Published in The Yak·6 days agoMember-onlyBlinding as a weapon of warThe indiscriminate use of projectiles to blind protesters in Iran — Over four months after the death of Mahsa Amini, protests continue to take place every day all around Iran as the Woman Life Freedom movement and yields ongoing hope. In desperation, the authorities are finding increasingly brutal and inhumane ways of cracking down on the protesters. Over this period, there…Human Rights2 min readHuman Rights2 min read
Published in The Yak·Oct 26, 2022Member-onlyInternational Cyrus The Great Day: 29th OctoberThe Cyrus Cylinder: World’s First Declaration of Human Rights — Cyrus the Great Day takes place on October 29th (the Seventh Day of Aban in the Iranian Calendar), celebrating the life of Cyrus the Great and the day he entered the city of Babylon in 539 BC. Now, more than ever, it is important to celebrate the actions of the…World History4 min readWorld History4 min read
Published in The Yak·Oct 3, 2022Sharif University — An Urgent Appeal“Today they bloodily attacked our sisters & brothers & took many away..” — *An Urgent Appeal to Universities and Educational Institutions around the World — 3rd October 2022*Iran2 min readIran2 min read
Published in The Yak·Jun 23, 2022Member-onlyThe renaissance of hospital green spacesGardens are coming back in the UK and worldwide The importance of green spaces in the design of hospitals will be showcased at the Royal Horticultural Society Flower Show at Tatton Park next month. “Slow Down, Breathe Deep” designed by Alex Pettitt at Topoforma highlights the value of a space…Health2 min readHealth2 min read
Published in The Yak·Jun 18, 2022Member-onlyDALL·E mini: The AI image generator taking over the InternetA playground for the surreal, built from artificial intelligence Over the last few weeks, the free website and tool DALL·E mini has taken over the internet. Anyone can go on the site and type in a prompt from whatever their imagination desires and hit the button “run” — with results from the hilarious to the unearthly. From a demigorgon…AI4 min readAI4 min read
Published in The Yak·May 28, 2022Member-onlyAdventures on the road less travelled…“I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference” Final stanza, The Road Not Taken, Robert Frost Three years ago I arrived at…Travel3 min readTravel3 min read
Published in The Yak·Apr 26, 2022Member-onlyParadise reclaimed: The Lost Gardens of HeliganThe story of this mysterious secret garden — Hidden from the world for over seventy years, the Lost Gardens were re-discovered in 1991 and became the largest garden restoration project in Europe. History The word Heligan hails from the 12th century, meaning “The Willow tree garden”, and is located in a Cornish valley overlooking the village of Mevagissey. Squire…Culture4 min readCulture4 min read
Published in The Yak·Mar 19, 2022Member-onlyNorouz — The ancient festival of renewalThe immortal victory of Spring over Darkness is more important now than ever The first day of spring, Norouz has been celebrated in one form or another for seven millenia, though became a formal celebration in Persia at around the sixth century BC. …Culture5 min readCulture5 min read
Published in The Yak·Feb 21, 2022Member-onlyTom Wiggins — The blind, autistic former slave who became one of America’s finest 19th century musicians.The amazing tale of the musical genius “Blind Tom”, a phenomenally successful pianist and composer. Born into slavery in the mid-nineteenth century, the tale of Tom Wiggins is one of prodigious talent forcing its way through all barriers. …Blog7 min readBlog7 min read
Published in The Yak·Feb 2, 2022Member-onlyTaming the Garden — ReviewA surreal documentary about a man who collects huge ancient trees. — Has a new genre of film emerged — the documentary-fantasy hybrid? This is a dreamlike movie which has a bizarre subject matter — the horticultural ambitions of Georgia’s former prime minister, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, who has a penchant for collecting beautiful giant trees. …Environment4 min readEnvironment4 min read
