notanotherbookreview

Humans now have the possibility of editing our genome (NY Times  (3/20). Ethicists are discussing the implications of being able to  not just produce physically beautiful and intellectually superior people,  but to pass down those traits forever. Of course scientists have already edited the genomes of mice and other lesser mammals,  though how that might change the planet doesn’t seem to be  a concern. Superior mice simply exist to show the procedure will  work on humans, the leap from mice to men is a small step. This procedure, considered relatively easy, is sure to catch on. Manipulating gender by aborting females is already a norm in  some countries, so look out for a world of smart pretty people.  Will this boon, the most coveted of human fantasies, be widely available? Or will the process quickly disappear from public view,  controlled by a group of mega corporations? In the 1980’s, when I began my novel PAR...

http://maglomaniac.com/breaking-hard-health-care-industry-might-consider-divorcing-insurance-industry/ POLITICS AND NEWS 0 Breaking Up Is Hard To Do: Why Our Health Care Industry Might Consider Divorcing The Insurance Industry BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO: Why our health care industry might consider divorcing the insurance industry–a marriage of great inconvenience. A contrarian look, as the deadline nears for the new year of the health insurance marketplace. It was always an uneasy marriage, brokered by the Nixon Administration, when its patrons in the life insurance […] Written by:  Susan Weinstein 2014/12/15 5:20 AM BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO: Why our health care industry might consider divorcing the insurance industry–a marriage of great inconvenience. A contrarian look, as the deadline nears for the new year of the health insurance marketplace.It was always an uneasy marriage, brokered by the Nixon Administration, when its patrons in the life in...

POLITICS AND NEWS 0 The Making of A.D.D./A.D.H.D. I want to offer another perspective on the origins of this much diagnosed disorder, besides the Savannah analogy and the effect of technology, both old “saws” recently offered in an NY Times Opinion piece.  The Savannah theory holds that the DNA of those with the disorder is really a genetic throwback to hunters, whose”hyper” qualities […] Written by:  Susan Weinstein 2014/11/11 8:46 AM I want to offer another perspective on the origins of this much diagnosed disorder, besides the Savannah analogy and the effect of technology, both old “saws” recently offered in an NY Times Opinion piece.  The Savannah theory holds that the DNA of those with the disorder is really a genetic throwback to hunters, whose”hyper” qualities enhanced survival. The effect of technology, speeding up young minds, an occasion for hand-wringing, has no change in sight. I want to underscore some practical history....

HALLOWEEN! (originally published in Maglomaniac) It Started In The Primeval Ooze Of My Father’s Ancient PC In some way, I think it was my fault. I’m twelve and sick of the idiotic “nanny cam” he got to watch me, thinking I don’t know he’s a paranoid idiot who wants to know what his daughter’s doing all the time. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, he said, “but sometimes I wonder ..."  Written by:  Susan I. Weinstein 2014/10/24 5:39 AM In some way, I think it was my fault. I’m twelve and sick of the idiotic “nanny cam” he got to watch me, thinking I don’t know he’s a paranoid idiot who wants to know what his daughter’s doing all the time. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, he said, “but sometimes I wonder if you’re getting any sleep, staying up all night on that laptop your mother got you in a fit of insanity.” Okay if my grades weren’t just passing, I might have had more clout. But if he hadn’t been so lame as to confuse nanny programs with ...

“Uh-oh, Woody, Manhattan may be in peril. Pre-Internet, pre-Kardashian, pre A-Rod New York is the setting for Susan I. Weinstein’s sneaky funny, ever-seductive, refreshingly unconventional novel, The Anarchist’s Girlfriend. It’s quite a head-spinning read. And no wonder, for Weinstein is a boldly creative, highly visual writer whose narrative moves with distinctive rhythms; she has a laser eye for hypocrisy and detail, and hits you fast with lots of stuff. Best of all, her imagined parallel universe here is occupied by a Rolodex of indelibly unique characters—starting with AG herself—unlikely to be found elsewhere. Well, at least not on this planet; UFOs come to mind. A truly original work.” HOWARD ROSENBERG, FORMER LA TIMES TV CRITIC New Review! The Anarchist’s Girlfriend, a novel by Susan Weinstein; Pelekinesis Publishing Group Known only as the AG, the anarchist’s girlfriend is a fey beauty with ESP, and an unlikely Go-Go Dancer in an out-of-the-way Brooklyn bar. The Anar...