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.

The megafires and pandemic expose the lies that frustrate action on climate change

Wed, 23 Sep 2020 05:50:22 +1000

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

<https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/sep/17/the-megafires-and-pandemic-expose-the-lies-that-frustrate-action-on-climate-change>

"I was in Melbourne in late January, watching as more and more people
donned face masks to protect themselves against the bushfire smoke that
had thickened the air for weeks and that was causing hundreds of deaths.

New research shows trolls don’t just enjoy hurting others, they also feel good about themselves

Wed, 23 Sep 2020 05:49:01 +1000

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

<https://theconversation.com/new-research-shows-trolls-dont-just-enjoy-hurting-others-they-also-feel-good-about-themselves-145931>

"There is an urgent need to understand why people troll.

Recent Australian estimates show about one in three internet users have

‘The warning lights are flashing.’ Report finds nations failing to protect biodiversity

Wed, 23 Sep 2020 05:46:58 +1000

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

<https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/09/warning-lights-are-flashing-report-finds-nations-failing-protect-biodiversity>

"A major report card on the state of biodiversity gives failing grades
to the world’s nations. The United Nations’s Global Biodiversity Outlook
5, released this week, concludes that the world has not met ambitious

‘Garbage’ and ‘cash cows’: temporary migrants describe anguish of exclusion and racism during COVID-19

Tue, 22 Sep 2020 06:42:30 +1000

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

<https://theconversation.com/garbage-and-cash-cows-temporary-migrants-describe-anguish-of-exclusion-and-racism-during-covid-19-146098>

"In early April, Prime Minister Scott Morrison sent a clear message to
temporary visa holders that if they were no longer financially solvent
to ride out the pandemic, they were not welcome in Australia.

Copyright Companies Want Memes That Are Legal In The EU Blocked Because They Now Admit Upload Filters Are 'Practically Unworkable'

Tue, 22 Sep 2020 06:41:31 +1000

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

<https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20200915/02154245308/copyright-companies-want-memes-that-are-legal-eu-blocked-because-they-now-admit-upload-filters-are-practically-unworkable.shtml>

"The passage of the EU Copyright Directive last year represented one of
the most disgraceful examples of successful lobbying and lying by the
publishing, music, and film industries. In order to convince MEPs to

How to reverse global wildlife declines by 2050

Tue, 22 Sep 2020 06:40:17 +1000

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

<https://theconversation.com/how-to-reverse-global-wildlife-declines-by-2050-146041>

"Species are going extinct at an unprecedented rate. Wildlife
populations have fallen by more than two-thirds over the last 50 years,
according to a new report from the World Wildlife Fund. The sharpest

Disney’s Mulan tells women to know their place

Mon, 21 Sep 2020 04:27:30 +1000

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

<https://theconversation.com/disneys-mulan-tells-women-to-know-their-place-146017>

"Criticisms of the movie include its historical and geographical
inaccuracies, an undertone of Islamophobia, and a misrepresentation of
qi (life force).

TOTALLY UNDER CONTROL

Mon, 21 Sep 2020 04:24:57 +1000

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

'TOTALLY UNDER CONTROL': A comic book about how Trump ignored science,
planning, and his own team when the virus struck. And how 194,000
Americans paid the ultimate price.
<https://www.insider.com/comic-how-united-states-lost-control-of-coronavirus-pandemic-2020-9>

QAnon is a Nazi Cult, Rebranded

Mon, 21 Sep 2020 04:11:15 +1000

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

https://www.justsecurity.org/72339/qanon-is-a-nazi-cult-rebranded/

"A secret cabal is taking over the world. They kidnap children,
slaughter, and eat them to gain power from their blood. They control
high positions in government, banks, international finance, the news

Utrecht restores historic canal made into motorway in 1970s

Sun, 20 Sep 2020 06:20:26 +1000

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

<https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/14/utrecht-restores-historic-canal-made-into-motorway-in-1970s>

"It is being viewed as the correction of a historic mistake. More than
40 years after parts of the canal that encircled Utrecht’s old town were
concreted over to accommodate a 12-lane motorway, the Dutch city is