Currently Reading Calvinism in the Las Vegas Airport : Making Connections in Today's World By Richard J. Mouw see related

SAGUENAY, Quebec (Nov. 28) - A 15-year-old girl with a peanut allergy died after kissing her boyfriend, who had just eaten a peanut butter snack, hospital officials said Monday

Christina Desforges died in a Quebec hospital Wednesday after doctors were unable to treat her allergic reaction to the kiss the previous weekend.

Desforges, who lived in Saguenay, about 155 miles north of Quebec City, was almost immediately given a shot of adrenaline, a standard tool for treating the anaphylactic shock brought on by a peanut allergy, officials said.

An autopsy was being performed. Dr. Nina Verreault, an allergist at the Chicoutimi Hospital in Saguenay, declined to comment on the case.

The symptoms of peanut allergy can include hives, plunging blood pressure and swelling of the face and throat, which can block breathing.

Peanut allergies have been rising in recent decades. The reason remains unclear but one study found that baby creams or lotions with peanut oil may cause children to develop allergies later in life.

About 1.5 million Americans are severely allergic to even the smallest trace of peanuts and peanut allergies account for 50 to 100 deaths in the United States each year. Canadian figures were not immediately available.

Currently Reading The Magician's Nephew (Chronicles of Narnia S.) By C. S. Lewis see related

The Great Flood of 1937

Joseph and I visited my great-grandmother this weekend in Illinois. She will be 92 years old in March. She had mentioned once that there had been a great flood in Louisville when she was a young woman. Now that we have been here for several months, I thought I would ask her about it. Here's the story she gave me.

My grandma was only 13 days old when Great- Grandmother and Granddaddy Elder moved to Louisville. It all happened in 1937. (can you imagine being in your twenties back then?) From what I understand, the flood happened soon after they moved. My Great Great Grandparents lived up on a hill somewhere downtown, I think. They had a little house at the bottom of the hill that was going to be flooded, so they laid some rugs down on the floor so that they could move their furniture. Well, the water rose so fast that they couldn't get the furniture out. Grandmother said that they found the rugs stuck to the ceiling when it was all over and done with. Someone she knew took a boat all the way from Louisville to Owensboro, KY. It sounds like this was pretty comparable to the New Orleans flood. The Ohio River overflowed and covered the whole city with water. It was neat hearing a first-hand account of this historic event.

The Great Flood of 1937, seen from Old Louisville's Confederate Monument.
This view is over three miles from the banks of the Ohio River, on what
was once considered high ground.  Modern levees and flood walls hopefully ensure
that this will not happen again.

Currently Watching The Incredibles (Widescreen 2-Disc Collector's Edition) By Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson, Jason Lee see related

CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Wednesday ordered U.S. New Tribes evangelical missions working with indigenous groups to leave the country after accusing them of "imperialist infiltration" and spying.

Chavez, a former paratrooper who says his socialist revolution counters U.S. influence, briefly suspended foreign missionary permits in August after U.S. evangelist Pat Robertson called on Washington to assassinate the left-wing leader. Robertson later apologized.

"I have given the order, the New Tribes, the so-called New Tribes, are going to leave Venezuela. This is real imperialist penetration, it makes me ashamed," Chavez said, wearing a green military uniform and red army beret.

"It's real imperialist infiltration, the CIA, they are taking sensitive and strategic information, and besides they exploit our indigenous people," he said. "We don't want to abuse them, but simply give them a date to pack up and leave."

He did not say when the missions would have to leave Venezuela and offered no proof for his allegations.

Chavez, who is praised by supporters for championing the poor, was speaking at a ceremony in southwestern Apure State to hand over land titles, tractors and credits to help indigenous groups.

The Florida-based New Tribes Mission, a Christian evangelist group that trains and coordinates missions to preach in remote areas, has 160 assigned missionaries in Venezuela working with 12 indigenous groups, according to its Web site.

No one answered the U.S. telephone number on the site.

The announcement came just days after Robertson, a leader of the Christian conservatives who have backed U.S. President George W. Bush, again attacked Chavez, accusing him of funding Osama bin Laden and seeking atomic material from Iran.

Venezuela officials rejected the new accusations as "absurd."

Chavez has often charged Washington with plotting his downfall or murder. U.S. officials dismiss that as wild, populist rhetoric, but say the Venezuelan leader works with Cuban President Fidel Castro to erode regional democracy.

Frayed political ties and a barrage of angry rhetoric have not stopped Venezuela, the world's No. 5 oil exporter, from selling most of its petroleum to the United States.

Currently Reading Arguing Euthanasia : The Controversy Over Mercy Killing, Assisted Suicide, And The "Right To Die" By Jonathan Moreno see related

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/10/12/katrina.hospital/index.html

Is it justifiable to commit euthanasia under even the most extreme circumstances? It seems that doctors in a New Orleans hospital may have euthanized 45 patients in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.  Read the article.

Currently Reading According to Plan: The Unfolding Revelation of God in the Bible By Graeme Goldsworthy see related

Everyone around here has a xanga site, so I thought I would make one too.