Taleban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told AFP that they killed Gayle Williams.… 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Inevitably links go out of date.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.
UN Engineer Killed in Somalia 
Oct 21st, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Intelligence sources say the assassination of aid workers by trained killers has become the norm.… Read the rest
Humanitarian Workers are Targeted
Oct 21st, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Deliberately killing humanitarian workers is an outrage which we don’t denounce enough.… Read the rest
Poverty and the Death Penalty in Nigeria
Oct 21st, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘Nigeria: Waiting for the Hangman’ says those sentenced to death are poor; most confessed under torture.… Read the rest
Shelina Zahra Janmohamed on Jewel of Medina
Oct 20th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Outdated Orientalist reading; marriage for girls in early teens normal; offended; hurt; empathy; respect.… Read the rest
Ronald Aronson on Undercounting Secularists
Oct 20th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
When will they demand that the spirit of multiculturalism be extended to those who do not pray?… Read the rest
Jane Mayer on the Choice of Sarah Palin
Oct 20th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Palin has positioned herself as an insurgent but has routinely turned to Washington’s Old Guard for help.… Read the rest
Fleischacker on the Israel-Palestine Conflict 7
Oct 20th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Nationalists are frequently contemptuous of the individual rights beloved of liberals.… Read the rest
The Guardian Sneers at Libraries
Oct 20th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘Libraries could hardly not be about books,’ but they can damn well give it their best shot.… Read the rest
Atheist Supports Sharia in Scotland
Oct 20th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Domestic violence would not be crime in sharia courts, so that would be good for Muslim men.… Read the rest
Chet Raymo on Miracles
Oct 19th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Once we let some miracles in the door, there is no consistent way to exclude others.… Read the rest
Hindus to Christians: Convert or We Will Kill You
Oct 19th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘If you go on being Christians, we will burn your houses and your children in front of you.’… Read the rest
Girl, 11, Set on Fire for Wearing Lipstick
Oct 19th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Her great-uncle, a conservative Muslim, told police he was enraged at the girl for being ‘scantily dressed.’… Read the rest
Religious Grievances on the Increase
Oct 19th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Muslims want prayer breaks, non-Muslims don’t want to do their work; impasse.… Read the rest
Just Fancy: the Soul is the Brain
Oct 19th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Your mental life is a product of your brain. If you want to call that a soul…whatever.… Read the rest
A Planetarium is not ‘Foolishness’
Oct 18th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Planetaria educate and inspire people; they are worth spending money on.… Read the rest
Radio Netherlands on Women in Iran
Oct 18th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Jonathan Groubert talks to Farnaz Seifi and Fataneh Farahani about hijab and protest. … Read the rest
The Guardian’s Crush on the Koran
Oct 18th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Zia Sardar has spent years trying to square the circle of his Islamic beliefs with his right-on radicalism.… Read the rest
Herding Atheists is Like Herding Cats
Oct 18th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
One problem with turning out the atheist vote is finding it.… Read the rest
Catholics Oppose Assisted Suicide Bill
Oct 18th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Opponents say Washington State Initiative 1000 is ‘against God’s will.’ So suffering is God’s will.… Read the rest
