Not in Afghanistan or Somalia, but Missouri.
Category: 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Inevitably links go out of date.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.
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Disney animator says it’s so hard to animate women
Why? “Because they have to go through these range of emotions, but you have to keep them pretty.”
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Ally Fogg on Jesus & Mo and LSE
Jesus and Mo is anti-religious satire at its best, invariably humane, intelligent, and often very funny.
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AHS statement on LSE incident
The National Federation of Atheist, Humanist and Secular Student Societies strongly condemns the actions of the LSESU.
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Independent on Jesus&Mo and LSE Student Union
Includes an example of the cartoon – the one where Jesus says “Hi I’m Jesus.” Daring.
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How bishops pushed for a shutdown over birth control
No cardinal was ever made to interrupt his education for an unplanned pregnancy; no bishop ever endured the pain, blood, and terror of a life-threatening labor.
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Elizabeth Smart on her nine months of hell
Smart says Mitchell believed that anything in the world was his for the taking, and that he was a man who never cared for anyone even as he ranted about God.
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Nebraska Supreme Court to foster child: no abortion for you
She’s 16: not old enough, the judges ruled, to decide on her own to have an abortion. Old enough to bear and raise a child though.
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Bishops make it official: forced childbirth more important than feeding babies
The US Conference of Catholic Bishops sent a letter urging House Republicans to shut down the government over insurance coverage for contraception.
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Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan vow to target Malala Yousafzai again
“Islam prohibits killing women…except those that support the infidels in their war against our religion,” said their spokesman.
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Atheism added to Irish non-denominational schools
7% of pupils will receive instruction on secular belief systems starting next year. The other 93% of students go to schools run by the Catholic church.
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Leo Igwe on witchcraft mentality and freethought in northern Ghana
Witchcraft accusation in Africa is still a reason to kill, torture, murder, lynch, abandon and exile children and elderly persons from their homes.
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Bangladesh: 4 atheist bloggers charged with “defaming Islam”
“They have been indicted…with defaming Islam, the Prophet Mohammed and other religions through their Internet writings. They spread malice against all religions,” the judge said.
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Malala Yousafzai opens the new Library of Birmingham
Addressing the public, Malala said she was feeling very proud the building had been designed by a woman and the city was now her second home after her “beloved Pakistan”.
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David Robert Grimes on six stubborn myths about cancer
“Cancer rates are rising” – true, but that’s because we’re living longer.
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The Guardian on John Scalzi the internet troll-slayer
This weekend, he again turned the tables on a troll who seemed to think calling Scalzi a feminist would be an insult.
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Scalzi on what a feminist looks like
The right way to use the meme generator.
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Syria: MSF says symptoms suggest a neurotoxic agent
Medecins Sans Frontieres says hospitals it supports in Syria treated about 3,600 patients with “neurotoxic symptoms”, of whom 355 have died.
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Finally, polyandry gets a chance
A woman in Kenya refused to choose between her two partners, so they agreed to share.
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On blasphemy, wielding both standards and stories
Michael DeDora on using personal stories of persecution as well as arguments to enlighten.