X-Message-Number: 31362
From: 
Date: Fri, 30 Jan 2009 14:11:05 EST
Subject: re Marcelon Johnson

I was very sad to hear about this outcome.  I think I actually may have met 
Marce in Huntington Beach CA in 1979, through an art class at Golden West 

College.  I remember a gal who was a cryonicist who invited the other students 
to 
her home down off of Golden West St by the ocean for a social gathering.  I 

think we also went to a DADA film festival at the Newport Harbor Art Museum.  If
there is a pic of her available I would appreciate seeing it to see if I 
remember her.

In ruminating on this... here's some thoughts.

1)  insurance is not always reliable as it may expire.  Or it may not get 

paid, at the end, right before it's needed.  Very scarey, esp unfair after years
of payments.  If you are in the care of the state, are they going to send in 
your life insurance payments?  What if you develop Alzheimers or are 

debilitated by a stroke and cannot communicate (just happened to my 
chiropractor!)

2) CI does a pretty good job with their document packages.  Would be great to 
review and offer additional help state by state for decedent remains and who 
holds authority over them style documents.

3) There's been some great charitable movements to help some of the pioneers 
and friends of cryonics.  However, the cost of even the most reasonably priced 
$28,000 suspension plus $5000 in recommended funeral and transport costs and 
prep is daunting at the very end of someone's life.  Even the best of efforts 
would require 330 people to donate $100 each, or 33 people to donate $1000 
each.  Frankly, that just doesn't seem likely when you look at the number of 

members in both Alcor and CI, it would require a great percentage of people to 
part
icipate.    Goodwill aside, it just isn't practical for everyone.

4)  I would encourage CI as the most affordable organization, if at all 
possible, possibly even as a separate legal non-profit entity, to investigate 
chemical fixative or neuro freezing for last minute cases such as Marce's.  I 

understand their stance with neuro and chemical fixation but that doesn't mean a
sister organization can't do that with separate legal entity status, even at 
another address.

5) I've decided to start putting aside money (even though I'm currently 

funded with insurance) so I can start a cash reserve in case I live a long time 
and 
run out of insurance or befall other calamity.  Sending in annual payments to 
CI will allow me to eventually have full funding in place, in case my 

insurance should lapse at the end of my life or after my retirement.  And once 
the 

money is spent I assume the govt isn't likely to try and get the money back from
a non-profit.  And I sure won't be telling anyone about it either!

6) I wonder how many of us have term life, modified term life, whole life, 
modified whole life and don't really understand when it may expire or what is 

going on with it- what the terms actually are if the policy expires?  would suck
to be 80 + 1 day and find out you were suddenly uninsured!

7) I work for a major company.  They provide me with a life insurance policy 
for being an employee... yet I have no document of it, when I inquired they 
were unable to tell me the exact amount I was insured for, as there was 

confusion on my executive level qualification, and they were unable to tell me 
if the 
insurance was transferable if I left employment, or even if I was wholly 

insured or just accidental death.  And they were unable to provide 
documentation.  
And I asked the Director of Human Resources for the entire corporation.   I 

know it is there, they just paid out on the wife of an employee who passed away
suddenly- but seriously, this is nothing to rely on!  I filled out the 

beneficiary one line on the employment form and forgot about it. So I just 
pretend 
that doesn't exist.  I purchased other insurance, as I was able.  But now I'm 
going to review all of that again as well.  And make a cash backup plan. 

thanks,

Mike   in L.A.


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