It's a stormy Tuesday -- perfect for staying home, but I'm on afternoon shift. :( However, numbers in the ER are down because of the rain, so that's good. :)

More From Dave Barry's Blog

I'll try to look out for these when I visit New Zealand later this year.

Who are the real snakes here?

Do not look at this after a meal.

A Milestone For Homosexuality?

Pertaining to a mention on my blog a week or two ago, about appointing gay persons to key official positions in Singapore -- well, Minnesota has broken all the rules, it seems, by electing a gay bishop for its Episcopal churches. Even more interestingly, this motion was passed through a voting process, with a 2:1 majority, no less.

I've previously expressed tolerance towards homosexuality, but I definitely can't picture having a gay pastor or priest, let alone a gay bishop. How will he explain the Bible's teachings?
(1) Yes, it says homosexuality is a sin, so I guess, even though I am a bishop, I'll be going to hell after I die, or
(2) The Bible's obviously wrong. It was written thousands of years ago, and times have changed, or worse,
(3) Homosexuality is not a sin. Don't be afraid to embrace it.

Etc, etc.

Predictably, this move has caused an uproar from both fellow Anglicans as well as The Vatican ( but the latter seems to have an opinion on everything ). I'm wondering how they intend to resolve this problem.

2 days ago, I received a flyer in my church service programme about the local Anglican churches' stand on gays. Basically, it reiterated that, in concordance with Bible teachings, it has been and always will be a religious sin, and as such, homosexuals cannot enter the kingdom of Heaven upon their demise.
However, any form of persecution or discrimination will not be tolerated. Rather, Christians are encouraged to treat homosexuals as they would any normal individual -- with respect, kindness and compassion -- but if possible, we are to try to convert them back to a heterosexual lifestyle so they may be saved. Makes good sense to me.

Caught up with a recording of "ER" last night. Yet another sterling episode, with 2 main plots I'd like to elaborate on.

First, the one involving a sort-of love triangle between ER doctors Luka ( the gorgeous Russian ), John Carter and ER nurse / med student wannabe Abby (played by Maura Tierney, whom you may remember as Jim Carrey's ex-wife in "Liar Liar" ).
She used to be hot and heavy with the former, then broke up with him ( I missed that episode, 'cos a reader emailed to tell me this season actually began a month ago, ack! ), and now she's eyeing Carter.
Speaking as a female, I don't really see anything in Abby that can make her so attractive to 2 handsome young docs. She's nice, but nothing really special, you know?

The other revolves around general surgeon Elizabeth Corday ( newly married to ER veteran Mark Greene ). She's having a bad run -- well, that's putting it rather mildly, 'cos she's basically been hit by a tsunami of bad karma. You name it, she's got it -- a string of patients dying of post-op sepsis, an infectious disease specialist stalking her, taking notes and disrupting her surgeries, a high-ranking official threatening her with legal action after learning one of the deceased may have requested to be euthanized ( which she did not carry out ). To add insult to injury, she has to juggle a fretful newborn at home while having her competence at work questioned. Plus, Mark's daughter from his first marriage is turning into an irresponsible brat who can't be trusted as a babysitter.

She's going through major suffering, and kudos to the show's writers for keeping this storyline true to reality. I know of many doctors who've endured immense emotional trauma yet carried out their duties as per normal. I too have gone through some measure of pain and turmoil and shown up at work without fail.

"ER" highlights the important resources available to doctors in distress:

1) the family network -- Elizabeth has a caring, patient and understanding husband in Mark, who has been a great comfort. Since, for some strange reason, Elizabeth's parents don't play a prominent role in her life, she's lucky to have Mark by her side. Those of you who are married are indeed fortunate.

2) peer support -- this comes into play if you're widely considered to be excellent in what you do, and well-liked. One without the other probably won't get you much sympathy. Elizabeth gets this validation from a few sources -- Peter Benton, a fellow surgeon, tells her (after she's lost yet another patient) that if he ever needed surgery, he'd go straight to her. The pathologist doing the autopsy for the deceased patient also tells her she doesn't believe any of the rumours that are going around, while Elizabeth's demanding and usually critical superior, Robert Romano, practically kicks the earlier mentioned official out of his room once the murder accusations leave his lips. Never underestimate the power of peer support. They can be even more important than your family and non-medical friends.

The next riveting episode of "ER" will return on 17th August -- don't ask me what the delay is about ( probably some football match again ). If you don't want to wait that long, you can visit the official website for more info.