X-Message-Number: 19455
Date: Wed, 10 Jul 2002 08:42:06 -0700
Subject: Cheers and Worries
From: Peter Merel <>

Over half a million hits on Alcor's excellent website per day? Thank you 
Ted Williams!

Most likely Alcor cannot respond directly to the media on Williams due 
to contractual obligations. If Williams requested confidentiality, their 
hands are tied. But a short Alcor press release belaboring the obvious 
is in order:

- Alcor don't accept last minute signups under any circumstances.
- Alcor require a minimum of 5 double-witnessed signup forms in 
triplicate, plus notarization.
- One of these forms is a detailed and definitive last will and 
testament for bodily remains.
- Alcor's suspension process requires extensive cooperation from the 
deceased's hospital and doctors
- Alcor have previously cancelled suspension when the patient or their 
doctors thought twice (esp. Tim Leary)
- Someone's DNA is much more reliably preserved in a $2.00 jar of 
formaldehyde. Cryonics preserves brains.

As to the negative spin of some media, it's only natural. Cryonics is 
the least popular activity in the history of mankind. I mean there are, 
what, 2 million American engineers and scientists, right? Maybe ten 
times that many New-Agers. The idea's had 30 years of publicity good and 
bad. And we have less than a thousand people signed up.  CNN are part of 
the great feedback howl that is American culture - they're not going to 
broadcast possibilities the masses aren't ready to accept. How the heck 
will you sell soap-powder and SUVs doing that?

In general this publicity does make me worry about the orgs' physical 
security. We have easily ten times as many violent nuts gunning for us 
as we have signed up members. I've never physically visited the orgs - 
how vulnerable are they to someone with a truck full of modified 
fertilizer?

Peter Merel.

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