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Inevitably links go out of date.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.


FDA Official Quits Over Plan B Ruling *

Sep 1st, 2005 | Filed by

Said decision to delay approval of morning after pill not scientifically based.… Read the rest



Eighteenth Century is a Portal to Postmodernism *

Sep 1st, 2005 | Filed by

No, really, it is.… Read the rest



Updates from New Orleans Times-Picayune *

Sep 1st, 2005 | Filed by

On the scene.… Read the rest



Nightmare in New Orleans *

Aug 31st, 2005 | Filed by

Waters rise, 80% of city underwater, break in levee on Lake Pontchartrain.… Read the rest



Broken Levees Continue to Flood New Orleans *

Aug 31st, 2005 | Filed by

People stranded on roofs, shelters evacuated, roads closed, Biloxi devastated.… Read the rest



Cass Sunstein on the Precautionary Principle *

Aug 31st, 2005 | Filed by

Status quo bias and the way emotion can overwhelm rational faculties.… Read the rest



Roger Scruton on Maurice Cowling *

Aug 31st, 2005 | Filed by

Irony as moral seriousness that would not allow itself the luxury of illusions.… Read the rest



Michael Ignatieff as Canadian PM? *

Aug 31st, 2005 | Filed by

Ignatieff returns to Toronto from Harvard to teach human rights.… Read the rest



UN Envoy Says US Harming Ugandan Aids Fight *

Aug 31st, 2005 | Filed by

Says Washington pressures Uganda to emphasize abstinence more than condoms.… Read the rest



Republicans Demand Scientists’ Papers *

Aug 30th, 2005 | Filed by

Influential scientists say request for materials going back decades looks like intimidation.… Read the rest



UN Official Accuses Bush Over Condom Policy *

Aug 30th, 2005 | Filed by

Cutting funding for condoms could damage fight against Aids in Uganda.… Read the rest



Indonesia Launches Record Anti-Polio Drive *

Aug 30th, 2005 | Filed by

WHO warns virus could spread to Malaysia, China and the Philippines. … Read the rest



Salman Rushdie on Today [audio] *

Aug 30th, 2005 | Filed by

The rise of fundamentalism in Kashmir, religious hatred law, the MCB, ‘faith’ schools.… Read the rest



Stupid Headline, Stupid Subhead *

Aug 30th, 2005 | Filed by

‘Men cleverer than women’ – all men cleverer than all women? No. Stupid headline.… Read the rest



Waters Rising in New Orleans *

Aug 30th, 2005 | Filed by

Gulf Coast, Mississippi after one of the most devastating storms ever to hit US.… Read the rest



‘Death to Bitches’ in Guatemala *

Aug 29th, 2005 | Filed by

Women are murdered and mutilated daily, and thought to deserve it.… Read the rest



No Protection, No Justice: Women in Guatemala *

Aug 29th, 2005 | Filed by

Amnesty International: ‘Many women and girls in Guatemala live with gender-based violence.’… Read the rest



Daniel Dennett Hunts for the Science of ID *

Aug 29th, 2005 | Filed by

Saying ‘You haven’t explained everything yet’ is not a competing hypothesis. … Read the rest



Christian Schools Sue University of California *

Aug 29th, 2005 | Filed by

UC admissions authorities refuse to certify high school science courses that teach creationism.… Read the rest



China Makes Gender Equality National Policy *

Aug 29th, 2005 | Filed by

But it will take more than legislation to change deeply ingrained attitudes towards women.… Read the rest