www.gsfcuk.com

Farm-ageddon

butross — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 15:11:31 +0000

Animal Equality are an organisation who campaign for the rights of animals and a lifestyle that does not involve the use of animal products. Yet again a campaigning organisation has gone behind the scenes in an average country pig farm selling animals for food. This farm in particular carried the trusted red tractor symbol whilst the abuse and sick animals inside shocked even the campaigners. The owner of Harling Farm in Thetford made a statement on the BBC to say he was gutted at what had happened. Mike talks to the organisation involved to find out just what went on. Why were they there in the first place and just how big was the farm in question. The owner claims it was isolated incidents he knew nothing about? The interview below is the full and completely uneddited version that answers a lot of those questions as well as asking some more. As a society can we afford to keep producing and selling meat cheaper and faster without the incredible pressure it is putting on our health and our environment. As usual you can play, listen,download and link to the audio below.

www.gsfcuk.com

http://www.britishporkindustry.co.uk/

All in the mind

butross — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:44:44 +0000

This brilliant piece of audio has been in the archives a while. It features an interview with local published poet Jane Marsh. It features some marvelous work from her book “lyrics of the Soul” but much more than that. Jane talks frankly about where a lot of her work comes from. Her bitter experiences in dealing with the highs and lows of Bipolar along with a poor relationship with alcohol. She is brutally honest in her her struggle with alcohol and mental health problems but has come through to find respect for what she does.

The interview features some great examples of her work and the book is available via united press.

As usual you can click to play below to play straight from this site or download to listen again.

http://www.gsfcuk.com/

Lest we forget

butross — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 18:14:16 +0000

Very late but better than never purely because it serves as an introduction to Mayhews work. Recorded on 11/11/2011 this piece was aired to celebrate and interesting piece of work taking place in Manchester. As a performance artist Michael has challenged audiences across the world and is based right here in our city. He has met some world class performers and brought them to the UK for this unique one off show. 11 performers over 11 hours on the 11 th November. There’s still lots going on with him and its definitely worth checking out his website and the links are below. In this interview he tries to explain the concepts of the work he does and tease us into exploring it more. He talks about what he thinks of Manchesters artistic culture. As usual just click below to hear the interview right here on the site or if you are not on www.gsfcuk.com just click the play or download button. Links to us and Michaels website are below.

http://www.gsfcuk.com

http://www.michaelmayhew.com

Liberate This?

butross — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 09:31:55 +0000

Its very uncomfortable to be the bad guys but thats the impression we get when speaking to someone who really should know. The mainstream view of the Iraq invasion has been challenged by Dahlia Wasfi. She has family who live through it and has seen first hand the effects of the Western attempts to win “Hearts & Minds” She gave a powerful speech to the United States Senate on the subject

Iraq is a country that my tax dollars have helped to destroy. Government officials reap profits from war. For example, nine out of 30 members of the Defense Policy Board, a Pentagon advisory group, had ties to companies that won more than $70 billion in defense contracts in 2001 and 2002. Meanwhile, ordinary families pay the price, from Iraq to Palestine to Southeast Asia to Latin America to the United States. My life has directed me to know my family; I would do anything for them. My medical career is on hold, so I can speak out on the realities of war and occupation. I have family in Iraq. You have family in Iraq. And Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Arlington Cemetery. New Orleans. Planet Earth. What would you do for your family? What will you do?

Dahlia S Wasfi

http://www.liberatethis.com

http://www.gsfcuk.com

As usual you can click below to listen to the full interview with Mike Dawson from WFM Manchester UK

Lost in France

butross — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 08:52:46 +0000

Not long now till Mike Dawson heads off across the channel on a bike from Westminster Bridge to Le Arc De Trioumph in Paris. All in aid of raising a bit of cash for a brilliant charity called WFM. Its really easy to donate with a few clicks and you can help us reach the target with as little as a pound via text on your mobile phone. The links are below and every single pound is going direct to the charity, no costs, expenses no nothin so please help us out in any tiny way.

Thanks a million Just text GEJQ95 £1 or amount to 70070 or visit

http://www.justgiving.com/jason-kenyon

Thanks in advance and I will be bringing one of you a little present back!

When pride was not an option

butross — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 22:21:50 +0000

“This is a story that will touch a lot of people.
A young man who really just wants to leave school, is given the option, join the services or stay at school.
But in calling his parents bluff he joins the army.
The author tells his story wonderfully, it is easy to read and leaves the reader wanting to read more”

Just one of the comments about David Turners book “When pride was not an option” In it he tells the incredible story of joining the United States armed forces at 17 way back in the sixties. Vietnam was just around the corner for him at 18 years of age. Older now he talks to Mike Dawson about his life in the army as a boy and the kind of world we lived in then. During his time there he was effected by many things including the army’s drug culture and eventual arrest and imprisonment. He also discusses the common disillusionment that many soldiers feel when returning home to a very different world than the one they left. Most striking is the wisdom of those who have actually been there which is seldom heard before we dive headlong into the next conflict or other. Below is the full unedited interview and despite the transatlantic sound quality its definitely worth a listen. As usual click the player below as well as the link direct to Davids book which you can read online.

www.gsfcuk.com

“When pride was not an option” by David Turner

The Truth Hurts

butross — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 18:33:18 +0000

This week Michael Dawson spoke to Muad’dib the filmmaker who brought you 7/7 the ripple effect. In his documentary he claims to have evidence that proves it was impossible for the alleged London bombers to have carried out their alleged crimes. It follows that they were in fact patsies who were put in place in what they believed was just a government exercise to test the emergency services. He claims the entire operation was a false flag opperation perpatrated by the government. He was later incarcarated for contempt of court for sending his film to the judge in a later 7/7 trial. He talks to Mike Dawson about the making of the film and how he subsequently got drawn into the events himself. Will this stop his campaign for the truth? You can watch the facinating film “7/7 The Ripple Effect” by clicking below. The full interview is also below in the usual player

7/7 the Ripple Effect Film Click here to watch

Maud’dib Official Website http://mtrial.org/node/9

Please excuse the sound quality of the full unedited interview click the player to listen

National Disgrace

butross — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 18:49:28 +0000

Mike Dawson speaks to Dene Stansall of Animal Aid a week pryor to the 2011 Grand National race. He talks about the ongoing abuse of race horses for sport and in particular the deadly Grand National steeplechase. It was of course no surprise that as predicted two horses died in the race this year. Ornais broke his neck and Dooneys Gate broke his back in the gruelling 4 and a half mile event. Their deaths mean that 20 horses have now perished on the Grand National course since 2000. Just 19 of the 40 starters finished the race, while the winner, Ballabriggs, came close to collapse from dehydration on what was a punishingly hot day. Listen to the full interview below by clicking on the player or visit Animal Aid for more info

http://www.gsfcuk.com

http://www.stopkillinghorses.com/

http://www.animalaid.org.uk

Bomb the world to Peace

butross — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 19:00:01 +0000

It was John Major who said last week on a BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION radio show. “Its the same people who are complaining about the arms trade who will be on the streets complaining about the loss of jobs if we got rid of it” Forgive us if those are not the exact words but that was definately the sentiment. Well we thought we would have a chat with “Those people” and see what they had to say. After all, those comments went completely unchallenged on the BBC but maybe we could do so on the WFM. We spoke to Kaye Stearman from the CAAT which is the Campaign Against The Arms Trade to get an update on how many jobs we could save in the UK by continuing to make bombs and what our real involvement was in the midle east crisis. Is there a case for selling arms to nice countries to defend themselves or even keeping our own arms in defence?.

Visit us at www.gsfcuk.com

Visit CAAT at www.caat.org.uk

Click on the player below to hear the full interview

Art for arts sake

butross — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 15:20:18 +0000

By shear stoke of luck, fate or fortune Mike Dawson met Catherine and Marcell from the Blank Media Collective literally hanging around the studio doing an interview on another radio show. They had so much to say about their project we though we better see if we could get them on the show. They represent an organisation called Blank Media Collective who are working to champion emerging artists, writers, musicians and performers by giving them a unique platform to showcase their work. That can be exhibitions, live events or workshops amongst other things. They also run an innovative and free E magazine. You can subscribe as well as submitting work in all multimedia formats. To get your copy just click on the link below. They are a not for profit organisation run by volunteers with the support of some great companies like “Ask, Sandbar and Barefoot wine to name a few. Click on the website below to find out about the regular events and exhibitions
Hear the full interview by clicking the player below

Visit us at http://www.gsfcuk.com

Visit Blank Media at http://www.blankmediacollective.org/

Get in the magazine or subscribe at http://www.blankmediacollective.org/blankpages/

For further information on Blank Media Collective and how to get involved please email Mark at info@blankmediacollective.org

Size of a cow

butross — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 23:54:46 +0000

It was during the 2004 “Escape from Rubbish Island” tour that Mike Dawson met up with Miles Hunt from the Wonderstuff back stage before their Leeds show. It was then that they were to embark on what they claimed was a genuine and long lasting reunion. Well its now 2011 and the Wonderstuff are still recording and playing live and hit Manchester in March. By coincidence one of the band members who joined them for that 2004 tour is moving on but the Wonderstuff continues. We sincerely hope to get a chance to meet Miles again and maybe reminisce about 2004 and how things have gone. In the meantime enjoy this edited interview where Miles talks of his hopes for the band and how they got back together and more importantly his dislike for Robbie Williams who has had a reunion of his own since this was recorded. This interview also includes an impromptu performance of one of what was then a new tune right there in the dressing room. Click the player below to hear the interview or catch up on the latest tour news on their website below. We will definitely get the unedited version up very soon.

http://www.gsfcuk.com

http://www.thewonderstuff.com

Pretty Good Flamenco

butross — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 22:23:07 +0000

Desperate to catch up with the backlog of pod-casts relating some some of the great guests we have had on the show. Arlen connelly joined us in the studio for a chat and a few live tunes. This is s a guy that has to be seen as well as heard as you gather from this piece of video recorded during his visit to the show. He is gigging around Manchester and you can catch up with all his shows and tunes at

http://www.myspace.com/theacousticconquistador

www.gsfcuk.com

Blinded by the light

butross — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 19:54:31 +0000

Click image to buy

Well we have all heard of it and there have been songs about it, yet crazy as it is no one has yet disproved it. The truth is not many of us ever really try to understand it. Einsteins theory of relativity E=MC2 but what does it mean? Once you start down that road then it opens up the world of particle physics and matter itself. Dr. Brian Cox and Professor Jeff Forshaw made a brilliant and interesting attempt to help us normal people understand the theory of relativity and more importantly “Why it matters”. Explaining and simplifying notions of energy, mass, and light—while exploding commonly held misconceptions—they demonstrate how the structure of nature itself is contained within this equation.

“A collaboration between one of the youngest professors in the United Kingdom and a distinguished popular physicist, Why Does E=mc2? is one of the most exciting and accessible explanations of the theory of relativity.”

Proffessor Jeff Foreshaw spoke to Mike Dawson on the show and answered some of the listeners questions. Click on the image to find out more about the book and hear the full audio by clicking on the player below.

As for the basics of the theor there are lots of videos on the net but this one might get you started.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JKdqKtNPsU&feature=related

http://www.gsfcuk.com

Common sense working overtime

butross — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 23:15:18 +0000

I didnt get a ticket but was definately interested like a lot of listeners on why parking machines do not give change or parking time when you over pay so…..

Email to parking officers

I am contacting you on a personal matter but also a matter of interest to listeners to our radio show in South Manchester. We would like someone to either respond by email or even better discuss on our show the following.

At one of your car parks in Cheadle I did not have enough change and so put 40p in the machine instead of 30p as required for 2 hours parking. As you can see from the two images attached I still only got 2 hours parking on my ticket? The extra 10p should at least have given me an extra 40 minutes. I did not receive any change from the machine because it does not give change so why did i not receive my extra parking time?

What is the mechanism in place for getting my 10p back which is after all owed to me?

The machine has recorded the extra money so presumably it will be in with the total tally for the machine. How is this money accounted for and exactly how much extra money does the council make per year because the machines do not give change or extra parking. Could you let me have a figure for this?
If the money is not accounted for separately over and above income honestly generated then is it still legal or is it just extra profit? after all if I went in a shop and did not collect my change then it would still be owed to me when I approached the shopkeeper later or is there some different rules here.

As a point of interest why are tickets not transferable if I have paid 30p or 40p in this case to HIRE the parking space then surely I am entitled to let another member of the public use it until the end of my parking period.
It is something that has gained some interest from listeners and I am sure you have had similar enquiries before.

It would be great if someone would contact us with an answer or come on the show to discuss this, I can record by phone pretty much most times to suit yourselves
I look forward to hearing from you soon
Best Regards
Michael Dawson

Response

Dear Mr Dawson,

Thank you for your enquiry regarding pay and display machines within Stockport.

The Council’s pay and display machines do not currently have the capability to give change. This is clearly stated on the machine to ensure visitors are made aware of this before money is inserted into the machine and the ticket purchased. The machines charge in specific bands, rather than per minute. Therefore the charge in Cheadle car parks is 30p for up to 2 hours and £1.50 for up to three hours. By paying at the machines, motorists are paying to park their vehicle in the car park for a certain period of time, and agreeing to the terms and conditions, which state that they cannot re-assign their ticket to a third party. The car parking service is self funding and any payments made to the Council’s pay and display machines are reinvested back towards the maintenance and CCTV security of Stockport’s car parks, as well as improvements to the town and district centre.

I hope this has helped to clarify your queries.

Yours sincerely,

Stephen
Parking Manager
Traffic Services
Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council
0161 474 4873

My Reply

Hi Steve

Could you let me have a figure on how much revenue is actually raised over and above the actual parking fee in spare change because non is given or extra time given? I know you will probably not have an accurate figure on how much extra revenue you generate from renting spaces twice because tickets are not transferable but have you an estimate?

If my ticket said 40p on it would you still insist on me paying any fine if i stayed for say two hours and 10 minutes even though I had paid to park there within the extra 10p? In this instance you would keep my 10p and fine me maybe 25 pounds as well?

Would you explain the “Terms & Conditions” limitations? There could be any number of conditions in there but at what point can they be challenged? Perhaps you could say you would keep my vehicle if I overstayed on my parking. Would that be legal or correct to do so? Is it possible to have my own terms and conditions when agreeing to yours?

There are quite a few points to discuss with regard to these issues and surely it would be better to discuss them on behalf of the council maybe by phone or in person

Best regards

Stockports reply

Dear Mr Dawson, I can confirm that the pay-and-display machines are not capable of recording and reporting overpayments. Similarly, we have no mechanism in place to calculate the answer to your second question. If you were to obtain a two-hour ticket by paying 40p but overstayed then you would be liable for a Penalty Charge Notice of £50, reduced to £25 if settled within 14 days. The penalties payable for overstaying in our car parks are limited by the enabling statute, namely the Road Traffic Regulation Act 2004. At present Stockport Council does issue Penalty Charge Notices but it does not immobilise or remove vehicles in its car parks. It is not possible to impose your own terms when parking; if a motorist does not wish to be bound by the Council’s conditions they may decide not to park. I trust this addresses your remaining questions.

Yours sincerely,

My Reply

Thanks Steve

Well would there be anyone at the council who could answer any of our questions that you could put me in contact with. It seems there is a point that parking is on condition of stopping the car and finding and reading all the terms and conditions before parking which seems unreasonable.

Surely there is someone in accounts who can tel me where the money is and what legal limits are set on terms and conditions?

It would be great if you could put me in touch with the relevant department at the authority

regards

Mike

Anarchy in the gsfc-UK

butross — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 23:54:48 +0000

I have no idea how old this interview is but we had Lee Griffiths in the studio prior to our Beechfest gig around 2006 or prior. It has taken so long to rediscover this audio and finally get it on the blog. Lee was kind enough to headline our annual charity swarey and help pull a crowd on an awesome night at “Night & Day”. Lee Griffiths is a real Manc but despite that still managed to get signed to ZTT Records in 1990′s and record a fantastic album called ‘Northern Songs’, produced by Trevor Horn. Lee returned to real life in North Manchester and wrote what in 2007 became his second album, ‘Armchair Anarchy’. I hear he has headed off down the smoke now with a band that includes Sam Kelly (ex Groove Armada etc) on drums, Cheyne Towers (ex-Jimpster etc) on bass Colin Ridyard on acc guitar and bv’s,and scratch wizard Wayne Sealy on turntables. The band is currently rehearsing and writing new material for an upcoming EP release and the third album…. As usual just click to play below and hear one or two exclusive recordings live at WFM. You would also be wise to go to his website and download the entire “Armchair Anarcy” album for free… and do catch him live when you can

www.gsfcuk.com

http://www.lee-griffiths.com

Lowe down n dirty

butross — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 23:04:02 +0000

During the early sixties supermarket trolleys were seldom seen around Europe and the UK. Very few people even pushed them never mind actually played them. One of the people who did was a little known English musician by the name of Martin Lowe who was a supermarket trolley impasario. For many years rumours were rife that Lowe had performed publicly, which given his years of isolation was interesting in itself. What was even more incredible was that a man named Ivan Klopeck had not only been at the alleged performance but had filmed it. During the winter of 2003 we set off to find Ivan and after a long search finally tracked him down to an isolated farm in Belgium. Sadly that’s where the trail ran cold and the house was occupied by his aging mother. She explained that ironically he had been killed in a freak shopping accident when the trolley he was pushing that night swerved into a 16ft baked bean display. He went into a coma and never regained consciousness. She felt that as a lover of shopping trolley music it was what he would have wanted. As for the Lowe footage? She believed it was quite likely to exist but could help us no further. Ivan had spoken about the Lowe performance in Prague before his death but the film it seemed was now lost forever. The garden was strewn with used and rusty trolleys that stood as testament to Ivans passion for music. It seemed like our quest was over and who knows whether the film ever existed anyway. We gave up and went home. Fast forward to a winters morning in 2009 whist opening the studio I recieved a letter from a Swedish cheesemaker named Hanz Grubell who said he had the film and was willing to sell it to me. I caught a flight to Sweden and bought the film for £30,000 which was cheap if it turned out to be genuine. There have since been many doubers about the authenticity of this footage but I am not one of them. I am convinced that this is Martin Lowe, from the way he holds his pen to the unmistakable style of his play. Despite all my years of searching only you can be the final judge of its authenticity.

Less Homeless

butross — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 18:13:33 +0000

The Big Issue vendors are now a familiar sight all over the country since the magazines inception nearly twenty years ago. Since then it has helped and supported thousands of people who have found themselves homeless for numerous reasons. As well as providing a regular and legal income it also exists to support its workers with issues such as health and accommodation. Mike Dawson speaks to its founder John Bird MBE about how it all started and why we don’t have more successful social businesses. John speaks frankly about his political views and his views on politicians. He also discusses what turned his life around from experiencing homelessness at an early age and his involvement in crime and eventually prison. Click below to hear the full interview or follow the link to find out more about the magazine and its projects.

http://www.gsfcuk.com

http://www.bigissue.com

No Bull? I wish

butross — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 22:53:33 +0000

No radio presenters were harmed in the making of this programme but you can smell the fear. It all started out very innocent. Pop down to New Mills and have a chat with Ricky the butcher who has been rearing good local food for generations. Ricky was keen to show us round the farm and took us into his field to meet some of the livestock. Once in the middle of the field we were confronted by a half ton bull who seemed a little put out we were hanging around his many wives.

The recorder and camera kept running and here is the result. Its obvious that the fear is genuine hence the language which we skillfully edited out. Its been requested so many times its probably worth podcasting this so you can listen to it yourself

Be afraid… Very afraid…. I was.

http://www.gsfcuk.com

Big Life

butross — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 22:25:48 +0000

We are all familiar with the Big Issue guys on the streets of Manchester who have been around for about 17 years. The Big Issue is whats known as a social business giving the homeless an opportunity to earn an honest income as a stepping stone in their lives. Dont let that fool you though as anyone who has read the Big Issue will confirm its quality as a magazine. It has a professional staff of journalists as well as its charitable arm. Because of the nature of the mag it also has access to numerous exclusives from the world of entertainment. Mike Dawson was lucky enough to have a chat with some of the guys you will see on the streets selling the magazine about their lives, what circumstances brought them here and more importantly how the Big Issue is helping them move on. As usual click below to play these these fascinating interviews.

Keep up with the blog as we will soon be speaking to Big Life founder John Bird on the show. In the meantime a special thanks to Big Issue vendors Leon, Paul and Mark.

http://www.gsfcuk.com

The Spirit of Radio

butross — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 00:28:25 +0000

Manchester’s very own Dave Murat joined us on the show to talk about his possible upcoming award. He is in the North West final of the digital hero’s competition and needs your help. Voting is open until Friday 12th November 2010 and Talk Talk have said that even multiple votes are allowed. If you haven’t yet voted, please do, you don’t have to give any personal details, it’s just the click of a mouse! The link is below. As well as being in with a chance of winning £5,000 in the regional heats he could be in with a chance of winning an overall prize of £10,000 plus 18months free broadband from TalkTalk. All that dosh will go back into the project and it would be great if it was in our area. Please forward this message to anyone! Ask your kids, friends, colleagues to send it round their friends too!

The winner is decided on public voting

http://www.talk-talk.mirror.co.uk/region-n-west.htm VOTE DAVID MURAT at the Bottom.

In 2010 Chorlto Arts Radio enabled 95 live acts, 10 live plays and over 400 people to take part in its 14 day run. They had 10,000 hits on the website! It can be bigger and better in 2011!

Click the player below to listen

Just like starting over

butross — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 21:32:27 +0000

It looked like the show was on the way up once Mike Dawson was offered a weekend slot for the Gloria Swanson Fan Club. The package included a brand new state of the art studio on the 13th floor of the fabulous Banderas Bay complex. However things don’t go according to plan but the show must go on. It’ll be all right once the boards come off the windows. Theres no heat, no power and a couple of candles to work by. The guests are about to arrive and are expecting the very finest that Banderas Bay has to offer. Comedy store comic Roland Gent is used to the finer things in life and it just is nothing like it says in the welcome video?

http://www.gsfcuk.com

http://www.itunes.gsfcuk.com

Where the streets have no shame

butross — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 19:38:26 +0000

What a brilliant treat to be joined by the Bourbon street Preachers in the studio a few weeks ago. Nattering with Mike Dawson and playing a few tunes as is the usual format. They are a Manchester based band who have taken their name from the famous Bourbon Street in New Orleans, where you can find around 30 bands playing LIVE MUSIC every night of the week! They are a band on a mission, a mission is to preach the virtues and benefits of LIVE MUSIC bringin’ BLUES, SOULS, ZYDECO, COUNTRY and CAJUN music to lift the hearts and cleanse the souls of the many poor creatures who inhabit our shores and who often have to survive for weeks without LIVE MUSIC. A great opportunity to delve into the history and culture of some of these styles less heard round these parts but heartily kept alive by The Preachers. They use a wide range of instruments including piano, guitar, accordion, harmonica, vocals and percussion. Not all in the studio today thankfully but they did bring an array of mouth organs fit for any job. They currently have a residency at Lloyds bar in Chorlton and you can usually catch them Thursday night. Links and interview below. Enjoy

http://www.myspace.com/bourbonstreetpreachers

http://www.blog.gsfcuk.com

http://www.gsfcuk.com

Nick Holmes in

butross — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 20:54:12 +0000

Mike Dawson spent an hour kicking around with Nick Holmes the frontman and creator of The Nick Holmes Band. Nick is a seasoned and talented musician with a disarming personality which explains how he has become a bit of a talent magnet over the years. His band is made up of a variety of musicians, from Peter Moore on trombone, (BBC Young Musician of the Year 2008, to Alan Arthur, who plays lead guitar (middle 50′s). Nick is devoid of rock n roll swagger and yet exhibits clear signs of the same music fever you get after your first three recognisable cords. He is quoted as saying “I never got over the fact that it is possible for a bloke from Newport to sing and write songs and people like them. – It is the coolest thing in the world.” Billy Bragg worked for the same company as him and later wrote “Nick Holmes can turn a cliche into a catch phrase and a platitude into a stinging sentence that loops around your brain for a decade.” He played gigs around Manchester rubbing shoulders with the likes of such upstarts as Mick Hucknall of Simply Red. He says he has always been in love with the art of songwriting and it shows. His brilliant album is out in October and we hope to get Nick back on the show but in the meantime just click below as usual to hear an edit of the interview as well as a couple of tunes from the album both live and off the CD.

The band’s website is www.fundanatural.com

Their myspace is www.myspace.com/nickholmesband

Grow your own way

butross — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 17:04:08 +0000

Its the time of year when you will be glad you decided to have a go and grow a bit of your own food in the garden. In these frugal times theres nothing like the taste of some home grown produce to get you going. Mike Dawson has done just that but hit one or two snags along the way. Special thanks to our expert this week Nick Chenhall who came on the show to talk about tomato growing. He has been growing tom’s for many a year and was on hand to provide some expert advice to Mike Dawson. Luckily Nick is always around to help you out if he can. You can check out his website and blog and register for his newslette below. You may even discover his talent for music too but we will leave that to you.
As usual just click the player below to listen

http://www.tomatogrowing.co.uk

http://www.tomatogrowingblog.com

http://www.carillonmusic.co.uk

http://www.gsfcuk.com

I’m still standing

butross — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 15:53:19 +0000

Limbcare is a charitable organisation run by quad amputee Ray Edwards. He came on the show to talk to Mike Dawson to tell his amazing story of how he overcame the obstacles life threw at him. From being a fit health young man in the building trade to fighting off cancer only to succumb to a second illness that resulted in kidney failure and worse. Doctors were forced to amputate all four of Rays limbs to keep him alive. He tells of his recovery and the event that really turned him around. He is now the founder of an organisation called limbcare who now support other victims of limb loss. He now faces the ultimate challenge which is to climb Mount Kilimanjaro this September. Despite his disability he is a motivator through words and actions and is ready to face up to this amazing challenge. You can click below to find out the latest on his efforts or offer donations and support to the campaign. You can also click on the player below to hear the full unedited interview with Ray

www.limbcare.org

www.gsfcuk.com

Click below on the player to hear the full unedited and unaired interview with Ray

5 7/7 The Radio Play

butross — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 21:33:11 +0000

5 7/7 is on of two plays written by Mike Dawson and performed as part of the Chorlton Arts Festival and broadcast on Chorlton Arts Radio. It made quite an impact on the audience when it was performed live on stage on the 27th May 2010. This powerful and moving story follows the life of a Palestinian man caught up in the events of the London bombings of 2005 and what happens as a result of his chance meeting with a troubled young English girl. The following day it was performed live in the studio and broadcast on Chorlton Arts Radio. The events described in the play and the actual dialogue were taken from an incredible documentary made by a man called Marc Antonio. In it he followed the life of a thirteen year old boy called Mohammed Rashid whose family suffered as part of the Israeli occupation. It was days later we learned that Marc is aboard the Gaza aid convoy attacked by the Israeli military killing at least 10 people. We are waiting for news that Marc is well but in the meantime we are privileged that with his blessing we were able to broadcast this production last week.

Arriane is played by Suzanne Louden and Mahmood is played by Karl Seth

The stage production was directed by Charlie Mortimer

Click the player below to listen to the play in full or watch the documentary at www.sourgrapeproductions.com/gaza

You say it best…

butross — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 12:36:04 +0000

Prior to the Popes proposed visit to the U.K. later this year he has upset some sections of the Christian community with his alleged intervention into political policy. Pope Benedict addressed Bishops of England and Wales on 1st February exhorting them to oppose the equality bill which seeks to bring together various strands of legislation which will ensure greater protection and equal treatment for women and LGBT people among others. The Pope has said that the Bill contravenes ‘natural law’ and discriminates against Christians who do not agree that homosexuality is part of God’s natural order. The Lesbian & Gay Christian movement have denounced the popes comments and have refered to his own record on equality and any role he had in the cover up of abuse scandals in his own country. They dispute whether his visit should be funded by the taxpayer at all. LGCM rejects the Pope’s comments and reaffirms its own commitment to equality and fairness for all, both inside and outside of the churches and other faith-based organisations. Mike Dawson spoke to Sharon from LGCM about the enomolies this throws up for Lesbian & Gay Christians who want to be part of a church that is rejecting them. You can listen to the full interview by clicking in player below and comment is free

Http://www.lgcm.org.uk

http://www.gsfcuk.com

Choose Life!

butross — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 12:09:32 +0000

An American pressure group called “Focus on the Family” have just spent around 2.5million pounds on a pro life add to be aired during the Superbowl of 2010. The short add will be viewed by over 100 million people around the world. It features Tim Tebow who is a hero to many even though his mother considered abortion around the time of his birth. Incredibly this add provoked some controversy and was eventually aired. Meanwhile Mike Dawson spoke to Robin Haig who represents an organisation in the UK called “The Society For The Protection Of Unborn Children”. In this interview they discuss the moral and ethical judgments involved in the decision to have an abortion.

You can click below to watch the Superbowl add we are referring too and there is also a link to the societies website where you can find more information about their campaigns.

Click on the player below to hear the full interview

Click here for Superbowl add

http://www.spuc.org.uk

http://www.gsfcuk.com

So you wanna start a revolution?

butross — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 11:43:35 +0000

Trying to define Marxism and its theories in this small paragraph is a complete impossibility. Even its discussion within a two-hour show was a struggle to confine the subject. In this podcast Mike Dawson spent an hour with Brian Sullivan who is a successful businessman and knowledgeable historian. Marxism is a political philosophy derived from the work of Karl Marx and Freidrich Engels. It is highly critical of capitalism, which is the basis on which most societies operate. Marxism believes in a fairer society where people are liberated to work for themselves as opposed to their slave masters. The more challenging of all the basic building blocks is the requirement for the concept of ownership to end and production to be based on need rather than want. As you will hear in this interview the recent economic crunch has highlighted even further the immense gap between rich and poor and the desperate need to find a better way. Our politicians have argued for years how the money just isn’t there for better schools, hospitals and roads. However the economic downturn has encouraged them to find 100 billion pounds to maintain the capitalist system. As Brian says “You’re going to be paying for a party you were never invited too, for a long time to come”

Click below to listen

http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/main/Home

http://www.gsfcuk.com

Lisa Marie Glover Yer gotta Love’r

butross — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:45:09 +0000

Yes we were very privileged to have Lisa Marie Glover in the studio. entirely under false pretenses of course. Being promised cake she had to settle for cadbury’s roses but nontheless they seemed to fit the bill perfectly. Still at least we had tea. All the same there was not a sniff of diverish’ness and there are a couple of live in the studio recordings on our BlogTV channel at www.gsfcuk.com where you can click on gsfctv to catch up. Make sure you check out the new 2010 gigs for Lisa and oh before you go, theres a video recorded with us at WFM which you can see also by clickin on the player down below. Lisa was a great guest and we are hoping to get her back on the show soon .

www.gsfcuk.com

www.myspace.com/lisamarieglover

Meet Metonia

butross — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 22:56:46 +0000

Metonia are here at last. In the long-running tradition of great artists on the show we finally got em in. In true rock n roll style they were a week late but it was worth it. What we do not have is any footage of Paul falling over in the snow on the way over or any footage of one of the worst songs ever written “Marmalade on Toast”. This will be held in the vaults of GSFCUK until such time as the lads achieve well deserved fame. However enjoy some behind the scenes video footage of the chaps on the show along with a couple of couple of live impromptu acoustic pieces. Click on the links below to check on the latest shows and upcoming release. Ladies and gentleman I give you Metonia raw and uncut’ish

www.gsfcuk.com

www.myspace.com/metonia

www.blog.gsfcuk.com

For your eyes only

butross — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 14:27:56 +0000

Ken Humphries is the author of the book and website “Jesus Never Existed” His book disputes the existence of the man known as Jesus Christ. Some time ago he was a guest on the show and you can find that interview in FULL HERE. Since then he has publically debated numerous christian scholars about the distinct lack of evidence for the existence of Jesus Christ. Today he talks to Mike Dawson about his further research into St Paul who as the bible story goes was converted on the road to damascas. After this he became an ardent prophet for the christian church and is hailed as the founder of christianity. In further research Ken Humphries maintains that there is little evidence of St Pauls existence in history. The writings attributed to him of course are well known but it appears there is little prior to his conversion. Listen here to the full unedited interview by clicking below. You can also see the video highlights here on YouTube. There is more information and contact details for Ken Humphries on his website below.

http://www.jesusneverexisted.com

http://www.gsfcuk.com

http://www.blog.gsfcuk.com

On the level

butross — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 23:55:45 +0000

Richard Wilkinson along with Kate Pickett is the author of the Spirit Level. In the book he pulls together years of research from around the world to argue a very strong case for a more equal society. He proves that its not the size or rate of growth of a countries economy thats important, certainly not in the more advanced societies. The important thing is the gap between the top and bottom twenty percent of earners. At almost every level he shows that the bigger the gap the more teenage pregnancies, violent crime, prison population and just about every other negative indicator. Societies with a bigger gap between rich and poor are proportionally disfunctional. To test his hypothesis he checked the figures using American states and got the same results. This brilliant book has been translated into numerous languages and is being recognised by politicians in the UK too. Whilst the Uk government continues to haggle with the employees of the banks we own over the size of bonuses Mike Dawson spoke to Richard in depth about his findings. He also explored how this theory applies to our local community. They also discuss the Equality Trust set up by Richard to promote this information and how you can get involved. Click below to listen here or download and there are links for further information.

www.gsfcuk.com

www.equalitytrust.org.uk

The Spirit Level Book

Manchesters Mafia

butross — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:47:35 +0000

The Manchester Craft Mafia are here to stay. They are a group of craft businesses dedicated to supporting and sharing a creative, maverick spirit of crafting in Manchester, Greater Manchester and beyond.

They want to help kick-start the new wave of entrepreneurial crafters sacking the rat race and finding other ways to make a living - people crafting en masse and in public and anyone hiding an inner crafter and everyone who just loves buying, finding or making something that bit different. Thats what they say anyay. Mike Dawson went down to central Manchester to one of the most popular nights to make something for himself with disasterous results. Thankfully there was some real talent around in the shape of organiser Nico and the award winning chris. Get down there its great fun and a really nice bunch of people who will give a warm welcome to strangers. Even if your not that good like some we could mention. Click below to listen or on the links to join in

http://www.manchestercraftmafia.com/
nico@opheliabutton.co.uk

The return of the “Legacy”

butross — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:15:18 +0000

Well yes there has been talk, where has he been. James “The Legacy” Murphy went off the airwaves for a number of weeks which prompted lots of silly rumours. Some said he was tired, needed a break. Others said he had a couple of weddings to go to. There were even rumours it was all just a publicity stunt. Nothing could be further from the truth and I am glad that we have the chance to put the record straight once and for all. James had had enough of loud rock music and sought solice at a remote monestry in Tibet. He left instructions for his CD’s to be burned and took a vow of silence. Its only out of respect for our show that he was eventually persuaded to return to Wythenshawe once more and grace the airwaves. For the first time we can reveal the true story of how we persuaded James to return to wfm.

www.gsfcuk.com

click below to hear the truth

Bad Medicine

butross — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 23:12:00 +0000

The UK is about to start a national swine flu vaccination program costing millions of pounds. Many health workers have expressed concern about the vaccine. We recently had the cervical cancer vaccine program too. These drugs are there to protect our health, are good for us and are fully tested or so we are told. Mike Dawson spoke at length to Janine Roberts the author of “Fear of the Invisible”. In her book she uncovers the truth behind vaccines, HIV and AIDs research. As an investigative journalist she has uncovered how what we are being given now could already be a medical time bomb related to the recent growth in cancer rates. Her work is peer reviewed and recognised by numerous scientific groups. She is credited with uncovering fraud in HIV research that has long standing implications. In her book she is able to lay out in clear layman’s terms how science discovers, proves and manufactures its vaccines. All backed by a multi million dollar pharmacutical industry. You can hear the full unedited interview below by clicking on the player.

There are also links to Janine’s website and blog.

http://www.fearoftheinvisible.com

http://www.gsfcuk.com

Dieser Charmante Mann

butross — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 22:37:56 +0000

Perrecy is one of our friends on Myspace and we have played his music once or twice of course. He is based in Bavaria and is originally from Hamburg. His band perform and record Morrissey songs. Nothing unusual there you might think but they have added a German twist. All the songs are performed and recorded in German and use the ukulele. So the familiar sound of the Smiths classics come over very different. Although we wanted to get Perrecy on the show we never expected the phone call we got just after playing his tune. A great surprise all the same to have a chat with him on air and a great excuse to play another. You can hear the interview and tune below and of course visit his website to hear more.

Enjoy

www.myspace.com/perrecy07

www.gsfcuk.com

There’s a Ghost in my House

butross — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 22:03:49 +0000

Another really interesting conversation with Malcolm Robinson. Speaker, researcher and author on strange phenomena. He is also the founder of SPI, Strange Phenomena investigations. In this podcast he talks about ghosts and his theory of their origins. He tells first hand of the experiences he has had by getting into the thick of it to see for himself and he did. His stories are facinating and this is a great incite into the different theories and beliefs surrounding ghosts. One particular experiment mentioned was the Philip experiment and you can find out about how a team of researchers created their own ghost which finally manifested itself! There is also a link to Malcolms Myspace where he can be contacted for book information, talks and advice. Click below to hear the full interview. If you do then you may want to listen very carefully to the background at or after 13 mins and 40 seconds

The Philip Experiment
Malcolm Myspace
www.gsfcuk.com

Watch this Space!

butross — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 22:58:51 +0000

In Egyptian myth, Apophis was the ancient spirit of evil and destruction, a demon that was determined to plunge the world into eternal darkness.

A fitting name, astronomers reasoned, for a menace now hurtling towards Earth from outerspace. Scientists are monitoring the progress of a 390-metre wide asteroid discovered last year that is potentially on a collision course with the planet, and are imploring governments to decide on a strategy for dealing with it.

It seemed logical that when it returned it would orbit in a similar trajectory and pass us fairly closely again. Now and then there is some concern over its coming two visits to our orbit. All went quiet for some time until the initial concerns.

Astronomers say a mile-wide asteroid described as “the most dangerous one we’ve found so far” may be on course for a near-miss — or even a collision — with Earth in the year 2028.

Some astronomers say the asteroid will come within 30,000 miles of the Earth, and they agree with Dr. Brian Marsden of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) who says, “Chances are it will miss” Earth.

“The chance of an actual collision is small, but one is not entirely out of the question,” says a notice filed by the IAU.

The Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams — which tracks asteroids — conducted further observations that determined 1997 XF11 should pass just under 30,000 miles from Earth on October 26, 2028.

The estimate, Maran said, has a margin of error of more than 180,000 miles. This means a collision with Earth is theoretically possible, but uncertain at this time

http://www.cnn.com/TECH/space/9803/11/asteroid/index.html

The last time this happened was around 65 million years ago and we know what happened then when 75% of species were wiped out. On further investigation some years ago I discovered that a group of astronomers had predicted a collision course but this was discredited by NASA who said “No we have been watching it longer and so have a better sample trajectory?” Bear in mind due to the distance its very difficult to plot a path until its been watched for many years. So for now its under wraps but despite this it will not be long before many amateurs are able to confirm their original suspicions. Maybe NASA bought some time

All well and good until this fairly innocuous story came out some years later

NASA scientists have discovered glycine, a fundamental building block of life, in samples of comet Wild 2 returned by NASA’s Stardust spacecraft.
“Glycine is an amino acid used by living organisms to make proteins, and this is the first time an amino acid has been found in a comet,” said Dr. Jamie Elsila of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. “Our discovery supports the theory that some of life’s ingredients formed in space and were delivered to Earth long ago by meteorite and comet impacts.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/stardust/main/index.html

Who cares about glycerine or any other space fluids because they don’t. What they really care about is that they are capable of delivering a man made device into the path of an asteroid! Get it!

Why would they do that? To prove that the planet earth has been hit by space debris. Duh yeh right well we didn’t already know that.

So Nasa have bought some time before we all realize whats going on and panic ensues. By then they may really be able to save the world if it came to it but theres one problem. They need to prove they can set off a huge explosion big enough to destroy an asteroid the size of four football fields or at least knock it off course.

Hence

A mission to drop explosives on the moon to look for signs of water beneath. If it was about blowing up asteroids it looks like we are back to the drawing board. The quote from NASA however did include the freudian slip about Bruce Willis and Deep Impact. Bit of a cringer for NASA but they got away with it

The mission was executed for “a scientific purpose, not to put on a fireworks display for the public,” said space consultant Alan Stern, a former NASA associate administrator for science.

Scientists said the public expected too much. The public groused as if NASA delivered too little.

The divide was as big as a crater.

“We’ve been brainwashed by Hollywood to expect the money shot, like ‘Deep Impact’ or when Bruce Willis saves us from a comet,” said physicist and television host Michio Kaku, who was not part of the mission. “Science is not done that way.”

But Kaku and other experts also faulted NASA for overhyping the mission, not being honest with the public about the images being a longshot. “They should have put Steven Spielberg in charge,” Kaku said.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g_WHHFPrQjvdnQhVIvx5o9a-v66AD9B7QMLO1

So if my long held theory is correct I should be in my latter years when we all get blown to kingdom come and the planet will be at peace once more. Watch this space

It’s just an Illusion?

butross — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 20:44:39 +0000

On September the 11th 2001 19 terrorists hijacked four civilian aircraft and used them to kill nearly three thousand people and themselves. Two hit the world Trade Centre and another hit the Pentagon, the third crashed in a field at Shanksville Pennsylvania. This is the official version of course. But there are a number of people who believe this whole thing was a fraud. It is true that since these attacks the United States began its so called “War on Terror” It introduced the patriot act which increased it’s power to hold without trial and spy on it’s citizens. Many other countries including the UK quickly followed suit. More importantly the allies invaded Afghanistan and forced regime change. Mike Dawson talks to Pat Rattigan about how and why this so called false flag operation could have been carried out and why.
Click below to hear the full uneditted interview and there are various links where you can look at the evidence yourself. As usual your comments are most welcome via the various methods info@gsfcuk.com or click below

September Clues Movie

www.checktheevidence.com

www.gsfcuk.com

Danger, Danger. High Voltage!

butross — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 17:48:15 +0000

At long last another of our elevator gigs made famous by “I am Three”. In this edition the “Lowrisers” make their mark. Doing a gig in an elevator may seem like a fairly straightforward thing to do but not for these guys. As you will see at the end they very nearly ended up in the anuls of great rock n roll deaths. A word of warning then. Please do not try this at home. These people are professional musicians and do this for a living also never ever take high voltage electrical equipment into a lift either!

By the way click below and enjoy the tune

www.gsfcuk.com
www.myspace.com/lowrisers

My own personal Jesus

butross — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 15:01:30 +0000

Teaser video for the stage play “Jesus is a City Fan” written by Michael Dawson and Directed by Charlie Mortimer. It was performed at the Salford Arts Theatre as part of the “Not Part Of” Festival in July 2009. The show featured the voice and talent of Key 103′s Paul Lockitt as well as the dulcet tones of WFM’s very own Alex Parker Brown. The audience were also able to relive the great 2003 Manchester Derby.

For more information go to www.jesusisacityfan.com
email info@jesusisacityfan.com

Give peace a chance

butross — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 13:01:49 +0000

I can’t believe we have never put this fascinating interview on the podcast before. On the anniversary of the outbreak of the Second World War it seams like an appropriate time. It was originally recorded in 2006 to commemorate remembrance Sunday. Mike Dawson spoke to some of the veterans who fought in the conflict Percy and Fred. Fred joined up at 15 years of age to fight for his country. Both talk about their memories and how they feel about the current conflicts around the world and of losing close friends. Asked what young people think of their bravery they are unsure but would they do it all again? A resounding yes amazingly

Click the player below to listen to the full uneditted interview

http://www.gsfcuk.com

http://www.blog.gsfcuk.com

A spaceman came travelin

butross — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 14:52:22 +0000

A brilliant and interesting guest joins us once more. Malcolm Robinson is the founder of SPI Strange Phenomenon Investigations. Just before the launch of his new book he talks to Mike Dawson about UFOs and one particularly notorious case in Scotland. He has investigated numerous unexplained alien encounters and gives his frank theory on what could be behind these sightings. Lights in the sky, strange lights and alien abductions.

Click below to hear the full unedited interview

Contact Malcolm direct if you have anything to report or just want to find out more about SPI Click Here

www.gsfcuk.com

www.blog.gsfcuk.com

They’ll never take me alive

butross — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 21:58:04 +0000

Malcolm Robinson is the founder member of SPI (Strange Phenomena Investigations) The aims of SPI (UK) are basically to, collect, research, and publish, accounts relating to most aspects of strange phenomena, and to inform the general public that there is indeed a case to be answered. They commit to not holding or expressing any preconceived ideas as to the nature of the events of which they research keeping an open mind on all matters.

Malcolm speaks to Mike Dawson about the legend of the Loch Ness Monster. Sightings are reported as far back as medevil times in this vast expanse of water. Many sightings are clearly hoaxed but some very credible sources still cannot be explained. Malcolm has spoken to many of the witnesses and talks about its recent history and his audacious plan to capture the monster alive which gained the interest of Stephen Spielberg himself. Click below to hear the full unedited interview.

You can also click the image above to go direct to the SPI Myspace

www.gsfcuk.com

So tell me, who are you?

butross — Sun, 10 May 2009 08:27:08 +0000

NO2ID is a campaigning organisation who are a single-issue group focussed on the threat to liberty and privacy posed by the rapid growth of the database state, of which “ID cards” are the most visible part. They are entirely independent and do not endorse any party, nor campaign on any other topic. David Page runs the Manchester branch which due to the governments recent announcement has become the centre of the argument. He has a coffee with Mike Dawson to discuss the campaign and what effect it will have on us here in Manchester. They also talk about the fears people have and explain just how much of your information will be held and more importantly who will have access to it. Click below to hear the full unedited interview or visit No2ID by clicking below

www.gsfcuk.com

www.manchester.no2id.net

World shut yer mouth

butross — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 19:52:08 +0000

Esperanto is a universal language invented in 1887 by the Polish eye specialist Dr Ludovic Lazarus Zamenhof. It was hoped it would further international peace and understanding. Many others had tried before him to establish constructed languages without success. Zamenhof, who spoke nine languages himself, took it one step further.

Today, it is thought that 1.6 million people in almost 90 countries are able to converse in Esperanto to a reasonable level. It was on the school curriculum in China, Hungary and Bulgaria. The Japanese religion Oomoto encourages its use among its followers, and the more mainstream Baha’i faith is also sympathetic to the idea of a single auxiliary international language. Mike Dawson spoke to one of its strong advocates Paul Gubbins. Here they discuss how and why esperanto came about and how useful it can be in the present day. Click the player below to hear the full audio or use the links for more information.

Esperanto estas kiel populara kiel ?iu kaj Mike Dawson parolis unu el sia(n) forta rekomend Paul Gubbins. Tie ?i ili diskuti kiel kaj kial Esperanto fari?is kaj kiel utila povas esti en la nuna tago. Klak la ludisto sub a?di la plenan a?dion a? uz la ligiloj por pliaj informoj. mi dankas vin pro vizitanta ni

www.gsfcuk.com

www.esperanto-gb.org

Too Many Cooks

butross — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 22:02:55 +0000

Louisa Eyo is a raw food specialist. There are many claims for the benefits of a raw food diet not least that it actually has some great tasting food. Others being that you can lose amazing amounts of weight, heal your body from illness and look and feel younger.

Mike Dawson spoke to Louisa about how and why this happens. Raw foods are not heated above 112 degrees, therefore the enzymes are not destroyed in the cooking process. These foods retain an enormously higher nutrient value than foods that are cooked. Enzymes are immensley important in food. They aid digestion and absorption of food and will not cause toxicity in the body as most cooked foods do. Raw foods also have an alkaline PH, which is ideal for optimal health. An over acid body is found in most people with acute or chronic diseases. Its also interesting to note that raw food does not mean missing out on some of your favourite dishes or cutting out hot food completely. Mike visited Louisa just prior to one of here Raw food seminars to find out more. Click below to hear the full unedited audio or visit her website for more details.

www.rawteacher.com/louisaeyo

www.gsfcuk.com

Stars in their lives

butross — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 23:18:55 +0000

For the past thirty years Mavis Klein has been a group, individual, and couples’ psychotherapist, specializing in couples’ and parent-child relationships; and for the past 25 years she has also been a counselling astrologer. She is the author of 8 books on psychological and astrological topics. She has conducted numerous one-off workshops and given lectures throughout Europe, America, Canada and Australia and, in 1982, she was a visiting lecturer at the University of Cambridge Entrepeneurship Centre. She spoke to Mike Dawson about Horescopes and how they are vital to our lives. Rather than making incredible predictions this interview dealt with the workings and history of Astrology. She talks about how Astrology is at work in our lives and how it can be useful in making decisions for our future. You can listen now by clicking below or go to Mavis’s website. Alternatively she would be happy to speak to you on the phone by calling her direct at 0207 4832603

www.milkywaybooks.co.uk

www.gsfcuk.com

On the buses

butross — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 22:58:53 +0000

In June 2008, Ariane saw a red London bus featuring a Bible quote and the URL of a website. When she visited the website, it told her non-Christians would burn in hell for all eternity. Ariane then wrote an article for The Guardian’s Comment Is Free site, “Atheists – Gimme Five”, suggesting that atheist if readers could each donate £5 to fund an upbeat counter-advert to the evangelical Christian ads. Well the response was incredible and as a result they currently have raised over £150,000 from non religious people. But why and how? Mike Dawson speaks to Ariane about how it all started and why. They also discuss religion and its attachment to morals and ethics. Can we have morals and the will to do good without a supreme being? Click below to hear the full interview. Clicking on the image will take you to the atheist bus campaign website.

www.gsfcuk.com

www.arianesherine.com

The British Bombing Corporation

butross — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 22:08:12 +0000

In July 2006, as Israel launched a horrendous attack on Southern Lebanon, various organisations and individual campaigners came together to launch Stop Arming Israel. The bombing and invasion of Gaza in the winter of 2008/9 has again highlighted the UK’s complicity in arming Israel, both directly and through components in US-supplied weaponry. Mike Dawson speaks to Kaye Stearman about how and why the UK is fueling the conflict in the Middle East. She talks about the alleged human rights infringements perpatrated by Isreal as well as the ongoing trade and support shown by the British Government.

Click below to hear the full interview

www.gsfcuk.com

www.stoparmingisrael.org

Good God, No!

butross — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 21:42:58 +0000

Paul Gubbins is a life long humanist. Humanism is the view that we can make sense of the world using reason, experience and shared human values and that we can live good lives without religious or superstitious beliefs. Humanists seek to make the best of the one life we have by creating meaning and purpose for ourselves. We choose to take responsibility for our actions and work with others for the common good. However it brings up many questions which clash with our comon culture. Our culture is interwoven with religious tradition and belief. Education, birth, death and marriage all revolve around religious ceremony of one kind or another. Mike Dawson discusses these issues in depth with Paul who is happy to label traditional religious beliefs as fairy stories with no concrete foundation based on fact. If this is the case then how can our society maintain its moral standards. Click below to hear the full unedited interview with Paul Gubbins of the South Cheshire Humanist Association.

www.humanism.org.uk

www.gsfcuk.com

Campaign Against the Arms Trade

butross — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 22:50:37 +0000

Some things never change. Even though this interview is over 12 months old some of the problems discussed are still relevant now. Since the high court ruling and the completion of a massive Saudi arms deal the UK storms in at number one in the worlds highest ranking arms dealer. Mike Dawson spoke to Simon about how and why this came about as well as the implications of Trident. Its also argued that what is known as a civil aviator BAE is in fact a massive arms dealer. Having said that people kill people don’t they, not guns? What about the massive threat to UK jobs if we stop selling weapons for defence to foreign nations?

http://www.caat.org.uk/

www.gsfcuk.com

Merry Christmas?

butross — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 22:44:09 +0000

Thankfully comments made on the show prompted some response from listeners. Enthusiastically encouraged of course as opinions grow around the conduct of Israel’s military might. Accused by many of numerous human rights violations including the UN and Amnesty International. However as you will hear Mike made every attempt to prove himself wrong when he commented that Gaza was effectively a prison. He was wrong, apart from the fact that they only have one border crossing by land or sea with any other nation and that’s also controlled by Israel. They have no airport because that was bombed by Israel and no port because that was closed by Israel. No imports, exports or trade or even a workable government. After the ceasefire when it comes they will have lost a sixth of their buildings including police stations, schools etc. Since the Israeli blockade only essential aid is allowed in to the strip. Other than that well…

http://www.stoparmingisrael.org

Wythenshawe in Action

butross — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 15:34:52 +0000

For the last 12 month Mike Dawson has been working undercover for the Wythenshawe in Action TV programme. In this weeks edition he exposes the sordid underbelly of the North West’s number one Community radio station. Risking his own personal safety he took hidden cameras into one of Wfm’s regular cake eating parties. He meets the kingpin of the whole operation namely James “The Legacy” Murphy and talks to Mathew “The Caretaker” Carol. The film ends with an explosive confrontation in which Dawson confronts “The Legacy” with his evidence. Not to be missed

www.gsfcuk.com

Click below to watch

Emmaus Part 2 Terry Waite Interview

butross — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 17:09:00 +0000

Terry Waite is of course the patron of a great charity called Emmaus and Mike Dawson was there at the open day chatting to some of the residents. Terry Waite was there supporting them as usual and was kind enough to spend some time with Mike explaining why he supports this organisation.

With Terry Waites background it was inevitable that the conversation would turn to politics and religion. It was some time ago in 1980 when he successfully negotiated the release of several hostages in Iran. In 1984 he negotiated with Colonel Gadafi for the release of british hostages in Libya and succeeded. From 1985 he became involved in hostage negotiation in Lebanon. He went to Beirut in January 1987 and was then held for 1,763 days as a captive himself, the first four years of which were spent in total solitary confinement, and it was not until November 1991 he was released.

He has since become an established author and speaker and discusses with Mike the changes in the political world since his release as well as the role of religion in the worlds troubles.

Click below to hear the full uneditted version

www.gsfcuk.com

Emmaus Mossley Part 1

butross — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 16:35:45 +0000

Emmaus Mossley is a brilliant, simple and clever idea for helping people get off the streets and back into main stream life and work. They are effectively a well resourced charity superstore whose employees are all ex homeless. Ex because working at Emmaus entitles them to earn their board and lodgings on site. The charity is supported from its own profits and hard work. Surplus cash can then be offered to other projects using the same business model.

In addition they utilise the skills on site to provide workshop training in woodwork, cycle repair etc. Often the donated goods can be donated once more through the charity to needy local people. The store itself provides a great service in the local community with a huge range of good quality furniture, books and bric a brac. They even have an on site cafe selling snacks and drinks.

Mike Dawson went down to chat to some of the workforce and Les was kind enough to explain what this organisation has meant to him. As usual just click below to hear the full uneditted version

www.emmausmossley.org.uk

www.gsfcuk.com

Dusk till Dawn

butross — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 19:02:17 +0000

Keith Mann is a controversial animal rights campaigner and author. Initially working on both sides of the law to prevent animal abuse. The police have claimed he was at the top of the ALF pyramid. He spent 7 years in prison for offences relating to the firebombing of meat lorries and subsequently escaped. In his own words he has been beaten up, shot at, spit on and been accused of crimes he did not commit. All in the name of stopping those who he says are willing to profit from animal abuse and torture.

Because of his stance and the media portrayal of animal rights activists many of his interviews are confrontational and fail to address the animal rights at all. The rights and wrongs of direct action are well documented and discussed but seldom are the reasons why these people feel the need to break the law. It also highlights a growing trend in the governments prevention of free speech. He speaks to Mike Dawson in this exclusive interview about his beliefs and passion for the rights of animals and making their voice heard and why he has no regrets about giving up 7 years of his life and more. His book “Dusk till Dawn” catalogues the history of the animal rights movement from his own perspective.

Below is the full unedited version. Click below to play within this page or in a pop up, it can also be downloaded from here.

www.fromdusktildawn.org.uk

www.gsfcuk.com

www.thethinkshop.co.uk

Cancer RE: Search

butross — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 22:44:31 +0000

A small point but I did promise after all. On our recent show I refered to a document which made certain claims about the alleged fight against Cancer. As I said in the show you will have to administer as many pinches of salt as you wish. It claims that despite the £400 Million pound research budget by one charity alone. (Cancer Research) Cancer has in fact gone up by 40%.

That being the case its for you to decide where you place your charitable donations in the future. Bear in mind Cancer research are one of many who fund research into this illness. That being said you can use the links below and make up your own mind

www.cancerresearchuk.org

The Document

www.gsfcuk.com

SPEAK Animal Rights

butross — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 21:29:55 +0000

After a chance conversation in Central Manchester Mike Dawson learned that SPEAK Campaigner Mel Broughton had been arrested and was awaiting trial on various “Terrorist” Offences. Mike was informed that he had been “Stitched up” by the authorities. It appears that in light of DNA evidence and the discovery of incedary divices (Sparklers) he had been remanded in custody and was due to appear at the old bailey. Mike was given some information by people who know Mel. In light of the interview which was recorded some time ago you can take that with how ever many pinches of salt you wish. Regardless of that or your stance on animal rights its clear that this guy has immense belief in what he does. By all account it seems that since this broadcast Mel has been acquitted of all the charges against him. Click below to hear the full broadcast and comment freely

http://www.speakcampaigns.org

http://www.gsfcuk.com

Garron Frith Video

butross — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 23:42:09 +0000

We got him back at last. Garron Frith joined us on the show to chat and play a few tunes. Since our last meeting Garron has released his new album to high aclaim and it is rightly getting some great reviews in the media. The full audio interview is coming soon but in the meantime heres a few snippets from the show. You can buy the album and get latest tour dates by logging on to www.garronfrith.co.uk

Click below to play the video right here and of course the audio version contains the complete live versions of the songs.

Murderous Manchester

butross — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 00:01:59 +0000

John Eddleston has to be considered an expert on the crime of murder after writing 14 books on the subject. He has studied the details of historic murders committed up and down the country. His later books include “Blind Justice” a look at possible miscarriages of justice in the UK. He has also studied original documents relating to the Jack The Ripper murders in London and reveals his own prime suspect. He speaks to Mike Dawson about Manchester murder, the rise and fall of violent crime and his opinion on the death sentence as a punishment. There’s also room in this full unedited version to discuss the fall and rise of forensic evidence and the moors murders. Most of this content is not heard on the show but is definitely worth a listen.

Click on the player below to listen

Debt Recovery

butross — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 20:03:08 +0000

Mark Skinner is an expert in debt management for Farley solicitors in Manchester. During his chat with Mike Dawson on last Sundays show he explained the many alternatives available to people who are feeling snowed under with personal or business debt.

Mark can help you freeze your interest or put together a managable payment plan or even consider bankruptcy as an option.

Don’t forget you can contact Mark for a free consultation via his website ar www.farleys.com or find him on our friends page at www.gsfcuk.com

Picking up the brass

butross — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 21:38:24 +0000

Mike Dawson spent an hour with Charlie Bell the co-author of a brilliant new book called “Picking up the brass” A hillarious look at life in the forces when you aint Andy McNabb. A collection of anecdotes and half truths are put together into the story of a young Manchester lad called Eddy Nugent who almost falls into army life.

Charlie tells some of the truths behind the writing of the book as well as some inside information about life in the regular army.

If your thinking of joining up read this book first. Click below to hear the full interview.

Keep listening to the show as we will be giving away a copy of the book to one lucky listener. If you can’t wait that long then click here and buy your own copy now

2 legs good, 4 legs better.

butross — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 13:04:49 +0000

What a great afternoon we had last week when we visited the animal sanctuary in Wilmslow. Since the 1920′s they have been providing protection for animals of all shapes, sizes and personalities. They provide safe long term accommodation for horses, donkeys as well as a lovely pot belly pig. They have lots of domestic pets too who are desperate for re-homing. Many are older retired cats who are looking for the quiet life in their later years. The Humane Education Society are also committed to spreading compassion for animals with young people and adults in the belief that this will pass on to our compassion for each other. For that reason you are all most welcome to go along and just visit the animals free of charge. We will be putting the photo’s from the day on our website soon. All this fantastic work is done by a committed team of staff and volunteers and is funded by voluntary donations. You can register as a friend and pay a tiny amount on a monthly basis or just pop down wth a few tins of cat food. They will have a website online soon and of course links here but in the meantime if you can provide a quiet home for a retired cat or you just want to pop down and say hello then you will be most welcome. They are just past the boddington arms heading into Wilmslow. You can call them on 01625 520802.

David Kavanan is one of the committee members who showed Mike Dawson around the site.

Click below to hear the audio.

Who let the dogs out? Reward increased!

butross — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 21:40:45 +0000

Fantastic news all round! During the show a listener who owns a micro chipping company rang up and offered to increase the reward by £100.00. Linton explained on the show how micro chipping increases your chances of getting your pet back to 99%. You can find out more at www.microchipmydog.co.uk

Within 24 hours of the show we had a phone call to say that Tory had returned home. She is safe and well but no doubt missing her little boy. Really encouraging now as we search for Brosie. We are attempting to spread the search further afield in the hope he has been rescued by some well meaning people from out of the area. We need your help!! Please click on the poster link where you can print a poster to put up in your butty shop, school or car window. Just go to the latest news page of our website at www.gsfcuk.com or click below.

Download your PDF A4 poster here.

Garron Frith coming in soon.

butross — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 17:01:06 +0000

An almost regular guest on the show and brilliant musician Garron Frith will be back on the show with us on October 11th.

Not to be missed and always a favourite sure to be playing one or two songs from his last album. We also managed to catch him doing some street busking in Chorlton just for the hell of it. There’s no accounting for the sound quality when recorded and filmed in the street but here he is.

www.garronfrith.co.uk

Can you help?

butross — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 22:21:36 +0000

Missing REWARD OFFERED

This is Tory and Brosie.

They went missing from Morley Green, Wilmslow at 10.30 am on Wed 23rd July. They went missing together but we have no idea whether they will still be together.

2 jack russells, Brosie is a white and tan entire male, he will be 3 yrs on this wed, the 3rd sept, he has dew claws on all 4 feet and a tan docked tail, smooth coat.

Tory is his Mum, she is a white and black female and is 8. She also has a smooth coat and a docked tail. Her tail is black with a white tip. She has not been well recently and has been to the vets as she has been having mild fits, therefore she cannot have any more puppies. She is also too old really to be a Mum again and has ageing grey hairs on her face.

Their markings can be seen on the 2 photos.
We are offering a reward for any information leading to their return.

Brosie may have been seen alone in Ashley the day after they went missing. No other probable sightings as yet.

You can see bigger versions of the pictures at www.gsfcuk.com on the latest news pages.

Please contact the show or the owner direct on 07970 513158

Sex in the City

butross — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 22:03:05 +0000

Mike Dawson spends some time with the writer (Jessica Luxembourg) and producer (Alex Colvin) of “The California sessions” A brilliant new production which forms part of the 24:7 theatre festival in Manchester.

On a Sunday morning this revealing interview exposes the truth about how out right filth can be turned into political metaphor. Alex looked good in tartan and leather just aint going to work for mike. We have all suffered for our musical tastes and none more than Jessica who confesses to her gothic leanings.

Since the interview we have seen the production and its highly recommended. Listen to the interiew in full below and check out the website to see if you have missed “The California Session” at

www.247theatrefestival.co.uk

Click below to hear the full interview or log on at www.gsfcuk.com

Three at last

butross — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 22:49:12 +0000

Two very special guests in the studio “We are three” yes both of them. The interview audio is coming soon along with at least one sample live song from the studio session. In the meantime they decided to make a bid for the worlds smallest gig.

The entire show took place in a lift and tickets were pretty hard to come by. Despite this the place was rammed with one screaming fan. Click below to watch video highlights from this amazing one off performance. Ladies and gentlemen I give you.. I am Three.

Riots in the studio

butross — Thu, 15 May 2008 08:42:23 +0000

At long last its here after numerous technical problems but like all good things its a bugger having to wait. Its hard to believe as we bask in the summer sunshine that the Paris Riots entered the www.gsfcuk.com studio complaining of the cold. Below is the audio recorded some time ago with one of Manchester’s rock darlings “The Paris Riots”

Mike Dawson speaks to Guy, Kevin, Toby, and Scott about proper jobs, girls, influences and yoghurt. The set also includes a couple of acustic numbers performed in front of mics not designed for that purpose. However I am sure this is one worth sticking under the bed to mature.

The Paris Riots (lost tapes)

www.gsfcuk.com http://www.myspace.com/theparisriotsmusic

Enjoy

Gomm but not forgotten

butross — Mon, 12 May 2008 22:14:24 +0000

Welcome to another Gloria Swanson Fan Club “Close up” podcast. As promised the full unedited audio interview with virtuoso guitarist Jon Gomm. His album “Hypertention” is a listen in itself but of course those who know about his music will be aware that the entire sound is produced by a single man and his guitar. As usual many of you will have heard part of the interview on air but for those who require further study please find below the full unedited version in which he speaks to Mike Dawson about the songwriting skills of Bob Marley, musical influences, mental health and the journey from child prodigy through teenage dirtbag to highly acclaimed guitar virtuoso. It includes a brilliant version of Bob Marleys classic “Wait in Vain”

www.gsfcuk.com www.jongomm.com

Jon Gomm Vidcast

butross — Mon, 12 May 2008 09:09:13 +0000

A short vidcast featuring virtuoso (verb: pretty damn good) guitarist Jon Gomm.

A listen to the album “Hypertention” by Jon Gomm will be enough to convince you of his musical prowess and songwriting skills. Whats even more interesting as you will see from this short video is his unique visual performance. You would be forgiven for thinking he records with samplers, percussionists or even a drummer. Not so. As you will see here every sound you hear is generated by him and his unfortunate battered acoustic guitar.

Click below to watch a short sample of the interview with Mike Dawson and Jon’s rendition of the Bob Marley classic ”Wait in Vain” The full audio version of the interview will be here soon or available at www.gsfcuk.com

To find out more about Jon Gomm visit www.jongomm.comm

Lifeshare for the homeless

butross — Sat, 03 May 2008 21:00:31 +0000

This is an interview and visit to a fantastic organisation in Manchester called Lifeshare. They are a charity working to help the homeless population of the city. They provide food and hot meals throughout the year and of course run a full time service over the Christmas period. Its around that time that the homeless tend to come to the forefront of our minds and that’s exactly the reason we are putting this podcast online now. Its spring 2008 and there are still people on the streets who need a hot meal, clothing and shelter. Remember this charity welcome donations of any kind including items of food or clothing or financial help of any kind.

You can find them at www.lifeshare.co.uk

Below is the edited interview with Paul from Lifeshare that was originally aired prior to Christmas 2007. Not much has changed since.

Jesus never existed?

butross — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 22:09:04 +0000

A really popular podcast from the old blog and rightly so. Regardless of your religious persuasion there may have been times when you have doubted your god. However, many people have whiled away the hours discussing the motives and even the meanings of the man Jesus Christ. Was he really the son of god or just a brilliant philosopher? Was he speaking literary or philosophically? The thing that we never seem to question in the christian world is his existence at all. It’s just a fact that Jesus did exist and that’s that. Well Mike Dawson spoke to a guy called Ken Humphries who claims that the individual known as Jesus Christ never actually existed. Not only that he had a website and book dedicated to the subject long before the mainstream documentary makers and writers got on to this. He has lots of anti evidence at www.jesusneverexisted.com

Check out his website and hear the full audio here at www.gsfcuk.com

Off with OUR head!

butross — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 12:29:46 +0000

There’s a turn up for the books eh. Since the days of King Charles the 1st and his excecution our good friend Oliver Cromwell effectively started the political sytem we have today. At the same time he managed to get the monarcy to abdicate power to its government on a temporary basis. At least thats the theory and nothing much has changed since. We are led to believe the royals have no real power and they are a great tourist attraction bringing in millions whilst costing us just 26p each a year?

Not so, I spoke to Graham Smith in depth about his growing organisation called www.republic.org.uk. They think its time we were able to elect our head of state rather than having a hereditary monarch. Hear what he has to say and of course as usual your comments are most welcome. We are at www.gsfcuk.comand the podcast is also available on iTunes by putting Mike Dawson in the search. Subscribe there or hook up for the newsletter at our wesite or email info@gsfcuk.com

Stop the War unedited audio

butross — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 23:42:00 +0000

As promised this is the full unedited interview with Ronnie Sanchek from the stop the war coalition. We discussed the days of Nam and how Ronnie was at the early protests as well as his visit to Woodstock. Some of the earlier peace movements and the parallels with today’s protest. The politics have changed but the lies have remained very familiar. Ronnie’s passion for what he does is obvious and he is a very intelligent well informed guest as Mike Dawson vainly attempts to defend the war in Iraq. As usual your comments are most welcome and are unedited and free after the first moderation.

www.stopwar.org.uk www.gsfcuk.com

For details of transport arrangements to the demo on the 15th March

Stop the War vidpod

butross — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 23:31:26 +0000

Some video highlights from Mike Dawson’s interview with Ronnie Senchak from the stop the war coalition. He is ex U.S. Navy and was around protesting against the Vietnam war. He is on the steering committee for the stop the war coalition and sometimes someones passion and commitment comes through on radio but these are some video highlights from our interview on the 9th March 2008.

log on to www.stopwar.org.uk and find out how you can join them in London on the 15th March to protest about the war.

The next blog/podcast will feature the full unedited interview aired on the 9th.

The writing on the wall

butross — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 00:23:43 +0000

It looked that way for one of Manchesters best loved music venues recently but not so. The Band on the Wall is looking a bit dishevelled at the moment but thats because work is underway to reopen the venue bigger and better but kind of still the same too. Mike Dawson spoke to Malcolm Duffin about how the work is progressing and plans for the future. You can keep an eye on our website or go to our friends pages for more info or just click and register at www.bandonthewall.org by doing so you will recieve exclusive info and gig news prior to the relaunch.

See you there

Rock around the blockade

butross — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 21:03:42 +0000

Cuba has survived more than 40 years of US sanctions intended to topple the government of Fidel Castro. It also defied predictions that it would not survive the collapse of its one-time supporter, the Soviet Union. but it has

Its a country and a story that has many contradictions and some argue that the U.S. sanctions have helped the communist regime there by providing a scapegoat for some of the hardships. Despite this the words against the government are rare in a country that claims to have a bottom up ruling power. In the west we are lead to believe this is an oppressive communist state. A group of Cuban speakers are touring the U.K. at the moment extolling the virtues of their country and explaining the truth about the hardship caused by the blockade and the unfair treatment of their citizens held in american jails for 10 years. After 49 years Fidel Castro has stood down as leader of Cuba and at the exact moment they were to decide who would lead the country Mike Dawson was speaking to Dr Jesus Pastor Garcia Brigos. He had literally just finished speaking to a packed house in Manchester where many mancunians were turned away at the door because it was so busy. Find about Cuba and the blockade at www.ratb.org.uk or find them on our friends page at www.gsfcuk.com Below is the full uneditted interview and of course your comments are welcome.

Pharmageddon time again?

butross — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 23:35:41 +0000

Apologies for the sound quality but worth persevering just the same.

Paul Flynn is an MP for Newport Gwent and has a lot to say about most things, however he was on the show to discuss his comments on what he called “Pharmageddon”. The health service is now spending ten billion pounds a year on prescription drugs. These drugs are over marketed by the drug companies who are “robbing the health service” of essential treatments. Whilst the drug companies continue to lobby parliament by financing individual pressure groups the drugs they produce are not living up to expectations and in many cases harming humans. Paul Flynn has an excellent record in parliament for supporting animals and a reduction in vivisection.

“We should reduce to the absolute minimum the tests we do on animals most of the tests are of little value anyway,… thalidomide was tested on animals”

“All the animal tests are defective and some of them are completely useless”

“Animal abuse on a vast scale”

Mike Dawson discusses the issues with Paul Flynn M.P. and you can check out his blog at www.paulflynnmp.co.uk or leave your comments here

Alan White Interview

butross — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 15:41:51 +0000

Alan White has been described as one of the greatest drummers in the business. His CV is like a whos who of rock and roll including Joe Cocker, Eric Clapton and of course rock giants YES. Not withstanding the fact that he played drums on the John Lennon Imagine album and toured with them after the beatles split. He was visiting the uk to promote his new band “White” who have a new album out now. No plans for any tour in the UK but Alan talks about the new band, His relationship with Lennon and the Progressive rock giants Yes.

Cannabis, 5 a day?

butross — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 20:52:51 +0000

Hello and welcome to the all new blog and podcast. It came as some surprise to find we could detect the number of downloads and listeners here. We were genuinely flabbergasted at the numbers and so many thanks for your interest. The figures we have of course do not include itunes etc. It seems fitting then to improve the podcast now with online playing, more regular content and registration free comments. (once your first is approved your free)

I recently commented in fun how we regularly follow mixed government advice which often changes over time. Examples being weight, sunshine, 5 a day. Once the government media machine kicks in they soon change our attitudes. I now tut tut in disgust when I see someone driving whilst on a mobile phone when once I would have concidered it an everyday sight. Bearing in mind the evidence seems quite flimsy as to mobile related deaths. However the government seem to have overstepped the mark this time by suggesting that bacon is cancer related. Outragous, I was amused at the wholesale outrage expressed in the press as overweight, pudding eating, smoking chef’s praised the benefits of a full meat diet. Many of them brought up on it and screamed ”its never done me no harm” (Check your waist mate) “Bacon butties are a british institution”

Another such example is Cannabis smoking, in my youth it was only boring government officials who wanted us to stop smoking it even thought they did. I know loads of coppers hey even the queen likes a spliff etc etc. They knew it would open our minds and help us see through their synical control mechanisms and have a good time. It was harmless and in fact beneficial in many cases. We were proud to show our hippy status by wearing pictures of the leaf at every opportunity. These things we all took as fact. Now, now well its all changed. Smoking weed will drive you insane if it hasn’t already, its related to mental illness and will make you skitts!!

One high profile organisation at the time was the legalise cannabis campaign. So we looked em up and found the legalise cannabis alliance. Mike Dawson was lucky enough to speak to Alun Buffry who was involved in much of the origional campaigning to find out how or why we are now thinking differently about cannabis as the demon weed.

Is it really that bad for us, worse than cigs, alcohol?

http://www.lca-uk.org

http://www.myspace.com/cannabis_people_uk

http://www.talktofrank.com/home_html.aspx

Second Life for the second time

butross — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 01:17:13 +0000

Local press you may have seen, yep its true. Looks like we just missed out again eh

Two time loser

For the second time in succession victory has eluded local writer and radio presenter Mike Dawson. In the summer of 2007 he submitted a radio play script to Channel Fours “The radio plays the thing” competition and was selected in the final eight and he was invited down to Londons Channel Four headquarters for a day of expert tuition. All the finalists were then required to resubmit their scripts where after two would be chosen for production. Mike was unlucky not to go through to the final. “Despite this I was really encouraged and had a great day down at Channel Four.” He said “It was still great to get an endorsement from some of the best radio writers in the business”. After his brush with success he proceeded to produce his radio play independently with the help of actors from the Knutsford Little Theatre.
Since then Mike has been informed that once more he has been shortlisted in another Channel Four competition without reaching the final. The PILOT competition required the entrants to produce an outline for a six-part T.V. drama for the T.V. channel. Despite 1200 hundred entries Mike has yet again found himself in the final shortlist of just 10 scripts. When asked if he was disheartened Mike responded “Absolutely not. Quite the opposite to be honest, to reach the final in the only two writing competitions I have entered is really encouraging. I have a hat full of ideas and will continue to write and may now start to send some of my work to commissioning editors”

Not to worry the demo version is on our old podcast but here it is once more.. Enjoy

Now lets have a bit of peace?

butross — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 22:04:15 +0000

George Bush is currently on a peace crusade in the Middle East calling for an end to occupation by Isreal and all parties to come to the table. Lest we forget the stance he took with our very own Tony Blair when Isreal was bombing civilian targets and infastructure in the Lebanon. Noting that one miltary jet killed two young boys, in the aftermath the states pledged 30 million dollars in aid. 15 million short of the cost of just one of the 29 jets sold to Isreal by them. Ironic indeed. Mike Dawson attempted to interview Marc Sirois from the heart of Beruit in the middle of the conflict but telephones were down. The interview was conducted by email. Below is a transcript of that email as well as some of the show audio.

Transcript of interview

No Show Again?

Cornelius E Butross — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 23:43:49 +0000

Yep its another week off air. Due to circumstances within our control we will not be on air again this Sunday. We will also be off air on Sunday the 20th January. We will be starting our new year shows on sunday the 27th at 11am as usual. In the meantime I will be continuing to upgrade the website and monitoring/adding to the new blog. Dont forget we are leaving the comments section open so you can blog at will.

Keep in touch and see thee soon.

Love C.E.B XX

Welcome again

butross — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 15:08:03 +0000

We are back with a brand new website and of course a brand new blog/podcast. We have decided to bring everything together here so you can keep upto date with show news and guests. There may well be more endless spouting too from myself Mike Dawson and my trusty side chimp Cornelius E Butross. This new blog also allows you to comment without registering which means we can monitor your comments live on the show if we want. It also means you can listen again to interviews and make comments too. There is also an online player so you can play audio/video from here as well as the usual subscribe-able podcast. Lots more podcasts in future featuring our guests past and present. If you are a registered podcaster please remember to update your feed to this new address. All the old stuff will be available for the forseeable future.