The Drama of Mr Bates vs the Post Office The ITV drama production ‘Mr Bates vs The Post Office‘ tells the true story of the Post Office Horizon computer system scandal spanning more than 20 years to the present day. This is commonly described as one of the ‘biggest miscarriages of justice in British legal history’ and saw hundreds of subpostmasters wrongly accused of theft, fraud, and false accounting due to a defective IT system operated by Fujitsu. Such is the potency of storytelling that the recent broadcasting of the television drama led to over 1 million people signing a petition dem ..read more

Welcome to cyberfizh where I explore what it means to be human in the 21st century – body, mind, and spirit. Nearly 2000 years ago a Christian bishop named Irenaeus said, “The glory of God is a human being fully alive.” It is this statement in the context of today’s world, that I investigate through blogs and podcasts. If you’ve ever contemplated just some of these questions, then maybe this ‘pool’ of reflections and thoughts is for you too. So jump in and enjoy the swim with cyberfizh! Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/aavirall/cosmic-love Lice ..read more

The Magic Moment of Christmas ‘Magic Moments’ sung by Perry Como in 1957 was later used to sell ‘Quality Street’ chocolates in Christmas advertisements on British television. It is a song and I phrase I always associate with Christmas. Christmas is a magic moment that many of us long to capture. Trees, lights, cards, presents, food, decorations – all geared towards capturing that magic moment of Christmas. The trouble is maybe we carry a lot of other stuff as well – overloaded – and not with presents. Tired? Troubled? Preoccupied with worries, so that the magic moment of Christmas feels, perh ..read more

Facing Ecotastrophe United Nations Climate Change conferences take place every year. They are the world’s only multilateral decision-making forum on climate change. Prior to the opening of COP 28 in Dubai, the head of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgiva, called for an end to an attitude of “business as usual” if the world wanted to manage global warming. The evidence for climate change seems unequivocal. We can live in denial, we can be evermore selfish. But anyone who has a sense of worth for the world and the welfare of all, cannot practise ‘business as usual’. We’re no ..read more

Have you ever wanted to be king, or queen, or even Prime Minister, for just one day? There is a story that the phrase, ‘King or Queen for a Day’, dates back to the first Christian Emperor of Rome, Constantine, who was told by his jester that he could do a better job of running the Roman Empire.  Apparently, court fools existed in Roman times, and this one was made Caesar, or king, for a day. Any comedian can tell you, being a fool is a serious business, involving putting things in perspective through humour.  To keep a healthy balance on things, Constantine’s Jester passed an edict f ..read more

The British are known for some unusual habits, one of them is the ability to queue. Some say it comes from the days of rationing during World War Two.  I don’t know if this is true or not, but we certainly sense the injustice when there are queue jumpers who don’t play by the rules and wait their turn. Standing in line is like a form of limbo.  We are neither here nor there, we just have to wait.  We are creatures who love to have a purpose, and we get restless when we lack one.  But sometimes it may be that the limbo is the purpose. Airport terminals are lik ..read more

In 1965, Frank Herbert wrote a classic novel of Science Fiction, ‘Dune’. Herbert was inspired by the work of ecologists in Oregon. A new film interpretation of ‘Dune’ made by Denis Villeneuve has been hailed by critics and fans alike, remaining true to the message of the book concerning power struggles based not upon ideologies, or the politics of left and right – but on essential commodities such as water and energy. I loved reading Dune in the late 1970’s and early 80’s, little did I know how much its message would resonate ever more strongly almost fifty years later. The dedication made by ..read more

63-81 Pelham Street, South Kensington, London, is world famous for being the home of London Transport’s Lost Property Office. Established in 1933, it is where all the lost items found on, or in any of London’s transportation systems – underground trains, buses, taxis, etc, are placed to be reclaimed. Every year between 150,000 and 200,000 items are found and turned in to the LPO, where officials attempt to locate owners and return their lost items. Every year people lose wheelchairs, false teeth, watches, backpacks, umbrellas, smartphones, and an estimated 38,000 books, 29,000 bags and 28 ..read more

NASA/JPL-Caltech As a little boy I loved the ‘Space Race’. That time when the USA and the Soviet Union (as it was known then), launched all manner of probes and people into the stars. Now we are on the cusp of a new ‘Space Race’, driven more often by commercial than political reasons. In this past week the world witnessed NASA’s Perseverance Rover, land safely on Mars. Some viewers claim to have decoded a hidden message displayed on the red and white parachute that helped its safe landing. They claim that the phrase “Dare Mighty Things” – used as a motto by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laborator ..read more

This is Edward Bear. He and I have known each other for over half a century. Edward was made by my Granny when I was born. And when I was young, Edward and I would go on many adventures together. Edward still carries the scars of some of those adventures. Like the hole in his bottom, when he and I sat too close to Granny’s open hearth fire, and a hot coal spat out and burnt him! But Edward’s okay and that was a long time ago. Edward didn’t always look as he does now. My Granny didn’t make Edward any clothes for him. Nor did she give him the big smile he has now. But I loved him, and he an ..read more