X-Message-Number: 14300
From: 
Date: Sat, 12 Aug 2000 11:54:31 EDT
Subject: Mole's questions

For Alan Mole and any other newcomers with similar questions:

Referring to his message #14295:

1. No, last I heard Alcor does not freeze heads for $28,000--rather, over 
$50,000 as I recall. Cryonics Institute (CI) freezes whole bodies for a 
minimum of $28,000.

The CI web site (see below) has an extended discussion of the differences 
between groups, from our viewpoint. It also has links to all the other 
groups, so you can easily get their viewpoints too.

Which group is "best" is of course a matter of opinion and sometimes heated 
argument. Those who investigate long and thoroughly sometimes choose one, 
sometimes another. Speaking for CI, we think it is somewhat significant that 
in the last couple of years CI has been growing faster than any other 
organization, in both relative and absolute terms. We also know--although we 
can't prove it, because member records are confidential--that switching 
membership from another organization to CI is more frequent than the other 
way around. 

In any case, newcomers should not become paralyzed by indecision. Any choice 
of organization is better than none, and delay could be fatal. If you decide 
later you made a mistake, you can always switch--not a huge deal, especially 
with the very low-cost options available at CI.

2. To my knowledge, no cryonics service group is currently using the 
21CM-reported glycol ethers and related procedures. There will be a report in 
the next issue of THE IMMORTALIST on one of the preliminary experiments at CI 
to investigate use of the methoxylated compounds. As to which preparation 
procedures are best, the question is complex and the answers debatable. 
Again, you can only read what each group has to say and decide which is 
likely to be best for you--now and in the future.

3. Delaware currently has no rule against perpetuities, and several other 
states have either repealed their rules against perpetuities, in whole or in 
part, or appear about to do so, so you could establish a trust in one of 
those states. However, finding a trustee (and perhaps successor trustees) 
capable and motivated enough to be reliable is very, very difficult. For this 
and other reasons, many in CI plan simply to leave their estates to CI, in 
addition to the suspension funding, and rely on CI to revive and rehabilitate 
them. The funds available will come (a) from the funds previously invested 
for maintenance, and (b) from our general growth of assets through investment 
and otherwise.

Robert Ettinger
Cryonics Institute
Immortalist Society
http://www.cryonics.org

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