GI News—May 2008

• Eating the Okinawan way
• Low GI benefits for type 1 diabetes
  
• Bitter melons and blood glucose
  
• Should you be eating eggs?
  
• Prof. Trim on skin and sin
• The real deal on 'lite' foods
  

For over 10 years, Bradley and Craig Willcox have been studying the people of Okinawa, Japan, the longest living (800 centenarians out of a population of 1.3 million) and healthiest people in the world. They describe the Okinawan diet as Japanese with salsa – mostly plant-based with plenty of fish and soy foods (tofu and miso) and a great variety of vegetables from sweet potato to leafy greens and bitter melons. And low GI. In this month’s GI News they talk about the benefits of ‘hara hachi bu’ or eating until you are 80% full. There are all the usual features this month too, including four new recipes (try Kate’s Wholemeal, Carrot and Poppy Seed Muffins), two enterprising success stories, new GI values and your questions answered. If you enjoy the success stories our readers share with us, you'll be pleased to hear we have put them all in one place in the right-hand column under 'Success Stories'.

Good eating, good health and good reading.



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

Food for Thought

Hara hachi bu – eat only until you are 80% full
‘Far off in the East China Sea, between the main islands of Japan and Taiwan, is an archipelago of 161 beautiful, lush green islands known as Okinawa. The beaches are a dazzling powdery white; the waters are crystal turquoise, and the pristine subtropical rainforests house a huge variety of exotic flora and fauna. But while Okinawa has all the makings of a tropical paradise, it is in fact something more special – Okinawa is more like a “real-life Shangri-la” why? Because the islands are home to the longest lived population in the world.’ – The Okinawa Diet Plan


Dr Bradley Willcox

The traditional Okinawa diet, with its emphasis on vegetables, whole grains, fruits, legumes (soy foods) and fish with limited amounts of lean meats serves as a model for healthy eating and healthy aging that not only reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease but also helps to minimise free radical production. Free radicals are cell-damaging molecules that are generated mainly by our bodies' metabolism when we create energy from food.

Dr Bradley Willcox talked to GI News about the secrets of healthy aging in Okinawa. 'The Okinawan cultural habit of calorie control called hara hachi bu, which means eat only until you are 80% full, plays a role in as well as their habit of eating an antioxidant-rich, plant-based diet,' he said.

'Stopping at 80% capacity is actually a very good strategy to avoid obesity without going hungry because the stomach's stretch receptors take about 20 minutes to tell the body how full it really is and 20 minutes after stopping you will really feel full.

In Okinawa, heart disease rates are 80% lower, and stroke rates lower than in the US and other Western countries. Cholesterol levels are typically under 180 mg/dL (4.6 mmol/L), homocysteine levels are low and blood pressure at goal levels. Rates of many cancers are 50–80% lower – especially breast, colon, ovarian and prostate cancer. Hip fractures are 20% lower than mainland Japanese and 40% lower than in the US. Dementia is much rarer.


Ushi Okushima – 100 years old

However, Okinawans who adopt Western eating styles have similar rates of heart disease as in the US. Young Okinawans, eating more processed foods, have a higher risk of heart disease than their elderly relatives. A study of 100,000 Okinawans who moved to Brazil and adopted local eating habits, showed a life expectancy 17 years lower than in Okinawa.'

So what's the Okinawan secret?

• Consciously controlled portion sizes through the practice of hara hachi bu: eat until you are 80% full.
• A low-calorie, mostly plant-based diet with plenty of fish and soy foods, a great variety of vegetables as well as moderate amounts of the monounsaturated fats and omega-3’s. Include high fibre whole grains and starches.
• Regular, life-long physical activity. Dancing, martial arts, walking and gardening are common forms of exercise.
• Staying lean and fit. The combination of diet and activity keeps body fat low (ie, BMI 18-22).

For more on the Okinawa diet, check out www.okinawadiet.com.

News Briefs

Low GI benefits for young people with type 1 diabetes
‘A low GI diet may reduce glucose excursions and improve glycemic control in children with type 1 diabetes,’ says Dr Tonja Nansel from the US National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, commenting on her pilot study published in Diabetes Care in April. She also made the point that ‘this effect was observed despite the fact that the children used basal-bolus insulin regimens, in which their insulin dose was specifically matched to the amount of carbohydrate consumed’.

‘In fact’, she said, ‘when you account for the differences in carbohydrate consumed due to treating low blood glucose and the differences in the amount of insulin taken due to treating high blood glucose, the children actually had a greater number of carbs per unit of insulin when they ate the low GI diet – and they still showed better blood glucose levels’.

The study recorded blood glucose responses to low and high GI meals in 20 young people (aged 7–16) with type 1 diabetes using continuous blood-glucose monitoring. The study was carried out over five days in both a structured clinical setting and in the home environment. In their findings, the researchers report that the low GI diet resulted in significantly lower average daytime blood glucose. They noted that the fact that blood glucose levels were not different during the night time supports the understanding that a low GI diet affects blood glucose levels primarily by decreasing the rise in blood glucose that happens after eating. More mild hypos had to be treated on the low GI diet suggesting that there needs to be attention to safety in any major dietary changes and that a lower GI diet may reduce insulin requirements.

Dr Nansel explained that the benefits of improved blood glucose control for children with diabetes are substantial. ‘Many young people with diabetes and their families say that one of their biggest frustrations in managing diabetes is dealing with high blood glucose levels. The more the blood glucose is out of range, the more children are at risk for long-term health complications. Seeing a reading on their blood glucose meter that is considered “too high” can be a source of worry, and can even spark parent-child conflict. A way of eating that decreases these high blood glucose fluctuations could both improve long-term health for children with diabetes, and perhaps even decrease some of the stress of living with diabetes.’

Dr Tonja Nansel’s primary research interests are in the management of type 1 diabetes in children and their families, and in developing programs to promote healthful eating among families. To find out more about this study and her findings (including what the children actually ate, low GI foods such as brown basmati rice and black bean brownies), check out her presentation of the study’s findings at the 2007 ADA meeting.
– Diabetes Care, Volume 31, Number 4, April 2008


Dr Tonja Nansel

Bitter melons and blood glucose
Many plants have traditionally been used to treat type 2 diabetes. Indeed, along with diet, plant preparations formed the basis of treatment until the introduction of insulin in 1922. One fruit long associated with treating diabetes is bitter melon. Writing in Phytomedicine Raman Lau reported back in 1996 that ‘Unripe fruits, seeds and aerial parts of bitter melon (Momordica charantia) have been used in various parts of the world to treat diabetes.’

A team from Australia’s Garvan Institute of Medical Research along with the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, reported in March Chemistry and Biology that they have uncovered bitter melon's therapeutic properties – four bioactive compounds that all appear to activate the enzyme AMPK, a protein that regulates the body's metabolism and affects glucose uptake. Exercise also activates AMPK in muscle, which in turn mediates the movement of glucose transporters to the cell surface, a very important step in the uptake of glucose from the circulation into tissues in the body. This is a major reason that exercise is recommended as part of the normal treatment program for someone with type 2 diabetes.

‘We can now understand at a molecular level why bitter melon works as a treatment for type 2 diabetes,’ said Prof David James, director of the diabetes and obesity program at the Garvan. ‘By isolating the compounds we believe to be therapeutic, we can investigate how they work together in our cells.’ Garvan scientists involved in the project, Drs Jiming Ye and Nigel Turner, stress that while there are well known diabetes drugs on the market that also activate AMPK, they can have side effects. ‘The advantage of bitter melon is that there are no known side effects. Practitioners of Chinese medicine have used it for hundreds of years to good effect,’ said Dr Ye.
– Chemistry and Biology, Vol 15(3), 263-273, 21 March



What are they and how do you use them?
Bitter melon also called bitter gourd and balsam pear is a cousin of squash, watermelon and cucumber. Native to the tropics, it’s widely cultivated in Asia for its ‘bubble-wrap’ textured, green, immature fruit (12–30 cm long) that's stuffed, pickled, and sliced into various dishes, hot and cold. Like eggplant, it needs to be ‘degorged’ or salted first to take away the bitterness (this involves slicing it, salting the slices, then allowing them to drain in a colander or on a paper towel for 20 minutes or so before rinsing or blotting and patting dry). The young leaves and tips are also edible.

Our invaluable resource for all Asian food matters is Charmaine Solomon. She prefers her bitter melon fried to a golden brown as in her Fried Bitter Gourd Salad (see our recipes this month) rather than raw and sliced thinly in a salad, her jazz musician husband Reuben’s favourite way. Check out Charmaine’s Encyclopedia of Asian Food for recipes. There are also two or three recipes in The Okinawa Diet Plan as ‘goya’, its local name is popular in Okinawan cuisine. You’ll find bitter melons in season in Asian produce markets and larger fruit and vegetable markets.

The tai chi factor
Two separate small but encouraging studies by researchers in Taiwan and Australia published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine in April report that simple tai chi exercises may help in managing type 2 diabetes. In the Taiwan study, Dr Kuender Yang and colleagues at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital matched 30 middle-aged and older adults with type 2 diabetes with a diabetes-free, age-matched ‘control’. The participants were given a program of 37 standardised tai chi movements which they practised in 60 minutes training sessions three times a week – and were encouraged to continue at home. After 12 weeks, the ‘control’ group had no significant changes in any diabetes related parameters. The participants with type 2 diabetes, however, had a significant decline in their HbA1c level (a measure of long-term blood glucose control) and increased levels of anti-inflammatory interleukin-12 (which boosts immune response), while their T cell activity (a sign of health) also increased.

In the Australian study, Dr Xin Liu and colleagues at the University of Queensland designed a special tai chi/qigong program for 11 adults with elevated blood glucose. The participants exercised for 90 minutes, three times a week and were encouraged to practise at home (most did). After 12 weeks of regular exercise, the participants showed significant improvement in BMI, waist circumference and blood pressure. There was also a small improvement in HbA1c, fasting insulin and insulin resistance.
– British Journal of Sports Medicine: Taiwan study
– British Journal of Sports Medicine: Australian study



What's new?
Star foods: Selecting a winning team of foods for great health
By Dr Joanna McMillan Price and Judy Davie
‘What you eat has the power to influence the way you look, how you feel, how much energy you have, your ability to perform mental tasks, your ability to exercise, and your general state of happiness – and that’s before we even start talking about lowering the risk of chronic disease,’ say Joanna and Judy. In Star Foods, this gorgeous and dynamic duo help you create your own winning team of star performing foods to maximise your chances of achieving and maintaining good health. There are more than 60 deliciously healthy recipes including the following great tasting, quick meal packed with nutritional goodies.

Sardine, avocado and capsicum grill

• Brush the sardines with olive oil and a sprinkle of lemon juice. Heat a grill pan and cook sardines for 3–4 minutes on one side only.
• Spread each slice of toast with avocado and sprinkle capers over the top. Season with black pepper and a little more lemon juice.
• Lay the rocket over the avocado. Top with sardines and sliced capsicum and serve.

Per serve
1472 kJ/ 350 calories; 15 g protein; 21 g fat (includes 5 g saturated fat); 23 g carbohydrate; 3.8 g fibre



Ride up the corporate ladder
May is National Bike Month in the US. The League of American Bicyclists is promoting Bike-to-Work Week from May 12-16 and Bike-to-Work Day on Friday, May 16 (check their website for details). Our New York publisher packs his bike before his toothbrush and rides everywhere, even on one notable occasion across Sydney in peak hour, from recollection in the pouring rain, to visit Sydney University’s GI testing centre. Here are 10 top reasons to ride to work:

1. Stay healthy.
2. Save time, and get your daily dose of exercise.
3. Help save the environment.
4. Savour the great outdoors.
5. Parking is a breeze.
6. Enjoy the satisfaction of sailing past stationary cars.
7. Meet fellow commuters at lights and bike racks.
8. Save money.
9. Make the most of roads, bike tracks and shared pedestrian pathways to cross town.
10. Dream up new ventures.

– Greenpages Australia 2008

Food of the Month

Go nuts for life
Dietitian and Nuts for Life program manager says: ‘Bring back the Waldorf Salad – lettuce, apple, walnuts and dressing.’ We asked why.

‘Well, nuts are among the superheros of the modern day diet just as they were in Paleolithic times’ says Lisa. ‘They are a source of good fats, healthy protein and fibre, particularly soluble fibre, which improves blood glucose levels, helps insulin work more effectively, and lowers LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels in people with diabetes. But you do have to be sensible about quantities (a serving is a handful (30–50 g/1–1¾ oz) and say no thanks to the tempting salted kinds.



Studies show:

1. Enjoying a handful of nuts 5–7 times a week can halve your risk of developing heart disease. Even people who eat nuts once a week have less heart disease than those who don’t eat any nuts. How come? It’s possible the unique combination of healthy fats, fibre, antioxidants, arginine and plant sterols all working together give nuts their heart healthy benefits.
2. The arginine in nuts helps insulin work more effectively. It can also improve the overall health of blood vessels, helping prevent complications of diabetes.
3. The fibre and protein found in nuts can help satisfy the appetite for longer helping you cut back on picking when you get the munchies. Substitute a snack of nuts or a trail mix of nuts, seeds and dried fruit for biscuits, cakes, pastries and fried snack foods.’

Get more nuts into your day by:

• Sprinkling almonds or cashews through a stir fry.
• Roasting chestnuts or pine nuts and tossing them through a salad.
• Chopping walnuts or Brazils and add them to a dipping sauce.
• Crumbling pecans into yoghurt and serving with fruit or sprinkling chopped, roasted hazelnuts or almonds over low fat ice cream.
• Crumbling macadamias or pistachios over grilled fish.
• Adding roasted pine nuts to pasta dishes.
• Blending pistachios or macadamias with fresh herbs, parmesan and a little olive oil for pesto.

For more information on nuts and health visit www.nutsforlife.com.au or contact admin@nutsforlife.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 her website: www.lovetocook.co.uk. For now, prepare and share good food with family and friends.


Kate Hemphill

We thought it was time for some baking. Naturally we aim to give you recipes with as low a GI as possible, but with baking it’s really hard to get into the low GI bracket. Basically, you just can’t expect anything with refined flour to be low GI. But you can get it lower by adding carrots and sultanas as Kate has done here. To reduce the GI of these muffins even more, dietitian Kate Marsh suggests you cut back the wholemeal or stoneground flour to 340 g (12 oz) and top up with 60 g (2 oz) unprocessed oat bran.

Wholemeal Carrot and Poppy Seed Muffins
I find bought muffins rarely satisfying, as they are too ‘cakey’, sweet or full of preservatives. Muffins can be whipped up in less than 30 minutes from start to finish, using two mixing bowls and a muffin tin. They freeze well and will keep in an airtight container for about 5 days. These wholemeal carrot muffins are really satisfying and full of natural sweetness and ideal for an occasional treat.



Makes 12

500 g (1 lb 2 oz) carrots, peeled, boiled and drained
150 ml (5 fl oz) vegetable oil
1 cup (250 ml) low-fat or skimmed milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tbsp runny honey (pure floral is best)
400 g (14 oz) wholemeal or stone ground flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp poppy seeds
100 g (3½ oz) soft brown sugar
1/2 tsp lemon zest
100 g (3½ oz) sultanas (or currants)

• Pre-heat the oven to 190ºC/375ºF.
• Mash or whiz the carrot to a puree and combine in a bowl with the oil, milk, eggs and honey.
  
• Combine the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, poppy seeds, sugar, lemon zest and sultanas or currants in large bowl, then pour in the carrot mixture, stirring until well combined.
• Working quickly (the raising agents activate when meeting the liquid), pour the batter into a non-stick or greased 12-hole muffin tin.
• Bake for 20–25 minutes until golden. Remove from oven and gently take out muffins onto a wire rack (otherwise they will steam on the bottom).

Per muffin
1353 kJ/322 calories; 7 g protein; 14 g fat (includes 2 g saturated fat); 40 g carbohydrate; 5.5 g fibre

We asked Kate Marsh, author of Low GI Gluten-free Living, how to make this gluten-free friendly. Here’s what she suggests: ‘In place of wholemeal flour use brown rice flour plus some rice bran and psyllium husks. Maybe almond meal. The rest of the ingredients are OK but make sure the baking powder is gluten free.’

Charmaine Solomon’s Bitter Melon Salad
If you love Asian food, check out the recipes on Charmaine's website: www.charmainesolomon.com. This recipe was hard to provide a nutritional analysis for as bitter melons come in quite a range of sizes. We opted for 300 g (10 oz) melons. The saturated fat is mostly from the coconut cream, so to cut back, use a little less. Like other members of the squash family, bitter melons contain very little carbohydrate, so it's not possible to estimate a GI.

Serves 4

2 tender bitter melons
Salt
Ground turmeric
Peanut oil
3 golden shallots, sliced finely
2 fresh green chillies, seeded and sliced
2 tablespoons lime juice
½ teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons coconut cream

• Wash and dry bitter melons. Cut crosswise into slices about into 6 mm (1/4 inch) thick. Lay them on a platter and sprinkle with salt and turmeric on one side, turn the slices over and sprinkle on the reverse side. Leave for 20 minutes, then blot dry with paper towels.

• Heat sufficient oil to just cover the base of a heavy frying pan and lay the bitter melon slices in the oil in one layer. Cook on medium heat until golden underneath, then turn the slices over and cook the other side. Transfer to paper towels with a slotted spoon to drain. Place in a serving dish and lightly mix with the shallots and chillies. Dissolve sugar in lime juice and pour over. Just before serving, spoon coconut cream over the salad.

Per serve
520 kJ/124 calories; 2 g protein; 11 g fat (includes 4 g saturated fat); 2 g carbohydrate; 2.8 g fibre

Lisa Yates Bircher muesli with mixed nuts
This muesli will keep well in the fridge for 2 or 3 days.
Serves 6



2 cups traditional rolled oats
1/3 cup sliced dried apricots
2 tablespoons sultanas
1½ cups (375 ml) apple juice
50 g (1¾ oz) raw pecans
50 g (1¾ oz) raw hazelnuts
50 g (1¾ oz) raw whole blanched almonds
50 g (1¾ oz) raw macadamias
1 medium red apple, halved and thinly sliced
½ cup (125 ml) low fat natural yoghurt
¼ cup (60 ml) skim milk
2 tablespoons honey (if desired)

• Place the rolled oats, apricots and sultanas in a bowl and pour over the apple juice. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Preheat oven to 180ºC (350ºF). Place all the nuts on a baking tray and bake for 5 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven, cool then chop roughly. Add the nuts to the rolled oat mixture, along with the apple, yoghurt and milk. Stir until completely combined. Serve with a drizzle of honey if desired.
  

Per serve
1810 kJ/430 calories; 10 g protein; 25 g fat (includes 2 g saturated fat); 43 g carbohydrate; 6 g fibre

Busting Food Myths with Nicole Senior

Myth: Eggs are bad for the heart.


Nicole Senior

Fact: Ever wondered why egg-white omelettes became so popular? Lord knows it wasn’t for the flavour! It’s a classic case of food egg-stremism resulting in the poor old egg copping a bad wrap. Eggs were shunned because of their cholesterol content, but looking a little deeper we find eating eggs is not linked with higher rates of heart disease. Although eggs contain cholesterol, eating eggs in moderation as part of a heart-friendly diet low in saturated fat will not adversely affect the blood cholesterol level of most people. Blood cholesterol levels are far more influenced by how much saturated and trans fat you eat than dietary cholesterol. A typical 50 g egg contains 5 g fat of which only 1.5 g is saturated. Eggs are full of vitamins and minerals such as vitamin A, E, folate and B12, antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin that help maintain healthy eyes, and also contain long chain omega-3 fats (like the ones in fish).

However like most foods it appears you can have too much of a good thing. A recently published study of men suggested an increased of risk of death (interestingly not from cardiovascular disease) was associated with eating more than 1 egg a day, especially in men with diabetes. But more than one egg a day is egg-cessive any way you look at it. Yet again, the old nutrition wisdom prevails – enjoy everything in moderation. Everyone can enjoy eggs in moderation (around 3–4 eggs a week) in the context of a heart-friendly diet. Our tip is to enjoy them together with protective plant foods such as wholegrains, vegetables, legumes, fish, nuts and healthy oils. Think … Egg, Beans and Mushrooms on Mixed Grain Muffins, or, Avocado Scrambled Egg (rather than a greasy fry-up with bacon, white toast, butter and salt!). For these and other egg-cellent recipes, check out any of the New Glucose Revolution low GI cookbooks, Eat to Beat Cholesterol or Heart Food.



Dietitian Nicole Senior is author of Heart Food and Eat to Beat Cholesterol available online from Dymocks.

Dr David’s Tips for Raising Healthy Kids

Are your kids fussy eaters, or are they really full when they say they are?
There’s no question about it, parents like to see clean plates at the end of dinner. And that’s not surprising considering the effort that goes into preparing the meal and wanting to nourish your family. A recent report published in Nutrition & Dietetics in Australia, however, found that over 80% of Moms surveyed thought that their kids were fussy eaters if they left food on their plate.


Photography by Ian Hofstetter

Don’t worry, kids have a tremendous capacity to self-regulate their food intake to make sure they get the nutrition and energy they need. So, you can probably leave well alone if your child says he’s full. And don’t use dessert as a bribe.

No one has ever put the clean plate problem more succinctly than nutritionist Ellyn Satter: ‘As parents we have the responsibility of choosing when, where, and what is available to our children. Our children have the responsibility of choosing how much and even whether they eat.’

Of course it’s important to get the serving size right in the first place. So if you’re wondering how much protein (meat, chicken, fish or legumes); cooked veggies or salad; or starchy veggies (potato or sweet potato) and wholegrains to put on the plate here’s the tip we give our OWL families. Eyeball the serving sizes by dividing the dinner plate into three sections. Protein foods and wholegrains/starchy foods should each take up just a quarter of the plate. Cooked green veggies or salad veggies (or both) should fill the remaining half. Of course if you have sneaked heaps of veggies into the fish patties, the plate maths may be a bit harder. But relax and let you kids enjoy the family meal and don’t fuss when they say they are full. Buon appetito.



– 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

Skin and Sin
Did you know that being fat can affect your skin as well as your gut? Excess body weight has been found to be associated with a form of low-level inflammation in blood vessels and cells throughout the body. It is this, which seems to be the link between obesity and certain forms of disease, like diabetes.



Obesity has also been shown to have an effect on skin, and a number of forms of skin damage, generally called ‘dermatitis’, are now associated with carrying extra weight. Many of these also have associated inflammation. Hence, the link between skin problems and being overweight (a) appears real and (b) could be linked through the inflammatory processes according to research published in the Journal of the American College of Dermatology 2007;56:901-916.

Problems include those that come from insulin resistance (like acanthosis nigricans or the brown patchy spots on skinfolds), infection (like intertrigo or itchiness in skin folds and under the feet); inflammation (like psoriasis) or metabolic problems (like tophaceous gout). There are also problems that result from the mechanical pressures of carrying too much weight. These include cellulite, striae distensae (stretch marks), lymphedema etc.

The solution: Of course see a dermatologist to get advice on medication for topical treatments, but also lose weight. Like so many other obesity related problems, this can change the reaction of the skin – one of the body’s biggest organs!

Myth: Saunas and steam baths are good for the skin.
Fact: Saunas have little or no value in ‘cleansing’ the skin. They also have no effect on fat loss, the only loss being weight from water lost in sweat, which is quickly replaced. Saunas provide a psychological feeling of wellbeing which shouldn’t be under-valued. However, they have little or no value in ‘cleansing’ the skin. Even in Finland, where there is said to be one sauna for every four members of the population, the benefit of the practice is now being questioned.


Dr Garry Egger aka Prof Trim

– Click for more information on Professor Trim.

Your Questions Answered

We are often asked about reduced fat foods. Here, dietitian and nutritionist Catherine Saxelby explains when to opt for ‘light’ and when to be wary of the low fat claims on the packet.



I’m trying to lose a little weight, so should I be buying light foods?
Low fat or ‘light’ food products are very popular for weight loss and weight management. But not all ‘lite’ foods are the same. You really need to read the labels. They all have 25–30% less fat. But they’re not much help for weight loss UNLESS they also have fewer calories. Here’s a quick guide to help you be a savvy shopper:

• Good choice – Low fat or light versions of milk, cream, sour cream, coconut milk, evaporated milk, Cheddar cheese, beer and margarine. For instance, swap full-fat milk for reduced fat milk and you save 6 grams of fat for each glass you drink.
• Be wary – Light versions of chocolate, ice cream, muffins, biscuits and potato crisps have extra sugar and starches (as well as thickeners or gums) to improve the lighter product’s texture and mouth feel. For example, when I compared a light cream-filled biscuit with the regular one, I was surprised to discover it only saves you 2 calories despite the fact it's got 35% per cent less fat than the regular one!
• Forget it – Light olive oil, light gravy and lightly-salted crisps are lighter in colour, salt or texture – not calories.

So, what’s the bottom line? Apart from the real benefits of reduced fat dairy foods, a small portion of the ‘real thing’ as an occasional treat is a smarter choice than a big serving of the light alternative.

Loved the piece on chocolate and fund raising last month. Any suggestions for healthy school lunches that won’t boomerang?
Here’s a great suggestion from one of our Canadian colleagues that may help you come up with lunches that don’t come home untouched. ‘With three school-age kids to make lunches for, the combinations of who likes what, and who can take what for lunch (although all three of my kids adore strawberries, my son has a classmate who is deathly allergic to them, so J can’t take them for lunch) is too much for my brain to keep straight (especially before my morning coffee has kicked in). So I devised a spreadsheet, stuck on the fridge, of all the various lunch options (sandwiches, other eg: baked beans, fruit, veggies, grated cheese, ‘treats’, etc.). This really streamlines things, where I can look over at the list and get an idea of what to pack! And yes, I have found that when the kids are more involved, there is generally higher acceptance of what is packed. The Waste-free Lunches website has a special section that may be helpful: Quick Reference Lunch Foods.

Your Success Stories

‘I am going for it and will achieve the 82 kg goal.’ – Greg
I am 64 year old RAAF veteran, ex aviation then mine fire fighter and mine rescue officer with a total of 38 years in the profession. I suffer with PTSD, RLS, sleep apnoea, and my blood pressure, weight (102.5 kg / 226 lbs), and glucose levels were was rising every visit to the doctor. On the last visit to the sleep clinician he asked how my weight loss was going? ‘Yes’ was my reply meaning not good. He waved his finger at me and asked what my lowest weight was as an adult. 82 kg (180 lbs) was it. Then the stern instruction: ‘In 12 months you WILL be at that weight, you WILL exercise for one hour a day and make up the hour later if you don’t.’ So, since then, after getting a health care plan from my GP with exercising, walk one day, bike ride the next ,and eating low GI foods and smaller quantities of other foods as recommended by my dietitian, Julie Gilbert, I lost 5.1 kg (11 lbs) in the first fortnight (2 weeks). Looking forward to what happens this fortnight. WOW. The great thing about the method given to me by my dietitian is that she has laid out the servings sizes and quantities for each group of foods then it is my choice to how I fit them into my energy input scheme for the day. A great thing about it is that so far it has only been a couple of days that I have really craved food. Using a diversion tactic, I overcame the urge. So I am going for it and will achieve the 82 kg goal. By the way, in my spare time I make harps: www.phyrsongharps.com.’
– GI Group: Congrats, Greg! But don't go overboard, slowly does it. The normal fall in metabolic rate that accompanies weight loss makes further weight loss harder (Dr Amanda calls it the Starvation Reaction). To avoid this pitfall, you might like to have one week in which you choose not to lose weight, just to maintain the weight you have lost.



‘The power of one is just amazing.’ – Patricia
‘I have been diet controlled for eight years now – still have my oats, barley flakes and oat, barley and wheat bran, plus whey protein powder, for breakfast, along with a glass of low GI fruit juice but apart from that stick to foods with GI of not more than 50. I have a constant weight of 115 lbs (52 kg), am a blood donor, walk around 20 km (12 miles) per week and successfully competed in Masters’ Games in walking events. I eat kangaroo in preference to beef, low cholesterol and very low fat. Eat lots of veggies even a lower GI spud I have found, plenty of green leafy including Chinese greens, steamed or fresh in salad, couple of pieces of fruit a day. Heart is fine as is BP: 115/60. And I am no spring chicken. I also read labels and lobby to get sugar removed from things like chopped tomatoes – have had some success there – now after the tomato paste manufacturers! The power of one is just amazing!’

GI Symbol News with Alan Barclay

‘Why is it that salt content doesn't appear to rate a mention in comments about diet and diabetes? I have found a number of breakfast cereals and breads proudly displaying a low GI symbol but containing as much as 5 times the recommended maximum amount of salt.’
There are many low GI claims on foods and various corporate symbols. Unfortunately, they are currently not regulated in Australia or elsewhere although this may change in the near future. As such, there are no criteria to limit low GI claims to healthier foods and buyers should beware. However, the GI Symbol Program, and its Glycemic Index Tested logo, has been established in Australia to help people identify the healthier lower GI choices. One of the nutrient criteria that enables a food to carry the official Glycemic Index Tested logo is for sodium. The cut-offs for each food category have been set to ensure only foods or drinks with reduced amounts of sodium are allowed to be part of the program.



To make a low salt claim in Australia, a food must not contain more than 120 mg of sodium per 100 g. Unfortunately, very few processed foods are able to meet this classification for a variety of reasons, so this claim is pretty rare. It’s important to note that this is not a recommended maximum amount as such, but a guide to help people choose low salt foods. The upper recommended level of sodium for Australian adults is 2,300 mg per day. The amount people actually consume depends on both the amount of sodium per 100 g of food and the serve size – both factors are equally important. To choose the healthiest low GI alternatives within a food group, simply look for the Glycemic Index Tested logo.


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

New GI values for soy beverages from SUGiRS
Calcium fortified soy milks are a valuable source of nutrients for adults and children, but, being liquid, they are very easily over consumed. Think of them as a food or snack in liquid form rather than a thirst-quenching 'drink'. A serving is 1 cup (250 ml). Soy milk can also be used in place of regular milk on your breakfast cereal and in your favourite recipes.

Vitasoy Soy Milky Regular
UHT soy milk GI 21
Serving size 1 cup (250 ml), Available carbs per serving 8 grams, GL 2

Vitasoy Soy Milky Lite (98.5% fat free)
UHT soy milk GI 17
Serving size 1 cup (250 ml), Available carbs per serving 7.5 grams, GL 1



Vitasoy Lush Chocolate & Vitasoy Lush Vanilla (both 98.5% fat free)
UHT flavoured soy milks GI 31
Serving size 1 cup (250 ml), Available carbs per serving 17 grams (Vanilla) and 18.5 grams (Chocolate), GL 5 (Vanilla) and 6 (Chocolate)

Vitasoy Organic
UHT soy milk GI 43
Serving size 1 cup (250 ml), Available carbs per serving 15.5 grams, GL 7



For more information and to check the nutrition information panels: www.vitasoy.com.au

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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What's the point of pollsters registering intentions to vote for a party that doesn't exist?

The Herald digi poll is out. National is ahead of Labour, of course, and the Greens reach the 5% threshold. The Maori Party is polling nearly double that of NZ First. The Kiwi Party is on 0.2, twice that of United Future.

The Christian Heritage Party, which doesn`t exist, is also polling 0.2% , twice that of United Future. One wonders what supporters of the Christian Heritage Party will do when they get to the polling booth.

San Quentin Inmates' Mail must not be neglected!

Statistically, 90% of inmates lose all contact with family, friends and loved ones after 3 years.
And more often than not, losing contact with their friends and family, means to lose any positive social influence at all. Which, in the end, is a fact nobody will benefit from; neither the facility, nor the outside society. Least of all the inmates themselves.

Therefore, according to Title 15 of the California Code of Regulations (General Mail Policy)
'The department encourages correspondence between inmates and persons outside the correctional facilities.'

'Persons outside the correctional facilities' - those are the inmates' children, wives, parents, siblings. Those are their family and friends - such as us!

Now, it comes as no surprise that the possibilities to stay in touch with our loved ones in San Quentin State Prison are strictly limited.
The more important become the remaining means of communication, such as correspondence via letters.
Sadly, however, correspondence between us on the outside and our friends and family members in San Quentin State Prison has become gradually difficult, not to say discouraging over time.

Mail is supposed to be handled and issued in a 'timely manner'.
Whereas, to our mind, it is not a 'timely manner' to receive a Christmas card for Easter.

It is a matter of fact, that the delays in San Quentin mail room are increasing.
Mail takes longer and longer; backlogs of 5 weeks and more are a common occurrence.

Have you ever waited 6 weeks for a letter from a person you care for? We do.

Another common occurrence is that letters get sent back for any or no reason at all;
'depending on the current mood of the mail room' (as malicious tongues claim).

Have you ever waited 6 weeks for a letter from a person you care for; just to see that you got your own letter returned? We have.
In fact, that is what we ALL go through on a more or less regular basis; and that is what our loved ones in San Quentin go through as well.

Therefore, the San Quentin Death Row inmates have filed a complaint and collected signatures.
Their goal is a settled and dependable mail handling standard that enables them to stay in touch with their family and friends.

We fully support them .
In signing this statement we are supporting the inmates' complaint and request that mail shall be issued to the inmate as soon as possible, but not later than seven calendar days from receipt of the mail from the Post Office at the facility.

In case a delay occurs we request that the facility do whatever it needs to have the mail caught up and delivered on time.

Also, we request that, in case a delay occurs and mail is withheld, the inmates shall be informed about the reason.

We furthermore request that the mail room staff shall handle incoming mail according to the Mail Policy.
We all try and accept the San Quentin Mail Policy as good as we can; however, it is difficult to play along the rules when rules are a matter of constant change. And more often than not we all have experienced that it is the mail room staff who fail to act according to their own regulations.

In summarizing, we declare that the extreme delays in the mail we all have experienced in the past are no longer acceptable. Neither are the hit and miss standards mail is getting handled.

Click here to sign the online petition

How did the Government statistician get his figures in the smacking referendum petition?

There's been a bit of misinformation around the smacking petition. I've seen news reports, blogs and media releases that have all provided incorrect figures, while correctly stating that the petition has been deemed by the Government Statistician not to have a valid 10% of signatures.

According to petitioners, they handed in 324,511 signatures on February 29, (not 324,316 as DPF noted). The sample was 1/11th - so 29,501 signatures were checked. That's a pretty high sample size meaning there is a higher margin of error.

Of those signatures checked, 25,754 were valid, meaning 3,747 were not. Of those signatories not qualified 3,373 could not be found on the electoral roll, 214 were illegible, 158 were duplicates and 2 triplicates. So 25,754 x 11 = 283,294. The number required is 285,027 so this indicates a shortfall of just 1,733 signatures, give or take errors.

However the Government’s Statistician's best estimate is just 266,903 or a shortfall of more than 18,000; nearly 17,300 greater than the 1/11th sample would indicate. The standard error is +/- 1600. He did a one sided hypothesis test at the 95% confidence level -and at the top confidence level (99%), that's 269,500. So why use the highest confidence level? How did he get his 266,903 number?

He used the estimator of Goodman and Kiranandana. No idea what that is. Can anyone tell me?

Update We have answers. Over at No Right Turn,Idiot Savant turned to google god to subvert the satanic statistics to assist me. Because there`s 160 replications, that suggests there will be a further 1600 replicates in the rest of the population at minimum, and up to a further 1,600 x 10 hidden replicates in the population as a whole. You also check the invalids (see comments for explanations of all this). So it may well not be as dodgy as Family First's Bob McCoskrie makes it out to be. Just pretty complicated.They`ll get the signatures.

Update 2After comments here, I have added in an extra sentence and shortened the post for clarity. And I see Gordon Copeland is also querying this.

So, you`re on $60k. Income splitting for tax purposes could assist in getting you $5450 for having a child

So, you're earning $60,000, live with a partner who is not working. You have no kids. Money's tight and the Government has just passed a law allowing for income splitting for tax purposes. You`d like some more money without working additional hours.

Have a child and split your income for tax purposes. United Future is promoting a discussion document on it's income splitting policy. This document is a direct result of a commitment made in the confidence and supply agreement between Labour and United Future.

The Child Poverty Action Group, in its case for opposing income splitting notes that a household with a single earner on $60,000 can save $3,217 per year from 50/50 income splitting. However, a household on $36,000 stands to gain only $570 per year. That is, a family on just over half the income gets less than one fifth as much tax relief, and therefore this policy favours high income families and confirms to non-earning partners that if they choose to stay home to mind kids that United Future considers their economic worth is dependant on their partners income. A former cleaner whose partner is earning $60,000 will get 500% more tax relief than a stay at home accountant who whose partner earns $36,000, thus widening the gap between richer and poorer families. If one partner earnss $30.000 and the other $10,000 they`ll get nothing from income splitting.

But you`ll actually get $5450 a year extra if you are on $60,000 and have your first child. This is made up of $2236 Family Support and $3,217 that you'll save from income splitting for tax purposes, which will not be available to childless couples. However if you earn $36,000, you`ll get 72% more: $7072 in Family Support and $570 a year in income splitting.

The policy on its own favours high income families just as WFF favours low income families. And given that low income families are still struggling, even with WFF payments, an income splitting policy merely widens the gap between the rich and the poor. This is despite the fact that a tax splitting policy minimises the individual basis of our tax system and lowers marginal tax rates for higher incomes.

Anonymous blogger no longer anonymous if you read the newspapers

One of my daily reads is this blog. It is an anonymous blog, but not because the writer is trying to hide his identity. He was outed today by a metropolitan newspaper.

CHINA HEARS DEATH ROW DEFENSE BY VIDEO FOR FIRST TIME

April 25, 2008: China's top court interrogated a death penalty defendant via a video link for the first time since a key legal reform aimed at cutting wrongful executions, Xinhua news agency said.

The reform, prompted by public outcries over a series of high-profile and wrong death sentences in recent years, had nevertheless greatly increased the workload of the top court, Chinese media have said.

"The Supreme People's Court judges have had to travel to places across the country to meet the defendants. It is both time-consuming and costly," Xinhua quoted an unnamed official from the top court as saying.

The top court questioned Jiang Huaquan, sentenced to death for drug trafficking in the southeastern province of Fujian, from Beijing through a video link, Xinhua said. "Distance interrogation can not only ensure face-to-face communication but also ... boost efficiency of the final review work maximally," the official said.

The questioning process would be recorded and judges would still travel to detention centres to personally meet defendants when necessary, the official said.

Source: Reuters, 25/04/2008

SAUDI BEHEADS PAKISTANIS, SYRIAN FOR DRUG SMUGGLING

April 25, 2008: two Pakistanis and a Syrian convicted of smuggling drugs were beheaded by the sword in Saudi Arabia, the official SPA news agency quoted the Interior Ministry as saying.

Pakistanis Ghul Khan Arghun Shah and Zarbadan Minajan were sentenced to death for bringing into the kingdom packets of heroin hidden in their stomachs.

They were executed in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah. Separately, Syrian Ibrahim Hussein al-Jarkh, also convicted of drug smuggling, was beheaded in the northern city of Tabuk, the ministry said.

Source: Agence France Presse, 25/04/2008

IRAN. TWO HANGED FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING

April 27, 2008: two men were hanged for drug trafficking in the main prison of Qom, Iran.

The prisoners were identified only by their initials as 47-yeard-old M.N. and 56-yeard-old Gh. A.

Speaking with a Fars reporter on the death sentence of the two drug traffickers, Hadi Tarshizi, the head of the public relations department of Qom Public and Revolution Prosecutor Office, said "these two people were arrested in Qom province and charged with drug trafficking.

The sentence was carried out after being approved by the Country's Prosecutor-General. Tarshizi added "the sentence was carried out in the presence of representatives from the prosecutor-general's office and Law Enforcement Forces."

Source: BBC, NCRI, 27/04/2008

Act gets 100k donation

New Zealand developer Alan Gibbs – known for such projects as high-speed amphibian vehicles like the Aquada – today said he is delighted to donate $100,000 to the ACT Party.

AFTER COURT RULING, STATES TO PROCEED WITH EXECUTIONS

April 23, 2008: States began moving forward with plans for executions this week after the US Supreme Court declined last Wednesday to review the appeals of death row inmates who had challenged lethal-injection methods in nearly a dozen states.

The court had issued orders staying several executions last year and earlier this year while it weighed whether Kentucky's lethal-injection procedure constituted cruel and unusual punishment. States had postponed at least 14 scheduled executions pending the high court's decision, creating a de facto moratorium on capital punishment, according to the Death Penalty Information Center, which opposes capital punishment.

In a 7 to 2 vote last week, the justices said the three-drug cocktail used by Kentucky, which is similar to the one employed by the federal government and 34 other states, does not carry so great a risk of pain that it violates the Constitution's ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

With three executions already scheduled for this summer, Virginia could be the first state to carry out the punishment after the resolution of the Kentucky case.

Texas will attempt to reschedule the execution of Carlton Turner Jr., who killed his parents and hid their decomposing bodies.

Mississippi will try to schedule the execution of Earl Wesley Berry, who kidnapped a woman and beat her to death after she left choir practice. And Alabama will seek to schedule the lethal injection of Thomas Arthur, who fatally shot a man through the eye as he slept.

Mississippi was awaiting the high court's decision to move forward with Berry's execution, said Jan Schaeffer, a spokeswoman for the state's attorney general. Texas, the state with the largest number of inmates on death row and stayed executions, said the discretion of rescheduling lethal injections is left to state district courts.

Tennessee corrections officials said stays on three executions set for December and January might soon be lifted by the state attorney general and the executions rescheduled. Oklahoma requested execution dates for Terry Lyn Short, who was convicted of killing a man in a fire, and Kevin Young, who was convicted of killing a man during a bungled robbery. Arkansas is reviewing the court's ruling before deciding how to proceed with three stayed executions.

In Florida, where the error-plagued execution of Angel Diaz took twice the normal time and led to a change in protocols, officials said no lethal injections have been scheduled. Diaz, the last man to be executed in the state, made facial expressions and gasped on his deathbed when he should have been unconscious, according to witnesses.

There were no scheduled executions in Ohio, officials said last week. The state changed its procedures after an execution in 2006, when Joseph Clark awoke in the middle of his lethal injection and said, "It don't work." As officials fumbled with attempts to deliver more anesthesia, he said, "Can you just give me something by mouth to end this?"

Source: Hands Off Cain

Cruel and Unusual History

THE Supreme Court concluded last week, in a 7-2 ruling, that Kentucky’s three-drug method of execution by lethal injection does not violate the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. In his majority opinion, Chief Justice John Roberts cited a Supreme Court principle from a ruling in 1890 that defines cruelty as limited to punishments that “involve torture or a lingering death.”

But the court was wrong in the 19th century, an error that has infected its jurisprudence for more than 100 years. In this nation’s landmark capital punishment cases, the resultant executions were anything but free from torture and prolonged deaths.

The first of those landmark cases, the 1879 case of Wilkerson v. Utah, was cited by Justice Clarence Thomas, in his concurring opinion in the Kentucky case. The court “had no difficulty concluding that death by firing squad” did not amount to cruel and unusual punishment, Justice Thomas wrote.

Wallace Wilkerson might have begged to differ. Once the Supreme Court affirmed Utah’s right to eradicate him by rifle, Wilkerson was let into a jailyard where he declined to be blindfolded. A sheriff gave the command to fire and Wilkerson braced for the barrage. He moved just enough for the bullets to strike his arm and torso but not his heart.

“My God!” Wilkerson shrieked. “My God! They have missed!” More than 27 minutes passed as Wilkerson bled to death in front of astonished witnesses and a helpless doctor.

Just 11 years later, the Supreme Court heard the case of William Kemmler, who had been sentenced to death by electric chair in New York. The court, in affirming the state’s right to execute Kemmler, ruled that electrocution reduced substantial risks of pain or “a lingering death” when compared to executions by hanging. Kemmler, had he lived through the ensuing execution (and he nearly did), might too have disagreed.

After a thousand volts of current struck Kemmler on Aug. 6, 1890, the smell of burnt flesh permeated the room. He was still breathing. Saliva dripped from his mouth and down his beard as he gasped for air. Nauseated witnesses and a tearful sheriff fled the room as Kemmler’s coat burst into flames.

Another surge was applied, but minutes passed as the current built to a lethal voltage. Some witnesses thought Kemmler was about to regain consciousness, but eight long minutes later, he was pronounced dead.

Perhaps the most egregious case came to the court more than 50 years later. “Lucky” Willie Francis, as the press called him, was a stuttering 17-year-old from St. Martinville, La. In 1946, he walked away from the electric chair known as “Gruesome Gertie” when two executioners (an inmate and a guard) from the state penitentiary at Angola botched the wiring of the chair.

When the switch was thrown, Francis strained against the straps and began rocking and sliding in the chair, pleading with the sheriff and the executioners to halt the proceedings. “I am n-n-not dying!” he screamed. Gov. Jimmie Davis ordered Francis returned to the chair six days later.

Francis’ lawyers obtained a stay, and the case reached the Supreme Court. Justice Felix Frankfurter defined the teenager’s ordeal as an “innocent misadventure.” In the decision, Louisiana ex rel. Francis v. Resweber, the court held that “accidents happen for which no man is to blame,” and that such “an accident, with no suggestion of malevolence” did not violate the Constitution.

Fewer than 24 hours before Francis’ second scheduled execution, his lawyers tried to bring the case before the Supreme Court again. They had obtained affidavits from witnesses stating that the two executioners from Angola were, as one of the witnesses put it, “so drunk it would have been impossible for them to have known what they were doing.” Although the court rejected this last-minute appeal, it noted the “grave nature of the new allegations” and encouraged the lawyers to pursue the matter in state court first, as required by law.

Willie Francis was executed the next morning. Because his case never made it back to the Supreme Court, the ruling lingers, influencing the decisions of today’s justices. In his majority opinion last week, Chief Justice Roberts called Louisiana’s first attempt at executing Francis an “isolated mishap” that “while regrettable, does not suggest cruelty.”

Justice Clarence Thomas, writing separately, also mentioned the Francis case: “No one suggested that Louisiana was required to implement additional safeguards or alternative procedures in order to reduce the risk of a second malfunction.” In fact, Louisiana did just that. Two weeks after the botched execution of Willie Francis, its Legislature required that the operator of the electric chair “shall be a competent electrician who shall not have been previously convicted of a felony.” This law would have prohibited both executioners from participating in Francis’ failed execution.

The court’s majority opinion in the Willie Francis case acknowledged, “The traditional humanity of modern Anglo-American law forbids the infliction of unnecessary pain in the execution of the death sentence.” Yet the Supreme Court continues to flout that standard.

In its ruling last week, the court once more ignored the consequences of its rulings for men like Wallace Wilkerson, William Kemmler and Willie Francis. The justices cited and applied Wilkerson’s and Kemmler’s cases as if their executions went off without a hitch.

And 60 years after two drunken executioners disregarded the tortured screams of a teenage boy named Willie Francis, the Supreme Court continues to do so.

By Gilbert King, author of “The Execution of Willie Francis: Race, Murder and the Search for Justice in the American South.”

Source : The New York Times

Pictures: July 8, 1999. Florida. The botched execution of Allen Lee Davis. "Before he was pronounced dead ... the blood from his mouth had poured onto the collar of his white shirt, and the blood on his chest had spread to about the size of a dinner plate, even oozing through the buckle holes on the leather chest strap holding him to the chair."

His execution was the first in Florida's new electric chair, built especially so it could accommodate a man Davis's size (approximately 350 pounds).

Later, when another Florida death row inmate challenged the constitutionality of the electric chair, Florida Supreme Court Justice Leander Shaw commented that "the color photos of Davis depict a man who -- for all appearances -- was brutally tortured to death by the citizens of Florida." Justice Shaw also described the botched executions of Jesse Tafero and Pedro Medina (q.v.), calling the three executions "barbaric spectacles" and "acts more befitting a violent murderer than a civilized state." Justice Shaw included pictures of Davis's dead body in his opinion.

The execution was witnessed by a Florida State Senator, Ginny Brown-Waite, who at first was "shocked" to see the blood, until she realized that the blood was forming the shape of a cross and that it was a message from God saying he supported the execution. More on botched executions in the U.S.

Our weekly food bill has nearly doubled since 2003 - now costs $160.00 a week!

Many will know that the price of food has gone up lately. We spent $85.00 a week in 2003 and $110.00 on a big week on food in 2006. I commented to someone during the past week how food has gone up, and estimated that our bill had jumped up to about $150.00 an average week - that's for a family of four. They didn`t believe me. But they don`t shop like we do.

So I checked. We eat healthily, have three decent meals a day and pay all or food on the credit card. And, according to the statements, since the beginning of February we have spent $1949.54 on food. That's $162 a week on average. Thats just $20 a week more than the average family spent on food five years ago. Yet our spend includes all supermarket and meat purchases, food, wine, toilet paper, pullups, cleaning and cooking products , most lunches - and the odd magazine. It also includes the food for our two kid's birthday parties, which was an extra expense. However it does not include coffee at cafes- add $10-12.00 a week - the one cafe brunch we had, or the two trips we have made to McDonald's this year. It doesn't include our monthly fish and chip nite, veges we`ve bought at roadside stalls -but then again that hasn`t happened much this year as the increased petrol price means it is not worth travelling to such stalls anymore.

We don't skimp, we have healthy meals every day - meat fruit veges etc. How do we do it? Well, that`ll be a subject of a future post, when I get time to outline it all.

Court of Appeal decision confirms Russell Brown was wrong all along, even after he breached court suppression on his blog

Public Address blogger Russell Brown will no doubt be disappointed that Barbara Bishop's sentence has been cut in half after what he described as her role in the use of "excessive and brutal force" in the beating and hogtying of her violent and abusive 17-year-old son with duct tape. The nine month sentence was cut because it was deemed to be "manifestly excessive". Bishop can apply for parole now because she has been in prison for more than seven weeks and has therefore served well over a third of her sentence. Russell's initial blog post breached court suppression orders, but he subsequently edited it heavily later that day upon my suggestion. He even deleted some of the comments, something I don`t think he`s ever done before or since. He says it was a "damn shame" he had to edit it and in some ways I agree. But that`s suppression laws for you.

Russell says people - and I`m not one - have relayed false accounts of the case. Yet his own conclusions were not up to scratch, either. He says:

I'll leave it up to people who have relayed Barbara Bishop's false accounts of the case which led to her jail sentence to consider what their own ethical response should be, now that the court has made its decision.

How did Russell know whether the relayed accounts were false or not? Answer: he didn't. He noted that Bishop believed that she did nothing wrong. I have not previously blogged on this case for reasons I won't go into now. But I did note that Russell quoted Children's Commissioner Cindy Kiro who was quick to judge on what she thought Bishop's role was. But she won`t comment now as the Court of Appeal halved the sentence as Bishop's only active part in the assault was in handing the binding tape to her former husband. Hardly violence.

Her involvement as a party in the incident [she was sentenced on] beyond that act was essentially passive, providing encouragement by failing to dissuade rather than by active encouragement... It is necessary also to bear in mind that the judge accepted that she may well have been scared.

Which is exactly what Bishop told me prior to her initial trial.

What is clear is that Bishop's former husband beat and hogtied the boy for which he is serving 12 months.Kiro was silent on that. Barbara Bishop clearly had a lesser role. Russell Brown would be wise to acknowledge that he has erroneously elevated Bishop's role in the assault, in that he implied she had a substantial role in the "excessive and brutal" beating. If he has any integrity - which he has - he will note his blog appropriately that handing a person a roll of tape while being scared to do otherwise is neither excessive or brutal.

Sunday Star Times circulation about to go up but they`re not getting any more money

Nearly 8500 fewer buyers got the SST's last year. But readership dropped 17000. I commented somewhere this week that a small reason could be because subscribers to affiliated papers such as the Dominion Post have been offering free 6 month subscriptions to the paper, and these subs expired before the end of the year.

Today I found out they are being offered again, so I`ll take it up again. Tomorrow I`ll be writing on the Barbara Bishop abuse case and why conclusions from Pubic Address's Russell Brown on the case are wrong.

Mike Williams interview

The Herald has done a great interview with Labour Party president Mike Williams, showing just what a loser he is. The interview reveals the state of his kitchen, the spat with his wife, his recollection of Ruth Dyson's husband's "damn good idea" to rip off the system,and that silly song at the Labour Party conference. He also says he's not a "rich prick" as he only gets $25,000 as Labour President. Heh. Didn`t say that he gets $150,000 odd for all his Labour appointed directorships. Liar. Perhaps "rich prickness" kicks in at $180,000.

He called the journalist a witch. He was just being polite.

It's probably code for bitch

not blogging today

Don't feel like it. Don't want to. Don't have to.
AHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhyeaaahhhhhhhhhhhh... FFFFFrreeeeeeeeeedddooooommmm!!!!

If you want something to read check the sidebar under media and read the latest news there. Theres about 40 news sites to choose from (so far).

Capill out of jail soon?

Former Christian Heritage leader Graham Capill comes up for parole soon after serving a third of his sentence. Would you let him out?

Roy Morgan Poll extends gap between National and Labour

Labour up, National up by more at the expense of the Greens. Around 10% said they wouldnt vote and 9.5% didnt know who they`d vote for. Gary Morgan says Helen Clark has no hope unless interest rates fall.

I was polled for this one. Guess who I said I`d cast my party vote for?

IRAN HANGS FIVE FOR MURDER

April 23, 2008: Iran hanged five men convicted of murder in Tehran's Evin prison, the Fars news agency reported.

Hamid, 29, Esfandiar, 35, and Mohammad, 40, were found guilty of killing other men in fights or robberies, Fars said. Mohammad, 32, was executed for murdering his wife after suspecting she was having an affair, and Ahmad, 38, stabbed a young couple to death in a burglary. Their full names were not given.

Source: Agence France Presse, 23/04/2008

JAPAN. COURT'S DEATH RULING A KEY VERDICT

April 23, 2008: a ruling handed down by the Hiroshima High Court to a 27 year old man who killed a woman and her baby when he was 18 years old marks a change in precedent regarding the death penalty and opens the way for more capital punishment verdicts.

There are two noteworthy points about the ruling. The first is the number of victims involved. Courts have generally given death sentences to people found to have murdered three or more people. However, if a murderer killed fewer than three people, courts only order capital punishment after taking into account to what degree the crime was premeditated.

The Hiroshima High Court decision delivers the message that courts can and will hand down death sentences even when a murder is not premeditated, as was the case in the Hiroshima trial, unless there are mitigating reasons for the crime.

The second point is the court's conclusion that it need not take into account the fact the murder was carried out by a minor. When the man committed the double murder, he was 18 years and 1 month old.

Convicted criminals in Japan can be executed by hanging if they are 18 or over at the time of the crime, but death penalties for young offenders are rare.

The country deems anyone under the age of 20 years as a minor so the defendant in this case cannot be named because the youth was 18 years and one month old when he committed the murders.

The court decision is believed to have come about as a result of heightened concern about the increasing rate and brutality of crimes committed by minors.

Source: Daily Yomiuri, Reuters, 23/04/2008

JAPANESE MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR MURDERS HE COMMITTED AS TEENAGER

April 22, 2008: a Japanese court overturned two earlier rulings and sentenced a man to death for a double murder he committed as a teenager, making him only the third person to be placed on death row for a crime committed as a minor since 1983.

The man, now 27, whose name is being withheld because he was a juvenile at the time of the crime, was found guilty of strangling and raping Yayoi Motomura, then 23, and killing her 11-month-old daughter, Yuka.

The Hiroshima High Court ruled that he had posed as a utility company employee to enter their home, indicating the crime was premeditated. Judge Yasuhide Narazaki said he found "no sufficient reasons to avoid the death sentence," public broadcaster NHK said.

In 2006, the Supreme Court ordered a retrial of the murders, committed in 1999 when the defendant was 18, because the life sentences handed down by two lower courts were too light.

Defense lawyers called the ruling unfair and said they would appeal to the Supreme Court.

Sources: International Herald Tribune, 22/04/2008

STATELESS RESIDENT EXECUTED IN SAUDI ARABIA

April 22, 2008: a stateless resident was beheaded by the sword in Saudi Arabia after he was convicted of killing a fellow stateless resident, the interior ministry said.

Hmoud al-Anzi was found guilty of stabbing to death Adel al-Shammari with a knife and was executed in the northeastern region of Hafr al-Baten, the ministry said in a statement carried by the state SPA news agency.

Several oil-rich Gulf Arab monarchies have a number of longtime residents deprived of citizenship, who are generally known as "bidoon" or "without" in Arabic.
Many of those have settled in their countries of residence since the 1960s.

Source: Agence France Presse, 22/04/2008

IRAN HANGS MAN FOR MURDER

April 22, 2008: Iran hanged a man convicted of murder in a prison in the central city of Isfahan, the Fars news agency reported.

It identified the man as Hassan M. and said he stabbed a man by the name of Mostafa to death three years ago in the hills outside Isfahan.

Source: Agence France Presse, 22/04/2008

YEMEN EXECUTES TWO OVER BANDITRY MURDER

April 21, 2008: Yemen's Primary Specialist Court delivered its rulings on two Yemeni brigands, Ismaeel Ali Ahmed Hussein and Ahmed Abdu Ali, the state-run 26sep.net said. The two were sentenced to death after being found guilty of killing a citizen while trying to steal his car.

They also attacked another and stole about YR 133 thousand and other items that cost more than YR 1 million, in the Yarim district in Ibb province.

Sources: Sabanews.net, 21/04/2008

Will "diddums" replace the Iwi/Kiwi billboards?

hattip Whaleoil

Will " liar" Mike Williams be replaced?

Mike WIlliams is a liar. Okay, that's not news. I have been away and have caught up with the news that Williams has publically lied about what went on at the Labour Party conference after some delegate on Labours ruling council - who so happened to be Ruth Dyson's husband - suggested that leaflets from the department Dyson oversees be used as campaign material to subvert the Electiral Finance Act - and that Williams thought that was a " damn good idea".

Should Williams be replaced by Andrew Little, who appears to be the natural replacement? He`d be replaced if he was a cabinet minister for lying several times.

If so, Little has said that he would be able to keep his role at the EPMU should he gain the Labour Party presidency. Meaning if the EPMU was permitted to register as a Third Party under the Electoral FInance Act the financial agent of a Third Party will be the president of a political party. This won`t be a good look. Is that why Andrew Little is hoping to be the Labour President after the election?

Why should the EPMU be permitted to register as a Third Party if its secretary on Labour's National council is lined up to be Labour President? Would that subsequently disqualify the " neutral" EPMU if Little was to keep both roles?

Justices Turn Down 11 Death Row Appeals

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday turned away appeals from 11 death row prisoners in seven states, including one who killed his adoptive parents and continued to live in their home as their bodies decomposed, then cleaned up the scene so he could have a party for friends.

The justices’ orders declining to review the cases were not unexpected, given the court’s ruling last week in a Kentucky case that the state’s procedure for lethal injections did not amount to unconstitutionally cruel and unusual punishment. Barriers to executions in other states may also be lifted soon.

Three of the cases that the high court refused to take on Monday were from Georgia, and three more from Ohio. Individual cases from Mississippi, Alabama, Missouri, Arizona and Texas were also turned away.

In Texas, Carlton Turner Jr. came close to being put to death last September, then was spared when the Supreme Court said it would consider the Kentucky case, in which two killers contended that Kentucky’s procedures could cause them unconstitutionally severe pain.

Mr. Turner was 19 in 1998, when he shot Carlton Turner Sr., 43, and his wife, Tonya, 40, several times in the head in their home near Dallas, and then went on a spending spree, using one of his parents’ credit cards to buy clothes and jewelry. After that, the defendant put the bodies in the garage before entertaining his friends at the house, prosecutors said. The crime was discovered after neighbors called the police because they had not seen Mr. and Mrs. Turner for days, but had seen Carlton Jr. driving his parents’ cars.

“People got killed,” the defendant said in a September 2007 interview, according to The Associated Press. “I did it. The only thing that matters is I did what I did.” He also said his time in prison had enabled him to “understand life a lot better and see my mistakes,” and that he knew it was wrong to kill his parents.

The defendant had been a disciplinary problem as a juvenile and had various brushes with the law before slaying his parents, the A.P. reported.

Among the other prisoners whose appeals were turned away on Monday were Earl W. Berry of Mississippi and Thomas Arthur of Alabama.

Mr. Berry, 48, was convicted of abducting and killing a woman in 1987 as she was walking home from church choir practice near Houston, Miss. The defendant, who is 6-1 and weighs 255 pounds, acknowledged beating the woman to death, explaining that he had intended to rape her, then changed his mind.

Mr. Berry had several previous convictions and had appealed his murder conviction on various other grounds before contesting the lethal-injection procedure. He had already eaten what was meant to be his last meal (pork chops) when he was granted a stay last fall, because of the pending Kentucky case.

In Alabama, Mr. Arthur, 65, has been on death row for more than two decades. In 1982, when he was on a work-release program while serving a sentence for a previous murder, he killed the husband of a girlfriend. For that crime, he was tried three times.

His first conviction was overturned by the Alabama Supreme Court, which found that the trial judge had improperly admitted evidence of the earlier murder. A later conviction was also overturned, because Mr. Arthur’s statement to the police was improperly admitted into evidence after he had invoked his right to remain silent. His third conviction was sustained on appeal.

Source: The New York Times

Justice Stevens Renounces Capital Punishment

WASHINGTON — When Justice John Paul Stevens intervened in a Supreme Court argument on Wednesday to score a few points off the lawyer who was defending the death penalty for the rape of a child, the courtroom audience saw a master strategist at work, fully in command of the flow of the argument and the smallest details of the case. For those accustomed to watching Justice Stevens, it was a familiar sight.

But there was something different that no one in the room knew except the eight other justices. In the decision issued 30 minutes earlier in which the court found Kentucky’s method of execution by lethal injection constitutional, John Paul Stevens, in the 33rd year of his Supreme Court tenure and four days shy of his 88th birthday, had just renounced the death penalty.

In an opinion concurring with the majority’s judgment, Justice Stevens said he felt bound to “respect precedents that remain a part of our law.” But outside the confines of the Kentucky case, he said, the time had come to reconsider “the justification for the death penalty itself.”

He wrote that court decisions and actions taken by states to justify the death penalty were “the product of habit and inattention rather than an acceptable deliberative process” to weigh the costs and risks of the penalty against its benefits.

His opinion, which was not separately announced in the courtroom, was the culmination of a remarkable journey for a Republican antitrust lawyer.

During his tenure, Justice Stevens, originally an opponent of affirmative action, has changed his views on that and other issues. “Learning on the job is essential to the process of judging,” he observed in a speech in 2005.

But it is on the death penalty that his evolution is most apparent. He was named to the Supreme Court by President Gerald R. Ford at a time when ferment over capital punishment was at a peak. Less than four years earlier, the court had invalidated every death penalty statute in the country, and states were racing to draft laws that would test the court’s tolerance for a fresh start.

In July 1976, little more than six months after taking his seat, Justice Stevens announced the opinion for the court in Jurek v. Texas, one of the three cases by which the justices gave their approval to a new generation of death penalty statutes. The defendant, Jerry Lane Jurek, had been convicted of kidnapping a 10-year-old girl from a public swimming pool and then raping and killing her.

The new justice’s opinion described the crime in vivid detail before concluding that Mr. Jurek’s death sentence was constitutional because “Texas has provided a means to promote the evenhanded, rational and consistent imposition of death sentences under law.”

During the child rape argument on Wednesday, it was the lawyer for Louisiana who was giving the vivid description of the crime, recounting in grisly anatomic detail the injuries inflicted on an 8-year-old girl by her stepfather, the convicted rapist challenging the state’s death penalty law. As justices and the courtroom audience cringed, the air seemed to leave the room, along with any points the defendant’s lawyer had managed to make in his initial turn at the lectern.

Justice Stevens had remained silent during that first half of the argument, but now he pounced. “Could you clarify?” he began, interrupting the state’s lawyer, Juliet L. Clark. “Were those injuries permanent?”

He knew the answer, of course: the record of the case indicated that the girl’s physical injuries had healed in two weeks. His point was to bring the anatomy lesson to an end and refocus the argument on the legal issues. If it was also to throw the state’s lawyer off stride, he succeeded in that as well. Ms. Clark, reluctantly conceding that the injuries had healed, shifted to her legal arguments. Justice Stevens’s mild expression and tone never changed.

His renunciation of capital punishment in the lethal injection case, Baze v. Rees, was likewise low key and undramatic. While reminiscent of Justice Harry A. Blackmun’s similar step, shortly before his retirement in 1994, Justice Stevens’s opinion lacked the ringing declaration of Justice Blackmun’s “From this day forward, I no longer shall tinker with the machinery of death.” Justice Stevens’s strongest statements were not in his own voice, but in quotations from a former colleague, Justice Byron R. White, an early death penalty opponent.

But Justice Stevens was not so restrained last June in an opinion dissenting from a decision that in retrospect appears to have been, for him, the final straw. In that case, Uttecht v. Brown, a 5-to-4 majority gave state courts great leeway in death penalty trials to remove jurors who express even mild doubt about capital punishment.

“Millions of Americans oppose the death penalty” and yet can serve as conscientious jurors, Justice Stevens objected then, adding that the majority “has gotten it horribly backwards” in enabling prosecutors to weed them out.

In his opinion on Wednesday, Justice Stevens said the Uttecht decision was “of special concern to me,” and used it to explain his journey from Jurek v. Texas to Baze v. Rees. Those who voted to uphold the death penalty in 1976, he said, “relied heavily on our belief that adequate procedures were in place” to treat death penalty cases with special care so as to minimize bias and error.

“Ironically, however,” he continued, “more recent cases have endorsed procedures that provide less protections to capital defendants than to ordinary offenders.”

In other words, capital punishment had become for him, in the court’s hands, a promise of fairness unfulfilled.

One of the court’s most frequent dissenters throughout his tenure, Justice Stevens, an optimist at heart, does not look back on every loss with such a sense of stinging disappointment. In 1989, he dissented vigorously from the court’s decision in Texas v. Johnson that flag-burning is a form of expression protected by the First Amendment. While he still believes he was right, he told a Chicago audience of lawyers in 2006, he sees a silver lining: flag-burning has all but disappeared.

“What once was a courageous act of defiant expression,” he said, “is now perfectly lawful, and therefore is not worth the effort.”

Source: The New York Times