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 at glasswings.com.au. Subscribe at https://glasswings.com.au/subscribe.html

Bookshops offer much more than just retail – but who would open one in this economy?

Sat, 4 Jul 2026 23:16:53 +1000

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

<https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/jul/01/bookshops-australia-industry-decline-economy>

"Stephanie Beck and Mischa Parkee bonded over their love of reading when they
were teenagers, joking that one day they’d open their own bookshop. Now,
despite both 31-year-olds having full-time teaching jobs, they’ve fulfilled

The Nordic Paradox: even the world’s most equal countries are failing to reduce violence against women

Sat, 4 Jul 2026 23:15:22 +1000

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

<https://theconversation.com/the-nordic-paradox-even-the-worlds-most-equal-countries-are-failing-to-reduce-violence-against-women-286173>

"Almost one in three women in the European Union has experienced physical
violence, threats, or sexual violence since the age of 15. That is roughly 50
million women. These are the findings of the latest EU survey on gender-based

The Squamish Nation just opened one of the world’s largest net-zero housing developments

Sat, 4 Jul 2026 23:14:14 +1000

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

https://thenarwhal.ca/senakw-blessing-ceremony-vancouver/

"On an overcast day in May, hundreds of people are gathered in Sen̓áḵw, an
ancestral Squamish village, to celebrate the first completed tower among what
will be one of the largest housing developments in Kitsilano’s history.

Fix The News 344: Fungi. Flu. Candyfloss. Kites.

Sat, 4 Jul 2026 23:12:56 +1000

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

https://fixthenews.com/p/344-fungi-flu-candyfloss-kites

This week’s top stories

* Philanthropists are betting half a billion dollars on ending coughs, colds

AUSSIES OFFICIALLY HATE TRUMPS FUCKING GUTS.

Sat, 4 Jul 2026 23:11:36 +1000

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

https://ifloz.substack.com/p/aussies-officially-hate-trumps-fucking

"There’s a number in the 2026 Lowy Institute Poll that every staffer in the
West Wing should have stapled to their forehead.

Ukrainian families have been torn apart by the war – reunifying them is no easy task

Sat, 4 Jul 2026 23:09:34 +1000

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

<https://theconversation.com/ukrainian-families-have-been-torn-apart-by-the-war-reunifying-them-is-no-easy-task-283315>

"Russia’s war in Ukraine has caused the largest forced population displacement
crisis in Europe since the second world war. As of 2026, roughly 4.4 million
refugees from Ukraine hold temporary protection status in the EU. Around 4.6

The bottleneck might be the air in the room

Sat, 4 Jul 2026 02:06:42 +1000

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

https://blog.mikebowler.ca/2026/07/03/co2-and-decision-making/

"You gather your most expensive people into a room to make your most important
decisions. Then, somewhere in the second hour, the room quietly gets worse at
making them. Not the people. The room.

Three Hundred Fifty-Four Fireworks per Second

Sat, 4 Jul 2026 02:04:11 +1000

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

https://chadtopaz.com/essays/fireworks-per-second

"This Saturday night, the capstone of America’s 250th birthday celebration on
the National Mall will close with what its organizers bill as the largest
fireworks display in history: 850,000 shells launched from ten sites — the

Porn star turned late-night TV icon Robin Byrd: ‘Sex is a form of magic’

Sat, 4 Jul 2026 01:59:44 +1000

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

<https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/jun/29/robin-byrd-documentary-porn-star-late-night-tv-icon>

"Robin Byrd has no doubt about where the archive of her life should end up. “I
think it should be in the Smithsonian,” she said. “I like to think big.”

Universities have a vital role to play in tackling climate change

Sat, 4 Jul 2026 01:58:21 +1000

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

<https://theconversation.com/universities-have-a-vital-role-to-play-in-tackling-climate-change-284946>

"Governments, corporations and other institutions must all play constructive
roles in mitigating the impacts of climate change. Universities, too, can and
must help with that effort.