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.

2021 was one of the hottest years on record – and it could also be the coldest we’ll ever see again

Wed, 26 Jan 2022 05:08:44 +1100

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

<https://theconversation.com/2021-was-one-of-the-hottest-years-on-record-and-it-could-also-be-the-coldest-well-ever-see-again-175238>

"Well, it’s official: 2021 was one of the planet’s seven hottest years since
records began, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) declared this week.
The year was about 1.11℃ above pre-industrial levels – the seventh year in a

Totally Bogus DMCA Takedowns From Giant Publishers Completely Nuke Book Review Blog Off The Internet

Wed, 26 Jan 2022 05:08:00 +1100

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

<https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20220119/22530648321/totally-bogus-dmca-takedowns-giant-publishers-completely-nuke-book-review-blog-off-internet.shtml>

"Just as we're in the midst of a Greenhouse series all about SOPA, copyright
industry lobbyists, and former copyright industry lawyers now running the
Copyright Office are conspiring to make copyright law worse and to favor

What a disaster: federal government slashes COVID payment when people need it most

Wed, 26 Jan 2022 05:06:29 +1100

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

<https://theconversation.com/what-a-disaster-federal-government-slashes-covid-payment-when-people-need-it-most-175146>

"With Australia’s official COVID-19 infection numbers topping 100,000 a day,
the federal government has slashed its last remaining pandemic support payment.

Leaf oysters: the unsung heroes of estuaries are disappearing, and we know almost nothing about them

Wed, 26 Jan 2022 05:05:17 +1100

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

<https://theconversation.com/leaf-oysters-the-unsung-heroes-of-estuaries-are-disappearing-and-we-know-almost-nothing-about-them-164330>

"Camouflaged by a layer of silty mud, most people probably wouldn’t notice the
large flat oysters lurking beneath shallow water in Australia’s coastal
estuaries. These are remarkable “leaf oysters”, and they can form reefs,

A robot is killing weeds by zapping them with electricity

Wed, 26 Jan 2022 05:04:16 +1100

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

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/06/09/tech/robot-zaps-weeds-spc-intl/

"London (CNN Business)On a field in England, three robots have been given a
mission: to find and zap weeds with electricity before planting seeds in the
cleared soil.

Daniel Radcliffe to star in Weird Al Yankovic biopic

Tue, 25 Jan 2022 06:00:29 +1100

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

<https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/jan/18/daniel-radcliffe-to-star-in-weird-al-yankovic-biopic>

"If you thought future generations would remember Daniel Radcliffe for Harry
Potter, then think again. According to “Weird Al” Yankovic, a forthcoming
biopic starring Radcliffe as the cult hero behind comical spoof versions of

With This Company’s Support, Women Are Escaping Their Abusers

Tue, 25 Jan 2022 05:57:03 +1100

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

<https://reasonstobecheerful.world/magalu-brazil-domestic-violence-help-employees/>

"After nearly 10 years of harassment, threats and beatings from her husband —
including a blow to the head while she was holding their then one-year-old
daughter — Adriana (not her real name) finally mustered up the courage to take

Want Drastic Climate Action? Maybe It’s Time to Sue the Government

Tue, 25 Jan 2022 05:56:04 +1100

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

<https://reasonstobecheerful.world/want-drastic-climate-action-maybe-its-time-to-sue-the-government/>

"In the fall of 2020, Rosmarie Wydler-Wälti boarded a white Greenpeace boat,
the Beluga, in Basel, Switzerland, and rode it down the Rhine River to the
European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France. The 71-year-old educator

Greenland permanently bans all oil and gas exploration

Tue, 25 Jan 2022 05:55:08 +1100

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

<https://www.optimistdaily.com/2021/12/greenland-permanently-bans-all-oil-and-gas-exploration/>

"In exciting news for the planet and environmentalists, Greenland has announced
it is permanently halting all new oil and gas exploration in the country.

The Medieval Queens Whose Daring, Murderous Reigns Were Quickly Forgotten

Mon, 24 Jan 2022 05:08:28 +1100

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

<https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/medieval-queens-daring-reigns-quickly-forgotten-180979246/>

"The ghosts of these two Frankish queens are everywhere. During their
lifetimes, they grabbed power and hung on to it; they convinced warriors,
landowners and farmers to support them, and enemies to back down. But as with