‘The plain language of the statute suggests an intent to force the introduction of the concept of prayer into the schools.’
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Inevitably links go out of date.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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Wilders to be Prosecuted for ‘Anti-Islamic Statements’
Judges said they had weighed Wilders’s ‘one-sided generalisations’ against his right to free speech.
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Mugabes on Shopping Spree in Hong Kong
Grace Mugabe takes a few minutes out to punch a photographer in the face.
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Very Insulting Statements are Prosecutable
Court said Wilders statements were ‘so insulting for Muslims that it is in the public interest to prosecute.’
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Michelle Goldberg on Rick Warren and Theocrats
The religious right will no longer exercise much political power. The zealots will find another way to be heard.
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Melbourne Imam: OK for Men to Hit Their Wives
Wives not allowed to refuse sex unless ill. ‘Amazing, how can a person rape his wife?’
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Taliban Destroy 5 Schools in Mingora
Girls banned from school, women not allowed to go shopping, bodies dumped in the square.
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Kogelo, Kenya Celebrates the Inauguration
‘He has taught us that we should practise true democracy. I hope he will tell dictators to practise democracy.’
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Homophobia in Schools the Last OK Prejudice
65% of pupils in secular schools have experienced homophobic bullying, 75% in ‘faith’ schools.
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Science Adviser Defends Homeopathy
MPs criticise John Beddington for failing to question the government’s use of scientific evidence.
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Kano, Nigeria: Sharia Cops Block Women’s Rally
The head of the Sharia police said the planned protest was ‘an embarrassment’ and ‘un-Islamic.’
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Personal Experience Makes Ethical Issue Vivid
A moral philosopher has a brain tumour, may lose her memory and self, is furious that euthanasia is not an option.
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David Pilgrim Reviews ‘Try to Remember’
‘Psychiatry’s Clash over Meaning, Memory and Mind.’ See Allen Esterson’s comment at the end.
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Girls’ Education Ended in Swat Valley
School administrators have announced that more than 900 private schools will remain closed.
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Darwin Wondered if His Children Were Too Inbred
He was right, yet they have produced dozens of descendants eminent in science, medicine and the professions.
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C of E Pitches a Fit About Human Rights Act
Church bosses say there is an overemphasis on equality legislation at the expense of ‘faith groups.’
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Lotsa Religion at the Inauguration
Brings people together, shows God is looking over the people, bow your heads and pray.
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Opponents of Mugabe Tell Court of Torture
Jestina Mukoko was forced to kneel on gravel for hours; she wept on the stand as she recounted her ordeal.
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Jestina Mukoko’s Affidavit [pdf]
The punishment for heading a human rights organization.
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The Mess in Zimbabwe
Trillion-dollar notes; 80% unemployment; cholera. Tsvangirai appeals for release of Mukoko.