‘Do you want in the end to have from a former emeritus professor a mark for his essay?’… 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Inevitably links go out of date.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.
Hitchens on Taboo Words 
Dec 5th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The N-word Jim, faggot, discriminating, niggardly – it’s all a bit complicated.… Read the rest
Plagiarism Follies
Dec 5th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Will all written records of contemporary human experience eventually become off limits to other writers?… Read the rest
Violence Against Women in the Congo
Dec 5th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Rape accompanied by deliberate wounding, sometimes with guns, sometimes with blunt objects.… Read the rest
Germaine Greer Declines ‘Plain English’ Prize
Dec 5th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Kant’s ‘unsynthesised manifold’ ought to be known to ‘most reasonably educated Guardian readers.’… Read the rest
Iran Blocks Access to Major Websites
Dec 5th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Amazon, YouTube, Wikipedia, NY Times get ‘The requested page is forbidden’ treatment.… Read the rest
Bolton Quits
Dec 4th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Unconfirmed and unconfirmable UN-hating ‘ambassador’ to UN resigns.… Read the rest
Saying ‘Merry Christmas’ Can be a Weapon
Dec 4th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The war on ‘the war on Christmas’ is no joke.… Read the rest
Hitchens Reviews Ann Coulter’s ‘Godless’
Dec 4th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The sheer incoherence that results from a mixture of feigned rage and low sarcasm.… Read the rest
Natasha Walter on Hirsi Ali and Buruma
Dec 4th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Female visionaries who break out of traditional societies often set other people’s teeth on edge.… Read the rest
The Trouble With Michael Moore
Dec 4th, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Moore chases after political fashions, jettisoning principle for point-scoring, shock value or laughs.… Read the rest
Churches Depict Gay Rights as Assault on Charity
Dec 3rd, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Bishop said church-based charities would close doors if government insisted they let in gay people. … Read the rest
Xians Use Shock Tactics Against Gay Rights
Dec 3rd, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘Faith groups’ want opt-out clause from new laws designed to end discrimination against homosexuals. … Read the rest
Are ‘Minority Courts’ a Problem?
Dec 3rd, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
What is needed is a cool analysis of the effect religious courts might have on the rule of law.… Read the rest
If 71% are Christian Why Are Pews Empty?
Dec 3rd, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Because ‘Christian’ may be a code for other things.… Read the rest
Wearing a Veil to Be More Visible
Dec 3rd, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Arguments over Muslim women’s clothing have really been thinly disguised political battles.… Read the rest
Bush Does the Surrealism Thing
Dec 3rd, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘Iraqis are plenty capable of running their own business, and they don’t need foreign interference from neighbours that will be destabilising the country.’… Read the rest
Pamela Bone: It Is Women Who Will Reform Islam
Dec 2nd, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘Change must come from within, say the good liberals. No one said that about apartheid.’… Read the rest
Historical Research as Precondition of Dialogue
Dec 2nd, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘We remain hostage to our sense of grievances. Our narratives have become our prison, paralyzing discourse and hindering understanding.’… Read the rest
Religious Bullies Emboldened by Successes
Dec 2nd, 2006 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘It would seem that the homosexual person’s rights trump the religious person’s rights.’… Read the rest
