X-Message-Number: 639
From: Bridge / Shock
Subject: Alcor Indiana Newsletter #2 (Part 2 of 2)
-- January 19, 1991, at the home of Richard Shock.
Present were all five members of ALCOR INDIANA: Stephen Bridge,
Angalee Shepherd, Bob Schwarz, Margaret Schwarz, and Richard Shock.
The meeting was preceded by a 1:00 PM lunch at Shapiro's Deli and
Cafeteria on 86th St. While the food wasn't cheap, it WAS plentiful and
fairly well prepared. Happily, most of ALCOR INDIANA's members were able
to avoid the temptations of Shapiro's endless metabolism-mangling desserts.
1) The meeting proper began with Mr. Shock distributing copies of
ALCOR INDIANA's equipment inventory and index to each member. Following
the lead of ALCOR NEW YORK, Mr. Shock mentioned his intention of compiling
a list of applicable local laws, medical regulations, locations for
obtaining ice, etc. that would be included with these first documents in an
Emergency Information Package.
2) Members examined and discussed the latest addition to ALCOR
INDIANA's equipment, a "Squid" water dispersal apparatus constructed by
Robert Schwarz. The device was assembled in less than five minutes,
promising easy emergency use. Mr. Schwarz was already planning tests and
improvements.
[ALCOR transport procedure involves cooling of deanimate patients in a
Portable Ice Bath (PIB). The faster a patient's temperature is decreased,
the less the physiological damage that may occur. The Elaine Fried
suspension in 1990 demonstrated that patient cooling could be greatly
accelerated with the Squid, a simple device that pumps ice water from the
PIB and recirculates it around the patient's body.]
[Since one of ALCOR INDIANA's members had undergone surgery during the
holidays, Mr. Schwarz had taken time out from his Florida vacation to
assemble and test a squid based on the model he'd seen at ALCOR
Headquarters during his April training session. Designing and fabricating
the device within less than forty-eight hours, Mr. Schwarz shipped it to
Indiana a day before the surgery took place. Although the operation was
only a laparoscopic cholecystetomy (removal of the gallbladder, utilizing
four small holes instead of one major incision), ALCOR Midwest Coordinator
Stephen Bridge and this newsletter's editor were standing by in the
unlikely event of complications. As expected, emergency services were
unnecessary. Nevertheless, ALCOR INDIANA's equipment -- including the new
squid -- was available; for serious cryonicists there can be no such thing
as "routine surgery."]
3) Mr. Shock raised the subject of boosting local ALCOR suspension
membership. His own experience was that proximity to members gave him the
final encouragement for signing up, a process not unlike "adoption" into a
new family. He suggested that ALCOR INDIANA choose a few good prospects
and show these individuals the same sort of consideration that was shown
him.
Further, with the example of various ALCOR discussion groups around the
country (eg. Long Island, Boston, and Houston), it was proposed that
discussion "parties" of modest size be organized for recipients of this
newsletter.
The possibility of fully publicized open meetings was also mentioned.
Mr. Bridge reported limited success with his past cryonics seminars in
conjunction with the library, despite newspaper and radio advertisements.
He suggested that university students might prove a more receptive audience
than the general public.
4) Angalee Shepherd announced that, through a fortunate mix-up, she
had been invited to participate as a panelist at the MARCON science fiction
convention in Columbus, Ohio this coming May. Although she would have
preferred Mr. Bridge take her place, he was scheduled to participate in a
smaller Illinois convention that same weekend. Richard Shock agreed to
provide moral and informational support for Ms. Shepherd, should this
appearance pan out.
5) Pursuant to the previous item, as well as to the idea of "role-
playing" exercises during the previous meeting, the group practiced
impromptu answers to difficult questions about cryonics. Mr. Bridge dug
into his long experience at public speaking to pose challenging questions,
then critiqued and discussed the members' answers.
One of his most helpful rules of thumb was to "draw the questioner into
the answer," demonstrating that cryonics and cryonicists were not so far
removed from everyday philosophies (see Mr. Bridge's opening article in
this issue for specific examples of his technique). In general, he
reminded the group that public discussions should avoid confrontational
answers; arguments tended to establish opposing sides even though
opposition might not necessarily exist in the original question.
The exercise was considered to be useful. Mrs. Schwarz moved that
something of this kind be practiced on a regular basis.
6) Finally, Mr. and Mrs. Schwarz announced that they had again been in
communication with ALCOR member-at-large Paul Wakfer, who would be passing
through Indianapolis toward the end of January. Mr. Wakfer wanted to meet
with the group to discuss and assist ALCOR INDIANA's closer ties with ALCOR
Headquarters.
ACTION NOTES:
-- Members should make a practice of paying attention to media
information about the local (Marion County) Coroner's Office. The editor
would appreciate any pertinent anecdotes, opinions, or newspaper clippings
from ALCOR INDIANA NEWSLETTER recipients.
-- Richard Shock will investigate the formalities of organizing public
meetings on local university campuses, in particular, Indiana University-
Purdue University-Indianapolis (known locally as IUPUI).
*****
AT LAST -- A USE FOR GOVERNMENT?
"I myself have sometimes thought the aging process could be delayed if
it had to make its way through Congress."
-- U.S. President George Bush, 1992 State of the Union Address
*****
GOOD NEWS FOR POST-MODERN MAN (AND WOMAN)
During the 1991 Thanksgiving Weekend, our own Steve Bridge gave a
presentation at "Starbase Indy," a national "Star Trek" convention. Of
course Mr. Bridge had spoken in public any number of times before, but
usually on behalf of cryonics. His Starbase Indy speech had a different --
though no less important -- topic, Nanotechnology. Best of all, he regaled
an estimated audience of 300, far greater than many of his cryonics talks.
Mr. Bridge began his session by showing a clip from a "Star Trek: The
Next Generation" episode that gave a feeble nod to Nanotechnology. For
those readers fortunate enough to have missed this particular show, it
featured a heretofore unmentioned piece of Star Trek technology,
"Nannites." During the course of the episode, these Nannites just happened
to "evolve" intelligence, escape from a laboratory, and invade the computer
of the starship Enterprise. The clip ran through an expository passage on
Nannites, ending as a character pronounced the whole idea "nonsense." Mr.
Bridge could not help but agree, and went on from there with a more
accurate explanation of nanotech's scientific basis and possibilities.
Naturally he managed to sneak in a plug for cryonics, which Trek had
mishandled almost as badly in the past.
Did Dr. Drexler's Good News get through to Star Trek fans? Perhaps
so; Mr. Bridge was pleased with audience response during and after his
presentation. At the very least, now there are a few less people who
believe Nanotechnology was invented by Gene Roddenberry.
*****
CONFUSION IN HOOSIERLAND
According to Indiana state law, a person may grant friends or relatives
(or whomever) a "durable power of attorney" allowing that trusted
individual to reject artificially supplied nutrition or hydration for him
should he ever be terminally ill and incompetent. However, Indiana law
also DENIES a person the right to a "living will" for accomplishing the
same purpose.
Indiana House Bill 1001 was supposed to alleviate this inconsistency,
giving people the option of including discontinuation of nutrition or
hydration in their living wills. On January 22, 1992, the measure was
defeated 43-55.
State representative Robert Hayes, author of this ill-fated piece of
logic, advised the following: "If I had a living will, I would tear it up
and go to my attorney and draft a durable power of attorney. They
shouldn't have both . . . because then it would be unduly confusing."
Understandably, this was disturbing news for ALCOR INDIANA members who
had provided for both documents. None of us like the prospect of being
caught in a vegetative condition while the authorities haggle over our soon-
to-be moot rights. When the time comes for us to enter cryonic suspension,
we'd prefer to do so immediately, with as many intact brain cells as
possible.
So what's our legal standing on the question of living wills? We don't
know. With some luck, we'll have more information by the next issue. In
the meantime, the editor of ALCOR INDIANA NEWSLETTER urges readers to
investigate laws pertaining to living wills and durable powers of attorney
in their own states. If YOU happen to be stuck in a similar legislative
bind, NOW is the time to find out.
*****
GOODBYE AND THANKS
As of December 12, 1991, Alcor Research Director Mike Darwin retired
from the organization to which he dedicated a full decade of his life. Due
in large part to Mr. Darwin's energy and enthusiasm, ALCOR grew from a
handful of members to the vital nationwide group it is today. While there
is no adequate way to thank Mr. Darwin for his contribution to cryonics, we
at ALCOR INDIANA would like to express our deepest gratitude and wish him a
long, happy life.
*****
CRYONICS YEAR IN REVIEW: 1991
** January 1st: The new year begins with an ALCOR Transport Technician
training session that turns into the suspension of ALCOR's 17th patient, an
elderly woman whose surgeon assisted ALCOR personnel by applying a Gortex
graft to the patient's aneurysm in order to simplify cryonics procedures.
** April: Cryonics Institute in Michigan confirms the reception of a
frozen Norwegian patient and the suspension of an elderly CI member who
deanimated due to cancer. (No details were available.)
** May: Dr. James Bedford, the "First Man Frozen" (January 23, 1967) is
transferred from his obsolete horizontal cryocapsule to one of ALCOR's new
"Big Foot" dewars. After 24 years in suspension, he appears in excellent
condition.
** June: ALCOR holds another Transport Technician training session
(attended by ALCOR INDIANA members Stephen Bridge and Robert Schwarz).
Unlike the last two such sessions, this one is not interrupted by a
suspension.
** July 10: Jerry Leaf, 50, cryonics pioneer and ALCOR's chief
perfusionist, deanimates from a sudden heart attack. With the help of a
court order by Judge Aurelio Munoz, ALCOR recovers Mr. Leaf from the
Medical Examiner and performs the best suspension possible. Ironically,
Mr. Leaf undergoes four hours of warm ischemia prior to the procedure, far
longer than most of the patients he cared for so well.
** August 2: The mother of a Canadian ALCOR member deanimates in a
Winnipeg hospital. The member, a fully trained ALCOR technician, almost
single-handedly performs successful stabilization procedures and transports
his mother to the ALCOR facility in California.
** October 8: Cryonics Institute founding member Walter Runkel, 75,
deanimates from a lung ailment and is suspended by that organization.
** November: The County of Riverside settles out of court (for $90,000 and
the return of seized property) with ALCOR members who filed suit for False
Arrest during the 1988 "Dora Kent Incident." (In January, 1988, Dora Kent
went into cryonic suspension as a neuropatient. In blatant overreaction to
a mortuary's report, deputies for the Riverside County Coroner's Office
raided the ALCOR facility, confiscated equipment, and arrested six ALCOR
members. All charges were later dropped.)
** December 12: ALCOR suspends a 41-year-old male cancer victim. For the
first time, perfusion is carried out in a patient's home, an eight-hour
drive from Riverside in ALCOR's ambulance. ALCOR personnel receive full
cooperation from the attending physician.
*****
WHAT THE HECK IS "ALCOR INDIANA"?
ALCOR INDIANA is an unincorporated group of ALCOR suspension members
who have banded together to help ensure each other's eventual cryonic
suspension. Monthly meetings are informal, and open to anyone who calls
ahead of time. Subscriptions to the semi-monthly ALCOR INDIANA NEWSLETTER
are at present free of charge.
For information on ALCOR INDIANA meetings, newsletter subscriptions,
ALCOR LIFE EXTENSION FOUNDATION, or cryonics in general, call Richard Shock
(days: (317) 872-3070; evenings: (317) 769-4252) or Stephen W. Bridge
((317) 357-9910). Steve Bridge E-mail
Regular mail: Richard Shock, ed., Alcor Indiana Newsletter,
670 S. St. Rd. 421 N., Zionsville IN 46077.
Steve Bridge, 1208 Charleston E. Dr., Indianapolis IN 46219.
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