He did believe in God – not the usual God, but – um – er – well he had a sense of awe.… 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Inevitably links go out of date.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.
Happy Cruciversary 
Apr 5th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
It is the culmination of a plan set in motion at the dawn of time. And what a plan it is.… Read the rest
Supreme Court Ruling on Carbon Emissions
Apr 4th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Clean Air Act gives EPA the authority to regulate emissions from cars.… Read the rest
Carl Zimmer on Time in the Animal Mind
Apr 4th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Several recent experiments suggest that, like humans, animals can visit the past and future.… Read the rest
The Evolution of Sex Roles
Apr 4th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
How did our male and female ancestors divide work; how did the division shape the species? … Read the rest
Aids Patients Refuse Meds, Take Holy Water
Apr 4th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Treatment is offered by a church in Ethiopia which claims to have cured hundreds of believers.… Read the rest
Sam Harris and Rick Warren on Religion
Apr 4th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
One talks sense, the other talks drivel. Ho hum.… Read the rest
Official at Fish and Wildlife Vetoed Scientists
Apr 3rd, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Department’s inspector general says official sent internal agency documents to industry lobbyists.… Read the rest
Zimbardo on the Lucifer Effect
Apr 3rd, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘I knew from our experiment, if you put good apples into a bad situation, you’ll get bad apples.’… Read the rest
Jonathan Wolff on Bureaucracy and Necessity
Apr 3rd, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
There can be bureaucracy without accountability, but can there be accountability without bureaucracy?… Read the rest
Judith Butler and Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak
Apr 3rd, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Consider the effect of the “global” on discourses of knowledge and power, literary analysis, and theories of subjectivity. … Read the rest
Rafia Zakaria on The Silence of the Left
Apr 3rd, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Western leftists, prioritising their own opposition to American imperialism, have abandoned Iranian liberals.… Read the rest
Secret Plan to Gut Endangered Species Act
Apr 3rd, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Many Fish and Wildlife Service employees believe the draft is not based on ‘defensible science.’… Read the rest
Mitchell Cohen on John Bowen on the Hijab
Apr 2nd, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Bowen doesn’t pose the questions adequately.… Read the rest
Sister of ‘Honour’ Killing Victim Threatened
Apr 2nd, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Sister told jurors she was beaten, called a whore, accused of being too Westernised.… Read the rest
A Breathtakingly Manipulative Speech
Apr 2nd, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The church is used to having privilege, and sees removal of privilege as an attack on its freedom.… Read the rest
Paving the Way for a Muslim Parallel Society
Apr 2nd, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Rulings help create a parallel Muslim world in Germany that is welcoming to Islamic fundamentalists.… Read the rest
André Glucksmann’s Lifetime of Indignation
Apr 2nd, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘There are many guardians of sleep. The thinker’s task is to fight against them.’… Read the rest
Poll: US Drowning in Ignorance
Apr 1st, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
48% rejects evolution; 34% of college graduates say they accept Biblical account of creation as fact.… Read the rest
Slavoj Žižek and Jerry Cohen at the ICA
Apr 1st, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘Sometimes the wrong question being asked is part of the problem.’… Read the rest
