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

The threat of nuclear weapons is greater than ever. Here’s how international law can help

Sun, 20 Sep 2026 18:03:54 +1000

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

<https://theconversation.com/the-threat-of-nuclear-weapons-is-greater-than-ever-heres-how-international-law-can-help-290523>

"The outlook for nuclear arms control is desolate in all three of its
dimensions – risk reduction, non-proliferation and outright elimination. The
important agreements of the past are dead or on life support. And the recent

How ‘housing first’ is helping people leave rough sleeping behind

Sun, 20 Sep 2026 18:03:01 +1000

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

<https://www.positive.news/society/how-housing-first-is-helping-people-leave-rough-sleeping-behind/>

"When Michael became homeless in Plymouth in 2022, he struggled to find the
support he needed, and made what he describes as an “impulsive” decision to
come to London.

American revolution 2.0: how Trump has changed the US, and why it was powerless to stop him

Sun, 20 Sep 2026 18:02:09 +1000

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

<https://theconversation.com/american-revolution-2-0-how-trump-has-changed-the-us-and-why-it-was-powerless-to-stop-him-289811>

"America’s system of government, and the constitution on which it is built, was
created in different times and for different circumstances and purposes, and it
has changed very little since then.

Malcolm Knox: ‘Trump’s name will turn to dust, just as every other dictator’s name has’

Sun, 20 Sep 2026 18:01:15 +1000

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

<https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/31/malcolm-knox-interview-trumps-name-will-turn-to-dust-just-as-every-other-dictators-name-has>

"When we think of great Russian storytellers, a few familiar names come to
mind: Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Pushkin, Chekhov. In his two most recent novels, the
Australian writer Malcolm Knox nominates two more compelling contenders – men

Nepal’s devastating floods: 10 seconds could save lives

Sun, 20 Sep 2026 17:58:58 +1000

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

<https://theconversation.com/nepals-devastating-floods-10-seconds-could-save-lives-290725>

"At around 8:45am on August 26, Karbir Gaire, a customs and information officer
at Nepal’s Rasuwa Customs Office, suddenly felt what seemed like an earthquake.
He went outside, looked towards China and saw a huge flood accompanied by dust.

Canada erects giant ‘Lake Ontario’ sign as spat with Trump over name escalates

Sun, 20 Sep 2026 17:54:15 +1000

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

<https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/30/canada-trump-lake-ontario-name>

"Donald Trump and Canada continued a verbal duel on Saturday over the US
government’s administrative renaming of Lake Ontario, with the Ontario premier
erecting a giant sign saying “Lake Ontario. Now and Always” – and the American

Emergency warnings weren’t enough to save Nepal’s flood‑ravaged villages. An expert explains

Sun, 20 Sep 2026 10:31:31 +1000

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

<https://theconversation.com/emergency-warnings-werent-enough-to-save-nepals-flood-ravaged-villages-an-expert-explains-290718>

"A flash flood can transform a river within minutes. This is what communities
near the Nepal-Tibet border witnessed on Wednesday.

Faster, higher, funnier: what we learned from China’s robot games

Sun, 20 Sep 2026 10:30:56 +1000

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

<https://www.theguardian.com/news/ng-interactive/2026/aug/29/hilarity-unease-and-relief-games-show-china-is-not-over-the-finish-line-in-humanoid-robot-race>

"With exploding pelvises, enough comic pratfalls for a Buster Keaton show reel
and the odd moment of ruthless violence, the World Humanoid Robot Games in
Beijing gripped the world this week with an unsettling mixture of hilarity,

Nepal’s devastating floods reveal the danger of ‘cascading hazards’ in Himalayas

Sun, 20 Sep 2026 10:29:44 +1000

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

<https://theconversation.com/nepals-devastating-floods-reveal-the-danger-of-cascading-hazards-in-himalayas-290655>

"The devastating floods that have swept through the Nepal–Tibet border region
are first and foremost a human tragedy. Hundreds of people have died or remain
missing.

$71 to $9 million: how a mocked Chinese animation became an unlikely box‑office hit

Sun, 20 Sep 2026 10:23:51 +1000

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

<https://theconversation.com/71-to-9-million-how-a-mocked-chinese-animation-became-an-unlikely-box-office-hit-290343>

"Niu Lai (牛来) (2026), meaning “Here Comes the Cow/Bull”, is an 86-minute,
crudely animated feature made by a self-taught mother-son duo from China.