Ever wondered why Dr. House and his staff suspect Lupus so frequently? Until this week, I always considered that to be very odd, and probably a quirk of the script-writers. Until we learned about Lupus!

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease of the connective tissue. ‘Autoimmune’ means that it occurs when a dysfunction in your immune system causes your immune cells to start reacting against your own body. Essentially, your body starts fighting itself. There are many different autoimmune disorders, but in SLE, the attack is mounted against components of connective tissue. Unfortunately, connective tissue is found virtually everywhere in your body. This means that SLE can affect virtually any organ system.

Seriously – you should see my textbook, and all of the hundred presentations of lupus that are listed there. It is understandable then, that given a systemic disease involving multiple organ systems, you might reasonably suspect lupus.

As you saw in the clip, there’s a sensitive blood test available for lupus: ANA. The clip explains how 95% of people with lupus are positive for ANA, which means that a negative ANA is a sufficiently good indication that you don’t have lupus. The problem occurs when your ANA is positive! Because although the test is sensitive, it’s not very specific and so a few different conditions may present with a postive ANA. So when the ANA is positive, you still have some sleuthing to do… or should I say Dr-House-ing.

It was a momentous week for television. After years of anxious watching and waiting, with the expectancy building unbelievably high, NBC’s ‘The Office’ did not disappoint its viewers last week:

The scene is in the rain at an unattractive gas station, with cars moving through the foreground and obstructing the camera’s view. The dialogue is hard to make out, and very few words are spoken. But wow ! As the culmination of a beautiful story of two ordinary people falling in love, I feel that this has got to be one of the most romantic scenes on television.

[WARNING: SPOILERS WITHIN] [WARNING 2: THIS POST JUST FOR FUN]

Welcome to Gotham City. You know it well. It’s the city that you sometimes imagine you live in. Especially on those nights when it’s dark and cold outside, and you’ve got a long walk home. Alone. The scummy hell of a place where everyone is either a crook or a victim. You’re not a crook, right? Which makes you the victim. Keep a tight grip on your wallet. Don’t go down any dark alleys. Don’t even glance. Look tough, and walk on by.

Shh!! What’s that sound? Like laughing… no, cackling! There!! Beneath the fire escape! A twisted soul; scarred, and discoloured. The Joker – his hair an unsightly mess, wearing a contorted wicked grin, and with madness dripping from that leering, sickening laugh. One silently wonders whether the Joker’s insanity betrays the emotional state of an underlying actor who would later overdose on prescribed insomnia medicine. How much is performance? Regardless, an eerily convincing performance it is. Scared yet? You should be – he’s looking right at you. No point in running. This villain moves on animalistic impulse. He claims to never plan; he “just does”. But somehow bombs keep getting planted, and creepy clown-thugs placed in convenient watches. Actually, whole hospitals and ferry-boats get rigged. Impressive for a guy that never plans. Oh ya, and once things are going his way, he’ll exclaim maniacally that it was all according to plan! Hmm, now there’s a true anarchist.

Enter Rachel Dawes. More than a pretty face, this independently thinking woman has an important decision to make. That’s right, just one. Which man to pick. Gosh, that’s a tough one. Wouldn’t want the wrong decision made, maybe it’s best to blow her up before she has the chance! Now, that leaves zero independent actions for this female character. Which begs the question: would it have been cheaper just to hire a life-size woman doll? But then there’d be less companionship for the other female cast members. Which ones? Well, the nameless wife and mother of two, and that masculinized butch of a female cop. Here’s an easy solution to the gender imbalance: cast Rachel as a lawyer. Instantly, that adds so much breadth to her character. Phew!

But you and the mindless Ms. Dawes are saved!! Swoosh! POW, POW!!! Explosions all round! Oh, and of course, an absolutely thrilling car-chase that demolishes most of the vehicles on the road (Gotham City’s unique solution to curbing greenhouse gases). Now the Joker makes our hero choose between saving only one of two hapless innocents. But our guy’s a pro at indecision – somehow he always manages to save them both (well, except where it really mattered with Rachel). Batman is your penultimate superhero. He flies; all superheroes must fly, even if aided by webs or wings. He’s got brawn, sweet gadgets for when brawn is insufficient, a gruff sexy voice, and a mild-mannered alter-ego. Best of all, he’s a total loner. That’s a job requirement. All heroes must be tragically misunderstood.

Great movie! Absolutely loved it!

Although it’s been released for almost a decade, I only just saw the movie ‘The Cider House Rules’.

I found the movie engaging, thought-provoking, and tasteful, but inconclusive. It’s a coming-of-age story – a genre that I am consistently drawn to. I am moved deeply by stories that tell of lost childhood innocence and the subtle discovery of evil and mortality. Growing up is falling from grace, departing from Eden. A quote from the movie:

Adolescence, is it the first time in life we discover that we have something terrible to hide from those who love us?

In ‘The Cider House Rules’, Homer’s place of innocence is one with ideals. He follows a moral code that is absolute. After setting out from an orphanage to “discover the world”, Homer’s moral philosophy becomes fuzzier. He lands himself in twisted situations where he is forced to break his ideals to “do the right thing”.

In the apple orchard’s cider house where Homer works, a set of rules nailed to the wall serves as a metaphor for the absolute moral code implemented from above. The cider house rules are often irrelevant and unhelpful. A single set of rules lacks any versatility to function within the changing complexities of real-world decisions. One character says of them:

Well, someone who don’t live here made those rules. Those rules ain’t for us. We are supposed to make our own rules. And we do. Every single day. 

The message is one that I agree with – that morality must go far beyond an absolute list of rules or ideals. There exist decisions that have no right answer, with which legalism will be useless. We need something else guiding our decisions for when the rules aren’t appropriate.

What’s missing from the movie (why I said it was inconclusive), is a suitable alternative to legalism. What then, should we base a moral philosophy upon? Homer opts for civility, generally trying to do what is useful and beneficial for those around him. But I find that somewhat flakey, because whose benefit comes first, and what is considered useful?

When up against a moral dilemma, what guides your decision? Do you follow an absolute set of rules; do you believe that it is possible to do so? What’s the magnet pulling your moral compass?