Spirited and informative, but neglects the arguments.… 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Inevitably links go out of date.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.
John Gross Reviews Stanley Wells 
May 30th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Yes Shakespeare loved sexual jokes, but ‘lewd interpreters’ exaggerate.… Read the rest
‘Stella Dallas’ and Nietzsche
May 30th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Emerson and Hepburn, Thoreau and Bette Davis, Hollywood and Stanley Cavell.… Read the rest
Ben Pimlott on Biography
May 30th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Against biographies which combine hagiography with salacious exposure of sex lives. … Read the rest
Visiting Colin Wilson
May 30th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘Humphrey fell asleep when I was explaining what I meant by non-pessimistic existentialism.’… Read the rest
Freudians Duke it Out
May 29th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
College of Psychoanalysts versus British Psychoanalytical Society.… Read the rest
The Joy of Being a Woman (or Girl)
May 28th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Raped and impregnated so a pariah so forced to sell self to UN peacekeepers for a banana to feed baby.… Read the rest
Pinochet Stripped of Immunity
May 28th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Chilean court ruling makes trial on charges of human rights abuses possible.… Read the rest
Indian State Changes Textbooks
May 28th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Delhi chief minister: ‘these books reinforce the secular traditions of India.’… Read the rest
Law Authorizing Assisted Suicide Upheld
May 27th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Federal Appeals Court rebukes Ashcroft for overstepping his authority.… Read the rest
Remember, Check Your Sources
May 27th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
A major newspaper wishes it had been more aggressive in re-examining some claims.… Read the rest
List of New York Times Articles
May 27th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Some later corrected, others casting doubt on reliability of some defectors.… Read the rest
Good on Sparkle, Not so Good on Substance
May 27th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Francis Wheen can seem to be taking potshots at easy targets.… Read the rest
Amnesty International’s Annual Report
May 26th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The human rights situation in 155 countries and territories in 2003.… Read the rest
Pseudoscience Can Kill
May 26th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Consider Candace Newmaker and ‘attachment therapy’ for example. … Read the rest
Culture, Payment Method, Entitlement, Risk?
May 26th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Why do US doctors prescribe antidepressants for children more than UK doctors?… Read the rest
The Military Censor Sorry Liaison
May 25th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Principal fires teacher for failure to censor students’ anti-war poetry. ACLU lawsuit pending.… Read the rest
Never on Sontag?
May 25th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
David Aaronovitch reads Susan Sontag on Abu Ghraib, colonialism and violence.… Read the rest
EU Constitution and the God Question
May 25th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Italy, Poland, Vatican want Christianity in; France, UK, Spain, Scandinavia don’t.… Read the rest
Credulous Sociology In Place of Aesthetics
May 24th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
James Wood reviews The Oxford English Literary History.… Read the rest
