X-Message-Number: 26706
From: 
Date: Wed, 27 Jul 2005 16:39:13 EDT
Subject: Comparisons and Perspectives Two

Content-Language: en

 
From Michael Riskin Ph.D, CPA,  
Alcor Board Chairman. 
For my second post on the    comparisons and perspectives     thread I am  

reprinting Mr. Ettinger   s post with my comments preceded by *** following  
his. 
Message  #26690
From: 
Date: Mon, 25 Jul 2005 10:58:26  EDT
Subject: comparisons & perspectives

Mr. Ettinger:    Someone  asked about the number of fully signed up members CI 

has, and then  offered  his own assessment of the numbers. Ben is out of town
*** Does that mean  that Mr. Ettinger does not know how many fully signed up 
members CI has, or does  he know and prefers not wish to state it? Perhaps 
when Mr Best returns, he can  answer the question. 

As to the alleged  membership numbers, I don't have those handy, but they are 
less  important than some other considerations. 
*** See  above.

Certainly one of the most important numbers is the patient  population, and  
Cryonics Institute has a slight lead there, according  to available figures,  
68 
to 67.  
*** Not exactly  correct. Alcor has 68 patients. In addition, over 5 and 

perhaps as many as 10 of  CI   s patients were referred to CI by Alcor. These 
were 
last minute, non Alcor  members, that Alcor determined to have seriously 

questionable issues relating to  the circumstances of their pronouncement, or, 
were 
unprepared to manage Alcor   s  service fees without preplanning. 


   The top consideration, for those who  can afford it, is probable quality of
   cryopreservation. This is a long  and complicated story, but as far as the  
available evidence indicates,  there is no clear or proven leader. CI has the 
best 
professional  research program, although we are told that Alcor is  making 
efforts to  catch up there   . 
***     CI has the best     is simply an opinion presented without supporting 
fact.  

He implies that Alcor  is somehow     behind    in research. All I ask anyone to
do is request and review  the facts and decide for themselves.


   Perhaps the next consideration is  future prospects of growth. In the past,
   
Alcor has attracted more of  the wealthy, by claiming to be top of the line   .
 
*** Perhaps these  wealthy members, who could afford to go anywheres, 

independently compared  various organizations and found Alcor    s claim of 
superiority 
to be correct.  Perhaps that is also the same reason why the great majority 

of referenced and  quoted cryonics scientists and authors, in CI   s own 
website, 
are actually Alcor  members.   
   CI  has gained  more of the unprepared emergencies, both because of lower 
prices 
and   because of better response. The perception of quality is changing, 
because  
of  CI's vitrification advances, and possibly also because of CI's  agreement 
making  Suspended Animation services available to CI members.  Nobody is 
stagnant, and  future relative changes cannot be predicted  with confidence. 
I hope 
and believe  that both will do well, and  absolute growth is more important 
than 
relative  growth. (ACS is also  still active, and Trans Time is still in 
business.)    

*** Again, CI can  claim to have     better response    but again, it is no more
than an unsupported  claim in Mr. Ettingers    post. 

Once we reach the big growth-spurt point,  at some unknown future time,  
there 
will be many changes, including  more active opposition on the one hand,  and 
more new competition on  the other. Maybe General Electric will become the  
big 
player, or some  new heavyweight. That will be all to the good. 

The main thing for the  individual, as always, is to make a commitment while  
you still  can. 
*** I am absolutely in  total agreement with this statement.  
*** Michael Riskin,  Board Chairman, Alcor Life Extension Foundation

Robert Ettinger




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