Vulnerability to violence is not the only area in which the equal status of women in Iraq has eroded.… 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Inevitably links go out of date.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.
Creationists Launch ‘God Lab’ 
May 18th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Set up to search for scientific evidence for intelligent design. Same old ID people, Barbara Forrest notes.… Read the rest
Ben Goldacre on Why Meta-analysis Matters
May 18th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Ideas like cumulative meta-analysis from the world of evidence have saved countless lives.… Read the rest
Kambakhsh Appeals Death Sentence
May 18th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
He hopes to write a book about his experience in Afghan prisons — if he gets out alive.… Read the rest
Kambakhsh Tells Appeals Court of Torture
May 18th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Sayed Parwez Kambakhsh was convicted in January of ‘insulting Islam.’… Read the rest
Why Did the Police Accuse Channel 4?
May 18th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The best explanation for now lies in Patani’s title: assistant chief constable (security and cohesion).… Read the rest
Cartoonist Arrested for ‘Insulting’ Cartoons
May 18th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Many of Gregorius Nekschot’s cartoons make fun of Islam. And that’s illegal?… Read the rest
NSS Calls for Inquiry
May 18th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Debate was derailed by zeal of the WMP and the CPS whose action appeared to signal no-go areas of inquiry.… Read the rest
Family Showed No Remorse Over Murders
May 17th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘I have no regrets,’ Sunita’s mother Roshni Devi said; her husband and the family had saved its reputation. … Read the rest
Village Proud After Double Murder
May 17th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘From society’s point of view, this is a very good thing. We have removed the blot.’… Read the rest
John Wood Dismantles Some David Brooks
May 17th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Brooks has no idea what he’s talking about yet he flaunts his ignorance in a respected newspaper.… Read the rest
Couple Murdered as Village Applauds
May 17th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Going against the wishes of the community and the family will not be tolerated.… Read the rest
A Horrible Day in Haryana
May 17th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The bodies of Sunita Devi, 21, and Jasbir Singh, 22, lie on the ground after they were killed by villagers … Read the rest
Meanwhile, in Zimbabwe
May 16th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Warning: this is hard to read without falling apart.… Read the rest
Science Provides a Creation Myth
May 16th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Let a hundred flowers bloom, tralalala.… Read the rest
Pakistan: Doctor Charged with ‘Blasphemy’
May 16th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Dr Robin Sarder is currently in jail.… Read the rest
Canon Says Sharia Will Influence UK Law
May 16th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘I don’t feel threatened by this, but the worry comes when the aims of faith are compromised by the law of the land.’… Read the rest
Saudi Arabia: Stop Trials for ‘Insulting’ Islam
May 16th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
HRW says courts in Jeddah should dismiss cases against a Saudi web critic and a Turkish barber.… Read the rest
Freethinker Interviews OB
May 16th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Deep theological questions are raised, then callously brushed aside.… Read the rest
Foreign Policy’s List of Top 100 Intellectuals
May 16th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The pope? Qaradawi? Intellectuals?… Read the rest
