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Inevitably links go out of date.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.


LA Zoo Hires Feng Shui ‘Expert’ *

Feb 20th, 2007 | Filed by

She has already made some changes to an enclosure to ‘maximise good energy.’… Read the rest



Stan Persky on Dawkins and Baggini on God *

Feb 20th, 2007 | Filed by

‘Though I don’t agree with believers, I have considerable empathy for their yearnings.’… Read the rest



Partial Free Secondary Education in Uganda *

Feb 19th, 2007 | Filed by

Many students have been dropping out of secondary school because of the high cost of school fees.… Read the rest



Dominionists are Different From Fundamentalists *

Feb 19th, 2007 | Filed by

Chris Hedges argues that dominionism is ur-Fascism.… Read the rest



Can You Do Philosophy on a Weblog? *

Feb 19th, 2007 | Filed by

Nigel Warburton says one of the best ways of conceptualising blogs is as published commonplace books.… Read the rest



Arizona Bill Would Forbid Academics to *

Feb 19th, 2007 | Filed by

Advocate ‘one side of a social, political, or cultural issue that is a matter of partisan controversy.’… Read the rest



Hossein Derakhshan on Internet Censorship in Iran *

Feb 19th, 2007 | Filed by

Many reformist-backed websites were filtered in the past couple of years.… Read the rest



Alok Jha on a Worked-up Ethical Debate *

Feb 19th, 2007 | Filed by

Opposition to creation of animal-human hybrid embryos for stem cell research is irrational.… Read the rest



Indiana State University Plans to Economize *

Feb 18th, 2007 | Filed by

Is a university without philosophy and physics really a university?… Read the rest



‘I won’t be happy until I lose my legs’ *

Feb 18th, 2007 | Filed by

‘I have something called body identity integrity disorder.’… Read the rest



‘Voice’ of the Muslim Community is Always Male *

Feb 17th, 2007 | Filed by

Muslim society, Gina Khan says, is based on male domination and the oppression of women. … Read the rest



Supporters Join Gina Khan *

Feb 17th, 2007 | Filed by

‘It’s not right that the spokesman from the Central Mosque should be able to talk for us all.’… Read the rest



Bomb Kills Polio Immunization Official in Pakistan *

Feb 17th, 2007 | Filed by

He was returning from a meeting of tribal elders to persuade them to end opposition to immunization.… Read the rest



David Aaronovitch Reviews Nick Cohen *

Feb 17th, 2007 | Filed by

Exploration of a perverse phenomenon, in which pacifism turned into a tolerance of Nazism.… Read the rest



Rebecca Weisser Reviews Nick Cohen *

Feb 17th, 2007 | Filed by

His ambition is to show how the Left of the 20th century ended up supporting the far Right of the 21st.… Read the rest



Ben Goldacre on Patrick Holford *

Feb 17th, 2007 | Filed by

‘Dealing with Holford is like playing Bad Science Bingo.’… Read the rest



Kenyan Principal Expels Uncircumcised Boys *

Feb 16th, 2007 | Filed by

Taboos, bullying, tradition, public institutions, parents, expense.… Read the rest



Oddities of Texas Legislature *

Feb 16th, 2007 | Filed by

Evolution is the Pharisee Religion; Einstein and Sagan were Kabbalists; Hollywood did it.… Read the rest



Brian Opera Awakes Blasphemy Worries *

Feb 16th, 2007 | Filed by

‘It has got to be offensive to anyone who values music as means of expressing great ideas.’… Read the rest



Congress Considers Armenian Genocide Bill *

Feb 16th, 2007 | Filed by

Turkey rejects the genocide label, argues that 300,000 Armenians and as many Turks died in civil strife.… Read the rest