Social conservatives try to justify exposing students to religious objections disguised as scientific discourse.… 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Inevitably links go out of date.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.
Melbourne Imam: OK for Men to Hit Their Wives 
Jan 21st, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Wives not allowed to refuse sex unless ill. ‘Amazing, how can a person rape his wife?’… Read the rest
Wilders to be Prosecuted for ‘Anti-Islamic Statements’
Jan 21st, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Judges said they had weighed Wilders’s ‘one-sided generalisations’ against his right to free speech.… Read the rest
Mugabes on Shopping Spree in Hong Kong
Jan 21st, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Grace Mugabe takes a few minutes out to punch a photographer in the face.… Read the rest
Very Insulting Statements are Prosecutable
Jan 21st, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Court said Wilders statements were ‘so insulting for Muslims that it is in the public interest to prosecute.’… Read the rest
Michelle Goldberg on Rick Warren and Theocrats
Jan 21st, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The religious right will no longer exercise much political power. The zealots will find another way to be heard.… Read the rest
Taliban Destroy 5 Schools in Mingora
Jan 20th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Girls banned from school, women not allowed to go shopping, bodies dumped in the square.… Read the rest
Kogelo, Kenya Celebrates the Inauguration
Jan 20th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘He has taught us that we should practise true democracy. I hope he will tell dictators to practise democracy.’… Read the rest
Homophobia in Schools the Last OK Prejudice
Jan 20th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
65% of pupils in secular schools have experienced homophobic bullying, 75% in ‘faith’ schools.… Read the rest
Science Adviser Defends Homeopathy
Jan 20th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
MPs criticise John Beddington for failing to question the government’s use of scientific evidence.… Read the rest
Kano, Nigeria: Sharia Cops Block Women’s Rally
Jan 20th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The head of the Sharia police said the planned protest was ‘an embarrassment’ and ‘un-Islamic.’… Read the rest
Darwin Wondered if His Children Were Too Inbred
Jan 19th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
He was right, yet they have produced dozens of descendants eminent in science, medicine and the professions.… Read the rest
C of E Pitches a Fit About Human Rights Act
Jan 19th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Church bosses say there is an overemphasis on equality legislation at the expense of ‘faith groups.’… Read the rest
Lotsa Religion at the Inauguration
Jan 19th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Brings people together, shows God is looking over the people, bow your heads and pray.… Read the rest
Personal Experience Makes Ethical Issue Vivid
Jan 19th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
A moral philosopher has a brain tumour, may lose her memory and self, is furious that euthanasia is not an option.… Read the rest
David Pilgrim Reviews ‘Try to Remember’
Jan 19th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘Psychiatry’s Clash over Meaning, Memory and Mind.’ See Allen Esterson’s comment at the end.… Read the rest
Girls’ Education Ended in Swat Valley
Jan 19th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
School administrators have announced that more than 900 private schools will remain closed.… Read the rest
John Holbo Revisits ‘Theory’
Jan 18th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Many literary scholars feel obscurely obliged to find Theory to be, somehow, necessary.… Read the rest
Opponents of Mugabe Tell Court of Torture
Jan 18th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Jestina Mukoko was forced to kneel on gravel for hours; she wept on the stand as she recounted her ordeal.… Read the rest
Jestina Mukoko’s Affidavit [pdf]
Jan 18th, 2009 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The punishment for heading a human rights organization.… Read the rest
