They will be suspected of spying if they interact with foreign institutions or attend international conferences.… 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Inevitably links go out of date.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.
Catholic Cardinal Threatens Pro-abortion MPs 
May 31st, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Cardinal has been frustrated by ‘the marginalisation of Christian values in public affairs.’… Read the rest
Gay Bar Can Ban Straights and Lesbians
May 30th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Australia’s Equal Opportunities Act bars discrimination for race, religion or sexuality, but exemptions are allowed. … Read the rest
Malaysia Squares the Circle
May 30th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘Malaysia’s constitution guarantees freedom of worship but says all ethnic Malays are Muslim.’… Read the rest
Muslims ‘Warn’: ‘Anti-Islamic’ Writer ‘Stirs Hatred’
May 30th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘There have to be boundaries in how far you go in respecting other’s beliefs.’ Or else.… Read the rest
A Girl, a Knife, and Hawa Gréou
May 30th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Neighbours had called the police because the babies’ screams constantly emanated from the apartment.… Read the rest
UK Academics to Vote on Boycott of Israel
May 30th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Debate by delegates to the University and College Union is likely to spark international condemnation.… Read the rest
Steven Weinberg Cancels UK Visit Over Boycott
May 30th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Was scheduled to speak at Imperial College, canceled because of NUJ boycott of Israeli products.… Read the rest
Boycott of Israel Divides Academics
May 30th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Tom Hickey, philosophy lecturer at Brighton University, is proposing the motion. … Read the rest
Scientists Disagree Over Alliance with Believers
May 29th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Dawkins cites risk of buying into the fiction that there’s something virtuous about faith.… Read the rest
Philosophy Not Useless After All
May 29th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Philosophy’s great recent achievement is the theory of structured procrastination.… Read the rest
Interview with Daniel Dennett
May 29th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Just as cows inherit many features of the aurochs, today’s organized religions inherit features from folk religions.… Read the rest
The Uses of Orwell
May 29th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
From the viewpoint of the non-religious, what Orwell had was not a blind spot, but clarity of vision. … Read the rest
Paul Berman on Tariq Ramadan, Buruma, Hirsi Ali
May 29th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Why does Buruma keep condemning Hirsi Ali? Why is he so cagy about Ramadan?… Read the rest
Johann Hari on Gordon Brown’s God
May 28th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Can we have the benign element of Jesus’ teaching without all the other dreck?… Read the rest
Tinky Winky Under Investigation in Poland
May 28th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Insufficiently butch teletubby could make children go all limp and wobbly.… Read the rest
Vatican Pal to Head Labour’s ‘Faith Task Force’
May 28th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Led Catholic ‘chivalric order,’ thinks ‘the faith communities do have a significant role to play.’… Read the rest
Islamic Reformers are Called ‘Islamophobic’ Too
May 28th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
If standing against Sharia is ‘Islamophobic’ the accusation is an honor, says Tawfik Hamid.… Read the rest
Female Toddlers Treated as Merchandise
May 28th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
A ‘jirga’ decided that three-year-old Tasleem and four-year-old Farzana be given as a penalty.… Read the rest
Moscow Gay Rights Demo Assaulted
May 27th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Right-wing and Orthodox thugs attacked demonstrators. Police busted gays, left attackers alone.… Read the rest
