To Learn Something New Every Day
Cryonics
One Great Stock
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Voluntary Extinction Society?!!!
My thoughts exactly, when I first saw the entry in Wikipedia. But
why was I reading about it in the first place?
Well, sometimes--when I'm in the mood to learn something new--I hit
Wikipedia's "Random article" button.
Frequently I have to hit the button several times before something
interesting comes up; I don't really care about English
footballers, distant galaxies or obscure German heavy metal bands.
But eventually, I always find something interesting.
So, assuming you're as unfamiliar with the Voluntary Human
Extinction Movement as I was, I'll give you a brief look at the
movement here--and then contrast it with some people who feel very
differently.
Spearheaded by Les U. Knight, who found his compass as a college
student in the 1970s, the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement
proposes that mankind is a blight on the environment.
Les argues that humans are the most destructive force on the
planet, we have been responsible for the extinction of numerous
species, and our ongoing exploitation of the planet will continue
to make it less habitable while causing the extinction of more and
more species. The logical choice, according to Knight, is voluntary
extinction of the human race by the simple process of stopping
human breeding, one person at a time.
The goal, remote as its achievement may be, is a human-free planet,
where all remaining life forms are free to live and evolve
naturally, as they did before humans began to muck things up.
Now, intellectually, I can understand Knight. If you accept his
premise that the "original" unspoiled earth is the ideal, his
stance makes sense. But I don't accept his premise, and thus I'm
happy to join the critics who denounce the Voluntary Human
Extinction Movement as a "Luddite bioconservative primitivist
cult."
And joining me, almost certainly, are the devotees of Cryonics,
who've had their bodies (or just their brains) preserved at
ultra-cold temperatures so their cells don't degrade, and so that
they might eventually be brought back to life when future
generations know how to accomplish that feat.
For the record, there are more than 200 of these people who want
more life than nature and contemporary medicine allotted them. They
have (or had) money. Their money will continue to prolong their
chilly existence (such as it is) long into the future. And they
include baseball legend Ted Williams (or rather his head).
As for the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement (VHEMT--pronounced
"vehement"), its numbers are uncounted, as there is no organization
and therefore no list. But its Facebook page has more than 3,500
"likes."
I'm not about to join either group, but the fact that they are both
out there is a reminder of the divergence of opinions (also known
as "realities") that are possible in our society.
And my sympathies are with the people who want to live some more!
They're the ones counting on continued human progress.
They're the optimists.
And historic trends are clearly on their side.
In brief, life on earth, as a whole, for humans, is getting better
and better and there's no sign this trend will stop.
The number of people living in extreme poverty--subsisting on less
than $1.25 per day--has fallen in every developing region of the
world in recent years.
As a result, the world met the United Nation's Millennium
Development Goals to cut poverty in half five years before its 2015
deadline.
The world also met its Millennium Development Goal of halving the
proportion of people without access to drinking water ... again
five years before its 2015 deadline.
Life is getting better for the world's moneyed people as well, like
the 35.1 million people who bought Apple iPhones in the first
quarter of this year.
An astounding 29% of them are in China, a very large country where
life has improved enormously in one generation.
I also see great improvements in global health care--though our
particular system is rife with inefficiencies.
I see great improvements in energy; the path to the end of the
hydrocarbon-based economy is in sight.
I see great improvements in communications--obvious to anyone who
looks.
Because of that increased communication, in which people worldwide
have access to the best knowledge, I see great improvements in
education.
With improvements in education come improvements in everything
else, as long as there are fertile young minds to make the changes.
So I wish those folks pinning their hopes on cryonics well. If
technical progress continues--and I'm sure it will--some of them
may well "live" again.
But I'm wondering about one little non-technical aspect of the
situation.
Will the first revived person get his death certificate
annulled, or will he get a new birth certificate and social
security number?
---
No, I'm not recommending a cryogenics stock today.
Instead, I'm recommending old favorite
Intuitive Surgical (
ISRG
)
, a company whose technology has made it the world leader in
robotic-assisted minimally invasive surgery.
Someday--who knows--it may be the world leader in cryogenics as
well; no doubt there are synergies.
But right now management has its hands full serving the booming
market for its machines--and disposables--as its machines are
approved for more surgical uses.
The stock was recommended on February 22 in
Cabot Market Letter
, in which editor Michael Cintolo wrote, "It used to be that the
Intuitive Surgical da Vinci surgical system was approved just for
prostate surgery. But over the years, the system's high-resolution
3-D imaging and minimally invasive incisions have proven so popular
that the da Vinci is now approved for use in a host of surgical
situations. Every system sold keeps generating continuing income
through replaceable supplies, which is why 2011 earnings hit $12.32
per share and 2012 is projected to hit $14.49 per share. The stock
is trading over 500, but the company's revenue and earnings growth
are still strong. This is a large-cap leader. BUY."
Since then the stock is up 15%.
Two weeks ago, I recommended the stock
here
, in an article that focused on six stocks breaking out to new
highs. Since then it's up another 7%, and I have little doubt it
will be higher in the months and years ahead.
So you could just rush in and buy here, but it would probably wiser
to take a look at the latest issue of
Cabot Market Letter
, and to learn about similar high-potential stocks.
Mike will also tell you when to sell!
Click here to learn more.
Yours in pursuit of wisdom and wealth,
Timothy Lutts
Publisher
Cabot Wealth Advisory