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Inevitably links go out of date.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.


‘Youths’ Set Fire to Disabled Woman on Bus *

Nov 5th, 2005 | Filed by

Officials say rioting is also about youths simply ‘having a go’ at the police. And women on crutches.… Read the rest



Cardinal Says ‘Faithful’ Should Listen to Science *

Nov 4th, 2005 | Filed by

But then demands that science listen to religion as ‘an expert voice’. Expert in what?… Read the rest



House Republicans Work to Cut Food Stamps *

Nov 4th, 2005 | Filed by

Must pay for upper bracket tax cuts somehow.… Read the rest



Paul Gross on Science Standards [pdf] *

Nov 4th, 2005 | Filed by

Draft Science Framework for the
2009 NAEP gets a C – it needs work.… Read the rest



Scott McLemee on the Lisbon Eearthquake *

Nov 4th, 2005 | Filed by

Voltaire was sarcastic, Rousseau was unabomberish, Kant pondered gas pockets.… Read the rest



The Electromagnetic Chaos Eliminator *

Nov 4th, 2005 | Filed by

Also magnetic toe rings, crocodile protein peptide, balancing vibration.… Read the rest



Letters to Guardian on Chomsky Interview *

Nov 4th, 2005 | Filed by

From Chomsky, and Kemal Pervanic, who survived the Omarska concentration camp.… Read the rest



Melanie Phillips Misunderstands Epidemiology *

Nov 4th, 2005 | Filed by

Science is all about the error bar, a graphic representation of the uncertainties in the data.… Read the rest



Recent Communique From Animal Liberation Front *

Nov 4th, 2005 | Filed by

‘Associate with HLS and we will ruin your life.’… Read the rest



Cass Sunstein Takes a Look at Alito’s Dissents *

Nov 4th, 2005 | Filed by

He is often more conservative than his colleagues.… Read the rest



We Live in 2005, not 905 *

Nov 4th, 2005 | Filed by

Danish cartoonists dare to tease the prophet. Marches ensue. … Read the rest



Quantum Mechanics Must be Wrong *

Nov 4th, 2005 | Filed by

Or maybe Mills got his math wrong, or maybe his critics did, or maybe not.… Read the rest



Guy Takes 15 Years to Start Questioning Moonism *

Nov 4th, 2005 | Filed by

Still, better late than never.… Read the rest



Muslim Domestic Violence Cases are Different *

Nov 3rd, 2005 | Filed by

Or so police are told in Victoria, Australia. Muslim women not pleased.… Read the rest



Iran Fires Diplomats in Purge of Liberals *

Nov 3rd, 2005 | Filed by

Ambassadors to London, Paris, Berlin and UN mediated between Iran and Europe over nuclear programme. … Read the rest



Norm Geras on the Reductions of the Left *

Nov 3rd, 2005 | Filed by

Category of ‘imperialism’ so exhausts the thinking of part of the left as to lock it into regrettable positions.… Read the rest



Emma Brockes Interviews Noam Chomsky *

Nov 3rd, 2005 | Filed by

Things get bad-tempered over Bosnia and Srebrenica.… Read the rest



Well Why Bother Then? *

Nov 3rd, 2005 | Filed by

Bush is widely expected to pardon Libby if he is convicted.… Read the rest



McMartin Preschool Case: ‘I Lied” *

Nov 3rd, 2005 | Filed by

If he gave an answer they didn’t like, they asked again until he gave the right one.… Read the rest



E O Wilson: Can Biology Do Better Than ‘Faith’? *

Nov 3rd, 2005 | Filed by

Rapprochement between science and religion may be neither possible nor desirable.… Read the rest