Undercurrent Stories

Today on the show I am delighted to welcome Jan Irvin.Jan is an independent researcher, author and lecturer and hosts the Logos Media Podcast.Renowned for fact checking and using critical thinking to uncover the truth, Jan joins me to discuss the Trivium and Logical Fallacies. Both are concepts that go back to ancient times and are arguably more important than ever for use as tools in helping us to unravel fact from fiction in a world that appears to be experiencing an abundance of what we now call 'fake news.'This conversation features;Why Jan believes that roughly 85% of what most people think and believe is false. Critical thinkingThe Trivium method Using Grammar, Logic and Rhetoric to help establish clarity of thoughtImportance of Primary SourcesIdentifying  Logical Fallacies, such as 'red herring, ' straw man' and 'ad hominum' Jan's links;https://logosmedia.com/https://twitter.com/LogosMedia01http://www.triviumeducation.com/ Undercurrent Stories links:https://www.undercurrentstories.com/https://www.instagram.com/undercurrentstories/https://twitter.com/UndercurrentSt1Question or comment? Send us a text message.www.undercurrentstories.com

Based in Stamford, England,  Alex and Nuria tell the story of how they were inspired to grow some chilli plants during the first lockdown in the Spring of 2020. Producing some bottles of hot chilli sauce from the fruits of the plants and with positive feedback from their family and friends we hear how they were both encouraged to start selling their sauces. Fast forward to Spring 2021 and they now have their own company -  Chillifever!In this episode we hear;How Alex and Nuria started ChillifeverThe history of chillis and when they were first usedWhere chillis originate fromHealth benefitsHow to grow chilli peppersHow to make hot chilli sauceChillifever  links:https://www.chillifever.com/https://www.instagram.com/chillifever/https://www.facebook.com/chilliFeverStamford/ Undercurrent Stories links:https://www.undercurrentstories.com/https://www.instagram.com/undercurrentstories/https://twitter.com/UndercurrentSt1Question or comment? Send us a text message.www.undercurrentstories.com

Today's show  features widely published and highly respected investigative journalist, Robin Jones.Robin has written many books on on Britain’s railway history and is currently the editor of Heritage Railway Magazine.In this episode Robin gives an excellent succinct account on the history of the British railways. We talk about the  campaign to save a threatened disused 19th century Victorian railway bridge in the town of Bourne, England known as Bridge 234 and we discuss why it is so important to preserve our railway heritage for future generations.Robin's link;https://www.heritagerailway.co.uk/Undercurrent Stories link;https://www.undercurrentstories.com/Question or comment? Send us a text message.www.undercurrentstories.com

In today’s show  I am delighted to be joined by Mick Burgoyne. Mick is one half of the folk/rock duo, Fresh Maggots, which also features Leigh Dolphin. Originally from Nuneaton in Warwickshire, England, the band's first self titled album was released in October 1971 on RCA records followed by a single. Playing the university circuit and clubs such as the famous  Marquee club in London, the band also did live sessions for Radio Luxembourg (Kid Jensen show) and BBC Radio One (Night Ride and the Johnny Walker show).  The duo split in 1976 but remained friends ever since.In 2017 they were contacted by a German music magazine for an interview as the original album is still very popular around the world having gained 'cult' status.  Following the interview the duo decided to start writing songs again. Their second studio album 'Waiting for the Sun' on 'Coventry Music Museum Records, produced and engineered by Nick Burns, was released on 31st October 2020 almost 50 years after the first!  This is a great story of 2 young talented musicians entering the music industry unexpectedly in the heady days of the early 1970s! The story also has a happy ending! Fresh Maggots links:http://www.freshmaggots.co.ukUndercurrent Stories links:https://www.undercurrentstories.com/https://www.instagram.com/undercurrentstories/https://twitter.com/UndercurrentSt1Question or comment? Send us a text message.www.undercurrentstories.com

 In today’s show  I am delighted to be joined by Yumiko Jones. Originally from Fukuoka in the South of Japan, Yumiko came to the UK in 2001. After settling in Bristol, Yumiko felt that there was a need to bridge the gap between the Japanese people who lived in the city and the wider population who wanted to find out more about Japan. In 2008 she started the Bristol Japanese Cultural Society.In our conversation we discuss Yumiko’s project and just some of the many cultural aspects of Japan including, minimalism, cuisine and  architecture. In Yumiko’s words it is more than just about sushi!Yumiko’s links:https://www.facebook.com/BristolJapaneseCulturalSociety/https://instagram.com/bristoljapancultural Japan House https://www.japanhouselondon.uk/Japan Centrehttps://www.japancentre.com/enJapanese Embassy https://www.uk.emb-japan.go.jp/itprtop_en/index.html Undercurrent Stories links:https://www.undercurrentstories.com/https://www.instagram.com/undercurrentstories/https://twitter.com/UndercurrentSt1Question or comment? Send us a text message.www.undercurrentstories.com

Ever wondered how you can live a less materialistic lifestyle?Our guest today is Paul Canham  a self confessed tree hugger, van dweller, tudor reenactor and brewer based in Suffolk.  Paul spent 30 years working at RAF Lakenheath  until he took early retirement to study sociology and psychology.We hear how he set out on a quest to live a more non-materialistic lifestyle, leading to living a more fulfilling life and how his latest project to re-wild 1 acre of former farmland is helping attract wildlife back to a natural habitat.Paul tells us about his brewery, Weird Sisters Brewery, which is one of the smallest registered breweries in the UK.If you have ever thought about how to live a less materialistic lifestyle in the 21st century this episode is for you.Paul’s links:https://www.instagram.com/senunarewildingproject/https://www.instagram.com/lukes.truck/https://www.instagram.com/weird.sisters.brewery/https://www.kentwell.co.uk/events https://www.greendragonmorris.com/about Undercurrent Stories links:https://www.undercurrentstories.com/https://www.instagram.com/undercurrentstories/https://twitter.com/UndercurrentSt1Question or comment? Send us a text message.www.undercurrentstories.com

Quint Starkie is an English musician originally from Accrington, Lancashire. After living and performing in Los Angeles in the 80's he now resides in Stockholm, Sweden. In our conversation we discuss how Quint’s passion for playing the guitar inspired him to move to Hollywood to study guitar with some of the world’s best musicians at the Guitar Institute of Technology. We hear how he played famous venues such as the Whisky-a-go-go and Caesars Palace in Las Vegas backing The Supremes.After settling in Stockholm Quint tells us about his career writing and producing hundreds of jingles for commercials including some famous ones for McDonald’s, Toyota, Diners Club, Heineken and others.After years of writing songs for other artists , in November 2016 he released his first solo album Ghost in My Heart, which has been very well received around the world. Overseen by executive producer Francis Dunnery, (It Bites, Robert Plant,Santana, Lauren Hill). The 14 songs on the album capture life growing up in a Northern town in the 70's/80's. He continues to play in his own band and prior to the pandemic opened for Francis Dunnery’s It Bites UK Tour. He is currently working on his next album due out later in the year.Quint’s links:http://www.quintstarkie.net/https://www.facebook.com/superquintstarkiehttps://www.instagram.com/quintstarkie/  Undercurrent Stories links:https://www.undercurrentstories.com/https://www.instagram.com/undercurrentstories/https://twitter.com/UndercurrentSt1Question or comment? Send us a text message.www.undercurrentstories.com

In this episode we hear from Heide Goody and Iain Grant who tell us all about their co- written Clovenhoof series of books in which Jeremy Clovenhoof is fired from Hell and sent to live in a flat in the suburbs of Birmingham. The story can be described as a mixture of contemporary fantasy, satire and comedy and having read the first book in the series I found it hilarious and was literally laughing out loud!Heide and Iain also talk about how their collaborative writing process works both with Clovenhoof and their many other books.The comedy continues in this enjoyable and delightful interview!Heide and Iain’s  links:http://www.pigeonparkpress.com/https://twitter.com/Clovenhoofbookshttps://www.facebook.com/Clovenhoof-Books-285544508177333 https://www.trusselltrust.org/Undercurrent Stories links:https://www.undercurrentstories.com/https://www.instagram.com/undercurrentstories/https://twitter.com/UndercurrentSt1Question or comment? Send us a text message.www.undercurrentstories.com

At some point in their lives many people have thought about writing a book. This desire is sadly often thwarted due to fears about time, commitment, and the technical aspects of editing and publishing.My guest today has faced all these challenges and tells us how by breaking the writing process into steps, it is possible to both enjoy the creativity of writing and produce a book that is publishable.In addition to working on her Storybook Valley chick lit/sweet romance series, Stacy Juba has written books about ice hockey, teen psychics, U.S. flag etiquette for kids, and determined women sleuths. She has had novels ranked as #5 and #11 in the Nook Store and #30 on the Amazon Kindle Paid List. When she’s not visiting theme parks with her family, Stacy helps authors to strengthen their manuscripts through her editing and online course business Shortcuts for Writers. Her signature course, Book Editing Blueprint: A Step-By-Step Plan to Making Your Novels Publishable, empowers fiction writers to think like an editor so they can save time and money.Stacy’s links:https://stacyjuba.comhttps://www.instagram.com/stacy_juba/https://twitter.com/stacyjubahttps://shortcutsforwriters.thinkific.com/  Undercurrent Stories links:https://www.undercurrentstories.com/https://www.instagram.com/undercurrentstories/https://twitter.com/UndercurrentSt1Question or comment? Send us a text message.www.undercurrentstories.com

Ever heard of Sea Buckthorn or Sea Berries? Well neither had my guest today, Seth Pascoe, until he discovered this fruit and it’s amazing health properties while trekking in the Himalayas.Seth tells us about how a chance encounter with Sea Buckthorn and its use for combating the effects of altitude sickness led him on a journey to discover more about the  health benefits of this little known berry, which has been used for thousands of years as a natural remedy against various ailments.From being sent out to space with Cosmonauts to help combat the effects of radiation, to being used in juice as the official drink of the Chinese athletes in the 2008 Beijing Olympics,  Seth was so impressed with the berry that he now has his own business growing, cultivating and processing the berries for sale in the UK.Seth appeared on Rick Stein’s, BBC TV programme, ‘Cornwall,’ in January.Seth’s links:https://www.cornishseaberry.co.uk/https://www.instagram.com/cornishseaberry/https://twitter.com/CornishSeaberry Undercurrent Stories links:https://www.undercurrentstories.com/https://www.instagram.com/undercurrentstories/https://twitter.com/UndercurrentSt1Question or comment? Send us a text message.www.undercurrentstories.com