============================================================ Alcor News Bulletin ----------------------------- Number 30: September 22, 2004 ============================================================ This bulletin is sent via email to anyone who has requested it. Please do not reply to this message; the news server at alcornews.org does not receive email. Send any comments, suggestions, or complaints to the editor, Mike Perry, Subscribe/unsubscribe information is at the end of this message. The layout of Alcor News is best viewed using a monospaced font such as Courier. Contents are copyright 2004 by Alcor Foundation but permission is granted to reprint any whole news item, so long as Alcor is credited as the source and the reprint includes our URL at www.alcornews.org. ============================================================ Authors This Issue: Jennifer Chapman [JC], Tanya Jones [TJ], Michael Riskin, Joe Waynick [JW]. ------------------------------------------------------------ In This Issue: * Fiscal Policy * Public Relations * Comprehensive Standby * Southern California Transport Team Recruitment * Pet Population Grows by One * _Cryonics_ Magazine * Legal Update * Board Elections Held * Hugh Hixon Resigns from Alcor's Board * Membership Statistics * Next Board Meeting ------------------------------------------------------------ Fiscal Policy I have said many times in public and in private that I am a staunch fiscal conservative and to-date my primary focus has been on the stabilization of Alcor's operating budget. We have totally changed our accounting methodology so that we can provide financial statements with greater reporting detail than ever before. Our revamped fund accounting system gives us the ability to analyze, forecast, and adjust our fiscal practices and implement real-time budgeting. This achievement has not come about without making a number of hard spending choices, the adoption of a more stringent Purchase Order approval policy, reductions in administrative staff, enforcement of standby payment requirements and stepped-up collection efforts of past due Membership Dues. We have also produced a consolidated Income and Expense statement, consolidated Balance Sheet, and our first ever real-time consolidated Variance Report for more timely and accurate cost containment. [JW] ------------------------------------------------------------ Public Relations WalshCOMM has been very busy assisting Alcor with several strategic projects designed to help us be more effective with the general public. They recently oversaw the filming of what appears will be a very favorable segment of a documentary on low temperature technology to be aired on November 22nd in the History Channel's "Tactical to Practical" series. They are also organizing a number of media events and personal appearances by Alcor personnel in New York, California and Arizona. They also recently completed a research study with the objective of assisting us to identify target markets in which we can be most effective, classify attitudes and perceptions about cryonics by present and former members, and write articles for publication. [JW] ------------------------------------------------------------ Comprehensive Standby Details about the implementation of the new Comprehensive Standby plan will be released in the July/August _Cryonics_ magazine (currently in development, see more on the magazine below). A communication schedule for the membership for electronic, print, and postal dissemination of the plan has been developed and will be discussed. Under the Comprehensive Standby Program currently in development all members will be entitled to standby services at no additional cost when they are diagnosed as terminally ill. There will also be elective standby services available in situations where members are hospitalized for planned surgery. However, elective standby services will be at an additional cost to the member. Clearly defined definitions of elective vs. non-elective standby services will be communicated to the membership. In conjunction with the implementation of Comprehensive Standby, new funding minimums will be announced at the beginning of 2005 as well as a reasonable membership dues increase to fund standbys for all members. Offering Comprehensive Standby to the membership represents the addition of a significant benefit to all members at a modest incremental cost. Today, recommended standby funding levels start at $20,000 per member. Last minute standby services require a minimum $30,000 payment in advance. These sums are well out of the reach of many of our members. Comprehensive Standby eliminates those financial barriers at a tiny fraction of the cost and vastly improves the quality of care Alcor is able to offer. Stay tuned for the July/August issue of _Cryonics_ magazine for more information. [JW] ------------------------------------------------------------ Southern California Transport Team Recruitment Plans are in place to initiate the southern California transport team recruiting drive on Sunday, September 26. Assuming success in this recruiting drive, we hope to shore up the transport team with more personnel and to begin more formalized training with the next training session. The OSHA documentation I've been developing will be of assistance in this, as OSHA has specific requirements about what information should be conveyed to personnel with the potential for exposure to bloodborne pathogens. Once southern California tests this party-model for recruiting, we'll do the same thing in the northern California area, which is in more severe need of training and personnel. If this proves successful and we can continue the development of training materials, we should be able to export this process to other regions as well. Contact Event Coordinator Michael Geisen (mrgeisen200) for more information or directions to the event. [TJ] ------------------------------------------------------------ Pet Population Grows by One We've added another pet to our patient population, bringing our current companion animal total to 27. This was a neuro cat who died a couple weeks ago, but whose owner was sufficiently familiar with cryonics to place his cat on ice, then dry ice, while the paperwork was being completed. [TJ] ------------------------------------------------------------ _Cryonics_ Magazine Adapting to a more aggressive publishing schedule has been problematic due to unexpected events requiring staff attention and production glitches beyond the control of Alcor. We have developed a much more flexible content gathering formula that allows plenty of time to write, edit, and typeset articles and graphics on a regular schedule. We currently have two back issues ready for publication. One is being distributed during the week of September 20th. The second will go out the first week of October. The balance of the 2004 issues will go out monthly to get back on track. This will be possible because content for the remaining issues has already been selected. Authorship has been spread among a wider group, thereby relieving the workload on Alcor staff. In addition, new suppliers have been located to eliminate production bottlenecks. [JW] ------------------------------------------------------------ Legal Update Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Thomas Dunevant III recently ordered Alcor to present a document of gift for Ted Williams to nephews Ted and Sam Williams. It should be noted that Alcor was merely an ancillary third party in the legal dispute among family members over the disposition of Williams' body and that the Foundation was not accused of any wrongdoing. Alcor was entitled to obtain a court determination concerning the requirements of the Arizona Anatomical Gift Act before releasing the document of gift. The court order provides the necessary legal directive to release the document as required under this Act. Alcor plans to release the document as soon as a final judgment is signed by the court. [JW] ------------------------------------------------------------ Board Elections Held All existing members of the Board of Directors were reelected for another term on September 11, 2004. In addition, Dr. Jerry Lemler was added as the ninth and final director. [TJ] ------------------------------------------------------------ Hugh Hixon Resigns from Alcor's Board It is with deep regret that the Alcor Board of Directors accepts the resignation of Hugh Hixon as a Director, effective September 22. Hugh has served on the Alcor board for over 20 years and has decided for personal reasons to step down. Hugh will remain an Alcor employee and focus more attention and effort on expanding Alcor's research program including intermediate temperature maintenance, whole-body vitrification, and memory retention experiments. Hugh's institutional knowledge and considerable expertise will continue to be a valuable asset at Alcor Central for quite some time to come. On behalf of the Alcor Board of Directors, we all thank Hugh for his generous service. Michael Riskin, Chairman of the Board, Joe Waynick, CEO/President, Alcor Life Extension Foundation. ------------------------------------------------------------ Membership Statistics On August 31, 2004 Alcor had 679 members on its Emergency Responsibility List. Six memberships were approved during this month, no memberships were reinstated, no memberships were cancelled and no members were cryopreserved. Overall, there was a net gain of six members this month. At the end of this month Alcor had 117 applicants for membership. With a month-end total of 118 last month, there was a net loss of one applicant with six incoming applicants being added. [JC] ------------------------------------------------------------ Next Board Meeting The next Board meeting is scheduled for Saturday, October 2, 2004 at 11:00 AM (PST), also 11:00 AM local Arizona time. Board meetings are held on the first Saturday of the month at the Alcor facility (7895 East Acoma Drive in Scottsdale, AZ). Members (and the general public) are encouraged to attend. ============================================================ End of Alcor News bulletin #30 dated September 22, 2004. Distribution: 565 subscribers. To subscribe to Alcor News, visit www.alcornews.org and follow instructions on the web site, or send a blank piece of email to alcornews with the single word subscribe in the subject line. You will receive email asking you to verify your request for Alcor News. 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