Here at Weekend Reads Global Headquarters, we read at least a dozen reports, papers, and other documents every week looking for the choicest morsels to bring to you. For a “read” to make the cut, it must say something interesting, unusual, or counterintuitive — we all already have too much boring stuff to read. But it also must be readable to someone who doesn’t have an advanced degree in the field; perhaps not entirely readable, but enough so you and I can understand what it’s saying and how it reached its conclusions.
There’s an old adage: “Money can’t buy happiness.” Unlike most sayings, this is one researchers can try to verify — and they have, though with conflicting results. This weekend’s read is an attempt to resolve that conflict.
Despite the shift in rhetoric, the City Attorney’s Office may not have changed as much under Ann Davison as you’d think.
by Guy Oron
(This article was originally published on Real Change and has been reprinted under an agreement.)
When Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison took office, she pledged to bring “quiet, behind-the-scenes” leadership and integrity to the law department. Her election was hotly contested, narrowly beating out abolitionist public defender Nicole Thomas-Kennedy in what many perceived to be a conservative “backlash” election.
This weekend’s read is a document outlining the results from a recent poll commissioned by the Downtown Seattle Association (DSA) and the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. Both organizations are trade associations that count many downtown-based businesses as members, and both work to influence the City’s political outcomes on behalf of their members. This poll — and the fact that they are publishing the results — appears to be an attempt to nudge the complex topic of public safety in a certain direction during an important election year — evidenced by the fact that they chose to survey “likely voters.”
This weekend’s read is a report from the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research looking at racial disparities in whom the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) decides to audit.
This weekend’s read is a recent article by three Hispanic economics professors who have been attempting to unravel what’s known as the “Hispanic health paradox.” Here is their description of the paradox:
“Hispanics in the United States tend to have lower household income, education, and health insurance coverage when compared to non-Hispanic Whites. Despite these economic disadvantages, paradoxically, Hispanics have displayed an equality with or even advantages over other minority groups and non-Hispanic Whites across a wide range of health outcomes.”
According to a 2022 NASA report, the global sea level is rising due to human-influenced climate change, and by 2050 is expected to rise by as much as 12 inches. According to many in city, state, and federal leadership positions, that was clearly demonstrated by the flooding in Seattle’s South Park neighborhood on Dec. 27, 2022. Since a consensus is forming that the water is rising, the funding needs for short-term and long-term resilience plans are being prioritized.
This weekend’s read is a new report by the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation looking at how K-12 teachers have responded to recently imposed limitations on discussion of race- and gender-related topics in classrooms. Spoiler alert: The report is titled “Walking on Eggshells.” It analyzes data from the 2022 American Instructional Resources Survey of 1,452 teachers.
