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Date: 23 Oct 90 01:51:23 EDT
From: STEVE BRIDGE <>
To: KEVIN <>
Subject: Alcor financial situation
Message-Id: <"901023055123 72320.1642 EHI34-1"@CompuServe.COM>

To All:

     The recent Alcor victory in court was good news, but there is more bad 
news to go with it.  Many of you know that two years ago Alcor thought it 
was to receive a significant windfall from the estate of suspended member
Richard Clair Jones, known professionally as television writer and producer, 
Dick Clair.  Unfortunately, the legal wrangles with Dick's family cost 
hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the estate turned out to be worth
considerably less than anyone (including Dick) imagined.  (Some of those
"creative accounting" deals in Hollywood were most of the problem). 

     This left Alcor considerably short of cash with which to cover its
expansion of promotion, technical capability, research, and paid staff.
The Board of Directors had hoped that income from membership and other
sources would grow enough to cover the shortfall; but it has not worked
that way.  Alcor is now in the process of cutting back severely.  Staff
has been asked to take a 25% pay cut from their already meager salaries
(that will put all but one person under $16,000 annual salary -- in
Southern California).  Many useful projects will be dropped and cut back,
some of which may have an impact on the quality of suspensions and of
remote standby.

     Alcor is asking you to do several things.  At the very least, please 
renew any subscription you have and, if you are a suspension member, please
pay your dues on time (or early!) without the necessity for several letters.
Please do not use Alcor's 800 number for normal calls.  Put it on YOUR bill
and use 714-737-1703.  The 800 number does cost Alcor money every time it 
is used.

     And of course, if you have any funds you could send to Alcor, don't
wait for the next rainy day.  It is here now.  I have just sent my check
for $300.00.  It is a drop in the bucket, but I'm counting on many of
you to send some drops as well.

     One of the biggest casualties of the cutback may be something which I
consider absolutely essential-- right now, Alcor does not have enough money 
to file the appeal of the recent negative Thomas Donaldson court decision.
This case, which could give Alcor members the right to be suspended BEFORE
legal death, when they are in a clearly fatal and deteriorating condition,
is one of the most critical for all of us.  We need to be able to control
our OWN medical decisions and opt for suspension in those conditions when
that is clearly the best choice left.

     Besides the potential legal losses, it would be terrible public 
relations for Alcor if it appeared that we had started this case without
being prepared to finish it.

     Even if you are not a member of Alcor, but think that this idea should
have the right to exist; we hope you will join with us in this endeavor.
If your donation is to be all or partly for the Donaldson defense, please
indicate that in your letter to Alcor.  Those of you who ARE current or
potential Alcor members should need no further encouragement.  You KNOW
who is watching out for your life.  Alcor needs your help now.

     Send all donations to Alcor Life Extension Foundation, 12327 Doherty
Street, Riverside CA 92503.

     On the much lighter side, please save out a few bucks and go buy a
copy of _Great Mambo Chicken and the Transhuman Condition_ by Ed Regis
(Addison Wesley Press, 1990).  The book is hilarious and accurate at the
same time.  Regis is the first non-cryonicist to articulate the knowledge
that cryonics, space colonization, artificial life research, downloading,
and nanotechnology are all part of the same urge: the basic urge of the
hunman race to populate everywhere, know everything, and control every-
thing, right down to the atomic level and right up to the level of 
galaxies.  He manages to be erudite without the slightest moment of
boredom and manages to be funny without condescension.  This is the best
book in this set of fields since _The Engines of Creation_ -- and it is
a lot easier to read.  Highest recommendation!!!

Steve Bridge

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