Pledging to ‘make scientific decisions based on facts, not ideology,’ Obama ditched Bush’s EO.
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Inevitably links go out of date.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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Zimbabwe: Mukoko, Other Activists Out on Bail
Mukoko and Takawira were victims of enforced disappearance, unlawful arrest, detention, and torture.
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BBC Finds ‘Old Sensitivities’ in Sudan
Joyous smiles of religious fervour – the Mahdi – Gordon – Churchill – Islam – colonialism. See?
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Cultural Events ‘On the Rise’ in Saudi Arabia
Sort of. But only if you start with very low standards.
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Saudi Men Arrested for Seeking Signed Book
The writer is a woman, so accepting a signed book from her is a criminal act.
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David Aaronovitch Tracks Down a Statistic
‘The average Brit is caught on security cameras some 300 times a day’ – really? No.
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Ben Goldacre Looks at Pepsi’s Sciencey PR
‘The Pepsi DNA finds its origin in the dynamic of perimeter oscillations.’ Ooooh.
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Anti-sharia Demo in London
‘Demand one secular law and an end to cultural relativism and racism, and defend universal rights.’
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Hitchens on UN Resolution 62/154
The OIC is demanding through the UN that Islam be officially shielded from any criticism of itself.
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Namazie and Ahadi at European Parliament
To discuss the women’s rights situation in Iran, concerns about execution cases and Sharia in Britain.
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Mary Kenny Declares Atheism Immoral
Catholic church in Poland ‘upheld moral values in opposition to the official culture of atheistic materialism.’
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Hindu Fundamentalists Attack Women
Sarah Aboobacker, a Muslim social critic in Mangalore, says all fundamentalists want to control women.
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Church Tries to Block Raped Child’s Abortion
Brazil: 9-year-old girl was pregnant with twins; the Catholic church tried to prevent an abortion.
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Grayling on Polkinghorne and Beale
A scandal that the Royal Society is allowing its premises to be used for the launch of this book.
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Dawkins on Purpose
The brain is a complex adaptive system with a purpose that emerges from its developmental history.
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Brazil: Health Minister Rebukes the Church
‘This religion, wrongly saying it is defending a life, puts another life in danger that is as important as any other.’
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Kenyan Human Rights Activist Killed
Oscar Kamau Kingara was known for his criticisms of the Kenyan police, whom he accused of torture and murder.
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Blair Did God a Lot
Blair had a team of ‘faith advisors’ who checked that his politics were in line with his religious beliefs.