The men were arrested on suspicion of offences relating to the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003.… 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Inevitably links go out of date.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.
Telling the truth about the bible is not bullying 
May 3rd, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The manufactured outrage at Dan Savage is an attempt to redefine acceptable discourse so that statement of uncomfortable facts is considered off-limits.… Read the rest
Michael De Dora on the war on women
May 3rd, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
State lawmakers set a record in 2011 for the most anti-reproductive rights provisions enacted in a single year, according to the Guttmacher Institute.… Read the rest
Nutella’s misleading advertising
May 3rd, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
A healthy spread made with “simple, quality ingredients like hazelnuts, skim milk and a hint of cocoa”? Uh…you forgot to mention the sugar.… Read the rest
Malaysia: Federal court dismisses Kashgari’s appeal
May 3rd, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
A five-man panel unanimously dismissed his appeal against a Kuala Lumpur High Court decision which struck out his writ of habeas corpus.… Read the rest
Jesus proves to Mo about the miracles
May 2nd, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
He’s all like dude, yes I can.… Read the rest
Obama proclaims May Day as “Loyalty Day”
May 2nd, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Workers? What workers? There are no workers, so they don’t need a workers’ holiday.… Read the rest
Cardinal Brady will not resign over BBC disclosures
May 2nd, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
This World found Cardinal Sean Brady had names and addresses of children being raped by priest Brendan Smyth, but did not pass details on to police or parents.… Read the rest
Measles outbreak on Merseyside: more than 200 cases
May 2nd, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
There are 210 confirmed cases, 39 of which needed hospital treatment. About 50% of the cases are in children under five years old.… Read the rest
Protesters plan to destroy GM test site
May 1st, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
“Activist” group has pledged to carry out a “decontamination” at a test site where researchers are growing GM wheat that can repel insect pests with a smell. Hooray for crop failure!… Read the rest
Dan Savage on the fairness of citing the Old Testament
May 1st, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Is it just totes unfair to confront anti-gay Christian hypocrites with Leviticus 20:13? No.… Read the rest
Helen Ukpabio cancels 2 US trips
May 1st, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Leo Igwe wrote that “efforts must be made to stop this evangelical throwback from spreading her diseased gospel in the US”, while online campaigners called for her exclusion from the US.… Read the rest
Women in Mali: no rights for you!
May 1st, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Under the new Family Code, a woman must obey her husband, men are considered the head of the family, and the legal age for marriage is 16 for girls and 18 for boys.… Read the rest
PEN Festival panel discusses life and work of Hitchens
May 1st, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Salman Rushdie said he fit comfortably in the tradition of great essayists going back to the 18th century and his work would undoubtedly endure.… Read the rest
Surly Amy says support women in secularism
May 1st, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
She made limited edition Surly-Ramics necklaces as gifts for people who donate to student scholarships to the Women in Secularism conference.… Read the rest
From minister to atheist: questions haunted her
May 1st, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Is Jesus the only way to God? Would a loving God torment people for eternity? Is there any evidence of God at all? And one day, she realized: “I’m an atheist.”… Read the rest
Andrew Copson on state-funded “faith” schools
May 1st, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The Catholic church promoted to all pupils in its secondary schools a petition against gay marriage in a way unacceptable for any publicly funded body.… Read the rest
Adele Wilde-Blavatsky: when anti-racism becomes anti-woman
Apr 30th, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The ‘excuse-making of cultural relativism’ and the politically correct face of anti-racism is ugly and dangerous.… Read the rest
Nigeria: church attacks kill 19 on Sunday
Apr 30th, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Four killed in Maiduguri, fifteen in Kano. Both attacks bore the hallmarks of Boko Haram.… Read the rest
Nigeria: suicide attack in Kano kills 11
Apr 30th, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Boko Haram’s increasingly murderous campaign has killed more than 1,000 people since mid-2009.… Read the rest
