(TO LISTEN, please click the 'POD' icon above)

The Very Reverend James Jones, 64, till now The Bishop of Liverpool, is retiring imminently from the diocese but will continue his connection with the Hillsborough disaster aftermath. Jones chaired the Hillsborough Independent Panel, which cleared fans of blame for the tragedy in its report of September 2012.

Jones will continue to work in a different role, to be announced later this year and in the meantime will regularly be heard on the BBC. On Monday 22nd July at 8 p.m., there is a new broadcast series on BBC Radio 4 in a new series, 'The Bishop and The Bankers' in which, it is hoped, Jones will equally fearlessly and rigorously explore the morality, mindset and personal stories of individuals in banking and business.

Check the BBC iPlayer schedule for other broadcast times.

However, looking back, in this archive interview for KGNU with Claudia Cragg, the then Bishop of Liverpool discusses politics, politicians and science, the role of the individual, The Eden Project in Lancashire and his personal criticism of radical "end-timers" who allegedly consider global warming as an inevitable stage in a Biblical apocalyptic plan.

His visit at that time was a very brave attempt aimed at trying to enthuse naysaying US conservative evangelicals in Colorado Springs into becoming passionate about environmental concerns.

Rev. Jones has long been known as a champion of environmentalism in Britain and was the author of "Jesus and the Earth". 

Jones says it is appropriate, as many others are now doing, to liken the moral imperative presented by climate change (that he has seen for himself in Switzerland, Africa and India) to that of slavery because the poor are being oppressed by climate changes that are ruining harvests.

(Originally roadcast on KGNU on 12/14/06)

(Image from Operation Noah conference)

(TO LISTEN, please click the 'POD' icon above)

Claudia Cragg talks here for a KGNU special programme with Michael Woodford, company president, whistleblower and crusader about his book, Exposure, the story of how he brought to light the dark heart of the Japanese corporation, Olympus.

When Michael Woodford was made President and CEO of that corporation, he became the first Westerner ever to climb the ranks of one of the country's corporate icons.

Then his dream job turned into a nightmare.

Exposure is a deeply personal memoir that reads like a thriller. As Woodford himself puts it, 'I thought I was going to run a health-care and consumer electronics company but found I had walked into a John Grisham novel.'

He learned about a series of bizarre mergers and acquisitions deals totalling $1.7 billion - a scandal which, if exposed, threatened to bring down the entire company. He turned to his fellow executives but was met with hostility and a cover-up. 

Within weeks he was fired in a boardroom coup that shocked the international business world. As rumours emerged of Yakuza (mafia) involvement in the scandal, Woodford fled Japan in fear of his life. 

He went straight to the press - becoming the first CEO of a multinational to blow the whistle on his own company.

Woodford grew up in Liverpool and joined Olympus as a medical equipment salesman. He rose through the ranks to run its UK, MEA and European businesses. 

The Ink Factory, with the support of Film4, has announced that it has optioned film rights to “Exposure”.

Simon Cornwell, producer and co-founder at The Ink Factory said today that they see the movie as "a rich character-driven drama about a man called to take extraordinary action. There are all the elements of a thriller: the constant shadow of the Yakuza, and the very real sense of physical threat. It is also a tale full of contemporary resonance and moral depth. We are very excited to be working with Michael Woodford in bringing his unbelievable experiences to the screen.”

Woodward was named Business Person of the Year 2011 by the Sunday Times, the Independent and the Sun, and won the Financial Times Arcelor-Mittal Award for Boldest Businessperson of the Year. 

SPECIAL NOTE comment from Michael Woodford, dated 3 July 2013. 

"I’ve written and spoken extensively about the Olympus scandal. The lessons of this sad tale should be obvious to anyone who is paying attention, and I do hope that people in Japan are paying attention.  I do not, however, feel that it would be dignified for me to make any comment in relation to the sentencing of my former board colleagues.  I have a great affection and fondness for Japan and want to see the country move forward as I do for myself and my family."

(This interview was recorded and produced for broadcast before the sentences were handed down by the Japanese court and the story contains NO comment from Mr. Woodford on same.)