Many literary scholars feel obscurely obliged to find Theory to be, somehow, necessary.
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Inevitably links go out of date.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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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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Israel Disqualifies Two Arab Parties from Elections
Regulations prohibit parties that oppose ‘the existence of the State of Israel as a Jewish, democratic state.’
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Wendy Kaminer Does Not Love Rick Warren
Warren is like a benevolent deity, who loves us all, despite our sins and failings.
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Hunger and Genetically Modified Organisms
A scientist and an MP clashed over whether Kenya should adopt GM crops to counter the rising food shortage.
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Andrew Brown Scolds the Atheists Again
Christian ‘fire and brimstone’ messages on buses are fine, atheist ‘don’t worry’ is so very tiresome.
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Women Flee the Taliban in NWFP
The bullet-riddled body sent a message: ‘un-Islamic vices’ will not be tolerated.
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Is it Wrong to Notice When AIDS Denialists Die?
Especially AIDS denialists who go to South Africa to promote denialism there?
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Acid-scarred Afghan Girls Return to School
‘The people who did this to me don’t want women to be educated. They want us to be stupid things.’
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Sri Lankan Journalist Expected His Own Murder
Lasantha Wickrematunge wrote a column in anticipation of his murder, warning of the threat to democracy.
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Somali Politician Executed for ‘Apostasy’
Islamist militia accused him of betraying his religion by working with non-Muslim Ethiopian forces.
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NHS Behind the Headlines on Autism Screening
It is unclear whether identifying children at greater risk of autism would benefit the child or the parents.
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Johann Hari Talks to David Irving
Irving says the expected things, with the expected mix of banality and foulness.
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Steven Pinker and the Personal Genome Project
A global effort to examine genetic and environmental predictors of medical, physical and behavioral traits.
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Stupid Man Says: Our Grandmothers Married at 10
‘The mufti said a good upbringing will make a girl capable of carrying out her duties as a wife.’
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Riazat Butt Urges Expanding Compassion
From Gaza to other parts of the ummah, like Darfur, and for that matter, to non-Muslims too.