Ted Hughes; the plot to murder Orhan Pamuk; Midnight’s Children; The Jewel of Medina…… 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Inevitably links go out of date.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.
HRW to Saudi Arabia: Ditch Capital Punishment 
Dec 30th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Saudi has no penal code, no formal definitions of what constitutes a crime, and no tradition of following established legal precedent. … Read the rest
Afghanistan: Suicide Bomb Kills 14 Schoolchildren
Dec 30th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘Children walking past, and then they detonate the vehicle bomb. The driver was able to see the children.’… Read the rest
Zimbabwe: Activists Appear in Court
Dec 30th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Jestina Mukoko and 31 others, some with bloodied and swollen faces, appeared in court on Monday. … Read the rest
Madeleine Bunting Ponders Darwin
Dec 30th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Displays her usual difficulties with accuracy and comprehension.… Read the rest
New Stats Show US Still World’s Top Jailer
Dec 30th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
With 756 of every 100,000 residents behind bars, the US has the world’s highest rate of incarceration. … Read the rest
Andrew Brown Kicks ‘the New Atheism’
Dec 29th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Some atheists actively believe there is no god. It’s an outrage.… Read the rest
Could it be Pretty Obvious There’s No God?
Dec 29th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
If we look at the world around us, do we find that there’s no god? Stephen Law asks.… Read the rest
Review of Chris Hedges on Atheism
Dec 29th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Takes Hedges’s wild claims at face value, and endorses them.… Read the rest
Many Teenagers Don’t Keep Virginity Pledges
Dec 29th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The notion that it has to be either a virginity pledge or encouraging teens to have sex is a false dichotomy.… Read the rest
Judge Delays Ruling on Zimbabwe Activists
Dec 29th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Morgan Tsvangirai has threatened to suspend negotiations with ZANU-PF over the case.… Read the rest
Senior Judge Calls for Sharia Divorces
Dec 28th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Baroness Butler-Sloss wants religious divorce to precede civil divorce for Muslim couples.… Read the rest
Scientific Illiteracy of the Rich and Famous
Dec 28th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Obama got MMR wrong; Demi Moore recommended ‘highly trained medical leeches.’… Read the rest
Philosophers Weigh In on God
Dec 28th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Contemporary Christian philosophers often content themselves with pulling up the drawbridge.… Read the rest
Grayling on Ideas That Could Save Humanity
Dec 28th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Good ideas should be stashed somewhere so that we don’t have to keep reinventing them.… Read the rest
Johann Hari on Harold Pinter
Dec 27th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Pinter often fumed about tyranny, but equally fumed about people who resisted it.… Read the rest
Even Atheists Can Go to Heaven
Dec 27th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘Only’ 39 % of Xians believe the bible is the literal word of God; 18 % think it’s a book written by humans.… Read the rest
Ponzi Schemes and Credulity Work Together
Dec 27th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
How an expert on gullibility and financial scams could fall prey to a hustler like Madoff. … Read the rest
Times Should Read its Own Bad Stats Column
Dec 27th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘Public opinion has moved sharply,’ the Times said – but actually it hasn’t.… Read the rest
Ben Goldacre Offers The Year in Bad Science
Dec 27th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
When you line these jokers up side by side you realise what a vast and unwinnable fight we face.… Read the rest
