X-Message-Number: 26628 Date: Fri, 15 Jul 2005 18:10:27 -0400 (EDT) From: Charles Platt <> Subject: Story in Miami Herald A story about Suspended Animation appeared in the Miami Herald today, written by Ashley Fantz. Two days ago I spent 45 minutes explaining to Ms. Fantz very patiently in very small steps the purpose of SA, its function, and its affiliations. Today the newspaper published an amazingly inaccurate version of what I said. It is probably the most inaccurate news report on cryonics I have ever seen. It then became an Associated Press story which has been picked up and reprinted around the country and has even made its way into radio news. Alcor has expressed concern that the story refers to a relationship between Alcor and Suspended Animation. For the record I stated very clearly that SA has no relationship with Alcor whatsoever. I said we are hoping we *may* have some kind of business relationship at some time in the future. That was all. I said nothing about Alcor itself (such as its funding requirements, which are quoted inaccurately in the story) and referred Ms. Fantz repeatedly to the Alcor web site. She asked me no questions about Ted Williams and I said nothing about Ted Williams. The Herald report says that we are "associated" with Alcor in its lead paragraph, and seems to base this claim on the fact that Saul Kent is a director of both companies. However the Kent connection was in the third or fourth para, which never made it into the AP version. AP simply took the first para as it stood. We are now "associated" in 50 newspapers across the country. But it gets worse: In one newspaper that ran the AP story I am listed as being "CEO of Alcor." In another story I am listed as being "The man who froze Ted Williams's head." The Herald also stated that we ship bodies to Arizona in a portable ice bath after perfusing them with liquid nitrogen. Seriously, this is what it said. Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=26628