Luke Parrish wrote:

"The negativity level sucks. I would rather see more positive ideas discussed. FD and Melody are certainly intelligent enough to do more than criticize."

"Out of curiousity, is there any validity to the criticisms? Just answering a few questions (even indirectly) would be reassuring. Is there any interesting news from the company that you would feel like sharing?"

I agree with you in that the negativity level sucks. I believe there are people here in this blog who are intelligent and could make a positive contribution, but some of the bloggers have told me more than once that they lack the time because they are too busy; although, there is a gluttony of time for negative chatter. I question whether or not people such as this are genuinely concerned about the welfare of cryonics, for the members of cryonics, or even serving the greater good. Yes, you might find some effort to make a contribution, but it is not much more than a token of gesture. And for those, whose feathers are ruffled, please prove me wrong on this point because it would put a smile on my face.

I don't want to speak on behalf of any of the service providers, but I believe that constructive criticism and tolerance for such is healthy, whether or not any of us agree with the various points of view. Unfortunately, for some, it is easier to run around and burn down hospitals than build them; Gandhi and Mandela would have understood this, but I don't think we can expect any humanitarian awards coming out of this blog. CF is a bully environment where people can trash each other in hopes of feeling better about their own inadequacy and failure, with nothing more than a mild slap on the hand- shy of those who bully back.

Yes, there is news I find interesting, but I don't want to step out on the slope of being the spokesperson. The SCPC has been talked about previously, and it is clear (in my view) this is the way to go in conjunction with medical professionals. So it is safe to say that I'm pleased with the direction that cryonics has taken on this subject. On the other hand, weaknesses will continue all the way into the hospital operating room some decade from now, but we must push on despite our weaknesses.

I notice no one has attempted to disagree with Mathew here, presumably because what he says is not only eloquent but pretty much irrefutable. \