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Inevitably links go out of date.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.


USA Today on atheism and sexism *

Sep 15th, 2011 | Filed by

Watson, elevator, Dawkins, Jacoby, Gaylor, CFI “Women in Secularism” conference, Hensley, Myers, things getting better.… Read the rest



Women hardest hit by poverty but it’s a secret *

Sep 15th, 2011 | Filed by

Neither The New York Times nor The Wall Street Journal even mentioned women in their front-page stories about the rise in the poverty rate.… Read the rest



The normalisation of misogyny is commonplace *

Sep 15th, 2011 | Filed by

The objectification and dehumanisation of women is such an inescapable part of popular culture that it necessarily plays a part in the daily interactions of men and women.… Read the rest



Tom Martin replies: men are too so the victims *

Sep 15th, 2011 | Filed by

“In a world which verbalises four times more sexism against men than it does against women, it’s high time gender studies set a better example.”… Read the rest



Jonathan Dean defends LSE’s Gender Institute *

Sep 15th, 2011 | Filed by

If a gender studies scholar were to put forward a crude “women good, men bad” analysis, it would never stand up to peer scrutiny.… Read the rest



Johann Hari offers a personal apology *

Sep 15th, 2011 | Filed by

Admits editing Wikipedia entries “of people I had clashed with in ways that were juvenile or malicious.”… Read the rest



Man sues LSE for “sexism” *

Sep 14th, 2011 | Filed by

“Its programs actively block men’s discourse and perpetuate the men-bad, women-good dialogue.”… Read the rest



Couple on trial for letting their baby die *

Sep 14th, 2011 | Filed by

The Oregon medical examiner’s office estimates that in the past 30 years, more than 20 children of church members have died of preventable or curable conditions.… Read the rest



Israel: cadets protest women singing at ceremony *

Sep 14th, 2011 | Filed by

Four of the nine religious cadets who walked out of a military event as a female
soldier began singing solo will be dismissed from their officers’ course.… Read the rest



Jacques Berlinerblau says how to do secularism *

Sep 14th, 2011 | Filed by

Do it his way.… Read the rest



Why is US TV losing women writers? *

Sep 14th, 2011 | Filed by

Women who hear that the television industry is not welcoming to them may be less
likely to become part of it in the first place.… Read the rest



Sexism alive and well in TV land *

Sep 14th, 2011 | Filed by

Only 15% of the writers of broadcast network, prime-time programs were women in 2010-2011 season, less than half the number in 2006-2007.… Read the rest



Bachmann’s breathtaking ignorance about HPV vaccine *

Sep 14th, 2011 | Filed by

“To have innocent little 12-year old girls be forced to have a government injection through an executive order is just flat-out wrong,” she proclaimed Monday.… Read the rest



Globe and Mail talks to Udo Schuklenk *

Sep 13th, 2011 | Filed by

“Often when people talk about end-of-life decision making, the assumption is it’s about pain. But it’s not. The concern is more about losing control over their lives, the quality of their lives.”… Read the rest



Globe and Mail editorial: make right to die legal *

Sep 13th, 2011 | Filed by

“Many people, once they know that if all else fails, this is an option, they won’t make that call. The stress is gone,” says Udo Schuklenk.… Read the rest



Iran: women’s rights activist badly beaten by cops *

Sep 13th, 2011 | Filed by

Her charges were announced as “Insulting the Supreme Leader”, “Propaganda against the Islamic Republic regime”, and “Acting against national security”.… Read the rest



Nothing paranormal about near-death experiences *

Sep 13th, 2011 | Filed by

How neuroscience can explain seeing bright lights, meeting the dead, or being convinced you are one of them.… Read the rest



Near-death experiences found to have naturalistic causes *

Sep 13th, 2011 | Filed by

Research is now revealing scientific explanations for virtually all of their common features.… Read the rest



Abuse survivors will try to take pope to court *

Sep 13th, 2011 | Filed by

Rape and other forms of sexual violence are specifically included in the definition of crimes against humanity that are under the jurisdiction of the ICC.… Read the rest



Pope accused of crimes against humanity *

Sep 13th, 2011 | Filed by

Victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests have accused the pope, the Vatican secretary of state and two other officials in a formal complaint to the ICC.… Read the rest