Conversations about the Criminal Justice System, the War on Drugs, Prohibition, Sex Worker rights, the Prison Industrial Complex and Restorative Justice.

The Criminal Justice System and the War on Drugs

In GBA 123 we get better acquainted with Daniel Simpson. He talks about his experience trying to bring Ibiza to the Balkans in a story that involves being a journalist for the New York Times, drug smuggling, the Serbian mafia, Sonic Youth, and the conflict between idealism and egotism. 

We also get into both the wider politics that frame this story (the media, the Balkans, The War on Terror, The War on Drugs, Western Foreign Policy) and what he learnt personally about himself from his terrible experiences.

At PBH's Free Fringe (part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival):

Getting Better Acquainted

- 1.40pm, 12th August, Banshee Labyrinth w/ Gods of Comedy: http://www.facebook.com/events/489862131092073/

- 1.40pm, 13th August, Banshee Labyrinth w/ Peter Buckley Hill: http://www.facebook.com/events/197046307128430/

Stand Up Tragedy: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/

6.30pm, 3rd - 14th August, Fiddler's Elbow (downstairs): http://www.facebook.com/events/597921693564454/

Spark London: http://www.sparklondon.com/

12.15pm, 8th August, Fiddler's Elbow (Downstairs): http://www.facebook.com/events/120455901458002

Daniel Plugs:

Rough Guide to the Darkside: http://www.roughguidedarkside.com/

Spark London in August:

12th August @ Hackney Attic:  https://www.facebook.com/events/431964896916829/

19th August Upstairs @ The Ritzy: 
https://www.facebook.com/events/153907941477134/

We mention:

George Orwell: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Orwell
Echo: http://www.echofestival.com/croatia/
Sonic Youth: http://www.sonicyouth.com/
Hunter S Thompson: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunter_S._Thompson
Glenn Greenwald: http://www.theguardian.com/profile/glenn-greenwald
Derrick May: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derrick_May_(musician)
Ram Dass: http://www.ramdass.org/
Gary Web - dark alliance - consortium news: http://consortiumnews.com/2011/12/09/the-warning-in-gary-webbs-death/
The Truth is Out There: http://www.truth-is-out-there.com/
Chillpack Hollywood Hour: http://www.chillpakhollywood.com/
Phil Leirness: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-60-phil-leirness/
Chris Roberts: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-41-chris

You can hear Getting Better Acquainted on Stitcher SmartRadio, Stitcher allows you to listen to your favourite shows directly from your iPhone, Android Phone, Kindle Fire and beyond.

On-demand and on the go!

Don’t have Stitcher? Download it for free today at www.stitcher.com or in the app stores.

Help more people get better acquainted. If you like what you hear why not write an iTunes review?

GBA 123 Daniel Simpson

In GBA 197 we get better acquainted with Toni. She talks about being a sex worker and sex worker rights activist, decriminalisation, the problems with the Swedish Model, the language and stigma around sex work, harm reduction, how various systems of oppression intersect around the lives of sex workers and more. 

Toni is a member of the Sex Worker Open University: http://www.sexworkeropenuniversity.com/

Content Note: Some reference to violence against sex workers and to rape and sexual assault, although none of these references are graphic or personal accounts.

Toni plugs:

@SexWorkerOU: https://twitter.com/SexWorkerOU
CONFIDE: Helpline: http://confideinfo.com/about/

I plug:

Tragic Winter @ Hackney Attic: 28th February: 
http://www.facebook.com/events/1516191711967276/

We mention:

International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers: http://www.december17.org/
Carol Leigh: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_Leigh
Tres Cosas Campaign: https://3cosascampaign.wordpress.com/about/
Decriminalisation: http://prostitutescollective.net/2010/09/28/decriminalisation-of-prostitution-v-legalisation-2/
Swedish/Nordic Model: http://www.sexworkeropenuniversity.com/blog/swou-statement-on-poverty-sex-work-and-the-swedish-model-poverty-is-objectifying-demeaning-and-coercive1
Amnesty International - the backlash: http://www.amnesty.org.uk/agm-decisions-to-date
http://www.newstatesman.com/lifestyle/2013/06/amnesty-human-rights-and-criminalisation-sex-work
Friends: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friends
Petite Jasmine: 
http://titsandsass.com/the-bloody-state-gave-him-the-power-a-swedish-sex-workers-murder/
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/alex-bryce/petite-jasmine-sex-workers_b_4439049.html
Arrested Development: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrested_Development_%28TV_series%29
Tina Fay: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tina_Fey
Morecambe Bay Cockle Picking Disaster: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Morecambe_Bay_cockling_disaster
ECP:  http://www.nswp.org/members/europe/english-collective-prostitutes
http://prostitutescollective.net/
x: talk: http://www.xtalkproject.net/
NSWP: http://www.nswp.org/
Ipswich Serial murders: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipswich_serial_murders
Associated Press: http://www.ap.org/



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GBA 197 Toni

In GBA 213 we get better acquainted with Bisha. We talk about feeling like frauds, the prison industrial complex and restorative justice, kindness, empathy, hierarchical systems, turning difficult subjects into comedy, insecurity, creativity, privilege and so much more.

Bisha plugs:

The Turtle Bookclub: http://www.turtlebookclub.com/
Bisha website: http://www.bishakali.com/
Bisha fringe show: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/bisha-k-ali-ridiculous
Bisha twitter: https://twitter.com/bishakali

I plug:

Stand Up Tragedy: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/
What About the Men: http://mansplainingmasculinity.co.uk/
GBA and SUT in Edinburgh: http://www.facebook.com/events/1378858509079820/
http://www.facebook.com/events/1446178112341943/

We mention:

Tamer Kattan: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-live-13-tamer-kattan
bell hooks: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_hooks
Restorative Justice: https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Restorative_justice
Angela Davis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angela_Davis
Anarchist Book Fair: http://www.anarchistbookfair.org.uk/
Gift Economy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gift_economy
Universal Basic Income: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_income
Johann Hari on Little Atoms: http://www.littleatoms.com/podcast/johann-hari-chasing-scream
Are Prisons Obsolete by Angela Davis: http://www.feministes-radicales.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Angela-Davis-Are_Prisons_Obsolete.pdf
Niels Bohr: https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Niels_Bohr
https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/821936.Niels_Bohr
George Carlin: https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=George_Carlin
How to Explain White Priviledge to a Broke White Person: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gina-crosleycorcoran/explaining-white-privilege-to-a-broke-white-person_b_5269255.html
Billy Bragg: https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Billy_Bragg
Comic Relief: http://www.comicrelief.com/
Bob Geldof: https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Bob_Geldof
Lenny Henry: https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Lenny_Henry
Hitler: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler
Majid Nawaaz - Quilliam: http://www.quilliamfoundation.org/about/staff/maajid-nawaz/


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GBA 213 Bisha K Ali

In GBA 218 we get better acquainted with Shaun Atwood. He talks about being "the Walter White of the Ecstasy market in Arizona", struggling to survive in maximum and medium security prisons, starting a blog from the inside jail, playing chess with the Mafia, racism within criminal justice systems, teaching creative writing to prisoners, the Prison Industrial Complex, prohibition, the War on Drugs and more.

Shaun plugs:

Trilogy of memoir books: Hard Time, Party Time, Prison Time
Website: http://www.shaunattwood.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/shaunattwood
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Shaun-Attwood/228166633865948
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/derickatt/featured
Blog: Jon's Jail Journal: http://jonsjailjournal.blogspot.co.uk/

I plug:

My preview on 23rd July: http://www.facebook.com/events/1598769017027875/

GBA and SUT in Edinburgh: http://www.facebook.com/events/1378858509079820/
http://www.facebook.com/events/1446178112341943/
http://www.facebook.com/events/1554323898168649/

We mention:

Spark London: http://sparklondon.com
HMP Thameside: http://www.hmpthameside.org/
To Kill A Mockingbird: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Kill_a_Mockingbird
Hard Time:
Wolf of Wall Street: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wolf_of_Wall_Street_(2013_film)
Scarface: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarface_(1983_film)
Pulp Fiction: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulp_Fiction
Rambo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rambo_(film_series)
Breaking Bad: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breaking_Bad
OJ Simpson: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O._J._Simpson
Law Enforcement Against Prohibition: http://www.leap.cc/
Schopenhauer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Schopenhauer
A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Day_in_the_Life_of_Ivan_Denisovich
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleksandr_Solzhenitsyn
Shawshank Redemption: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shawshank_Redemption
Chasing the Scream by Johann Hari: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chasing_the_Scream
Johann Hari on Little Atoms: http://www.littleatoms.com/podcast/johann-hari-chasing-scream
Orange is the New Black: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_Is_the_New_Black
Queen Victoria: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Victoria
Freud: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigmund_Freud
Fred West: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_West
David Nutt: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Nutt
The Bush Family: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bush_family
Corrections Corporation of America: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corrections_Corporation_of_America
Three Strikes Law: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-strikes_law
California Prison Guards Union: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Correctional_Peace_Officers_Association
Broadcom: https://www.broadcom.com/
Chris Grayling: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Grayling
Kill the Messenger: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kill_the_Messenger_(2014_film)
Gary Webb: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Webb
Nancy Reagan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Reagan
Just Say No: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_Say_No
Ronald Reagan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Reagan
George Bush Sr: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_H._W._Bush
Bill Clinton: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Clinton
Contras: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contras






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GBA 218 Shaun Attwood

In GBA 226 we get better acquainted with Cheryl. She tells the story of when as a result of misunderstandings and other circumstantial issues she was taken from her home by the police and put into a mental institution against her will. This experience changed her understanding of the human rights afforded to people with mental health issues and her knowledge of what mental health services can be like. This traumatic experience inspired her to become an anti-psychiatry activist.  We have a conversation around her story about our different perspectives on mental health but mostly the episode focuses on the details of her experience which are terrifying, vivid and often horribly darkly funny. 

For more perspectives and experiences of mental health  listen to this collection of Getting Better Acquainted episodes:  https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/mental-health-issues

Cheryl plugs:

Speak Out Against Psychiatry: http://speakoutagainstpsychiatry.org/

Asylum Magazine: http://www.asylumonline.net/

Petition: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/104681

I plug:

Spark London: Multicultural Minds: https://www.picturehouses.com/film/spark-london-storytelling-multi-cultural-minds

Stand Up Tragedy: Tragic Autumn: http://www.facebook.com/events/1453089018350037/

Stand Up Tragedy presents.... http://www.facebook.com/events/461679520679231/

#ManSurvey: http://www.mansplainingmasculinity.co.uk/

We mention:

Spark London: http://sparklondon.com/
Mind Freedom International: http://mindfreedom.org/
Network Against Psychiatric Assault: http://networkagainstpsychiatricassault.org/
Kidnapped by Psychiatry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU0Ue1xg9m4
ECT: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electroconvulsive_therapy
Mind: http://www.mind.org.uk/
DSM 5: http://www.dsm5.org/Pages/Default.aspx
Bupa: http://www.bupa.co.uk/
Rethink: http://www.rethink.org/
Nellie Bly  - 10 days in a Mad-House: http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/bly/madhouse/madhouse.html
Aunty Margaret: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-125-margaret
My story from the Spark London Mental Health Stories night is included in this GBA episode: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/uncertain-new-year


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GBA 226 Cheryl

This getting better acquainted extra features various performances I've done on stage during 2015.

Stand Up Tragedy Presents:  https://www.facebook.com/events/461679520679231/

Spark London: http://sparklondon.com/

Multicultural Minds: https://www.facebook.com/events/1735829253307581/

Stand Up Tragedy: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/

Arts Emergency: http://www.arts-emergency.org/

What About the Men? Mansplaining Masculinity: http://www.mansplainingmasculinity.co.uk

GBA 106 Jack and George: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-106-jack-and-george



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GBA Extra - Why I Make Tragedy

In GBA 281 we get even better acquainted with Radcliffe. He talks about being in a coma, continuing battles with addiction, the double edged swords of being attractive and charming, storytelling, class, belief and so much more. We recontextualize his journey through addiction, prison, homelessness and public school and we talk about the pressures, ironies and positives that can come in telling audiences true stories of redemption. We talk about many dark things such as child sexual abuse, rape, violence but we talk about the light too.

This conversation is both an update where we talk about things that have happened since Radcliffe was last on the show and an extension and development of the stories we have shared before. 

All of Radcliffe's GBA conversations are collected here: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/the-radcliffe-episodes

More about Spark True Stories here: http://stories.co.uk

Radcliffe plugs:

Looking out for his future work and keeping in mind that homeless people are people.

I plug: 

The Family Tree:

http://thefamilytreepodcast.co.uk/
http://www.patreon.com/thefamilytreepodcast

We mention:

Joanna Yates: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-32-joanna-yates
My show: https://soundcloud.com/standuptragedy/sut-presents-what-about-the-men-mansplaining-maculinity
The Pilot Show: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b066w9gg
Wilderness Festival: https://www.wildernessfestival.com/
Amber Rudd: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amber_Rudd
12 Step Program: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve-step_program
Logical Positivism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logical_positivism
Charley: https://twitter.com/charleylucyha
Allan Girod: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-122-allan
Allan @ Stand Up Tragedy: https://soundcloud.com/standuptragedy/sut-brixton-ep-3-allan-girod
In the Dark episodes: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/gba-live-the-invisible-picture

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Getting Better Acquainted

GBA 281 Radcliffe #4

In GBA 290 we get better acquainted with Hamja Ahsan. He talks about his forthcoming book Shy Radicals, the zine festival DIY Cultures that he curates for, the successful campaign to free his brother Talha Ahsan, society as a teen movie, being bullied at school, mental health issues, male suicide, the history of state crimes, imprisonment, extradition and internment and so much more.

Content note: Mental Health Issues, Depression, Anxiety, Bipolar, Suicide, Mania, Bullying, Incarceration

Hamja plugs:

DIY Cultures - 14th May:
https://www.richmix.org.uk/events/exhibitions/diy-cultures-2017
https://www.facebook.com/events/259081314527166/
http://diycultures.tumblr.com/

DIY Knowledge - 3rd May - 2ndJune:
https://www.richmix.org.uk/events/exhibitions/diy-cultures-exhibition-diy-knowledge

Shy Radicals - published by bookworks and out any time now!
https://www.facebook.com/ShyRadicals/
http://shyradicals.tumblr.com/

I plug:

The Family Tree: http://thefamilytreepodcast.co.uk/

Voting for GBA or The Family Tree for the British Podcast Awards Listener's Choice Award: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/vote/

We mention:

Talha Ahsan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syed_Talha_Ahsan
Hamja Ahsan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamja_Ahsan
Liberty Award: https://www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk/news/press-releases/liberty-honours-human-rights-heroes-annual-awards-ceremony
Hillsborough Justice Campaign: http://www.contrast.org/hillsborough/
Sheila Coleman: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/sep/16/kevin-sampson-hillsborough
Guildford Four: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guildford_Four_and_Maguire_Seven
Birmingham Six: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birmingham_Six
Through The Wind and the Rain: http://www.contrast.org/hillsborough/issue17.shtm
Red All Over the Land: http://redallovertheland.com/
Riot Grrrl: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riot_grrrl
Hamja on Hillsborough Voices - Media Diversified: https://mediadiversified.org/2016/12/08/political-book-of-the-year-hillsborough-voices-the-real-story-told-by-the-people-themselves/
Black Panthers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Panther_Party
Suffragettes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suffragette
Tolpuddle Martyrs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tolpuddle_Martyrs
ANC: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_National_Congress
Malcolm X: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_X
George: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-6-george
https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-106-jack-and-george
Orbital: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbital_(band)
Kurt Cobain: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Cobain
Elliot Smith: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elliott_Smith
Mark Fisher: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jan/18/mark-fisher-k-punk-blogs-did-48-politics
What About the Men? Mansplaining Masculinity: https://soundcloud.com/standuptragedy/sut-presents-what-about-the-men-mansplaining-maculinity
Mean Girls: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mean_Girls
Clement Attlee: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clement_Attlee
Moazzam Begg: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moazzam_Begg
Cage: https://cage.ngo/
Gareth Pierce: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gareth_Peirce
In the name of the father: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Name_of_the_Father_(film)
Susan Cain - Quiet: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/mar/22/quiet-power-introverts-susan-cain-review
Joe Moran - shrinking violets: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/sep/01/shrinking-violets-field-guide-shyness-joe-moran-review
Nina Power: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nina_Power
Political Prisoner Radio: http://www.blacktalkradionetwork.com/politicalprisonerradio/
Law and Disorder Radio: http://lawanddisorder.org/
Heathers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heathers

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GBA 290 - Hamja Ahsan

In GBA 312 we get better acquainted with Pandora Blake. They talk about how they became an award-winning feminist porn producer and performer, the rise and fall of their website Dreams of Spanking that was dedicated to ethically-produced BDSM erotica that prioritised gender diversity, explicit behind the scenes enthusiastic consent, and equal pay for equal work. With a wide lens they get into some of the issues around sex work law reform, censorship, obscenity law, sexual freedom and ethical/feminist porn. And in close up they talk about emerging from a few years of turmoil, change, transformation and transition, with new possibilities on the horizon and with a new understanding of their gender.

Pandora/Blake on coming out as genderqueer: http://pandorablake.com/blog/2017/10/meet-the-real-me

Pandora Blake plugs:

Supporting their activism (and helping them to write their book) by  signing up to their Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pandorablake

I plug:

Smut Slam London: Spooky Sex: https://www.facebook.com/events/1924476301132034/

What About the Men? Mansplaining Masculinity: https://soundcloud.com/standuptragedy/sut-presents-what-about-the-men-mansplaining-maculinity

http://mansplainingmasculinity.co.uk/

The Family Tree: http://thefamilytreepodcast.co.uk/

We mention:

Sex Worker's Opera: https://www.sexworkersopera.com/
Pandora's blog: http://pandorablake.com/blog
Cameryn Moore: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-215-cameryn-moore
Miranda Kane: https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-262-miranda-kane
ATVOD: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATVOD
Chilling Effect: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chilling_effect
AVMS Law: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audiovisual_Media_Services_Regulations_2014
BBFC: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Board_of_Film_Classification
Obscene Publications Acts: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obscene_Publications_Acts
Myles Jackman Obscenity Lawyer: http://www.mylesjackman.com/
Anna Span: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Span
Spanner Case Manchester: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Spanner
Digital Economy Act: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Economy_Act_2017
Backlash: https://www.backlash.org.uk/
TERFs: http://sjwiki.org/wiki/Trans-exclusionary_radical_feminism
SWERFs: http://sjwiki.org/wiki/Sex_worker_exclusionary_radical_feminism
bell hooks: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_hooks
Genderqueer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genderqueer
Mx: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mx_(title)
Stoya: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoya
Dreams of Spanking: http://dreamsofspanking.com/
11 Life Times: http://puttylike.com/what-are-you-going-to-do-with-your-11-lifetimes/
Tai Chi: http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/fitness/Pages/taichi.aspx
Cuddle Party: http://www.cuddleparty.com/
Feminist Porn How to Find it and feel good watching it: http://pandorablake.com/blog/2017/9/feminist-porn-talk-book-club
Open Rights Group: https://www.openrightsgroup.org/

Help more people get better acquainted. If you like what you hear why not write an iTunes review?

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GBA 312 Pandora Blake

In GBA 314 we get better acquainted with Wasi. She talks about not defining marginalised groups by their traumas, #CutFromTheSameCloth a collection of essays by hijabis, getting to the point where she is comfortable calling herself a photographer, how she became a person centred therapist, the systematic elements involved in mental health struggles, growing up with parallel experiences and cultures, experiences of Islamophobia and racism, pushing back against structural oppressions, the work that Against Borders For Children (Schools ABC) have done and so much more.

Wasi plugs:

Cut From the Same Cloth: https://unbound.com/books/cut-from-the-same-cloth
Against Borders For Children: Schools ABC: https://www.schoolsabc.net/
Wasi Daniju photos: http://wasidaniju.com/
Inclusive Mosque: https://www.facebook.com/inclusivemosqueinitiative/
http://www.inclusivemosqueinitiative.org/
Black Girl Festival 29th October: http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/the-uks-first-black-girl-festival/

I plug:

Down to a sunless sea: memories of my dad: https://medium.com/@goosefat101/down-to-a-sunless-sea-memories-of-my-dad-d1d2d3a61360

What About the Men? Mansplaining Masculinity: https://soundcloud.com/standuptragedy/sut-presents-what-about-the-men-mansplaining-maculinity

http://mansplainingmasculinity.co.uk/

The Family Tree: http://thefamilytreepodcast.co.uk/

We mention:

Moomins: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moomins
Royal Festival Hall: https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/venues/royal-festival-hall
Media Diversified: https://mediadiversified.org/
https://twitter.com/writersofcolour
The Trashies: https://mediadiversified.org/tag/the-trashies/
Signal Boosting: https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/us/signal_boosting
Follow Fridays: https://www.lifewire.com/a-guide-to-follow-friday-2655376
Wasi's recent thread: https://twitter.com/knox_o/status/914171672479092738
South London Refugee Association: https://www.slr-a.org.uk/
Women and Girls Network: http://www.wgn.org.uk/
Nadia Kamil: https://nadiakamil.co.uk/
Bang Said The Gun: http://www.bangsaidthegun.com/
Meadowlands Festival: https://twitter.com/meadowfest
Body Narratives: https://www.thebodynarratives.com
Indigo Williams: https://twitter.com/Indigowilliams
Leslie Asare: https://twitter.com/layaxo3
I Shape Beauty: https://ishapebeautyblog.wordpress.com
Moles: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mole_(unit)
Erasmus Year: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erasmus_Programme
Aphasia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphasia
Prevent: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/apr/04/prevent-hate-muslims-schools-terrorism-teachers-reject
Stand Up Tragedy: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/
9/11: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11_attacks
7/7: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7_July_2005_London_bombings
War on Terror: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_on_Terror
Microaggressions: https://www.buzzfeed.com/hnigatu/racial-microagressions-you-hear-on-a-daily-basis
Sabeena Akhtar: https://twitter.com/pocobookreader
The Good Immigrant: https://unbound.com/books/the-good-immigrant
Nazeem Hussein: http://nazeemhussain.com/
Docs Not Cops: http://www.docsnotcops.co.uk/
Niemöller poem: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_they_came_...

Help more people get better acquainted. If you like what you hear why not write an iTunes review?

Follow @GBApodcast on Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 314 Wasi

In GBA 58 we get better acquainted with Radcliffe. In part 1 of this weeks 2 part special he talks about his relationship with drugs and his "formative" years. 

This includes his experiences attending and being expelled from a boarding school, his family life and his almost accidental introduction into the Edinburgh underworld.

We discuss addiction and the nature and social position of drugs. And we hear a recovered addicts views on drugs policy. 

Part 2 : http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-58-radcliffe-part-2 comes out in Friday when the conversation will continue, covering crime and punishment, homelessness and then rehabilitation and recovery. 

Seriously this conversation was amazing to have and I think it is really really worth you hearing. Radcliffe has seen some dark times, he has journeyed through the class system from the top to pretty much the bottom. He has lived in expensive houses and has been a crack addict in a Soho skip. He has dropped out of society and managed to climb back in. And he tells his story with humour, kindness and brutal honesty and whilst it is full of pain and violence, it is also, somehow a story about hope, beauty and love.


Radcliffe Plugs:

"Spoken Word is the new Rock and Roll"


Spark London: http://www.sparklondon.com/     

Today marks the 100 episode of the Spark London podcast. This is Radcliffe telling his story there (which is a teaser for part 2 of his conversation):http://www.mixcloud.com/sparklondon/on-living-in-a-soho-skip-radcliffe-royds/

And this is the 100 episode of their show: http://www.mixcloud.com/sparklondon/episode-100-dorothea-stuart-alastair-smith/

You can find their podcast on iTunes and on Stitcher as well as on Mixcloud.

Their next live show is: Wednesday 6th June 2012 at 7:30pm at Canal Cafe Theatre, Little Venice, London, W2 6ND

The theme is "Life Savers" 

Box office: 020 7289 6054 or Book online: http://www.canalcafetheatre.com/

Future themes include Family Holidays, Tales from the work place, Flashbacks and Authority. If you have a story to tell then get in touch at sparklondon@gmail.com



Stand Up Tragedy: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/

The next, and last for the moment, live Stand Up Tragedy will feature Radcliffe telling a story. This is the rest of the line up: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/show-5-4-june-2012/

Here are the details:

Monday  4th June 2012. 8.30pm till late at the Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, London, WC2H 7BX

Tickets: http://leicestersquaretheatre.ticketsolve.com/shows/126520120/events

COME ALONG. BRING YOUR FRIENDS. Use the promo code TRAGIC to offset booking fee.

It also has a weekly podcast, which Radcliffe has featured on, which comes out every friday: http://soundcloud.com/standuptragedy








You can hear Getting Better Acquainted on Stitcher SmartRadio, Stitcher allows you to listen to your favourite shows directly from your iPhone, Android Phone, Kindle Fire and beyond.

On-demand and on the go!

Don’t have Stitcher? Download it for free today at http://www.stitcher.com or in the app stores.

Help more people get better acquainted. If you like what you hear why not write an iTunes review?

Follow @GBApodcast on Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 58 Radcliffe (Part 1)

In GBA 58 part 2 we get better acquainted with Radcliffe. We pick up the conversation with the story of how he came to become homeless and he continues through crime and punishment and then rehabilitation and recovery.

Hear a man who has lived homeless and destitute not just talk about his experiences, but reflect on them and share what he’s learnt with you. Rarely do we listen to people with firsthand experience of homelessness and drug addiction when coming up with social policies. Here is a chance to do that. 

Seriously this conversation was amazing to have and I think it is really really worth you hearing. Radcliffe has seen some dark times, he has journeyed through the class system from the top to pretty much the bottom. He has lived in expensive houses and has been a crack addict in a Soho skip. He has dropped out of society and managed to climb back in. And he tells his story with humour, kindness and brutal honesty and whilst it is full of pain and violence, it is also, somehow a story about hope, beauty and love.

Part 1 : http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-58-radcliffe-part-1 that aired on in Wednesday covered his relationship with drugs and his "formative" years. It isn't essential to listen to this before but it might enhance your experience if you do. The conversation we had was over 2 hours and the split is really just there to make the chunks more bite sized.

Radcliffe Plugs:

"Spoken Word is the new Rock and Roll"

Stand Up Tragedy: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/

The next, and last for the moment, live Stand Up Tragedy will feature Radcliffe telling a story. This is the rest of the line up: http://www.standuptragedy.co.uk/show-5-4-june-2012/

Here are the details:

Monday 4th June 2012. 8.30pm till late at the Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, London, WC2H 7BX

Tickets: http://leicestersquaretheatre.ticketsolve.com/shows/126520120/events

COME ALONG. BRING YOUR FRIENDS. Use the promo code TRAGIC to offset booking fee.

It also has a weekly podcast, which Radcliffe has featured on, which comes out every friday: StandUpTragedy

Spark London: http://www.sparklondon.com/

Last wednesday marked the 100 episode of the Spark London podcast. This is Radcliffe telling a story there (a teaser for part 1 of his conversation): http://www.mixcloud.com/sparklondon/damning-evidence-radcliffe-royds/

And this is the 100 episode of their show: http://www.mixcloud.com/sparklondon/episode-100-dorothea-stuart-alastair-smith/

You can find their podcast on iTunes and on Stitcher as well as on Mixcloud.

Their next live show is: Wednesday 6th June 2012 at 7:30pm at Canal Cafe Theatre, Little Venice, London, W2 6ND

The theme is "Life Savers"

Box office: 020 7289 6054 or Book online: http://www.canalcafetheatre.com/

Future themes include Family Holidays, Tales from the work place, Flashbacks and Authority. If you have a story to tell then get in touch at sparklondon@gmail.com

You can hear Getting Better Acquainted on Stitcher SmartRadio, Stitcher allows you to listen to your favourite shows directly from your iPhone, Android Phone, Kindle Fire and beyond.

On-demand and on the go!

Don’t have Stitcher? Download it for free today at http://www.stitcher.com or in the app stores.

Help more people get better acquainted. If you like what you hear why not write an iTunes review?

Follow @GBApodcast on Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 58 Radcliffe (Part 2)

In GBA 106 we get better acquainted with Jack and George.

Whilst drinking brandy & chain-smoking Jack, George and me trade differing views of the legal system and ask whether you change significantly after childhood: what stays the same and what changes. 

This episode includes an account of being arrested for destroying a house, an account of being a witness to an assault, an account of a bus kidnapping and the curious case of the police confiscating George's Lou Reed collection.

It's an interesting ride: Part surprise therapy session, part series of complimentary and contradictory experiences of the law and part documentation of a friendship. We actually don't sound as drunk as we were!

We don't really plug anything.

These are the individual GBAs with George and Jack:

https://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-46-jack

http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/gba-6-george

And this is the collected GBAs with Apples for Everyone members:

http://soundcloud.com/gettingbetteracquainted/sets/apples-for-everyone/

We mention Talha Assan

http://freetalha.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syed_Talha_Ahsan

Aim: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aim_(musician)

Lou Reed: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Reed

Prince: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_(musician)

Thundercats: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ThunderCats


You can hear Getting Better Acquainted on Stitcher SmartRadio, Stitcher allows you to listen to your favourite shows directly from your iPhone, Android Phone, Kindle Fire and beyond.

On-demand and on the go!

Don’t have Stitcher? Download it for free today at www.stitcher.com or in the app stores.

Help more people get better acquainted. If you like what you hear why not write an iTunes review?

Follow @GBApodcast on Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

GBA 106 Jack and George

A weekly podcast: Join Dave Pickering on his journey to get better acquainted with the people he knows. Part interview show, part oral history project and part autobiography through conversation.

British Podcast Award 2017 winner (bronze in Best Interview category)

GBA was nominated for a 2012 Radio Production Award, aired for 3 seasons on Resonance 104.4 FM and was featured on BBC Radio 4's In Pod We Trust, BBC Radio 5 Live’s Helen and Olly's Required Listening and has been recommended by The Guardian, Time Out and the Financial Times