X-Message-Number: 22865 Date: Mon, 17 Nov 2003 12:14:23 -0800 (PST) From: cryofan andrew <> Subject: Russia or India and Half-Baked Discussion --0-796832954-1069100063=:48920 Dear Cryoneters, I am afraid it was me who started the discussion (which Charles Platt called half-baked) about relocation of cryonics to another country which somehow (I don't understand how) became a controversy. Let me clarify that I never suggested moving or starting a cryonics storage facility in another country (which would be one monstrous headache). What I meant was a research facility like Suspended Animation. I half-jokingly suggested that Suspended Animation be moved to Saint Petersburg (or any other place) where one can hire 5 or 6 local researches for the price of one in America and you don't have to deal with zoning boards and animal-rights activists. Somebody here have suggested the Dominican Republic. I think a country like India would be even better, since I have never heard about any great scientists coming from the Dominican Republic while India produces highly rated researches, lots of American companies subcontract research (especially in computers) there and, on top of that, everybody (at least the university grads) speaks English there. Of course, one may have to be careful about doing research on rats, which happen to be sacred animals there, but rabbits, mice and other small mammals should be ok. Again, it is not for me to decide where and how to start a research facility since I don't have the money for it just yet (and trust me if I ever have it, I d spend it on cryonics research), but the point is quite simple RESEARCH (not storage) could be done a lot easier in countries with low wages, good scientific background and less strict regulatory environment. To Comrade Yuri Pichigin: Who ever cared about what Russian laws say? Let me remind you that not so long ago, according to Russian laws you and me had complete freedom of speech, worship, travel, political association and what not. Did you take those laws seriously? Even now the Russian law is $200 under the table to a state bureaucrat. Plus there is no law banning cryonics RESEARCH and, thank goodness, they don't have any zoning planning committees yet or any blankety-blank animal rights activists. The problem with cryonics in Russia is not Russian laws but lack of funding and low income level of the general population plus the novelty of the idea itself. The business and the artistic elite, however, can easily afford it. On the other hand, low wages level makes the research very affordable. My understanding is that you have already made a trip to Russia (or Ukraine?) trying to find researchers to work for the Cryonics Institute but didn t succeed because everybody either left the country or switched to other professions. Well, may be you need to make another trip (or several of them) or look for them on the Internet until the researchers are found. Western companies do subcontract a lot of research work in low-temperature physics, organic chemistry, and computer software in Russia right now. Comrade, I do want to wish you good luck in your position as a researcher at the Cryonics Institute since what you are doing is important for all of us here. I have some other thoughts on cryonics legal environment in America, Russia and other countries, as I happen to be an attorney. I hope to share them later for I have to go to work now. My personal belief is - Russia was the first in space and it will be the first in cryonics reanimation. Best regards, Comrade Andre Borisov Do you Yahoo!? Protect your identity with Yahoo! Mail AddressGuard --0-796832954-1069100063=:48920 Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii [ AUTOMATICALLY SKIPPING HTML ENCODING! ] Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=22865