doctor zorro

Blades

2026-06-07T15:29:46.051+01:00

There has been a great deal of political capital made recently over the death of Henry Nowak, stabbed to death by Dikrum Sigwa in Southampton, with a ceremonial Kirpan with an 8 inch blade, which Sigwa claimed he carried as a necessary aspect of religious observance.

DZ does not intend to comment on the politcal aspects, other than to describe the actions of the Nazi, Nigel Farage, as utterly deplorable, and clearly intended to stir up racial hatred against the Sikh community.

But there is a legal aspect here that I find concerning.

In the UK, to legally carry a knife the cutting edge must be 3 inches (7.62 cm) or less.

If the blade is longer than 3 inches (e.g., fixed-blade, hunting, or large kitchen knives), you are not permitted to carry it in public unless you have a "good reason" or lawful authority. Examples include:

Using it for work purposes (e.g., a chef carrying their professional knives).
Taking it to a gallery, museum, or historical re-enactment.
Using it for outdoor activities (e.g., fishing, farming, or hiking).

Note: You must only have the knife on you for the specific activity you are doing. You cannot stop at the pub or run personal errands while carrying it. Furthermore, self-defence is never recognized as a valid reason for carrying a knife, or any weapon in the UK.

Observance of religious dogma is notably also not considered a valid reason, yet the kirpan used by Sigwa had an eight inch blade. It is, I understand, perfectly acceptable to Sikhs to limit the size of the kirpan to three inches, or even less. But even at that length a knife can cause serious, or even fatal injury. For this reason even such a knife can still be considered in law an offensive weapon under certain circumstances, and their carriage in public still result in prosecution.

Amazingly, carrying a kirpan in schools is permitted in the UK as an article of faith. Airlines however insist that such items can not be worn in flight but kept in checked luggage, a restriction that Sikhs seem perfectly happy to accept.

Suggestions that the laws on the carrying of the Kirpan in public should be re-examined have met with resistance by a small number of Sikhs. The argument is that applying restrictions to all Sikhs because of the actions of one man is inherently unfair.

But this argument, has been tried before.

Until 1996 it was perfectly possible for private individuals to own handguns, though only under licence and very strict regulation.

However at Dunblane primary school in Dunblane, near Stirling, Scotland, on 13 March 1996, 43-year-old Thomas Hamilton killed 16 pupils and one teacher and injured 15 others before killing himself. He used properly licensed firearms.

There was massive public outcry and with an upcoming general election all the major parties promised to ban the private ownership of handguns. Some gun owners made the argument that applying restrictions to all gun owners because of the actions of one man is inherently unfair. Unsurprisingly that argument was dismissed. There was no real resistance. The gun owners took their toys to the police and handed them in quietly and peacefully.

If someone decided to start a new religion, where one of the articles of the new faith was that all adherents be required to carry handguns, it is inconceivable that that would be accommodated.

Religious faith should never be used to give followers of that faith special treatment in any area of life, particularly the carrying of offensive weapons.

Memories

2026-06-07T09:43:23.194+01:00

In all the forty five plus years that DZ practiced as a doctor in the NHS, there is something that he never really fully noticed. Something that he pretty much took for granted without thinking about it.

And that is the respect with which I, and most of my colleagues were treated by the vast majority of our patients. And the value that was placed on our knowledge and advice, not only as individuals, but as a profession by society in general.

This was brought home to me yesterday when I read two articles about the fact that, in the USA our medical colleagues do not appear to be regarded so highly and their knowledge is increasingly being disregarded by the prevalence of what Asimov called “anti-intellectualism”. As an example, as many as 10% of the population are opposed to the practice of vaccination.

The consequences of these attitudes are well illustrated by this news article. “According to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, as reported by Idaho News 6, almost 60 people have gotten sick since May 19 after drinking raw milk. So far, 45 of those cases have tested positive for Campylobacteriosis,”

This is in spite of the fact that raw milk is described on the packaging as “not for human consumption”

But this lack of respect for the medical profession goes all the way to the top. This news illustrates that, even the most eminent of our colleagues are not immune from political oppression.

“At the 86th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association in New Orleans on June 5, 2026, police forcibly ejected five prominent obesity and diabetes researchers.

The researchers, including Steven Kahn (editor-in-chief of the ADA's flagship journal Diabetes Care) and pediatric obesity expert Justin Ryder, were removed from the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center by police after handing out copies of an editorial they authored criticising the Trump administration.”

Perhaps this is part of the chaotic insanity prevalent in the USA currently. Or perhaps the expense and, for many, inaccessibility, of medical care in the USA has resulted in a disillusion with the profession. A disillusion that has culminated in the murder of a CEO of a healthcare company. The victim had amassed a fortune of 43 million dollars, by running a health insurance company that had a reputation for reluctance to actually provide the care their customers had paid for.

DZ looks back at the interactions he enjoyed with his patients over the years with great satisfaction. Obviously there were a small number who caused a degree of irritation. But the vast majority were a pleasure, and some were truly delightful.

I have a small number of gifts I received from some of them. In accordance with GMC guidelines they are all low in monetary value. But I cherish them all. This is perhaps my favorite, from a lady now long passed but remembered fondly.

Epstein

2026-04-19T07:18:18.367+01:00

Collective Evolution

a day ago

"We believe we are the first outlet to report the COMPLETE list of all the billionaires mentioned in the latest batch of the Epstein files. And most of these meetings and interactions took place AFTER Epstein became a convicted sex offender in 2008." - NewsGirls

Elon Musk: many emails show Musk planning a trip to Epstein’s private island in 2012 and asking Epstein which night will be the “wildest party.” Musk has long denied ever going to Epstein’s Island so these emails throw that into question.

Richard Branson: we already knew he hosted Epstein on his own private Caribbean island, but there’s a new exchange following that 2013 visit. Branson wrote: “It was really nice seeing you yesterday…Any time you’re in the area would love to see you. As long as you bring your harem!” A spokesperson for Branson’s Virgin Group said that Branson was referring to the three adult members of Epstein’s team.

Howard Lutnick, Trump’s Commerce Secretary: He claimed he severed ties with Epstein in 2005 after walking into his house and seeing a weird massage table - but surprise! The new files show he made plans to visit Epstein Island in 2012.

Bill Gates: new emails show that Epstein alleged Gates got STD from Russian escorts and then asked Epstein for antibiotics he could secretly give to his wife Melinda without her knowing… we made a whole video about it here!

Steve Tisch, owns the Giants: new emails show Epstein scouted women for Tisch. In one 2013 email Epstein offered a Russian woman, to which Tisch responded, “is she fun?” Epstein also offered a woman from Tahiti to which Tisch asked if she’s a “working girl” and Epstein said “never.”

Peter Thiel, cofounded PayPal and Palantir: he appears in the latest batch over 2,000 times. Many of those are making plans for business meetings between 2014-2017, including a breakfast meeting that allows us to see Theil’s insane “confidential” dietary restrictions list.

Bob Kraft, owns the Patriots: new records show when he was arrested in 2019 for soliciting prostitution, Epstein coordinated his legal defense and coached him on how to deal with the PR fallout.

Les Wexner, founded Victoria’s Secret and Abercrombie & Fitch: we’ve known they were buds for a long time, Epstein was even his money manager. But in the new documents, Epstein hints at many shared secrets between the two of them, including saying “you and I had gang stuff for over 15 years.”

Leon Black, private equity founder who resigned in 2021 because of his friendship with Epstein: there are a bunch of disturbing new allegations against Black, including that he forced a young woman to perform oral sex on him while giving him a massage, and that he sexually assaulted another victim multiple times and threatened to ruin her life if she told the police.

Gordon Getty of the Getty family: the latest documents show he was way closer to Epstein than anyone knew, even calling Epstein “energetic, bright and personable.” And when Getty found out Epstein was accused of relations with minors, he replied, “well, we all have similar kinds of problems.”

Sergey Brin, co-founded Google: we’ve known for a while he went to Epstein Island because one of Epstein’s victims said she met him there in 2007. The new records show he corresponded with Ghislaine Maxwell a lot to set up dinners at Epstein’s New York townhouse, and sent her an ad for a 1950s aircraft carrier for sale saying, “thought you and Jeffrey might find it amusing.”

Mort Zuckerman, the editor in Chief of US News & World Report. New contracts show he made a $21 million payment to one of Epstein’s companies in 2013. And Epstein set him up with a 32-year-old Italian architect, asking if she was “too young, smart, and beautiful,” and if he’d prefer “more standard fare,” to which Zuckerman said, “sign me up ASAP.”

Reid Hoffman, founded LinkedIn: he appears in the new docs 2,500 times, including in a new photo on Epstein’s island. In 2014, he also sent Epstein two gifts: ice cream for “for the girls” and “something that may strike your funny bone for the island,” which was later revealed to be a sculpture of a little monster.

Marc Rowan, private equity CEO who Trump just appointed to the Gaza Board of Peace: we learned from the new files that he had many meals with Epstein between 2007 and 2016. And Epstein even had his assistant inquire about the details of Rowan’s $18 million private jet that Epstein considered buying.

Jimmy Buffett: we’d previously learned he visited Epstein’s island with Bill Clinton, but in this batch, we see the Buffetts were invited to the same ritzy event as Epstein, and that Epstein was planning to give Buffett a tour of his massive Boeing private jet in 2013, though we don’t know if that ever happened.

Josh Harris, owns the 76ers and the Washington Commanders: new emails show Epstein facilitated a $2.4 million payment from Harris to an administrative assistant in 2014, but there’s no context in the emails about what it’s for… Harris also had many meetings and meals with Epstein.

Mark Zuckerberg: he only directly appears once in the files- in a new picture Epstein sent to himself from an intimate dinner in 2015. It appears Epstein took the photo and you can see Elon Musk in the photo, too.

Ronald Lauder, heir to the Estée Lauder fortune: new documents show Epstein helped set up a legal business vehicle that allowed Lauder to jointly purchase and own a $25 million dollar painting with fellow Epstein pal Leon Black. Epstein and Lauder also arranged to see each other a few times socially in 2017.

Ariane de Rothschild, a Swiss bank CEO: she had multiple meetings in Paris and New York and consistently corresponded with Epstein from 2013 until his death in 2019. In one exchange, Epstein even invited de Rothschild to stay at his house.

Glenn & Eva Dubin, hedge fund founder and his wife: we knew they were super close to Epstein since we learned they told his probation officer they would be “100% comfortable” having Epstein around their children…but now there’s a new disturbing 2010 email where Eva Dubin says to Epstein: “Come and visit next week. Celina will have 5 friends over.” Celina was their then-teenage daughter.

Tom Pritzker of the Pritzker family: new messages show Pritzker and Epstein had a social relationship from 2010 through 2019. After one hangout, Epstein wrote, “nice to see you, please come more often,” and Pritzker replied, “always fun.”

Larry Page, co-founder of Google: Page’s chief pilot contacted Epstein’s team in 2010 about borrowing Epstein’s helicopter over the holidays. Epstein was prepared to charge $56,400 for a one-week rental, but Page ultimately decided against it and traveled to St. Barts by boat instead.

Fred Ehrsam, founded Coinbase: the latest emails reveal Epstein invested $3 million dollars in during Coinbase’s initial fundraising in 2014, and he corresponded with Ehrasam to arrange a meeting about the investment.

And of course, Donald Trump: the new files reveal some of the most vile accusations we’ve ever read against none other than our President. Allegations of sexually abusing children and being involved in murder. The worst complaints the DOJ received are here.

----

By the NewsGirls, see comments for links to documents and to support.

Easter

2026-04-04T09:04:00.004+01:00

Tuberculosis

2026-03-25T09:22:00.004+00:00

Apparently, yesterday, 24 March, was "World Tuberculosis Day" One stunning statistic that DZ was never aware of is that, of all human beings who have ever lived, one in seven of them died from tuberculosis.

There are still about 11million new cases per year worldwide, of whom one in eight will die.

Farage

2026-03-25T09:08:00.001+00:00

Trump

2026-03-23T08:13:00.006+00:00

He is risen

2026-03-09T08:42:00.003+00:00

Injustice

2026-03-05T07:56:00.001+00:00

One of the first things DZ did when he retired was to deregister from the general Medical Council, and relinquish his license to practice. There were two reasons for this. Firstly, having retired already on two previous occasions I knew how easy it was to succumb to the temptation of going back to work. I burned my boats. Secondly I was glad to escape the tyranny of the GMC once and for all.

This process was not as straightforward as I had anticipated. Applicants to deregister are sent a form to fill in, fourteen pages long. This form requires the applicant to list full details of all the places worked over the previous five years, so that they can then contact your previous employers to, essentially, solicit complaints. A last frantic attempt to try and get you for something before you slip through their fingers.

If you have spent the last five years working through agencies the number of previous employers can be quite substantial, and compiling this list becomes quite onerous. At least these days they don't charge a fee. In the past a fee was payable, meaning that someone with an unblemished record would have to pay to deregister, something he'd get for nothing if they were struck off for being a naughty boy.

I declined to play their games, and simply cancelled my direct debit, confident that, in due course, I would be erased from the register for non payment of fees. Frankly I don't give a shit how I escape their clutches. I fact they backed down and gave me voluntary erasure without their precious form. Tyrants and bullies always back off when faced with even the slightest defiance.

So, having escaped, I have had no interest in the machinations of the GMC.

Until today, when I read this article.

So they still have the ability to enrage me. Their conduct against Dr Abu-Sittah is nothing short of abominable, disgusting and reprehensible. It smacks to me of racism. What a bunch of pigs!

Conspiracy upon Conspiracy

2026-02-16T11:50:00.001+00:00

Over the years that DZ has written this blog he's commented on a number of instances where various people and groups have loudly predicted the end of the world, the rapture, the second coming of Jesus. A number of occasions where the believers have traipsed up some hill to await the end, only to come back down the next morning dejected and disappointed that they have not been saved. Also the realisation that the rest of us have not been subjected to the dire fate predicted as punishment for our lack of faith seems to irritate them.

Well, there's another one. I wouldn't normally comment on this yet again, the scenario has been done to death, but this one differs from the others in two respects.

Firstly, this one is not religiously based. It's not being promulgated by those who delude themselves that they've figured out something hidden in the bible, or that god, or Jesus is talking to them, or leaving messages in random car number plates! (yes, really).

No this one claims that, for reasons not made clear, at 14:33h GMT, on 12 August 2026 the earth will lose gravity for seven seconds, causing everything not fixed to the ground to shoot upwards. And then drop back to Earth with catastrophic consequences.

The second difference is that there is a second conspiracy theory, claiming that the first is a fake conspiracy theory.

Let me explain. There are a number of people out there who believe that gravity is actually going to somehow switch off as described above. I will designate these people as Conspiracists Understanding Nasty Threat. Or Cons 1.

But there is a number of other people other people, who I will designate Anticonspiracists Ridiculing Solar Events or Cons 2. These people already include flat earthers, chemtrail believers and other practitioners of crank magnetism. These people claim that evidence for their various village idiot beliefs is widely present in the sky, but, are normally invisible in sunlight. And on August 12, there is going to be an eclipse.

This, according to Cons 2, will allow the things that validate their beliefs to become visible in the sky to anyone.

They believe that those responsible for keeping all of us in the dark, the scientific establishment, particularly NASA, the media, governments etc have therefore come up with “Project Anchor.” This plan is to disseminate the gravity conspiracy theory to encourage people to stay indoors during the crucial seven seconds when the things will be visible in the sky, so they will not see the things, and ask awkward questions.

And we are supposed to be the most intelligent species on the planet.

Blind faith

2026-01-21T10:00:00.001+00:00

One would think, wouldn't one, that those who purport to be deeply religious would at least know well, and understand, what is written in their own holy book. Historically there is good reason, in Christianity, why this would not be logical to believe. The bible was not even translated into English until 1382, but still not widely available in English until 1535 when it was first printed. Even then there were precious few people who could read it. Catholics could not even get their knowledge in church until the 1960s as until then mass was always given in latin.

So it's no surprise that actual religious knowledge among the deeply religious is poorer than you might expect, and studies have shown that atheists tend to know far more about what is actually written in the bible than their christian counterparts.

A good illustration of this has recently arisen in the USA.

Unless you have been living in a cave, you will be aware that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the USA have been acting in a way than can be fairly compared to the Geheime Statspolizei of nazi Germany. There are numerous accounts of them behaving in a manner both unconstitutional and indiscriminate. Such as this case.

Unsurprisingly the conduct of ICE has resulted in numerous protests, such as this one, where protestors stormed a church where the pastor is himself an ICE thug.

This protest has attracted the attention of the US Attorney General who claims to be a christian. She has stated;

This ignorant bimbo seems to be unaware that Jesus is purported to have done exactly that, and the story is recounted no less than four times in her bible.

Perhaps she should try reading it once in a while, instead of just using it as a prop.

Martin Luther King

2026-01-19T10:11:00.003+00:00

Today, Monday the nineteenth of January, is Martin Luther King day. Not a date that is observed much in the UK, but in the USA it's a national holiday. One wonders what he would think if he were alive today. The current situation in the USA give the appearance of regression, of having lost all the progress made over the years in the field of civil rights. The closet racists, and mysogynists have been emboldened to emerge from under their rocks and logs to freely vent their hatreds, encouraged by the deranged demented lunatic who sits festering in the White House. His vile infection even seems to have reached us in the UK, where our own nazis fantasise about gaining office.

But in despair there is always hope. Hope that the current chaos prevailing will turn to order if we work and even fight hard enough to that end. King himself had a message for those who despair.

"Only in the darkest night can we see the stars"

Martin Luther King 1929 - 1968

Final word?

2025-10-09T11:35:00.002+01:00

OK, can we finally draw a line under the article of fantastic imagination called "The rapture"?

I wouldn't count on it.

Internal Monologue

2025-10-06T11:19:00.001+01:00

Well, here we are on 6th October, the revised date of the rapture. Nothing has happened so far, but the faithful have specified a window of 2 days, 6/7, and, with the impact of time zones it will be another 48 hours before the realisation will hit that it's not going to happen.

So why exactly do people believe so intensely that they are somehow going to float up to heaven, where they anticipate smugly and gleefully watching those of us left behind all suffer and die?

Could it all be that they're fucking arseholes who revel in the misfortune of others and are desperately hoping that it does happen?

A common theme is that they believe it because they have been told, directly or indirectly, by god himself. People like Joshua Mhlakela, or Mike Johnson, who sincerely convey that god speaks to them. Wow! Why do they believe this?

DZ has a theory.

Like the majority of people, DZ experiences an internal monologue. In his every waking minute his mind is constantly engaged in thought. About anything and everything, from the sublime to the ridiculous, the banal to the profound. Questions, answers, reasoning, conclusions. It never stops. From the moment as a young child he was able to think. If he tries to blank out his mind, he finds himself thinking about not thinking.

He had always assumed that everyone had this. But it also has never occurred to him that this experience was anything other than the workings of his own mind. Like having a dialogue with yourself inside your own head. Sometimes he would drift into articulating his thoughts. Yes. DZ occasionally finds himself talking to himself. No-one takes any notice these days. They all assume you're talking on the phone.

But he has never entertained the idea that these thoughts come from anywhere other than his own mind.

But then he read that some people do not have this internal monologue. He was astounded. Do some people really walk around all day with nothing going on inside their head except their immediate experience. Is there really no little voice inside their head exploring the abstract, the potential, the theoretical, the fantastic, like a constant friend.

Apparently true.

But once in a while, DZ postulates, a little voice does pop up in the empty mind of one of these people. This must come as a huge surprise. If your mind never normally talks to you it must be disconcerting when, rarely, it does. And it seems to DZ that it would be logical to assume that the voice has come from outside. Add in religious fervour and it's obvious what has happened. You've just had a message from god! This might account for the fact that, when god talks to these people, he invariably says what the empty head wants to hear. He lacks the experience and the insight to understand that it's just his own mind finally breaking through.

I suppose I could have it the wrong way round. Perhaps god has always been trying to talk to me.

Prescience

2025-09-29T22:50:00.000+01:00

With regard to the predicted rapture that didn't happen, only a week ago DZ wrote "I predict that we'll all still be here on Wednesday, and that the faithful will claim to have miscalculated. And they'll give another date."

Well we didn't have to wait long. Entirely as predicted Joshua Mhlakela has obliged. Blaming the failure of his prediction on a miscalculation he has come up with a new date. The 6 and 7 October. That's next week. Apparently it has something to do with using (or not using) the Julian calendar.

So the failure is all the fault of this guy.

Julius Caesar

I wonder what Mhlakela will be saying on October 8th?

Wrong again

2025-09-25T08:40:00.002+01:00

DZ wrote a few days ago about the impending rapture. The date for this has come and gone, and nothing has happened. Sadly all the religious nutters have not floated off into the sky. Hardly surprising. People have been predicting this event since 1830, which is when the concept was invented.

This time it was all kicked off by this guy.

Joshua Mhlakela

Mr Mhlakela claimed that he was informed of the impending event by Jesus himself, who came to Joshua in a dream.

DZ would normally regard people who claim to speak to Jesus with some scepticism. But there are lots of people out there who want it to be true, so they believe it and hope. There are scores of previous similar episodes and the credulous don't seem to learn from the experience. For the time being they've gone quiet. Some of the more fervent will now have to deal with the consequences having quit their jobs, or disposing of their possessions.

But rest assured, when the next prediction comes along, as it assuredly will, they'll believe it again.

Ophthalmology

2025-09-22T14:48:00.004+01:00

Too soon??

2025-09-21T09:47:00.001+01:00

What? Again?

2025-09-21T09:40:00.002+01:00

DZ has commented before about the numerous predictions for "The Rapture" that have come, and gone at surprisingly frequent intervals. You'd think that getting it wrong so often would dissuade the christian fanatics from perpetually repeating the practice. But not so! the latest date predicted is just two days away, Tuesday 23 September 2025.

DZ can't go. He's washing his hair.

I predict that we'll all still be here on Wednesday, and that the faithful will claim to have miscalculated. And they'll give another date.

Osho

2025-09-19T22:39:00.001+01:00

Tyrants

2025-09-17T18:15:00.004+01:00

The death of Charlie Kirk has caused an eruption of argument mostly in, but not confined to, the USA. Those positioned politically on the right have become almost hysterical, on the one hand defending Kirk on the basis of free speech, while at the same time maniacally attacking anyone who attempts to use free speech to point out Kirk’s many doubtful views, as illustrated in his own words. Kirk has been painted as some sort of saintly martyr, epitomised by one truly nauseating AI generated video showing Kirk sprouting wings and ascending up to heaven. And no, I’m not going to provide a link.

Those on the left are bending over backwards to condemn the violence while hardly mentioning the fact that Kirk was a prime cunt. The fact that his death was seen live on TV is treated as particularly heinous. But is it really any different from the constant stream of violent imagery churned out on the media. If you didn’t know it was real how could you distinguish it from all the death and destruction broadcast daily as entertainment? As an example, on you tube there are a series of videos which are compilations of film clips depicting people being shot in the head. All very realistic. I’m not providing a link to that either.

And let’s not forget Kirk himself advocated actually televising real executions!

And so I’m going to come out and say what many are thinking, but not prepared to articulate.

The world is a better place without this pig.

Not because of his offensive views though. He had every right to express them and I would not advocate his death to shut him up. But I believe there is, not only a very good reason, but also a logical and unemotive reason to breathe a sigh of relief over his death.

Tyranny has existed as long as humanity. Cruel and murderous men, and it is always men, have deliberately and wilfully inflicted an unquantifiable burden of suffering and death on humanity. The deadliest conflict in history, the second world war, with a death toll of 85 million people, was caused by one man. A man who had been quite open and vociferous about his intentions. But no-one believed he would actually carry them out, they were so monstrous.

Imagine for a moment that you lived in the 1920s. Imagine also that you had a crystal ball which would allow you to see the future and all it holds. Would it be a logical act to murder Adolph Hitler? Would it be reprehensible to kill that one man to avoid all those deaths, as well as the suffering, the broken lives, the grief and despair.

I am not comparing Kirk to Hitler. But Kirk, like Hitler and Trump was quite open about what he would like to do. The televised executions he advocated were not of murderers and rapists, but political opponents. He even added “And no, I’m not kidding.”

When aspiring tyrants lay out their stall we should believe them.

It is highly likely that, had Kirk run for Congress in a red state he would have been elected. The first step on a path to power. If someone as unworthy and undesirable as Trump can become President of the USA, why not Kirk? Kirk, as president would have been as narcissistic, arrogant, vindictive, malicious, vengeful, misogynistic, racist, and sadistic as Trump, but without the stupidity, dementia, incompetence, age and infirmity.

He would have been the most powerful tyrant humanity has ever known.

And that is why we should rejoice in his death.

Motivation

2025-09-16T11:26:00.002+01:00

DZ has commented in the past about doctors who subordinate their duty to their patients to their own, less worthy, priorities. Usually financial, and, more often than not, the way they conduct them selves in their private practice.

I’ll repeat an old joke of mine;

Q. What’s the difference between doctors and prostitutes?

A. There are some things prostitutes won’t do for money.

But sometimes the ulterior motivation is not financial, and two cases have been publicised that I find quite astounding.

The first is this case where a French anaesthetist is accused of killing some of his patients. Any Anaesthetist routinely uses drugs which can very easily kill. Muscle relaxants, opiates, dysrythmogenic drugs can all cause death if the patient is not closely monitored, and, where indicated, supported.

Dysfunctional relationships between Anaesthetists and their surgical colleagues are not unusual and on rare occasions tempers can flare.

So Dr Pechier, the anaesthetist, was not unusual in having some colleagues he viewed as enemies. What was unusual , it is alleged, is that he took his revenge on the surgeons he disliked by deliberately killing their patients. Twelve of them in total.

The other case concerns a British vascular surgeon, so someone well practiced with amputating legs. This guy deliberately packed dry ice around his legs to freeze them to the point where they required amputation. He apparently did this for sexual satisfaction!! Now DZ has heard of a lot of weird and wonderful ways that people, almost invariably men, can get their rocks off. But this is a new one on me. But that wasn’t enough. He then tried to claim on an insurance policy claiming he had lost his legs due to sepsis. Although the insurance money, almost half a million pounds, was paid, he was subsequently found out, and has now been jailed for fraud.

The surgeon has a most appropriate name. Neil Hopper!!

Light relief

2025-09-14T08:15:00.005+01:00

A little distraction from all the insanity currently surrounding us all. And a reminder that, no matter how bad things seem, they could be worse.

Hoist by his own petard

2025-09-11T08:23:00.000+01:00

The political activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot yesterday. To put that in perspective he was just one of approximately 130 people killed by firearms in the USA yesterday. And every day. Some 48,000 people every year. In addition about 75,000 people in the USA survive being shot. Every year.

No other civilised country in the world would accept this carnage with the same indifference as is seen in America. This shooting, which also occurred yesterday, has had far less publicity than Kirk. Shootings in Hungerford, and Dunblane in the UK, and in Port Arthur in Australia both resulted in public outcry and significant extra restrictions on gun ownership in countries with already strict regulation.

But Americans have a fierce attachment to the second amendment to the US constitution, the right to bear arms. Kirk himself was a strong proponent of gun ownership and is even quoted as having said "I think it's worth it. I think it's worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights." Some, gun deaths? 48,000?

Invoking god in support of gun ownership is not the only example of Kirk’s faux Christianity. He once stated that said that he “wants to see Coca-Cola sponsored televised executions of Donald Trump’s political opponents if Trump returns to the White House. And, no, I'm not kidding.”

He was in addition a blatant and shameless racist.

And a white Christian nationalist, a mysogynist, a homophobe and anti LGBGT activist.

And the true extent of his “christianity” is illustrated, again from his own mouth, in this quote, "I can't stand the word empathy, actually. I think empathy is a made-up, new age term that — it does a lot of damage."

But, ironically, Kirk got what he wanted. He was killed, in full view of the world, one of those deaths that are, in his own words, justifiable to retain the second amendment. And if he did not approve of empathy, then he should not receive it.

To quote the bible, that he shamelessly and hypocritically claimed to follow;

"He that lives by the sword shall die by the sword" Mathew 26.52

"As ye sow, so shall ye reap." Galations 6.7-8

Pareidolia again

2025-09-10T07:14:00.002+01:00

It's been a while since I put up a Pareidolia post. Here's Jesus!