GI News—April 2008

• 10 tips to reduce the GI of your diet
• Nicole Senior looks at fibre, colon cleansing and being ‘healthy on the inside’
• Less sleep more fat says Prof. Trim
• Want healthy bones? Have a bowl of miso

Grandma was right, you are what you eat. Read all about it in Food for Thought. A new meta-analysis published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition provides compelling evidence that high GI diets increase your risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease. There’s also evidence for links between high blood glucose and gallstones and even some cancers. In News Briefs we look at the balance of protein to carbs in extending lifespan (in fruit flies!) and a new Dutch study that found people eating a low GI diet had higher levels of ‘good’ HDL cholesterol, improved insulin sensitivity and reduced chronic inflammation. Also this month we have two inspiring Success Stories, three delicious recipes plus Catherine Saxelby’s tips on getting enough iodine and why it matters in Feedback. You'll be pleased to hear we have put all our podcasts in one place in the right-hand column under 'Podcasts'.

Good eating, good health and good reading.



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

Food for Thought

Choose tricklers not gushers
Because there have been inconsistent findings from observational studies, the controversy over the effects of GI and the risk of lifestyle diseases has had that ‘how long is a piece of string quality’ about it.

The first meta-analysis to evaluate the association between the GI of the diet, and the risk of developing common lifestyle-related diseases, was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in March and provides additional evidence that diets with a high GI or a high GL will increase your risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease. It also shows there is evidence for links between high blood glucose and gallstones and even some types of cancer. ‘The key message,’ says lead author Alan Barclay, ‘is that the GI of your diet is a predictor of your disease risk. Grandma was right, you are what you eat.’



Low GI foods (the ones that trickle glucose into your bloodstream) have benefits for everybody. Not only can they keep you feeling full longer, they help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight and provide you and your brain with more consistent energy throughout the day. They can also have a major effect on the way the body functions and whether or not you develop health problems. Alan Barclay explains why: ‘If you have constantly high blood glucose levels from eating a high GI diet, you may literally “wear out” your pancreas over time and eventually this can lead to pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes.’

‘There’s also evidence from the studies that have been done that high blood glucose levels are linked to certain types of cancer, as well. This is because constant spikes in blood glucose from eating high GI gushers cause the body to release more insulin, and also increase a related substance called insulin like growth factor one (IGF-1). Both these hormones increase cell growth and decrease cell death, and have been shown to increase the risk of developing some types of cancer.’

‘Other research shows that a high GI diet tends to reduce “good” HDL cholesterol levels and raise triglycerides levels; bad news for cardiovascular diseases. And people with low HDL cholesterol and high triglyceride levels are more prone to gallstones.’

‘What it comes down to is that there’s a simple, cost-effective way for everybody to reduce their risk of developing diabetes and heart disease and enhance their quality of life. We all need to eat a healthy, low GI diet. I guess that simply means when it comes to carb-rich foods, choose the tricklers and reduce the overall GI of your diet.’

10 tips for reducing the GI of your diet

• Aim to eat at least two serves of fruit and five serves of vegetables every day, preferably of three or more different colours. Tidbit: Fill half your dinner plate with veggies.
  
• If you are a big potato eater, either have one or two Nicola, Almera or tiny chat potatoes. Tidbit: Make ‘mash’ replacing half the potato with cannellini beans.
  
• Choose a low GI bread. Look for the GI Symbol or choose a really grainy bread, true sourdough bread or a soy and linseed bread.
  
• Replace high GI breakfast flakes (real glucose gushers) with low GI alternatives like natural muesli, traditional porridge oats or one of the lower GI processed breakfast cereals.
  
• Look for lower GI rices such as basmati, Doongara Clever Rice or Moolgiri medium grain rice and choose less processed foods or low GI wholegrains such as traditional rolled or steel-cut oats, or quinoa for porridge or pearl barley, buckwheat, bulgur, whole kernel rye, or whole wheat kernels.
  
• Eat legumes (beans, chickpeas and lentils) often – home cooked or canned.
  
• Include at least one low GI carb with every meal. You’ll find them in four of the food groups: fruit and vegetables; bread and cereals; legumes; low fat dairy or soy alternatives.
  
• Choose low GI snacks – fresh fruit, a dried fruit and nut mix, low fat milk or yoghurt.
  
• Vinegar and lemon or lime juices slow stomach emptying and lower your blood glucose response to the carbohydrate with which they are eaten. Tidbit: Get the salad habit and toss it in a vinaigrette dressing.
  
• Limit refined flour products – cookies, cakes, pastries, pies, crumpets, crackers, biscuits irrespective of their fat and sugar content.

Two extra tips to reduce blood glucose spikes

• Incorporate a lean protein source with every meal – lean meat, skinless chicken, eggs, fish or seafood, or low fat dairy, legumes or tofu if you are vegetarian.
  
• Remember portion caution with carb-rich foods such as pasta, noodles and low GI rices. It’s all too easy to over-eat them. While they may be low GI choices themselves, eating lots of them will have a marked effect on your blood glucose.

News Briefs

Low GI diet reduces metabolic risk factors
Heart disease and type 2 diabetes don’t just happen. The signs may be silent, but the metabolic risk factors such as low levels of good HDL cholesterol, insulin resistance and elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) in the blood will be there. An article in the March issue of American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports that in the Dutch population that was studied, people who ate a low GI diet rich in dairy foods and fruit but with a low potato and cereal intake had higher levels of HDL 'good' cholesterol (the one that clears cholesterol from our arteries and aids its removal from the blood), improved insulin sensitivity, reduced chronic inflammation, and in nonsmokers, fasting glucose. The authors make the point that the 29% decrease they found in CRP was associated with a 10-unit decrease in dietary GI and seems promising for decreasing the risk of metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease.

We asked Alan Barclay whose meta-analysis that systematically reviewed the results of 37 prospective cohort studies on the association of dietary GI and chronic disease 'What’s a realistic GI to aim for in our diet and meals?' ‘A GI of 45 or less is a reasonable definition of a low GI diet or meal,' he says. ‘This is because what we now know from numerous observational cohort studies around the world is that the average GI of the diet of people in the lowest quintile (20% of the population) is about 40–50. Similarly, in a recent meta-analysis of 15 experimental studies investigating the role of low GI diets in managing diabetes, the average GI was 45. Since this average GI has been proven to have significant health benefits in people with existing diabetes and in reducing the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes, and importantly, people can and do achieve it in real life, we believe a GI of 45 or less is what we all need to be aiming for.’
– American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2008; 87



There’s always a catch
The balance of protein to carbs in the diet is critical in extending lifespan – in fruit flies – according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The key to a long life is eating less protein – and not just fewer calories, as was previously thought. But there’s a catch. While cutting protein may help you live longer, it may mean you'll have fewer children, well, if you’re a fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster).

‘Animals that eat less live longer, up to a point,’ says Prof. Stephen Simpson of the University of Sydney's School of Biological Sciences. Using new techniques developed by Simpson and Prof. David Raubenheimer (Auckland University) ‘Our research shows the balance of protein to carbohydrate in the diet is critical.’

‘Flies lived longest when the diet contained a low percentage of protein, and died sooner the more protein they consumed,’ says Professor Simpson. ‘But protein is needed for reproduction – so flies are faced with a conundrum: eat less protein and live longer, or eat more protein and lay more eggs? When offered a choice, flies behaved like nutrient-seeking missiles, unerringly mixing a relatively high protein diet that maximised their lifetime egg production. In other words, flies preferred to achieve maximum evolutionary fitness rather than live as long as possible,’ says Simpson.

– For more information: www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/0710787105/DC1
– email: stephen.simpson@bio.usyd.edu.au



GI Group: What is Drosophila melanogaster and why bother about it?
We turned to Gerard Manning’s website for answers here. Drosophila melanogaster the little fruit fly about 3 mm long that hovers over the ripe fruit bowl may be a pest in your kitchen but it has proved to be one of the most valuable organisms in biological research. Gerard Manning says: ‘Drosophila has been used as a model organism for research for almost a century. Its importance for human health was recognised by the award of the Nobel Prize in medicine/physiology to Ed Lewis, Christiane Nusslein-Volhard and Eric Wieschaus in 1995. Part of the reason people work on it is historical – so much is already known about it that it is easy to handle and well-understood – and part of it is practical: it’s a small animal, with a short life cycle of just two weeks, and is cheap and easy to keep large numbers.’ If you want to know more about fruit fly research, check out: ceolas.org

Don’t underestimate yourself
Five hundred and two people asked to estimate their waist measurement got it wrong! Men on average underestimated their waist size by 3.1 inches (7.9 cm).

The study, conducted by researchers from Leicester University, looked at 502 people from a variety of ethnic backgrounds. Women in general got their waist measurements wrong by 2.2 inches (5.5 cm). People from white European backgrounds were worse than people from South Asian backgrounds when estimating measurements, with an average 2.9 inches (7.4 cm) error compared to 1.6 inches (4.1cm) for South Asians.

The results of the study were presented to Diabetes UK's Annual Professional Conference in March. It can take years for symptoms of type 2 diabetes to emerge so simple indicators like waist size (having a large waist is one of the main risk factors) are important signals. ‘Measuring up is a reality check, the first step to recognising that you may not be as well as you feel,’ said Douglas Smallwood, Chief Executive of Diabetes UK. ‘To believe that you are more than three inches slimmer than you are is to ignore a clear warning of a risk of diabetes.’

So the take-home message is measure up. With a tape!



What's new?
Heart Food
By Veronica Cuskelly and Nicole Senior

Don’t get it, prevent it, is the message in this delicious new cookbook. While you can’t control your age, sex or family background, you can reduce your risk of becoming a heart disease statistic with a healthy heart diet and an active, low-stress lifestyle. Veronica and Nicole’s practical guide to caring for your heart starts in the kitchen. Their new book is packed with family friendly recipes that will be a hit at home, boost your energy, delight your tastebuds and best of all, give your heart the TLC it needs.

Peach, Orange, Carrot and Tahini Juice with Honeydew Melon
Makes 2 serves



Each serving contains ½ a serve of vegetables and 2 serves of fruit

1 cup (250 g/9 oz) sliced canned peaches in natural juice
1 orange (300 g/10½ oz), peeled, quartered, seeds removed
1 carrot (125 g/4½ oz), peeled, chopped roughly
1½ tablespoons (30 g/1 oz) tahini
3 ice cubes
2 wedges(100 g/3½ oz each) honeydew melon

• Place the peaches and juice, orange, carrot, tahini and ice cubes in a blender and blend until smooth – about 20 seconds. Pour into glasses and serve with the melon wedges

Per serving
917 kJ/219 calories; 6 g protein; 9 g fat (includes 1 g sat fat); 27 g carbohydrate ; 8 g fibre

Low GI gluten-free Living Made Easy – North American edition now available
By Kate Marsh, Prof. Jennie Brand-Miller and Philippa Sandall
Published by Da Capo Lifelong Books



More than two million North Americans have celiac disease and need to eat a gluten-free diet – but the absence of grains and the higher fat and sugar content of many gluten-free products can cause some nutrient deficiencies. Having lived with type 1 diabetes since she was ten and celiac disease for the past few years, dietitian and author Kate Marsh knows the difficulties of following a restricted diet. That’s why she teamed up with Prof Jennie Brand-Miller and Philippa Sandall, to put together in a very simple and down-to-earth way everything you need to know about healthy, gluten-free eating including:

• 7 simple dietary guidelines for low GI gluten free eating
  
• Low GI substitutes for common high GI foods
  
• GI values of hundreds of popular gluten-free foods.

Plus 70 easy-to-prepare, delicious recipes the whole family will relish.

Food of the Month

Healthy bones and a bowl of miso
Hot on the heels of last month’s ‘legumes linked to lower diabetes risk’ story, comes news that boosting your intake of fermented soybeans (like miso) can help with insulin resistance and lead to improvements in bone health. In a study published in Geriatrics and Gerontology International (vol. 8, supplement 1), 56 healthy post-menopausal women were randomly assigned to receive a bowl of fermented soybean soup, providing a daily isoflavone aglycone dose of 24 milligrams, or a bowl of a placebo soup for four weeks. The women didn’t eat any other soybean-based foods or isoflavone supplements for five weeks prior to the start of the trial nor during it. Lead author Mari Mori from Mukogawa Women's University Institute reports that a ‘four-week intake of fermented soybeans improves bone metabolism in post-menopausal women by attenuating the excessive enhancement of bone resorption as well as by promoting bone formation.’ The researchers also found that blood levels of insulin were significantly lower after four weeks of the fermented soybean soup, compared to the placebo soup.



If you haven’t tried it, miso is a Japanese soybean and grain paste that has been fermented and then aged for up to three years. It is usually made with rice or barley. It’s a versatile savoury soup base similar to bouillon paste or cubes. Look for tubs of miso in the refrigerated section of Japanese food markets, health foods stores, or large supermarkets. Powdered miso is also available, as are powdered soup mixes made with miso and dashi.

And if you want to boost your bone health, try Kate Hemphill’s miso soup recipe this month.

Where do you get it?
Readers tell us that they have problems tracking down some of the low GI foods we recommend. So now you have it. ‘Where do you get it?’ Dietitian Kate Marsh is first of the rank with her favourite organic home delivery service who stock Nicola potatoes, brown basmati rice, quinoa and a wide range of legumes and sourdough breads! So Sydneysiders, this one is for you: www.abundantorganics.com.au

Low GI Recipes of the Month

Our chef Kate Hemphill develops deliciously simple recipes for GI News that showcase seasonal ingredients and make it easy for you to cook healthy, low GI meals and snacks. For more of Kate’s fabulous fare, check out: www.lovetocook.co.uk. For now, prepare and share good food with family and friends.

Miso, Shitake and Soy Bean Soup
When you really want something nutritious and comforting, try this soup. It’s gluten-free too! Fresh soy beans are now readily available shelled and frozen in some larger supermarkets and in Asian produce stores. You may know them as edamame in Japanese restaurants.



Serves 4

2 tbsp brown rice miso
6 cups (1½ litres) water
handful dried shitake mushrooms
200 g (7 oz) frozen shelled soy beans (edamame)
50 g (1¾ oz) buckwheat soba noodles
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
2 spring onions, finely sliced
red pickled ginger to serve (optional)

• Dissolve the miso paste in water and bring to the boil. Add the soy beans, mushrooms, noodles and ginger and simmer for 10 minutes, or until beans and noodles are cooked.
  
• Serve in soup bowls topped with spring onions and pickled ginger (if using).

Per serve
570 kJ/ 136 calories; 9 g protein; 3.8 g fat (includes 0.5 g saturated fat); 18 g carbohydrate; 3.8 g fibre

Brown Rice Salad with Beetroot Relish
By combining the brown rice with barley, you reduce the overall GI of this lovely, crunchy, nutritious salad. Use a low (or lower) GI brown rice such as Uncle Ben’s Ready Whole Grain Brown Rice (GI 48) or Doongara brown rice (GI 66). The beetroot relish also works well with grilled meats and burgers and will last for five days, covered, in the fridge. You can add any other vegetables you like to the salad to make it a veritable Mediterranean medley.
Serves 4–6

100 g (3½ oz) brown rice
100 g (3½ oz) pearl barley
1 red + 1 yellow pepper, cut into 2–3cm (1 inch) squares
2 tbsp toasted pine nuts
handful of flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
200 g (7 oz) baby spinach, rinsed
extra virgin olive oil (about a teaspoon)

Relish
2 large beetroot, roasted and peeled (or pre-cooked in natural juices and drained)
1 tbsp capers, rinsed and drained
handful of flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil

• Cook the brown rice and pearl barley in two separate large saucepans of boiling water until tender. Drain and return to the rice pan with all other salad ingredients. Stir well and add a little extra virgin olive oil. Even if you are serving the salad cold, this step will soften the vegetables with the heat in the rice pan. Season with plenty of cracked black pepper.
  
• While the rice and barley are cooking, blitz all relish ingredients together, leaving a little texture.
  
• Serve rice salad warm or room temperature with a spoonful of beetroot relish on top.

Per serve (based on 6 serves)
980 kJ/233 calories; 5 g protein; 11 g fat (includes 1.3 g saturated fat); 26 g carbohydrate; 4.5 g fibre

Busting Food Myths with Nicole Senior

Myth: Colon cleansing promotes a healthy bowel.


Nicole Senior

Fact: While the idea of sticking a tube up your bottom and flushing your bowel with loads of warm water might make you squirm, alternative practitioners of colonic irrigation say it has a variety of benefits such as removing toxins, restoring healthy bowel function, and even reducing tiredness and depression. Despite it being a most unnatural act, you should know that colonic irrigation (or lavage) has a number of risks such as bowel perforation and infection, electrolyte imbalance and transfer of bugs that cause diarrhoea. The most serious risk, bowel perforation and infection, requires surgical repair and IV antibiotics. While good bowel function is essential for your inner glow, a healthy balanced diet with enough fibre and a bit of exercise does the job for you in a more natural and enjoyable way.

So, how do you eat enough fibre to stay healthy on the inside? Well, not by sprinkling bran on everything. Actually too much insoluble fibre (such as bran) can interfere with the absorption of minerals such as iron and zinc, and without a simultaneous increase in fluid intake may plug things up. In general, it’s best to drink plenty of fluids and get fibre the way nature intended: in plant foods such as vegetables; wholegrains; legumes; fruits; nuts and seeds. And the bonus is these foods are heart-friendly and good for people with diabetes and pre-diabetes as well.

There’s no need to stick anything anywhere the sun don’t shine for a healthy bowel – let healthy food shine through for you!


Click on the cover to purchase

Dietitian Nicole Senior is author of Eat to Beat Cholesterol available online at: www.eattobeatcholesterol.com.au

Dr David’s Tips for Raising Healthy Kids

The dreaded V word
Sooner or later there comes a moment that all doctors working with overweight kids dread. We pause, take a breath and utter the ‘V’ word. Vegetables. Suddenly the mother trembles, the father dives for cover and the kid erupts with some version of ‘Eewwwwwww! Yuck.’ Of course there’s nothing in a child’s nature that makes him hate vegetables. If there were, humans would have died out from malnutrition generations ago. Vegetables don’t have to be a battle. But they do have to be tasty. And you don’t have to be sneaky. It’s better for all concerned if kids understand why veggies are important for their health and learn to enjoy them.



Eleven year old Sam and his mother Tricia were generally pleased with the progress made during their first few months at OEL. Sam had really made substantial improvements with his diet and was getting to be more active. However, he simply refused to eat vegetables. Period. Tricia, who held down a demanding full-time job was honest in admitting she was no Julia Child. ‘I’m not a great cook, and my husband is worse,’ she said. Nevertheless, each night she dutifully prepared a balanced meal consisting of protein, low GI starch and … canned vegetables. She was frustrated Sam wouldn’t even give them a try. Cautiously I said I possibly wouldn’t eat canned veggies either. I told Tricia that I appreciated how little time she had, but making veggies tasty doesn’t take much time. In fact they have to look good, taste good, smell good and feel good. Here's my tips that helped Tricia get Sam to gobble up his greens. I hope they help you get your very own ‘refusenik’ asking for more.

• Make a salad of crispy lettuce tossed in a vinaigrette dressing with raw veggies such as tiny tomatoes, carrot rings, celery slices, pieces of capsicum (sweet pepper)
  
• Stir fry any fresh green leafy vegetable (spinach, broccoli, mustard greens, collard greens) in a pan with a little olive oil, garlic and a tiny pinch of salt if you wish and stir over a medium heat.
  
• Bake sliced zucchini topped with a favourite red pasta sauce in the oven for twenty or thirty minutes.
  
• Steam just about any vegetable until just tender, sprinkle with reduced-fat grated cheese and enjoy.
  
• Juice some veggies or add them to soups or serve vegetable finger foods with dips.

And as Kaye Foster-Powell says in her Low GI Family Cookbook: ‘Don’t leave vegetables till the end of the day. Young children especially can be tired and fragile by dinnertime so getting them to eat their dinner let alone the vegetables is a big ask. Try to incorporate 3 vegetables as a normal part of eating throughout the day from raw carrot and celery sticks as snacks to salad with their lunchtime sandwich.’


Dr David Ludwig

– 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

Move It & Lose It with Prof Trim

Less sleep, more fat
This month’s story sounds a bit like a contradiction of the ‘move it and lose it’ terms. But lack of sleep causes more problems than just feeling tired the next day. Although the connection has been suspected for some time, several studies have now shown a connection between lack of sleep and increases in body weight. This has been shown to occur early in life, with children as young as five or six having a greater risk of becoming overweight later in life if they sleep less than seven hours a night on a regular basis.



One reason for this might be obvious: The longer you are awake, the more time you have to eat. And given that this time is not likely to be spent being active, the extra energy intake will quickly develop into extra body weight.

More detailed research however has also shown that certain hunger hormones, particularly one called leptin, are increased with extra waking hours. It’s proposed that this goes back to evolution when longer periods of wakefulness were associated with getting more food in lean times. Irrespective of the cause it seems sleep is important – and we’re getting less and less of it with our busy modern lifestyles.

Many of us have trouble sleeping from time to time, especially when we are stressed or have worries. Insomnia is a symptom not a disease. Reducing anxiety and sticking to a day–night routine can improve sleep quality. Suggestions include:

• Get your bedroom right, it should be cool, dark and quiet. And limit activities to sleeping and sex. No television or dealing with the day’s emails on your laptop.
  
• Take time to unwind before bed – whatever it takes: a warm bath, soft music, meditating, a good book. No late night news or sitcoms.
  
• Cut down on drinking. Yes a nightcap can be relaxing. It may even help you nod off. But it will more likely produce fragmented, fitful sleep than sweet dreams and sound sleep.
  
• Avoid tea, coffee and other caffeinated drinks after four in the afternoon. That includes drinks with guarana.
  
• No big meals late at night. Give your full stomach the good two hours it needs to digest food before you dream of turning in.
  

If your insomnia has persisted for years, see your doctor or contact a sleep disorder clinic.


Dr Garry Egger aka Prof Trim

– Click for more information on Professor Trim.

Your Questions Answered

This month GI News welcomes back dietitian and nutritionist Catherine Saxelby to answer your questions about healthy living, food and nutrition.

The fundraising chocolate bar makes my blood boil! Do you have any suggestions for alternatives that parents like me will be happier selling to our friends?
Fundraising chocolate isn’t the Win/Win situation the chocolate companies would have you believe. It’s actually a win for them but a no-win for your family’s health. Chocolate has long been an easy vehicle for fundraising because it keeps for weeks without refrigeration, it’s easy to carry, and everyone loves a treat. I have to confess that all too often we end up buying the whole box and just paying the school the money! Here are five win/win fundraisers that I have found. I am sure you’ll be much happier asking your friends to buy these practical products.

• Small 100 g tubes or roll-ons of SPF30+ sunblock. Keeps well and every family always needs more! The local pharmacy may be happy to help organise this with your school.
  
• An Apple Spiral or Slinky machine is an easy, healthy alternative. It cores, slices and peels an apple into apple spirals or slinkies that kids love. Google ‘apple spiral or slinky’ for brands and contact details.
  
• This one is good for you and good for the planet. Instead of buying bottled water when you are out and about, take your own filtered water bottle. The one I know about is Brita’s sport bottle. But there are others on the market. Just Google ‘filtered portable water bottles’.
  
• Consider making inroads into your school’s lost property by fundraising with easy, fun iron on clothing and name labels. The school or the P&C circulates an order form from a label making company and takes orders and money. The goods get delivered to the school which receives a 20% donation from the supplier which is what a retailer would normally take. Google ‘iron on clothing and name labels’ for brands and contact details.
  
• Fresh produce – a bit like having a farmers’ market at school. Invite the local fresh produce market or shop to supply mangoes, watermelon, corn cobs or other fresh product on a set day – depending what’s in season. The school advertises it as “Magic Mango Day” or similar and the kids go home with something fresh for the family to eat at a good price.

If you have some bright ideas for school fundraisers that are healthy and practical, we would love to hear from you. Just post your suggestions below.

I was interested in your comments on salt last month. I have heard that the Australian soil is devoid of iodine. Is this true?
Yes, the soil in some parts of Australia has low levels of some minerals, especially the trace minerals iodine and selenium. Tasmania and the ACT for example have low levels of iodine as do many parts of New Zealand which means that foods grown in these soils will be deficient. Iodine prevents goitre and promotes normal functioning of the thyroid gland. It also aids brain function. And although we only need a teaspoon for an entire lifetime, lack of iodine is a major problem in many parts of the world and it’s now thought that iodine intake levels in Australia have dropped. Your best sources of iodine are readily available — fish and iodised salt. In fact, eating fish once a week should give you all the iodine you need.



'What is the latest research on low GI carbs and those who exercise moderately (around 60 minutes, mod intensity) and those who exercise at a higher intensity. Information on pre and post exercise carbs (as per a fitness course I'm currently undertaking) appears to conflict with general advice on good nutrition, advocating high GI foods.
Dr Emma Stevenson who is an expert in these things says: ‘Our research has continually showed that consuming low GI carbs in the hours before exercise can increase the rate at which you burn fat during exercise and also will help to maintain a more sustained blood glucose level. Eating a meal or snack containing LGI carbs 2–4 hours before exercise is what’s usually recommended. The type of carbohydrates that you consume during recovery from exercise depends on the length of time before your next training session. If your recovery time is more than 4 hours then it doesn’t matter what type of carbohydrate you eat or drink as long as you consume enough of it! If recovery time is short, then HGI carbs are useful to replace muscle glycogen concentrations quickly and efficiently. However, research has shown that consuming low GI carbs over a 24-hour recovery period can improve endurance capacity the next day.’



Following your piece on the benefits of beans (particularly soybeans), do you have a selection of recipes which includes these beans? And how much is a high intake?
The cookbooks by Prof Jennie Brand-Miller and her team all have lots of legume recipes, including a few with soybeans and miso. Some titles to check out are The Low GI Diet Cookbook, The Low GI Vegetarian Cookbook, Low GI Gluten-free Living and The Low GI Family Cookbook. As you will see this month our food of the month is miso (fermented soybeans) and Kate has a recipe using it too. Asian and vegetarian cookbooks are the best place to find recipes using soybeans, but we will keep your request in mind. If you would like to snack on roasted soy nuts, check out the recipe in the January 2007 issue of GI News (just pop the recipe name in the Google search bar in the right-hand column). What's a high intake of legumes? Well the women in the study who were consuming the most legumes were eating around 65 g (2 1/2 oz) legumes a day (including soybeans) and a high daily intake of soybeans was 32 g (a bit over 1 oz). The women also ate around 3 g a day peanuts (yes, they are legumes too). It’s very achievable as these aren't huge amounts at all. To help you get started, here are some tips to boost your intake.

• Serve home-cooked or canned red kidney beans with tacos, burritos, pasta or rice.
• Chickpeas go well with curries and stir-fries.
• Make some dahl with lentils or split peas to serve with a curry.
• Add home-cooked or canned cannellini, borlotti, butter or black-eyed beans to soups, stews and salads.
• Snack on roasted soy nuts. Just a small handful.

Your Success Stories

‘Eating low GI is saving my life’ – Bev
The threat of type 2 diabetes loomed large in my life. I had undiagnosed gestational diabetes with my first child and was able to control it through healthy food choices during my second pregnancy. Although significantly overweight, I was always interested in nutrition. Then last year I realised I’d better take the weight off if I didn’t want to develop diabetes and end up significantly disabled by it – just like my mother. Low GI made that change possible. I was never hungry because my blood sugar no longer spiked and I was eating high fibre foods. My chronic headaches disappeared and I had much more energy. After the first 30 pounds (13.6 kg) I began jogging and now, at almost 60 pounds (27 kg) lost, I would never want to eat or live any other way.



Low GI foods help me maintain a healthy blood glucose and give me all the energy I need to raise a family, work full time and still fit in a run three times per week. Even my kids like low GI. Last night I was greeted with squeals of joy that we were having salmon with pasta and a crispy salad for dinner. And you should see all the blueberries I have in my freezer that I put up when they were in season. I plan to be around a long time now and healthy enough to chase after my future grandchildren when that day comes.

‘We both love being outdoors and staying active.’ – Kathy
I was diagnosed as being pre-diabetic and quickly adopted the GI way of eating. Everything is under control with this healthy eating program and increased exercise. I lost the unwanted and unhealthy weight, and my energy levels soared. You are never too old to get into shape. I am on no medication whatsoever. For starters I go to the gym two or three times a week. I always take a couple of classes per visit, and mix up the classes each week.



I am 60 years old and have been married for 40 years. I get my most fun exercise during all four seasons with my best friend and husband, Bill. In the winter we cross country ski and snowshoe. In the spring, summer and fall we kayak, bike, swim, hike, camp, fish, walk, etc. We also own three horses and maintain 10 acres of pasture. We both love being outdoors and staying active. Even on days when I feel sluggish, our hyper active English Springer Spaniel dog still needs to be walked. Getting our dog out to walk daily is a great chance to reflect on life.

GI Symbol News with Alan Barclay

Lowering the GI of your diet starts in the supermarket
We now know that lowering the average GI of your daily diet to around 45 is one of the keys to good health. Computer modelling has shown that whenever possible, choosing carbohydrate foods or beverages with the lowest GI within a specific category, is the best way of achieving this. Ideally, this means choosing ones with a low GI (less than or equal to 55) for each main meal or snack (if you have snacks).

Of course, for some food/beverage categories, there are no low GI alternatives, and as such, products with a medium GI may in fact be the best choice. For example, the average GI of most common varieties of potatoes is around 80 , and most breads is around 75. Choosing lower GI varieties of potato like Nicola (58) and Almera (65), which are not technically low GI, will still help you to lower the average GI of your diet if you are traditionally a big potato eater, because they are significantly lower than their regular counterpart.

Similarly, if you only like white breads ( or if you are unable to chew the heavy grained breads), choosing the lower GI varieties like Tip Top Up energi (58) or WonderWhite LowerGI (59) will still lead to a substantial reduction in the average GI of your daily diet.

To help people lower the average GI of their daily diet to around 45, GI Ltd will be encouraging manufacturers of lower GI foods to join the GI Symbol Program so that consumers can choose the tricklers at a glance when they are shopping.


Alan Barclay

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

The Latest GI Values

Edgell's canned brown lentils
Although this is an Australian brand, it will probably be similar for other brands of canned lentils. Generally in our testing of legumes (pulses) we find that the GI values are a little higher for canned products than home cooked. Here are the results: GI 42

Sunrice Doongara CleverRice
This is the fifth time SUGiRS has tested this long grain rice in the past five years (they do it every time they are using this brand of rice in a GI study). This time Fiona's team cooked it in a rice cooker. Here are the results: GI 48

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 http://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 http://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

See The New Glucose Revolution on YouTube

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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.

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Kingmaker's debate

I've been looking at the minor leaders debates in Parliament that screened on TVNZ7 today. If you`ve never heard of TVNZ7, read this.

You can watch the entire video here, or on the TVNZ website. Or if you prefer, it screens at midnight tonight on TV1.

On the Maori seats: When asked if the seats were a bottom line, Pita Sharples says yes, but he also said that the repeal of the Labour's Foreshore and Seabed Act was a bottom line too.

It remains to be seen which "bottom line" is lower should the Maori party be Kingmaker.What we do know is that ACT's bottom line is the scrapping of the top tax rate: Will John Key come out and say thats not National policy?

In a Colmar Brunton poll commissioned by TV NZ for this debate, 37 percent watched the death penalty brought in (58 per cent opposed it), Pakeha was the least privileged people group and Maori the most privileged - and most NZers are happy with MMP. However, accordingto the poll, the country is split on the Maori seats, 48 percent want them, 47 percent don't, and just 28 percent want a republic.

Jet Airways

Jet Airways of India has announced new international routes that will be launched from April 2008. These include flights to PVG, HKG, SFO, AUH and MCT from various points in India. The main highlights are as follows :

BOM/PVG/SFO - new daily flights to be launched from May 5th using a Boeing 777-300ER. 9W will have 5th freedom rights on the lucurative PVG-SFO-PVG route.

BOM/HKG - new daily flights to be launched from April 14th using an A 332 nonstop.

BOM/AUH - new daily flights to be launched from April 24th using a Boeing 737-800

DEL/AUH - new daily flights to be launched from April 24th using a Boeing 737-800.

COK/DOH - new daily flights to be launched from April 18th using a Boeing 737-800.

BOM/MCT - new daily flights to be launched from April 18th using a Boeing 737-800.

Korean Air

Korean Air has officially revealed that it will be launching new 3 weekly flights to GRU-Sao Paulo, Brazil from its ICN-Seoul hub via LAX-Los Angeles three times a week effective June 2nd 2008. The flight will be operated using a B 772ER and will have full 5th freedom rights on the LAX-GRU sector. As a result, its overall frequency to LAX too will grow as a result of this from 17 to 20 times a week i.e. double daily B 744s + 6 weekly B 772ERs.

Austrian Airlines

Austrian Airlines has announced that it will be launching new flights to RUH-Riyadh and JED-Jeddah each respectively nonstop from its VIE-Vienna hub effective August 18th 2008. RUH will be flown 3 times a week using an A 320 where as JED will be flown 4 times a week using also an A 320.

Emirates

Emirates has officially confirmed that it will be launching new nonstop flights from its DXB-Dubai hub to LAX-Los Angeles effective Sept 1st 2008. EK will use the Boeing 777-200LR on this flight which will seat 266 pax in a 3 class configuration. The flight will however suffer a payload restriction on both legs in the cargo belly as on the outbound sector, it can carry only 8 tons of cargo where as on the return it can carry 10 tons of cargo. A Boeing 772LR can carry 12-14 tons of cargo with a full load of pax on flights such as DXB-ORD!

EK's flight timings to LAX are as follows :

EK 215 Dep DXB 0820 Arr LAX 1355
EK 216 Dep LAX 1645 Arr 1940+1

Comments :

These flight timings allow excellent connections in both directions to AMD, IKA, DOH, KHI, MCT, KWI, BOM, DEL, BLR, MAA, HYD, COK, LHE, ISB and TRV. There is however bad news to report for EK as the German Transportation Ministry has refused to allow EK to fly to Berlin till 2011 and Stuggart till 2016 which is not a surprise to many as Lufthansa lobbied hard for this as they view EK as a huge threat in Germany towards their Asia and Africa market share.

Qatar Airways

Qatar Airways has revealed that effective January 2nd 2009, it will be increasing capacity on its JED-Jeddah bound flights by flying the route daily with a Boeing 777-200LR. This will therefore result in the carrier offering a "same plane" daily service from IAH-Houston via DOH to JED.

The flight timings are as follows :

QR 078 Dep IAH 1215 Arr DOH 1210+1

QR 766 Dep DOH 1340+1 Arr JED 1610+1

QR 767 Dep JED 1740 Arr DOH 1955

QR 077 Dep DOH 0120+1 Arr IAH 0915+1

Comments :

This is viewed as an excellent move by QR offering a same plane service on this very important high yielding oil/energy route which people think will result in many business class passengers flying them rather than its competitors. FYI, QR is involved in LH and UAL's respective frequent flier programs therefore making them an attractive option for the corporate traveller who are members of these 2 airline's frequent flier programs.

Asiana Airlines

Asiana Airlines has decided to upgrade capacity on its 3 weekly flights from ICN to DEL which are currently flown using a Boeing 767-300ER. Effective July 3rd, it will use the Airbus A 330-300 on this route on a permament basis.

Air India

Air India will be upgrading capacity on its daily DEL-FRA-LAX flight by replacing the Boeing 747-400 Combi used on the route with a brand new Boeing 777-300ER. This will come into effect from May 17th 08. It has also announced that it will be suspending all flights to Bangkok effective March 31st 2008 and as a result fly to PVG-Shanghai from BOM via DEL nonstop using an Airbus A 310-300 four times a week only. It will however continue to offer code share service to BKK from BOM/DEL/MAA via its partner i.e. Indian Airlines.

Comments :

This will be seen as a huge relief to the LAX Air India passengers who have suffered many dangerous instances when taking AI for their journey back home. Few times there were fire related incidents with the aircraft and many times huge delays due to a tech problem. With the new B 773ER now destined to operate the route, AI will hope that the bad PR it has gotten over the years in LA will be forgotten when its pax experience its new in-flight product on board the B 773ER.

Thai Airways

Thai Airways has confirmed that it will be increasing frequencies to CGK-Jakarta from the on set of the Summer 08 timetable i.e. March 31st. Service will increase from daily to 10 times a week using AB6 three times a week plus a daily A 333.

EVA Air

EVA Air will be increasing capacity to KUL-Kuala Lumpur from the on set of the Winter 2008 timetable by deploying its Boeing 777-300ER twice a week on the nonstop TPE-KUL route where as the remaining 4 weekly frequencies will be flown using an A 330-200.

KLM

KLM has revealed that it will be reducing capacity to NBO-Nairobi from Summer 2008 by flying nonstop from its AMS hub using the Airbus A 330-200 on a daily basis instead of the Boeing 747-400. This is a direct result of the on going political crisis that has en-gulfed the state of Kenya since the new year causing many airlines to review their capacity and frequencies to the country.

Air Canada

Air Canada has confirmed that it will be making major capacity adjustments to its key Latin America routes effective December 1st 2008. The main highlights are as follows :

SCL - will get 5 weekly terminator flights from YYZ flown nonstop using the B 763ER from Dec 1st 08.

EZE - will get 5 weekly terminator flights from YYZ flown nonstop using the B 763ER from Dec 1st 08.

GRU - capacity will be upgraded to a daily B 773ER from Dec 1st 08.

Qantas

Qantas of Australia will be launching a new long haul route to EZE-Buenos Aires, Argentina nonstop from its Sydney hub. QF will fly the route 3 times a week using a Boeing 747-400 on Mon/Wed/Sat. Besides this, the airline also revealed that it will definitely not be ordering the Boeing 747-800 nor the Boeing 777 range of aero planes in the long term as its requirements revolve around the A 350 and B 787 programs.

Etihad Airways

Etihad Airways has informed the media that it will indeed by placing a mega order worth nearly US$ 10 billion from Boeing or Airbus during the summer for 100 more planes i.e. 50 firm + 50 options. It will be ordering planes in all 3 categories i.e. 500 seater, 300 seater and 140 seater and would like them to be delivered from 2013 onwards.

Analysis:

EY wants planes delivered by 2013 which means the A 350 has no chance if one goes why what EY states! The only planes that can be delivered by 2013 or from 2013 are the A 380/B 748 in the VLA category, the A 330/A 340/B 787/B 777 in the medium size category and the A 320 in the narrow body category. It is quite obvious that for the narrow body fleet that EY will choose the A 320 over the B 737NGs.

For the VLA category, all hints lead towards a follow up order for additional A 380s. The only reason why I feel that EY is feeling the pressure to order more A 380s because they know that EK will be using them on the key trunk routes of LHR, NYC, SYD, BKK and India which are key markets of EY as well. For Etihad to compete effectively against EK by trying to match the low unit costs per seat that the A 380 can offer on long haul flights, it probably feels the necessity to order more of these aircraft type before its too late.

The main interest one feels lies in the medium sized aircraft category as this is where the main order is to be won. The complex issue is that EY operates both the B 773ER and the A 330/340 family of aircraft hence it could end up ordering both aircraft but that is unlikely.

Personally speaking, if I were in charge of EY and needed to order approximately 40 medium sized jets for delivery by 2013, I would opt for the following :

14 B 772LRs as these aircraft offer better economies of scale when flying ultra long haul routes nonstop such as AUH-USA, AUH-Australia, AUH-YYZ and AUH-Brazil in the short term future compared to the A 345. The 14 B 77Ls ordered would be used to fully replace EY's A 345 fleet in the following manner :

2 for daily AUH-SYD
2 for daily AUH-MEL
2 for daily AUH-PER
2 for daily AUH-ORD
2 for daily AUH-Brazil
2 for daily AUH-LAX/SFO
2 for daily AUH-IAD
4 for the eventual double daily AUH-NYC

B 773ERs for high density regional and long haul routes within a 8-14 hour flying time radius of AUH.

A 332s to expand on medium density medium haul routes into Europe, Africa, India and the Far East.

B 789s should be ordered to fully replace EY's A 332 fleet within a decade.

I would not order more A 345s / A 346s because they are economically an inferior aircraft to operate on ultra long haul routes compared to the B 77Ls and B 77Ws. If anyone doubts this statement of mine, please take a close look as to why AF, AC, EK, QR, SQ and CX adopted similar fleet replacement policies. EY should follow what QR is doing i.e. set up an aircraft leasing firm and dry lease out their A 345s / A 346s when the time is right.

Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines will be reducing their flights to LAX-Los Angeles that are routed via TPE-from 1st July 08. Frequencies would be cut to 4 weekly flights flown using a Boeing 777-200ER. On the India front, SQ has confirmed its intentions of increasing BLR bound flights to 12 times a week and then double daily as soon as the Indian Govt approves its request. With regards to DEL flights, it also plans to fly the route double daily within 2 years pending Govt approval.

Lufthansa

Lufthansa has officially confirmed that due to security related fears expressed by its cabin crew union, it will be suspending flights to Karachi effective immediately but will continue to fly to Lahore via a technical stop in Muscat. LH will continue to use the A 300-600R (AB6) on the FRA-LHE route via MCT until May 29th at least. Its cabin crew used to overnight at the Pearl Continental Hotel in LHE but now will deplane in Muscat.

It also officially confirmed that due to changing market conditions in the Middle East, it will be undertaking a major reshuffling of its key GCC routes effective this summer. The main highlights are as follows :

i. 3 weekly FRA/KWI/DMM and 3 weekly FRA/DXB/AUH will be replaced by 3 weekly FRA-DMM-AUH operated by an A 333. LH will not have 5th freedom traffic rights on the DMM-AUH-DMM sector.

ii. FRA-KWI will now become a daily A 333 operated terminator flight.

iii. FRA-DXB-MCT once a week is suspended but the 3 weekly A 333 operated flight from FRA to MCT via DOH is maintained.

Analysis:

This does not come across as a surprise what so ever as the recent twin bomb blasts in LHE really frightened the LH cabin crew who took a combined decision not to stay in the city until the law and order situation improves. In any case, LH should look at now concentrating its long term strategy in PAK around LHE and forget KHI as its fruitless for them competing against EY/QR/EK on EU/UK/USA/YYZ routes. From LHE is where a vast majority of Pakistan's immigrant population residing in the West hails from and the city sees higher yield revenue per seat than KHI for most carriers due to lack of competition compared to KHI.

Therefore, if this problem continues with its cabin crew, LH should seriously consider routing its LHE bound flights via a Middle East city that allows it also to carry lucrative 5th freedom traffic on the Middle East-Lahore route which will also provide it with an additional source of revenue.

Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines announced recently that in order to cater for the peak summer season traffic to its home base and Europe, it will be flying an additional 4th weekly flight to ICN-Seoul nonstop from IST between 28th June and 17th September. All 4 weekly flights operated by TK will be flown using an Airbus A 340-300.

Air Asia X

Air Asia X of Malaysia (the long haul low cost airline) has officially confirmed that it has placed an order for 10 additional Airbus A 330-300s with Airbus earlier on in the week. All of its A 333s will seat 392 passengers in an all economy class layout. This new order brings the total number of A 333s ordered by the airline to 25.

Why can't some people save for a house deposit?

It must be tough being a childless couple trying to buy a house these days. Especially when you`re earning $130,000 and can't even save 15 percent of that income towards a house deposit. Previously they were throwing "dead" money on rent, now they`re throwing even more" dead" money on interest payments and their loan could be worth more than their home for one reason: They didn`t save.

Heres a couple with a $120,000 income. They pay $900 a week to service a 375k mortgage.That's $48,600 a year. They have a 100 per cent loan because they couldnt save. And here is another couple on a similar income who say they can`t have kids because of their high mortgage.If they had saved just 40 per cent of their income, they could have had a 25 per cent deposit on their home in just two years.

Because they didn't save, they now have to spend more than half their income on mortgage payments.

I`d like to know this. Now they`re paying $48,000 a year on a mortgage, why couldn`t they save at least $500 a week for two years before spending $900 a week plus rates and insurance on a house. They`d then have a $52,000 deposit and much lower mortgage payments.

air algerie

Air Algerie has confirmed that due to high demand in the summer peak season, it will be increasing its nonstop flights from its ALG hub to YUL-Montreal from 2 to 3 weekly flights operated by the Airbus A 330-200.

want answers to your uni exams?

Go here. It's a site where NZ university students can buy and sell exam scripts that have scored over 85%. They`ll buy for $25 and sell for $5. It's all legal and profit is made by selling multiple copies of exam scripts. They also have a Facebook site, most of whom are Asians who attend university in Auckland. I won`t be using it.

Qantas

Qantas of Australia will be launching a new long haul route to EZE-Buenos Aires, Argentina nonstop from its Sydney hub. QF will fly the route 3 times a week using a Boeing 747-400 on Mon/Wed/Sat. Besides this, the airline also revealed that it will definitely not be ordering the Boeing 747-800 nor the Boeing 777 range of aero planes in the long term as its requirements revolve around the A 350 and B 787 programs.

EL AL Israel

EL AL of Israel has confirmed via a message to its share holders and to a message mentioned on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange last week that it has placed an additional order for 4 new Boeing 777-200ERs directly from Boeing to cater for future expansion especially on USA routes.

GMG Airlines

GMG Airlines of Bangladesh has revealed in a statement to the media that it has confirmed placing an order for 6 new wide bodied aircraft from Boeing last week. The order consists of 3 Boeing 777-300ERs + 3 Boeing 787-900s.

In order to account for a stop gap capacity measure, the airline is seeking to lease few Boeing 767-300ERs to expand its international operations. Its main competitor i.e. Biman Bangladesh revealed that it signed a MOU with Boeing for 4 B 773ERs + 4 B 788s also last week.

Saudia Airlines

Saudia Airlines has officially released its scheduled for Summer 2008 which sees major changes come into effect from mid June 2008 onwards. During the peak season, SV has confirmed that it will be wet leasing many Boeing 757-200s to cover up a capacity shortfall on many routes. Few months ago, the airline released a similar schedule which included the adjustments needed to compensate for the retirement of many B 747s. The main highlights of SV's summer operation are as follows :

From JED :

KHI - 9 weekly B 772As
HYD - 2 weekly B 772As
ISB - 2 weekly B 772As

LHE - 2 weekly B 743s
BOM - 3 weekly B 743s
ADD/NBO - 2 weekly B 772As
AMM - 5 weekly B 757s + 2 weekly B 772As
BEY - 2 weekly B 772As + 2 weekly B 757s
CMN - 2 weekly B 772ERs
MAA - 2 weekly B 772As
DAM - 4 weekly B 772As + 5 weekly B 757s
FRA - 2 weekly B 772ERs
GVA/MAN - weekly B 772ER
IST - 5 weekly B 772As
CGK - 6 weekly B 743s
KRT - 5 weekly B 747s
KUL - 5 weekly B 772ERs
JNB - 2 weekly B 772ERs
CDG - 3 weekly B 772ERs
SAH - 4 weekly B 747s

From RUH :

BEY - 4 weekly B 772As
ISB - 2 weekly B 772As
KHI - 3 weekly B 772As
BOM - 4 weekly B 743s

DEL - 3 weekly B 772As
DAC - daily B 743s
DXB - 11 weekly B 772As + 4 weekly B 744s + 6 weekly MD90s

KRT - 2 weekly B 743s
COK - 2 weekly B 772As
LHR - 4 weekly B 772ERs
MNL - 4 weekly B 747s

US COURT ORDERS NEW HEARING FOR DEATH ROW CAMPAIGNER

March 27, 2008: A US federal appeals court upheld the murder conviction against Mumia Abu-Jamal, but ruled the death-row campaigner cannot be executed without undergoing a new sentencing hearing.

The three-judge panel rejected Abu-Jamal's request for a new trial but ruled the former radio journalist and Black Panther civil rights activist should either face a new hearing or have his sentence commuted to life in jail.

The 118-page ruling upheld a district court decision from 2001, which stated that jurors in the original trial were given faulty instructions.

"We will affirm the judgement of the District Court," the appeals panel said in its ruling. It said Pennsylvania could only execute Abu-Jamal if prosecutors decide to re-submit him to a new death penalty hearing.

Abu-Jamal, 53, born Wesley Cook, was sentenced to death in 1982 for the murder of a Philadelphia police officer the year before. While in jail, he became a figurehead for anti-death penalty activists.

Abu-Jamal's lawyer, Robert Bryan, said ahead of an earlier appeals hearing last year that his client's trial was marked by racial prejudice and legal inconsistencies. "Racism and politics are threads that have run through this case since his 1981 arrest," he added.

Abu-Jamal's supporters say he was denied the right to due process of law and a fair trial, alleging the trial judge was a racist and the prosecution made sure that there were no black jurors in the case.

At the time, Judge Albert Sabo, the trial judge in the 1982 hearing, is alleged to have told three people in his chambers: "I'm going to help 'em fry the nigger."

Court stenographer Terri Maurer-Carter made the charged allegation in a 2001 affidavit. Sabo died in 2002.

Since his conviction, Abu-Jamal has written several books and records a regular radio show from prison. His case has united anti-death penalty activists from around the world, notably a number of Hollywood stars.

Source: Afp, 27/03/2008

SAUDI EXECUTED FOR MURDERING COMPATRIOT

March 27, 2008: a Saudi man was beheaded by the sword after he was convicted of murdering a compatriot, the Saudi Arabian Interior Ministry said.

Mohammed bin Duhaim al-Dossari was executed in Wadi al-Dawasser in the Riyadh region after he was found guilty of fatally shooting Mohammed bin Mubarak al-Muaili following a row, said a ministry statement carried by the official SPA news agency.

Source: Agence France Presse, 27/03/2008

JAPAN: FAMILY'S DEATH SENTENCES UPHELD

March 27, 2008: death sentences were upheld by the Fukuoka High Court in Japan against a yakuza gang boss and his son, ensuring they will join his wife and another son on Death Row.

The court dismissed the appeals by gang boss Jitsuo Kitamura and his son, Takashi, against the lower court ruling that sentenced them to death for committing four murders in 2004. The high court also upheld execution orders handed down to Kitamura's wife, Mami, and another son, Takahiro, for their roles in the killings.

Each member in the family of four has now received a death sentence that has been upheld by a high court. During his initial trial at the Kurume Branch of the Fukuoka District Court, Jitsuo Kitamura, 64, said he alone had killed all four people the clan was accused of murdering. However, during the appeal trial, Kitamura said his family had worked together to bring about the killings. His son Takashi, 27, has maintained his innocence throughout proceedings.

Source: Mainichi Daily News, 27/03/2008

YEMENI BEHEADED IN SAUDI ARABIA FOR MURDER

March 26, 2008: a Yemeni national was beheaded by the sword in Saudi Arabia after being convicted of murdering a Saudi man.

Fuad Mohammad al-Akhram was found guilty of stabbing to death Majed Abdul Aziz al-Harbi after a dispute, the Interior Ministry said in a statement carried by SPA state news agency.

He was executed in the western region of Mecca.

Source: Agence France Presse, 26/03/2008

SAUDI ARABIA HARSHLY CRITICISED FOR EXECUTING 15YO BOY

March 25, 2008: the international Human Rights Watch organisation harshly criticised Saudi Arabia's justice system in a report published in London.

In particular, the manner of dealing with minors, who have been sentenced to flogging or even to death, was cruel and contradicted the principles of the rule of law, the report said.

"In 2007, Saudi Arabia executed three juvenile offenders, including a 15-year-old boy who was only 13 at the time of the alleged crime," HRW said.

Saudi Arabia does not have a penal code and judges pass verdict based on their own interpretation of sharia law.

King Abdullah announced a reform of the justice system a few weeks ago which, among other things, would strengthen the right to appeal.

Sources: Monsters &Critics, Afp, 25/03/2008

Working for Families, marginal tax rates, and $120 weekly tax cuts..

Working for Families has been criticised as a policy that does not provide an incentive to work longer hours because of high marginal tax rates. Particularly those families who are already getting $60,000 and are finding it difficult to pay the mortgage and haircuts, so they want to send the poor wife off to work.

Consider this. A family who is on 60K has three kids under seven.One partner does not work - and stays home with the kids. That family would get a tax cut of about $120 a week if thy were allowed to split their income for tax purposes and wouldn`t lose any of their family support.

But take a similar family on $45k , who get $430 a fortnight in Family Support. Two of their three kids are preschoolers, aged two and four. The stay-at-home parent goes out to work to pay the increased mortgage and works part time for 20 hours a week. She gets $15k - at $15 an hour.

This is what happens: She has to arrange 40 hours childcare for her two kids that are not as school Luckily one of her kids can get 20 hours free. Unluckily it is not free - it costs at least $2.00 an hour. The other child gets WINZ Subsidy but stil pays $2.50 an hour. Total childcare cost is $180.00 a fortnight

Because of her increased income, her WFF payments reduce by $197.00 to $233.00 a fortnight. Total cost so far to go to work :$413.00 a fortnight.

So on 45k the family gets $865 a week. With WFF that increases to $1080.

On 60k the family gets $1153.45 less $90.00 childcare costs: $1063. Add WFF: $1179.50 a week.

That's effectively just $99.50 less tax for working 20 hours because of abatement rates and childcare costs

And some people are actually doing this!

The family would double the net value of their second income if they split income for tax purposes. If 20 Hours Free was actually free and extended to 2 year olds, that family would save a further $90.00 a week and the new employee will make around $300.00 a week - Which is what her pay rate is. ( and no, that was not planned, thats just how it worked out!) .

The family will almost then be as well off as a one income family on the same salary.

Is that why the Government doesnt like income splitting for tax purposes - they`d rather employ childcare workers, promote a a free policy that's not free and redistirbute money to families that are earning more than the average family income of $62,000, so that most families earning under that figure can continue to pay less in tax than they get in Working for Families.

Working for Families should not be scrapped, it should be for those families that need it, not for families who can afford investment properties or who find it difficult to live and budget on $85,000. Ditto for 20 Hours "free" childcare.

Winstons post election plans

Winston Peters, after the election, wants to work with the party with the most seats. He has since come out and said that he will work with the party the voters tell him to.

If he gets in, that is.

On current polling it`s unlikely he will have to make that choice. One wonders what he`ll do if the left get more seats than the right, but National get more seats than Labour - would he side with the right, and if so would it make any difference?

Poor schools give students higher marks

Want to get higher marks than you deserve for NCEA? Go to a low decile school and you`ll be internally assessed quite liberally.

And when the NZQA finds out, that`s when NZQA bosses will tell the media that these schools are inflating results because of outstanding teaching.

If that's so, why don`t these same students get good exam results? The NZQA bosses couldnt answer that one. No wonder more students in poorer schools prefer to take papers with 100% internal assessment.

Consensus on Counting the Innocent: We Can’t

A couple of years ago, Justice Antonin Scalia, concurring in a Supreme Court death penalty decision, took stock of the American criminal justice system and pronounced himself satisfied. The rate at which innocent people are convicted of felonies is, he said, less than three-hundredths of 1 percent — .027 percent, to be exact.

That rate, he said, is acceptable. “One cannot have a system of criminal punishment without accepting the possibility that someone will be punished mistakenly,” he wrote. “That is a truism, not a revelation.”

But there is reason to question Justice Scalia’s math. He had, citing the methodology of an Oregon prosecutor, divided an estimate of the number of exonerated prisoners, almost all of them in murder and rape cases, by the total of all felony convictions.

“By this logic,” Samuel R. Gross, a law professor at the University of Michigan, wrote in a response to be published in this year’s Annual Review of Law and Social Science, “we could estimate the proportion of baseball players who’ve used steroids by dividing the number of major league players who’ve been caught by the total of all baseball players at all levels: major league, minor league, semipro, college and Little League — and maybe throwing in football and basketball players as well.”

Joshua Marquis, the Oregon prosecutor cited by Justice Scalia, granted the logic of Professor Gross’s critique but not his conclusion.

“He correctly points out,” Mr. Marquis, the district attorney in Clatsop County, Ore., said of Professor Gross, “that rape and murders are only a small percentage of all crimes, but then has absolutely no real data to suggest there are epidemic false convictions in, say, burglary cases.”
What the debate demonstrates is that we know almost nothing about the number of innocent people in prison. That is because any effort to estimate it involves extrapolation from just two numbers, neither one satisfactory.

There have been 214 exonerations based on DNA evidence, almost all of them in rape cases, according to the Innocence Project at the Cardozo School of Law. But there is no obvious control group to measure these exonerations against. READ MORE>>>

Source : The New York Times