Golden Dawn’s popularity has been rising, so it can influence the public agenda, with help of populist Greek media and government’s fear of losing conservative voters.… Read the rest
Latest News
Welcome to our archive of news stories relevant to the project of fighting fashionable nonsense. The stories are drawn from the electronic pages of the world’s media. On this page, you’ll find links to those stories that have been featured on Butterflies and Wheels during the current year. At the bottom of the page, you’ll find links to separate archives of stories from previous years.
We’re always pleased to hear about news stories that you think should be featured on Butterflies and Wheels. Just send an email here, if you want to point one out to us.
A note about links
Inevitably links go out of date. We suggest, therefore, that you make hard-copies of the stories that particularly interest you.
Brian Leiter and Michael Weisberg review Thomas Nagel
Oct 5th, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The sciences that have worked so well for us are precisely our benchmark for what we know and what is rational; they’re the things that are keeping us “afloat.”… Read the rest
LSE ASH retains its right to free expression
Oct 5th, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The cartoons will not be removed from the LSESU ASH page, nor will the prefix LSESU be removed from the society’s name.… Read the rest
Students ejected from event for naming a pineapple Mohammed
Oct 5th, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The Reading University Atheist, Humanist, and Secularist Society had a stall that included a pineapple labeled “Mohammed.” You know the rest.… Read the rest
26 complaints about What Doctors Don’t Tell You
Oct 4th, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The Nightingale Collaboration submitted complaints about 26 adverts in WDDTY to the Advertising Standards Authority. This may be a record.… Read the rest
Jerusalem bus company Egged drops all advertising
Oct 4th, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
“Egged has not given in to the Haredim. This is purely a business decision.” To avoid vandalism by the Haredim.… Read the rest
Egypt: 2 children arrested for “desecrating” the Koran
Oct 4th, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
One is 9, the other is 10.… Read the rest
The kissing sailor and the unconsenting nurse
Oct 4th, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
It turns out that was an assault, but it doesn’t do to say so.… Read the rest
Salvation Army church propagandizing teenagers
Oct 4th, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Why would a church show D’Souza’s anti-Obama propaganda to teenagers? Their tax exemption requires them to be politically neutral.… Read the rest
Grape seeds cure all the things
Oct 3rd, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Grape seeds have been pounced on by supplement makers for their health-boosting properties and potential to fight ageing, obesity, cancer and more.… Read the rest
From the people threatening to sue Simon Singh
Oct 3rd, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Medical researcher and WDDTY contributor Joseph Hattersley says that the risk of cot deaths increases five-fold at times of geopathic stress.… Read the rest
Alt health mag threatens to sue Simon Singh
Oct 3rd, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Singh offered to meet the distributors and introduce them to medical experts, but they declined and told him they had “sought legal advice.”… Read the rest
Jury finds Deanna DeJesus guilty of child neglect
Oct 3rd, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Mistrial on aggravated manslaughter charge for failing to prevent her heavily armed husband from killing their child.… Read the rest
Soldiers forced to attend prayer for suicide prevention
Oct 2nd, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The students were not given an opportunity to remove themselves. The entire theater was forced into a mass christian prayer.… Read the rest
Ikea apologizes for airbrushing women out of catalogue
Oct 2nd, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
“We are now reviewing our routines to safeguard a correct content presentation from a values point-of-view in the different versions of the Ikea catalogue worldwide,” it said.… Read the rest
Washington Post reports on Secular Coalition lobbying
Oct 2nd, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
“Rogers, in a glittery gold blouse and knee-high boots with four-inch heels…” Say what?… Read the rest
Eric Hobsbawm 1917-2012
Oct 2nd, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
An unrepentant Marxist, he acknowledged the failure of 20th Century communism but said he had not given up on Marxist ideals.… Read the rest
Pakistan: Muslims charged with “blasphemy”
Oct 1st, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Protesters attacked the Sri Krishna Ram temple, broke religious statues, tore up a copy of the Bhagavad Gita, and beat up the temple’s caretaker.… Read the rest
Katha Pollitt notes that blasphemy is good for you
Sep 30th, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The rise of the Russian Orthodox church in the former Soviet Union shows that Islam has no monopoly on religious freakouts or their exploitation for political purposes.… Read the rest
Protesters torch Buddhist temples over FB photo
Sep 30th, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Hundreds of Muslims in Bangladesh burned at least four Buddhist temples and 15 homes after complaining that a Buddhist man had insulted Islam.… Read the rest
