Arguments we thought were long-won have been re-opened, rights we thought were settled are under threat. … 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Inevitably links go out of date.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.
What the Games Reveal and Conceal About China 
Jul 2nd, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
China’s propagandists have studied the theories of ‘manufacturing consent’ by Lippmann and Bernays.… Read the rest
Betancourt Freed
Jul 2nd, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt and 14 other hostages have been rescued by government troops. … Read the rest
American Family Assoc Dislikes the Word ‘Gay’
Jul 2nd, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
So it substitutes ‘homosexual’ in wire stories. Sprinter Tyson Gay becomes Tyson Homosexual.… Read the rest
Seymour Hersh on Bush’s Covert Ops in Iran
Jul 1st, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The scale and scope of operations in Iran have been significantly expanded, according to officials.… Read the rest
Administration Officials Deny Ops Inside Iran
Jul 1st, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Spokesmen for the intelligence committees declined to comment, as did the CIA.… Read the rest
Anti-semitic Hate Speech in Germany
Jul 1st, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘Schoolchildren berate their teachers, calling them Jew dogs, for not offering Sharia-compatible instruction.’… Read the rest
Obama to Expand ‘Faith-Based’ Program
Jul 1st, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Acknowledges those who like to separate religion and state, then carries on regardless.… Read the rest
Pascal Bruckner on the UN and Human Rights
Jul 1st, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
At the 2001 UN Conference against Racism in Durban, anti-colonialism bared its anti-Semitic face.… Read the rest
Stephen Law on the Odone Report
Jul 1st, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Over the past decade or so there has been a shift towards more extreme religious views being expressed by pupils. … Read the rest
Freedom of Expression and Political Islam
Jun 30th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
A ‘moderate’ or ‘reformed’ religion is one that has been pushed back and reigned in by an enlightenment.… Read the rest
The Tenets of Buddhist Modernism
Jun 30th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Neural Buddhism as the next big thing.… Read the rest
Alibhai-Brown Speaks up for Secularism
Jun 30th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Cristina Odone’s new report on ‘faith’ schools for the Centre for Policy Studies is insufferable. … Read the rest
Odone’s Insufferable Rhetoric
Jun 30th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Cites ‘smear campaign, orchestrated by a strident secularist lobby that has long plagued this sector.’… Read the rest
Odone Being Diplomatic
Jun 30th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Witch-hunt…informants…inquisition…strident secularists…… Read the rest
Two Points for Expletive, More With Punctuation
Jun 30th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Wicked to give it zero; it does show some very basic skills: conveying some meaning and some spelling. … Read the rest
BHA Calls Odone Report Totally Wrong
Jun 30th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Report ignores evidence and studies, simply repeats old exploded claims.… Read the rest
What ‘Strident Secularism’?
Jun 30th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘Since 1997 more new state-funded faith schools have opened than under any other government.’… Read the rest
Philip Hensher on David Rieff on Susan Sontag
Jun 29th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
It seems like bad taste to ask of the disease: ‘Do you know who my mother is?’… Read the rest
Happiness and Economics
Jun 29th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The way rational choice theory developed suggested that self-interest was not just a fact but also an ideal.… Read the rest
