Butterflies and Wheels update

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Ophelia Benson

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Sep 17, 2012, 8:49:15 PM9/17/12
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Hello. The sun is sinking (well, it will be in an hour) and it's time for another B&W update.
 

New in "Latest News"

Still no bail for Rimsha Masih
Campaigners stepped up calls for her release after police on Saturday arrested a cleric for allegedly tampering with the evidence against Rimsha.
Filed: September 3, 2012

Egypt’s sexual harassment of women is ‘epidemic’
Some women had education, and some men lagged behind; one way to equalise status is to shock women and force a sexual situation on them anywhere.
Filed: September 3, 2012

Speed-dating as new version of arranged marriage
Chat for three minutes, move on. Better than not meeting at all...
Filed: September 3, 2012

Xians take ‘beliefs’ fight to ECHR
Andrew Marsh, of Christian Concern, told the BBC the four could have had their beliefs respected by their employers without harming the people they serve.
Filed: September 4, 2012

Ben Goldacre researches the new health secretary
In parliament he has been a supporter of homeopathy, against abortion, and against hybrid stem cell research. In 2009 he called for the NHS to be dismantled.
Filed: September 4, 2012

Muslim-majority countries bad on religious freedom
Violent religious persecution is present in every country with a Muslim majority with a population of more than 2 million.
Filed: September 4, 2012

New 3-D image from Curiosity Rover
Between the rover on the right, and its shadow on the left, looms the rover's eventual target: Mount Sharp.
Filed: September 4, 2012

Tunisia: Salafists raid hotel bar for serving alcohol
Dozens of thugs smashed bottles and chased away customers at the Horchani hotel, news agencies reported.
Filed: September 5, 2012

Hindu protests over McDonald’s near holy sites
Big Macs v sacred cows.
Filed: September 5, 2012

Divorce and sharia
The husband says a second wife is allowed under sharia.
Filed: September 5, 2012

California bans therapy aimed at ‘curing’ homosexuality
The bill to prohibit children and teenagers from undergoing conversion therapy was passed by a vote of 51 to 21.
Filed: September 5, 2012

India: woman gives away daughters
Reporter is incredulous to discover poverty so desperate. Where's he been?
Filed: September 5, 2012

Pakistan: bail granted in “blasphemy” case
Blasphemy is not a bailable offence but her lawyers pleaded that she was a juvenile.
Filed: September 7, 2012

Canada closes Iranian embassy, kicks out diplomats
Foreign Minister's statement said Canada viewed Iran "as the most significant threat to global peace and security in the world today".
Filed: September 7, 2012

Arctic ice melting fast
"This is not some short-lived phenomenon - this is an ongoing trend. You lose more and more ice and it is accelerating."
Filed: September 7, 2012

Huge ugly cruise ships wrecking Venice
They are out of scale.
Filed: September 7, 2012

The myth that hijab protects women
Even if the only part of a woman's body that shows is her shadow, harassers will sexualize and fetishize it.
Filed: September 7, 2012

Rimsha Masih released, removed by helicopter
A Pakistani military helicopter plucked her from a prison yard on Saturday and flew her to a secret location after she was granted bail.
Filed: September 8, 2012

Reform call as madrassa teacher guilty of child cruelty
They would still have the same curriculum though.
Filed: September 8, 2012

Curiosity Rover samples the air on Mars
The robot sucked the air into its big Sample Analysis at Mars instrument to reveal the concentration of different gases.
Filed: September 8, 2012

Baggini and Krauss on philosophy and science
There are important questions that remain unanswered when all the facts are in.
Filed: September 9, 2012

India: anti-corruption cartoonist arrested
Aseem Trivedi was arrested on Saturday for a series of cartoons lampooning politicians. He is being charged with sedition.
Filed: September 10, 2012

Laurie Penny on…er…Naomi Wolf’s Vagina
Vagina, as has been observed across the mainstream reviewing press this week, is a very silly book.
Filed: September 10, 2012

Dawkins says Mormonism is silly shock-horror
He should have said it's sensible?
Filed: September 10, 2012

Tom Holland threatened over documentary on Islam
A Channel 4 spokeswoman said: "Having taken security advice, we have reluctantly cancelled a planned screening of the programme."
Filed: September 11, 2012

Salman Rushdie on the fatwa
He did not feel that his book was especially critical of Islam, but a religion whose leaders behaved in this way could probably use a little criticism.
Filed: September 12, 2012

Ron Lindsay on divisiveness in the secular movement
We’ve divided the movement because we’re not talking to each other; we’re just insulting each other.
Filed: September 12, 2012

Rioters in Libya and Egypt rage at anti-Islam movie
The US ambassador to Libya is killed in the rioting.
Filed: September 12, 2012

Meeting Libya’s Ansar al-Sharia
The group made it clear they would not speak to female members of our team.
Filed: September 13, 2012

Highlands Presbyterians furious at Dawkins invitation
The Wee Frees challenged him to a debate; he replied with the usual quip: 'That would look great on your CV, not so good on mine.'
Filed: September 13, 2012

Virginia students allowed to skip education
Virginia is the only state that allows families to avoid government intrusion once they are given permission to opt out of public school.
Filed: September 14, 2012

J Figdor speaks out against hate directed at women
Talk of "white knighting" and "infantilization" is a silencing tactic.
Filed: September 14, 2012

HRW tells Tunisia: fix flaws in draft constitution
Those that would abridge freedom of expression, women’s rights, the principle of non-discrimination, and freedom of thought and conscience.
Filed: September 14, 2012

Susan Jacoby on the dearth of women in secularism
Adapted from her speech at the Women in Secularism Conference sponsored by the Center for Inquiry and held in Washington, DC, in May 2012.
Filed: September 14, 2012

Egypt PM urges US to end ‘insults’ to Islam
Hisham Qandil said it was "unacceptable to insult our Prophet."
Filed: September 15, 2012

The quest for the Islamic bicycle
Mustafa Akyol called the idea of an Islamic bicycle an “expression of the self-isolating mentality that has stagnated Muslim thought.”
Filed: September 16, 2012

John Forte saved Corfu from Scientology
He helped to prevent L Ron Hubbard from setting up a university on the island.
Filed: September 16, 2012

Scientologists upset about “The Master”
"They feel strongly that they think it's a religion and as such they think the subject matter shouldn't be explored."
Filed: September 16, 2012

Chief Rabbi says Dawkins is a Christian atheist
Jonathan Sacks claims that it's anti-Semitic to say the Old Testament god is a murderous shit.
Filed: September 16, 2012

New in "Articles"

…assuming the mantle
By Bruce Everett
If pseudo- and actual misogyny are used as defining criteria for what it is to be masculine, then I consider that an imposture. I don’t want that group identity lumbered on me
Filed: September 8, 2012

Religion versus Atheism in Nigeria
By Leo Igwe
In Nigeria, people who do not profess any religion or belief in god find themselves in a perilous predicament.
Filed: September 12, 2012

New in "Notes and Comment Blog"

There you have it! Talk to you soon.
 
OB
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