X-Message-Number: 1858 Date: 01 Mar 93 20:20:56 EST From: Paul Wakfer <> Subject: CRYONICS Clarissa Wells From: Mike Darwin To: All Re: Clarissa Wells Date: 1 March, 1993 This afternoon I received a call from Michael Riskin inquiring as to how he might post a personal (for my eyes only) message to me. Michael made this inquiry because I share Paul Wakfer's CompuServe account to keep costs down. After a bit of further conversation it turned out that what Michael wanted to post was an inquiry/speculation that I am Clarissa Wells. After a good hearty laugh I informed Michael that I am not. Since Michael's call I have received two other inquiries, or more properly one inquiry and one "nasty accusation" or more precisely, one accusation made nastily. One caller even asserted that since I am a homosexual it follows that I would choose a female nom de plume. Gentlemen, I *wish* Clarissa Wells was a pseudonym for Mike Darwin. More to the point, I have the happy feeling that each and every one of you may come to wish that you were so lucky, and that you were indeed dealing with a known quantity of which, even more to the point, there was only one. (Just think about it! There MAY ACTUALLY BE TWO OF US NOW!!!!!!!) But I demean Ms. Wells here. I am not Clarissa Wells, but that doesn't mean that I don't wish I had her intellect and poise. I am deeply flattered that these have been attributed to me. However, I would point out that Ms. Wells is my better in a number of ways. Ways which it behooves me to pay attention to. First, as Paul Wakfer pointed out to me, Ms. Wells has so neatly dissected Pizer, Henson, et al., without emotion and without the (typically) vicious Mike Darwin edge. This has worked powerfully to her advantage and I believe it has added greatly to her credibility. I could profit greatly from her restraint and her focus on rational argument. Second, I must confess that I did not catch the obvious contradictions in Keith's posting about member exclusions. That is the product of a top-notch mind. However, in fairness to Carlos, Keith, and the others who have called-in or written about their suspicions that Clarissa Wells is a "fake persona" I must say that I can understand why you feel that way. Ms. Wells has a grasp of the personal dynamics and personalities operating inside cryonics which is phenomenal; the kind of thing that normally only comes after knowing people for years. Just look at her recent posting re: Steve Jackson and Keith Henson. Right on the money, at least as a reasonable *and informed* guess. In short, I would not be surprised to discover that Clarissa Wells is really someone else. However, I would not be at all surprised to find out that she is the real McCoy. And it is that latter possibility with which I am most intrigued, because it is most assuredly not Ms. Wells' body in which I am interested, it is her MIND. And that interest is in facilitating the entry of that mind into this community at almost any cost. --Mike Darwin Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=1858