George Tiller: US abortionist's killer may have links to anti-abortion group

It was not the intention to do two abortion related posts back to back but late term abortionist George Tiller was shot and killed while ushering at his church in the weekend. He was America's most well-known abortionist.

The suspect, Scott Roeder, 51, may have links to Operation Rescue, a conservative US group opposed to abortion. In fact Tiller has been shot before, outside his abortion clinic by Shelley Shannon, who was later jailed. Roeder visited her in prison. You can read more about that here.

The Operation Rescue website is down at the moment , but here's the cache which has this entry:

Scott Roeder Says:
May 19th, 2007 at 4:34 pm

Bleass everyone for attending and praying in May to bring justice to Tiller and the closing of his death camp.
Sometime soon, would it be feasible to organize as many people as possible to attend Tillers church (inside, not just outside) to have much more of a presence and possibly ask questions of the Pastor, Deacons, Elders and members while there? Doesn’t seem like it would hurt anything but bring more attention to Tiller.

Being pro-life and killing someone to prove your point is hardly the way to go, is it.

The Orb To Perform Tubular Bells

by Paul Cashmere - May 31 2009

House pioneers The Orb will pay tribute to Mike Oldfield`s classic `Tubular Bells` with a special performance of the piece called Orbular Bells.

The performance will take place in London on June 6th as part of the British Music Experience, a new and permanent exhibition to be housed at the O2 Arena.

The Orb will perform a DJ set featuring the Tubular Bells music while in another performance, The Hard Bell Ringers of Great Britain will do their own version of the classic on the same day.

Paul Lilley, curator of The British Music Experience, commented: "Tubular Bells is a much loved classic British album and I can't think of a more appropriate place to celebrate it than at The British Music Experience, fast becoming the home of music history in the UK. Interactivity is key to the exhibition and I know children and adults alike will be clamouring to have a go themselves."

The event is free to attend.

GI News—June 2009

• Who really needs a gluten-free diet?
• Money-saving low GI recipes
• 5 tips to reduce your risk of diabetes
• More bang with low GI foods for your exercise buck
  
• GI database updated with over 2,480 foods
• New GI Symbol Program website
  

‘It’s a myth that everyone should be on a gluten-free diet,’ says Shelley Case a registered dietitian and a member of the Medical Advisory Boards of the Celiac Disease Foundation and Gluten Intolerance Group in the US and Professional Advisory Board of the Canadian Celiac Association during May’s Celiac Awareness Month. In Food for Thought, Shelley explains why it’s vital to see your physician before adopting a gluten-free diet, and dietitian and diabetes educator Kate Marsh explains why there’s more to gluten-free living than focusing on foods to avoid, and why gluten-free diets can be high GI.

Good eating, good health and good reading.

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

Food for Thought

Who really needs a gluten-free diet?
‘These days, going gluten-free is being hailed as the solution to everything from autism and ADHD to obesity, but going gluten-free before being screened for celiac disease (an autoimmune disorder that affects 1 in 100 people in many Western countries) can be hazardous to your health! This is because removing the gluten from your diet may prevent your physician from being able to diagnose it accurately,’ she says. ‘It’s absolutely imperative to see a physician before adopting a gluten-free diet.’


Shelley Case, RD

‘For people with celiac disease, following a strict gluten-free diet (no wheat, rye and barley) for life is a critical medical intervention. In fact it's the ONLY treatment available and as such must be followed very carefully.’

Celiac disease is the most common and one of the most under-diagnosed hereditary autoimmune diseases. Typical symptoms include:

• Fatigue, weakness and lethargy
• Low iron levels or unexplained anemia that does not improve or recurs after taking iron supplements
• Wind, bloating and abdominal distension
• Stomach cramps
• Diarrhea
• Constipation
• Nausea and vomiting
• Weight loss, and/or
• Poor weight gain, delayed growth and delayed puberty in children.

Some less common symptoms in adults include:

• Easy bruising of the skin
• Mouth ulcers
• Infertility and miscarriages
• Muscle spasms/cramps due to low calcium levels
• Deficiencies of vitamins B12, A, D, E and K
• Dental problems
• Poor memory and concentration, and
• Bone and joint pains.

If you have one or more of these signs or symptoms, make an appointment with your doctor for a check-up. They should refer you to a gastroenterologist who specializes in celiac disease.

‘The only way to diagnose celiac disease is with a blood test and small intestinal biopsy and gluten must be present in the diet in order for these tests to be accurate,’ emphasizes Case. ‘Starting the diet before the test could easily result in more people being mis-diagnosed.’

Dietitian Kate Marsh, author of Low GI Gluten-free Living Made Easy, adds: ‘There’s much more to gluten-free living than focusing on foods to avoid. Eating well is a key to good health and preventing other long-term health problems like diabetes and heart disease. While it is great to see an ever-increasing range of gluten-free foods becoming available and making life easier for those with celiac disease, unfortunately many of them are highly processed and some are high in fat and added sugar – two ingredients that are naturally gluten-free! Gluten-free diets also tend to have a high GI because many low GI staples such as whole wheat kernel breads, pasta and barley are eliminated because they contain gluten. The gluten-free alternatives, due to their ingredients and processing methods, are often quickly digested and absorbed, raising blood glucose and insulin levels.’

Low GI Gluten-free Living, which shows you how to incorporate low GI carbs into a gluten-free diet, is available from books stores and Amazon.

For more information on celiac disease and a gluten-free diet, contact your local celiac association or check out Shelley Case’s website.

News Briefs

5 tips to reduce your risk of diabetes
When researchers checked out the lifestyle habits of some 4,900 adults, aged 65 or older and without diabetes over a 10-year period, they found that the factors associated with low risk for diabetes were:

• physical activity
• a healthy diet
• no smoking
• moderate alcohol use
• not being overweight

The researchers showed that 80% of new cases of diabetes are attributable to these risk factors, a number that increases when obesity is included. 'Our findings suggest that, even later in life, the great majority of cases of diabetes are related to lifestyle factors,' write Dariush Mozaffarian (Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA) and colleagues in the April 27, 2009 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. 'Our results support the need for emphasising healthy and achievable physical activity and dietary goals among older adults, including:

• moderate leisure-time activity and walking pace,
• higher intake of dietary fiber and polyunsaturated fat, and
• lower intake of trans fat and easily digestible [high GI] carbohydrates.'

More bang with low GI foods for your exercise buck
‘If you are trying to shed fat, you may consider eating low GI foods before you exercise,’ suggests Dr Emma Stevenson after a recent University of Nottingham study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that a low GI breakfast before exercising could help with weight loss because it increases fat oxidation both at rest and during subsequent exercise.


Dr Emma Stevenson

In the study, eight healthy, sedentary but not overweight women ate either a high GI breakfast (cornflakes and milk, white bread and jam and a carbonated glucose drink) or a low GI one (natural muesli and milk, tinned peaches and yoghurt and apple juice) in test sessions held several days apart (each breakfast contained the same number of calories and same proportion of those calories from carbs, fat and protein). Three hours later they did a 60-minute walk on a treadmill, which was set to make them work but not to the point of exhaustion, before having lunch.

Blood glucose was higher – as expected – after the high GI breakfast than the low GI one, and had returned to normal levels by the time the women started to exercise. But plasma free fatty acids (FFA) – which indicate the amount of fat being used as an energy source – began to rise two hours after the low GI breakfast was consumed. Exercise led to a rapid increase in FFAs in both groups – but concentrations were higher in the low GI group. After lunch the concentration of FFAs was the same in both groups, but overall fat oxidation was higher in the low GI group than the high GI group. ‘A low GI breakfast also had an impact on appetite, with the women feeling fuller for longer after they’d eaten these types of foods,’ said Dr Stevenson.



How high glucose might damage blood vessels
Diabetes increases the risk of cardiovascular disease such as heart disease and stroke, even when blood glucose levels are under control. In fact, about 75% of people with diabetes die from some form of heart or blood vessel disease, according to the American Heart Association. Medical College of Georgia researchers now suspect increased modification of proteins by a glucose-derived molecule is a player in vascular problems associated with hypertension, stroke and obesity as well. The found that a decreased ability of blood vessels to relax resulted from increased activity of a natural mechanism for altering protein form and function, according to Dr Rita C.Tostes, physiologist in the MCG School of Medicine.

One aftermath of high glucose levels is low levels of the powerful vasodilator nitric oxide in blood vessels, a shortfall that increases the risk of high blood pressure and eventual narrowing of the vessels, researchers reported at the American Society of Hypertension 24th Annual Scientific Program in San Francisco during a joint session with the Council for High Blood Pressure.

Most of the glucose in the body is carried by the blood stream to the body’s cells where it provides fuel for energy. However about 5% of all glucose is converted to O-GlcNAc, one of the sugar types that can modify proteins.



Inside the blood vessel walls of healthy mice, MCG researchers found increased activity by O-GlcNAc competes with another mechanism for modifying proteins called phosphorylation. In blood vessels, phorphorylation modifies the enzyme that produces nitric oxide, called nitric oxide synthase, so that it makes more of the blood vessel dilator. But add more O-GlcNAc to the mix and it seems to beat phosphorylation to the punch so there is the opposite result. The longer O-GlcNAc levels were high, the worse the resulting problem, says Victor Lima, a graduate student at the University of Sao Paulo working with Dr Tostes.

An animal model of hypertension seemed to confirm the finding that the more O-GlcNAc, the more blood vessels contract because these animals had higher O-GlcNAc levels. 'Now we are trying to see why this is happening and what comes first. Is increased blood pressure leading to changed O-GlcNAc or are augmented levels of O-GlcNAc contributing to the change we see in the vasculature of hypertensives?' Dr Tostes says. 'If we know how this changes vascular function, we can understand some of the dysfunction that we see in diabetes.'

To make sure they were targeting the O-GlcNAc sugar and not dealing with other effects of glucose on blood vessels, the researchers blocked the enzyme OGA, an enzyme that normally removes O-GlcNAc from proteins so they can revert to their normal state.

If the findings continue to hold true, drugs similar to those they use in the lab to inhibit OGA or OGT, the enzyme that adds O-GlcNAc to the protein, could one day help reduce the significant cardiovascular risk associated with diabetes, Mr Lima says.

International Diabetes Federation streamlines website



‘We want to serve the needs of people with diabetes, people interested in learning more about diabetes, of governments and researchers looking for evidentiary data about the diabetes epidemic, and of diabetes and health associations looking for global material on diabetes care, prevention and education,’ said Mario Fetz, IDF Director of External Relations. www.idf.org is available in three languages and is integrated with Facebook and Twitter.

Foodwatch with Glenn Cardwell

Mushrooms and cancer


Glenn Caldwell

Mushroom eaters get many health benefits (one serve provides more than 20% of our daily needs of the essential nutrients riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin, copper and selenium). Back in October 2008, GI News reported on a US study that found mushrooms to be an ideal way to cut calories without losing out on flavour or a sense of fullness. Now the mushroom is showing itself to be a tasty way of stacking the odds in our favour against developing the top two cancers that hit non-smokers.

If you are a non-smoker, then, statistically speaking, the cancer you are most likely to get is either breast or prostate cancer, each of which kill around 3000 Australians every year (compared to 7,500 people dying of lung cancer). Yet a solution could be a close as your local supermarket. According to a report from the University of Western Australia published in the March issue of the International Journal of Cancer, one of our most popular foods could greatly reduce your risk of getting these cancers.



Mushrooms good to breasts Researchers, led by Dr Min Zhang, studied 1000 Chinese women with breast cancer and compared them to 1000 control women without cancer. Their findings reveal that those women who consumed the most fresh mushrooms were around two-thirds less likely to develop breast cancer in comparison to those that didn’t eat mushrooms. There was a further risk reduction if they also drank a cup of green tea each day.

You may be thinking that the women in the study were eating exotic mushrooms that we rarely see in the supermarket. Not so. The most common mushroom consumed was the button mushroom, and 10 g (about 1/3 oz) or one small mushroom a day was enough to lessen the chance of breast cancer.

Mushrooms good to prostates too Earlier research published in the journal Cancer Research in 2006 has revealed that unique compounds in mushrooms inhibit two enzymes – aromatase and 5-alpha reductase – which encourage the progression of both breast and prostate cancer respectively in mice. The results have proved so encouraging that funding has just been granted to conduct human studies in the US to observe the effect of mushrooms in those who have had breast or prostate cancer.

First human research The study by Dr Zhang was the first human research showing a link between button mushrooms and a lower risk of breast cancer. A previous Korean study looking at other types of mushrooms also noted a link between mushrooms and a lower risk of breast cancer.

So, start stacking the odds in your favour with Johanna Burani’s Pappardelle con funghi or Diane Temple’s Mushroom minestrone with barley in this month’s GI News.

Glenn Cardwell is an Accredited Practising Dietitian consulting to the mushroom farmers of Australia. More information on mushrooms is available at www.mushroomsforlife.net. Make sure you check out Glenn's website.

Low GI Recipes of the Month

American dietitian, Johanna Burani invites GI News readers to try recipes from her Italian kitchen (photographed by Sergio Burani).


Johanna Burani

Pappardelle con funghi
Egg noodles with mushrooms
Laughing Cow cheese wedges are pasteurized spreadable Swiss flavor cheese wedges.
Serves 4

450 g (1 lb) fresh mushrooms (crimini, baby portabella, Swiss brown)
12 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley, minced (approximately 1/2 cup)
6 Laughing Cow cheese wedges, light
1 cup marsala wine (sweet red dessert wine)
230 g (8 oz) egg pappardelle

• Use a damp paper towel to wipe mushrooms clean. Cut each one into 4–5 vertical slices.
• Thoroughly coat a large skillet with vegetable spray and warm over a medium heat for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and cook for 6 minutes. Stir frequently to cook evenly. Lower the heat if necessary. Stir in the parsley and simmer for 1 minute. Remove skillet from heat.
• Drop the cheese wedges into a small saucepan, pressing down with the back of a fork to squash them. Add the marsala. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine and cook the sauce over a medium–high heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Tip the sauce into the mushroom mixture and keep covered and warm while the pasta is cooking.
• Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Be careful not to overcook it. This type of pasta only needs 4–5 minutes once it comes to a boil. Drain.
• Pour the pasta over the mushroom sauce, toss, and serve immediately (fresh egg noodles absorb liquids very quickly). If you like you can add grated parmiggiano reggiano cheese.

Per serve
Energy: 1612 kJ/ 384 cals; Protein 14 g; Fat 5 g (includes 2 g saturated fat and 80 mg cholesterol); Carbs 53 g; Fibre 1 g; 538 mg sodium

Each month, GI News readers can eat well and save money with Diane Temple (co-author of a new book, Money Saving Meals). Diane shares her tips on cutting back on food bills and still enjoying fresh-tasting, easily prepared, seasonal, satisfying and delicious low GI meals that don’t compromise on quality and flavour one little bit.


Diane Temple

Mushroom minestrone with barley
Use any fresh mushrooms you like in any combination for this – white (button), crimini (Swiss brown), baby portabella or field (flat) mushrooms or any of the more exotic ones). If you only want to use one type of mushroom, I would suggest using cheap flat mushrooms for colour and flavour. The real aroma booster for this soup comes from the dried porcini. Don’t gasp. Although this may seem a pricy option, you only need a pinch or three to pack a punch. I don’t think this soup needs any garlic, but if you can’t live without it, sauté a chopped clove with the onion and other vegetables. Preparation time: 15 minutes; cooking time: 40 minutes.
Serves 4

10 g (1/3 oz) dried porcini mushrooms
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled or scrubbed and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
½ cup pearl barley, rinsed
6 cups hot water mixed with 1 tablespoon chicken or vegetable stock powder
250 g (9 oz) flat mushrooms
2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
4 slices sourdough or grainy low GI bread, to serve

• Place the porcini mushrooms in a heatproof bowl and pour over ½ cup of boiling water. Set aside while you prepare the vegetables.
• Heat the oil in a large saucepan and cook the onion, carrot and celery for 10 minutes on a low heat until soft, stirring occasionally. Add the porcini mushrooms and the soaking liquid, the barley and the chicken (or vegetable) stock, stir and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer gently for 30 minutes.
• Cut the flat mushrooms in half then slice them crosswise and add them to the soup. Cover, and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes or until the barley is tender to the bite then stir in parsley. Ladle into soup bowls and serve with bread.

Per serve (with 1 slice bread)
Energy: 1221 kJ/ 292 cals; Protein 9 g; Fat 11 g (includes 2 g saturated fat); Carbs 35 g; Fibre 7 g

Stocktake: Diane’s nifty & thrifty cooking tip of the month
Stock helps make great tasting soups, but it needn’t cost the earth, take hours to prepare, or come in a carton or can. If you do the maths, you’ll find that stock powders deliver the best value for money (Australian dollars quoted here).

• 1 litre carton (4 cups) chicken stock about $3.10
• 4 cups chicken stock made with stock cubes about 40 cents
• 4 cups chicken stock made with Vegeta stock powder about 15 cents

You also have more control of the flavour – you can follow instructions (usually 1 teaspoon stock powder per cup of water) or use a bit more or less as you wish. Some brands are high on flavour, low on fillers and additives, salt reduced and gluten free. However, hold the salt shaker. Like other stock products on the supermarket shelf, stock powders can be on the salty side, so don’t add any extra. And keep in mind any salty toppings you are serving like Parmesan cheese.

Busting Food Myths with Nicole Senior

Myth: Foods labelled as ‘Natural’ are healthier


Nicole Senior

Fact: ‘Natural’ claims mean very little
To find healthier foods, check the ingredients list and nutrition information panel on the label, and try eating more fresh foods that don’t need labels. According to Mintel market research, ‘natural’ was the most popular claim made on new food and drink products around the world in 2008. In Australia, a Galaxy Research survey on 1,100 adults found 99% of Australians are consuming more natural and unprocessed foods to improve their health. But are we always getting something healthier when we buy foods with ‘natural’ on the label?

Not when you think in terms of adverse nutrients, such as saturated fat and sodium. Salt, butter, lard and cream are natural, however they are disastrous to our heath when eaten in excess, and surveys show we are still eating too much of these. Organic claims carry similar health cred with consumers, however may not actually deliver the health benefits you might expect. While organic food is better for the environment, it is not necessarily better for your health. An organic muffin made with white flour, butter and sugar is still a high calorie, high saturated fat snack with poor nutritional value – the addition of blueberries does little to redeem it.



I once read ‘organic crystallised sugar cane juice’ on the label of a so-called ‘health bar’ – a classic case of sugar dressed up as natural, dressed up as healthy. Similarly I have encountered an organic ‘health bar’ made with white flour, butter, sugar and oats with enough saturated fat to exceed the entire day’s maximum, and as many calories as an entire meal. Another obvious example is ‘natural’ confectionery, which contains as much sugar and calories as the regular stuff, and offers no health benefit for most people (except perhaps a misplaced reduction in guilt).

In Australia, the regulations for ‘natural’ claims are very open to interpretation. In fact, there is no formal definition of ‘natural’ within the Food Standards Code, so consumer protection is via a set of “guidelines” for interpreting the Trade Practices Act from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). While corrective action is sometimes taken for flagrant breaches, there are thousands of foods to police, limited resources to police them, and very expensive court time needed to bring companies making dodgy ‘natural’ claims into line.

Is our hankering for ‘natural’ foods a sign of our general disillusionment toward the modern pace of life and our complex food environment? Perhaps ‘natural’ is a word that promises deliverance from the time and stress of interpreting nutrition labels? This same simplicity rationale is behind traffic light labelling: red means unhealthy and green means healthy, right? Well, no not always, and so much depends on the individual dietary context, frequency and amount of the food. Like a lot of areas in nutrition, the simple way doesn’t always guarantee the best way, and creates much collateral damage.

If we are to make the best of our sophisticated food supply, we must read and understand the nutrition information on our food. A good first step is relinquish our desperate grip on the ‘natural’ claim as a healthy signpost. Sometimes ‘natural’ is anything but healthy. Oh, and eat more fresh foods without labels – much food goodness needs no advertising.

For more heart-healthy eating advice, tips and recipes go to www.eattobeatcholesterol.com.au

Move It & Lose It with Prof Trim

Prof Trim’s 5-point fitness test
How do you rate?

Size refers to body fat. This is related to fitness, but not perfectly. It is possible to be fit AND fat and activity levels are more important than weight loss in people who just can’t lose weight.

All you need to do is move.

Stamina is aerobic capacity. It’s a good indication of cardiovascular (heart-lung) fitness. It can be increased by regularly moving at increasing levels of intensity.

A simple home screening question is: “Do you regularly (ie. daily or almost daily) carry out exercise for the sole purpose of improving your health. or increasing your physical fitness.” If the answer is ‘yes’, you’re likely to have an acceptable level of stamina.

Strength is the ability of a muscle to produce force on contraction. Strength is improved through resistance type activities like weight lifting, rubber straps, aquarobics, exercise machines etc.



A good test for overall strength is either the strength of abdominal muscles (tested by doing full, bent leg sit-ups) or the quadriceps of the thighs (tested by standing from a chair to your full height in one movement). Test how many of each of these you can do in 20 seconds. More than 12 of either is a reasonable test of strength of these muscle groups.

Suppleness is another name for flexibility. It refers to the ability to stretch muscles through their full range. Suppleness is improved by stretching or in such activities as yoga. As the hamstrings (behind the thighs) are a large muscle group that are important for bending and moving, a measure of the ability to stretch these isa good indication of overall flexibility.

Sitting on the floor, slowly reach forward to see if you can reach between your feet. If you can do so, or if you can exceed this, you are adequately flexible. If you can’t, you need some more stretching exercises.

Stability is important for preventing falls, particularly in older people. It is an indication of the ability of muscles and joints to work in harmony in daily movement.

A simple measure of stability is to stand on one leg for 30 seconds. Imagine a T sign across the shoulders and down the mid-line of the body. If this wavers, during leg standing, it indicates a lack of stability. To makes sure of this, then close the eyes for 30 seconds and check
if it can be done without wavering. Stability is increased by learning how to stand on one leg like this for longer.


Dr Garry Egger aka Prof Trim

For more information on weight loss for men, check out Professor Trim.

Feedback

Why are many high-fibre foods high GI?
Dietary fibre can be divided into soluble and insoluble types. Soluble fibre is often viscous (thick and jellylike) in solution and remains viscous even in the small intestine. It slows down digestion, making it harder for enzymes to digest the food. Foods with more soluble fibre, like apples, oats and legumes, are low GI as a result. Insoluble fibre, on the other hand, is not viscous and doesn’t slow digestion, especially if it’s finely milled. This is why wholemeal bread and white bread have similar GIs, and why brown pasta and brown rice have values similar to those of their white counterparts.



Does retrograded starch ever revert back to regular starch?
Yes, retrograded starch will revert back to normal starch if it’s reheated – perhaps not all of it, but much of it. That’s the basis of making stale bread into ‘fresh’ bread by heating it up in the oven. So twice-cooked potatoes will remain high GI. Even cold potatoes have a high GI because only 10 per cent of the starch is retrograded. Some critics debate about the fact that cooking makes a difference to the GI of potatoes, but the effect is relatively small and the overall message is that potatoes usually have a high GI. Having said that, we are discovering that some varieties, such as Nicola, have a lower GI – in the high 50s. These are usually called waxy potatoes and they are recommended for making a potato salad because they keep their firm shape.

Email your questions about carbs, the GI and blood glucose to: gicurlyquestions@gmail.com

Your Success Stories

'My experience so far has ensured a life time of lower GI eating for myself and my family.' - Fiona
‘I am currently pregnant with my third child. I was diagnosed with PCOS in 1998. Although my specialist at the time specialised in PCOS for her doctorate, I had no understanding of the link between insulin and my condition. I went on to have two rather large sons – 4.44 kg at 37 weeks and 4.62 kg at 35 weeks (yes, that is right!) – and gained a lot of weight during pregnancy. My second son also had blood glucose issues after birth, although I have never tested positive for gestational diabetes. In my journey to try and fall pregnant a third time I finally read a book I had owned for 4 years but never read – The New Glucose Revolution for Managing (Guide to Living Well with PCOS in the US and Canada). What an eye opener! I can’t believe I had not got around to reading it before. As my husband was also trying to lose weight at the time following the South Beach Diet I took the opportunity to switch to a low GI diet. I have since fallen pregnant again and, despite not being rigid in my diet, have only gained a ‘normal;’ amount of weight and the baby is measuring average for dates at 5 months. My experience so far has ensured a life time of lower GI eating for myself and my family (at least while I have some control over what goes in their mouths!)

Update: Fiona had Baby Number 3 in May - a very respectable 3.95 kg. 'I know that is big for some but small for me! No blood glucose issues with the baby either,' says Fiona

Send us your GI success story.

GI Symbol News with Alan Barclay

www.gisymbol.com


Alan Barclay

The GI Symbol Program website has had a complete facelift. Designed to be helpful for consumers, health professionals and the food industry, the site provides clear and simple information on the glycemic index (GI), shopping for healthy low GI foods, the benefits of healthy eating the low GI way, and the steps involved in a food product qualifying to carry the GI Symbol. For GI Symbol Program Licensees, a special Members section provides the evidence base for making nutrition claims about GI, position statements, our nutrient criteria product profiler to make new product development easy, the latest consumer research, and GI Symbol graphics in a variety of popular formats.

The website links to the GI database, GI News and GI testing labs around the world and the search facility enables users to find foods that currently carry the GI Symbol.

Backed by the Glycemic Index Foundation, a collaboration between the University of Sydney, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation of Australia, and Diabetes Australia, the GI Symbol Program leads the way in helping everybody make healthier food choices every day for every meal for their long term health and well being. Manufacturers pay a license fee to use the certified Symbol and the income is channelled back into education and research.

The GI Symbol is a powerful tool for quickly and reliably making healthy food choices when grocery shopping. It’s your guarantee that the GI value stated near the nutrition information label is accurate. Foods with the GI Symbol are healthy in other ways, too. To be approved to carry the GI Symbol, foods must be a good source of carbohydrate and meet a host of other nutrient criteria including energy (Calories/kilojoules), total and saturated fat, sodium (salt), and where appropriate fibre and calcium.

For more information email: alan@gisymbol.com



Contact
Dr Alan W Barclay, PhD
CSO, Glycemic Index Ltd
Phone: +61 2 9785 1037
Mob: +61 (0)416 111 046
Fax: +61 2 9785 1037
Email: alan@gisymbol.com
Website: www.gisymbol.com.au

New GI Values with Fiona Atkinson

GI database updated
The database at www.glycemicindex.com has been updated with the latest GI values based on the 2008 International Tables which included the GI of 2,489 individual food items (Diabetes Care).

If you want a print version, pick up a copy of the 2009 Shopper’s Guide to GI Values available in ANZ and in the US and Canada. Publishing rights for this handy little pocket guide are available for all other countries.

In the following summary, we have listed the average GI values of more than 60 common carbohydrate-containing foods to help you put the lower GI choices into your shopping trolley and on your plate.


Click on the table for a full-sized view

To have your product GI tested, contact an accredited GI testing laboratory
North America
Dr Alexandra Jenkins
Glycemic Index Laboratories
36 Lombard Street, Suite 100
Toronto, Ontario M5C 2X3 Canada
Phone +1 416 861 0506
Email info@gilabs.com
Web www.gilabs.com

Australia
Fiona Atkinson



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

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

See The New Glucose Revolution on YouTube

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Entire abortion committee resigns

The Abortion Supervisory Committee has advised that the Abortion Standards Committee has resigned.

The Standards Committee consisted of experts in the fields of obstetrics and gynaecology, women’s health, primary care, nursing and counselling, and was set up under section 15 of the Contraception, Sterilisation, and Abortion Act 1977 to develop standards for the provision of abortion services. The committee was appointed by the Abortion Supervisory Committee, but its membership was never made public. It could well have been some of these people.

Justice Miller in the High Court in Wellington on 9 June
stated that “there is reason to doubt the lawfulness of many abortions authorised by certifying consultants, we have abortion on request.”

Justice Miller confirmed that the Committee does in fact have the power to hold certifying consultants accountable for the lawfulness of abortions they authorise and to question them why they are using mental health grounds to authorise 98 percent of abortions.

In light of the court case, the Standards Committee would have a difficult job developing standards within the law without changing current practices, given that most abortions are done unlawfully. Given that this committee was directed by the Abortion Supervisory Committee, one wondered why it existed in the first place.

Meanwhile Justice Miller will again be hearing the ongoing case between Right To Life and the Abortion Supervisory Committee on 20 July. Right to Life wants to have Justice Miller issue clear declarations to the Abortion Supervisory Committee setting out its statutory powers and duties.

In the past financial year fees amounting to $5,048,096 – excluding GST – were paid to people to kill unborn children.

Three men hanged in Iran for mosque bombing

TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- Iranian authorities hanged three men convicted for their involvement in a bombing of a Shia mosque, Iran's IRNA news agency reported Saturday.

The Thursday evening blast occurred in the southeastern Sistan-Balochistan province at a mosque in during prayers to commemorate the seventh century death of Fatima, the daughter of the prophet Mohammed.

Reports on the number of casualties varied in Iranian reports. Some local agencies said more than 20 people were killed and 125 were wounded in the bombing.

The suspects were arrested and being questioned on Friday.

Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami, a hard-line cleric, said there were signs that the United States and Israel were involved in the mosque bombing, IRNA reported.

The United States denied the allegations.

"The U.S. strongly condemns all forms of terrorism. We do not sponsor any form of terrorism in Iran. And we continue to work with the international community to try to prevent any attacks against innocent civilians anywhere," State Department spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters in a Friday afternoon briefing.

Sistan-Balochistan province -- which shares a border with Pakistan -- is the site of frequent clashes involving Iranian police, drug dealers and armed groups. The province is located on a major narcotics-smuggling route between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Source: CNN.com, May 30, 2009

Metiria Turei is the Greens co-leader

Congratulations to Metiria Turei, who has been elected as the Green Party's new co-leader at the party's annual conference today.

Will the Greens now have a campaign song about living in a Metiria world?

Sue Bradford was smacked out of contention. Some say she was never really in contention.

Jeanette Fitzsimons is staying on as a backbencher.

Metiria Turei

Good to hear that Metiria Turei will probably be the new Greens co-leader this weekend.

David To Reprise Role Of Hamlet For BBC

David has signed up to reprise his role of Hamlet for BBC Two.
He will be joined by key cast members from the RSC production, including Patrick Stewart as Claudius.
BBC Two controller Janice Hadlow said the 180-minute screen production of Hamlet was "a wonderful opportunity to bring one of the great stage successes of last year to a wider audience".
Tickets for the stage performances, which opened in Stratford-Upon-Avon and later moved to London, sold out in hours.
After his debut appearance, the Guardian called Tennant the "best Hamlet in years".
In February his return to the stage as Hamlet was named the event of the year in the Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Awards.

The full press release from the RSC can be seen below:
The Royal Shakespeare Company's award-winning production of Hamlet, directed by RSC Chief Associate Director Gregory Doran, and with David Tennant in the title role, will premiere on BBC Two later this year.
Produced by Illuminations, the screen version of Shakespeare's great tragedy will retain the quality and tone of the critically acclaimed stage production but filming will take place on location. All key original members of the cast, including Patrick Stewart as Claudius, are confirmed to star in this special 180 minute production, alongside the same creative team.
RSC Artistic Director Michael Boyd said; “We are very pleased that this RSC production will be seen by so many people when broadcast. As the show was sold out for its entire run, this is a really great opportunity for our work to be seen by so many who could not come to the theatre and see it on stage.”
Filming begins in June for broadcast later this year on BBC Two. Broadcasts in the US and Japan will follow in 2010. Illuminations previously worked with Doran and the RSC on the filmed version of Macbeth with Antony Sher and Harriet Walter. Chris Seager will be in post as Director of Photography; Robert Jones, who designed the stage production, will also design the film and, as on stage, the music is composed by Paul Englishby, the movement director is Mike Ashcroft and the fight director is Terry King.
John Wyver is the producer for Illuminations and Bethan Jones is Executive Producer for BBC Wales. The project was commissioned by Ben Stephenson, Controller, BBC Drama Commissioning and George Entwistle, Controller, BBC Knowledge Commissioning.
The director Gregory Doran said “Contrary to press reports at the time, the RSC always had plans to make a recording of this production but had the inevitable long journey in getting the cast together again and securing funding for this project. The Hamlet cast and the RSC are all really delighted that we now have the chance to share this show with audiences around the world, and I would like to thank all those involved in making this plan a reality at last”
Janice Hadlow, Controller BBC Two said “It's a wonderful opportunity to bring one of the great stage successes of last year to a wider audience.”
To support the new film of Hamlet, a rich online BBC site is being created in collaboration with the RSC. It will feature behind-the-scenes stills and footage; specially shot interviews with the actors talking about their characters and how they've approached the play; further interviews, with the director and other key backstage personnel; and a comprehensive range of links through to the full depth of BBC Learning's content on Shakespeare and RSC Education's content on Shakespeare in performance.
George Entwistle, Controller, BBC Knowledge Commissioning said "We hope we can use our experience in building compelling online sites to encourage a large TV audience to pursue their interest in Hamlet and Shakespeare as far as possible, off the back of a superb TV version of the play."

David To Guest On QI Christmas Special

David will be a guest on the Christmas special of QI. It was recorded in London last night and will air on the BBC over the festive period.

Sri Lankan Airlines

Sri Lankan Airlines will be shortly disclosing major changes across its entire long haul network which are effected to come into effect from the on set of the IATA Winter timetable i.e. Oct 2009. They are as follows:

FRA - all flights to be routed via Dubai with full 5th freedom rights.

NRT - all 3 weekly flights currently flown via MLE to be suspended and be replaced with flights flown via HKG using an A 343.

BKK - frequencies reduced to 4 times a week nonstop terminator flights; onward flights to HKG are cancelled.

LHR via AUH -UL 511/12 will not fly nonstop CMB-LHR but instead will fly this route 3 times a week via AUH to LHR on TUE/SAT/SUN only. UL will have 5th freedom traffic rights on the AUH-LHR-AUH sector.

Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines has officially confirmed that it will be suspending its 3 weekly Dubai-Moscow flight from July 4th 09 due to economic reasons associated with the route's overall viability. As a result of this move, SQ's SIN-DXB-DXB weekly flights get reduced from 20 to 17 times per week using a mixture of B 772s and B 773s.

Korean Air

Korean Air has revealed few changes to its worldwide route network on the GDS for the IATA Winter 09-10 season in terms of capacity and frequency. The main highlights are as follows:

AKL - frequencies increase from 5 weekly to daily nonstop flights using a B 772ER.

SYD - capacity increased from a daily A 332 to a daily B 744.

BKK - frequencies increased from double daily to 17 weekly nonstop flights using a B 773A.

AMS - capacity reduced from 3 weekly B 772ERs to 3 weekly A 332s.

PRG - capacity increased from 3 weekly A 332s to 3 weekly B 772ERs.

VIE/ZRH - capacity reduced from 3 weekly B 744s to 3 weekly A 333s.

Lufthansa

Lufthansa has officially announced that it will be adjusting capacity and frequencies to Dammam and Bahrain from late September onwards by flying both routes with smaller aircraft to cater largely for the petroleum traffic. DMM will be only flown to 3 times a week nonstop using a B 738 operated by Privatair which will be extended to BAH. The city of Bahrain though will receive daily flights from FRA using a B 738 as well with 4 flown nonstop and 3 flown via DMM.

Continental Airlines

Continental Airlines has revealed on the GDS system that it will be increasing capacity on its Newark-Brussels bound flights between June and September 2009 to cater for increased premium and leisure demand during the peak holiday period on this route. Currently, it flies the route on a daily basis using a B 764ER however, from June 6th till Sept 7th it will be utilizing the Boeing 777-200ER on this route which seats 50 passengers more per flight compared to their B 764ERs.

Oman Air

Oman Air has officially confirmed that it will be launching new 3 weekly nonstop flights from its Muscat hub to Munich effective September 29th 09. WY will be using an Airbus A 330-200 for this new flight which will compliment its 4 weekly nonstop flights to Frankfurt. The flight schedule to MUC is as follows:

Days of operation - TUE/THU/SAT

WY 123 Dep MCT 1210 - Arr MUC 1710
WY 124 Dep MUC 2230 - Arr MCT 0705+1

British Airways

British Airways has officially announced that it will be launching a new North American route i.e. LAS-Las Vegas, Nevada effective Oct 25th 09. BA will be flying the route nonstop on a daily basis using a Boeing 777-200ER and its flight timings are as follows:

BA 275 Dep LHR 1530 Arr LAS 1820
BA 274 Dep LAS 2020 Arr LHR 1405+1

BA too announced that due to the on going worldwide economic turmoil, it will be grounding 8 Boeing 747-400s + 8 Boeing 757-200s for the IATA Winter 09-10 season. It has not mentioned as yet though which routes in the winter season wont see B 744 service but its expected to be largely in North America.

Emirates

Emirates has revealed on the GDS that it will be increasing capacity to LAD-Luanda, Angola from its launch on set from a 3 weekly A 332 to a 3 weekly Boeing 777-300ER due to increased demand for first and business class travel from this oil rich country. the other major change announced by EK concerns its Athens operation which will see its station's capacity reduced from daily B 773ER + daily A 332 to 4 weekly B 773ER + 10 weekly A 332.

Emirates has revealed on the GDS the following capacity and frequencies across its Indian Ocean network which will come into effect from July 2009. They are as follows :

MRU - frequencies increased to 9 weekly nonstop flights from daily.

MLE - frequencies increased from 11 times weekly to double daily.

CMB - frequencies increased from double daily to 18 times per week.

On the other hand, with regards to its planned increase of KRT-Khartoum from daily to 10 weekly nonstop flights, this plan has been shelved until the worldwide economy improves.

Ethiopian Airlines

Ethiopian Airlines has revealed on the GDS that it will be increasing capacity on its ADD-RUH (Riyadh) route from this week onwards by using a larger Boeing 757-200 on the route twice a week along side a Boeing 737-700 which will be used once a week. With regards to its Far East Asia network, it has announced the following effective June 1st 09:

ADD/BKK/CAN - frequencies increased from 6 weekly to daily flights using a B 763ER.

ADD/BKK/HKG - frequencies increased from 3 to 5 weekly flights using a B 763ER.

Garuda Indonesia

Garuda Indonesia has announced that it will be launching new 3 weekly nonstop flights to ICN-Seoul from its main CGK-Jakarta hub effective July 1st. It will fly the route using one of its leased Airbus A 330-200s. Currently, it only flies to ICN 4 times a week nonstop from DPS-Bali. With regards to its Australian network, it has announced the following:

MEL - new 3 weekly nonstop flights operated by an A 332 eff Aug 1st where as DPS-MEL would be reduced from 5 to 4 weekly flights flown by an A 333.

SYD - new 3 weekly nonstop flights operated by an A 332 eff Aug 1st where as DPS-SYD would be reduced from 5 to 4 weekly flights flown by an A 333.

KLM

KLM has revealed on the GDS system that it will be reducing flights to Cairo, Egypt flown nonstop from its AMS hub for the entire IATA Winter 09-10 season from a daily nonstop flight to a 6 weekly service using a Boeing 777-200ER. No official reason has been cited for this surprising move as CAI sees huge demand in the winter season due to climatic reasons.

Arik Air Nigeria

Arik Air of Nigeria has officially announced that it will be launching a new daily nonstop flight from its main LOS-Lagos hub to JNB-Johanesbourg in South Africa using an Airbus A 340-500. This new flight will be launched from June 2009 onwards and will be the only second airline flying this route nonstop along side South African Airways who flies this route 4 times a week nonstop using a Boeing 747-400.

Arik Air too mentioned that it hopes to launch nonstop flights from LOS to New York JFK from November 1st 2009 with an A 345 flown 3 times a week only.

CPAG: Action group for the poor or cheerleaders for the left?

Child Poverty Action Group released a list of nine things it wanted to see the Government do to "reduce the effect of the recession of New Zealand's children". CPAG researcher Donna Wynd says poverty is damaging and urged action in light of the recession.

After the 2008 budget, the CPAG congratulated Labour and applauded the Greens for its home insulation progress in Budget08. There was no nine point plan criticising the Labour budget. This year, the CPAG criticised the budget for not doing anything for Maori. There was notably no CPAG release after Budget09 congratulating National on the home insulation programme announced as a result of the Greens memorandum of understanding. It's a much better deal than the Greens would ever get out of Labour. But CPAG are primarily Labour supporters, and Donna Wynd was a candidate for the Greens at the last election hoping for a Labour government. Is that why CPAG can't be seen to be too complimentary of National?

On the latest wish list was this:

Tax capital gain from residential property in a fair way, for example by using the risk-free rate of return method.

Like that's going to do anything abut child poverty. Why on earth can't the CPAG be a proper action group on poverty and at least promote things that WINZ already provides? Things that most poor families don't apply for because they don't know they can. Like up to $1100 of free food grants a year, and advances for those who can't pay power bills? That is more than a third of the amount of an In Work Payment that the group considers beneficiary families should be entitled to - and taking advantage of entitlements will reduce the effects of a recession.

The Child Poverty Action Group had a post-budget breakfast yesterday morning. Russel Norman was there - paying for his cab, of course. Wonder if he congratulated his former candidate about her suggestion of taxing the rich to pay for things like ending child poverty? Naa - he probably had a chuckle at Roger Douglas' expense, given Douglas had to vote for the removal of National's tax increases and vote for the Green's home insulation fund.

Fight to save Troy Davis continues on 2 fronts

More than 100 vigils, rallies, marches and other actions were held across the U.S. and in other countries worldwide on May 19 in support of Troy Anthony Davis, the Georgia man facing execution for a crime he has always denied committing.

Convicted solely on eyewitness testimony in 1991, the state's case has steadily unraveled as 7 of the 9 trial witnesses have recanted their testimony, claiming police coercion and intimidation. The Chatham County prosecutor offered no physical evidence at trial, no gun, no fingerprints, no forensics, nothing that linked Troy Davis to the crime.

Many more people have implicated one of the 2 remaining eyewitnesses, Sylvester "Red" Coles, as the shooter of Mark Allen MacPhail, the off-duty Savannah policeman, in a fast-food parking lot. It was Coles who initially went to the police in the midst of an intense hunt for the shooter. Coles named Davis as the guilty party.

According to the sworn recantation statements, police interrogators then threatened witnesses to likewise identify Davis or face dire consequences. Dorothy Ferrell, who was on parole when she testified, said she was afraid that she'd be sent back to prison if she didnt agree to cooperate with the authorities by fingering Davis. In her affidavit, she said, "I told the detective that Troy Davis was the shooter even though the truth was that I didn't know who shot the officer."

Another of the trial witnesses, Darrell Collins, said the police threatened to charge him as an accessory to the crime if he refused to help make the case against Troy Davis. A teenager at the time, Collins said he was told that he would go to prison and might never get out.

3 of the new witness statements claim that Coles later admitted to them that he did the shooting.

Davis has come within days and hours of death three times. The Georgia Supreme Court and the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals both have ruled by 1-vote margins to refuse his request for a hearing on the new evidence sworn to by the recanting witnesses and those who were not heard at trial. The dissenting judges in both courts adamantly rejected the majority's narrowly defined opinions, calling them a grave injustice and unconstitutional.

In conjunction with the Global Day of Action for Troy Davis on May 19, Davis' lawyers filed a habeas corpus petition with the U.S. Supreme Court.

The next day, some 27 former state and federal judges, justices and prosecutors signed a friend of the court brief supporting the examination of the new evidence, which strongly points to Davis' innocence. Among those who filed the amicus brief were former Deputy U.S. Attorney General Larry Thompson, 9 former U.S. attorneys including Bob Barr, who also was a Georgia congressman and former FBI Director William Sessions, as well as Norman Fletcher, who was a chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Court.

The list of prominent world figures who have called for a re-examination of Troy Davis' case in the name of justice includes Bishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, Pope Benedict XVI and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. The May 23 New York Times printed a piece by its op-ed columnist, Bob Herbert, calling for a review of the new evidence.

As more people learn of the blatantly unjust circumstances of Troy Davis' conviction, their reactions of outrage and disbelief have motivated them to take action. Hundreds of thousands of people have signed petitions, written letters and made phone calls to Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue and the Georgia Pardons and Parole Board.

To sign a petition that will go to an expanded number of elected officials, media outlets and federal officials, please go to www.iacenter.org. For more information, go to www.gfadp.org..

Source: Worker's World, May 27, 2009

Nebraska lawmakers approve lethal injection bill

Nebraska lawmakers have approved a bill giving the state the legal means to carry out its death penalty.

The bill would change the method of execution from electrocution to lethal injection. It passed on a 34-12 vote Thursday.

It now goes to Gov. Dave Heineman, who has said he supports the change.

Nebraska has been without a means of execution since February 2008 when the state Supreme Court ruled the electric chair was unconstitutional because it amounted to cruel and unusual punishment.

Nebraska was the only state with electrocution as its sole means of execution.

11 men are on death row; the last execution was in 1997.

Source: Associated Press, May 29, 2009

China threatens to disbar lawyers known for taking human rights cases

China has threatened to disbar as many as 20 lawyers known for taking sensitive human rights cases, several of the lawyers said Wednesday, in the latest apparent clampdown on legal activists.

Lawyers said officials with justice agencies had issued warnings to leading members of their law firms in meetings and over the phone and that annual accreditations have yet to be issued only days before the June 1 renewal date.

If carried through, the disbarments on technicalities would mark the broadest effort in recent years by the authoritarian government to rein in a growing number of activist lawyers. Previously, only a few were disbarred, though threats, beatings and other acts of intimidation have been common.

"Before they used to pressure individuals but now they have turned to this more systematic method," said Tang Jitian, whose employer, the Anhui Law Firm in Beijing, was among those warned. "The justice departments say the lawyers who defend human rights are inharmonious or unstable elements, but I think they are the ones who are unstable."

The campaign is having a "chilling effect on the legal profession" in China, New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a statement Wednesday.

Human Rights Watch and several lawyers said they believed the stepped-up pressure was linked to official anxiety about potential social unrest this year because it marks the 20th anniversary of the 1989 pro-democracy movement.

The lawyers now under threat include one who is defending a noted Tibetan Buddhist monk and others who have defended practitioners of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement, or helped parents of children who died in last year's devastating earthquake in Sichuan province.

The Justice Bureau did not immediately respond to a faxed request for information Wednesday about accreditation delays and allegations of intimidation.

Because the warnings coincide with the license renewal period for both law firms and lawyers, they have added weight.

Lawyers said the implicit message was that firms should sabotage the renewal applications of their "problem lawyers," or risk having their firm's license or the licenses of other employees rejected. The easiest ways for a firm to lose an employee are to submit incomplete accreditation paperwork, an unfavorable review of their performance, or to simply not submit an application, they said.

Tang, who has defended farmers against rural land grabs and challenged police detention without trial, said if his license is not renewed by Sunday, he will be barred from working.

At least 20 other lawyers working for nine firms have reported the same delays in getting their license renewed, Tang and other lawyers said.

Jiang Tianyong, a lawyer with Beijing's Gaobo Longhua Law Firm, said his application was still pending as well. A former middle school teacher, he said the stalling was at least meant as a warning but if he is in fact rejected, he will appeal.

"They are using us as examples to scare the other lawyers into line," said Jiang, who recently defended a Tibetan Buddhist cleric against charges of concealing weapons in an area of China where anti-government protests occurred. Investigators said they found a pistol under a bed in his living room.

In the northeastern city of Harbin, Wei Liangyue said he was forced to give up his position as director of Jiaodian, a law firm he helped set up seven years ago, because he recently defended a Falun Gong practitioner. Had he remained in the position, he said, all 11 lawyers would have been disbarred.

Instead Wei appointed another partner to his former post and he became the only one to lose his license. He is still on staff at the firm but cannot practice law.

Source: Associated Press, May 29, 200ç

Reconciliation committee urges Hamas to cancel death sentences

A reconciliation committee of Palestinian factions met in Gaza City on Tuesday and to send a letter to Fatah and Hamas urging them to stop all actions that have a negative impact on national dialogue.

The letter called on Hamas and the de facto government in Gaza to cancel the death sentences against 3 Palestinians which a Hamas military court ruled handed down on Sunday. The letter explained that the death sentences were related to the Hamas-Fatah rivalry and confrontations, and so should be addressed through the conciliation committee appointed during Hamas Fatah talks in Cairo.

The letter also called on both movements to stop politically-motivated detentions in the West Bank and in Gaza, also calling for a national committee to follow up on that issue.

Furthermore, the letter called for immediately halting all restrictions on public freedoms, namely freedom of movement and travel in Gaza as well as political activities.

For his part, representative of the Palestinian People's Party (PPP) on the conciliation committee, Nafith Ghneim, said the meeting and the letter were aimed at exerting pressure on the de facto government in Gaza and the caretaker government in the West Bank to stop all violations which impede unity talks. A major violation was the death penalty against 3 Fatah-affiliated men in the Gaza Strip, he explained.

Source: Ma'an News Agency, May 29, 2009

BBC America To Air Latest Doctor Who Episodes

BBC America have secured the rights to show David's last episodes of Doctor Who before any other channel in the USA.
The Next Doctor will make it's debut on 27th June at 21:00pm followed by Planet Of The Dead which will air sometime the following month.

Low-Carbing and the Rest of the Family

It is the rare family that all eat low-carb. I'm a low-carb fanatic (for 10 years now), low-carb cookbook author of 5 low-carb books and my family don't all eat low-carb. My husband takes long vacations from low-carbing (he is addicted to carbs and when he goes off low-carbing, it is a slippery slope that continues in that direction for a long time. Of course, he always regrets it, as he winds up overweight.). My sons have never been low-carbers. Although they are grown, they are still with us, working on entrepreneurial pursuits to get their futures secured.

How do I cope with the meals then? Sure, I make different meals for them too, but because time is a factor in my life, I prefer to make something everyone can enjoy. When I wrote my cookbooks, that is what I kept in mind and that is how the recipes were created - with a family in mind! My family has even eaten my low-carb breads and pizzas without complaining, and sometimes I get high praise! Cool. Often I will make the main course and add a vegetable or two, plus a starch for the non low-carbers. Then everyone is happy! :-)

Besides that, my recipes are simple, use everyday ingredients for the most part, except for a few specialty items for baking. I kept it simple-simple once again, because time is a factor for many people, not just myself. I only used one sweetener - Splenda Granular - however, sweeteners of choice can easily be substituted in my recipes, as Splenda affords very little in the way of texture.

So there you go - my thoughts on paper (oopsies, I mean computer screen!) this fine morning. Have a happy low-carbing day my friends reading this! Be healthy, be happy and know that you're doing a good thing for your body, your health, your emotional state and thus for your family.

Iran: man hanged in the prison of Sirjan

One man was hanged in the prison of Sirjan, in Kerman province south east of Iran.

The state run Iranian news agency ISCA news reported that the man was convicted of drug trafficking, but didn’t identified him by name . The report didn’t mention exact time of the execution.

Source: Iran Human Rights, May 27, 2009

Tax cuts canned

Finance Minister Bill English has confirmed that tax cuts planned for next year and 2011 have been canned as the Government wrestles with deficits projected to blow out to more than $9 billion in the next two years.Auto payments to the Super Fund will be suspended for 10yrs while the country is in deficit as Govt reins in a debt track that would have seen every Kiwi owe $45k by 2023.

Be sure to check out Keith Ng explain one or two important things - and why superannuation could be a big deal in the next election - except he doesn't say that . It`ll be a big deal alright. As contributions to the super fund are cut, less money will be going into it in future. But the cost of paying super is expected to rise.

Bill English says that contributions don't affect NZS entitlements, as future governments will pay for it. So English is committing to a fund - with a payout of 66% of the average wage - he can't afford to fund, and possibly committing to payments he may not be able to pay. Meaning smaller payments. But future governments can sort that matter out later if they want current payments to be maintained, even though the fund was set up precisely - as Ng reminds us - because future government wouldn't be able to afford the payments.

Next year's budget is going to be interesting.

Maori Party says it did well in the budget

The Maori Party said it has secured $120.3 million over the next four years specifically for Maori initiatives in today’s Budget. It didn't say it has gained no new money for Maori Affairs.

The party has identified that real benefits and opportunities will exist for iwi and Maori groups in another $10.9 billion that has been allocated to various areas within the Budget over the next four years.
In addition the Party has secured:
An extra $22.2 million spent on reducing the time it takes to
settle Treaty claims.

An extra $19.9 million being allocated over the next four years to address underachievement by mainstream secondary schools in educating Maori.

$15.9 million over the next two years to settle outstanding Treaty settlements over aquaculture.

$12 million of new money being allocated over the next two years for housing in rural areas where there are significant numbers of Maori.

$4.5 million to help Maori families access te reo Maori and an extra $1.2 million to help iwi radio.

It's reallocation.

Exotic Arabesque House Opens in Luxor, Full of Eastern Promise and Western Comfort

Exotic Arabesque House Opens in Luxor, Full of Eastern Promise and Western Comfort

The Lantern Resturant

When ever I fancy anything English this is the restaurant I always go to. Debbie is always so welcoming and the food is really fantastic. I had fish and chips the other night and the batter was so light and non greasy, proper chips made from fresh potatoes and even mushy peas. Washed down with an ice cold beer. Yummy

They now have a website http://www.thelanternluxor.com/index.htm

Remix contest

Check this out: http://www.acidplanet.com/contests/orb

Edit: Added banner:

David To Star In The Sarah Jane Adventures

Most Doctor Who fans weren't expecting to see David Tennant as The Doctor until November, but now it's been revealed he's going to star on CBBC first!
And it's not just a brief return either - The Doctor will play a big role in a two-part story of The Sarah Jane Adventures.
The third series of the Sarah Jane Adventures will be back on the CBBC Channel for 12 weeks from September.
Doctor Who boss Russell T Davies said: "Viewers thought they may have to wait until November for the next full episode of Doctor Who, but this is an extra special treat.
"And it's not just a cameo from David - this is a full on appearance for The Doctor as he and Sarah Jane face their biggest threat ever." The series will also see Sarah Jane, K-9, Clyde, Luke, Rani and Mr Smith battle a haunted house and the return of the Judoon.

New Doctor Who Animation On The Way

David will be voicing an animated series of Doctor Who which will debut this autumn. The BBC has commissioned seven episodes, which will be around six minutes long and which will be accessible via the red button. They are also due to be aired on Children's BBC. The episodes will link together as a story called Dreamland, penned by Phil Ford, who has also written for Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures. It will be directed by Gary Russell. The cast on the animated episodes will include Georgia Moffett, David Warner and Lisa Bowerman.

President Obama will nominate Judge Sonia Sotomayor to replace Justice David H. Souter

President Obama will nominate Judge Sonia Sotomayor of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit as his first appointment to the court, officials said Tuesday, and has scheduled an announcement for 10:15 a.m. at the White House.

If confirmed by the Democratic-controlled Senate, Judge Sotomayor, 54, would replace Justice David H. Souter to become the second woman on the court and only the third female justice in the history of the Supreme Court. She also would be the first Hispanic justice to serve on the Supreme Court.

The president reached his decision over the long Memorial Day weekend, aides said, but it was not disclosed until Tuesday morning when he informed his advisers of his choice less than three hours before the announcement was scheduled to take place.

The president narrowed his list to four, according to people close to the selection process, including Federal Appeals Judge Diane P. Wood of Chicago, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Solicitor General Elena Kagan.

In what may be her best-known ruling, Judge Sotomayor issued an injunction against major league baseball owners in April 1995, effectively ending a baseball strike of nearly eight months, the longest work stoppage in professional sports history, which had led to the cancellation of the World Series for the first time in 90 years.

Source: The New York Times, May 26, 2009

Japan reintroduces popular juries in penal trials

May 21, 2009: Japan reintroduced popular juries in penal trials after a break of 66 years. This aligned Japan with the other G8 countries and created an opportunity for debate on capital punishment.

The reform will be introduced starting today, and will take until July, according to the provisions of the Justice Minister. Popular juries faced resistance and constitutional doubt from jurists and society at large.

It will be up to the six popular jurists, as well as three judges, to decide guilt or innocence in cases of murder. They will also decide the punishment, which includes the possibility of capital punishment by hanging.

According to a poll by the Yomiuri newspaper, despite more than 80% of the population favouring the death penalty, 79% said they did not want to take part in popular juries ‘so as not to have to decide on giving the death penalty.’

'I think that many people are worried about serving as jurors. However, it is necessary to bring the common sense that members of the public develop in everyday life into the trials,' Justice Minister Eisuke Mori said.

The minister expects a public debate on the death penalty as a result of the reform.

Source: ANSA, 21/05/2009

Iran: four hanged in Shiraz

May 20, 2009: Four people were hanged in the prison of Shiraz in the morning, according to several Iranian newspapers such as Etemad.

According to the report the four people hanged in Shiraz were: A woman identified as Afsaneh (29), convicted of extramarital relationship and murdering her husband in 2006; An Afghan man (age not mentioned) convicted of raping a 50 years old woman in 2005; A man identified as Rasoul (age not given) convicted of keeping drugs; A 20 year-old young man convicted of a murder in August 2006.

According to this information this unidentified young man was a minor at the time of committing the alleged offence.

Source: Iran Human Rights, 23/05/2009

Shock horror!! Childhood smacking led to attempted suicide

Is this for real? Or is the person who wrote this a woman named Anthea who used to work for the Families Commission? Maybe she still does.

"When I was about three years of age, I was molested. As a result, when I was smacked by my parents, the pain simulated me sexually. As time progressed, the continued childhood discipline smacking with the pain and humiliation associated with it caused me to become sexually attractive to the pain. I began to self-harm. The resulting intense shame, secrecy and anxiety surrounding this addictive behaviour became very long-term. Later in life it led to two suicide attempts.

I now put the shame where it appropriately belongs – at the feet of those who sexually molested and smacked me in my childhood and at the feet of individuals who still believe it is OK to smack children.

I am able to inflict high levels of pain on myself as ‘sexual stimulation’ resulting from childhood conditioning caused by being smacked. This conditioning is now managed by ongoing medical support to prevent actual self-harm.

I suffer from life-long debilitating Post Traumatic Stress Disorder resulting from the treatment I received as a child.

I disclose my real life story because smacking children as was legal under [the old] Section 59 is still considered ‘harmless’. This mindset has the real potential to put many children at risk - as it did to me. My life has been irreparably damaged by the smacking culture in my childhood.

I have witnessed many other sufferers deal with the psychological impact resulting from childhood smacking during many group psychotherapy sessions over the years."

Robert[not his real name]"

I bet it's not his real name.Who'd be silly enough to put a real name to a story like that?

New Banana Island

Well that is what they are calling it. On the West Bank just opposite the Sheraton Hotel,

it is a charming little resturant with a small hassle free bazaar, animal attractions and a laid back atmosphere. Hubby and I went there the other day for lunch and had a really nice time.