Steve Mencher

Biography: Steve writes about culture, politics, the news, and other subjects for AARP. He's also a jazz musician with the Willis Gidney Quintet. He has worked for Carnegie Hall, NPR and the Library of Congress as an audio, video and multimedia producer.

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Steve Mencher 'sPosts

Are We Teaching Our Next Generation the Right Stuff?

Posted on 06/19/2013 by Steve Mencher | News, Culture, Sights and Sounds | Comments

Bulletin Today | PoliticsI was on break from college, and proud to tell dad about my new major. “General Studies in the Humanities” sounded cool to me, but he was less impressed. “What the hell use will that be in world?” he wanted to know. “I’ll be a better human,” I snarked, stumped for a better answer. A report released today would have helped my case with dad. The Heart of the Matter comes from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences’ Commission …

Elder Abuse Awareness Day: 7 Ways You Can Help

Posted on 06/14/2013 by Steve Mencher | News, Culture, Sights and Sounds | Comments

Bulletin Today | Caregiving | Home & FamilyIt’s easy to miss elder abuse. Austin, Texas. Mid-1980s. I’m sitting at lunch with a casual friend, who is living with and taking care of her mom. Mom is slack-jawed, with a vacant stare, but she knows what she wants: her portion, and more, of the french fries she’s sharing with her daughter. As mom reaches for one more fry, my friend’s hand flashes out, spearing her mom’s hand with a fork. Mom’s reaction is much quieter than it should …

Court: Nobody Can Patent Your Genes … What Does That Mean?

Posted on 06/13/2013 by Steve Mencher | News, Culture, Sights and Sounds | Comments

Bulletin Today | Personal Health | PoliticsSC: “A naturally occurring DNA segment is a product of nature and is not patent eligible merely because it has been isolated” Woo Hoo!!! — Francis S. Collins (@NIHDirector) June 13, 2013 That tweet came from the director of the National Institutes of Health, Francis S. Collins. Why is Collins so giddy? Because the Supreme Court ruled June 13 that nobody can patent your genes. (Read full decision .pdf) Collins and others at NIH, like Eric Green, M.D., the …

Who Supports NSA Surveillance and Who Doesn’t

Posted on 06/12/2013 by Steve Mencher | News, Culture, Sights and Sounds | Comments

Bulletin Today | PoliticsAmericans of different ages don’t agree about government surveillance of their telephone and online communications, two new polls show. When it comes to the National Security Agency’s collecting and analyzing Americans’ phone records, 56 percent of adults of all ages support the idea. Those 50 to 64 are right in line with their younger counterparts, but those 65 and older are slightly more likely (61 percent) to support the idea. That’s according to a poll from the Pew Research Center …

Is ‘The Internship’ an Equal Opportunity Offender?

Posted on 06/11/2013 by Steve Mencher | News, Culture, Sights and Sounds | Comments

EntertainmentIt’s meant to be one of The Internship’s signature comedy bits. Failed watch salesman and Google summer intern Billy McMahon (Vince Vaughn) is trying to come up with a brand new app — if his team, which includes his buddy Nick Campbell (Owen Wilson) can create the coolest one, they’ll be a step closer to their dream of winning a full time job with the tech giant. The rest of the team, by the way, and nearly everyone else in …

Own a Smartphone? You’re Now in the New Majority

Posted on 06/5/2013 by Steve Mencher | News, Culture, Sights and Sounds | Comments

Bulletin Today | TechnologyI read the new report from the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project (Smartphone Ownership 2013) on my iPhone, walking down the street and trying not to get run over or crash into anything. At least I wasn’t driving … The news? A majority (56 percent) of Americans now own a smartphone, according to Pew. You may think it’s been that way forever, but Pew says we’ve just passed a tipping point. This is the first time that a …