Well we can’t have that. Obviously the more ignorant a president is, the better.… 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Inevitably links go out of date.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.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Irshad Manji 
May 4th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
One rejects Islam, the other wants to reform it.… Read the rest
Ben Goldacre on Manufacturing Doubt
May 4th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Note similarities between dissembling of food supplement industry and tobacco lobby’s war with epidemiology.… Read the rest
Ben Goldacre on ‘Pixie Dust’ Nonsense
May 4th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
There is no missing finger, so pixie dust not needed.… Read the rest
The Miracle of the Finger
May 4th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘It looked to have been an ordinary fingertip injury with quite unremarkable healing. This is junk science.’… Read the rest
Charles Darwin Samples a Little Television
May 4th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
It is clear what science is for: it is to help the police elucidate which American has killed which other American.… Read the rest
Malaysia Plans to Treat Women Like Infants
May 4th, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Government plans to require women to obtain written consent from families or employers to travel alone.… Read the rest
Religious Questioning of Secular Public Space
May 3rd, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Islamic conservatives try to dictate the content of curriculum at USW’s Centre for Islamic Studies.… Read the rest
How Can We Stamp Out All This Kufr?
May 3rd, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Lots and lots of ‘community’ pressure.… Read the rest
Attenborough Urges Better TV
May 3rd, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Fewer celebrity chefs, more science.… Read the rest
Vatican Happy About Snub to Pope
May 3rd, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Time magazine left pope off ‘100 most influential’ list; Vatican claims to be pleased.… Read the rest
Imams Angry About Literature Course
May 3rd, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘Muslims for Peace’ has demanded lecturer Samar Habib be dismissed and the course abolished. … Read the rest
‘Muslims for Peace’ Speak Up
May 3rd, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘Muslims should fear Almighty Allah and break all connections with this diabolical Centre of Kufr.’… Read the rest
Against Taylorism in Education
May 2nd, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
If teachers are to be visible embodiments of intelligence, skill, and scholarship, they must first be visible.… Read the rest
The Humanities Might Nurture Moral Seriousness
May 2nd, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The aesthetic disposition is less quietist than dispositions which see everything as ‘always already” inscribed’… Read the rest
British Muslims for Secular Democracy
May 2nd, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Alibhai-Brown asks ‘How is it that the Sikhs and Hindus can live in democracy but not Muslims?’… Read the rest
Brian Whitaker on BMSD Launch
May 2nd, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Baroness Kishwer Falkner said Catholics and Muslims ‘want a very special level of exceptionalism.’… Read the rest
Imran Ahmad Joined the BMSD
May 2nd, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
We believe government should be driven by reason and common values, not theology or cultural traditions.… Read the rest
The Koran Predicted the Big Bang and DNA
May 2nd, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
So what’s the next big thing? Be patient; the Koran will predict it after it’s happened.… Read the rest
How to Teach Writing
May 1st, 2008 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘A lawsuit in which I am accusing some of you (whom shall go unmentioned in this email) of violating Title VII of anti-federal discrimination laws.’… Read the rest
