Alcor on Facebook and MySpace

Alcor now has a presence on Facebook and MySpace.

The Cryonics Special Interest Group on Facebook is intended to provide a medium for those interested in cryonics or other recovery and regenerative technologies to connect, share information, and coordinate geographic socials or working groups of like-minded individuals. This group includes, but is not limited to, people enrolled in cryonics programs. It is open to anyone interested in cryonics – its appearance and use in fiction, its social and environmental aspects, and the current state of this technology.

Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=19229333920
MySpace Page: http://www.myspace.com/alcor_foundation

Alcor Board of Directors Elects New Member

On November 3, 2007, Alcor elected Ravin Jain as its newest member to the Board of Directors.

Dr. Ravin Jain is a neurologist practicing in the Los Angeles area and also serves as Assistant Clinical Professor of Neurology at the UCLA School of Medicine. He attended Northwestern University, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a double major in geology and integrated sciences. He received his M.D. from Baylor College of Medicine. At Baylor, he was a recipient of the Presidential Scholarship. He did residency training in internal medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. His neurology residency was done at the UCLA Medical Center. He also completed a fellowship in Clinical Neurophysiology and Neuromuscular Disease at UCLA. He is a Diplomat of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. He has been a suspension member of Alcor since 1989 and a member of the Alcor Medical Advisory Board since 1999.

Volunteer Opportunities at Alcor

Non-profit organizations like Alcor depend on volunteers to improve the bottom line. Unfortunately, some of our most enthusiastic members live too far away to help out at the Alcor facility in Arizona. To rectify this situation, we are happy to announce the addition of the Volunteer Opportunities page to the website, which lists volunteer opportunities that may be completed remotely.

Please bookmark and check back frequently if you don’t see an opportunity that suits your skills — we’ll be updating the list as projects move forward.

Southern California Regional Coordinator Resigns

Peter Voss, Alcor’s southern California Regional Coordinator, has resigned. He continues to store the California emergency transport vehicle and stabilization supplies until a replacement is found.

Cryopreservation and Related Cases

One pet cryopreservation was performed on a member’s beloved cat in October. Alcor now has 33 pets in its care.

An elderly, long-time member in California suffered a pair of apparent seizures recently. He was briefly hospitalized and released after a period of overnight observation. After additional tests were completed, Alcor personnel visited this member in San Diego to assess his condition. The member continues to be cared for by a close relative and Alcor will monitor his condition through close contact.

Probate Matters: The A-1097 probate is nearing conclusion, and the executor is preparing to close the estate, now that all taxes are filed and paid. Alcor has been reimbursed for the renovations made to this patient’s property, which was bequeathed to Alcor and is on the market in California.

Conference

The 7th Alcor Conference was held in early October. Of the paid registrants, 40 were members of Alcor and 43 were non-members. Total attendance was approximately 125 people, including registrants, staff, speakers, sponsors, volunteers, press and other special guests. A total of $14,500 in sponsorships was collected. The conference DVD will be professionally edited and pre-orders are now being accepted on the Alcor webstore: www.shop.alcor.org

Membership Matters

Approximately 85 Alcor members are over 90 days past due on their membership dues. Alcor is actively attempting to reach them for payment or payment arrangements. Timely payment of membership dues is required to remain a member in good standing.

The 2007 Membership Directory was mailed out this week. Alcor took the opportunity to include a form for confirming the correct contact information for each member, which is important for ensuring we can reach them in an emergency or if their life insurance lapses, etc.

As of October 31, 2007, Alcor had 832 members, following approval of seven new memberships. Five new applicants were added, two of whom applied at the 7th Alcor Conference.

Events

Alcor’s Tanya Jones spoke at the Foresight Vision Weekend in Sunnyvale, California, and an Alcor member handed out literature at the Calorie Restriction Society conference in San Antonio, Texas. Attendees at the Calorie Restriction Society conference are devoted to longevity, and two new applicants for membership with Alcor have resulted thus far.

From September Membership Report

On August 31, 2007, Alcor had 829 members on its Emergency Responsibility List. Four 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 four members this month. Currently, there are 712 cryopreservation members and 77 patients.

Alcor has 38 applicants for membership. There were 155 information packets mailed and 10 were handed out during facility tours. The average total of 119 info packs sent per month in 2007 is compared to 164 in 2006.

From September Marketing Report

7th Alcor Conference
Attendance for the 7th Alcor Conference is good at about 100 attendees, though not a large as 2006. The crowd make-up is very similar to last year, in that only about half of the registrants are already members of Alcor. The next conference will be likely be held in 18-24 months. Thanks to our sponsors this year, who contributed $14,000 in support of this event: Life Extension Foundation, Michael Fleischmann, Patrice Levin & Nigel Kell, Immortality Institute, Hospice of the Valley, Cryonics Property LLC, Andrew Popper, Novamente, The Longevity Meme, Betterhumans, The Calorie Restriction Society, and Rudi Hoffman.

Events
Alcor had a presence at the Singularity Summit held in Stanford, California, and Dragon-Con held in Atlanta, Georgia. Literature about Alcor was distributed at both events, and a panel presentation was conducted at the latter.