Food for Thought

Kangaroo meat – lean, green, clean and good for your heart
‘Kangaroos are of particular importance to Australia’s conservation and economic future, not only for their biological significance and iconic status, but because of their special value as a source of meat,’ says Prof Mike Archer, Dean of Science at the University of New South Wales.


Prof Mike Archer

‘Most of the world’s meat production is based on a relatively small number of species with a long history of domestication. Opportunities to introduce new species to the pantry of an increasingly hungry world are few, but kangaroo is definitely one of them. It is abundant – probably far more so than when Europeans arrived in Australia – and it breeds in perfect synchronisation with Australia’s drought-and-flood climate cycle. When things ain’t right, roos sit tight, but when good times come they breed prolifically.

The soft-footed, environment friendly kangaroo has a venerable and safe history of being a rich source of protein. It is a very nutritious and tasty meat which is 98% fat free. Even its very modest fat content consists mainly of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats and it is very low in cholesterol. In a world increasingly worrying about food safety issues in relation to farming cattle, sheep and pigs, kangaroos have growing appeal – there is no such thing as ‘mad kangaroo disease’. As well, they are not only free-range in origin, but have never been dosed with antibiotics, hormones or pesticides.

If graziers (farmers), to whatever extent, could shift from total dependence on cattle and sheep, with their attendant economic and health risks, to committing part of their grazing lands to native bush and grasslands stocked with kangaroos, there should be benefits in all directions. Kangaroos would gain in population size, distribution, and security by being valued by graziers instead of being regarded as pests. Other native species should benefit, too, because the grazier needs a healthy, biodiverse bush to sustainably produce harvestable native resources. Graziers gain through a long-term broadening of their resource base, making their incomes overall more resilient to environmental and market disasters. Consumers gain because they have a wider range of healthy natural products available to them in the markets.’
– Excerpted from Prof. Michael Archer’s and Bob Beale’s (now out-of-print) book, Going Native



TICK SYMBOL
GI Group: A wide range of kangaroo cuts like fillet, mince, diced kangaroo and kangaroo steak are on the Australian Heart Foundation’s TICK Shopping List and available Australia-wide in supermarkets, and exported world wide (not to the US).

For more information
Recipes, cooking tips, nutrition: www.macromeats.com
Sustainable wild harvesting: www.fate.unsw.edu.au
Contact: Peter Ampt: p.ampt@unsw.edu.au

GI News—October 2007

This month in ‘Food for Thought’, Prof Mike Archer serves up lean, green and good for your heart fare for farming Australia in a healthier way for people and planet alike: one that won’t suck up scarce water resources for unsustainable monoculture or blow any productivity left in the soil out to sea. Jill Dupleix shares her true life tips to lighten up, lose weight and keep it off in What's New? We also look at why giving young children ‘diet’ foods could make them fat and that hardy perennial ... combining carbs and protein. There are three new low GI recipes, our pick of the crop (Asian greens), new GI values for broad beans and muesli, plus Uncle Toby's joins the GI Symbol Program, and of course our answers to your questions.

Good eating, good health and good reading,



GI News Editor: Philippa Sandall
Web Design and Management: Scott Dickinson, PhD

GI News Briefs

Giving kids diet foods and drinks may fuel obesity
Research published in a recent issue of Obesity reports that a young rat can be made to overeat when it’s given low-calorie foods and drinks on a daily basis. It may be a big leap to say the same thing happens in our kids, but lead author Dr David Pierce from the University of Alberta says: ‘Parents need to know that based on what we've learned, it is better for children to eat healthy, well-balanced diets with sufficient calories for their daily activities rather than low-calorie snacks or meals. Children who consume low-calorie versions of foods that are normally high in calories may develop distorted connections between taste and calorie content, leading them to overeat as they grow up.’

In the study, baby rats (4 weeks old) were conditioned over 16 days to associate certain sweet or salty flavours with low calorie foods. When they were subsequently given high calorie foods with the same flavors, they pigged out. Adolescent rats (8 weeks old) fed diet foods did not display the same tendency to overeat. The researchers believe the older rats did not overeat because they, unlike the younger rats, relied on a variety of taste-related cues to correctly assess the energy value of their food.
– Obesity 15:1969–1979 (2007); Correspondence to dpierce@ualberta.ca



Heart smart eating starts young
When young children learn about heart healthy eating habits, it influences their heart disease risk later in life reports a new study in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. Results from the Turku Coronary Risk Factor Intervention Project found that reducing intake of saturated fat was a major factor.

Dr Harri Niinikoski, lead author and a pediatric endocrinologist at the University of Turku in Finland, says: ‘The aim of the diet counselling in our study was not to reduce the total number of fat calories in the diet, but to shift the child's intake from saturated toward unsaturated fats and have cholesterol intakes of less than 200 mg.’ Key dietary changes included replacing butter with soft margarine and liquid oils, making changes to the type of milk the children drank and encouraging them to eat vegetables, fruits, berries, and whole grain foods. The intervention group (540 children and their families) were given intensive diet counselling to help them keep total intake of fat at 30% to 35% of daily calories, the ratio of saturated fat to unsaturated fats at 1:2, and cholesterol intake to less than 200 milligrams daily; the control group (522 children and family members) were only given basic advice. The study found that intensive counselling really paid off and had a favourable effect on saturated fat intake and serum total and LDL cholesterol concentrations for children even during pre-puberty and puberty when eating away from home is a regular event.
– Circulation 2007. 116: 1032-1040.

Blood pressure drugs blunt impact of diabetes
A fixed combination of two blood pressure lowering drugs a blood vessel relaxant called perindopril with 1.25 mg of a diuretic called indapamide reduced the risk of serious illness and death from cardiovascular disease, even in patients without high blood pressure according to findings from the ADVANCE (Action in Diabetes and Vascular Disease) Study.

A total of 11,140 people with diabetes (half of whom had high blood pressure) from 215 medical centres in 20 countries took part in the four-year trial. Each was given either a placebo or the blood pressure medication. At the end of the trial, deaths from cardiovascular disease were 4.6% in the placebo group and 3.8% among those taking the pill, a relative reduction of 18%. Stephen MacMahon, a professor of cardiology at the University of Sydney's George Institute, where the trial was coordinated said: ‘We gave blood pressure lowering therapy to patients with diabetes irrespective of whether their blood pressure was high in the beginning. Previously, virtually every study has been in patients with hypertension, but a high proportion of diabetics don't have hypertension. This study suggests there's a case for considering this treatment routinely for patients with type 2 diabetes.’
– Presented at ESC Congress 2007 in Vienna to coincide with a report published online in the Lancet; Press release



If you have diabetes, thiamin may improve your vascular health
People with diabetes have a lot less thiamin (vitamin B1) than healthy people according to a study by the University of Warwick and it’s not because they don’t eat enough foods that contain it. The shortfall occurs because when thiamin passes through their kidneys, it’s not reabsorbed back into their blood as it is in healthy people. The study published in Diabetologia compared 26 type 1 and 48 type 2 people with diabetes with 20 healthy people (the controls). Because a shortage of vitamin B1 is linked to an increase in an inflammation marker related to vascular complications, lead researcher Prof Paul Thornalley suggests that a vitamin B1 supplement could work alongside conventional glucose controls. Further trials are underway.
– Diabetologica, August 2007



GI Group: What’s thiamin and where do you find it?
Thiamin (vitamin B1) is a water soluble vitamin essential for carbohydrate metabolism and the release of energy from food and for the proper functioning of the heart and nervous system. The best food sources are yeast extract spreads (like Vegemite or Marmite), wheatgerm, wheat bran, nuts, fortified breakfast cereals, liver, kidney, lean pork, peas, wholemeal flour, wholemeal and grainy breads and sesame seeds.

Gestational diabetes nearly doubles obesity risks
Treating diabetes during pregnancy can break the link between gestational diabetes and childhood obesity, according to Dr Teresa Hillier writing in the September issue of Diabetes Care. The Kaiser Permanente's Center for Health Research Northwest and Hawaii study showed that children of mothers with untreated gestational diabetes were 89 percent more likely to be overweight and 82 percent more likely to be obese by age 7 than children born to mothers with normal blood sugar. The good news is that the study also discovered that the children of women treated for gestational diabetes were no more likely to be overweight or obese than other children. The study included 9,439 women from about 10 ethnic groups. Researchers analysed the health records of mother-child pairs for children born between 1995 and 2000. The pregnant women were screened for gestational diabetes. The researchers then weighed the children when they were between age five and seven which is when a child's weight is a strong predictor of adult obesity.
– Diabetes Care 30:2287-2292, 2007

Low GI Food of the Month

Asian greens
There are many reasons to tuck into Asian greens. To start with they are crunchy, delicious and nutritious. And if that’s not enough, they are extremely easy to prepare, quick to cook and versatile – simply steam them, add them to stir-fries, soups or even casseroles. They are part of the same cruciferous celeb family (the brassicas) as cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower. Like these, they are rich in vitamin C and folate and provide you with minerals like potassium, calcium, zinc, manganese, magnesium and some iron and antioxidants like beta-carotene. If you still need a nudge to try them in your cooking, they have a couple of key attributes that spell benefits for weight loss and blood glucose management being low in kilojoules and a good source of fibre.



Here are some tips on using Asian greens in your cooking from Dr Jenny Ekman of the NSW Department of Primary Industries

• Buk choy is like two vegetables in one – juicy crunchy edible stems and dark green leaves with a mild peppery flavour. Wash and chop leaves and stems before cooking. When stir frying or steaming, add stems first as they take a little longer to cook. Pak choy is a green stemmed variety with a sweet mild texture that’s great in a stir fry, added to soup or simply steamed. Baby buk choy is used in a similar way to pak choy, but you can serve it whole.
• Choy sum has a mild flavour, crunchy stems and soft leaves. Wash and chop the whole bunch and stir fry or steam or add to soups, stews and even a curry. Baby choy sum is the dwarf version.
• Gai choy (Chinese mustard) is the one with the peppery bite. There are numerous varieties: some have thick stems and large crinkly leaves, others are small and delicate and can be added raw to salads.
• Gai lan (Chinese broccoli) has robust, dark-green leaves and sometimes small, edible broccoli-like florets with flowers. You can eat the lot— stems, leaves and flowers can all be stir fried, steamed or added to soups and casseroles. Cut thick stems in half and add before the leaves as they take longer to cook.
• Wombok’s (Chinese cabbage) mild flavour and crunchy texture makes it perfect for coleslaw, cabbage wraps, stir fries, and soups.

Busting Food Myths

Carbs and protein shouldn’t be eaten together
Popular nutritional myths exist about food combining – the theory that certain foods should not be eaten together, especially carbohydrates such as bread, potato and grains with proteins such as meat or fish. The theory also suggests that fruit should not be combined with anything.

‘There is no sound basis for these ideas,’ says nutritionist Dr Rosemary Stanton. ‘If food combining theories were true, the human race would not have survived to this point, as many basic foods contain a combination of proteins and carbohydrates in the one food. This applies to foods such as beans, grains, seeds, nuts and breast milk. The only possible advantage to a diet that promotes these theories is that it might encourage people to eat more fruit and possibly eat less overall. But there is no evidence to support the notion that some foods should be separated. Every major cuisine in the world combines protein and carbohydrates on the same plate, from the traditional meat and potatoes, to Asian stir fry chicken with rice, Middle Eastern couscous with lamb and the Mediterranean use of bread with all meals. It is also a total myth that fruit should be eaten on its own. Fruit is the perfect complement to every meal.’

When combining counts

• Some nutrients are absorbed better if they are combined with others. For example, the iron in breakfast cereals, bread and legumes such as dried beans or chick peas is absorbed much better if fruit or vegetables which contain vitamin C are eaten in the same meal.

Food combinations to avoid

• There are some foods which do not combine well. Tea prevents iron absorption, so it is best to drink it between meals rather than with food, unless the tea is weak.
• Minerals such as calcium and iron compete for absorption, and the body does not properly absorb them when combined. If calcium or iron supplements are taken, iron tablets should be taken with meals and calcium should be taken just before going to bed. Nutrients are generally absorbed better from foods rather than supplements, and you'll find iron in meat or legumes plus seeds, grains and nuts. Calcium can be obtained from dairy products or calcium enriched soy beverages.

– Rosemary Stanton’s latest book, Healthy Eating for Australian Families includes over 170 recipes (many deliciously combining protein and carbohydrate like Lamb Kibbeh or Pork with Pears and Juniper Berries). Suitable for people with diabetes and a handy reference for parents, it's available in Australia, USA and the UK from major bookstores and Amazon.

Low GI Recipes of the Month

Our chef Kate Hemphill develops delicious recipes for GI News that showcase seasonal ingredients and make it easy for you to prepare healthy low GI meals and snacks. For more of Kate’s seasonal fare, check out: www.lovetocook.co.uk


Kate Hemphill

Simple Summer Spaghetti
As the seasons change and some of our readers are heading into spring, and others into Fall, everyone can enjoy the taste of summer with this fresh, simple and delicious recipe. The garlic and parsley should be very fresh and the pasta al dente. Chilli flakes are the ‘not too heavy not too light’ part of the chilli story – they soften quickly and add flashes of brightness. Researchers from the University of Tasmania found that eating a meal containing chopped chilli reduced the amount of insulin required to bring down postmeal blood glucose levels.
Enough for 4 for a light meal or accompaniment


photo: Kate Hemphill

200 g good quality dried spaghetti
1 large clove garlic, crushed
6 heaped tablespoons very finely chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes (optional)
2 tablespoons finely grated parmesan
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
salt (optional)

• Cook the spaghetti in a large saucepan of boiling water until al dente, following packet instructions and testing 1–2 minutes before the end of cooking time. Drain in a colander but do not rinse. Return the spaghetti to the hot saucepan over a low heat, add all other ingredients and stir well for 2 minutes.
• Season to taste and serve immediately with a big green salad tossed in a vinaigrette dressing.

Per serve (4 portions)
kJ/Cal 1127/269; Protein 7 g; Fat 11 g (includes saturated 2 g) Carbohydrate 34 g; Fibre 2.5 g

Lavender and honey frozen yoghurt
I love ice cream, but there's quite a bit of guilt associated with eating it! I also love yoghurt and honey, so this manages to be a lot healthier than ice cream and also really tasty and you don't need an ice cream machine to blend it. Don't worry if you can't find lavender flowers, it's just as nice without (well, almost). I use 0% fat Greek yoghurt that's just as thick as normal. You can use low fat yoghurt, as long as it's still a thick Greek yoghurt, not one of those runny ones. Use pure floral honey if you can.
Serves 6–8 (just a scoop)



3 eggs, separated
250 g plain low-fat Greek yoghurt
50 g runny honey
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon crushed dried lavender flowers

• Mix the yoghurt with the honey, cinnamon and lavender in a bowl. Add the egg yolks and stir to combine.
• In a separate clean bowl, whisk egg whites until a stiff peak forms. Fold the egg whites into the yoghurt mixture and mix gently, yet thoroughly. Pour into one large, or several small prepared moulds. Freeze until set (at least 4 hours).
• Remove from freezer to fridge 20 minutes before serving to soften slightly.

Per serve (8 portions)
kJ/Cal 284/68; Protein 5 g; Fat 2 g (includes saturated 0.7 g) Carbohydrate 7 g

This next recipe for when those big flat field mushrooms are in season is from a new book on spices and herbs.

Roasted mushrooms with ajowan
Choose mushrooms that are about the same size so you can fit 8 on a baking tray. To prepare the mushrooms, just wipe them with a damp cloth and save the stems to use in stuffings, soups or stock. If you want to reduce the fat, replace the chilli oil dressing for the rocket with a low fat vinaigrette and a dash of chilli oil.
Serves 4 (allowing 2 mushrooms each)



½–1 teaspoon chilli powder, depending how hot you like it
3 tablespoons olive oil
8 large field mushrooms, stems removed
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons poly or monounsaturated margarine, cut into 8 squares
1 teaspoon ajowan seeds
sea salt (optional)
4 handfuls wild rocket
cracked pepper to taste

• Preheat the oven to 150°C (325°F) and lightly oil a baking tray or shallow ovenproof dish large enough to hold 8 mushrooms. Mix chilli with the olive oil and set aside to allow the flavour to develop while you prepare the mushrooms.
• Place a little crushed garlic and a tiny piece of margarine in the centre of each mushroom, then sprinkle each with just a pinch of ajowan and a little salt if using.
• Arrange the mushrooms face up on the baking tray and bake for 15 minutes or until heated through.
• Rinse the rocket well under running water; drain, gently pat dry and toss in the chilli oil. Place a mound of rocket on each plate, and serve with two mushrooms and cracked pepper.

Per serve (4 portions)
kJ/Cal 708/169; Protein 3 g; Fat 16 g (includes saturated 2 g) Carbohydrate 2 g; Fibre 2 g



– From Sticks, Seeds, Pods and Leaves: A cook’s guide to culinary spices and herbs by Ian and Liz Hemphill.

Your Success Stories

‘Tomorrow I am running a half marathon and the glycemic index helped get me there!’ – Tricia
‘I was so sad when I read the August newsletter and read how unreceptive the diabetic association was to the glycemic index. I am a firm believer in the GI because it has changed my life. I am a runner and I found that as I was training and trying “fad” diets at the same time, I was getting migraines about once a week. I was really tired all the time and often had a nap in the middle of the day. Then one day I found the GI. I started putting it into practice right away. One of the things I love about the GI is it is so simple. I followed the recommendations for athletes, and ate low glycemic before a workout and higher after. It has not only gotten rid of my headaches, but it has also increased my endurance in running. I feel healthier and I have so much energy. I tell everyone I know about the GI, because it just makes sense to me. It has become a healthy lifestyle for me and my family. Tomorrow I am running a half marathon and the glycemic index helped get me there! Keep up the good work!’



‘It feels so good to go about my work and not constantly be wishing I had chocolate or a Dr Pepper.’ – Shirley
‘I never had a problem in my life with weight until I went through menopause. All my life I weighed around 120–123 pounds. Even after each of my three boys, I returned to my normal weight because my doctor always told me you can gain this amount to get back to your pre-pregnancy weight quickly. I never gained more that I was allowed. I am 5’ 5”. I always weighed myself daily and if I had gained a bit, I left something off that day to get back to my usual weight. Later in my 40s I started walking six days a week. Cutting back just a bit on food and walking would take anything I gained off immediately. Then I entered that menopause stage and gradually started putting the weight on. It seemed nothing I did would help. I constantly craved sweets (chocolate) and started drinking an occasional soft drink which I had never done before. Before I knew it my weight was up to 165. I was devastated. I was tired, felt frumpy and was just generally in bad sorts most of the time.

Then came the low fat diet, the low carb diet, weigh only once a week, etc., and I tried them all which just seemed to compound things. I have fought with my weight for 12 to 15 years now, so frustrated because as hard as I tried nothing seemed to work even the three miles a day I’ve continued to walk. I was just about to the point that I had accepted I would never be back to my normal weight again. About one month ago I really started to pay attention to all the information I was getting in the mail and seeing on the Internet about eating low GI. Maybe ... just maybe. I had no idea what it meant or how to do it but I started researching on the Internet and found that what I was reading made a lot of sense. I found the www.glycemicindex.com website and started researching the GI and found that there were actually a lot of foods that I really liked and thought I could eat on a regular basis so I started putting my diet together from reasonably sized portions of just things that I liked that had a low GI. Later I borrowed some books from the library and know that I still have much to learn.



I have eaten fish three or four times a week, chicken, broccoli, beans of all kinds, cabbage, asparagus, raw spinach salads, green beans. I’ve eaten apples, oranges, peaches, grapes, strawberries and cherries. I eat some peanuts but mostly whole raw almonds. I’ve eaten only 100% whole wheat bread and pumpernickel. For breakfast I’ve had oatmeal (my one failing I still have to have just a bit of sugar in my oatmeal) with whole wheat toast, whole wheat toast with jelly sweetened with juice rather than sugar, granola, an occasional boiled egg and I always eat some kind of fruit with whatever I have for any meal. I snack on plain puffed wheat or oats, eat grapes, strawberries, dried plums or cherries, a piece of whole wheat bread or a cup of low-fat yoghurt. I do not let myself get really hungry but I have started to be able to feel when I’m hungry and I had not had that feeling in years. I probably eat five or six times a day. I have now had no soft drinks in a month, my candy has been once or twice a week a treat of five dark chocolate peanut M&Ms just so I don’t feel totally deprived. Normally I would have gone through a bag of M&Ms in a day or two once it was open. My cravings for these things seem to be completely gone. I have always drank lots of water all my life which I continue now, often I drink it with a little vinegar or some slices of lemon squeezed into it, and black coffee at breakfast .

I have now lost 10 pounds in the last month. I started the GI at 158 pounds and weighed 148 when I got on the scales this morning and can tell a definite difference in the way my jeans and shorts fit in the waist. I am so excited. I am eating so many simple things that I like to eat and am now ready to start branching out and finding some of the recipes like what I’ve found on this site and others. I do believe that I can eat this way indefinitely. It feels so good to go about my work and not constantly be wishing I had chocolate or a Dr Pepper, and I am so excited that I again have hope that I can get back down to my 120–123 pounds.’

Inspire others. Share your GI story.


We'll send you a free copy of The Low GI Diet Cookbook or The Low GI Vegetarian Cookbook if your story is published.

Move It & Lose It with Professor Trim

Fighting colds with exercise


Dr Garry Egger aka Prof Trim

If you have diabetes and are more prone to colds and flu, here’s another way to protect yourself during cold and flu season. Researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle (American Journal of Medicine, October 2006) found post-menopausal women who work out regularly seem to catch about half the colds of those who don’t. Over 12 months, 115 overweight women either participated in a moderate exercise program – 45 minutes a day, five days a week, mostly brisk walking, or they took part in 45-minute stretching sessions once a week. In the final three months of the study, the risk of colds was three times higher in the stretchers than the exercisers. An even more positive side of exercise for people with diabetes is that it tends to ‘soak up’ blood glucose to be used in muscular contractions and therefore reduces the cause of the problem, i.e. high blood glucose.



– Click for more information on Professor Trim.

Dr David’s Tips for Raising Healthy Kids

TV ground rules
Of the many factors that contribute to excessive weight gain in kids, TV may be the most influential. It certainly takes time away from active pursuits from playing sports to simply playing. But it also contributes through the mouth. A recent report from Australia published in Health Promotion International (31 August 2007) that surveyed 18,000 students reported that teenagers who watch several hours of television on a school day are consuming large amounts of chips (crisps) chocolate and high-energy drinks. Here are some tips to deprogram the kids and set some ground rules that apply to everyone in the family.


Dr David Ludwig

• Limit viewing to 2 hours a day (good), 1 hour a day (better) 30 minutes a day (best).
• Take the TV out of your child’s bedroom (and your own) and turn it off during mealtimes.
• Keep a log of viewing habits and review it each week. Whenever any family member turns the telly on (this includes parents), they write down what they watch and for how long.
• Make TV watching dependent on a physical activity such as walking on a treadmill or riding a stationery bike. Linking TV viewing to physical activity neutralises two of the three ways that TV contributes to obesity: decreased calorie expenditure and mindless eating. Leaving you only with the food ads themselves to contend with!
• Make sure that any snacking in front of TV is mindful not mindless – snacks have to be real food not fake food, they have to be on the weekly ‘options’ list (see September GI News) and the kids have to prepare the snacks themselves not just open a packet. Who knows they may have so much fun in the kitchen they’ll forget about the TV.
  

For a healthy, mindful snack the kids will enjoy making and eating, try these Tiny Corn Tarts from Dr Jenny O’Dea’s Positive Food for Kids.

Tiny Corn Tarts
12 slices low GI grainy bread
1 egg
2 tablespoons reduced-fat milk
440 g (14 oz) can creamed corn (or baked beans or mushrooms), heated

• Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Cut circles from the sliced bread (you'll probably only get one per slice) to fit into a lightly greased patty pan or 12-hole (1/3 cup) muffin pan. (The leftover bread can be used to make fresh low GI breadcrumbs.)
• Beat the egg and milk in a bowl. Brush both sides of the 12 bread circles with the milk mixture and press into the patty pan. Bake until crisp and golden (about 10 to 15 minutes).
• Leave to cool a little in the pan then fill with warmed creamy corn or baked beans – allowing 2–3 per person. Store leftover ‘bread cases’ in a cookie jar to fill with what you fancy another day.

– Dr David Ludwig is Director of the Optimal Weight for Life (OWL) program at Children’s Hospital Boston and author of Ending the Food Fight.

Books, DVDs, Websites: What’s New?

Lighten Up: A healthy new way to cook
Jill Dupleix

This is not a diet book. As former Times cookery editor, food writer and author of 14 cookbooks Jill Dupleix says in her introduction, it’s for ‘people who love their food but want to be healthy. It’s a way of moving your kitchen, your cooking and your eating to a lighter place.’

What’s so great about this book is that it is based on a true life story. Well, two stories – Jill’s and her husband Terry’s. It’s packed with the kinds of foods and recipes that helped her husband (restaurant critic Terry Durack) lose six stone (38 kg) and Keep It Off! Jill sees her lighter style of cooking as low GI rather than low carb or low fat and making good choices. Here’s how Jill and Terry learned how to change lifelong (bad) habits and start new (good) ones.

• Eat for pleasure, flavour and health, not for weight loss
• Start the day with oats. Eat porridge in winter and Swiss style muesli in summer and you won’t be hungry for hours.
• Eat more fish, chicken, salads and vegetables and less red meat, pork, pasta and potatoes.
• Forget what your mother told you and don’t finish everything on your plate.
• Beware of 4 pm when blood glucose levels dip. Snack on fruit and nuts instead of chocolate and crisps.
• It’s not all about food. Walk instead of drive. Take the stairs instead of an escalator. Move instead of sit. Get enough sleep.
• When you eat bread, eat good bread – sourdough, wholemeal or rye.
• Don’t cut anything out, just cut everything down.
• Steam instead of grill; grill instead of roast; roast instead of fry; and pan-fry instead of deep-fry.
• Drink better, drink less and drink only with the evening meal.

Lighten Up is available in the UK, Australia and the US from major books stores and Amazon.

Feedback—Your FAQs Answered

What’s the GI of …
Pappadums (Indian crisp bread)
A number of Indian breads (chapattis) have been GI tested, but not pappadums. They are traditionally made with a lentil and rice flour combo and then fried but you can microwave them (brush them with oil first). A single large Patak's pappadum (15 cm/6 in diameter) has 4 g carbohydrate which would not have much effect on your blood glucose on its own. However, they are very more-ish. So keep portions moderate (just eat one or two) and make sure with your Indian meal you serve a lower GI rice such as Moolgiri (which carries the GI Symbol) or basmati.



Sago
Sago hasn’t been GI tested. It’s rather granular like tapioca, and described as ‘small balls or pellets of starch’. It is made from the sago palm (not cassava like tapioca) and used in starchy milk puddings like lemon sago dessert or sago pudding (which supposedly has a soothing effect if you are feeling a bit off-colour). You can substitute tapioca which has been tested and has a high GI.



Buttercup squash
Buttercup squash is a winter squash or pumpkin. It hasn’t been tested but its popular cousin butternut squash (pumpkin) has and has a low GI (51). We wrote about it in GI News in April 2007.



Your database has blueberry muffins, blueberry juice and blueberry crunch GI values, but no entries for blueberries. I guess blueberries aren’t food until you put them into something.
Blueberries, like most berries, don’t actually contain much carbohydrate, so it’s (a) hard to test their GI and (b) they won’t have much effect on your blood glucose. What we say here at GI News is make blueberries an everyday health habit if you can. Blue is good for you! As one of today’s superfoods, they are bursting with nutrition and flavour while being very low in calories and of course they are packed with antioxidants like anthocyanins – nature’s personal bodyguards that help minimise damage to cell membranes that occurs with ageing. Most blueberries you buy in the supermarket or fresh produce store will be cultivated highbush blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum L). In the US, it’s also possible to buy frozen wild blueberries (V. angustifolium), all year long and they have been tested (GI 53). Wild blueberries are smaller, about one-third the size of cultivated and have a more intense blueberry flavour and they retain their shape well in cooking.

GI Values Update

The latest values from SUGiRS

New moderate GI value for broad beans
GI 63; serving size 80 g, available carbohydrate 5 g; GL 3

When broad beans were tested in 1981 in Canada in the early days of GI testing, their GI was 79, but only six people were included in the study and the variation between them was substantial. We felt it was time to revisit this one as broad beans are increasingly appearing on the menu and you can buy frozen broad beans year round in supermarkets. We reassessed them following the now standardised international method (including ten people in the study and testing the reference food three times in each person). We obtained a mean value of 63 with narrow variation. So tuck into broad beans as a typical 1/2 cup (80-gram) serving has a very low GL, is a good source of fibre, folate and vitamin C and will fill you up without adding many kilojoules. If you help yourself to seconds you will get 2 of your 5 servings of vegetables for the day.

More muesli values

• Uncle Toby's Natural Style Muesli, Original Swiss formula (without milk): GI 62, serving size 30 g, available carbohydrate 18 g, GL 11
• Special K Light Muesli, mixed berry and apple flavour(without milk): GI 64; serving size 30 g; available carbohydrate 20 g, GL 13
  

Where can I get more information on GI testing?

North America
Dr Alexandra Jenkins
Glycemic Index Laboratories
36 Lombard Street, Suite 100
Toronto, Ontario M5C 2X3 Canada
Phone +1 416 861 0506
Email info@gilabs.com
Web www.gilabs.com

Australia
Fiona Atkinson



Research Manager, Sydney University Glycemic Index Research Service (SUGiRS)
Human Nutrition Unit, School of Molecular and Microbial Biosciences
Sydney University
NSW 2006 Australia
Phone + 61 2 9351 6018
Fax: + 61 2 9351 6022
Email sugirs@mmb.usyd.edu.au
Web www.glycemicindex.com

New Zealand
Dr Tracy Perry
The Glycemic Research Group, Dept of Human Nutrition
University of Otago
PO Box 56 Dunedin New Zealand
Phone +64 3 479 7508
Email tracy.perry@stonebow.otago.ac.nz
Web glycemicindex.otago.ac.nz

GI Symbol News



Low GI muesli bars
Muesli bars are a handy snack when you are out and about or on the run, but finding one that's not loaded with saturated fat and kilojoules can be a bit of a challenge. All you need to do now is look for the GI Symbol to be assured you are making a healthier choice. The Uncle Toby's range of low GI Chewy and Crunchy muesli bars featured here are made with wholegrain oats, natural colour and flavours. There's a wide range of flavours, so here's a taste of what you can find on your supermarket shelf in Australia.

Crunchy Apricot flavour; serving size (1 muesli bar) 20 g; GI 54
Per serving 350 kJ; 2.2 g fat (includes 0.3 g saturated fat); 13.7 g carbohydrate; 1.6 g fibre

Chewy Apricot and Chewy Forest Fruits flavours; serving size (1 muesli bar) 31.3 g; GI 48
Per serving 540 kJ; 4 g fat (includes 1.1 g saturated fat); 20 g carbohydrate; 2 g fibre

Chewy Choc Chip flavour; serving size (1 muesli bar) 31.3 g; GI 54
Per serving 540 kJ; 4.4 g fat (includes 1.6 g saturated fat); 20 g carbohydrate; 1.8 g fibre

Where can I get more information on the GI Symbol program?

Alan Barclay



CEO, Glycemic Index Ltd
Phone: +61 2 9785 1037
Fax: +61 2 9785 1037
Email: awbarclay@optusnet.com.au
Web www.gisymbol.com.au

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GI News endeavours to check the veracity of news stories cited in this free e-newsletter by referring to the primary source, but cannot be held responsible for inaccuracies in the articles so published. GI News provides links to other World Wide Web sites as a convenience to users, but cannot be held responsible for the content or availability of these sites. This document may be copied and distributed provided the source is cited as GI News and the information so distributed is not used for profit.

© ® & ™ The University of Sydney, Australia

Alzheimer’s Drug Enhances Quality of Life

Aricept was used in a Canadian Study in Toronto to treat mild and moderate Alzheimer patients and it was found to reduce symptoms even in more advanced stages of this debilitating neurological disease. It improves memory to the point of helping patients recognize family members and to help them function with daily interactive tasks, including hygiene tasks.

“Donepezil — sold under the brand name Aricept — is one of a class of drugs known as cholinesterase inhibitors, which help restore levels of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which is greatly diminished in Alzheimer's disease.

The six-month study, published Tuesday in the journal Neurology, involved 343 people with severe Alzheimer's disease at 98 clinics in Canada, the United States, France, the United Kingdom and Australia. Half of the group was randomly assigned to receive a daily dose of donepezil, the other half a placebo.

The study found cognitive function stabilized or improved in 63 per cent of people taking the drug compared to 39 per cent of those taking placebo. All of the participants, whose average age was 78, were living in the community with caregivers.”

Side effects are minimal and usually disappear after a while.

Promising New Cancer Drug

In Edmonton, Canada, the first human trial which will last 18 months, for a possible new cancer drug called dichloroacetate, or DCA , has been approved by Health Canada to be used to treat “an advanced form of an aggressive brain cancer.”

Significant shrinkage of tumors occurred in rat trials. This drug is being raced to human trial far beyond the usual time it takes to get there. However, because the drug is cheap and cannot be patented, the doctors are receiving no financial aid from the pharmaceutical companies. This is sad. However, grants and donations are financing this venture to the tune of $800,000 so far. This lack of funding from the pharmaceutical companies is what makes this frenzy to take DCA to Phase 2 (skipping Phase 1) human trial so quickly all the more remarkable. It seems to be a very promising solution to cancer.

A tremendous interest in the DCA drug trial has been shown and they’ve had to turn away people with other cancers, as Health Canada is at this moment only supporting the human trial of people with glioblastomas. Reportedly some desperate folks are self-medicating with DCA. The Canadian Cancer Society warns against this practice as it is not yet known what the results in humans will be.

“The appeal of DCA lies in its ability to target cancer cells while leaving other cells intact, eliminating severe side-effects of conventional cancer therapies such as chemotherapy and radiation.

DCA cuts tumours off from glucose, said Kenn Petruck, the head of neurosciences with Capital Health and a co-investigator on the clinical trial. "Unlike normal cells, tumours are addicted to glucose as their foodstuff," he said.

Without this food, they turn to another pathway, which triggers the cells to die off.”

A Phase 1 trial for other types of cancer could be happening in the near future, pending approval from Health Canada.

News sitemaps for publishers around the world

Posted by Benoit Lafortune, News Support Team

If you're a news publisher and want greater control over how your articles get included in Google News, we've got a great opportunity for you: Today we made Google News sitemaps available globally. If your site is currently included in Google News, you can now directly submit your most recent articles via News sitemaps in all the languages we support. You can also specify keywords for each article to tell us more about them so we can better place them in the appropriate news section. You'll get error reports specific to Google News explaining any problems we experienced crawling or extracting articles from your site. And you'll receive additional information on the types of queries that lead Google News users to your site.

Why should I use News sitemaps? So that you can tell us which articles you'd like us to crawl.

When should I submit my articles? As early as possible. You can submit your articles as soon as you upload them on your site. The earlier you submit, the sooner we can crawl and extract them. The result is that you'll boost your publishing power, and we'll process your most recent articles more quickly, since we recrawl all News sitemaps frequently.

How do I submit a News sitemap? Sign up for Google Webmaster Tools. Verify your site. If your site is currently included in Google News, the presence of the News Crawl link on the left indicates that the news features are enabled. If your site isn't included in Google News, you can request inclusion.

Sounds good. How do I check the status of my submitted News sitemap? Once we've verified site ownership through your Webmaster Tools Account, you can view details about your site, including error reports, from the Dashboard by clicking on your site link in the Site column and then clicking the Sitemaps tab.

What if I don't use News Sitemaps? We don't favor sites that use a News sitemap over those that don't. We still crawl all news sites quickly. However, a News sitemap is a great tool to give you greater control over how your content appears in Google News and to alert you to any errors we might encounter when we try to crawl your site.

What if I have more questions about News sitemaps? Take advantage of all these benefits by submitting your articles today by visiting our Help Center for Publishers.

In case you can't tell, we're pretty excited about this new feature. We think News sitemaps can be a real help to publishers and we're glad we can make them available to more publishers. Let us know what you think -- we'd love to hear from you.

Court halts Irving killer's execution

HUNTSVILLE, Texas – A condemned killer from Irving avoided the nation's busiest death chamber Thursday night when the U.S. Supreme Court gave him a reprieve.

Attorneys for Carlton Turner Jr., who was convicted of killing his parents, had appealed to the high court hoping the justices' review of lethal injection procedures in Kentucky, announced earlier this week, could keep him from execution.

In a brief, one-paragraph order, the court said it had granted his stay of execution. The order came more than four hours after he could have been executed and less than two hours before the death warrant would have expired at midnight.

"All I can say is all glory to God," Mr. Turner told prison officials as he was being returned to death row, in another prison about 45 miles east of Huntsville.

The Supreme Court order made no mention of its reasons for stopping the punishment.

Mr. Turner would have been the 27th Texas inmate to be executed this year and the second this week.

After state courts earlier Thursday refused to halt the punishment, Mr. Turner's lawyers went to the Supreme Court, which on Tuesday agreed to review an appeal from two condemned inmates in Kentucky who argued the three-drug process used in lethal injection is unconstitutionally cruel. The same procedure is used in Texas.

"The inmate will be forced into a chemical straitjacket, unable to express the fact of his suffocation," the appeal in Mr. Turner's case alleged.

Mr. Turner's lawyers went early Thursday to his trial court judge with a request to withdraw the execution order. When that failed, they went to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, which voted 5-4 to refuse to stop the punishment. The case then went to the Supreme Court.

Also Thursday, Alabama Gov. Bob Riley granted a 45-day stay of execution for Alabama death row inmate Tommy Arthur within hours of his scheduled lethal injection for a 1982 contract murder.

In Texas, Mr. Turner, 28, had said before the reprieve that he didn't find the prospect of death frightening but was concerned about possible pain from the lethal injection, which is the foundation of the appeal in the Kentucky case.

"The only thing I worry about is when the process is starting, the suffocation and pain if the anesthesia doesn't work," he told The Associated Press last week. "They say it's like drowning. I'm hoping it's not like that.

"But you're dead after that. So it's not torture. You're not coming back. To me, it's not something I would be scared of."

On Tuesday, when the justices announced they would consider the issue, another Texas inmate was executed hours later, but attorneys for Mr. Turner suggested the short time period didn't allow them to prepare an adequate appeal for the convicted killer, Michael Richard. The justices, however, did consider the motion lawyer David Dow sent before turning it down, and Mr. Richard was executed after about a two-hour delay.

Another Texas execution is scheduled for next week, one of at least three more set for this year in the state.

Mr. Turner, 28, has acknowledged fatally shooting his parents at their suburban Dallas home in 1998.

"The only thing that matters is I did what I did," he said. "This is the byproduct of something stupid that I did."

Source : Dallas Morning News

Court to review lethal injection: Ruling in Kentucky case could have wide effect

The United States Supreme Court yesterday agreed to consider whether Kentucky's method of executing prisoners is constitutional.

The high court's decision in Kentucky's lethal injection case -- an appeal brought by convicted double murderers Ralph Baze and Thomas Clyde Bowling Jr. -- could have widespread implications across the country. Courts have struggled with whether the three-drug cocktail used in lethal injection violates an inmate's Eighth Amendment right not to suffer cruel and unusual punishment.

Baze, 52, had been scheduled to be executed yesterday, but the Kentucky Supreme Court stayed the execution, citing Baze's pending appeals. Bowling, 54, was scheduled to be executed in November 2004, but the execution was halted in part because of the pending legal challenge to how the state executes prisoners.

The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to hear the Kentucky case could temporarily stay executions across the country until a decision is reached, many experts said yesterday.

David Barron, an attorney who represents Baze and Bowling, called the decision by the court to hear the case "significant," noting that the high court hears only 1 percent of appeals that reach it. Baze and Bowling have argued that three drugs used in executions -- an anesthetic, a muscle paralyzer and a substance to stop the heart -- could cause pain. Because an inmate is given a muscle paralyzer, he or she could be in pain but could not alert anyone.

A Franklin Circuit Court judge upheld the state's lethal injection protocol in 2005 and the Kentucky state Supreme Court later affirmed that decision. Attorneys for Baze and Bowling appealed to the United States Supreme Court and have also asked the Kentucky Supreme Court to reconsider its decision. A hearing on the motion to reconsider is scheduled to be heard by the Kentucky Supreme Court on Nov. 15. Barron said yesterday that it is unclear how the the U.S. Supreme Court decision to hear the case will affect the November hearing before the state Supreme Court.

Oral arguments in the U.S. Supreme Court case have been tentatively scheduled for Jan. 7.

All 37 states that execute prisoners and the federal government use lethal injection, and in nearly every one of those states, attorneys for Death Row inmates have filed lawsuits challenging the way lethal injection is carried out. Those cases have met with mixed results.

Appeals courts across the country have reached opposite decisions based on the same or similar sets of facts, said Douglas Berman, a law professor at Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. Ten states have halted executions because of lingering questions about lethal injection. Just last week, a federal judge in Tennessee ruled that Tennessee's method of lethal injection is unconstitutional, and ordered the state to halt executions.

"The broader problem is the U.S. Supreme Court has never directly addressed the questions surrounding lethal injection protocols," Berman said.

Richard Dieter, the executive director of the Washington-based Death Penalty Information Center, agreed, saying it was likely that many pending appeals of the lethal injection protocol will be stayed or halted until the high court reaches a decision.

"I don't think the death penalty is going to be overturned," Dieter said. "This is not about the morality of the death penalty. This is about how we practice it today and whether there needs to be changes to make it more acceptable."

The Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet said in a statement that it was confident that Kentucky's method of executing prisoners would meet constitutional standards. "We are confident the United States Supreme Court will affirm the unanimous decision of the Kentucky Supreme Court, which upheld Kentucky's lethal injection protocol as constitutional."

Source : Kentucky.com

Convicted killer executed for woman's death 21 years ago

HUNTSVILLE, Texas — A U.S. Supreme Court decision to review whether lethal injection procedures are unconstitutionally cruel failed to stop the execution of a Texas man as the high court allowed his punishment to be carried out.

Michael Richard, 49, was put to death Tuesday evening by Texas corrections officials with a toxic combination of drugs that justices hours earlier decided they would examine after a challenge from two condemned inmates in Kentucky.

Lawyers for Richard had gone to the court asking the lethal injection in Texas be halted and cited the Kentucky case in their appeal. The justices, however, rejected the appeal.

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott's office had challenged Richard's appeals while Gov. Rick Perry's office insisted the execution — the 26th this year in Texas, by far the highest number in the nation among states with the death penalty — would go forward as planned.

About two hours after he was scheduled to die, Richard was taken to the Texas death chamber. In a brief final statement, he asked that his family take care of themselves and expressed love to a friend.

Source : Houston Chronicle

Pakistan International

PIA-Pakistan International Airlines will be reducing its flights to JFK this winter season by flying to the airport only twice a week from October 28th 2007.

Both flights will be flown using a Boeing 777-300ER from KHI via Northern Pakistan and Manchester to JFK. Flights will be flown on Saturdays and Sundays only.

Analysis:

It's a well known fact that PIA has been losing money on its JFK route for many years now and the situation is bound to get even worse with the expansion of EK, EY and QR on the U.S. East Coast. The U.S. East Coast-PAK market is much bigger than the YYZ-PAK market and yet the latter has more weekly flights than the former!

Even if PIA needs to reduce JFK to twice a week services, it is unheard of to fly a route twice a week one day after another in the way PIA is doing at JFK from Oct i.e. SAT & SUN.

In order to control the financial bloodshed that its suffering, it might be wise for PIA to completely withdraw from USA altogether rather than continue to bleed $$$ flying this route for prestige purposes. PIA can do this by getting a good trans-atlantic SPA deal with AA, UA, VS, DL & CO out of LHR, MAN & BHX respectively for their North American passengers by flying them from PAK to UK and then feed them to these carriers via the UK to USA.

In this manner, they will be offering a convenient ONE STOP product from all major USA cities via UK to all 3 major Pakistani cities on a DAILY BASIS which is much better than flying twice a week KHI-LHE/ISB-MAN-JFK on Sat & Sun !!!

Oman Air

Oman Air has confirmed that it will start nonstop flights to Karachi from its Muscat hub effective October 1st using a Boeing 737-700. The flight will be flown 4 times a week. The flight schedule is as follows :

WY 801 Dep MCT 1120 Arr KHI 1355
WY 802 Dep KHI 1445 Arr MCT 1515

The carrier also announced that it will be launching flights to Riyadh, Bangkok and Jeddah very soon. Both Saudi cities will be served twice a week nonstop from MCT where as BKK would be served 5 times a week. RUH will receive a B 737-700, BKK will get the A 310-300 and JED will get a B 737-800.

Lastly, the airline has struck a deal with Kuwait's ALAFCO leasing company to lease 6 Boeing 787-800s for 12 years with the first model being delivered in 2012.

Analysis:

WY should tweak their schedules a little bit (depart MCT 10-15 minutes earlier) to allow KHI pax to connect via MCT to LGW in both directions. Under the planned schedule, the outbound KHI-MCT flight has a 45 minute transit in MCT if the passenger's final destination is London Gatwick which is too little as the minimum legal connecting time at MCT airport is 50 minutes. However, inbound from LGW, there is a convenient 90 minute transit at MCT en-route to KHI.

Malaysian Airlines

Malaysian Airlines has announced that it will be launching new flights to Lahore, Pakistan from Kuala Lumpur effective January 7th 2008. The flights will be flown 3 times a week and in a triangular manner i.e. KUL-KHI-LHE-KUL.

MH will use the Airbus A 330-300 for this service and as a result is expected to suspend its twice weekly KHI-Dubai service to accommodate the LHE bound flight.

The airline has also announced other major changes to its route network for the forthcoming winter season. The main highlights are as follows :

NGO - 4 weekly flights suspended from early January 2008.

ZRH - 3 weekly flights to be suspended from January 22nd 2008.

BLR / CMB & MLE - each city gets an additional 4th weekly flight.

HYD - capacity upgraded to a weekly A 333 + 2 weekly A 332s.

MAA - will receive 2 extra flights per week.

ADL - frequencies increased to 5 times a week between Dec 4th and Feb 6th.

British Airways

British Airways has released tentative plans for its Summer 2008 schedule which sees interesting changes being made to its long haul route network. The main highlights are as follows :

HRE & DTW - both cities will be suspended.

IAH - will be served double daily with a B 772ER from Heathrow.

JFK - increased from 51 to 55 flights a week.

SEA - increased from 10 to 13 flights a week.

DFW - will be served daily by a B 772ER from Heathrow.

IAD - increased from 21 to 24 flights a week.

MCO - increased from daily to 10 flights a week; all from LGW with a B 772ER.

Etihad Airways

Etihad Airways will be increasing flights to Sydney, Australia effective March 2008 by adding 4 extra weekly flights to the popular AUH-SYD route. As a result, the route will be served 11 times a week but it is not yet clear if the additional 4 weekly flights will be flown nonstop from AUH or via the Far East.

According to the latest figures released by EY, the SYD route sees a 68% load factor in Economy, 85% in Business and 78% in First Class.

Emirates

Emirates is selling 3 Boeing 777-200As (non ERs) to interested buyers. All three aircraft feature a regional 2 class layout seating 346 passengers in business and economy. These aircraft were all manufactured by Boeing in 1996. Their registration numbers are as follows :

A6-EMD - 1996

A6-EME - 1996

A6-EMF - 1996

Engines are Trent 877-17.

MSN Registration # are 27247/48/49.

If anyone is interested in buying these 3 aircraft, please contact Mr Tim at BOC Aviation :

tim.pickston@bocaviation.com

Delta Airlines

Delta Airlines has announced that it will be launching new flights to Stockholm, Sweden nonstop from its Atlanta hub effective June 3rd 2008. All flights will be flown nonstop from ATL using a Boeing 767-300ER. These new flights will be flown 6 times a week i.e. no flight on Monday.

Virgin Atlantic

Virgin Atlantic has officially revealed that due to strong customer demand for its Premium Economy cabin product, it will be increasing the number of seats in this cabin on board its Boeing 747-400s only from 32 to 64 per plane. It will do this by removing many regular economy class seats to make way for this expansion on board.

Kuwait Airways

Kuwait Airways has confirmed that it has canceled an order for 12 Boeing 787-800s + 7 A 320-200s from leasing company ALAFCO as it could not get the formal approval of the Kuwaiti Government which is the largest shareholder of the airline.

Instead, the Govt has now ordered KU to deal directly with Airbus & Boeing and not involve any third party as part of the process. As a result, the carrier is now in discussions with both airplane manufacturers for an order for 36 aircraft (combination of wide body and narrow body).

UN. TUTU: MORATORIUM VOTE CAN HELP STOP CYCLE OF REVENGE

September 21, 2007: Desmond Tutu, the archbishop of Cape Town and 1984 Nobel Peace laureate has called on the UN to vote in favour of abolishing the death penalty worldwide. “Such is the world sentiment against the death penalty (with notable exceptions like the United States, China, and Singapore) that a resolution calling for a moratorium on executions and the abolition of capital punishment is to go before the UN General Assembly in October.”

In his analysis, Tutu writes that the case for abolition becomes more compelling with each passing year. Everywhere, experience shows us that executions brutalise both those directly involved in the process and the society that carries them out.

Nowhere has it been shown that the death penalty reduces crime or political violence. In country after country, it is used disproportionately against the poor or against racial or ethnic minorities. It is often used as a tool of political repression.

It is imposed and inflicted arbitrarily. It is irrevocable and results inevitably in the execution of people innocent of any crime. It is a violation of fundamental human rights. (Sources: IPS, 21/09/2007)

Source : Hand Off Cain

Most Poles oppose capital punishment

September 21, 2007: most people in Poland oppose capital punishment, according to a survey done three days after Warsaw blocked European Union plans for a symbolic campaign against the death penalty.

Fifty-two percent of those questioned were against capital punishment, while 46 percent favoured it, marking a fall in previous support, the poll by the GfK Polonia public opinion institute found. Two percent had no view. Among opponents, 29 percent said they were firmly against the potential reintroduction of the death penalty in Poland, which was abolished a decade ago, while 23 percent said they were generally against it. (Sources: Agence France Presse, 21/09/2007)

Source : Hands Off Cain

SOUTH KOREA. CAMPAIGN STARTS TO SCRAP DEATH PENALTY

September 18, 2007: Religious, human rights and civic groups called in South Korea for the government's abolishment of capital punishment and its signing a global treaty against the system.
Twenty civic groups including Amnesty International and Lawyers for a Democratic Society asked the government to join the moratorium on executions introduced at the 62nd session of the United Nations General Assembly.
`The adoption of such a resolution by the U.N.'s principal organ would be an important milestone toward the abolition of the death penalty,' the Association for the Abolishment of the Death Penalty said.
The association will hold a 100-day campaign, as the government is yet reluctant to show its standpoint.
Korea has the U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon who leads the world's human rights. Still, it has 64 people sentenced to death,'' Kim Ho-soo, the human rights watch dog's campaigner, said.

Source Hands Off Cain

Time on Death Row

The length of time prisoners spend on death row in the United States before their executions has recently emerged as a topic of interest in the debate about the death penalty. The discussion increased around the execution of Michael Ross, a Connecticut inmate who had been on death row for 17 years, and has been spurred by the writings of two Supreme Court Justices who have urged the Court to consider this issue.

Death row inmates in the U.S. typically spend over a decade awaiting execution. Some prisoners have been on death row for well over 20 years.

During this time, they are generally isolated from other prisoners, excluded from prison educational and employment programs, and sharply restricted in terms of visitation and exercise, spending as much as 23 hours a day alone in their cells.

This raises the question of whether death row prisoners are receiving two distinct punishments: the death sentence itself, and the years of living in conditions tantamount to solitary confinement – a severe form of punishment that may be used only for very limited periods for general-population prisoners.

Moreover, unlike general-population prisoners, even in solitary confinement, death-row inmates live in a state of constant uncertainty over when they will be executed. For some death row inmates, this isolation and anxiety results in a sharp deterioration in their mental status.

DEATH ROW SYNDROME/DEATH ROW PHENOMENON

Psychologists and lawyers in the United States and elsewhere have argued that protracted periods in the confines of death row can make inmates suicidal, delusional and insane. Some have referred to the living conditions on death row – the bleak isolation and years of uncertainty as to time of execution – as the “death row phenomenon,” and the psychological effects that can result as “death row syndrome.” The origins of these concepts are often traced to the 1989 extradition hearings of Jens Soering, a German citizen who was charged with murders in Virginia in 1985 and who fled to the United Kingdom.

Soering argued to the European Court of Human Rights that the conditions he would face during the lengthy period between sentencing and execution would be as psychologically damaging as torture.

The court agreed. In its ruling that he could not be sent to a place that would sentence him to death, the court cited not the death penalty itself, but rather the “Death Row phenomenon” by which convicts spent years awaiting execution while their cases were appealed. (Associated Press, July 27, 1989). He was extradited in 1990, but only with the prosecutors’ promise not to seek the death penalty.

The case has been cited as precedent in international extradition cases, though today, courts in countries without the death penalty today often will not extradite to the United States because of the possibility of execution itself, regardless of how long the wait on death row, since the death penalty is seen as a violation of human rights.

Click here to read this feature in full.

Vietnam sentences Australian to death

September 18, 2007

An Australian man of Vietnamese origin has been sentenced to death for heroin trafficking in a Ho Chi Minh City court, a court official said.

Tony Manh, 40, of NSW, was convicted of trafficking 0.948 kilograms of heroin at the one-day trial, Phan Tanh, deputy head of the People's Court in Ho Chi Minh City, said.

Manh was sentenced to death and ordered to pay a fine of 50 million dong ($A3,755).

Manh was arrested in March after security officers at Tan Son Nhat airport in Ho Chi Minh City found the drugs hidden on his body as he was about to board a plane to Sydney.

The official Vietnam News Agency reported that Manh was paid $US10,000 ($A12,020) by a Vietnamese to smuggle the drug into Australia.

The counsellor at Australia's Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, Graham Pearce, said a representative from the consulate attended the trial, but declined to comment.

Tanh said the court would put on trial two other Australians of Vietnamese origin on Thursday, also on charges of heroin trafficking.

There was no suggestion the cases were connected to Manh's.

"Recently, the fact that many Australians of Vietnamese descent are involved in trafficking heroin from Vietnam to Australia has become a phenomenon," Tanh said.

"City authorities have been trying their best to stop this practice."

Several Australians of Vietnamese descent have been arrested for trafficking heroin to Australia from Vietnam in recent years and at least five were sentenced to death.

None of the sentences have yet been carried out.

In May, a Vietnamese Australian on a Sydney-bound plane vomited a nylon bag of white powder suspected to be heroin, causing the plane to return to Vietnam.

At the same airport in Ho Chi Minh City in February, an Australian woman was arrested after being caught with 1.5kg of heroin in her luggage.

Vietnam has some of the world's toughest drug laws.

Possessing, trading or trafficking more than 600g of heroin or 20kg of opium is punishable by death or life in prison.

About 100 people are sentenced to death in Vietnam each year for drug-related offences.

New Texas execution

HUNTSVILLE, Texas – His appeals exhausted, convicted killer Clifford Kimmel was put to death Thursday for his part in a triple slaying.

Two executions are set for next week: Michael Wayne Richard, 49, on Tuesday for the 1986 rape and slaying of Marguerite Dixon during a burglary of her home in Hockley, and a Dallas County man, Carlton Turner, 28, on Thursday for killing his parents in 1998.

First click free

Posted by Christina Cacioppo, News Support Team intern

As a college student, I use Google every day – email, news, documents and spreadsheets – you name the product, and I probably use it. This has made my summer internship with the Google News Support team even more illuminating. Though I thought I knew the ins and outs of many Google products (and there are lots of them), I'm actually only a beginner.

The News Support team interacts with users on a daily basis; we’re the go-to people for help and troubleshooting for our readers and publishers. We work hard to provide a comprehensive experience for Google News readers - from occasional surfers to news junkies. Whether we’re adding new sources or supporting new features (like video!), users are one of our primary concerns. Does a certain source have original articles that you will be interested in? Will you be able to access these articles?

One feature I’ve become more aware of is First click free. If you aren’t familiar, First click free is a way for publishers to share their subscription-only content with Google News readers. All articles that are accessed from Google News are allowed to skip over the subscription page.

In practice, this means that when you click on a link from Google News, you'll be able to see the article without receiving a prompt to login. If you would like to read more from the same source and choose to click on another story, you'll be taken to a registration prompt. We like to think of First click free as a simple system that allows you to test drive a news source before signing up on their site.

Finally, if publishers of subscription-based sites aren’t a part of our First click free program, we’re still happy to include their content – we’ll just tag the source as “(subscription)” to let you know that when you click on that article, you'll be directed to a subscription page.

If you love the current features of Google News like First click free (or if you don’t) you can share your thoughts with us on the Google News group. We look forward to hearing from you!