Kids these days

Apparently more than half kids who start school cannot count to 20, do not know the alphabet, cannot hold a pencil correctly, cannot write their own name or recognise colours. A quarter cannot tell the difference between a number and a letter. Given my daughter - who can do all the above with ease - counted to 130 today before she got bored, it looks like she’ll do well at school once she turns five then.

GI News—August 2009

• Why not enough sleep is not OK
• Artificial sweeteners linked to diabetes
• How to cook a carrot
• Are chia seeds too good to be true?
• Are energy drinks all they are cracked up to be?

We are often asked about translated editions of GI News. Sadly we don't have the budget to fund translations every month. We'd be interested in your thoughts (and help) on this, and happy to talk to any experienced translators who would like to take this on as a pro bono project. If you are interested, please send us an email.

Good eating, good health and good reading.

Editor: Philippa Sandall
Design: Scott Dickinson, PhD
Web management: Alan Barclay, PhD

Food for Thought

Not sleeping enough and not sleeping well is not OK
‘Most of us don’t get enough sleep and this promotes weight gain and increases our risk of developing diabetes and heart disease,’ says dietitian and exercise physiologist Caitlin Reid in her new book, Health & the City. ‘Inadequate sleep also increases daytime sleepiness and our susceptibility to injury along with compromising decision making and concentration,’ she says. Chronic lack of sleep affects our health, our work and our safety. So next time a colleague boasts that they ‘get by on four or five hours sleep a night,’ don’t envy them. Pity them. And maybe suggest they get help.

US researchers analysing data of 18,000 adults in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found a correlation between BMI and hours of sleep. Those who got less than four hours of sleep a night, were 73% more likely to be obese than those who slept seven to nine hours. In a separate study of 924 adults, researchers determined that two hours less sleep per week amounted to an increase in BMI of 10. They’re still at a loss to explain how sleep helps our weight, but there are lots of theories. It may be related to lower production of the hormone leptin (a natural appetite suppressant) with sleep deprivation. In the meantime, it’s a good reason to make sure you get enough shut-eye.



Chronic sleep deprivation has been linked to high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes. Short sleepers (i.e. people getting less than six hours sleep a night), are prone to abnormal blood glucose levels, possibly putting them at risk for diabetes, says Lisa Rafalson of the University at Buffalo in New York, at the Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention in Florida in March 2009. Using data from a large six-year study, Rafalson and colleagues identified 91 people whose blood glucose rose during the study period and compared them to 273 people whose glucose levels remained in the normal range. They found the short sleepers were far more likely to develop impaired fasting glucose than those who slept six to eight hours.

Broken sleep is a problem too. Dr Katherine Stamatakis and Dr Naresh Punjabi carried out a small experimental study (published in June 2009 in Chest) with eleven healthy adults who volunteered for two nights of broken sleep. They found that fragmentation of sleep across all stages of sleep was associated with a decrease in insulin sensitivity and glucose effectiveness.

‘Most of us need between seven and eight hours sleep a night,’ says Caitlin, ‘but many of us aren’t getting enough. We toss and turn. We replay conversations. We think of tasks to do. Our phones beep and before we know it, dawn is breaking and the birds are singing.’

Caitlin’s top tips for getting enough shut-eye

• Establish regular sleep patterns – go to bed in a dark, quiet and comfortable room and get up at the same time every day.
• Turn off your cell phone.
• Avoid caffeine, alcohol and nicotine immediately before bed.
• Eat any large meals at least three hours before going to bed.
• Exercise regularly at least three hours before bed – any later can make sleep difficult.
• Try a snooze food an hour before bed like warm milk. Calcium helps the brain use the tryptophan to make the sleep-inducing substances serotonin and melatonin. Tryptophan is an amino acid found in milk, yoghurt, almonds, turkey and tuna.

PS If insomnia has become a chronic problem GI-guru Jennie Brand-Miller recommends a course in “mindfulness”.

News Briefs

Artificial sweeteners linked to diabetes
People who use artificial sweeteners are heavier, more likely to have diabetes, and more likely to be insulin-resistant compared with non-users, according to data presented at ENDO 2009 (the annual meeting of The Endocrine Society) and reported in Medscape Medical News. The researchers reported they found an inverse association between obesity and diabetes, on one side, and daily total caloric, carbohydrate, and fat intake, on the other side, when comparing artificial sweetener users and control subjects.

Lead author Kristofer Gravenstein said ‘We cannot say that artificial sweetener use causes obesity, we can say it is associated with it.’ However, the researchers suggest that artificial sweeteners may modulate metabolic rate through enteroendocrine cells, therefore contributing to the development of diabetes and/or obesity. This hypothesis needs further testing they say.

‘More research is definitely warranted,’ says the GI Symbol Program’s Dr Alan Barclay. ‘This is not the first study to show this effect. We don’t really know if it is just a spurious association because this particular study is a cross-sectional study, so it may simply be that people who are overweight/obese or have diabetes use more artificial sweeteners to try and reduce their calorie intake. On the other hand, it may be that some artificial sweeteners are adversely affecting the regulation of appetite. Aspartame, for example, contains the large neutral amino acid phenylalanine that may have an effect on our brain. The same coincidental increase in obesity started when aspartame was introduced into Australia too.

Mediterranean diet and GI
'The Mediterranean diet may be a good way of achieving low GI eating,' says Dr William Neville commenting on an article in the British Medical Journal that discussed the benefits of the Mediterranean diet.

Eco Atkins
In June 2008, we reported on Dr David Jenkins’ Eco Atkins diet, first presented as a paper at the 5th International Congress of Vegetarian Nutrition. The study has now been published in Archives of Internal Medicine. The one-month study compared a low-carb (27% carbs, 30% protein and 43% fat) vegan ‘eco Atkins’ diet with a high-carb (58% carbs, 17% protein and 25% fat) vegetarian one that included dairy foods and eggs.


Prof David Jenkins

What were the diets? The ‘test’ vegan diet provided the minimum level of carbs recommended by the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine –130 g/day – by eliminating bread, rice, and potatoes but including high-fibre oat bran cereal and vegetables such as okra and eggplant. Protein sources included nut bread and tofu. Fats included olive oil, nuts, and avocados. The control diet simply extended the DASH diet in that it allowed low-fat dairy foods, egg substitutes, and whole-grain foods but eliminated (rather than reduced) meat consumption. All the dieters were provided with prepared foods.

The results. Everyone was a winner when it came to weight loss. All the dieters lost around 4 kg (8.8 lbs). However, that’s not surprising since both diets were low in calories – calculated to provide about 60% of the calories a person would need to maintain their weight. What does this mean? Well if your weight is stable on 2000 calories per day, you would have been given a daily food plan with 1200 calories in it.

Reductions in ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol levels and improvements in the ratios between total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol were greater for the low-carb vegan diet. Greater improvements in blood pressure were also seen in the low-carb group, although the difference was of borderline significance.

To answer questions about long-term results when people are not provided with prepared meals, the researchers are currently conducting an ongoing 7-month study reports Jenkins. Preliminary results show that while body weight reduction is maintained, long-term differences in LDL cholesterol are not as dramatic he says.

You lost it, but how do you keep it off?
As any dieter will tell you, keeping it off is the hard bit. The results of a small study published in the June 2009 issue of the British Journal of Nutrition, suggests that what’s needed are some really good strategies for appetite control to help you keep the pounds (kilos) off after you have lost weight on a really restricted energy diet. The study also showed there are benefits on the right diet that don’t show up on the scales.

In this Danish study, the volunteers were assigned to one of three weight maintenance diets after an 8-week low energy diet where they had all lost lots of weight: a low GI diet rich in monounsaturated fats, a low fat diet and a control diet that you could describe as being typically Western – high in saturated fats and high GI carbs. After 6 months, all the volunteers had regained 4–5 kg. But the typical Western diet resulted in significantly different glucose, insulin, glucagon and HbA1c values, indicating that it could lead to decreased insulin sensitivity long term.

How do you cook your carrots?
Results of a UK study due to be published later in 2009 could have a big impact on how we cook our carrots – and other vegetables too. Carrots are a popular topic here at GI News. Not only are they low GI (41) raw or cooked, they are rich in beta-carotene, have some vitamin C and fibre too. They are also rich in a nutrient you may never ever have heard of, falcarinol.



According to one of our favourite websites, NHS Choices Behind the Headlines, UK University of Newcastle researchers say that although eating carrots is strongly tied to reduced risk of cancer, the active ingredient is unknown and that the common belief that beta-carotene in carrots prevents cancer is untrue. They say that their previous experiments have shown that falcarinol slowed the growth of isolated cancer cells and tumours in rats, and that this may be the active ingredient in carrots. To see how different cooking methods alter levels of falcarinol the researchers:

• Boiled carrots then cut them into 1 cm (1/2 in) cubes
• Steamed carrots then cut them into 1 cm (1/2 in) cubes
• Cut carrots into 1 cm (1/2 in) cubes then boiled them
• Cut carrots into 1 cm (1/2 in) cubes then steamed them

Except for the ‘steamed then cut’ group, all the cooked carrots lost some water-soluble falcarinol. The ‘cut then boiled’ group lost most, almost 25% more than the ‘boiled then cut’ group.

How about flavour? Well in a blind taste test, most people (some 70%) preferred their carrots cooked whole before being cut. Read more here.

Foodwatch with Catherine Saxelby

Spotlight on chia



When I first read about chia, all I could think was: ‘Yeah, sure, sounds way too good to be true.’ And it does sound amazing – tiny seeds, smaller in size than sesame seeds or flax, yet supposedly loaded with so much omega-3, fibre, protein and calcium that they are proclaimed to be a super food. In fact, in many respects, chia seeds are on a par with flaxseeds, but with around 25% less fat.

In all honesty, I’d never heard of chia before. As with so many ‘new’ discoveries, the hype that accompanied it seemed to overwhelm it. But although new on our food scene, chia has a history. For centuries, the chia plant (Salvia hispanica) has been growing in its natural habitat in Central and South America. A member of the mint family, it was a highly valued crop and its seeds were a staple food for Mayans, Aztecs and Southwest Native Americans providing energy and sustenance. Chia is fussy about where it grows. The past five years have seen Australia's Kimberley region become the world's largest producer thanks to being spot on when it comes to latitude and climate. You can see how well it grows here in the following photos from The Chia Company (www.thechiaco.com.au).



What do they look and taste like? Chia seeds look like tiny sesame seeds and can be black, white or grey. They are sold unprocessed. They’re an ingredient the food producers say you can sprinkle over or add to just about anything – muesli, smoothies or yoghurt – without disturbing the flavour. When combined with water they form a thick gel which helps make them a good mixer.

What’s in them? Like all seeds, chia seeds are high in fat especially the good fats. At around 30% fat, they’re lower than sesame seeds (50%) or nuts but make up for this with an extraordinarily high level of omega-3 – unusual in the plant world. They have 18% ALA which is around the same as flaxseeds (linseeds) at 22%, making they are one of the richest sources of the plant form of omega-3 called ALA.

They are also big on fibre. In fact, at 37% they are an outstanding source of fibre, in particular soluble fibre. They have the ability to absorb a high volume of liquid and become thick and gelatinous, thanks to some mucilages. This makes them slowly absorbed. I asked Prof Jennie Brand-Miller about their GI and she said: ‘A long time ago, I was sent chia seeds (part of a project on Pima Indian foods) to assess their GI ... it was impossible because they don't contain enough available carbohydrate.’ If you’re counting carbs, 1 level tablespoon (15 g) supplies less than 1 g of carbohydrate as well as 5 g of fat and 6 g of fibre. And they are gluten free.

Chia seeds contain 15% protein – as much as from wheat – and a variety of vitamins, minerals and trace elements including folate, phosphorus, iron, manganese, copper and potassium. Like almonds and sesame seeds, they have a surprisingly high content of calcium, usually found in dairy foods, but how well this is absorbed is debatable.

Ways to add chia seeds to your life

• Sprinkle them over cereal and muesli.
• Mix 1 tablespoon of the seeds into 1 cup of water and add the gel to smoothies, juices, yoghurts and soups.
• Use them to coat rissoles, meatloaf or burgers – they add crunch to the exterior.
• Because of their neutral taste and light colour, white chia seeds make an ideal part-replacement for white flour in home baking. You can replace 2 tablespoons of flour with chia when you make muffins, cakes and slices to boost the fibre and add some omega-3 fats. According to the Bread Research Institute of Australia, baking chia seeds doesn't alter their nutritional profile.
  

Catherine Saxelby is an accredited dietitian and nutritionist and runs the Foodwatch Nutrition Centre. Her latest publication is The Shopper's Guide to Light Foods for Weight Loss (available as a PDF). For more information on chia seeds, visit foodwatch.com.au.

In the GI News Kitchen

American dietitian and author of Good Carbs, Bad Carbs, Johanna Burani, shares favourite recipes with a low or moderate GI from her Italian kitchen (photographed by Sergio Burani). For more information, check out Johanna's website.



Apricot-apple granola with pignoli nuts
In the northeastern corner of Italy, where I have my home, the continental breakfast has been pushed aside for heartier, more substantial morning sustenance. For a long time, many people in this region have been eating muesli, a mixture of either raw or toasted cereals, nuts and dried fruits. This version is refreshing yet hearty and quite “northern-tasting.” You could try adding some ground cardamom (maybe a ½ teaspoon) to bring out the flavour of the apricots. You might also substitute agave nectar for the honey (just about 1/3 cup should suffice). A ½-cup portion should be plenty for most people. Servings: 18 – ½ cup serves

Vegetable spray
6 cups old fashioned oats
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 cup pine nuts (pignoli)
¼ cup ground flaxseed
1/3 cup canola oil
½ cup honey
½ cup diced dried apple rings (approx. 4)
½ cup diced dried apricots (approx. 7)

• Preheat the oven to 190°C (375ºF). Spray a large baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
• Combine the next six ingredients (oats through honey) in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly to coat with the oil and honey. Pour the oat mixture into the baking pan, and spread to distribute evenly.
• Bake for 25–30 minutes or until the oats are well toasted, turning the mixture every 5–6 minutes. Remove from oven. Cool thoroughly. Add the dried fruit. Store in airtight container. Can be combined with either milk or yoghurt.

Per 1/2 cup serve (without milk or yoghurt)
Energy: 949 kJ/ 185 cals; Protein 6 g; Fat 10 g (includes 1 g saturated fat); Carbs 29 g; Fibre 4 g

Cut back on the food bills and enjoy fresh-tasting, easily prepared, seasonal, satisfying and delicious low or moderate GI meals that don’t compromise on quality and flavour one little bit with Money Saving Meals author Diane Temple. For more recipes, visit Diane’s website.

One-pot Chinese chicken
This is an easy chicken casserole for a cold evening, but it is light enough to enjoy on warmer days, too. If other Asian vegetables or green beans are cheaper at your greengrocer, use them instead of the snow peas (mangetout). If the chicken thigh fillets are large, cut them into three pieces for even cooking. Serve with noodles or a low GI rice. Cost per serving (with noodles): AUD$2.85, and even less if chicken thighs are on special. Serves 4

650 g (about 1 1/2 lb) chicken thigh fillets, trimmed of excess fat, cut in half
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice powder
4 dried shiitake mushrooms
½ teaspoon chicken stock powder
1 tablespoon peanut or canola oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
1 carrot, cut into thin strips (like matchsticks)
1 teaspoon cornflour
3 baby bok choy, sliced, keep stems and leaves separate
120 g (4 oz) snow peas, trimmed, sliced into 3
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Mung bean noodles, to serve

• Marinate the chicken in 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce and the five spice powder for as much time as you have. Place the mushrooms in a small heatproof bowl and pour over ¾ cup (180 ml) boiling water. Leave for 10 minutes, until softened. Drain, keeping both the mushrooms and the soaking liquid. Pour the liquid into a measuring cup, add the stock powder and enough water to make 1 cup (250 ml) of liquid. Chop up the mushrooms.
• Heat the peanut oil in a large saucepan and brown the chicken for about 1 minute on each side. Remove the chicken from the pan. Add the onion and cook for 4–5 minutes until the onions are soft. Stir in the garlic, ginger carrots and mushrooms. Return the chicken to the pan, pour in the liquid, then bring to the boil, lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes or until the chicken is nearly done.
• Mix the cornflour with 1 tablespoon of cold water and pour into the pot. Bring to the boil, stirring, then, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 minute. Add the bok choy stems, snow peas and remaining soy sauce, cook a further minute, covered. Add the bok choy leaves and the sesame oil and stir until leaves have just wilted. Serve pretty much immediately with the prepared noodles otherwise the greens will lose their lovely brightness.

Per serve (without noodles)
Energy: 1230 kJ/ 294 cals; Protein 33 g; Fat 14 g (includes 3.5 g saturated fat and 130 mg cholesterol); Carbs 8 g; Fibre 3 g



We have 6 copies of Money Saving Meals to give away
If you love Diane's recipes, here's your chance to try more of them. Hachette Australia has donated six copies of Money Saving Meals to give away to residents of Australia only. The first six people to email will receive a free copy. Write your name and postal address in the email subject line to be in the draw and whiz your email to: littlebrown@hachette.com.au

The competition is now closed and we have six lucky winners:
Mary, 'K' , Elizabeth, Janet, Edwina and Irene.
Hachette Australia will send you each a copy of Money Saving Meals. Thank you everyone for entering.

Busting Food Myths with Nicole Senior

Myth: Ancient grains are better for you.


Nicole Senior

Fact: Old and new grains are good for you.
Ancient grains such as spelt, amaranth and quinoa are fashionable at the moment (along with chia, covered in Foodwatch), albeit hard to get and more expensive. The rising popularity of these ‘old-world’ grains is great because variety in the diet, and a variety in agricultural production, is good for us and good for the environment. However, there are plenty of grains and seeds that are less trendy, but more available, affordable and just as nutritious.

Spelt bread is sold at a premium, but what it is? Spelt is an age old variety of wheat, and spelt bread has a medium GI, although some multi-grain varieties make it into the low category. While spelt is advertised as ‘easier to digest’, and ‘suitable for those allergic to wheat’, it is certainly not suitable for those with a wheat allergy or coeliac disease and there is little published evidence for easier digestibility. Some people attribute all sorts of health problems and digestive symptoms to eating wheat, and many will get relief from varying the grains they eat. However, those with symptoms often have a more complex food chemical (natural and added) sensitivity problem rather than intolerance to wheat. But variety is the spice of life, so vary your diet from wheat thrice daily with, for example, oats for breakfast, rice-salad for lunch, and barley hotpot or polenta-based dish for dinner.

Amaranth has been growth for thousands of years and traditionally eaten by the Aztecs. It is also gluten-free and provides a welcome ‘starch change’ to rice and potato on the dinner plates of those with diagnosed coeliac disease. It is slightly higher in protein than other grains at 14% (uncooked form) and the plant is very hardy. You can find amaranth breakfast cereal in health food stores and some supermarkets, priced at a premium. Puffed or ‘popped’ amaranth has a high GI. If you’re looking to eat something healthy and different for breakfast, try making your own cereal using a variety of puffed grains (corn, millet, brown rice, buckwheat), rolled oats, chopped nuts and dried fruit – variety in a bowl. Store your designer cereal in a cool place in an airtight container.


Photo of vegetables stuffed with quinoa: Ian Hofstetter

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) is grown in the Andes mountains and was consumed by ancient Incans, cementing South America as the hotspot origin for ancient grains. Like other grains it is high in carbohydrate (68%), low in fat (4.8%) and moderate in protein (12%), and it is gluten-free as well. You cook it similarly to rice – 1 cup dry quinoa to 2 cups water. It has a low GI when cooked, cooled and re-heated, which fits in nicely with cooking a large batch and freezing in meal-size portions for convenience. You can also use it to make a porridge.

I cooked some quinoa recently, and served it in place of pasta with vegetables and butter beans in tomato-based sauce. I enjoyed the tiny grains, but my beloved was less keen on the ‘funny rice’. Sometimes it’s hard being a food pioneer, but it won’t stop me!

If you’d like to find out more about the health benefits of wholegrains and how to cook great recipes using them, check out Nicole’s book www.eattobeatcholesterol.com.au

Talking Turkey with Prof Trim

Are ‘energy’ drinks all they’re cracked up to be?
Caffeinated ‘energy drinks’ (‘Red Bull’; ‘Mother’; ‘V’ etc.) have become a popular part of the soft drink market, and are also sometimes used as a way of losing weight. But are they all they’re cracked up to be? Do they provide energy? And are there any particular downsides?



The answers are simple – but complicated. In the first place, such products tend to be loaded with both caffeine and sugar. The caffeine (often the equivalent of 2–3 good strong cups of coffee in a serving), is likely to provide an energy ‘hit’ to the around 50% of the population who are caffeine sensitive. For these people, such ‘energy’ drinks are likely to cause jitteriness and inability to sleep, and possibly increase the adverse effects of stress. (It’s no coincidence that manufacturers have specifically targeted the youth market who tend to ‘binge’ on such drinks to keep themselves ‘up’ while drinking alcohol until late which otherwise might bring them ‘down’). For this reason, it’s also possible that such drinks might have a weight loss effect in some people (by reducing hunger levels).

The sugar in these drinks provides the biological ‘energy’, or calories, which makes them truly able to be called ‘energy’ drinks. This is likely to offset any weight loss benefits by increasing calorie intake (unless the caffeine is very effective in reducing other food intake). The energy it provides to carry out activity could be brief and intermittent.

A potentially more serious downside is death. A January 2009 article in the Medical Journal of Australia details the case of an 18 year old otherwise healthy young man in Port Macquarie NSW, who died after a day of moto-cross racing and drinking ‘energy’ drinks. Surgeons claim the excessive ingestion of caffeine and taurine in the drinks, combined with strenuous physical activity, can produce a heart attack by inducing coronary vasospasm.


Dr Garry Egger aka Prof Trim

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

Your Success Stories

‘I started using the GI in the summer of 2008 in hopes of lowering blood glucose levels. I heard a physician on TV talking about how spikes in blood glucose level will cause a surge in hormones. I had been dealing with adult acne that doctors had blamed on hormones. So, I decided to give the GI a try. Not only did I see a lessening of acne but I have dropped 20 pounds (9 kg) in weight! I am hooked on the GI.’



‘Just wanted to write and say “thank you for your work.” By following a low GI diet I went from 196 pounds (89 kg) down to 168 pounds (76 kg) in 4 months. I have not felt deprived at all. In the past I have tried practically every other diet including very low carb diets but felt that I could not maintain them over a long period of time. Following the GI eating plan has made all the difference in the world!’

‘I had begun to feel tired and had an urge to eat anything sweet constantly. My mother passed away from a stroke, which was brought on by diabetes. And my elder sister had developed type 2 diabetes. Well, with my family history, and my weight at 210 pounds (95 kg) I knew I was in trouble, I heard about the low GI diet while surfing the web, bought a book on it and never looked back. Within 3 days my energy level increased, and I lost 4 pounds (1.8 kg). It’s been 4 months, and I’m down a total of 50 pounds (23 kg). I am never hungry. I hope to lose 25 more pounds (11 kg). By the way I’m 55 years old, going through menopause, and still losing!’ – Betty

Send us your GI success story.

GI Symbol News with Alan Barclay

Alan Barclay

Spotlight on artificial sweeteners
The sugar veto for people with diabetes has helped create a huge market for alternative sweeteners from Aspartame (Equal/Nutrasweet) to stevia. In the second of a three-part series, Dr Alan Barclay checks out the pros and cons of non-nutritive sweeteners.

Non-nutritive (‘artificial’) sweeteners provide few calories (kilojoules), carbs or any other nutrient. Typically they are hundreds of times sweeter than sucrose, so you only need a minute amount. However, so you can use them in a similar way to white sugar (e.g. by the teaspoon), the manufacturer usually adds a bulking agent such as maltodextrin.

These sweeteners have virtually no effect on blood glucose levels and can help you cut back on your calories if you use them to replace equivalent amounts of sugar or honey etc. Their major drawback is that they aren’t as versatile as sugar and honey and other nutritive sweeteners (see July GI News). This is because they tend not to be heat stable, they don’t brown or caramelise and they don’t add texture or bulk to food when used in baking. They also tend to be much more expensive gram for gram than their nutritive sweetener counterparts.



What about the elephant in the room: their safety? There are many stories floating around on the Internet about this. This concern is not new – the safety of saccharin was questioned when it was first invented 130 years ago. Aspartame and sucralose have both been thoroughly investigated, and the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) keeps a register of any reported adverse effects. They are generally regarded as safe by both the FDA and Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ). As such, they can be used by all Australians, except for people with a relatively rare condition (1 out of 10,000 newborns) known as phenylketonuria. FSANZ also considers all non-nutritive sweeteners currently available in Australia to be safe for pregnant and breast feeding women, although some may choose to avoid saccharin and cyclamate as they both cross the placenta into the growing fetus, and may also be found in breast milk.

More to the point, do they actually do their job and help with weight loss? A recent review found little evidence that non-nutritive sweeteners had any benefits for weightloss. And there’s an interesting coincidence: aspartame and sucralose, for example, were introduced into the Australian food supply in the early 1980s and 1990s, respectively, and since then sugar consumption has been reduced by about 20%, suggesting that we have been using them instead of sugar as intended. However, since the early 1980s, rates of overweight and obesity have nearly doubled in Australia. Is this because people eat more high calorie foods when they use non-nutritive sweeteners – for example, eating a hamburger with the “works” and a large chips when they buy a diet soft drink? Or is that non-nutritive sweeteners confuse the way our brain regulates our feelings of hunger and fullness. Much more research is needed to answer this vital question.

Click for a complete guide to nutritive and non-nutritive sweeteners along with brands that carry the GI Symbol.

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: mailto:alan@gisymbol.com
Email: alan@gisymbol.com
Website: www.gisymbol.com.au

GI Update with Alan Barclay and Fiona Atkinson

Dr Alan Barclay answers your questions

‘We grow ‘all blue’ potatoes, which are suppose to be high in mineral content, are they a better choice for a person with type 2 diabetes? Are some potatoes better to eat than others?’
‘I believe the blue (and other exotic coloured) potatoes have a higher antioxidant content, but they are most likely still high GI (I am not aware of any of them having been tested though). On balance, I think people with diabetes should focus on the GI, rather than antioxidants – as potatoes are a significant source of carbohydrate, and antioxidants can be obtained from other (e.g. non-starchy) vegetables without having detrimental effects on blood glucose levels. Marfona, Almera and Nicola are the potato varieties that I am recommending at present.’

‘Is it true that fructose doesn't require insulin in order to be absorbed? And if so, does it mean that it is recommended for those of us trying to ward off insulin resistance?’
‘It is correct that fructose does not need insulin to be absorbed by our body’s cells (not to be confused with absorption from the intestines into the blood stream where insulin is not involved, but sodium in most instances). The evidence with respect to insulin resistance is mixed – more research is needed to answer this question.’

GI testing by an accredited 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

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Three people hanged in Isfahan, Iran

3 people were hanged in the prison of Isfahan yesterday July 29, according to a report published by the official website of Isfahan judiciary.

According to the report one of those executed was convicted of extramarital relationship and murder and he was sentenced to execution and lashes (number not mentioned). He was hanged after the flogging was carried out.

The 2 others were convicted of murder and drug trafficking respectively.

Name and age of none of those executed was mentioned in the report.

Source: Iranhr.net, July 31, 2009

Pen Pal Ban for Prisoners Is Opposed

In her online profile, Paula Jones says she is 42, "nonjudgmental" and likes fishing, gardening and cuddling.

Ms. Jones, a Florida prison inmate, posted her listing on a Web site called WriteAPrisoner.com, but by doing that, she is breaking a rule. Florida officials have banned inmates like Ms. Jones, who will be in prison until at least 2010, from having the Match.com-style listings. Prison officials say inmates create problems for their outside-the-pen pals.

But now lawsuits in Florida and elsewhere are trying to get the bans revoked, saying that they are unfair and violate prisoners' constitutional rights.

"The public knows when they're writing to these people that they're prisoners," said Randall Berg Jr., a lawyer representing 2 pen pal groups including WriteAPrisoner.com, based in Florida that have sued in the state. "Nobody is being duped here."

Adam Lovell, the president of WriteAPrisoner.com, said the majority of the people who use his site to write to inmates are from religious groups, military people stationed overseas and others affected by the prison. Fraud is not as widespread as Florida corrections officials suggest, Mr. Lovell said.

In 2003, the Florida Department of Corrections began prohibiting inmates from advertising for pen pals or getting mail from pen pal groups. Inmates who continue to advertise can have privileges revoked. The department made the change after receiving complaints from people who had been taken advantage of and from victims and their families who saw prisoners' advertisements, said a department spokeswoman, Gretl Plessinger.

Other states Indiana, Missouri, Montana and Pennsylvania have similar restrictions. And lawsuits have been filed in some of those states, too.

In Indiana, the American Civil Liberties Union is representing prisoners protesting the state's policy, which also prevents inmates from advertising on Web sites or receiving mail from pen pal organizations.

The A.C.L.U. also says it is working on a lawsuit over Missouri's policy and investigating the policy in Montana, where inmates may not receive mail from people who identify themselves as a pen pal.

Source: New York Times, July 30, 2009

Former England director Bobby Robson dies

Former manager of the England football team, Bobby Robson, has died old 76 after a long clash with cancer.

The coach lead the national side of his home nation between 1982 and 1990 , guide the team to the semifinal of the 1990 World Cup, where his side were beaten by Germany in a penalty shootout.

Robson's curriculum vitae as a club coach was long and winning including spells with Fulham, Ipswich and Newcastle United in England, PSV Eindhoven in Holland, Sporting Lisbon and Porto in Portugal and Barcelona in Spain.

For informations

Aung San Suu Kyi decision was late

A verdict expected Friday in the closely watched rebellion trial of Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been late until August 11, said a diplomatic source attending the events.

The reason for the delay was not right away clear, but the new date falls immediately after an vital anniversary.

Opposition activists mark the anniversary every year of the August 8, 1988, national uprising for democracy, also dubbed "8888." A following military coup quashed the demonstrations; during which Suu Kyi emerge as the face of democracy in Myanmar.

For informations

European mob skilled for terror

An American who says he went to fight U.S. air force in Afghanistan told interrogators that about the time he became an al Qaeda associate he came across several Belgian and French militants.

Belgian counter-terrorism source said the group travel to Pakistan's ethnic areas at the beginning of 2008, also intent on fighting in Afghanistan.

The Europeans , four Belgians and two French citizens, all of North African descent were recruit, Belgian police say, by Malika el Aroud and Moez Garsallaoui, a married couple who had long enjoyed a infamous reputation among European counter-terrorism army.

useful links: transport rankings 

GOP, Blue Dogs get hold back on health

A key Senate committee won't vote on its cooperation health care overhaul plan before the approaching month-long August recess, giving Republicans and some conventional Democrats their desired slowdown in congressional action on President Obama's top domestic precedence.

The proclamation by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Montana, followed weeks of painstaking discussions by six panel members , three Democrats and three Republicans. It's been the only bipartisan health care legislation being crafted so far.

useful links: transport rankings 

Do you think a person who is taken to court for drunk driving should be let off if they say they were drinking coke?

Updated
Most people understand the above question and will say that a person should not be let off for drunk driving if they say they were drinking coke.

This survey, released by Barnardos, asks kids what researchers think is a similar question, in th hope that most people will give a no answer. Do you think adults who are taken to court for hitting a child should be let off if they say they were disciplining the child? The kid had to make up his or her own mind whether the question implied an excuse for abuse, or whether they think the question meant that the person was conducting reasonable discipline but was charged with assault of a kind that should attract sanctions.In short, bad question that unlike the drinking question, can be interpreted in multiple ways.

If they were disciplining someone else's child they never had a legal defence before the old section 59 law.If they were not disciplining at all they shouldn't be either. Nearly 52 percent of kids who were asked that question thought parents should not be let off. Fair enough. They probably didn't see it as a physical discipline implication without probing, which was probably the intention of the interviewers.

But in an attempt to twist the research further, they took comments from 0.6 percent of callers, who expressed a range of opinions. Those writing up the survey results did not specify the proportion of the 48, who thought hitting parents should not be let off court charges and those who should be. They asked questioned about whether kids thought they should be hit and reported them as to whether kids thought they should be disciplined. They reported that some kids explicitly said that some parents who hit children should themselves be disciplined. Note the language. No examples were given. Perhaps there weren't any and they made it up.

One kid answered the question and then tried to turn the question around to the discipline angle. She was then asked if she thought it was OK to smack. She said yes.Then the leading questions started. The surveyor said, what if something (perhaps a weapon?) was used to smack the kids with - was that okay? The child refused to answer that question so the interviewer then asked what she thought of smacks that cause bruises. The child wasn't happy about bruises. If she was happy about bruises one wondered what the next question would have been - a punch in the head? I guess she was one of the 52% recorded as believing adults should not be let off in court for hitting kids - even though she was OK with parental smacking.

One wonders why these surveys are actually done. They are unreliable, unrepresentative, and invalid. Pointless. One wonders why they go to all this bother to hook up kids, solicit them, and treat them like research prostitutes for political purposes.

CYF boss apologies after parents go public - not for wrongdoing, but because those his department hassled were "upset".

A parent tells how he smacked his child

"I grabbed hold of her ankle and smacked her bottom" Two of his fingers went above the line of her belt, leaving red marks on her back.The smack worked. She stopped kicking and was soon apologetic.But the mental health service was about to give her a full medical examination. Lisa told a nurse about the red marks and the smack.A few days later, at 3pm on a Friday, CYFS staff rang. They had received a claim of abuse and they wanted the children out of the house while they investigated.

The question is, was CYFS right in doing that. How did it know the red marks were caused by a smack?

It didn't.

The social worker described the situation at the time as "critical". Family First has this case up on its website - ['case 5] noting that the family were interviewed by the police for for five hours. The kids were removed, even though she was told that the marks were caused by the child falling on a vaccuum cleaner. On the Monday, CYFS spoke to the older daughter at school to find out how abusive her parents were and left her in tears. One wondered why they didn't speak to her on the Friday before she was told to get alternative accomodation.

But it took involvement from the media to get an apology from CYFS bosses. CYFS boss Ray Smith said CYFS could have done a better job of talking through other options". Like hell they could have. He didn't say what those other options might entail.

"I want to stress that removing children from a home is a last resort and that is not what happened in this case... I am sorry that the girls were upset and unsettled by our involvement with their family. I acknowledge that, in this case, we could have given [the parents] better advice on how to explain to their children what was happening." He said the parents were "good parents", but the agency had been "asked to get involved simply to see whether a family that appeared to be struggling needed our help".

What a load of crap. That is an outright lie. The parent said that the agency got involved not to offer help but to investigate the allegation of abuse and kick the children out as a first resort after a complaint, thus interfering with the lives of good Kiwi parents. Then he has the audacity to say in a column today that:

This does not mean that CYFS is interfering in the lives of good Kiwi parents.

But he has admitted CYFS did just that in the above case. The parents had no option but to accede to CYFS demands.

Since when is CYFS there to "help" parents on how to "explain what was happening" when they don't even listen to explanations as to what did happen?

How the referendum question should be interpreted

"Do I want to go to jail if I smack as part of good parental correction in New Zealand?"

Lobbying on the training incentive allowance

Trudy Basire is a frequenter of the TradeMe message boards frequented by Natasha Fuller, who gets $715 as a beneficiary. Basire is leading the campaign to reinstate full access to the Training Incentive Allowance (TIA). Although Fuller is one Basire's Facebook friends, Fuller has "removed herself from public discussion" in the campaign according to this media release on the campaign website.

However it is good to see that Jennifer Johnston - the other beneficiary mentioned on this blog - has been constructive in her suggestions in discussions with the Minister. Such an approach can only lead to better outcomes.

Listen to her here on checkpoint . She has some good suggestions.

Theban tomb tracings made by Norman and Nina de Garis Davies

Theban tomb tracings made by Norman and Nina de Garis Davies

The Griffith Institute have made these pencil tracings available online

UK police force release CCTV photo of crushed Kiwi

British police on Thursday released the last known photograph of the New Zealand teacher crushed in a rubbish truck.

The CCTV images were taken of Scott Williams, 35, not long before he is consideration to have bedded down in a large wheelie bin in central Brighton after a night's drinking.

At the opening of the inquest into Williams death on Wednesday, a fresh appeal was issue for anyone who saw him in central Brighton to come forward, the Brighton Argus reported.

useful links: transport rankings 

Remainders of last two war dead found

The remains of the last two Australian servicemen missing from the Vietnam War have been found in the ruins of their crashed bomber.

A RAAF search team, which has been excavating the crash site near the Vietnam boundary with Laos, found human remains which have been recognized as pilot Flying Officer Michael Herbert, 24, from Glenelg, South Australia, and navigator Pilot Officer Robert Carver, 24, from Toowoomba, Queensland.

Both died when their Canberra bomber crashed while returning from a charge on November 3, 1970.

useful links: transport rankings 

Tony Blair to be called before UK investigation to Iraq war

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair will be called before an investigation into the country's position in the Iraq war

John Chilcot told media he would not ‘propose a list of witnesses’ but that "key decision-makers in the key phases of the Iraq affair" would be called.

You can work out for yourself who some of them will be, but apart from the former Prime Minister [Tony Blair] -- who it's understandable we must see -- I don't want to give a longer list today.

useful links: transport rankings 

Former Enron leader Skilling to be resentenced

Former Enron Corp. chief Jeffrey Skilling, convicted three years ago of scam, is scheduled to be resentenced Thursday after a federal appeals court vacated his 24-year sentence earlier this year.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of appeal in New Orleans, Louisiana, affirmed Skilling's confidence in January but dumped the sentence handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Sim Lake in Houston, Texas.

useful links: transport rankings 

A combat Soldier on Death Row?

Prosecutors want to kill a 3-tour combat veteran who was prescribed dangerous drugs by the same government that trained him to kill.

Somewhere along the way, Americans convinced themselves that you can train a soldier to kill, send him to war, then bring him home and deactivate the killer inside with a magical switch.

We learned during the Vietnam War, or re-learned more specifically, that it doesn't work that way. When you train thousands to survive in combat, a percentage will not easily shed those skills.

A highly decorated 3-tour Iraq Army soldier named Nick Horner, a father of 2 beautiful children, snapped and did the unthinkable last year. The Iraq War vet went on an unprovoked shooting spree that left 2 people dead and a 3rd injured.

The powers to be want to put this decorated Veteran to death, but this is a country where people like Charles Manson spend years in confinement for generations.

The worst part is that the U.S. Army never even admitted that Horner suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Yet they took his gun away and sent him packing home before his third tour was complete. People who knew him said he was a different person upon his return. It costs the federal government money every time it grants a PTSD claim.

In the months leading up to his trial, Horner was evaluated by a Hollidaysburg psychiatrist named Dr. Edwin Tan, who stated that the combat vet suffers from war-related post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, panic disorder and sleep problems. But the doctor stopped short of saying Nick Horner's crimes were directly related to his war experiences.

The Crime

Testimony from court records indicates that April 6th started as a fairly normal for Nick Horner and his wife. According to Tan's court ordered report, Horner and his wife Windy dropped their kids off at school and then went to a Circuit City store. They also visited a computer repairman.

Then while stopping at Wal-Mart, Nick got into a verbal argument with another driver over a parking space. This led to an argument with his wife. Horner left and then robbed the Subway restaurant on 58th Street, killed Garlick and wounded another employee, Michele Petty, before killing Williams 3 blocks away.

Nick Horner told police he recalled entering the Holiday Bowl where he drank a pitcher of beer, but his next memory, according to what he told the doctor, was the police taser gun.

Death was nothing new or unusual for Horner or anyone else who was in Iraq at that time. Horner, who can't take loud sounds including helicopters and trains, talked about 2 fellow soldiers killed by a bomb dropped by am American Air Force plane. He told medical professionals that his PTSD began at this point.

Like other Iraq War vets, he was always on guard and his paranoia led to his choice to carry a gun. But Nick also was on a prescribed anxiety drug the day of the murders.

Ignoring the Signs

A friend in the U.S. received a phone call from Iraq about Nick, during his 3rd tour:

"A buddy of his that's a squad leader called me one time and said 'Your boy isn't doing too good over here.' They had to take his weapon a couple of times because he almost opened fire on what he thought was threats."

The same friend that said when he heard about the shootings at the Subway restaurant, he knew right away that Nick Horner had gone into combat mode.

"I saw the newscast and then I read the story. Right away I identified that Nick was doing what he was trained to do. He did a rear-door entry. Unfortunately the gentleman he ran into at the park must have been in some sort of zone and posed a threat. That's probably why he tried to take him out," the friend said.

As one of Nick Horner's friends who wrote to Salem-News.com said, what he did was wrong, but what Uncle Sam did to Nick Horner was wrong.

"Moreover, the government is clearly dishonest in denying that Nick's crimes are a result of his war experiences. Surely it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that Nick is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder."

That's the position of the prosecutors. The interesting part is that there probably aren't any members of this team who ever visited or served in Iraq. As a result, these attorneys have a profound lack of understanding that quite logically would block their full understanding of PTSD.

In a nation that fights wars without cause or justification, Nick Horner ultimately became a killer for lack of opportunity. He clearly knew he didn't want to return to Iraq a third time. He tried to tell the military, but the response was that he would be kicked out of he didn't go, and his family needed the money.

Denying the OBVIOUS

Nick Horner's friend says the 94th Engineering Battalion, 77th Company that Nick was a part of, was not fully ready for the last deployment.

"Nick did not feel he was fit to deploy to Iraq for his 3rd tour. Nick had requested to be seen by a Psychiatrist at the Post Hospital prior to deployment to evaluate his mental status because as Nick put it, 'He was having alot of really f...ed up dreams'."

His friend explains that Nick would talk about these "dreams" and how he would go into detail of seeing small children blowing up from bombs hidden in their clothes. The psychiatrist at the military post placed Nick on anti-anxiety medication and the dosage that were much higher than Nick should have been taking.

"While in Iraq, Nick began having adverse reactions to the medications. He came upon a group of civilians and was unable to determine in his mind that they were friendlies. He locked and loaded his weapon and was preparing to fire. His weapon was immediately retrieved by a fellow soldier. Upon returning to the FOB the Commander relinquished Nick of his weapon and ordered him to seek medical from the Combat Stress Team."

But the Army never agreed that Horner has PTSD, and the prosecutors are willing to overlook and sidestep hard evidence complied by the federal government.

Nick was told that if he could not be in Iraq, he did not deserve to be in the Army. He went through a series of medical appointments for the stress and anxiety disorders.

"He had been given numerous different medications with varying dosages, and at times became so drugged that he could not even get out of bed."

Nick's friend who wrote to us, says he started to wander aimlessly.

"He arrived at my home at one point and when I touched his shoulder he jumped and said, 'How the Hell did I get here'?"

"I said, 'Nick, you came where you felt the safest'."

"He told me he felt he was losing his mind. He was covered in Deer Ticks and he said he had no idea how he got to my house. Later to find out he had walked 3 miles through the woods in 100 degree weather. He had been at another friend's house and just walked away for no reason.

Another episode happened in the evening that is probably completely tied to Horner's war experiences.

On this night, Nick just got on a mountain bike and started riding down the street.

"He was found 10 miles away in a construction area. He had crashed the bicycle into a barrier and had flown over the handle bars and landed in a large, muddy hole that was at least 8 feet deep. He had no recollection of leaving his house or where he was going or anything. He was upset that he was muddy, and had injured his back and had a bump on his head."

The last major episode Nick's friend relates, deals with the time Nick Horner was driving, when he lost focus and forgot that he was driving.

"He swerved off the road and plowed into a parked motorcoach nearly killing himself. Again, he did not even know what happened."

Nick Horner's friend says this veteran returned from Iraq as a changed person. "He would try to smile, but you could tell it pained him. He would stare into space and not respond to anyone. He was lost, and he was scared of the future."

Horner also is reported to have had serious problems working with the local VA. He told his friend he felt like he was being treated like a number.

"He tried desperately to get them to listen, again going to many appointments and going through med changes. He was doing what he was supposed to do and the VA was not doing what they were supposed to."

Horner's friend says Nick had NO intention of robbing anyone or killing anyone or even hurting anyone.

A Different Take on the Story

"He was at the bowling alley to sign his wife and children up for a family bowling league because he felt that would only help strengthen their bond. When he left, he was taking the simplest route to his home. From the bowling alley to the rear of the Subway restaurant, something went wrong."

From what the friend understands, the rear section of this Subway store looks very similar to some of the buildings in Iraq that Nick was tasked with clearing including the brown metal door.

"Something triggered Nick and he approached the door cautiously. He BANGED on the door to investigate with his pistol drawn as if in a search mode. When the 19-year old opened the door, words were exchanged and Nick recognized the boy as a hostile and fired his weapon."

The friend says Nick entered the store using a sweeping movement until coming to the main section.

"Nick did NOT ask for money, the cashier assumed it was a robbery and filled a bag with the money and threw it to Nick. The female employee startled Nick and he fired. He left the store feeling it was secure and proceeded down a route familiar to him. A gentleman appeared suddenly and Nick fired. He searched the body to see if there was any threat from it. Retrieving mail and keys, he left the area. He was trying to return to his team."

In this version of the story, which has received little play, Nick Horner, in a blackout essentially, was trying to locate his team.

"He was confronted with Police Officers and recognized them as his unit. He struggled slightly and then surrendered realizing they were police. Nick did not know what happened until the next day when he woke up in jail and asked 'why am I here', unaware of what had happened," his friend said.

His friends and family say Nick has been in the jail since April 6th and has not received proper treatment.

"He has been refused medication on numerous occasions, denied clothing and denied general population. They have kept him in solitary confinement for most of his stay in the jail."

What it really comes down to, is whether or not Nick Horner's war experiences led him to commit 2 Murders and shoot a 3rd person. Horner didn't have a plan, he didn't rob a bank or have a getaway car. What he did is tragic and he certainly deserves to be treated accordingly, but the death penalty will not achieve any goals.

What it does do is demonstrate that the government is willing to create killers, not maintain them, and then end their lives as an answer to the madness the government itself created. Maybe we should choose our wars more carefully, but it is too late for that. Killing Nick Horner is a little like killing every American who did their best serving in that dangerous, frightening place.

Federal Lies About PTSD

Army psychologist secretly discusses pressure not to diagnose PTSD.

Salon.com published an article titled "I am under a lot of pressure to not diagnose PTSD", coincidentally 2 days later on April 8 2009, featuring an audio clip of a secret recording revealing that the Army and Veterans Administration are pushing medical staffs not to diagnose post-traumatic stress disorder.

The Army and Senate have ignored the implications according to Salon.com, and anyone paying attention to these developments knows this is consistent with the VA's pattern to date of absolutely and completely failing to fulfill its appointed mission. The agency needs funding greatly amplified if they ever want to seriously undertake that commitment.

The system simply hasn't been designed to work with consistency. Some VA centers in wealthy communities packed with retired military like Phoenix, Arizona, receive praise from the vets who use services there.

Other VA centers which see a lot more in the way of young veterans, are overwhelmed sometimes beyond description. The money within the VA is not always fairly distributed.

This is not to imply that there aren't a lot of qualified professionals in the VA. There are those fighting from within and their contributions are nearly invaluable.

The Internet is allowing us to break boundaries, and mounting public pressure will hopefully lead to vastly needed funding and improvements for vets.

Dr. Leveque says the cost of PTSD in our society carries an enormous price tag, that is if it is going to be effectively treated.

"It's going to cost a trillion dollars to settle these guys down. The war in Iraq has been different from anything the U.S. had. In 'Nam you went for 12 months and some went back for repeat tours, usually if they chose to. In this war they just keep being sent back over and over again."

Nick's sister Dawn believes the Army has failed her brother and the whole Altoona and Johnstown area.

"We thought the Army was taking care of his mental problems, we were wrong...They were only concerned about how much money they would lose if they had to treat him and all the other soldier that have PTSD!!! This a crime and we need to prevent this from happening again. Contact your Congressmen and women stand up and help us prevent this from ever happening again."

I explained to Dr. Leveque that some people believe the sounds of the bowling alley Nick had visited just before the Subway robbery, may have been what set the incident off.

Leveque said, "These guys, every person with this level of PTSD has his own trigger point where something sets them off. At this point he's got a hair trigger for PTSD and you don't know what he is going to do."

"As you know there are a lot of returning vets who are killing their wives. If these guys get a little drunk, that's probably the worst thing they can do is lose their inhibition."

Source: Salem-News, July 30, 2009

Human Rights group: China is world's top executioner

A human rights group says the number of people put to death worldwide decreased in 2008, and that China retained its position as the world's top executioner.

The anti-death penalty group Hands Off Cain says in Wednesday's report about 2008 and the first 6 months of this year that Iran and Saudi Arabia also appear near the top of the list of the world's top executioners.

The group said at least 5,727 executions were carried out in 2008, down from 5,851 the year before. It says that 46 countries kept the death penalty last year, 3 fewer than in 2007.

The group estimates that China conducted at least 5,000 executions, or 87.3 % of the total. It is the same figure as last year.

The United States executed 37 people 5 fewer than 2007.

Source: Associated Press, July 30, 2009

China Pledges to Reduce Death Sentences

China, which executes more people than any other country, says it will show more leniency to those given death sentences, state media reported Wednesday.

In a series of interviews, the vice president of the Supreme People's Court said that China was not ready to abolish capital punishment but that the penalty should be reserved for a small number of serious crimes, particularly those that threaten social stability.

More than 60 crimes can draw the death penalty in China, including tax evasion, embezzlement and drug trafficking, but the government does not release figures on the number of executions, many of which take place immediately after a defendant's conviction.

"Judicial departments should use the least number of death sentences as possible, and death penalties should not be given to those having a reason for not being executed," Zhang Jun, the courts vice president, was quoted as saying in the newspaper China Daily.

Human rights groups like Amnesty International estimate that more than 1,700 people were put to death in China in 2008, a sharp drop from previous years in which as many as 15,000 executions took place. The United States, by contrast, put to death 37 people last year. The number of executions in China began dropping in 2001 not long after Beijing was chosen as the site of the 2008 Summer Olympics but they have fallen more sharply since 2007, when the countrys high court was given the power to review all capital punishment cases.

Last year, according to China Daily, the court overturned 10 % of all death sentences meted out by lower courts. Although he did not spell out exactly how the judiciary would restrict the use of capital punishment, Mr. Zhang suggested that the number of eligible crimes would be scaled back through legislation and that provincial courts would be encouraged to mete out a sentence known as "death penalty with reprieve."

He noted that in recent cases, the high court had overturned death sentences for crimes of passion or for convicts who expressed remorse and vowed to compensate their victim's relatives. As an example, he cited a man surnamed Shao who was convicted of killing his girlfriend after learning of her affair. Mr. Zhang said the high court suspended Mr. Shao's death sentence because he showed regret and pledged compensation for the woman's family.

Other mitigating factors were that the victim's behavior may have provoked the boyfriend's violence and in the end, Mr. Zhang added, the crime did not "have a major social impact."

He Weifang, a law professor at Peking University and a vocal critic of the death penalty, said that despite pressure from Chinese legal experts and international rights organizations, most people in China support capital punishment as a means to control crime and exact vengeance.

"Throughout Chinese history, there has always been an emphasis on public executions, the more cruel the better," he said. "But civilization has evolved, and its time we abandon, or at least severely limit, the use of capital punishment."

Source: New York Times, July 30, 2009

Saudi Arabian beheaded by the sword

July 26, 2009: a Saudi Arabian man who shot to death a compatriot following an argument was beheaded by the sword near the capital Riyadh, the Saudi Interior Ministry said in a statement carried by the official SPA news agency.
Mussalat al-Morshadi was found guilty of killing Hudhal al-Otaibi.

Source: Agence France Presse, 26/07/2009

Iran: two executed for terrorism

July 25, 2009: two members of the Rigi group were hanged in Iran.

According to an announcement by the Sistan-Baluchestan Justice Department, Ayyub Rigi and Mas'ud Gomshadzehi were executed for fighting against God and corruption on earth.

Their sentence was carried out in Zahedan prison grounds.

Sources: BBC, 25/07/2009

North Korea: woman executed for distributing Bible

July 24, 2009: Ri Hyon Ok, a Christian woman accused of distributing the Bible, a book banned in communist North Korea, was publicly executed on June 16 for the “crime”, South Korean activists said.

The 33-year-old mother of three was also accused of spying for South Korea and the United States, and of organizing dissidents, the Seoul-based “Investigative Commission on Crime Against Humanity” reported, citing documents obtained from the North. Her children and husband were sent to a prison camp near the city of Hoeryong after she was executed in the northwestern city of Ryongchon – near the border with China.

Source: Associated Press, 24/07/2009

The smacking debate on Campbell Live

Campbell Live had an excellent programme on the smacking debate tonight. You can watch it here. Anton Blank (Te Kahui Mana Ririki) and Murray Edridge (Barnardos) represented The Yes Vote, and Sheryll Savill and Bob McCoskrie spoke for the Vote No lobby.

Everyone put their point across well. It was a well balanced progamme.

I support an allowance as an incentive for training

In the past day or two I have written about people on benefits who want an allowance from the Government to undertake tertiary training. It may appear from those posts that I do not support assistance for training purposes.

This is not the case. I support the retention of the training incentive allowance (TIA) with some amendments. The Massey University Extramural Students' Society said this in a recent media release:

National’s cutting of the Training Incentive Allowance will hit those who are motivated to improve their lives. Midwives, nurses and teachers are among the professions that solo mothers will struggle to afford training in. The TIA paid for up to $3,862.00 of actual course costs per year. Without this support many once-eligible students will not be able to make ends meet. Childcare becomes unaffordable if all spare cash is spent on course fees so potential success stories become shattered dreams

The key thing is that students should undertake study to improve their lives, and the allowance should be an incentive to do that. The recent case where a dpb recipient was doing just three papers a year on the TIA is hardly going to improve her life in the short term. A three year degree would take eight years to complete, a four year one even longer.

The problem is that, for those studying part time - meaning fewer than five or six papers - the TIA is treated like a beefed up allowance for course - and books - and childcare costs, when it should be treated like a student allowance for course and book costs only, for dpb, invalids and widows beneficiaries. No students can get the taxed student allowance if they do fewer than six papers in the two semesters. Nearly all students who do not work do more than six papers a year and collect the allowance. Those with kids can get a small WINZ childcare subsidy if they are not entitled to 20 hours free. But under the non-taxed TIA, you can do fewer papers and get the full allowance as well as a benefit, and use the balance over course costs for whatever you want to, as it is paid into your bank account much the same way as the money for additional course costs is with a normal student allowance. Some keep the money and get friends to mind kids or study at night so they can afford to get CDs or other consumables. If costs are over the allowance, you can borrow to pay for the balance with an interest -free student loan.

Personally I can't see, instead of canning the TIA, why the allowance can't be for those who take perhaps a mandatory number of papers, with perhaps an abated rate for those who take fewer. This would encourage beneficiaries to complete their qualifications at a faster rate and discourage slackers, while taking account of the fact that, as a sole parent, a primary responsibility is the care of their children. Some courses require block training and field work so I'd support 20 hours free being available for students on the TIA - not just 3-4 year olds - for these block courses and field work. After all, if they were able to apply for a childcare subsidy from WINZ - [can they?] - they'd get roughly the same amount.

Thoughts?

TV Squad TCA Report

TV Squad's Joel Keller has the following report from the TCA press tour:

Normally, I'd give the classic remake of the sci-fi classic its own post, but John Lewinski did a good job of covering the bases when he spoke to David Tennant at SDCC.
Tennant's in his last series as the Doctor, as we all know; his final episode will be 75 minutes (probably expanded to 90 minutes or 2 hours here to account for commercials) and air around Christmas. According to BBCA chief Garth Ancier, they've gotten better at airing shows soon after they bow in the UK, and the last Tennant show will be no exception.
As far as the overjoyed reception the show got at SDCC, Tennant had a great line: "I wanted to crowd dive but they were all sitting down. It was disappointing."
Russell T. Davies, who Ancier called the "David E. Kelley of Britian," has now written for two Doctors played by two very different actors. But he's not conscious of that when he writes. He writes more towards the story and what the actor can do than try to exploit an actor's tics. "They have an essential Doctorness. i tend to surf and see wherever he's going."

iFmagazine.com At TCA

Carl Corez and Emmerson Parker of iFmagazine.com report the following from David's appearance at the TCA summer press tour:

At the TCA event held today, BBC America’s DOCTOR WHO cast and crew were on hand to discuss the future of the show, the last few episodes and more.

The first thing, David Tennant says about his version of the Doctor is that he likes being the Doctor and is against the idea of dying. “You see it [in the WATERS OF MARS],” Tennant says. “He’s raging against dying in the light. He knows the sands of time are running out – the bell is toiling for him and he doesn’t want to go quietly – that’s how we play it.”

Executive producer Julie Gardner says that with THE WATERS OF MARS and the finale that is two parts “it is a huge goodbye for the last doctor and the last four year …”

Russell T. Davies, primary writer and creator of the modern day DOCTOR WHO, concurred. “It’s … so many things actually. It’s very exciting and very sad, thrilling to be handing over the show in such good health actually,” Davies says. “We sort of come on this journey together and [it is] coming to the end of something special. [So there are] mixed emotions.”

And that is something that Tennant agreed with. “Never had a definite stepping off point, [but] when Russell and Julie were moving on, it seemed like a natural end for all of us really,” Tennant says. “Sometimes you have to take a deep breath and make a difficult decision. I like that I stand to leave an audience wanting more, rather than when people are asking ‘When am I leaving?’”

Tennant also commented about his now-famous kissing TORCHWOOD’s John Barrowman at Comic-Con, Tennant says “The moment was right and [I] felt [it was] appropriate at the time. It’s something you know you’ll get a headline back home for.”

So the big question. If there is an opportunity for Tennant to come back, would he? “Maybe. I’ll wait for the right opportunity,” he says. “I have a costume, as long as I can keep my waistline – never say never.”

• Read their exclusive interview with Russell T Davies here.

Photos Of The Doctor Who Panel At TCA

David, Julie Gardner, Russell T Davies and Euros Lyn took to the BBC America stage at TCA Summer Press Tour in Pasadena, California, yesterday.

More photos from the panel can be seen here.