynist harassment while gaming is also being an asshole, though her assholery is not necessarily a function of privilege, but is rather a matter of internalized misogyny. In so doing, she is allying herself with those who assert that this is just how you talk when you play these games, and the fact that it comes from a woman does not make it any less misogynist. Men don't own misogyny, and misogyny is not the exclusive domain of men. Misogyny is everywhere. It is culturally ubiquitous, and we are all part and parcel of its poisonous ideology.
As a result, we must all take responsibility for combating it.
I can actually sympathize with the event organizers. I don't want to spend time and energy nearly every day being confronted with this shit, and I'm pretty bummed when I'm having a good time — playing a video game or doing anything else — and some shitstain comes along and feels entitled to wreck my fun with a specifically sexist or racist or homophobic comment. The difference is, I don't have a choice. There are no safe spaces for me. I am frequently dismissed for failing to be the mythological dick-worshipping brainless tart some men desire. I am attacked for refusing to see any value in the ability to say "FAGGOT" every thirty seconds without anybody harshing on your savage wit. I am harassed for daring to commit the crime of being a politcally outspoken nerd-lady fatass. And what can I do about that? I can stand up for myself when it happens and I can write on a damn blog about it, but I am ultimately a pebble trying to resist the rockslide.
So while I can sympathize, I can also say fuck you. Fuck you for being part of the problem.
These poor sad boys will still have their LAN party and do their dick-checks at the door, and many of them will be righteously angry that stupid thinky people with their stupid thinky thoughts had to make this into a complicated thing that takes the gloss off their excitement. But that anger will be misguided: the anger should be directed at the minority of men who choose to be unrepentant assholes and therefore make such policies sound like a good idea in the first place.
Why are you protecting the assholes among you, gentlemen? Why do you value their participation so much that it's worth creating a space so "dangerous" for women that they must be banned from the premises? What do the assholes bring to your experience that is so irreplaceable? Is the game better when you can throw around vicious descriptions of rape and sexual assault? Does winning feel more awesome when you can hammer your opponent with anti-gay slurs? Is your good time dependent on being able to use the word "nigger" without getting your face bashed in?
I'm not the target audience for this LAN party, nor would I be inclined to attend a similar event in my own city, even if it were a multiply-gendered space. That's just not my scene. But this isn't about women wanting to attend; it's about the fact that games culture is an environment in which building explicitly anti-female spaces is considered acceptable and even "safe" for women. Encouraging men to believe that they cannot control their every impulse — indeed, that they are SO dangerous that they need to be isolated from women lest they lose their composure and go on a mad raping spree — is about the least safe idea I can think of.
So way to go, Austin LAN boys: you've further contributed to the stereotype of men in general and male gamers in particular as hairy-palmed knuckle-dragging barbarians, all in the name of your good time. I hope you get exactly the kind of monsters attending that you imagine yourselves to be. Maybe then you'll realize that you don't create safety by dragging everyone down to their basest urges, but rather by raising the quality of your own behavior, and requiring the same level of decency from those with whom you associate.
57 Comments
well, all this gamer/gaming talk goes right over my non-gaming head, but dumbassery and antifeminism never passes me by unnoticed. "uncomfortable guests or lots of tension, both of which can result from mixing immature, misogynistic male-gamers with female counterparts. … As a result, we no longer allow women to attend this event."
Wouldn't it just be easier to remove "immature, misogynistic male-gamers" than to ban all women? This is a little like locking up all the non-criminals to protect them from the murderers and robbers out there. Or to keep our misogyny together, locking up all the women to make sure none of the rapists get them.
What eejits. Honestly. I'm a friend of nerds & gamer-types, really I am (not in actual fact, due to shortage of friends generally, but theoretically, some of my wholly-imaginary best friends are gamers*), but it's hard for me to defend them against accusations of immaturity and adolescent-boy attitudes toward life when shit like this comes down the line.
* used to denote Irony in using "some of my best friends are…"
I think that banning misogynic men is a lot harder than banning women. I mean, in order to filter out the trouble makers among the men, you would need to make complex decisions about their character and behavioural patterns, most of which would have to be based on past behaviour reconrd. There would be a much greater outcry among the gamers, because they would take this as a personal attack, an insult and claim your decision is subjective and unfair. How much easier is it to base the selection on the basis of sex? Especially if such enterprises are mainly male dominant events in the first place.
Also ladies, let us not forget the most important ISSUE here. Guys have a far greater feeling of togetherness and supporting members of their own sex. They will always protect each other when confronted with the opposite sex.
I have once read an article about it. Females dont ally themselves as strongly with other females, or are lenient towardsinappropriate behaviour, just because it comes from a member of the same sex. But men do!! I dont recall anymore the expanation behind this phenomena unfortunately….. but the basic idea was, that guys hold together, protect their interests as a group and even tolerate and excuse inaproppriate behaviour of their group members = males, when confronted with critisism. In other words, you may crisitise their behaviour all you want, it will only make them stick together more.
What would then be the right response to this ladies? It is simple, let us protect our rights and interests. Lets counteract inappropriate behaviour of males by sanctioning their behaviour in a civilised manner. Let us not get into idiotic arguments with them we cant win, let us keep our dignity and not sink to their level.
I've had people(guys) ask me why I don't do random matchups on L4D2 or various other games.
This is why.
I enjoy playing L4D2, I don't like the bots, but I don't like having to deal with constant misogyny more. Nothing ruins the game faster than constant cursing and namecalling when I'm trying to put down a horde of zombies. I've had some people suggest I play without a mic at all–honestly, when I play with friends, we communicate at ton–we plan out our strategies, and help one another whenever it's required–L4D2 is best when you play it as a team game, and are able to plan out stategies ahead of time.
I'll deal with the substandard bots before I put up with substandard people.
That said, if any one knows of any fat friendly or feminism friendly Steam groups for when I do play L4D2 and TF2, you would do me an immense favor by letting me know the name. I'm also on Minecraft(creative mostly, but I do enjoy spelunking).
TF2 player here! And minecrafter too! If you find this group, PLEASE let me know too. I'm Cy-V/Cy_V on steam.
Hey! I'm kritick on Steam and although I don't have a ton of time to play I would love to have an option of some cool fat and feminism friendly people to play with. I mostly play L4D2 and yes I'm still working my way through Borderlands. See above re:not much time.
TF2 players here, hoppin' on this here bandwagon if you all don't mind. I'm Dingo! on steam.
TF2 player and Minecrafter as well! Been kind of afraid to play against anything but bots in TF2 for pretty much the reasons everyone's mentioned. I'm Suckoofiss on Steam.
Thanks Lesley for the awesome post. I've posted it on reddit. I also want to point out that the original person that spurred on this controversy has apparently APOLOGIZED. That's right, apologized to the assholes in question. http://i.imgur.com/iUNEE.gif
@JonelB – if you're looking for a potentially pro-feminist group to play with, you might want to check out girlgamers.reddit.com
I have pm'ed the mods to join the girlgamers reddit group.
And this was on one of the posts:
Don't know if it is true or not, but it sounds plausible. Really obsessive gamer guys don't like it when people beat them fair and square, no matter the gender.
"But even the most rancid douchebag takes his actions by choice — men can choose to be assholes, but being an asshole is not an inherent and unavoidable aspect of being male. Said men can also choose not to be assholes, and can choose to think about their shit-talking before they do it"
Sub in "fat people" for "men" and various pejorative words and "eat" and you're dangerously close to the mentality which says that fat people can choose to lose weight if they try hard enough.
I think that people have far less control over their behavior than those who are offended or angry about it (for whatever reason) believe. In principle, I agree with you, but, in practice, I think that men who are jerks aren't making a choice to do so. They simply do not have the mental toolkit in place to exercise control or even lack awareness of the fact that they should think/behave differently.
Your analogy would work better if fat people were, in fact, engaging in uncontrolled behaviors.
The problem with the "you could lose weight if you wanted" mentality isn't that we (fat people in general) have less control over our behavior than those with the mentality believe, it's that it misrepresents what the behavior is.
People with BED (who should not be conflated with fat people; most fat folks don't have BED, and not all those who have BED are fat) are a different case, but eating disorders are generally considered to be mental illnesses. While it's possible for assholishness to result from (poorly-managed) mental illness, mental illness doesn't excuse people from the consequences of their illness-driven behavior.
Well said, you. And thanks-I've been reaching my boiling point over this-and similar issues-recently, and I appreciate you articulating and posting this. It's about time someone called for a little personal responsibility, it's becoming harder and harder to enjoy gaming with all this hostile, juvenile, ignorant crap going on. And it's everywhere. Grow up, sons. You really are giving men a bad name.
The whole male-centered culture around gaming is one of the main reasons why I'm not more into games. I've tended to stay away from most of the popular games as they are relentlessly male focused and male dominated.
I've just finished Mass Effect (I know, a bit late to the party), waiting impatiently to get my hands on Mass Effect 2. When my boyfriend gave it to me, I wasn't sure I would like it, but tried it anyway. It impressed me so much how the female protagonist and other female party members are handled, they are not overly sexualised, they look like the could actually run and shoot alien robot things in what they're wearing, I can't remember any sexist dialogue, the female characters are equally powerful etc.
Something that surprised me was how many men dismiss the Sims (2,3) as being a "girl's game", and yet in the Sims custom content and modding community there are a huge number of men who are extremely active and even run some of the sites. That is one place where it is extremely unlikely that you will see a gender based insult in the forums.
I think there are two different elements in play here. Before I separate them out though, I want to say I agree with you 100%.
I support women-only spaces. And so, I feel like I have to support the idea of men-only spaces as well. Sometimes these sorts of setups are good. So as a men-only space, I have no problem here. The issue is that this particular men-only space is being created for all the wrong reasons. You hit the nail on the head.
I support women-only spaces. And so, I feel like I have to support the idea of men-only spaces as well.
Whoops! Looks like you mixed up feelings with logic and got results to match!
Your line about dick-checks makes me curious as to how they are going to enforce their men-only policy.
My husband and I actually got into a disagreement about this. He doesn't agree with the LAN Party in question banning girls, but we disagree with each other on how it should be handled.
…If this LAN party was "No boys allowed" would anyone even think twice about it?
Wouldn't it just be better if men were able to have men's events without having to look for some flimsy justification beyond that?
This, this, this, this, THISFUCKINGTHIS!
Well said, Lesley.
@Kbryna: Having grown up right on the cusp of Take Back the Night, etc., I have actually – and with appalling frequency – heard versions of locking up women (at least behind their own doors) at night to 'protect' them from rape and other sexual assaults. Because rapists are never people you know and they never get into your house or apartment.
Oh, sorry. There I was dripping sarcasm all over the carpet again. I'll clean that right up.
twistie, you slay me: "Oh, sorry. There I was dripping sarcasm all over the carpet again. I'll clean that right up." haha!
great point, by the way, about rapists and the "protection" of women.
The reaction of "well, we just won't have women here" means there's assumption that ALL men are happy to hang out with misogynist assholes.
Meanwhile, I know men who have quit their jobs because they don't want to continue working with certain misogynist asshole coworkers.
Methinks these folks in Austin are limiting their market in more ways than they think.
Thank you.
An event like this is unsafe for white/straigh/cisgendered guys who want to be more than dudebros.
My husband is a wonderful human being. He is aware of and is investigating his privilege, and is genuinely interested in learning from his mistakes and being good to other people. He has his own issues, and he screws up sometimes, but he's trying.
But when he's in a group of a bunch of other guys, he feels tremendous pressure to conform. He fights that pressure when he can, but sometimes stays silent when he could speak out. And he hates himself when that happens.
He would feel *more* safe being himself in an environment where women were welcome, and misogyinist behavior was not.
I agree 100% with Lesley's take-down, but even if you imagine for a sec that the ladies don't matter, this kind of event isn't unproblematic for the dudes either.
Pixie's husband here, and if I could take a moment to relay my thoughts on this. It truly does disturb me that their solution to this is to simply ban women from an event. I don't see how gaming is any different than any other day to day activity that should require respect be given to the other party. Yelling at a female coworker for being female is not acceptable and I don't see how getting fragged by a lady is much different. That being said, allow me to play some devil's advocate (although I am in fact siding with the girls here.)
I'd be curious to know if the LAN providers in question are simply a group of guys getting together or a business throwing a party. I couldn't really find any information on this but the answer doesn't really change the argument that much. It seems from what I read, they have in the past tried to include women but because of guys running their mouths it became uncomfortable for all parties or possibly an altercation took place. Now as people go, they'll initially take the path of least resistance whether it's the moral choice or not. It looks like they had two options.
Police an entire room of about 100 guys or ban the girls that were interested in showing up.
They've obviously chosen the second option and while I don't agree with it, it is to them I imagine, the path of least resistance. Even if they ejected someone for being an ass, they have already done the damage by saying something that is hurtful. I imagine it is something difficult to just shake off and continue playing. Much less, what if that person refuses to leave. Now the police must be called to forcefully (sp?) eject that person.
When something is the size of, let's say "PAX" (Penny Arcade Expo) and throws a LAN, they have volunteer enforcers, previously laid down rules, and police backing to help everything run smoothly and everyone remain civil and comfortable. I see this as 100 guys out on the weekend. They simply don't have the resources to police this if they wanted to. It does not however, excuse the behavior of some attendees who have ruined it for the female gamers.
Past that and finally, I imagine that off handed comments are not the only thing that may have happened in the past. Some younger (and regretfully older) games simply don't have the social skills to be around woman and mind their manners. This could be anything from misogynistic comments, to inappropriate touching, to even stalking. While it's hard for me to play devil's advocate on something that I do disagree with, the choices for the promoters are probably "No girls" or "No LAN." While it is crap that they have made these rules and seem to be rewarding poor behavior, I have to ask, "Would you really want to go to an event that caters to this type of crowd?"
I am sorry if any of this may offend you as it was not my intent but to simply show that running the event may be more difficult than imagined. I've always tried to be respectful to girl gamers and in the end, married one who can regularly kick my ass at a number of games. It's never bothered me, but unfortunately some guys can't let go of their e-peen and just have some fun.
all of which are valid (douchie but valid) reasons to have a men only event. none of which are reasons to ban women from attending.
also, having been involved in a verbal altercation where someone said something really shitty… having the staff back me up, and tell the other person to leave actually did fix the issue for me. by the staff saying that a) i did not deserve to be called names and threatened with violence and b) that kind of shit did not fly here and c) that they believed me and that the person who said that was no longer welcome they enabled me to go one and have an amazing night of fun.
what hurts, what fails to help, what MAKES this kind of space unsafe is when the staff refuses to get involved unless theirs fire, flood or blood. would i go into a LAN party expecting everyone to sing songs, hold hands and hug it out? no. i like a little trash talk. "hey fat bitch i'm gonna rape you so hard your eyes bleed*" is not trash talk.
*not what was actually said to me, but close enough for illustrative purposes
Thing is a lot of the stuff that goes wrong when girls are involved in gaming isnt really regulatable. Thing is.. im tired of being treated like something that has to be pushed out of gaming all the time. I like gaming and I do tend to date guys who like the same things as me. But Im never part of the conversation about games. Yeah having girlz around does have the unfortunate guys who cant handle the female of the species problem. And the guys who have to keep showing off in front of girls. But.. why is that my fault? Yeah I can understand no slave leia costumes but..
Its just the feeling that other peoples problem is made into my problem because I dont have the purchasing or outrage opwer to make the difference.
I am such a sad former FPS fan. Basically, as soon as xbox Live came along, I stopped playing, after a glorious previous ten years of shooting anything and everything.
I think you can probably guess why.
I now also use the term dudebro so much that my husband can sense it coming and roll his eyes in advance.
Why are you protecting the assholes among you, gentlemen?
Indeed. Why not make a policy of unilaterally kicking out misogynists rather than barring women? Again…I think you can probably guess why.
(er, that tag was supposed to close after "gentlemen.")
First time reader of your blog… this article is perfectly timed for me. Having just started to speak up against homophobic and misogynistic language in the IRC chatroom for a game I play regularly, I find the general antagonistic response to my polite reminders not to be an asshole frustrating in the extreme!
I don't normally comment on blogs just to say things like "That was awesome," something that I tell you now so that you know how strongly I need to feel about a post before telling you: That was awesome. Right On. x1000. This post needs to be read far and wide…
I'm very much a lurker on this blog, normally, although I absolutely love the content. But I just had to pop out of the woodwork to <3 this post so damn hard. Preach it.
Keep on having an amazing blog here! 😀 *ninjas back into the woodwork*
When my dad was in college, his small midwestern liberal arts school had a curfew for women. (Something like 9 p.m. on weekdays and 10 p.m. on weekends. Yeah.) There was no curfew whatsoever for men. When I heard about this, years later, I told him that's not fair– there should be a curfew for everyone, or for no one. And he said, "The administration decided that if the girls [sic] had a curfew, nobody had to worry about where the male students were."
That's what I think of every time someone tries to "solve" misogyny and sexual violence by constraining women's movements, rather than by expecting greater decency from men. It was shitty logic in the 1960s, and it's no less shitty now. (Also, though I would have opted for no curfew rather than the same curfew for everyone, assuming that all the trouble the male students could get up to involved "girls"? Was dangerously unimaginative on the part of the administration, IMO.)
I was on my ass when i discovered that guys i knew found it normal to reply to women "Tits or get the fuck off" on forums ! O_o
The guys have a right to set whatever limits on attendance they like; that's the prerogative of organising a private function. But it's the reasoning that beggars belief. This strikes me as similar non-logic to a conservative political party advertising a planned meeting with, "Some of our members can tend to have racist attitudes, which can be upsetting for black party members. Therefore, we are making this a whites-only event."
"Let's fight what we acknowledge is ignorant and offensive behaviour with…condonation(condonement?)! Enshrinement, even! And segregation from all those awkward, party-pooping people who would challenge it."
I mean, they actually use the word 'misogynistic', for crying out loud, so it's not like they don't clearly understand where the fault lies.
Apologism at its most blatant.
This post is excellent, thank you for writing it.
What I heard when I first read their excuses is: 'I think it's fun to play games with men who make misogynistic comments, and I want to participate in that with them. I do not want women around to spoil the fun by showing they are uncomfortable'.
I truly believe that if the organisers disliked misogyny, they would not consider it fun at all to host an event specifically for 'immature, misogynistic male-gamers'. I don't believe they excluded women because they felt it would be too difficult to enforce a no-misogyny rule; I think that's a disingenuous excuse on their behalf. I honestly believe that the reason the organisers have excluded women is because they, the organisers, feel comfortable in these misogynistic, all male environments, and want to preserve that environment.
Misogyny doesn't ruin the fun any less when women are not there; my male friends who hate misogyny feel just as uncomfortable in all male misogynistic environments as they do in mixed-sex ones, and it ruins their fun just the same. I cannot under any circumstances imagine a man thinking 'I hate misogyny and think it's really immature; therefore I will host an event that caters specifically for immature, misogynistic males.' No. Does not happen.
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I went to Carnegie Tech in Pittsburgh from Sep 1962 to Apr 1966. I'm including the dates to give readers the time period; colleges may be different now. I recall single women attending the school had a curfew, and men didn't. I expect this curfew was established to reassure parents, the people paying the bills, that their daughters wouldn't be staying out all night. As sexual activity would be the primary reason for being out of the female dorm past curfew, the curfew would prevent it. I've no idea what the penalties for breaking curfew were, and I don't recall ever hearing of a female student breaking curfew.
It never occurred to me the curfew was unfair, and, other than explaining what the curfew hours were, I don't recall the curfew ever discussed. I only had a few dates with girls living in their dorm, and getting back before curfew was never a problem.
If men are creating the problem, they should be the ones who are banned. Women-only spaces should be the only gender separatist events allowed.
It's just like when people blame women for going outside, living life, etc., prescribing that they lock themselves in or else they are at fault for men raping them. The onus is on the gender doing the raping, not the people being targeted. If we are going to restrict anyone, it has to be the men.
Why should "Women-only spaces be the only gender separatist events allowed"? If it's OK for women to have women-only events, why should men be unable to have men-only events?
My wife and I share a lot of interests, but I have little interest in my wife's sports car activities and she has no interest in mathematics (although many women do) or war gaming (I've heard of women with that interest, but I've never met one). I've been to a few national war game conventions. I never thought female attendance was prohibited, but I never saw a woman at one.
you are missing the point here
Harry, I hope this post has given you some insight as to why women might avoid these kind of events. There are numerous posts around the blogsphere by women who have been harassed or made to feel unwelcome by misogynistic game players, in situations where women aren't outright banned.
I'm curious to know why you haven't met any female war gamers. It could be because the games you play aren't set up for interacting with strangers; or it could be that the women who are playing are not 'out' as women on your server. Personally, I know around a dozen people who play wargames, and eight of them are women. Out of those eight, several use male avatars and do not disclose their true gender in the game because they do not like the gender-based harassment which occurs when they do. it's quite possible that you are in fact playing with women, but aren't aware of this because for some reason they have not disclosed their gender to you.
As for single-gender events, the reason for the gender segregation is significant. There is a big difference between one group excluding another so that they can denigrate that other group without consequence, and one group excluding another so that they do not have to experience being denigrated by the other group.
"There is a big difference between one group excluding another so that they can denigrate that other group without consequence, and one group excluding another so that they do not have to experience being denigrated by the other group."
They could have set the rules to be inclusive. For example "No Prudes! Complaints of foul language, boorish behavior, sexism, ableism, racism, or any ism is a bannable offence".
As a male gamer, I couldn't disagree more with this article… It's the guys who behave disappropriate that should be banned from the event. I've played counterstrike lan's with girls and they do just as good as everyone. I can understand that they (the organisation) find shooters 'non-fitting' for girls or whatever, but I have just as much male friends who don't like the straightforward shooter games. This is really a sad restriction and does not help gender emancipation in gaming whatsoever. Simply remove the ennoying persons (not the reason why they are being annoying).
Edit: I'm not disagreeing with the article ofcourse, but with those guys who are setting those dumb rules.
I've been involved in organizing a long-running game convention (mostly RPGs, CCGs, Miniatures and LARPS, though video games have started to creep in the last few years) for the last 8 years. As a female gamer, I've had to deal with a variety of attitudes from the guys I met/played with/directed. Most have been reasonable people, with one or two glaring exceptions.
This may be an effect of playing games face to face rather than anonymously over the internet. I'm primarily a Minis war gamer myself (*waves at Harry*) and while I've had some guys act uncomfortable with having me there, it was mostly in an adorable gawky way. Having to look people in the eye may be part of why this group's mixed event LANs have been "uncomfortable" in the past. How often would any of these guys insult a female in public? Generally, it's rarer than not, so having to "mind their manners" makes the day at the club house not so fun. Women haven't been involved in gaming much for so long, it seems most guys feel like a gaming event is a meeting of the He-man Woman Haters Club.
"Why aren't there more girls [sic] in gaming?" is a question I have debated so many times. Usually, the guys (it's invariably guys asking this) who take the time to respond are impossible to convince that it's largely a result of some of their peers' behavior. Who wants to hang out with people who're going to curse at you and threaten you with gross physical harm simply for being yourself?
I love video games alot. Im a casual gamer but I do activily play. I started only a few years ago and have seen some improvements in the game industry. Not necessarily from the players themselves, but the developers.
I only play games that aren't gender locked and stats aren't determined by the gender, like Fable or Runes of Magic. For me, when I play a roleplaying game, I want an avatar that i can relate to or can represent me. It helps me get drawn in to the story. The fact that I have a nice pool of quality game titles to choose from that allows that option I think is a major step up. Also that many major video game developers seem to produce mainly these type of games (like Bioware and Bethesda) also makes me think its headed in the right direction.
I hate seeing things like this though, not the male only thing, but the reason behind it. Truely it feels like a step back from the improvements some of the developers are trying to make.
Hi Lesley – I just started reading your blog after reading your articles on xoJane, which totally rock, btw.
The worst thing is that this is just a case study – its one case among so many. If it were just a few men who wanted to do something "boys only", then whatever. It annoys me to have my husband sitting in on my girly stuff and making snarky comments too. The problem is that it seems to always be the women who have to be restricted in their behavior/rights in order to protect them from men who supposedly can't control themselves. It's the justification behind chastity belts and curfews and burqas. Of course men could control themselves if society required them to. Men aren't required to control themselves because men are the ones with the power and they don't want to have to control themselves. It's much easier (and more fun for the men) to make the women control themselves – either with actual laws or with shame. This puts me in mind of the "How to Prevent Rape" list that begins, "If a woman is drunk, don't rape her". If you don't want women to be endangered, don't endanger them. That's all there is to it.
Is it completely odd that I think a mass of woman gamers should 'suddenly identify as male' for that convention?
You may also enjoy this comic on playing online games as an adult:
Just a general comment that I thought some readers might find useful: I find that when I play free or pay-to-play MMOs there are a much wider range of guilds to sign up with and play with (and leave and find another if you don't like them) than these XBOX live random matches with almost always include one or more assholes. I am talking WoW, Guild Wars and Final Fantasy XI Online (and totally free ones like Spiral Knights on Steam). These guilds I have joined have a general "Be Nice" policy where there are often children members as well to think of, and even my own use of general swear words had to be toned down. But there were still common areas around merchants in towns where you heard assholes and had to ban them to stop the flow of stupid. XBOX live is harder to manage since most of the online play is through generally anonymous randomized match-ups, rather than a group of like minded individuals. Whaddya think about this?
And specifically related to the post at hand, the wording of the original announcement was the killer–it could have easily been like "Only Bros Allowed" or something. Rather than the whole "Come, play with us and enjoy whatever offensive humor and slurs you like without fear of reproach."

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Throughout a person's life they might experience some incredible highs in their relationship with Christ. They might receive answers to prayers and/or a bounty of unexpected blessings. A person might also at times find themselves very unsure and seemingly lost in a dark wilderness. But what about on a daily basis? A person may look in the mirror in the morning after spending a wonderful morning alone in prayer with the Heavenly Father only to look in that same mirror in the evening and realize they had avoided seeking God, praising God and sharing His love.
What does the Scripture say about this? Are there any biblical characters who struggle with this?


text:
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN River Falls
Wisconsin Standards for Teacher Development and Licensure
In this column, indicate the nature of the performance assessments used in this course to evaluate student proficiency in each standard.
1.Teachers know the subjects they are teaching.
The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the disciplines she or he teaches and can create learning experiences that make these aspects of subject matter meaningful for pupils.
See Appendix C, Wisconsin Content Standards, for specific information regarding the content standards met in this course and the performance assessments used to evaluate them.
Students understanding of the central math concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of mathematics are assessed through labs, homework, projects, and tests.
2.Teachers know how children grow.
The teacher understands how children with broad ranges of ability learn and provides instruction that supports their intellectual, social, and personal development.
3.Teachers understand that children learn differently.
The teacher understands how pupils differ in their approaches to learning and the barriers that impede learning and can adapt instruction to meet the diverse needs of pupils, including those with disabilities and exceptionalities.
4.Teachers know how to teach.
The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies, including the use of technology, to encourage children's development of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills.
Students learning of the use of technology in the teaching of mathematics are assessed through a technology-based project.
5.Teachers know how to manage a classroom.
The teacher uses an understanding of individual and group motivation and behavior to create a learning environment that encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation.
6.Teachers communicate well.
The teacher uses effective verbal and nonverbal communication techniques as well as instructional media and technology to foster active inquiry, collaboration, and supportive interaction in the classroom.
Students communication of mathematics is assessed through discussion, presentations, homework, labs, projects, and exams.
7.Teachers are able to plan different kinds of lessons.
The teacher organizes and plans systematic instruction based upon knowledge of subject matter, pupils, the community, and curriculum goals.
8.Teachers know how to test for student progress.
The teacher understands and uses formal and informal assessment strategies to evaluate and ensure the continuous intellectual, social, and physical development of the pupil.
9.Teachers are able to evaluate themselves.
The teacher is a reflective practitioner who continually evaluates the effects of his or her choices and actions on pupils, parents, professionals in the learning community and others and who actively seeks out opportunities to grow professionally.
10.Teachers are connected with other teachers and the community.
The teacher fosters relationships with school colleagues, parents, and agencies in the larger community to support pupil learning and well-being and acts with integrity, fairness and in an ethical manner.


text:
How can we help you?
We matched that to:
How do I register a bill payment?
How to add make a bill payment to a Canadian company:
- Log in to EasyWeb using your Username or Access Card number and your password.
- Select Payments from the top navigation menu.
- Select Pay Canadian Bills from the left menu.
- If you have not yet added any Payees (companies who's bills you want to pay), you can start by selecting the Add payee button. If you already have other Payees listed, you also select Add payee to add a new company to your list.
- On the Add Canadian Payee pages, just follow the steps and complete your payee information.
Thank you.
Please note that the answers to the questions are for information purposes only for the products discussed. Individual circumstances may vary. In case of discrepancy, the documentation prevails.


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text:
1500 More Reasons to Hate OctoMom
This is getting out of hand -- OctoMom just blew another $1500 on clothes ... for herself.
We're told Nadya Suleman went on a major shopping spree yesterday at Bebe Sport -- which isn't a baby brand, it's a pricey adult one!
Sources tell us she picked up things ranging from t-shirts to tank tops, a sexy fit metallic cami, woven cargo dress, crystal heart sweatsuits (two colors) and sports bras.
What's worse -- sources say when Nadya was asked for her ID during a separate shopping spree at Bebe last Friday, a blonde woman with her said "Oh come on, don't you know who she is?"
See Also
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USPS, wishes to update designated operators of UPU member countries on the status of its operations in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, which struck South Florida on the morning of Sunday, 10 September 2017.
The office of exchange located in the Miami area has partially reopened and is operating in a degraded mode. Electrical power has not been fully restored, and processing operations are impacted. Mail that arrives at Miami Airport for processing at the OE may be delayed at the ramp or freight houses until the International Service Centre is fully functional, which is likely to be within the next day or two. Processing and delivery in the south-eastern United States surrounding Miami is impacted by the effects of the storm.
USPS will provide additional updates when available.
USPS thanks all designated operators for their understanding; it will update designated operators via EmIS once the situation has returned to normal.


text:
Fluorodeoxyglucose (18F)
|IUPAC name
3D model (JSmol)
PubChem CID
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)
|Molar mass
|181.1495 g mol−1
|Melting point
|170 to 176[1] °C (338 to 349 °F; 443 to 449 K)
|110 min (at 70%)
16 min (at 20%)
|20% Radioactivity renally excreted in two hours
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
|verify (what is ?)
|Infobox references
Fluorodeoxyglucose (18F) (INN), or fluorodeoxyglucose F 18 (USAN and USP), also commonly called fluorodeoxyglucose and abbreviated [18F]FDG, 18F-FDG or FDG, is a radiopharmaceutical used in the medical imaging modality positron emission tomography (PET). Chemically, it is 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose, a glucose analog, with the positron-emitting radionuclide fluorine-18 substituted for the normal hydroxyl group at the C-2 position in the glucose molecule.
The uptake of 18F-FDG by tissues is a marker for the tissue uptake of glucose, which in turn is closely correlated with certain types of tissue metabolism. After 18F-FDG is injected into a patient, a PET scanner can form two-dimensional or three-dimensional images of the distribution of 18F-FDG within the body.
Since its development in 1976, 18F-FDG had a profound influence on research in the neurosciences.[2] The subsequent discovery in 1980 that 18F-FDG accumulates in tumors underpins the evolution of PET as a major clinical tool in cancer diagnosis.[3] 18F-FDG is now the standard radiotracer used for PET neuroimaging and cancer patient management.[4]
The images can be assessed by a nuclear medicine physician or radiologist to provide diagnoses of various medical conditions.
In 1968, Dr. Josef Pacák, Zdeněk Točík and Miloslav Černý at the Department of Organic Chemistry, Charles University, Czechoslovakia were the first to describe the synthesis of FDG.[5] Later, in the 1970s, Tatsuo Ido and Al Wolf at the Brookhaven National Laboratory were the first to describe the synthesis of FDG labeled with 18F.[6] The compound was first administered to two normal human volunteers by Abass Alavi in August, 1976 at the University of Pennsylvania. Brain images obtained with an ordinary (non-PET) nuclear scanner demonstrated the concentration of 18F-FDG in that organ (see history reference below).
Beginning in August 1990, and continuing throughout 1991, a shortage of oxygen-18, a raw material for FDG, made it necessary to ration isotope supplies. Israel's oxygen-18 facility had shut down due to the Gulf War, and the U.S. government had shut down its Isotopes of Carbon, Oxygen and Nitrogen facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory, leaving Isotec as the main supplier.[7]
[18F]FDG was first synthesized via electrophilic fluorination with [18F]F2.[6] Subsequently, a "nucleophilic synthesis" was devised with the same radioisotope.
As with all radioactive 18F-labeled radioligands, the 18F must be made initially as the fluoride anion in a cyclotron. Synthesis of complete [18F]FDG radioactive tracer begins with synthesis of the unattached fluoride radiotracer, since cyclotron bombardment destroys organic molecules of the type usually used for ligands, and in particular, would destroy glucose.
Cyclotron production of 18F may be accomplished by bombardment of neon-20 with deuterons, but usually is done by proton bombardment of 18O-enriched water, causing a (p,n) reaction (sometimes called a "knockout reaction" – a common type of nuclear reaction with high probability where an incoming proton "knocks out" a neutron) in the 18O. This produces "carrier-free" dissolved [18F]fluoride ([18F]F−) ions in the water. The 109.8-minute half-life of 18F makes rapid and automated chemistry necessary after this point.
Anhydrous fluoride salts, which are easier to handle than fluorine gas, can be produced in a cyclotron.[8] To achieve this chemistry, the [18F]F− is separated from the aqueous solvent by trapping it on an ion-exchange column, and eluted with an acetonitrile solution of 2,2,2-cryptand and potassium carbonate. Evaporation of the eluate gives [(crypt-222)K]+ [18F]F− (2) .
The fluoride anion is nucleophilic but its anhydrous conditions are required to avoid competing reactions involving hydroxide, which is also a good nucleophile. The use of the cryptand to sequester the potassium ions avoids ion-pairing between free potassium and fluoride ions, rendering the fluoride anion more reactive.
Intermediate 2 is treated with the protected mannose triflate (1); the fluoride anion displaces the triflate leaving group in an SN2 reaction, giving the protected fluorinated deoxyglucose (3). Base hydrolysis removes the acetyl protecting groups, giving the desired product (4) after removing the cryptand via ion-exchange:[9][10]
Mechanism of action, metabolic end-products, and metabolic rate[edit]
[18F]FDG, as a glucose analog, is taken up by high-glucose-using cells such as brain, brown adipocytes, kidney, and cancer cells, where phosphorylation prevents the glucose from being released again from the cell, once it has been absorbed. The 2-hydroxyl group (–OH) in normal glucose is needed for further glycolysis (metabolism of glucose by splitting it), but [18F]FDG is missing this 2-hydroxyl. Thus, in common with its sister molecule 2-deoxy-D-glucose, FDG cannot be further metabolized in cells. The [18F]FDG-6-phosphate formed when [18F]FDG enters the cell thus cannot move out of the cell before radioactive decay. As a result, the distribution of [18F]FDG is a good reflection of the distribution of glucose uptake and phosphorylation by cells in the body.
After [18F]FDG decays radioactively, however, its 2-fluorine is converted to 18O−, and after picking up a proton H+ from a hydronium ion in its aqueous environment, the molecule becomes glucose-6-phosphate labeled with harmless nonradioactive "heavy oxygen" in the hydroxyl at the C-2 position. The new presence of a 2-hydroxyl now allows it to be metabolized normally in the same way as ordinary glucose, producing non-radioactive end-products.
Although in theory all [18F]FDG is metabolized as above with a radioactivity elimination half-life of 110 minutes (the same as that of fluorine-18), clinical studies have shown that the radioactivity of [18F]FDG partitions into two major fractions. About 75% of the fluorine-18 activity remains in tissues and is eliminated with a half-life of 110 minutes, presumably by decaying in place to O-18 to form [18O]O-glucose-6-phosphate, which is non-radioactive (this molecule can soon be metabolized to carbon dioxide and water, after nuclear transmutation of the fluorine to oxygen ceases to prevent metabolism). Another fraction of [18F]FDG, representing about 20% of the total fluorine-18 activity of an injection, is eliminated renally by two hours after a dose of [18F]FDG, with a rapid half-life of about 16 minutes (this portion makes the renal-collecting system and bladder prominent in a normal PET scan). This short biological half-life indicates that this 20% portion of the total fluorine-18 tracer activity is eliminated pharmacokinetically (through the renal system) much more quickly than the isotope itself can decay. The rapidity also suggests that some of this 18F is no longer attached to glucose, since low concentrations of glucose in the blood are retained by the normal kidney and not passed into the urine. Because of this rapidly excreted urine 18F, the urine of a patient undergoing a PET scan may therefore be especially radioactive for several hours after administration of the isotope.[11]
All radioactivity of [18F]FDG, both the 20% which is rapidly excreted in the first several hours of urine which is made after the exam, and the 80% which remains in the patient, decays with a half-life of 110 minutes (just under two hours). Thus, within 24 hours (13 half-lives after the injection), the radioactivity in the patient and in any initially voided urine which may have contaminated bedding or objects after the PET exam will have decayed to 2−13 = 1/8192 of the initial radioactivity of the dose. In practice, patients who have been injected with [18F]FDG are told to avoid the close vicinity of especially radiation-sensitive persons, such as infants, children and pregnant women, for at least 12 hours (7 half-lives, or decay to 1⁄128 the initial radioactive dose).
The labeled 18F-FDG compound has a relatively short shelf life which is dominated by the physical decay of 18F with a half-life of 109.8 minutes, or slightly less than two hours. Still, this half life is sufficiently long to allow shipping the compound to remote PET scanning facilities, in contrast to other medical radioisotopes like 11C. Due to transport regulations for radioactive compounds, delivery is normally done by specially licensed road transport, but means of transport may also include dedicated small commercial jet services. Transport by air allows to expand the distribution area around a 18F-FDG production site to deliver the compound to PET scanning centres even hundreds of miles away.
Recently, on-site cyclotrons with integral shielding and portable chemistry stations for making 18F-FDG have accompanied PET scanners to remote hospitals. This technology holds some promise in the future, for replacing some of the scramble to transport 18F-FDG from site of manufacture to site of use.[12]
Alliance Medical and Siemens Healthcare are[when?] the only producers in the United Kingdom.[citation needed] A dose of FDG in England costs[when?] about £130. In Northern Ireland, where there is a single supplier, doses cost up to £450.[13] IBA Molecular North America and Zevacor Molecular, both of which are owned by Illinois Health and Science (IBAM having been purchased as of 1 August 2015), Siemens' PETNET Solutions (a subsidiary of Siemens Healthcare), and Cardinal Health[14] are producers in the U.S.[15][16][17][18]
In PET imaging, 18F-FDG can be used for the assessment of glucose metabolism in the heart, lungs,[19] and the brain. It is also used for imaging tumors in oncology, where a static 18F-FDG PET scan is performed and the tumor 18F-FDG uptake is analyzed in terms of Standardized Uptake Value (SUV). 18F-FDG is taken up by cells, phosphorylated by hexokinase (whose mitochondrial form is greatly elevated in rapidly growing malignant tumours),[20] and retained by tissues with high metabolic activity, such as most types of malignant tumours. As a result, FDG-PET can be used for diagnosis, staging, and monitoring treatment of cancers, particularly in Hodgkin's disease, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, melanoma, and lung cancer. It has also been approved for use in diagnosing Alzheimer's disease.
In body-scanning applications in searching for tumor or metastatic disease, a dose of 18F-FDG in solution (typically 5 to 10 millicuries or 200 to 400 MBq) is typically injected rapidly into a saline drip running into a vein, in a patient who has been fasting for at least six hours, and who has a suitably low blood sugar. (This is a problem for some diabetics; usually PET scanning centers will not administer the isotope to patients with blood glucose levels over about 180 mg/dL = 10 mmol/L, and such patients must be rescheduled). The patient must then wait about an hour for the sugar to distribute and be taken up into organs which use glucose – a time during which physical activity must be kept to a minimum, in order to minimize uptake of the radioactive sugar into muscles (this causes unwanted artifacts in the scan, interfering with reading especially when the organs of interest are inside the body vs. inside the skull). Then, the patient is placed in the PET scanner for a series of one or more scans which may take from 20 minutes to as long as an hour (often, only about one-quarter of the body length may be imaged at a time).
See also[edit]
- ^ Pacák J, Točík Z, Černý M (1969). "Synthesis of 2-Deoxy-2-fluoro-D-glucose". Journal of the Chemical Society D: Chemical Communications. 1969 (2): 77. doi:10.1039/C29690000077.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
- ^ Newberg A, Alavi A, Reivich M (2002). "Determination of regional cerebral function with FDG-PET imaging in neuropsychiatric disorders". Semin Nucl Med. 32 (1): 13–14. doi:10.1053/snuc.2002.29276. PMID 11839066.
- ^ Som P, Atkins HL, Bandoypadhyay D, Fowler JS, MacGregor RR, Matsui K, Oster ZH, Sacker DF, Shiue CY, Turner H, Wan CN, Wolf AP, Zabinski SV (1980). "A fluorinated glucose analog, 2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (F-18): Nontoxic tracer for rapid tumor detection". J Nucl Med. 21 (7): 670–675. PMID 7391842.
- ^ Kelloff GJ, Hoffman JM, Johnson B, Scher HI, Siegel BA, Cheng EY, Cheson BD, O'shaughnessy J, Guyton KZ, Mankoff DA, Shankar L, Larson SM, Sigman CC, Schilsky RL, Sullivan DC (2005). "Progress and promise of FDG-PET imaging for cancer patient management and oncologic drug development". Clin. Cancer Res. 11 (8): 2785–2808. doi:10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-04-2626. PMID 15837727.
- ^ Pacák J, Točík Z, Černý M (1969). "Synthesis of 2-Deoxy-2-fluoro-D-glucose". Journal of the Chemical Society D: Chemical Communications (2): 77. doi:10.1039/C29690000077.
- ^ a b Ido T, Wan CN, Casella V, Fowler JS, Wolf AP, Reivich M, Kuhl DE (1978). "Labeled 2-deoxy-D-glucose analogs: 18F-labeled 2-deoxy-2-fluoro-D-glucose, 2-deoxy-2-fluoro-D-mannose and 14C-2-deoxy-2-fluoro-D-glucose". J Labeled Compounds Radiopharm. 24 (2): 174–183. doi:10.1002/jlcr.2580140204.
- ^ "Shortage of FDG raw material threatens expanded use of PET". DiagnosticImaging. 21 October 1992.
- ^ Janet Miller, Radiopharmaceutical development at the Massachusetts General hospital (PDF), archived from the original (PDF) on 11 February 2015, retrieved 12 June 2013
- ^ Fowler JS, Ido T (2002). "Initial and subsequent approach for the synthesis of 18FDG". Semin Nucl Med. 32 (1): 6–12. doi:10.1053/snuc.2002.29270. PMID 11839070.
- ^ Yu, S (2006). "Review of 18F-FDG synthesis and quality control". Biomedical Imaging and Intervention Journal. 2 (4): e57. doi:10.2349/biij.2.4.e57. PMC 3097819. PMID 21614337.
- ^ "Fludeoxyglucose drug information". Retrieved 30 June 2009.
- ^ Lisa Fratt (2003). "Radiation Testing and PET Minding the Radiopharmaceutical Store". Medical Imaging. Archived from the original on 20 November 2008.
- ^ "'Monopoly' fears over £350m scans contract". Local Government Chronicle. 12 February 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- ^ http://www.cardinalhealth.com/en/product-solutions/pharmaceutical-products/nuclear-medicine/safety-and-compliance/pet-biomarker-manufacturing.html
- ^ "Fludeoxyglucose F 18- fludeoxyglucose f-18 injection". DailyMed. 8 May 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
- ^ "Fluorodeoxyglucose (F-18 FDG)". Archived from the original on 25 July 2015. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
- ^ "National Drug Code Directory", U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Retrieved 5 February 2016.[dead link]
- ^ Matthews, Marianne (19 September 2013). "Siemens' PETNET Solutions to Aid The US Oncology Network". Axis Imaging News. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
- ^ Gray's Anatomy for Students, Drake et al., 2005
- ^ Ernesto Bustamante; Peter L. Pedersen (1977). "High Aerobic Glycolysis of Rat Hepatoma Cells in Culture: Role of Mitochondrial Hexokinase". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 74 (9): 3735–3739. Bibcode:1977PNAS...74.3735B. doi:10.1073/pnas.74.9.3735. PMC 431708. PMID 198801.
External links[edit]
- "Fludeoxyglucose F 18". Drug Information Portal. U.S. National Library of Medicine.


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At MyMediTravel, we're making medical easy. You can search, compare, discuss, and book your medical all in one place. We open the door to the best medical providers worldwide, saving you time and energy along the way, and it's all for FREE, no hidden fees, and no price markups guaranteed. So what are you waiting for?
The Country of Mexico forms a part of the North American continent and lies directly south of the United States and is the fifth largest country in the Americas. It comprises of 31 states and a Federal District. The capital of Mexico City lies in the Federal District. Mexico is dominated by several mountain ranges and the more well-known ones are the Sierra Madre Oriental and the Sierra Madre Occidental. It is famous for its amazing beaches, and the best known Latin American pyramids include the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon at Teotihuacán in central Mexico,
Mexico is one of the top five medical tourism destinations in the world. Its medical care center's offer high-class and boutique-style recuperation facilities and the cost of a procedure is 70% to 80% less than the cost of the same procedure in the United States.
As per the 2016 statistics, Medical Tourism in Mexico is a $4.8 Billion industry. Every year, a staggering 1 Million medical tourists arrive in Mexico for various treatments and procedures. 70% of medical tourists come from California, Texas, and Arizona.
Tijuana, Cancun, Mexicali, and Monterrey are some of the more popular cities in Mexico for medical tourism and the flowing procedures:
Six Cities in Mexico that should be on your itinerary:
Other important cities are Merida, Acapulco, Puebla City, Taxco Puerto Vallarto and Playa deal Carmen.
Mexico as a whole does not have a uniform climate. It is a large nation and the weather differs from region to region. Mexico's topography is extremely diverse and so is its weather.
Mexico has two major seasons, the rainy and the dry seasons.
The easiest way to reach Mexico is through Mexico City International Airport, which is also referred to as Benito Juarez International Airport, is the busiest airport in Mexico. The airport links 52 domestic cities and 50 international destinations in Latin America, North America, Europe, and Asia. Aeromexico is the largest carrier serving many Latin American cities, domestic and international cities. Other prominent Mexican airlines are Interjet, Volaris and Aeromar. Major American carriers like United Airlines, American Airlines, and Delta Air also operate flights to Mexico City.
For travel within Mexico, air travel is the best mode considering the vast size of the country. Budget airlines like Avolar, Azteca, Interjet, vivaAerobus, and Volaris offer competitive and cheap airfares for domestic travel.
You can also travel by local buses and hired cars between cities. However, the fastest mode of transport is the metro system that connects major cities like Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey.
It is easy to move around within Mexico City, as it has a pretty cheap public transport system. You have the option of the Metro, first and second-class buses, colectivos, and Nissan Tsuru libre taxis. Sitio taxis, its best not to hail cabs off the street after dark, and if you are unfamiliar with the city and don't speak Spanish, it's always best to always use taxis from Taxi Ranks.
Traveling to Mexico as a tourist, you need to apply for and get a tourist visa well in advance. Your passport must be valid to cover at least three months beyond the duration of your visa. A Mexican tourist visa is for a single entry and valid for only six months. You should travel within 90 days of visa been issued.
Mexico has a waiver for the tourist visa requirement for the citizens of 67 countries including the USA, European Union, Latin America, and Australia. Under this privilege, you can visit Mexico for a period of 30 to 180 days without a tourist visa. However, you need to get an online Electronic Authorization before traveling to Mexico.
Nationals of Russia, India and China and a few other countries need to get a visa in advance before entering Mexico.
Search by Region, Location or Project


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Spain are crowned Euro 2012 champions after a record-breaking 4-0 victory over Italy in the final at the Olympic Stadium in Kiev on Sunday.
La Roja's victory, added to their Euro 2008 and World Cup 2010 successes, makes them the first team in history to win three major international tournaments in a row.
David Silva opened the scoring after a quarter of an hour with a header, before a lung-busting run and finish from Jordi Alba put Spain two goals ahead by half-time.
The second half saw chances for both teams, but the match changed on the hour mark after Thiago Motta was strechered off moments after coming off the bench, reducing Italy to 10 men with all three substitutions already used.
There was no way back for the Azzurri after that, as Spain put on a passing exhibition to drain the life out of Cesare Prandelli's men. With time running out, Fernando Torres and Juan Mata added clinchers in the 84th and 88th minutes respectively to capture the European Championship for La Roja for the third time.
The milestones continued to fall for Spain, with 13 members of their squad becoming the first players to play in and win two Euro finals, while Torres' late goal gave him the Golden Boot.
Despite pre-match comments hinting that he would play with a recognised striker, Vicente Del Bosque opted for Cesc Fabregas to lead the line ahead of Alvaro Negredo and Torres in a 'false nine' role.
Prandelli also made one change to his starting XI, with Ignazio Abate recovering in time from a hamstring injury to replace Federico Balzaretti at right-back, while Mario Balotelli continued in attack after his match-winning double against Germany.
Spain wasted little time in dictating the tempo, with Italy forced to defend deep against the wave of red shirts and relieve pressure on the counter whenever they could.
Sergio Ramos sent an early header off-target, but the first real chance fell to Xavi, whose one-two with Fabregas ended with a crashing drive that flashed inches over the bar after 10 minutes.
It was an opportunity to mark the initial dominance of Spain, and four minutes later, La Roja would find themselves ahead.
Andres Iniesta was the architect, threading in Fabregas on the overlap down the right, who clipped towards Silva at the near post to glance a header past Gianluigi Buffon.
Italy attempted to hit back straight away, with a 20-yard free-kick from Andrea Pirlo deflected about a foot too high. From the resulting corner, the Juventus midfielder forced Iker Casillas to stretch to tip away his dangerous delivery.
The Azzurri were handed a blow after 21 minutes, as defender Giorgio Chiellini limped off after picking up an injury, with Balzaretti coming on. Moments later, Gerard Pique became the first player booked for a crunching challenge that sent Antonio Cassano flying.
Italy, to their credit, did not allow Spain to walk all over them after the opener, and were able to hold a respectable amount of possession in the face of La Roja's famed tiki-taka football.
Balzaretti was active since his introduction, with a devilish cross tipped by Casillas away from the head of Balotelli, before finding space to squeeze in a shot from the left side that was easily saved.
Just past the half hour mark, the Spanish captain was called into action again to parry Cassano's strong drive from 20 yards out.
The Azzurri kept up the pressure in midfield, as viewers were treated to the somewhat unfamiliar sight of Spain playing through the counterattack.
However, La Roja proved that they were just as effective on the breakaway, as they doubled their advantage four minutes before half-time through a move started, and finished by Alba.
The left-back played the ball to Xavi near the halfway line, surged behind the Italian defence, and latched onto the Barcelona midfielder's pinpoint return pass to slot his side further ahead.
Spain were jubilant, but had Casillas to thank once again for punching clear Riccardo Montolivo's attempt from outside the area to maintain their two-goal lead at the interval.
Prandelli attempted to respond, hauling off Cassano for Antonio Di Natale and the Udinese striker nearly struck gold with his first touch, heading Abate's inviting cross narrowly over the bar.
That sparked a period of intense Spain pressure, where Fabregas fired just off target before last-ditch blocks from Buffon and Abate denied Iniesta from close range.
Italy were then lucky to escape a penalty after an apparent handball by Leonardo Bonucci in the box, but referee Pedro Proenca waved play on, to the incredulity of many members of the Spanish team.
Di Natale managed to find space once more in the area, but Casillas was equal to his well-struck attempt before smothering the forward's chance from the rebound.
Shortly after, Silva and Montolivo made way for Pedro and Motta as both coaches looked to shuffle their packs.
But Motta, barely three minutes after making his appearance, was taken off on a stretcher clutching his hamstring, leaving Italy a man short as Prandelli had already used all three of his substitutions.
The Azzurri were floored by the setback as Spain, a man up and two goals ahead, began to kill the game off with large periods of leisurely possession in the opposition half.
With 16 minutes left, Fabregas was called to the bench as Torres, scorer of the only goal in the 2008 final, came on for the final stretch.
At that point, the only question remaining was whether Spain would score again, and they nearly achieved that feat with a bad miss from Pedro, which was tempered somewhat by the offside flag.
However, Torres would make no such mistake with six minutes remaining, finishing another perfect through pass from Xavi to confirm his status as the first player to score twice in a Euro final, while Xavi became the first to register two final assists.
Mata replaced Iniesta late on as the Spanish parties began in the stands, and they were kicked up a notch two minutes from the end as he stroked home Torres' cutback to make it 4-0.


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Skip to 0 minutes and 7 seconds My name's Aamisha Kyada, and I'm an assistant genetic technologist in a genetics laboratory. I'm going to show you how we extract DNA from a blood sample. The blood sample's in a tube containing EDTA to stop the blood from clotting in the tube. This is what the DNA looks like.
Skip to 0 minutes and 24 seconds When a blood sample arrives in the lab, we check that the patient's identifying details on the blood tube match those on the request form, and then record the patient's name, date of birth, and NHS number on the lab database. A unique barcode is printed and stuck on to the blood tubes so that we can track the sample through every stage of the testing process to ensure that correct result is issued for that patient. We extract DNA from blood samples using an automated DNA extraction robot. The separation of DNA is achieved through capture onto magnetic beads, which are then attracted to metal rods magnetized by an electromagnet. The magnetic rods transfer DNA-bound magnetic beads through a series of different wash buffers.
Skip to 1 minute and 4 seconds In the first step, the rods take up sheath to prevent cross-contamination between the patient samples. The next step is to break open cells to release the DNA that's located inside the white blood cells. We use a lysis buffer to break open the cells and a protease enyzme to remove proteins from our blood samples. The magnetic rods are rotated to mix the solution. Magnetic beads and a binding solution are then added to the sample to bind the DNA. After binding, the electromagnet is switched on, and the DNA bound to the beads is attracted to the rods. The DNA undergoes a series of washes to remove any impurities and inhibitors that might affect the next stage of the genetic testing process.
Skip to 1 minute and 45 seconds After removing the last traces of wash buffer, the DNA-bound bead pellet is resuspended in elution buffer to release the purified DNA from the beads. The last step is to transfer the DNA into barcode label tubes. Once we measure the amount of DNA and check that it meets our quality standard, we are ready to start the genetic test.
From blood to DNA
In this video, Aamisha will tell you about the first stage of the laboratory process that leads to a genetic test result - DNA extraction from samples.
© University of Exeter


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Equity Options Trading Conditions
Saxo Bank operates with two margin profiles:
- A basic profile which, by default, enables clients to buy options only – puts and/or calls.
- An advanced profile for individually assessed clients which enables the client to do the same as the basic profile and to write (sell/short) options and receive margin benefits on option strategies (combinations of options and/or underlying positions).
For more information about margin requirement and margin reduction schemes please refer to the sections Margin requirements and Margin reduction schemes below this section. In case of a margin breach and stop-out is triggered, all option positions will be closed. Details of the margin requirements and allowances for the advanced profile can be seen below:
|Initial & maintenance margin
Long straddle
|Out-of-the-money naked calls
Stock Options
Call Price + Maximum((X%* Underlying Price) - Out of the Money Amount), (Y% * Underlying Price))
Out-of-the-Money Amount in case of a Call option equals: Max (0, Option Strike Price - Underlying Price)
Example:short 1 DTE jan14 12.50 Call at 0.08Spot at 12.30
(0.08*100shares)+((0.15*12.30)-(12.50-12.30)*100shares) 8€ of premium + 164.5€ of margin
|Uncovered put write
Stock Options
Put Price + Maximum((X%* Underlying Price) - Out of the Money Amount), (Y% * Strike Price))
Example: short 1 DTE jan14 12 Put at 0.06Spot at 12.30
6€ of premium + 154.5€ of margin
|Bear call spread
Maximum ((Strike Long Call - Strike Short Call), 0)
Example: short DTE Jan14 12.5 Call at 0.10 and long DTE Jan14 13.5 Call at 0.02
8€ of premium + 100€ of margin
Bull put spread
Example: Short DTE Jan14 Put 12 Put at 0.08 and long DTE Jan14 11 Put at 0.02
Short straddle
If Initial Margin Short Put > Initial Short Call, then
Short option positions in American Style Options can be combined with long option positions or covering positions in the underlying deliverable to offset the high risk exposure. As such, the margin charges can be reduced or even waived. We will provide margin reduction on the following position combinations:
- Covered Call
- Call/Put Spread
- Short Straddle
Covered Call
A short call position can be offset with a long position in the underlying stock.
Call / Put Spread
A spread position allows a long option position to cover for a short option position of an option of the same type, and same underlying deliverable. When the long option is deeper in the money compared to the short option (debit spread), the value of the long option is used up to the value of the short option for coverage with no additional margin to be required.
When the short leg is deeper in the money compared to the long leg (credit spread), the full value of the long option is used for coverage plus an additional margin equal to the strike difference.
Note: To trade out of a spread position, it is recommended to first close the short leg before closing the long leg to avoid the high margin charge of the naked short option position. However, as the spread margin reservation might not be sufficient to cover the cash amount required to buy back the short option position, a client might find himself locked into a position that he cannot trade out of without additional funds being made available.
Short Straddle / Strangle
The short straddle / strangle rule is different compared to the Covered and Spread rules as the legs of the short straddle do not provide coverage for each other. A short straddle / strangle combines a short call with a short put. Since the exposure of the short call and short put are opposite in regard to market direction, only the additional margin of the leg with the highest margin charge is required.
When the call leg of the strangle position is assigned, the client needs to deliver the underlying stock. Vice versa, when the put is assigned, the client needs to take delivery of the underlying Stock. The long Stock can be combined with the remaining call leg of the original strangle, resulting in a covered call.
For certain instruments, including Stock Options, we require a margin charge to cover potential losses involved on holding a position in the instrument. Stock Options are treated as full premium style options.
Full premium example:
When acquiring a long position in a full premium option, the premium amount is deducted from the client's cash balance. The value from an open long option position will not be available for margin trading other than indicated in the margin reduction schemes.
In the following example, a client buys one Apple Inc. DEC 2013 530 Call @ $25 (Apple Inc. stock is trading at $529.85. One option equal 100 shares, buy/sell commissions $6.00 per lot and exchange fee is $0.30. With a cash balance of $10,000.00, his account summary will show:
Cash and Position Summary
Position Value
1 * 25 * 100 shares =
Unrealized Profit/Loss
Cost to Close
- 1* ($6 + $0.30) =
- $6.30
Unrealised Value of Positions
Cash Balance
Transactions not Booked
- ($2,500 + $6.30) =
- $2,506.30
Account Value
Not Available as Margin Collateral
- 1 * 25 * 100 shares =
- $2,500.00
Used for Margin Requirement
Available for Margin Trading
In case of a full premium option, the transactions not booked will be added to the client's cash balance in overnight processing. The next day, when the options market has moved to $41 (spot at 556.50), the account summary will show:
Cash and Position Summary
Position Value
1 * 41 * 100 shares =
Unrealised Profit/Loss
Cost to Close
- 1*($6+$0.30) =
Unrealised Value of Positions
Cash Balance
Transactions not Booked
Account Value
Not Available as Margin Collateral
- 1 * 41 * 100 shares =
-$ 4,100.00
Used for Margin Requirement
Available for Margin Trading
Position Value: Increased due to the price of the option being higher.
Unrealised Value of Positions: Increased due to the price of the option being higher.
Cash Balance: Reduced by the price of the option. 'Transactions not Booked' is now zero.
Account Value: Increased due to the price of the option being higher.
Not Available as Margin Collateral: Increased due to the new value of the position.
Short Option Margin
A short option position exposes the holder of that position to being assigned to deliver the underlying proceeds when another market participant who holds a long position exercises his option right. Losses on a short option position can be substantial when the market moves against the position. We will therefore charge premium margin to ensure that sufficient account value is available to close the short position and additional margin to cover overnight shifts in the underlying value. The margin charges are monitored in real-time for changes in market values and a stop out can be triggered when the total margin charge for all margined positions exceeds the client's margin call profile.
The generic formula for the short option margin charge is:
- Short Option Margin = Premium Margin + Additional Margin
The premium margin ensures that the short option position can be closed at current market prices and equals the current Ask Price at which the option can be acquired during trading hours. The additional margin serves to cover overnight price changes in the underlying value when the option position cannot be closed because of limited trading hours.
Stock Options
For options on Stocks, the additional margin equals a percentage of the underlying reference value minus a discount for the amount that the option is out-of-the-money.
- Additional Margin Call = Max (X% * Underlying Spot) – Out-of-the-Money Amount, Y% * Underlying Spot)
- Additional Margin Put = Max (X% * Underlying Spot) – Out-of-the-Money Amount, Y% * Strike Price)
The margin percentages are set by Saxo Bank and are subject to change. The actual values can vary per option contract and are configurable in the margin profiles. Clients can see the applicable values in the trading conditions of the contract.
The out-of-the-money amount for a call option equals:
- Max (0, Option Strike – Underlying Spot)
The out-of-the-money amount for a put option equals:
- Max (0, Underlying Spot Price – Option Strike)
To get the currency amount involved, the acquired values need to be multiplied with the trading unit (100 shares).
Let's suppose FORM applied an X margin of 15% and a Y margin of 10% on Apple stocks.
A Client shorts an Apple DEC 2013 535 Call at $1.90 (Apple stock at 523.74). The option figure value is 100 shares. The OTM amount is 11.26 stock points (535 – 523.74), resulting in an additional margin of 67.30 stock points ($6,730). In the account summary, the premium margin is taken out of the position value:
|Cash and Position Summary
Position Value
- 1 * $1.90 * 100 shares =
- $190.00
Unrealized Profit/Loss
Cost to Close
- (6 + $0.30) =
- $6.30
Unrealized Value of Positions
- $196.30
Cash Balance
Transactions not Booked
$190 - ($6 + $0.30) =
Account Value
Not Available as Margin Collateral
Used for Margin Requirement
- 100 shares *( (0.15 * 523.74) – 11.26)
- $6,730.00
Available for Margin Trading
Corporate Actions on shares can affect any options that are listed on those shares. It might be required to adjust the option contracts in such way that the value of a position in such an option before and after the corporate action remains the same.
"Corporate Actions" shall mean a corporate event that may impact the share price/outstanding share amount of the relevant company. Corporate Actions include share issues, mergers, conversions, share splits, sell-offs and dividends;
"Ex-Date" shall mean the effective date of the Corporate Action, the date on which or the date after a security trades without its previously declared dividend or distribution.
Dealings between Saxo Bank and the client
The underlying stock can be subject to corporate actions. As a result of a corporate action, the Stock option contract might need to be adjusted. Various exchanges have different ways of treating corporate actions. The option exchanges will decide on case by case bases how a corporate action will affect the option contract and positions on the option contracts.
The two common methods for adjustment are the 'Ratio Method' and the 'Package Method'. Saxo Bank will follow the exchange notice in regards to applying the adjustment on the option series and the client's position. However Saxo Bank reserve the right to close out clients open positions prior to an option adjustment on ex-date if a corporate action adjustment is not supported by Saxo Bank.
An example is when an underlying deliverable for the adjusted option contract can be a basket of securities and cash components. Especially for spin-offs and demergers, the corporate action could result into a basket of deliverables where the original option contract would settle into a number of deliverable components. The option contracts by themselves do not need to be adjusted in case of this method; instead the underlying deliverable is redefined. Whenever the underlying deliverable is redefined either as a basket/package containing multiple components, or any ratio of underlying shares, Saxo Bank will not support the action and will close out any open client positions.
Holders of a long position in American Style options can exercise the option any time prior to expiry. To exercise a long option position, an exercise request can be entered in the trading application; in the "Account Summary".
When the exercise request is entered, the option position is closed at price 0 and a position in the underlying instrument is created at the strike price. This happens instantly.
Clients should always consider closing the option position in the market and acquiring the underlying instrument separately. Often the market value of the option exceeds the unrealized profit from opening the underlying position at the strike price.
Exercise Cut-off
Exercise requests need to be entered before the exercise cut-off time as specified by Saxo Bank; see these in Contract Options Settlement Conditions. The Exercise cut-off time facing Saxo Bank clients is prior to the cut-off times as defined by the exchange in order to give Saxo Bank and its brokers the time to forward the request to the exchanges. If exercise requests are entered after the cut off time clients will be rejected and the client must wait until the next day to exercise before the cut off time.
Last Trading day
On the last trading day, clients will not be able to exercise any position, since the expiry auto-exercise process will manage exercising against the exercise settlement value.
Updated 12 November 2014