Links
My General Blog, click the picture to go there
This fantastic bloke has been my technological saviour many times!
Noel McEvilly
Brontide Limited. Click his logo to check him out!
Favourite Places:
COFFEE AND CORKS: The best cafe in England!!! If you are ever in Canterbury, please please PLEASE stop by here!
THE HARTFORD BELLE:
I can't think of a better way to spend a day than on this little boat!
info@hartfordbelle.com (860) 665-9428
(A note to the Brits - this Hartford is the one in Connecticut, USA.)
THE NATIONAL GALLERY, LONDON
(My favourite Turner painting. When you stand in front of the real thing in the National Gallery, you can almost feel the sun on your skin - go there and try it for yourself!)
POSSIBLY THE BEST SWEET SHOP IN ENGLAND!
Artists To Check Out
ALEC EGAN
I was really surprised that I like this guy's work because I don't usually like things like this. There is just something about his work that absolutely sucks me in! I think I'm getting soft in my old age, because a few years ago, I was absolutely 100% anti-modern art, but now I'm far more receptive to it, and have even started giving it ago myself (after seeing this). I think the main reason why I love his work is because it looks like real genuine thought and raw feeling was put into it rather than the pretentious bunk that a lot of modern art/'expressionist' type people come out with. I wish I could do stuff like this- my imagination just isn't good enough. Click the picture below to go to his website!
KURT JACKSON
I absolutely love this guy's work! I studied him in school and did a project that was heavily influenced by him. When I went to uni, he had an exhibition at the library gallery, and I was jumping up and down like a complete idiot because I couldn't believe I was looking at the real thing after squinting at 3x4 inch pictures of his work for two years... they're MASSIVE! The mixed media and stuff he uses in them is incredible! Half of it is stuff he's found lying around where he was painting it - like netting and plastic bags and the like. Ok I'm going to stop writing now and let you look for yourself:
KEN BUSHE
And while I'm plugging artists (hey, I called this website 'Shameless Plugging' for a reason!), it's only fair that I chuck in some good words and free publicity for some of my friends while I'm at it:
so here we go: Becky Philpott , Shaheena Pooloo , Paul Walsh- three beautiful and extremely talented people! 
Music Based Links
Where I post the stuff I like to listen to - I'm constantly finding new music that I fall for so it's updated reasonably regularly (every couple of weeks)
Make It Better Later (or MIBL) - One of my friend's bands - they're kinda ska, kinda punk, kinda genius - check them out by either clicking here for their facebook page, or visit their myspace by clicking on the picture below. Also, if you look up 'Make It Better Later' on youtube, you'll find lots videos from their concerts and their tour diary etc. I think they've also brought their new album out on itunes a couple of weeks ago.
Adrian Benn (and the Makeshift Minstrels)
Great guy, great voice! thanks for entertaining us so many times at Caseys, Keynestock and Artsfest! Hear him and see him for yourself on his website and on myspace
Audra Mae
Alzheimers.
I discovered the other week that Terry Pratchett, whose books I adored as a kid, has Alzheimers. This was a real shock to me. I don't know why, but in my ignorance, I just couldn't quite understand how something like that could happen to such a brilliant mind. He has made a documentary about his quest, over 6 months, to discover as much as he can about this disease and what kinds of cures are available and what research is being done to find one, and to understand Alzheimers better. The truth is, there are many mixed messages and quack cures out there, and very little REAL solid and useful information in terms of accurate predictions of patients progression, and very clearly a shortage of funding into research projects, which is absolutely appalling, when you consider how much research goes into treatments for cancer. Cancer is obviously an absolutely horrendous disease, and one which my family has not been untouched by; but at least there is some hope for cancer sufferers if it's caught early enough, in terms of operations, radiotherapy and chemotherapy etc. There is nothing like this for Alzheimers sufferers and I imagine seeing a loved one slip away bit by bit as a result of Alzheimers must be every inch as terrifying and painful as it is for those whose lives are affected by Cancer. The human brain is still largely a mystery to us, and I believe it is incredibly important that more research can be done to give these people some hope for their futures. Educating people about this disease and raising awareness is a positive step towards doing so. So in my own, albeit very tiny contribution, here are a couple of links to the Alzheimers associations in the UK and the USA. The TEN SIGNS TO LOOK OUT FOR, and the main research/information site for the UK
AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT:
Things from Youtube
George Bush providing the world with someone to laugh at.
Anti-Boredom Campaign (heh heh.. one day I will try this!)
Flying Man classic Monty Python
That lot should keep you entertained for a little while at least.. I'll add more if I find anything worth adding.
Random Links
Canterbury Whole Foods -A great little food shop in Canterbury selling eco-friendly, organic, local and fairtrade food as well as organic/eco soaps and household cleaning products and herbal remedy things. A gem of a shop run by hippies - not one of these chain things run by people who couldn't care less about what they sell as long as they get their pay check at the end of the month.
(A note to Canterbury residents - if you're stuck with half a million plastic bags from Tesco/Asda etc, and you're not sure what to do with them, take them to Canterbury Whole Foods - they're always grateful for them because they give customers the option of having a recycled bag rather than a regular bag!)
If, unlike me, you can actually play the guitar, this online tuning thing and chord creator...thingy, is pretty cool and pretty handy.
Make yourself look like... other people. With Morphthing. Possibly one of the best time wasters ever, after Facebook and online tetris.
Wordle kills 5 mintues too, if you're stuck with absolutely nothing else to do.
