Undercurrent Stories

In today's show we welcome back James Horton, author of the Blue Swords Crimes and Crests Saga series of books. James has just published Blue Swords, Broken Oath the sequel to his first novel. The book is set in the fictional town of Stanford in medieval times and contains themes such as murder, corruption and romance.In this inspirational episode  we hear how James's career as a police officer and his love of historic fiction inspired him to take up writing after suffering a stroke at the age of twenty-seven.James talks about the support that he has received from the Stroke Association and how other stroke survivors have contacted him  since publishing his first book.All profits  from the books are going to the Stroke Association charity.James's links;https://www.facebook.com/crimesandcrestsbooks/The Stroke Associationhttps://www.stroke.org.uk/Blue Swords by James HortonAmazon UK  https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09BBHYNWBAmazon US https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Swords-Broken-Crimes-Crests-ebook/dp/B09BBHYNWBQuestion or comment? Send us a text message.www.undercurrentstories.com

Today's show features multi- talented designer, sculptor, teacher and author, Raef Baldwin.Working  in several media, producing garden objects, and sculpture, as well as decorative pieces and furniture for the home. His work has been  described  as consistently playful and inventive  and pieces include weathervanes, fountains, wall mirrors, birdtables, chairs, cupboards, ceramics and opulently painted screens that often have a surreal left-of-field character. He has authored several books. The Blue Bike is the first book in The Adventures of the Blue Giraffe illustrated series, written for ADHD* and ASD* children and parents.*(ADHD is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder & ASD is Autistic Spectrum Disorder)In our conversation we discuss;*Raef's work in design, sculpture, art, writing and teaching*How 'doing' is the best way to learn your craft*How the Blue Giraffe stories were inspired by Raef's son who received an autism diagnosis on his fourth birthday*How the book is giving both parents and  carers of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD*) and Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD*): hope, smiles, ideas and most importantly, optimism for the future.Raef’s links:https://www.raefbaldwin.com/https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blue-Bike-Giraffe-Adventure-ebook/dp/B0924V4K1W 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

My guest today has spent his life exposing the abuse of human rights in conflict zones throughout the world. From Yemen to Iraq, from Afghanistan to Syria with his multi award winning film company, Clover Films, Jamie Doran has investigated the facts and uncovered the truth on what’s really going on behind the mainstream media headlines.I was fortunate to catch up with Jamie shortly after his return from Afghanistan in May. Although we focus much of our conversation on Afghanistan, Jamie also talks about his life as an investigative film producer.Clover Films is recognised as a leading documentary production house, with over thirty prestigious awards won in the last decade alone. Its films and series, covering history, conflict, social injustice, human rights and the politics of sport, have been shown on over 50 channels across the globe. Their work has been honoured on two occasions by the United Nations for exposing the plight of exploited children in the Developing World, where laws have been changed to increase their protection as a result.In our conversation we discuss;Jamie’s early career at the BBC working on current affairs including ‘Nationwide.’Living in Moscow and meeting Alexder Feklisov, the man famous for helping avert nuclear war during the Cuban Missile CrisisBrief history of Afghanistan and its peopleWhy the US and NATO went into Afghanistan in 2001How the current troop withdrawal has left the country in turmoil and disarrayGoing into Taliban territory and meeting the Taliban during the making of his latest film The exit from Afghanistan and how the country is poised on the edge of civil warHow the Chinese are moving financial power into the country in their search for mineralsJamie’s links:https://clover-films.com/https://twitter.com/CloverFilmsUK/media 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 today’s show I am joined by Darren Gregory. Darren is an amateur brewer with his own electric brewery named Red Barron Brewery.In this episode Darren and I talk about our shared interest for brewing beer, swap tips and generally enthuse about our hobby. Cheers!The conversation features;Learning how to brewMethods of brewingThe amateur brewing communityWater, Malt, Hops and YeastProcessDarren's link;https://redbarronbrewery.wordpress.com/Brewing Resources mentioned in the episode;https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/https://www.brewuk.co.uk/https://www.amazon.co.uk/Home-Brew-Beer-Master-BrewingUndercurrent 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 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