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Inevitably links go out of date.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.


Jerry Coyne on the Templeton Bribe *

Feb 27th, 2010 | Filed by

Templeton pays journalists to examine ‘the region where science and theology overlap’ and the journalists oblige.… Read the rest



Mooney Congratulates Himself *

Feb 27th, 2010 | Filed by

On his Templeton ‘Fellowship.’… Read the rest



Fox News Accuses Obama of Favoring Atheists *

Feb 27th, 2010 | Filed by

Sean Hannity claims religious leaders have not been invited to the White House. Oh please.… Read the rest



Allen Esterson on Alana Cash on Mileva Marić *

Feb 26th, 2010 | Filed by

Evidence lacking, evidence pointing the other way, evidence twisted then twisted again.… Read the rest



Russell Blackford on Stanley Fish *

Feb 26th, 2010 | Filed by

Fish thinks the classical liberal tradition of Locke, Mill, and Rawls leads to an impoverishment of politics.… Read the rest



Simon Singh and the Silencing of the Scientists *

Feb 26th, 2010 | Filed by

‘It is what is not published or has to be omitted ­because of a lawyer’s letter,’ notes Evan Harris.… Read the rest



A Festering Problem in Internet Culture *

Feb 26th, 2010 | Filed by

Anonymous flaming. Richard Dawkins has had enough of it, and he’s not the only one.… Read the rest



Chris Mooney is Named a Templeton Fellow [pdf] *

Feb 26th, 2010 | Filed by

What a surprise!… Read the rest



Rushdie is Writing a Book on the Fatwa *

Feb 25th, 2010 | Filed by

What it’s like to have theocrats in charge of your life.… Read the rest



Intelligent People Have Evolutionarily Novel Values *

Feb 25th, 2010 | Filed by

Intelligence does not correlate with values old enough to have been shaped by evolution.… Read the rest



Senior Saudi Cleric Orders Killing of Muslims Who *

Feb 25th, 2010 | Filed by

Who allow the sexes to mix freely in the workplace or in educational institutions.… Read the rest



‘Saving the Sacred in a Secular Age’ Conference *

Feb 25th, 2010 | Filed by

Templeton Foundation co-sponsors conference presenting ‘religious responses to contemporary secularism.’… Read the rest



Timothy Egan on the Missionary Impulse *

Feb 25th, 2010 | Filed by

Laura Silsby owed her former employees unpaid wages, so she thought she would be useful in Haiti.… Read the rest



No Anti-Hate Banners for Wyoming! *

Feb 24th, 2010 | Filed by

Not if they include no hate for gay people. All very well to oppose hate, but there is a limit.… Read the rest



Pope Should Come Clean About Magdalenes *

Feb 24th, 2010 | Filed by

The church that revered Mary the Mother of God, yet treated all mortal women as sinners and whores. … Read the rest



Religious Schools Allowed to Teach Nonsense *

Feb 24th, 2010 | Filed by

There’s no subject other than sex that schools can teach with their own version of the truth. … Read the rest



Pregnant Nicaraguan Woman Denied Treatment *

Feb 24th, 2010 | Filed by

For metastatic cancer. If she wanted cancer treatment, she shouldn’t have gotten pregnant!… Read the rest



The Freethinker Talks to A C Grayling *

Feb 24th, 2010 | Filed by

About life the universe and everything.… Read the rest



Stanley Fish Has Read Another Book *

Feb 24th, 2010 | Filed by

This one by Steven Smith, who says there are no secular reasons. Fish is impressed.… Read the rest



Francis Collins ‘Proves the Rationality of Faith’ *

Feb 24th, 2010 | Filed by

And he does it once and for all, at that.… Read the rest