Just in time for the weekend: Our mixtape of interesting reads.
Want your recommendation to be featured next week? Send me a link to something interesting you’ve read about San Diego or how other communities are dealing with issues we face here and tell me why you read it or recommend it.
Here are this week’s picks:
• Andrew Donohue, editor, tweeted about “The Friday Podcast: Is Hosting The Super Bowl Worth It?“:
.@planetmoney deconstructs the economic benefits of hosting a Super Bowl n.pr/y9ASOj
— Andrew Donohue (@AndrewDonohue) February 16, 2012
More from Donohue: “One of the reasons regularly cited for supporting a taxpayer-financed stadium in San Diego is the ability to host Super Bowls, and the economic boost that comes from that. Economists have long questioned those, and this does a good job of explaining why. Good listening for anyone tuned into the new Chargers stadium discussion.”
Bonus Donohue! He recommended a second piece too, tweeting about: “The New Haven Experiment“:
Relevant today in SD RT @NickKristof: My column on teachers’ unions. If this is real, I’ll eat my criticisms of them. nyti.ms/wPoPsk
— Andrew Donohue (@AndrewDonohue) February 16, 2012
• Scott Lewis, CEO, tweeted about “Hedge Funds Pay Top Dollar for Washington Intelligence“:
The difference between journalists and “political intelligence” professionals. Discuss. online.wsj.com/article/SB1000…
— Scott Lewis (@vosdscott) February 16, 2012
• Rob Davis, senior writer, on “Reversal of Fortune“:
This story about legacy oil pollution in Ecuador is the best environmental story I’ve read in a long time. I saw the 60 Minutes piece mentioned in this, which introduced the issue (Chevron faces a potential $18 billion fine for damage from oil extraction in Ecuador). The TV piece made Chevron look terrible and stopped there. This story picks up right where 60 Minutes left off, and exposes a side of environmentalism we don’t often see. It’s not a San Diego story but it’s an absolute must-read for anyone who follows issues about utilities, the environment or the media.
• Liam Dillon, City Hall reporter, tweeted about “Redevelopment agencies’ exit creates $900 million problem for schools“:
Unintended consequence! Unintended consequence! vosd.org/xSUORA
— Liam Dillon (@dillonliam) February 14, 2012
More from Dillon: “It’s no secret the end of redevelopment will be messy. But no one knows how. Here’s one way.”
• Will Carless, investigative reporter, on “A Field Trip to a Strange New Place: Second Grade Visits the Parking Garage“:
Great NYT piece on teaching kids by taking them on “sidewalk field trips.”
• Sandy Coronilla, investigative intern, on “School reformer urges California to change teacher tenure rules“:
Michelle Rhee, former head of schools in D.C., is on a California tour! She advocates against teacher tenure as a way of improving education. With S.D. Unified’s troubles, could this be a solution?
• Me on “Even Critics of Safety Net Increasingly Depend on It“:
Since working on a series two years ago on county social service programs with my colleague Kelly Bennett, stories on different pieces of the safety net have piqued my interest. This New York Times story looks at how some folks who receive help struggle to square it with their political beliefs.
Dagny Salas is the web editor at voiceofsandiego.org. You can contact her directly at dagny.salas@voiceofsandiego.org or 619.550.5669.
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