Allahabad High Court will rule Sept 30 who is in rightful possession of the site where the demolished mosque stood—a Muslim organization or a Hindu one.… Read the rest
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Inevitably links go out of date.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.
Salman Rushdie on religion and myth 
Sep 29th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
“I don’t look to religion to answer the two great questions of life.”… Read the rest
Thousands of Nigerian women in slave camps
Sep 29th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Nigerian girls are being forced to work as prostitutes in Mali “slave camps”, say officials in Nigeria.… Read the rest
Open letter from Ashtiani’s son Sajjad Ghaderzadeh
Sep 29th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
I tell you these words from the bottom of our hearts: I want the whole world to rush to our help.… Read the rest
John Shook is all “can’t you read?”
Sep 29th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Everybody else is all “yes, we can, thanks, and we read what you wrote.”… Read the rest
Lars Vilks to finish Uppsala lecture
Sep 29th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
He was interrupted by an attack in May, will complete the lecture on October 7.… Read the rest
Why US universities recruit athletes, not scholars
Sep 29th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Too many Jews were getting in, so universities started looking for “manliness.”… Read the rest
Religious belief linked to being a bit dim
Sep 29th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
As a study found that atheists know more about religion than religious people, experts said that in all fairness that should not really count as news.… Read the rest
Minnesota archbishop “defends marriage”
Sep 29th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Church is sending “educational” DVDs to Catholics to reaffirm “the unchangeable nature of marriage.”… Read the rest
Cartoon rejected just for mentioning Mo
Sep 29th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
A satire on the fear of publishing anything Mo-related prompts fear of publishing anything Mo-related, and doesn’t get published.… Read the rest
Aliens are sabotaging missiles, US pilots claim
Sep 28th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Srsly. It’s totally true. They’ve been doing it since 1948. They landed 7 years ago.… Read the rest
Ajita Kamal on moderating freethought groups
Sep 28th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Most freethinkers are wary of all ideologies. These are not usually the ones that are politically motivated towards promoting freethought.… Read the rest
Narendra Nayak on the rise of intolerance in India
Sep 28th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
It is not just the saffron gang or the green gang that is responsible for this sort of thinking; it is just that they are the most vociferous and violent.… Read the rest
Jason Rosenhouse on Swinburne on God
Sep 28th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The God hypothesis should be given such a low prior probability that truly extraordinary evidence is needed to render it plausible.… Read the rest
Carlin Romano does his Templeton homework
Sep 28th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
“This essay is adapted from a talk he gave this summer as a Templeton-Cambridge Fellow in Science and Religion.”… Read the rest
Bad science education impairs US economy
Sep 27th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
US mathematics and science K-12 education ranks 48th worldwide.… Read the rest
How a journalist should report on a scientific paper
Sep 27th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
First make an obvious pun, then ask an inane question, then say which existing scientific ideas this new research “challenges.”… Read the rest
Hossein Derakhshan could face execution
Sep 27th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Canadian Journalists for Free Expression and PEN Canada say the prosecutor in Derakhshan’s case has called for the death penalty.… Read the rest
Blogger Hossein Derakhshan on trial in Iran
Sep 27th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
He has been charged with “collaborating with enemy states, creating propaganda against the Islamic regime, insulting religious sanctity” and more.… Read the rest
Pragna Patel at protest the pope rally
Sep 26th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
“Nor am I surprised to learn that the Muslim Council of Britain will be taking part in the papal visit.”… Read the rest
