Gordon Ramsay's birthday doesn't quite go according to plan...

X-Factor, American Idol, Popshit Factory, Arsehole Academy and other such drivel are polluting the minds of the public. It's highly edited, highly choreographed tripe, and it manipulates not only the poor saps desperate to follow in the god-like footsteps of Gareth Gates, but also the poor saps who sit at home, guffawing with their family in scenes reminiscent of Roman amphitheaters whose top billing invariably features a persecuted religious minority and one of the planet's most efficient and deadly predators. "Look at him run, Mum, look! Simon's going to tear him apart! Ooh, Louis won't like that, look, he's trying so hard to be accepted by the big cats, they can smell his tears! LOLZ!" This video, made by some clever wit with far too much time on their hands, deserves a linking; it's for Stars in Their Eyes by Just Jack, and it highlights what I've just been ranting about beautifully.

Actually, forget what I said before about stoner-chasing police coming to pick up your incapacitated body after it's been drugged by anti-drink-driving-robot-snakes, no, instead, there are these 'robots'. They can carry massive weights, withstand being kicked, hard, and have already formed an army which has taken over Peru.

This little bad boy is being researched by the military:

Reassuring stuff, right? These can climb pipes (inside and out), swim in water, and traverse mud. And that's just the prototype. Imagine what the military could do with these! You leave the pub after one pint and head to your car, where you're stopped by one of these standing on the back end of its tail like some hideous terminator cobra, and you're forced to breathe in its face, just to make sure you're safe to drive. If the results are that you're safe, you may drive away, if not, a dart fires out of this evil little snakebot's face and stabs you between the eyes, incapacitating you until the police have finished following around a group of harmless teens who are smoking what looks like a dangerously long cigarette.

Have a look at this wonderous piece of broadcast journalism, from Keith Olbermann. We need more people like him.

Here she is, once again, everyone's favourite raving lunatic, on Newsnight.

When she appeared on the Daily Show, Jon Stewart was fairly polite, yet mostly looked puzzled. Does anyone notice a theme here? Possibly that the two interviewers both seem utterly bewildered by Coulter's statements? It's almost as if they felt that they had to tone down their offensive against her, much as one would when trying to explain to a tourette's suffering child that swearing in class should be avoided. If I can get hold of that Daily Show clip, I'll post it here.

Nicolas Sarcozy at the G8 summit, an event at which eight of the world's most powerful leaders (excluding China), can come together and seriously discuss issues affecting the planet.

President George W. Bush, taking questions regarding the fate of millions of Iraqi citizens.

If I find any more, I'll post them soon as.

Isn't it interesting how Bill has no other option than to just joke when Dawkins questions him about Apollo? And I never before realised how fragile Dawkins seems as a person.

Just imagine it. A large, dark dancefloor, with four pillars standing at its corners. On the top of each pillar, someone doing this, with UV balls, and some form of UV clothing. If ever I buy a club, I know what I'm investing in...

This is possibly the most hilarious interchange I've ever witnessed in the House of Commons. People say politics is boring, but what do they know? Enjoy!

Ann Coulter displays just a small morsel of her vast wealth of ignorance.

In this next clip, angry singer and political activist Henry Rollins writes to Ann Coulter, offering her an alternative to her current path in life.

Howard Zinn discusses his opinion of just and unjust wars, and the legitimacy and justification of both. An excellent interview, with some wholly valid points.

Why don't the Palestinians have the right to a secure homeland, while the Israelis do?

From "The Intifada within the American, Israeli, Islamic Triangle", a lecture given at The University of Pennsylvania, November 8, 1989.

In case you're wondering just how your local Tesco's manages to get its chickens onto your shelves whilst maximising profits, this one's for you:

That's from Dispatches: Supermarket Secrets, an excellent documentary which, if you can get hold of the full version, is well worth a watch next time you're thinking of heading out to your local Asda. I'm sure you've all watched, with a bizarre fascination, various little video clips of how chocolate bars and crisps are made in factories. Now don't get me wrong, I'm no vege'aryan, but I personally find it very disturbing that these sentient beings are treated in the same way as, well, potatoes.

A short and powerful message from Noam Chomsky, about our fate if we continue to embrace the system as it stands: