
CityLab Contributor Alexandra Lange Wins a Pulitzer Prize
By and Rthvika Suvarna
Save
We're thrilled to share that contributor Alexandra Lange has won the Pulitzer Prize in Criticism for her collection of essays in Bloomberg CityLab. The series explores design and architecture approaches to make urban spaces more family-friendly, including in housing, public spaces and cultural institutions.
The Pulitzer board praised the pieces 'for graceful and genre-expanding writing about public spaces for families, deftly using interviews, observations and analysis to consider the architectural components that allow children and communities to thrive.'

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Yahoo
Giant Endangered Manta Ray Roughly Taken from Florida Waters to Be Put Into Captivity with Official Approval
'I mean, he was in pain. That animal was in pain," a witness alleged of the aquatic animal Florida locals are calling out state authorities after a dolphin tours company saw a crew capturing an endangered giant manta ray earlier this month. In a now-viral reel first shared to Facebook by Panama City Beach-based Water Planet USA on July 12, staff aboard the touring company's boat recorded video of five men roughly removing the fish from its natural habitat and placing it in a small pool for transport. 'Unfortunately, on todays tour- we witnessed a heartbreaking scene,' the video's caption read. The clip has since been shared by local outlets, including WPLG and the Orlando Sentinel, with the latter reporting that the giant endangered manta ray will be taken to SeaWorld Abu Dhabi, despite it being a protected species. Water Planet USA told its followers that they should be 'outraged' by what had taken place. 'This video shows a giant manta ray—perfectly healthy—harvested just off Panama City Beach under a permit held by Sea World. It's heartbreaking and unacceptable,' the post continued. Although catching manta rays is generally banned in Florida, the state can allow special licenses for purposes that "increase the public's knowledge and awareness of Florida's marine resources." The license to capture the manta ray on July 12 was issued by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which allowed for one of the animals to be captured for exhibition purposes, per the Sentinel. PEOPLE has reached out to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. "As a citizen of this country, you have the right and the moral obligation to address the issue with your local representatives, of our Government issuing permits for the cruel and inhumane capture of ocean mega fauna such as the giant manta ray for public display, especially if our marine resources are exported overseas for gainful purposes,' Denis Richard of Water Planet USA, who was present when the video was filmed, told PEOPLE in a statement. 'These permits are a disgrace and an insult to our country's and the world's scientific community," Richard continued. No one from Water Planet USA appeared on-camera, but someone from their boat could be heard yelling, 'Let him go! You should be ashamed of yourselves!' SeaWorld Abu Dhabi opened in May 2023 and operates as a research, rescue & rehabilitation center. It is the first SeaWorld park outside of the U.S. and the first park without orcas. It is also the largest indoor marine-life theme park. However, Richard says that's still not good enough. 'The risks of that manta ray being traumatized and possibly dying in that process are very high because they are a very sensitive species,' the Water Planet USA founder and CEO told the Orlando Sentinel. He told WPLG his thoughts on witnessing the capture: 'I was horrified, and everybody on board was really upset," Richard told WPLG of witnessing the capture. 'I mean, he was in pain. That animal was in pain.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Giant manta rays are the world's largest ray with a wingspan of up to 26 feet, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service, a U.S. federal agency within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This species of rays has 'highly fragmented populations,' and their main threats are commercial fishing, the agency said. It is considered a threatened species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. PEOPLE was not immediately able to reach SeaWorld Abu Dhabi for comment. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
'I did my best': Teacher dies after rescuing 20 kids from Bangladesh plane crash
'I did my best': Teacher dies after rescuing 20 kids from Bangladesh plane crash "Those kids are my kids too," Mahreen Chowdhury told her husband as she lay dying in hospital. Just hours earlier, the teacher had been standing at the entrance to Milestone School and College in the Bangladesh capital of Dhaka, preparing to hand the second- to fifth-grade students over to their parents. But in a split second, what had been an unremarkable Monday lunchtime turned to horror. A Bangladesh Air Force fighter jet crashed into a two-storey building, bursting into flames. Chowdhury - realising there were students still in the building's classrooms - ran back into the burning wreckage. ADVERTISEMENT "I did my best to pull out about 20 to 25 people - as much as I could," Chowdhury's husband Mansur Helal recalls her saying, moments before she was put on ventilation at the intensive care unit of Dhaka's National Burn Institute. "I don't know what happened after that." Chowdhury died later on Monday: in the process of rescuing the children, she had suffered burns to almost 100% of her body. She was among the at least 31 people killed in the accident - 25 of whom are children. Monday's crash marks the deadliest aviation disaster Bangladesh has seen in decades [Getty Images] Bangladesh's armed forces said that the F7 jet had experienced a mechanical fault after taking off for a training exercise just after 13:00 local time (07:00 GMT) on Monday, and that the pilot, Flight Lieutenant Md. Taukir Islam, had tried to steer to a less crowded area. He was among those killed. ADVERTISEMENT The crash marks the deadliest aviation disaster the country has seen in decades. More than 160 people were injured, with an on-duty doctor at the Uttara Adhunik Medical College Hospital saying most were aged between 10 and 15 years old, many suffering from jet fuel burns. More than 50, including children and adults, were taken to hospital with burns, a doctor at the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery said. Mr Helal told BBC Bangla that he first called his wife after hearing the news of the plane crash. When she didn't answer, he asked his eldest son to go to the school and find out what had happened. Soon after, he received a call from an ambulance driver telling him that his wife was being taken to the burns unit at Uttara Modern Medical Hospital. She would later be taken to the ICU. At least 25 children were killed after the plane crashed into the school and burst into flames [Getty Images] Mr Helal said Chowdhury apologised to him from her hospital bed, shortly before being placed on ventilation. As he recalled their final moments together, he broke down in tears. ADVERTISEMENT "She was still alive. She spoke the highest words with great mental strength. Because almost its hundred percent burn inner and outer," he said. Chowdhury worked at Milestone School and College for 17 years, having first joined as a teacher before being promoted to become a coordinator in the Bangla department for classes two to five. She was buried on Tuesday in her home district of Nilphamari, in northern Bangladesh, as flags flew at half mast across the country in a day of mourning for the victims. Hundreds of protesters have called for crash victims to be named and compensation for victims' families, among other things [Getty Images] Muhammad Yunus, the leader of Bangladesh's interim government, has said that an investigation committee has been formed to look into the incident. Across Dhaka on Tuesday, hundreds of protesting students took to the streets to demand an accurate death toll and the resignation of the education adviser – many of them breaking through the main gate of the federal government secretariat, according to local TV footage. ADVERTISEMENT Police fired tear gas and used sound grenades to disperse the crowd, leaving dozens of people injured, witnesses said. The protesters called for the crash victims to be named, as well as compensation for victims' families, the decommissioning of what they said were old and dangerous jets, and a change to air force training procedures. The Bangladesh air disaster comes just weeks after neighbouring India witnessed the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade. An Air India passenger plane bound for London's Gatwick airport crashed shortly after taking off in Ahmedabad, western India, on 12 June, killing 260 people. The crash killed 242 people on board the flight and 19 others on the ground, with only one survivor from the plane.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
No, You Aren't Obligated to Feed Your Kids' Friends, but Here's Why It Might Be Worth It
All it takes is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to make your home feel like the safest place in the world. Once your kid is old enough for playdates, you might find that your days after school and on the weekends are taken up by a rotating cast of friends coming through your door—especially as your children get older. Typically that's a good thing—we can only hope that our kids form strong bonds with their peers, and that our homes feel like a warm, welcoming space—at least until they all start raiding your pantry. One mom found herself wondering what the proper etiquette is for parents who feel as though they are constantly feeding other peoples' kids. 'Are we expected to be feeding these kids lunch if they are over when my kids are going to eat? Can I just send them home and tell them to come back later? What is protocol these days?' she asked Reddit. Are Parents Obligated to Feed Their Kids' Friends? The answer really depends on your family's values—there isn't necessarily a right or wrong way to approach it. If you have the means (and a fully stocked pantry and refrigerator) you might have no problem freely offering food anytime your kid has a playdate or friends over. 'I want my home to feel like a second home to [my kid's friends] so they feel welcome and seen. I'm grateful they show up and spend time with us and feel comfortable,' wrote one commenter. If you have no issue opening up your home to hoards of hungry kids, one caveat is that you should 'talk to parents first about any allergies or diet restrictions if the child isn't able to clearly and confidently communicate them to me themselves,' as another commenter pointed out. It's also just as valid to feel as though your budget doesn't allow for many kids other than your own to eat through your weekly groceries—or that you are too busy with chores or taking care of your other kids to prepare a meal for their friends. 'To Have a Village, You Have to Be a Villager' That being said, if you do decide that you're not able to feed your kids friends, there are some downsides—it might mean giving up a sense of community and camaraderie with other families in your neighborhood. Parents say, 'they have no village and want a village yet also don't want to take actions that would set the building blocks for said village. A village doesn't just magically appear unless we as parents put ourselves out there somehow. This is exactly how you begin to create a community—providing light snacks or lunch for a few kids and then the hope is that eventually other parents return the favor and you start to build a village,' wrote one commenter. Providing Snacks for Friends Goes Beyond Satisfying Their Hunger Sometimes, all it takes is a handful of pretzels and an orange, not necessarily any elaborate meal, to make both your kids and their friends feel happy and comfortable. Depending on your values as a parent, you may create certain boundaries around snacking, like kids aren't welcome to rummage around the cabinets without asking first, or that they have to go home before dinner so you can have some one-on-one family time. But otherwise, feeding the neighborhood kids doesn't have to be high maintenance task. And it might feel more worth it when you remember that feeding your kids' friends isn't just about making sure that they don't go hungry. It's also about signaling to other kids and parents around you that your family is dependable, and that your home is a safe space. Even if all you can offer is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, to a child that really needs to feel welcomed and cared for, that sandwich might as well be a feast. Read the original article on Parents Solve the daily Crossword