Glass Wings Blog

The Glass Wings mailing list and blog is for general idle chit-chat about things we find interesting, especially humor, animation or other subjects relevant to the Glass Wings web site.

Honest Government Ad | Social Media Ban

Mon, 8 Dec 2025 19:35:41 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxRB5qWphJE

"The Australien Government has made an ad about the Social Media Ban for
Under-16s, and it's surprisingly honest and informative."

Can you be the change you’d like to see? Three US philosophers aim to offer hope

Mon, 8 Dec 2025 19:34:51 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://theconversation.com/can-you-be-the-change-youd-like-to-see-three-us-philosophers-aim-to-offer-hope-265976>

"Review: Somebody Should Do Something: How Anyone Can Help Create Social
Change – Michael Brownstein, Alex Madva and Daniel Kelly (MIT Press)

I’m 15 years old and have a disability. Social media has been a lifeline – why is the government kicking me off?

Mon, 8 Dec 2025 19:33:26 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/dec/07/im-15-years-old-and-have-a-disability-social-media-has-been-a-lifeline-why-is-the-government-kicking-me-off>

"The government has decided that from Wednesday I should be banned from social
media because of the potential harm it can cause. But as a teenager with a
severe disability who relies on social media for connection, community and

The under-16s social media ban will damage young people’s political education. Teachers need better support

Mon, 8 Dec 2025 19:32:17 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://theconversation.com/the-under-16s-social-media-ban-will-damage-young-peoples-political-education-teachers-need-better-support-271389>

"From this week, Australians aged under 16 will not be able to hold an account
on many social media platforms. In anticipation of the ban, some social media
companies have already begun disabling accounts they believe are held by

Putin should have accepted Trump’s deal. Now Russia’s collapsing economy could lead to his downfall

Mon, 8 Dec 2025 19:31:23 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/dec/07/putin-accept-trump-deal-russia-economy-ukraine-war>

"People in Britain who think they are governed by fools should take a closer
look at the Russian and US presidents. Vladimir Putin is systematically ruining
his country. His war of choice in Ukraine is an economic, financial,

Storms in the Southern Ocean are producing more rain – and the consequences could be global

Mon, 8 Dec 2025 19:30:27 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://theconversation.com/storms-in-the-southern-ocean-are-producing-more-rain-and-the-consequences-could-be-global-270880>

"If you ever find yourself on Macquarie Island – a narrow, wind-lashed ridge
halfway between Tasmania and Antarctica – the first thing you’ll notice is the
wildlife. Elephant seals sprawl across dark beaches. King penguins march up

‘No one knows where it came from’: first wild beaver spotted in Norfolk in 500 years

Mon, 8 Dec 2025 12:38:32 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/dec/07/no-one-knows-where-it-came-from-first-wild-beaver-spotted-in-norfolk-for-400-years>

"A wild beaver has been spotted in Norfolk for the first time since beavers
were hunted to extinction in England at the beginning of the 16th century.

NZ’s rejection of emission targets fuels risk of international law breach

Mon, 8 Dec 2025 12:37:32 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://theconversation.com/nzs-rejection-of-emission-targets-fuels-risk-of-international-law-breach-271295>

"The New Zealand government’s decision this week to reject all of the Climate
Change Commission’s emission target recommendations was just the latest in a
string of policy statements that weaken the country’s action on climate.

How Humanity Saved the Ginkgo

Mon, 8 Dec 2025 12:36:02 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

https://www.themarginalian.org/2025/09/23/ginkgo/

"Pressed between the pages of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland — a favorite
book of my childhood, which my grandmother used to read to me and which still
dwells in her immense library — is a single yellow leaf, its curved fan almost

DOJ orders prison inspectors to stop considering LGBTQ safety standards

Mon, 8 Dec 2025 12:34:30 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

<https://www.npr.org/2025/12/04/nx-s1-5630490/prison-doj-safety-memo-changes-trans-lgbtq-inmates>

“The Department of Justice has instructed inspectors to stop evaluating prisons
and jails using standards designed to protect transgender, intersex and
gender-nonconforming people from sexual violence, according to an internal memo