“We expect her to be hanged and if she is not hanged then we will ask mujahideen and Taliban to kill her.”… 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Inevitably links go out of date.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.
Shehrbano Taseer on convulsions of piety 
Dec 4th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The Islamists and their apologists seem determined to not even consider the possibility that Aasia Noreen may be innocent.… Read the rest
Islamists fight efforts to save ‘blasphemer’
Dec 4th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
At rallies in Karachi, Lahore and other cities, protestors warned the political class against any attempt to amend or repeal the laws.… Read the rest
Bernie Sanders on billionaires v the people
Dec 4th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The top 1% earns 23.5%, more than the bottom 50%. This proportion has tripled since the 1970s. Yet it’s not enough.… Read the rest
David Allen Green on WikiLeaks
Dec 3rd, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Transparency is one liberal value, but legitimacy is another. No one voted for WikiLeaks, nor does it have any form of democratic supervision.… Read the rest
Lauryn Oates on the rot at the UN
Dec 3rd, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The UN will not be defending the rights of human beings not to be murdered by their governments on account of their sexual preferences.… Read the rest
Harry’s Place on Lambert/Githens-Mazer Report
Dec 3rd, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The main villains are the Quilliam Foundation, Muslim campaigners against Islamist political parties, and newspapers which report on those parties.… Read the rest
The year’s most embarrassing academic report?
Dec 3rd, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The primary purpose of the Lambert- Githens-Mazer dodgy dossier is not academic; it is political.… Read the rest
PZ notes: it’s not an arsenic-based life form
Dec 2nd, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
It can survive in the presence of arsenic, and incorporate arsenic into its routine, familiar chemistry. Interesting but not revolutionary.… Read the rest
McCain to Mullen: ew, gays in the military, ew
Dec 2nd, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Gates reminded the Republican senators that the US has civilian government.… Read the rest
New bacterium: the latest black swan
Dec 2nd, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
“Our findings are a reminder that life-as-we-know-it could be much more flexible than we generally assume.”… Read the rest
Complaints about “no burqa” mural
Dec 2nd, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
”It’s Islamophobic; it’s feeding the racist and sexist attitudes we have in our society.”… Read the rest
Scotland: assisted suicide bill crushed
Dec 2nd, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
“You can’t have both physician-assisted suicide and palliative care. In reality you can only have one or the other.” Eh?… Read the rest
HRW on policing morality in Aceh
Dec 2nd, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The full report.… Read the rest
Ontario school board allows bible distribution
Dec 2nd, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
“If you deny the religious experience in your education system you open the door to the demonic experience,” said one member.… Read the rest
NASA news leaked: new life form found
Dec 2nd, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
They have found a bacterium whose DNA is completely alien to what we know today. Instead of using phosphorus, the bacterium uses arsenic.… Read the rest
Christians pitch fit
Dec 1st, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Former archbishop. Under attack. Deep faith. Airbrushed. Not Ashamed Day. Christian culture. Intimidated. No longer have the right.… Read the rest
HRW says Aceh sharia is abusive
Dec 1st, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The head of the Sharia department in Aceh told the BBC Indonesian service that some people might have misused the laws.… Read the rest
Salman Rushdie does the Late Late Show
Dec 1st, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
“You could not get into that dress fast enough,” says Craig Ferguson.… Read the rest
Bush, CIA get a pass on torture
Dec 1st, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
International agreements to which the US is a party require mandatory investigation for even merely degrading treatment.… Read the rest
