CH: “Not only did most people warm to the Holy Father but his opponents often seemed shrill and intolerant.” Discuss.… 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Inevitably links go out of date.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.
Soldiers punished for not attending Xian concert 
Mar 9th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Two soldiers said they felt pressured to attend the Christian rock concert as part of what was billed as the “Commanding General’s Spiritual Fitness Concerts.”… Read the rest
NPR head resigns in wake of sting video
Mar 9th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
A different executive told people “posing as Muslim philanthropists” that Tea Party supporters were racist.… Read the rest
Wendy Doniger on the real roots of yoga
Mar 8th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Yoga is a rich, multi-cultural, constantly changing interdisciplinary construction, far from the pure line that its adherents often claim for it.… Read the rest
BHA census campaign ads deemed too “offensive”
Mar 8th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
For railway stations, on the grounds that they could “cause widespread and serious offence.”… Read the rest
12,000-year-old fishing tackle found off California
Mar 8th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
“This pushes back the chronology of New World seafaring to 12,000, maybe 13,000 years ago.”… Read the rest
Maryam Namazie on International Women’s Day
Mar 8th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Women in Iran and in many other countries today continue to be deprived of many very basic human rights.… Read the rest
International Women’s Day
Mar 8th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
We need to understand and tackle social institutions, such as discriminatory family codes, son bias, and limited resource rights and entitlements.… Read the rest
Jesus and Mo apply for a Templeton Prize
Mar 8th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
They have a winna.… Read the rest
Liars don’t know when they’re lying to themselves
Mar 8th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
This tells us a little about the mindset of people who fake their research, who build careers on plagiarised work or who wave around spurious credentials.… Read the rest
The difference between journalism and churnalism
Mar 7th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Publishing other people’s press releases is not journalism.… Read the rest
Hitchens on 60 Minutes
Mar 7th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
“But don’t let the word ‘intellectual’ scare you off.” I wasn’t going to.… Read the rest
Alberta: parents fight for secular education
Mar 7th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
They say they want what other Canadians have: freedom of religion, or, in this case, freedom from religion.… Read the rest
Aikin and Talisse on atheism and accommodationism 2
Mar 7th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The aim of determining the truth of a statement is distinct from that of assigning epistemic blame or praise to a cognitive agent.… Read the rest
Yoga is not as old as you think
Mar 6th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Nor very Hindu, either. Meera Nanda takes on some nationalist myths.… Read the rest
Pakistan becomes a country at war with its minorities
Mar 6th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
It is becoming a country at war with its individuals, with itself, with you and with me, with the human desire to be allowed to believe what we believe.… Read the rest
“Pro-life” Republicans cut funding for poison control
Mar 6th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Poison control centers actually save far more money than they cost.… Read the rest
Jahanshah Rashidian on International Women’s Day
Mar 6th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The world practically ignores the fate of hundreds of millions of Muslim women, who are victims of Islamic states or dominant Islamic traditions of misogyny.… Read the rest
Iran appointed to UN commission for status of women
Mar 6th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
A nation where we can be arrested for getting a suntan, or wearing too much makeup, will opine on ways to safeguard our rights.… Read the rest
Muslim physicist threatened for evolution lecture
Mar 6th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
“I seek Allah’s forgiveness for my mistakes and apologise for any offence caused,” physics lecturer Dr Usama Hasan said.… Read the rest
