Ian Kershaw severs ties with tv producers out of an eccentric concern for accuracy. … 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Inevitably links go out of date.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.
The Kurds are Pleased, At Least 
Mar 21st, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Not surprising after three decades of persecution, Luke Harding says.… Read the rest
Evolution and Information
Mar 21st, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘I just can’t sit while people are saying nonsense in a meeting without saying it’s nonsense!’ Our kind of guy.… Read the rest
Prison for Female Genital Mutilation
Mar 21st, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Clwyd and Blunkett are clear: mutilating girls’ genitals is not a practice that can be justified by custom or on cultural or any other grounds.… Read the rest
Hitchens on Naipaul, Fallaci and Others
Mar 20th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Islam needs stringent criticism, he says, but not the kind Fallaci applies.… Read the rest
Rousseauish Myths About Baby Care
Mar 20th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
All nonsense, and part of a worshipful but patronizing view of indigenous cultures.… Read the rest
The Rudest Man in Britain?
Mar 20th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Surely not! I thought we had that title sewn up right here on B & W.… Read the rest
Consumption R Us?
Mar 19th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
A new history of consumption in the US breaks with one academic convention but adheres to another.… Read the rest
Oversimplifying Does Not Help
Mar 18th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Bush bill of goods may be dodgy but so is Chirac Double Standards Emporium, says David Aaronovitch.… Read the rest
Good Idea
Mar 18th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Bill in Parliament seeks to archive web pages for posterity. B & W will be immortal.… Read the rest
Designer Babies?
Mar 17th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Not likely, says Steven Pinker, because the genetics of behavior is far too complicated.… Read the rest
Conspiracy Theories
Mar 17th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Why conspiracy theories persist in the face of the facts.… Read the rest
Drought Finished the Maya
Mar 17th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Droughts in 810, 860, 910 C.E. may be what ended the Mayan civilization, evidence suggests.… Read the rest
Education Gap
Mar 17th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
John Ogbu’s study suggests some painful reasons for the black-white gap in education. Critics say he downplays social factors.… Read the rest
Do Fish Have Free Will?
Mar 16th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Carlin Romano reviews Daniel Dennett’s Freedom Evolves.… Read the rest
Carpe Diem
Mar 16th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Seconds from becoming gefilte fish, a carp shouts warnings in Hebrew. According to two witnesses. David Hume, anyone?… Read the rest
Paradigm Shifts in Medicine
Mar 16th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
A doctor on the ever-moving target of medical knowledge.… Read the rest
More Weeds, Spiders, Bird Food
Mar 16th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
New research indicates GM crops may be beneficial for environment in some ways.… Read the rest
The Action is on the Surface
Mar 15th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Janet Malcolm interviewed on journalists as vampires, psychoanalysis as literary technique, lawsuits and more.… Read the rest
Theory, Theory Everywhere
Mar 15th, 2003 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
How do people manage to generate ‘theory wars’ out of teaching a basic skill that should be learned before university?… Read the rest
