There are good reasons to object to a state that favours a religion or culture, as well as a state that favours a race.… 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Inevitably links go out of date.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.
Hating the Other 
Sep 22nd, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Ahab hated Moby Dick; Moby Dick is the Other; people hate Osama bin Laden; OBL is the Other. QED.… Read the rest
Nearly All the Dead So Far Are Pakistanis
Sep 21st, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The target may have been US security officials, but the victims are mostly local.… Read the rest
Theo Hobson Says How ‘Difficult’ His ‘Faith’ Is
Sep 21st, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
When he says he believes God created him he is making a difficult statement of faith.… Read the rest
Haredi Sect Bullying Women in Jerusalem
Sep 21st, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
More than 30% of Jewish residents in Jerusalem are Haredi, while 22% are secular.… Read the rest
Why Knowing Something Matters
Sep 21st, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The problem is that half the electorate revels in Palin’s lack of intellectual qualifications.… Read the rest
Sue Blackmore on Near Death Experiences
Sep 20th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
They are well explained by what we know about how brain function changes as it approaches death.… Read the rest
Pope Wants Europe to Be More Catholic
Sep 20th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Church doesn’t want European law to ignore ‘church teaching’; pope wants Catholics to squawk.… Read the rest
Carlin Romano on Spellberg and Jones
Sep 20th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘She also has every right to try to suppress the book’s publication.’ She does? Every right?… Read the rest
Hitchens Reviews Bernard-Henri Lévy
Sep 20th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Lévy repudiates radical sympathy with theocracy by inverting Pascal and saying ‘we have to make an antiwager.’… Read the rest
Robert Hughes on Damien Hirst
Sep 20th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
If there is anything special about this event, it lies in the extreme disproportion between Hirst’s expected prices and his actual talent.… Read the rest
The OIC Does Not Speak for Muslims
Sep 19th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Tarek Fateh at the UN HRC yesterday: the Islamists have brought their agenda to the UN.… Read the rest
Human Rights Council: the Resistance Begins
Sep 19th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
In what was probably a first for the UN, delegates to the HRC heard two Muslims reject Islamism.… Read the rest
Austin Dacey Addresses the UN HRC
Sep 19th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Rights belong to individuals, not ideas. Freedom of religion protects the person who believes (or disbelieves), not the contents of the belief.… Read the rest
Alfano Rejects Prosecution of Sabina Guzzanti
Sep 19th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘I decided not to authorise it, knowing well the stature and capacity of the pope for forgiveness.’… Read the rest
Grayling: Connect Creationism and ‘Faith’ Schools
Sep 19th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The best solution is to put religion where it belongs: in the history curriculum of non-faith-based schools.… Read the rest
Pew Report on Global Attitudes [pdf]
Sep 18th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
% of Turks, Egyptians, Jordanians, Lebanese and Pakistanis with favorable opinions of Jews is in single digits. … Read the rest
Turkey Blocks Dawkins Website
Sep 18th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Court order blocks access after complaints from Harun Yahya; Dawkins panned his ‘Atlas of Creation.’… Read the rest
CFI: Austin Dacey on Islam and Human Rights
Sep 18th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Several Islamic states have challenged the UDHR and have penned ‘Islamic human rights’ documents in its place.… Read the rest
Review of Books on Islamic Anti-Semitism
Sep 18th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Western liberals hesitate to tackle the subject of Muslim anti-Semitism, lest they seem anti-multicultural.… Read the rest
