Those who think Swat is a good idea have delusions about their ability to contain revolution.… 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Inevitably links go out of date.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.
Austin Dacey: Durban II Was Deeply Flawed 
Apr 23rd, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Conflating religious criticism with bigotry, Islamic states and their allies are fashioning new political cudgels.… Read the rest
Justin Trottier on Hijacking Durban II
Apr 23rd, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Defamation resolutions conflate individual rights and liberties with protection for ideas, religions and gods.… Read the rest
Church of Scotland Mag: Accept Homosexuality
Apr 23rd, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Editorial in Church’s in-house mag challenges belief that the bible outlaws homosexuality.… Read the rest
Sydney Archbish Defends Pope’s Condom Advice
Apr 23rd, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Non-marital sex bad therefore condoms no help. Uninfected spouse should have married someone else.… Read the rest
Quantum Gods Don’t Deserve Your Faith
Apr 23rd, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Victor Stenger isolates and debunks the claims of ‘quantum theology’ and ‘quantum spirituality.’… Read the rest
Iranian Prosecutor: Death for ‘Corruption on Earth’
Apr 22nd, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
A ‘person who manages many immoral, anti-religious and anti-revolutionary sites’ should be executed.… Read the rest
Jerry Coyne on Truckling to the Faithful
Apr 22nd, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The accommodationist position of the NAS and the NCSE compromises the science they aspire to defend. … Read the rest
Cutting Pay for the Sake of Gender Equality
Apr 21st, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Sheffield city council plans to cut the pay of many of the lowest paid workers in the name of gender equality.… Read the rest
Pay Cuts Make All Equal
Apr 21st, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Anomalies where low-paid women have lost pay have emerged across the UK. … Read the rest
Supreme Court to Hear Strip-search Case
Apr 21st, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Do schools have a right to peer into 13-year-old girls’ underpants in search of ibuprofen?… Read the rest
Normblog on Obama and the Torture Memos
Apr 21st, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
There is no higher authority that can legitimize the practice of torture. It is a crime under international law.… Read the rest
Taleban Moving Into Bandur
Apr 21st, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Spokesman for Swat Taleban said his movement’s aim is enforcement of Sharia in all of Pakistan. … Read the rest
This is Not the Shower of a Free Society
Apr 20th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
This is a totalitarian shower. It permits no space for the free application of soap.… Read the rest
Diplomats Walk Out of Ahmadinejad’s Speech
Apr 20th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The walkout by delegates from at least 30 countries happened within minutes of the speech starting.… Read the rest
Durban II Considers ‘Arabism’ a Religion
Apr 20th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘Deplores all religious intolerance including “Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, Christian phobia and anti-Arabism”.’… Read the rest
School Hires People to Teach Students to Think
Apr 20th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
What a novel idea.… Read the rest
J G Ballard 1930-2009
Apr 20th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Fused external landscapes of futuristic visions with the internal workings of his characters’ minds.… Read the rest
A C Grayling on Some Pressing Questions
Apr 20th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
One is about scientific literacy: we need more people who are excited by what’s happening in science.… Read the rest
Jim Holt Reads Simon Critchley
Apr 19th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The idea that death is not such a bad thing may be liberating, but is it true?… Read the rest
