A Swiss couple were camping during a cycling trip when they were attacked by seven or eight men. The man was beaten and tied up while the woman was raped.… 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Inevitably links go out of date.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.
Cardinal says child rape is not a crime but an illness
Mar 16th, 2013 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
“Now don’t tell me that those people are criminally responsible.” Therefore the church should conceal and protect their activities?… Read the rest
UN body agrees declaration on violence against women
Mar 16th, 2013 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
A proposed amendment by Egypt, that would have allowed states to avoid implementing the declaration if they clashed with national laws, religious or cultural values, failed.… Read the rest
Violence against women: legal reform is not enough
Mar 16th, 2013 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Making women’s wellbeing secondary to “harmony in the home” and treating violence as a private matter are two obstacles to progress.… Read the rest
Soraya Chemaly on Steubenville and systematic tolerance for rape
Mar 14th, 2013 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Shame-based double standards make people think that girls who drink themselves blotto deserve what they “get“.… Read the rest
Allen Esterson on Maintaining Scholarly Standards
Mar 14th, 2013 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
It is now quite widely believed that Mileva Maric, Einstein’s first wife, played an active role in Einstein’s early scientific work.… Read the rest
Leo Igwe giving a talk in London March 25
Mar 13th, 2013 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Nigeria’s most prominent humanist, and a human rights activist, will be giving a ground-breaking talk on ‘Breaking the Taboo of Atheism in Black Communities’.… Read the rest
Segregation at UCL is no exception to the rule
Mar 11th, 2013 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Student Rights reports that several events at London universities have been advertised as “fully segregated.”… Read the rest
Gender segregation collects the girls for easy access
Mar 11th, 2013 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Three men arrested on suspicion of sexual assault and false imprisonment at an Islamic girls’ school have links with the school, police said.… Read the rest
The Guardian on gender segregation at UCL event
Mar 11th, 2013 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
University College London said reports of segregation at the debate hosted by the Islamic Education and Research Academy on 9 March were worrying.… Read the rest
Skeptical Science on gender segregation at UCL event
Mar 11th, 2013 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Attendees were rather astonished to discover upon arrival that two doors had been set up, one strictly for females and the other for males.… Read the rest
UCL on gender segregation at iERA event
Mar 11th, 2013 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
We do not allow enforced segregation on any grounds at meetings held on campus.… Read the rest
Walkout in UCL over Gender Segregation at iERA event
Mar 10th, 2013 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The Islamic Education and Research Academy is an extreme Islamist organization, whose staff includes Islamist hate preachers such as Hamza Tzortzis and Yusuf Chambers.… Read the rest
Mob destroys Lahore neighborhood over “blasphemy”
Mar 9th, 2013 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The mob attacked the houses in the provincial capital following allegations of blasphemy against a Christian man.… Read the rest
South Dakota law will allow teachers to carry guns
Mar 8th, 2013 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The law’s backers say it will prevent mass school shootings.… Read the rest
Global Malala Day to call for girls’ education
Mar 8th, 2013 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, now a United Nations envoy for education, said the event would take place on Malala’s 16th birthday on 12 July.… Read the rest
Leo Igwe on humanist funerals in Nigeria
Mar 8th, 2013 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
For humanists, a funeral ceremony is not a rite of passage for the deceased. A funeral is a celebration of a life lived, a life which has ended.… Read the rest
Katha Pollitt on PBS documentary “Makers”
Mar 7th, 2013 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
There are plenty of ads and articles and talk show clips to remind us of how trivialized women were, and how exhilarating were what seem today like very modest steps.… Read the rest
Gaza marathon canceled because women not allowed to run
Mar 5th, 2013 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The UN Relief and Works Agency said it had taken the decision after “discussions with the authorities in Gaza who have insisted that no women should participate.”… Read the rest
Father tortures daughter, age 6, as a “witch”
Mar 5th, 2013 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
She was beaten by her father and locked up in a room with her hands, mouth and face bound for four days.… Read the rest
