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From att!manta.nosc.mil!shapard Mon May 28 19:47:08 1990
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Date: Mon, 28 May 90 11:17:16 PDT
From:  (Thomas D. Shapard)
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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).
 


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