Jim Murphy, cabinet minister overseeing pope’s visit and practising Catholic, called the memo absolutely despicable, vile, insulting, an embarrassment.… 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Inevitably links go out of date.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.
Not so much crawling to the pope 
Apr 29th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
“The obsequious apology of this government to the pope is wrong.”… Read the rest
Nigeria: Senator allegedly marries 13-year-old girl
Apr 28th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Women’s groups staged a protest outside parliament Tuesday urging the senate to investigate the matter.… Read the rest
Carlin Romano doesn’t like Massimo Pigliucci’s tone
Apr 28th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
He’s so ferocious, so sarcastic, so scientistic.… Read the rest
Global population of Catholics growing
Apr 28th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Declining in Europe but rising everywhere else.… Read the rest
National Prayer Day – everyone should be disinvited
Apr 28th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Why should Franklin Graham have all the fun?… Read the rest
Atheists and Asbos
Apr 28th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Paul Sims and I consider the punishment of Harry Taylor.… Read the rest
The church is campaigning to block compensation
Apr 27th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
It is lobbying hard against statute of limitation reform.… Read the rest
Believers don’t believe in God
Apr 27th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Oh and by the way new atheists are bad and wrong.… Read the rest
Believers without belief
Apr 27th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The idea is going viral: Michael McGhee, Theo Hobson, Andrew Brown all claim that belief is practice.… Read the rest
Kenan Malik on “Eurabia”
Apr 27th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Secularism and fundamentalism are not ideas stitched into people’s DNA. They are like any values: people absorb them, accept them, reject them.… Read the rest
Open Democracy on Fred Halliday
Apr 26th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
For 40 years his knowledge of global politics and forensic analytical skills were in the service of rational argument and universalist political values.… Read the rest
Fred Halliday 1946-2010
Apr 26th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
His twenty plus books and his wide ranging, powerful essays and journalism provided a constant source of inspiration.… Read the rest
Grayling replies to Gray
Apr 26th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Anxious to appear original while in fact pushing a familiar counter-Enlightenment line, Gray has often entertained us with his assaults on logic and historical fact.… Read the rest
Eugene Volokh on Harry Taylor’s sentence
Apr 26th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
An appalling restriction on freedom of speech; not a content-neutral prohibition on leafleting in particular places: the conviction was based on the content and viewpoint of the speech.… Read the rest
John Gray Reviews A C Grayling
Apr 26th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The inevitable ‘Hampstead dinner party’ is cited.… Read the rest
Colombia: cardinal defends church secrecy
Apr 25th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Reporting rapist priests to the police would have been like testifying against a family member.… Read the rest
Legal victory raises profile of Gaylor and FFRF
Apr 25th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘Society is becoming more secularized. It’s becoming acceptable to be atheist and agnostic. And there are more of us.’… Read the rest
Foreign office apologizes to Vatican
Apr 25th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Facetious memo suggested pope should do something useful; FO cites disrespect, grovels.… Read the rest
Ben Goldacre on evidence-based voting
Apr 25th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Alongside the science of individual claims, it’s also worth looking at what the parties say about science itself.… Read the rest
