X-Message-Number: 176 From att!manta.nosc.mil!shapard Mon May 28 19:47:08 1990 Return-Path: <att!manta.nosc.mil!shapard> Received: from att.UUCP by whscad1.att.uucp (4.1/SMI-3.2) id AA03735; Mon, 28 May 90 19:47:07 EDT Received: by att.att.com; Mon May 28 16:39:56 1990 Received: by manta.nosc.mil (5.60/1.27) id AA09407; Mon, 28 May 90 11:17:16 PDT Date: Mon, 28 May 90 11:17:16 PDT From: (Thomas D. Shapard) Message-Id: <> To: Status: RO The May, 27 Sunday San Diego Union has a TWO PAGE article on cryonics/Thomas Donaldson/Alcor. The article starts on the first page of the 'Currents' section with a full page photo of Mike Perry standing by the James Bedford cryostat at Alcor. Inside a second whole page is devoted to the article with three more photos: Mike Darwin and a bunch of visitors to Alcor, futurist FM-2030, and artist Nancie Clark. The Donaldson case forms the 'news' hook for the article but from there it expands into many cryonics topics: the Kent controversy, how any press boosts membership interest, quotes from Mike Darwin explaining Alcor's non-hard sell recruiting philosophy, what the costs are and what general process is, positive quotes from various members as to why they are members. Toward the end some negative comments are sandwiched in, one from S. Randolph May (president of the Society for Cryobiology), and the "hamburger back into a cow" quote from Arthur Rowe (New York University). Also, "To us, this is fantasy" from Dr. Kurt Benirschke of UCSD, founder of the San Diego Zoo's frozen library of sperm and cells for endangered species. However this is followed by the cryonics counter arguments about how the definition of "death" has changed to fit the current edge of medical abitlity (e.g. stopping of the heart used to be clinical death, now such "dead" people are routinely revived with CPR), and microtechnological expectation of cell repair devices. (Unfortunately the distinction between preserving cell functionality and cell structure information is not brought up.) Overall the article is, I think, very positive. It presents, fairly well, the basis and case for cryonics. Importantly, it presents the people involved in cryonics in a favorable, human, even sympathetic, light. It covers the uncertainties and sometimes bizarre aspects of cryonics factually and without sensationalism. The author of the article is Mike McIntyre, staff writer for the San Diego Union. I plan to send my copy of it to Alcor (unless I someone tells me they already have a copy). Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=176