The Atlantic Cities
Parking spots are replacing vibrant street life in Yangon
News: The social life of Myanmar’s principal city takes place in sidewalk cafes. But they’re in danger of disappearing as the city embarks on a road-widening effort
The Daily Beast
Gay Orthodox Jews sue over therapy that claims to ‘cure’ them
Feature: The first legal challenge to the controversial practice of ‘reparative therapy’ for gay Orthodox Jews could have far-reaching impact for Judaism’s treatment of lesbians and gay men
The Guardian US
Silence and self-rule: Brooklyn’s Orthodox child abuse cover-up
Investigation: Brooklyn’s ultra-Orthodox rabbis claim they are co-operating with authorities over child sex abuse. But victims say they are being persecuted – and that the DA is doing little to help.
Brooklyn DA accused of failing to tackle Orthodox Jews’ cover-up of sex abuse
News: Critics say Charles Hynes has failed to wrest control from rabbis who refuse to co-operate with secular authorities.
Brooklyn’s ultra-Orthodox Jews rally behind accused in child abuse case
Feature: Forthcoming trial of Nechemya Weberman reveals bitter divide in community over the reporting of abuse to secular authorities
Ultra-Orthodox Jews turn out by the hundreds for accused sex offender
News: Tempers flare on street outside Brooklyn hall while inside the Satmar Hasidic sect raises money for Nechemya Weberman
Brooklyn DA defends handling of ultra-Orthodox child abuse cases
News: Exclusive: Charles Hynes dismisses criticism of his record and denies giving Orthodox Jewish offenders special treatment
Brooklyn DA refuses to release details of Orthodox sex abuse suspects
News: Refusal to grant FOI request marks acknowledgement by Charles Hynes that suspected Orthodox child abusers receive special treatment
My Guardian profile for more stories
The New York Times
A country home, by a modernist at play
Feature: A unique 20th-century gem designed by John M. Johansen fits neatly into the weekend lives of a Manhattan architect and designer.
The Times Educational Supplement
Gun violence triggers plan to arm teachers
News: US legislators take steps towards allowing firearms in the classroom
Scream rooms, locked closets and duffel bags
News: The use of seclusion rooms to control mentally disabled children is alarmingly widespread in US schools.
The young victims of a drugs war
News: Schools in El Paso, Texas are filling up with traumatised children escaping the Mexican drugs war.
‘Trigger law’ allows parents to call the shots
News: A new breed of laws are handing parents a weapon against their children’s failing schools.
Teacher heros in Superman’s wake
News: The documentary American Teacher’s sentimental portrayal of the profession adds little to the education debate.
What to spare, what to share and where to begin with 9/11
News: A new curriculum could make it easier for teachers to broach terrorist attacks with pupils.
California aims to end the widespread ignorance of gay history in US schools
News: Liberal state introduces legislation to raise awareness of notable events and people in LGBT history.
Exposed: biggest cheating scandal in US history
News: Deception that extended to 44 of Atlanta’s 56 public schools saw teachers gather at cheating ‘parties’ to alter test papers.
Hiring heroes for a fistful of dollars
News: A maverick head in a poor New York district has lured a crack team of ‘master teachers’ with salaries of $125,000.
Darwin deniers’ unevolved ideas ‘stuck in 1910′
News: It’s unnatural selection as a biology teacher’s plan to discuss a trip to the Galapagos Islands ends in his early retirement.
Columbine grief sparks campaign for compassion
News: US massacre victim’s dream of ‘chain reaction of kindness’ is realised as her father brings anti-bullying message to schools.
Mind games on the menu in the fight against obesity
News: Psychologists have succeeded in ‘tricking’ children into eating healthy food - by tapping into their laziness.
Waiting for “Superman”: Despair, villainy and no hero to save the day
News: With a documentary about the failure of American public schools about to open in New York, the American teachers’ union is braced for impact.
The RIBA Journal
Edgar Tafel 1912-2011
Obituary: Faithful disciple of Frank Lloyd Wright who broke away from Taliesin to form his own successful practice.
Building Design
Ezra Stoller at Yossi Milo
Review: As an architect, Stoller understood the buildings he photographed. But his images became icons in their own right.
Counter Space at MoMA
Review: MoMA’s latest design and architecture show reveals how kitchen design has shaped and been shaped by shifting social ideals.
Refuge: Five Cities – photographs by Bas Princen
Review: Bas Princen creates strange new worlds with his photos of Middle East fringe cities, on show at New York’s Storefront for Art and Architecture.
Captain America
Review: Architect Eero Saarinen, subject of a fascinating new show at the Museum of the City of New York, gave a face to American post-war power.
The Times
Little Dancer points to sensational discovery of Degas sculpture hoard
News: A previously unknown set of plasters is either one of the most extraordinary art finds of the past 100 years or one of the most exquisite frauds.
PLUS: The arts press picks up the story
Bollywood’s Unforgettable World Tour extravaganza fails to woo Westerners
News feature: The first leg of the Bachchan’s Unforgettable World Tour has failed to expand Bollywood’s appeal beyond the Indian diaspora.
Gunther von Hagens’ Bodyworlds opens at the O2
Review: Forget your preconceptions about the gruesome work of Gunther von Hagens: The controversial anatomist has a new show and it’s a cracker.
Wallpaper
Leicester House by SPG Architects
News: A retired executive’s mountain retreat is also a generous space for entertaining.
The London Evening Standard
Light of our lives
Feature: One architect couple with a bold vision transformed a dreary Twenties semi into a light and spacious modern home.
A perfect partnership
Feature: Architects Luke and Suzie Zuber knew only one of them could design their dream home – so Suzie backed her husband’s creative streak.
The Architectural Review
Vertical Urban Factory at the Skyscraper Museum
Review: For factories to thrive at inner-city densities, they need to function vertically.
600 architects compete to design a sukkah
News: For the Jewish festival of Sukkot, 600 architects compete to design a temporary structure, or sukkah
The Guardian
Home Suite Home
Feature: With fierce competition between universities to win students, halls of residence are growing in sophistication.
The Telegraph
It’s a jungle up there
Feature: The idea of an eco-friendly skyscraper was unthinkable – until the green-fingered architect Ken Yeang set to work.
Mind the gap
Feature: Faced with a scarcity of inner-city building land, architects are becoming ever more imaginative in squeezing new houses into unpromising spaces.
Crafts Magazine
Judging a book by its cover
Feature: In the age of the cheap downloadable book, illustrator Jillian Tamaki uses embroidery in her covers to convert Penguin Classics into desirable special editions.
Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Review: How McQueen found beauty in the grotesque.
The Global Africa Project at the Museum of Arts and Design
Review: Out of Africa and going global.
The Natural Order
Cover feature: MAD’s Dead or Alive exhibition showcases contemporary artists working in a slew of unusual, natural materials, but is it craft?
Object Factory at the Museum of Arts and Design
Review: MAD explores how designers are putting a modern spin on an ancient material, with mixed results.
The art of demanding
Interview: Architect Tony Fretton is inspired by Peter Zumthor, David Chipperfield and the Apple Store.
The Architects’ Journal (reporter 2001; news editor 2002-2004)
Government to slam the door on great country houses
News: The Labour government is set to close a planning loophole that has triggered the recent surge in new country houses.
PLUS: AJ wins campaign to save the country house clause