“The Lord said, ‘Be submissive. Wives, you are to be submissive to your husbands,’” she told the crowd at a Minnesota megachurch.… 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Inevitably links go out of date.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.
9 things to know about Perry’s prayer event
Aug 25th, 2011 | Filed by Ophelia BensonNAR’s agenda of theocratic dominion over all aspects of society is threatening to modern secular democracy and the religious pluralism it protects.… Read the rest
Rick Perry’s Army of God
Aug 25th, 2011 | Filed by Ophelia BensonA chain of powerful prophecies had proclaimed that Texas was “The Prophet State,” anointed by God to lead the United States into revival and Godly government.… Read the rest
An underreported sector of the Religious Right
Aug 25th, 2011 | Filed by Ophelia BensonRick Perry may have been counting on the fact that most Americans would not be able to distinguish the apostles from any other conservative evangelicals.… Read the rest
Meet The New Apostolic Reformation
Aug 25th, 2011 | Filed by Ophelia BensonThis stuff is even crazier than the other crazy stuff – and these are the people who organized Rick Perry’s prayer rally.… Read the rest
Fake rave reviews for sale
Aug 24th, 2011 | Filed by Ophelia BensonAs online retailers increasingly depend on reviews as a sales tool, an industry of fibbers and promoters has sprung up to buy and sell raves for a pittance.… Read the rest
Education is the key to Afghanistan’s future
Aug 24th, 2011 | Filed by Ophelia BensonInvesting in Afghanistan’s teachers could have been one of the cheapest, quickest ways to reinvigorate the country’s human capital.… Read the rest
Jeffrey Toobin on the Thomases v Obama
Aug 24th, 2011 | Filed by Ophelia BensonAs the Justice has assumed an influential role on the Roberts Court, his wife has helped lead the public war against the Administration.… Read the rest
The illusion of asymmetric insight
Aug 24th, 2011 | Filed by Ophelia BensonYou believe you see more of other people’s icebergs than they see of yours; meanwhile, they think the same thing about you.… Read the rest
Paying attention to what isn’t there
Aug 24th, 2011 | Filed by Ophelia BensonIf it should be there and isn’t, that could be significant.… Read the rest
Dawkins to Perry: evolution is a fact
Aug 23rd, 2011 | Filed by Ophelia BensonEvolution is not some recondite backwater of science, ignorance of which would be pardonable.… Read the rest
UK: company threatens critics with libel action
Aug 23rd, 2011 | Filed by Ophelia BensonBecause Atos Healthcare are out-sourced work by the public sector they are allowed to sue for defamation.… Read the rest
Vatican used Irish bank loans to pay US victims
Aug 23rd, 2011 | Filed by Ophelia BensonAllied Irish Bank guaranteed hundreds of millions, which allowed the Archdiocese of LA to avoid court and opening documents to scrutiny.… Read the rest
Al Jazeera: fighting rages at Gaddafi compound
Aug 23rd, 2011 | Filed by Ophelia BensonRebels have entered the fortified compound in Bab al-Azizya in Tripoli, amid intensified fighting with forces loyal to Gaddafi.… Read the rest
Guardian liveblogging on Libya
Aug 23rd, 2011 | Filed by Ophelia BensonRebels have taken Gaddafi’s compound.… Read the rest
Public health blogger shut down by employers
Aug 22nd, 2011 | Filed by Ophelia BensonHe disagreed with a pharmaceuticals “entrepreneur” – who sent email threats to his employer, a state health department.… Read the rest
Obituary of liberal secularism in Pakistan
Aug 22nd, 2011 | Filed by Ophelia BensonRadicalism is going to be the future of a country where the religious and political right are increasingly gaining strength and followers.… Read the rest
Discovered: the oldest fossils on earth
Aug 22nd, 2011 | Filed by Ophelia BensonThe microscopic fossils show convincing evidence for cells and bacteria living in an oxygen-free world over 3.4 billion years ago.… Read the rest
BBC on religion as big business in Nigeria
Aug 22nd, 2011 | Filed by Ophelia Benson“Nigerians have become desperate, and gullible, and these churches service this market,” says Leo Igwe.… Read the rest
Breast ironing in Cameroon
Aug 21st, 2011 | Filed by Ophelia BensonGirls’ breasts are flattened with hot stones or pestles to make the girls less desirable and to delay pregnancy.… Read the rest