X-Message-Number: 6895
Date: Fri, 13 Sep 1996 09:15:31 -0400 (EDT)
From: Charles Platt <>
Subject: Visser research

On Fri, 13 Sep 1996, Steve Bridge wrote:

>      I regret we cannot give a lot of details about the Visser 
> experiments yet, but we have *agreed* not to do so until Mrs. Visser's 
> paper is published.  After that we will enter into the speculation 
> and discussion with everyone else.  This is no different than various 
> privileged information Mike Darwin (for example) has had to hold over 
> the past several years until appropriate steps were completed.  I don't see 
> why people seem to be upset over this.  The entire story will come 
> out in a few weeks.

Fair enough, and if Ms. Visser wants to keep the details secret for years,
rather than weeks, naturally that's her prerogative. And you're quite
right, Steve, that Mike Darwin has delayed announcement of various
developments in the past. But on the other hand, Mike never asked for
$100,000 to pursue unspecified research by unspecified methods on an
unspecified timeframe using unspecified organs in an unspecified animal
model with unspecified personnel on an unspecified budget with unspecified
goals, and no hard information on how the results (if any) would be
shared. I would not say I'm "upset" about this (to use your word) but I 
am certainly astonished and bemused by it.

A few years ago, a prospectus was circulated for 21st Century Medicine, in
the hope of raising money primarily for research. As I recall, this was a
book containing more than 100 pages. It was criticized for lack of detail.
How can you possibly be surprised, Steve, if people now complain about
lack of detail when not even a single page has been circulated explaining
the research for which Dave Pizer is soliciting funds? 

Incidentally--in the interests of full disclosure, such as one might ask
from any charity--I seem to recall that above a certain threshold, Dave
receives a percentage of funds that he raises for Alcor. I am assuming he
does not receive a percentage of funds that he would raise for the Visser
research. 

--CP


Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=6895