It was all a misunderstanding. Or something.
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Inevitably links go out of date.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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Love is a crime in Malawi
A 14-year jail sentence, with hard labour, on two gay men for being that.
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Why Rand Paul isn’t “just a libertarian”
Because we live in an actual world where political philosophy can’t be separated from history and experience.
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Pakistan: thousands of demonstrators hit the streets
To protest “Everybody Draw Mohammed Day,” by far the biggest problem facing Pakistan.
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Bid the sun stand still
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority directed ISPs to block YouTube after material considered “sacrilegious” was found on it.
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Pakistan blocks Facebook, YouTube
Wikipedia, Google, Bing, Yahoo, the internet, newspapers, radio, schools, conversation…
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Johann Hari on Islamists’ victims and hypocrisy
A gay Iranian film maker and a Pakistani atheist writer are told to be “discreet” and sent back to be killed.
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PZ on Giberson on ID and “New” atheists
If you think theism is a good thing, then you’re handicapped in challenging “Intelligent Design.”
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Jerry Coyne on trusting your brain
Why is it always the psychics, homeopaths, and astrologers who take it in the neck when scientists attack irrationality? What about the most widespread form of irrationality?
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Why atheism will replace religion
The reasons that churches lose ground in developed countries can be summarized in market terms.
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Academic disciplined over fruit bat paper
A bad precedent for academic freedom. Pinker, Dennett and more than 2400 others sign petition calling on the university to repeal the sanctions.
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Victims’ fury as Sean Brady refuses to resign
Marie Collins notes Brady “was well aware that Brendan Smyth was free to continue abusing and he did nothing about it.”
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Must we protect lady scientists?
Bats are one of the few non-human species to engage in fellatio. That statement is not sexual harassment.
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Support the Girls Protection Act
H.R. 5137 would make it a crime to transport a minor out of the country to subject her to FGM.
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Ritual ‘nick’ good alternative to FGM?
“We don’t let people have slavery a little bit because they’re going to do it anyway.”
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The collusion to keep women out of power
The lack of women at the top of government is not about merit. It’s about power networks.
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Joel Whitney Interviews Paul Berman
In suppressing this information, Ramadan is creating a false image of the Islamist ideology as a whole.
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Leo Igwe on Religious Persecution in Africa
Leo Igwe spoke at the 47th session of the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights in Bajul, the Gambia, on 13 May 2010.
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Nun demoted after abortion to save woman’s life
Bishop: abortion is forbidden even if it is necessary to save the woman’s life. Period.
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BBC staff moving to Salford – call a vicar!
About 1,500 staff must go north; BBC will provide a vicar to “provide some pastoral support to the new community of London staff.”