The road back to the caliphate is a dead end but propaganda lends an appearance of substance to an illusion.
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Inevitably links go out of date.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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A World Awash in Conspiracy Theories
What difference does it make? When we believe in fairy tales, we keep ourselves timorous children.
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Livingstone’s Survey Finds Muslims ‘Demonised’
Sounds worrying.
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Look at the Methodology and the Personnel
‘Random’ week? Prince Naseem? Three MCB guys contributing to the ‘research’?
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Jesus and Mo Protest Homeopathy Conference
Ridicule is a powerful weapon in the struggle against silly beliefs. Barmaid is speechless.
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Why Evidence-based Medicine Matters
Winterson tries to tell us that for some mystical reason the healing powers of homeopathic pills are special.
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Jeanette Winterson Hugs Homeopathy
‘Homeopathy seeks to understand everything we are, everything we do, as a web of relatedness.’
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More Profound Argumentation
‘Logic is brought in to comfort the atheist with rationalizations.’
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Sentence Harsh Even by Saudi Standards
For a woman to be alone with a man who is not her husband or a relative is a crime in Saudi Arabia.
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Saudi Lawyer Reports Harassment
A court withdrew his licence after he objected to a ruling which penalised a female rape victim.
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Grayling on New Militant Fundamentalist Atheists
Those who reject religion have had enough of pussy-footing around its votaries’ sanctimonious self-regard.
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Richard Francks on Descartes and God
We can’t prove the existence of matter, but we believe it exists anyway; is that irrational?
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Evening Standard Debate: Islam Good for London?
Panel: Ed Husain, Inayat Bunglawala, Michael Burleigh, Rod Liddle, Joan Smith.
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God as Alpha Wolf
If you think the dead king is watching you constantly, you are less likely to defect from alliances.
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Rape Victim Sentenced to 200 Lashes, Prison
She was initially sentenced to 90 lashes; on appeal, the punishment was increased to 200 lashes.
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Bari Called ‘the Leader of Britain’s Muslims’
Who knew there was such a person?
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Baggini Asks: What is Celebration?
Today is the fifth annual Unesco World Philosophy Day. How should one celebrate?
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Jihad and the Saudi Petrodollar
Wahhabi literature – used in Saudi schools and exported round the world – promotes hatred of non-believers.
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Why Pigs Don’t Have Wings
Jerry Coyne, Philip Kitcher, Daniel Dennett take issue with Jerry Fodor on natural selection.
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Evangelism in the US Military
Chaplain ‘suggested’ cadets tell tent mates they would burn in hell if they did not receive Jesus as savior.