X-Message-Number: 3136
Date: Wed, 14 Sep 1994 01:01:47 -0400 (EDT)
From: Charles Platt <>
Subject: CRYONICS:Membership

I just noticed one small reference in Dave Pizer's message that escaped my
attention before. He states that many people who are new to cryonics are
choosing Alcor. Of course, this is true, but it doesn't tell the whole
story. 

As I understand it, quite a number of these new members made contact with
Alcor as a result of publicity which I initiated while I was doing public
relations for Alcor. Dave might thank me for achieving this on behalf of
Alcor, rather than suggest that Alcor has achieved it through competition
with the organization that I am now a part of. Also, in at least one case
which I dealt with personally, someone who had never signed with any
cryonics organization chose CryoCare after evaluating all of the current
cryonics groups in some detail. So, the picture is not quite as simple as
Dave suggests. Alcor has its advantages (such as a long track record), but
so does CryoCare--otherwise, why would ANY Alcor members go through the
big hassle of completing new paperwork and making new insurance
arrangements, in order to join us? 

As I see it, we now have a diverse ecology of cryonics providers, each 
occupying a different niche. Since a diverse ecology is usually more 
robust than a monoculture, I hope this competitive situation continues.

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