A judiciary official says tribunals will process hundreds of ‘rioters’ and ‘thugs’ caught in security sweeps.… 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Inevitably links go out of date.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.
Defectors Spill the Beans About Scientology 
Jun 22nd, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Physical violence permeated the international management team. Staffers are made to ‘confess sins.’… Read the rest
Jean Kazez on Metaphors and Book Titles
Jun 21st, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
God: A Biography – what, God was born in Brooklyn? Walking with God – what’s next, going to the movies with God?… Read the rest
The Tension Between Theocracy and Democracy
Jun 21st, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
God’s will and the people’s wants are not always compatible. … Read the rest
The Philosophy of Jokes
Jun 21st, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
What is it to find something funny? What kind of thing is humour? How do we explain it?… Read the rest
C of E Pitching a Fit at the Beeb
Jun 21st, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Wants to know why the BBC is not a wholly owned subsidiary of the Anglican church.… Read the rest
Jonathan Derbyshire: How the Left Lost its Language
Jun 21st, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
We ought to return to the arguments over the weight we accord liberty and equality.… Read the rest
Mick Hume on Liberty in the Age of Terror
Jun 20th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Chastises Grayling for looking to written constitutions to protect rights.… Read the rest
The God-given Right to Bad-mouth Queers
Jun 20th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The bill could ban Christians voicing traditional views on sexuality! Except that it couldn’t.… Read the rest
Witchcraft Not Compatible With Catholicism
Jun 20th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
They wear such funny clothes, and there are all those candles and incantations – it just won’t do.… Read the rest
Iran’s Rural Vote and Election Fraud
Jun 19th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Is Ahmadinejad’s support base rural? Not if Bagh-e Iman is representative.… Read the rest
Ben Goldacre Looks at the Numbers
Jun 19th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
He asked what steps they took to notify journalists of their error, which exaggerated their findings by a factor of ten.… Read the rest
This Is Ben Goldacre’s Column on Drugs
Jun 19th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
In areas of political conflict people behave badly with evidence, so the war on drugs is reliably entertaining.… Read the rest
Justice Eady Strikes Again
Jun 19th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Rules that bloggers have no right to remain anonymous.… Read the rest
Jesus and Mo on the Dunning-Kruger Effect
Jun 19th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Incompetent people aren’t competent to see that they are incompetent. … Read the rest
Islamist Meeting Ejected Over Sex Segregation
Jun 18th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Ordered to leave Conway Hall when it emerged that Al-Muhajiroun were not letting women into the main hall.… Read the rest
Michael Ruse Drops Jerry Coyne a Line
Jun 18th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘I don’t know who does more damage, you and your kind or Phillip Johnson and his kind.’… Read the rest
Michael Ruse at the Creation Museum
Jun 18th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
He has an epiphany, because he is not one of those horrid new atheists.… Read the rest
Sympathy for the Snookered
Jun 18th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
None for people who know better.… Read the rest
Russell Blackford: There is Only One World
Jun 17th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
There is no good reason to think a ‘transcendent world’ exists, or that religion can inform us about one.… Read the rest
