But surely there is nothing left to find out about?

I am sure many of you wonder what on earth students find to research and look at. I have a big bunch staying at my flats at the moment working on the South Assasif project. They are all on their Masters or PhD and it has been totally fascinating seeing what interests them and what they are looking into. You would think there is nothing left to be discovered but you would be very wrong. Take Ken Griffin, as you know from my lecture notes he is obsessed with the Rekhyt Rebus, I love a enthusiast you can’t help but get interested yourself. He mentions that he is organising a trip on their day off to Esna and Edfu. Now not being a big fan of Ptolemaic temples I suggest they stop at El Kab instead as it is a much more interesting site. He corrects me, there are 25 Rekhyts at Esna. Ok I think.

Then he shows me an inscription. It spells out the word Rekhyt with a determinative of a man holding a bird. This bird looks like a goose however most software does not have all these various nuances of glyph and he wants to check if the bird is really a goose or a lapwing. If it is a lapwing then he will have to create a new hieroglyphic of a man holding a lapwing as a determinative. Suddenly Esna sounds like the place to be and I am so excited to hear back after their trip, will it be a goose or a lapwing? I will let you know.

Today is Lunasa, one of the major Celtic festivals

1st August is Lá Lúnasa, the Celtic festival marking the imminent gathering of the harvest.

It is often confused with harvest thanksiving, but with the main crops still in the fields and the berries only just starting to hit ripe, there is not, as yet, anything to be thankful for! Celts tended to look forward... to anticipate events... and hope for good things, whereas the more modern practices emphasize looking back on what we have already achieved and should be grateful for.

You can find out more about the festival, and how the old traditions still play out in modern Ireland, on a new 'Celtic holidays' page that I've uploaded to my website today.

GI News—August 2010

• Don’t sweat the small stuff when counting carbs
• Should I count up my GI values each day?
• So you think you can dance? So what should you eat?
  
• Do calories on menus help us make better food choices?
• How accurate are calorie and carb counts on labels?
• Low GI diet improves insulin sensitivity in women with PCOS

Most of us have great faith in numbers, especially ones that are boldly printed in black and white on labels and in books. But a number of studies suggest that if you want to count calories (kilojoules) or need to count your carbs, you also need to be aware that the numbers you see printed aren’t precise figures at all. They are just ballpark figures. ‘It’s a fact of life that even the most processed of foods never contain the exact amount of carbohydrate in a serve that the label says while the figures given in food tables will be average or typical not precise amounts. So, don’t get too carried away thinking that by counting every gram of carbohydrate you eat or drink and every 0.05 of a unit of insulin you take your blood glucose levels will be perfect,’ writes Dr Alan Barclay in Food for Thought. ‘It just doesn’t happen like this.’

Good eating, good health and good reading.

Editor: Philippa Sandall
Web management and design: Alan Barclay, PhD

Food for Thought

Don’t sweat the small stuff when counting carbs


Pediatric dietitian Carmel Smart

Most people with type 1 diabetes on conventional insulin regimens (twice daily injections) need to eat similar amounts of carbohydrate-containing foods, at regular times over the day. For those on intensive insulin regimens, while it is still important to maintain a regular eating pattern, the days of matching foods to a rigid insulin regime are long gone.

One way or another, most people with type 1 diabetes still count carbs, especially those on multiple daily injections and pumps. They typically count their carbs in 1 gram increments, 10g portions or 15g exchanges to adjust their mealtime insulin dose to carbohydrate intake. The question then arises as to how precise their carb counts need to be, as many clinicians believe that counting in gram increments is necessary to achieve optimal glycemic control, particularly for people on insulin pump therapy.

According to pediatric dietitian Carmel Smart and researchers from the University of Newcastle and John Hunter Children's Hospital, there’s no need to sweat the small stuff as there’s room for 10 grams error either way. In a study published in Diabetic Medicine, they found that with children using intensive insulin therapy, a single mealtime insulin dose calculated for 60g carbohydrate maintained postprandial blood glucose levels for meals containing between 50–70g carbs. The authors concluded a single mealtime insulin dose will cover a range of carbohydrate amounts without deterioration in postprandial control.

Which is just as well, as the latest study from this team in Diabetic Medicine reports that although children with type 1 diabetes and their caregivers (usually Mum) can estimate the carbohydrate content of meals with reasonable accuracy, large meals tended to be underestimated and snacks overestimated. ‘Very little is actually known about the ability of children to count carbs and whether one particular method (grams, portions or exchanges) for assessing carbs is better in this age group than others,’ writes Smart. ‘So we thought we would find out what they really know.’

The researchers asked 102 children and teenagers (aged 8–18 years) on intensive insulin therapy and 110 caregivers to independently estimate the carb content of 17 standardized meals using whichever method of method they had been taught (gram increments, 10g portions or 15g exchanges). ‘We found that teaching children and their caregivers carb counting in gram increments did not improve accuracy compared with carb portions or exchanges. The longer children had been carb counting the greater the mean percentage error. Core foods in non-standard quantities were most frequently inaccurately estimated, while individually labelled foods were most often accurately estimated,’ they write.

Of course, as GI News readers know, it's not just the quantity of carbs that counts, it's the quality. Smart's study published in Diabetes Care reported that substituting healthy low GI foods for high GI choices helps reduce post-meal hyperglycemia and is good for the whole family. 'In addition, young people with diabetes should try to always inject before they eat as this assists blood glucose control,’ says Smart.



Reality check on carb amounts in food. ‘Don't get too carried away thinking that by counting every gram of carbohydrate you eat and every 0.05 of a unit of insulin you take your blood glucose levels will be perfect,’ writes Dr Alan Barclay in The Diabetes and Pre-diabetes Handbook. ‘It just doesn't happen like this. It's a fact of life that even the most processed of foods never contain exactly the same amount of carbohydrate in a serve as the label says.’

How does this happen? Well, what's printed on the label is actually an average amount of carbohydrate per serving or per 100g for that food. There are small and completely natural variations in the amount of carbohydrate in food depending on where it is grown and the actual crop variety (different wheats and rices, for example, can have a different carb quantity and quality). Manufacturing and processing techniques produce small variations, too. This, along with the small differences you introduce each time you prepare yourself a ‘serve’ all adds up. So you can see how easily a 10–20% variation in the carbohydrate content of a food from what is printed on a food label can happen.

It’s not illegal either: food regulators such as Food Standards Australia and New Zealand recognise the natural variability of foods and allow for this with a 20-45% variation acceptable under the labelling regulations. This further highlights the impracticalities of ‘precisely’ counting carbs in 1 gram increments.

And for low carbers, there is international agreement that carbohydrate should not be restricted in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes as it may have seriously harmful effects on their growth and development.

For more information contact: carmel.smart@hnehealth.nsw.gov.au

Get the Scoop on Nutrition with Emma Stirling

The scoop on supersizes


Emma Stirling APD

It’s easy to blame our supersized food supply (think jumbo muffins and whopping burgers like the ‘Quad Stacker’) for our supersized waistlines. But when was the last time you had a good look at the portion sizes you serve up at home?

It’s been estimated that we typically make around 200 decisions about food each day and many of them, sub-consciously, encourage us to overeat. Dr Brian Wansink, Director of the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab is a lead researcher in the area of eating cues and author of Mindless Eating: Why we eat more than we think. According to Wansink portion sizes have increased with time. But he’s quick to point out that a key driver is the size of our crockery. His research estimates that an oversized plate can cause you to take an extra 20% or more without knowing it. Did you know that:

• dinner plates are about 30% bigger than they were 50 years ago?
• we serve ourselves more on big plates?
• if you switch from a 12in (30cm) plate back to a 10in (25cm) plate you could lose 18 pounds (a bit over 8kg) in a year?

You see a standard cup of cooked rice fits perfectly in an individual blue and white Chinese bowl, but it can look like a tiny amount when plated in a glazed, modern stir-fry bowl.

But surely people are just taking more food because they feel hungry? Think again. One simple but startling study by the Cornell University team involved a bottomless soup bowl that secretly refilled from under the table as people ate. Study participants were brought in for what they thought was a free lunch of soup. According to Wansink, those with re-fillable bowls ate over 70% more soup, but did not report feeling any more full or satisfied. The more startling finding was that only two out of 62 participants realised the soup was being refilled. The majority responded with – how could they feel full when they still had half a bowl of soup left? It seems that many of us have lost the art of eating to appetite satisfaction or intuitively. So what’s the solution to this modern day dilemma?


Reproduced with permission from Dr Brian Wansink, Director – Cornell Food & Brand Lab

‘Change your plate first. Change your habits later,’ says Wansink: In other words, start by assessing and changing your portion and crockery sizes at home, while you work at re-harnessing your hunger cues, slowing down your eating habits and eating mindfully. Here are some great tips to get you started tackling portion distortion:

• Downsize your dinner plates from (rim to rim) 12in (30cm) to 10 in (25cm) tops. Plates with a colorful rim shrink the space to be plated with food.
• Keep a measuring cup in your breakfast cereal canister so you are not tempted to over pour.
• Switch to tall, thin glasses rather than squat glasses to give the illusion of more volume.
• Use a retractable spaghetti measure to cook just the right amount for each person.
• Pay extra attention when pouring drinks too. Such as drawing an imaginary line on that 5fl oz (150ml) mark on your wine glass.

Find out how to take the small plate challenge HERE.

To further illustrate how you need to take caution with portions, check out this video of my crockery and glassware at home HERE.

Emma Stirling is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and health writer with over ten years experience writing for major publications. She is editor of The Scoop on Nutrition – a blog by expert dietitians. Check it out or subscribe for hot news bites and a healthy serve of what’s in flavour.

News Briefs

Faith in numbers
When it comes to calorie or kilojoule counting, it’s the same story – even the most processed of foods never contain exactly the same amount of calories in a serve as the label says. Food regulators in Australia for example recognise the natural variability of foods and allow for this with up to a 45% variation when they make the labelling regulations.

Researchers from Tufts writing in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association report that reduced-calorie packaged food and restaurant meals may contain significantly more calories than stated on the label. The researchers analysed the calorie content of 18 side dishes and entrees from national sit-down chain restaurants, 11 side dishes and entrees from national fast-food restaurants and 10 frozen meals purchased from supermarkets and compared their results to the calorie content information provided to the public by the restaurants and food companies. The frozen foods were tested straight out of their packages and restaurant foods on the portions served.

On average, the researchers found the restaurant dishes contained 18% more calories than stated (and two side dishes exceeded the reported calorie information by nearly 200% percent). The frozen meals had on average 8% more calories than listed. In their conclusion the writers say: ‘On a public scale, the emerging policy initiatives on requiring energy information at the point of purchase may not translate into improved dietary intake if foods typically contain more energy than stated.’

Low GI diet improves insulin sensitivity in women with PCOS


Lead researcher Dr Kate Marsh

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common hormonal disorders affecting pre-menopausal women and the leading cause of female infertility. Symptoms include irregular or absent periods, infertility or reduced fertility, hirsutism (excess hair growth on the face, chest and abdomen), alopecia (scalp hair loss), acne, obesity and difficulty losing weight and increased risk of miscarriage. Many women also complain of excessive tiredness and fatigue, hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar), and poor memory and concentration.

We don’t know why PCOS develops, but we do know that there are a number of different causes and that most women with PCOS are insulin resistant and thus at risk of heart disease and diabetes. Reducing insulin resistance is not only vital for improving PCOS symptoms (regulating menstrual cycles, reducing acne and excessive hair growth and achieving and maintaining a healthier weight), but reducing complications that often follow including heart disease and diabetes.

A recent report published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition investigated the most effective diet for women with PCOS, and found that while both a conventional healthy diet and a low GI diets led to weight loss in the study, the low GI diet also led to improved insulin sensitivity. In addition, more women had improvements in their menstrual cycle regularity on the low GI diet. Lead author Dr Kate Marsh says: ‘While low GI diets are commonly recommended for women with PCOS based on research findings in other populations such as people with diabetes, this is the first study to show that a low GI diet does have definite benefits for women with PCOS.’

So you think you can dance? So what should you eat?

Emma Sandall from Ludwig, a new Australian dance company

If you are one of the thousands auditioning for the next series of ‘So You think You Can Dance’ (or the parent or grandparent of a hopeful contestant), you may be interested in checking out a new blog for dancers on diet. The first posts look at carbs and protein and dehydration and focus on what dancers need to be energised, strong and healthy, able to pick up steps and learn new choreography really fast and to perform at their best. ‘A fascination/obsession for many dancers and dance followers is nutrition and how it affects us as performers and athletes. I am definitely one such dancer,’ writes Emma Sandall, ‘I have always been interested in what I eat and what it does to me once I have eaten it – whether that be to give me energy, give me a ‘high’, build muscle, put on weight, etc. There is a lot of misleading information out there as well as a lot of good research. But how do people work out which is which?’

• Protein or carbs – what’s best for dancers?
  
• On dehydration
  

How friendly are ‘diabetes friendly’ recipes?
Have you noticed that many magazine recipe sections now have labels for their recipes – ‘gluten free’, ‘dairy free’, ‘vegetarian’, ‘diabetes friendly’? ‘Gluten-free’ is a useful one and is a clearly defined term. We know if a food label says ‘gluten free’, the product will contain no wheat, rye, barley, oats (in Australia), and triticale or foods make from them or foods (e.g. sauces, dressings, stocks and spreads) that include them as an ingredient.

‘Diabetes friendly’ isn’t a clearly defined term at all and potentially rather misleading – we have just seen it applied to a fish pie recipe made with mashed ultra high GI desiree potatoes.



Two quick points: People with diabetes don’t actually need a special diet. And there isn’t one diet for everybody with diabetes. ‘If you have diabetes,’ says dietitian Kaye Foster-Powell, ‘you actually have a great deal of flexibility in the overall make-up of your eating plan. It’s a matter of discovering what suits you best while fitting within these 10 key dietary recommendations:

1. Choose nutritious carbohydrate foods with a low GI as your staples
2. Be aware of how much carbohydrate you eat
3. Get plenty of fibre in your diet
4. Limit foods that are high in saturated fat
5. Eat lean protein foods to suit your appetite
6. Eat fish once or twice a week: if you are vegetarian, make sure you focus on including foods that contain quality proteins and are good sources of omega-3 fats
7. Use monounsaturated fats (such as olive oil)
8. Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables every day
9. Limit your salt intake, and
10. Limit your alcohol intake.’

Busting Food Myths with Nicole Senior

Myth: Nutrition labels on fast foods improve choices.


Nicole Senior

Fact: Knowledge doesn’t always lead to behavior change.
The Victorian State Government in Australia recently decided to make displaying kilojoule (calorie) content and percentage Daily Intake (%DI) compulsory on fast food chain menus. And where you can see it when you order, not hidden away in a brochure, on the website or in small print on the packaging. It is hoped that customers will use this information to make healthier choices. To help them think twice about ordering a meal containing 50% of their daily kilojoule requirements, and ultimately reduce obesity rates. It sounds like a great idea, but will it work?

New York City has a similar program which came into full swing last year. While it’s too early to say it’s been a flop, initial research results have been disappointing. A study by New York University compared fast food purchases in New York City (with calorie counts on menus) and neighbouring Newark without and found there was no difference between calorie content of what customers bought in stores with calorie counts compared to those without calorie counts. This, despite the fact that 28% customers said calorie counts had influenced them to order better: a classic case of saying one thing and doing another. Worthy of note is that the stores were in poor neighbourhoods. Could it be that the socially disadvantaged benefit less from the ‘information is power’ approach?



Another question about effectiveness of such a move is: Do people really care whether fast food is healthy or not? Obviously the majority (72%) in the New York study didn’t. Or do people purchase for other reasons such as taste, price and convenience?

Young men are big consumers of fast food and well known for their risk-taking behaviour. I’ve heard stories of young men daring each other to eat the unhealthiest item on fast food menus, and gain the respect of their peers when they manage to stuff down two or three ‘meals’ … plus dessert! Some socially unaware fast food companies depend on such ‘extreme-eating’. You know, the ones that have 72oz (2kg) steaks on the menu: free to those who can finish it. Obscene.

Information may be empowering but when it comes to what we eat, information only goes so far. Is there anyone left who believes a burger and fries or deep fried chicken and fries are healthy meals? We know it, but we are apparently helpless to take meaningful action. Nutrition information is everywhere (albeit much of it is unreliable) but the world is just getting fatter.

There is a lot to be said for improving all fast food. What about requiring nutritional standards for kilojoule (calorie), saturated fat, salt and vegetable content? The Heart Foundation Tick program for fast food in Australia has made good progress in this area, but participation is not compulsory and relies on companies opting in.

Fast food is a reality in a busy world but can local planning laws help to correct the situation that there are more fast food joints and less fresh food stores in poor areas?

I support knowledge to empower people to choose healthier food, but should it be so hard? And should it be hardest for those with the least resources to resist the pull of cheap, convenient and fast food?

Nicole Senior MSc (Nut&Diet) BSc (Nut) is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and Nutritionist and author of Eat to Beat Cholesterol and Heart Food . Check out her website HERE.

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. For more information, check out Johanna's website. The photographs are by Sergio Burani. His food, travel and wine photography website is photosbysergio.com.

Summer green beans
Fresh green beans are an excellent source of potassium and folic acid. They are fibrous and have diuretic qualities too. These nutritional virtues may not mean as much to Italian cooks, however, as their fresh and wholesome summery taste. Every Italian vegetable garden has a designated spot for the much-loved ‘fagiolini’. This recipe is unbelievably easy and quick – less than 15 minutes from garden to table! Serves 8 (about 1 cup each)

450g (1lb) fresh green beans
450g (1lb) ripe plum tomatoes
½ small red onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons. pesto
Coarse sea salt (optional)

• Wash the beans, cut off the tips and steam until tender (about 12 minutes). Set aside to cool.
• Wash the tomatoes and halve them horizontally. Holding each half, use your index finger to remove the seeds under running water. Drain and cut into long, thin slices.
• Place the beans, the tomatoes and the onion in a serving dish. Add the pesto and mix thoroughly. Add salt to taste. Serve at room temperature.
  

Per serving (1 cup)
Energy: 239kJ/57cals; Protein 2g; Fat 2g (includes less than 1g saturated fat); Available carbs 6g; Fibre 3g

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 check out the Money Saving Meals website.

Leek, silver beet (Swiss chard) and feta slice
Everyone says that children and veggies don’t go together. TV ads promote sauces to smother vegetables so the children will eat them, magazines feature stories on helping anxious parents get veggies into their children and there are best-selling cookbooks based entirely on being a sneaky chef and hiding vegetables in meals. And I have to confess to hiding grated zucchini in spaghetti Bolognese and burger patties. But my views have totally changed since I have been teaching children how to cook as part of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program at Bondi Public School. The children grow the vegetables in our school garden, they look after them, they harvest them and prepare and cook them in our kitchen. So we can’t hide them – they know they are there because they put them there, and they happily eat them. The week I made a silver beet tart there was nearly a stampede for seconds, and this slice – an adaptation of a zucchini slice – made with silver beet, leeks and herbs the children picked from the garden disappeared just as quickly. Makes 10 slices

2 tablespoons oil
1 leek, halved lengthwise, washed, dried, sliced
10 silver beet (Swiss chard) leaves, remove stems, washed, dried, shredded
1 carrot, grated
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 teaspoon chopped spearmint leaves or 2 tablespoons chopped mint
¾ cup (60g) finely grated parmesan cheese
60g (2oz) feta cheese, crumbled
1¼ cups (180g) self-raising flour
5 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup (80ml) milk

• Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF) and grease and line a 16 x 26cm/6 x 10in (base measurement) slice pan.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a frying pan and cook leek for 4–5 minutes until soft. Stir in shredded silver beet and cook for 3–4 minutes until silver beet has wilted. Spoon the mixture into a heatproof bowl and leave to cool. Add the carrot, herbs and both cheeses to the silver beet bowl and stir to combine. Sift in the flour and mix well.
• In another bowl, whisk the eggs, remaining oil and milk together and pour into silver beet mixture and stir to combine. Spoon into the prepared slice pan, smooth the surface and bake for 25–30 minutes, until set and the top is starting to brown. Stand 10 minutes and then serve at room temperature.
  

Per serving (1 piece)
Energy: kJ/ cals; Protein 9g; Fat 9g (includes 3g saturated fat and 101mg cholesterol); Available carbs 15g; Fibre 3.5g

GI Symbol News with Dr Alan Barclay

Dr Alan Barclay

Why you don’t need to keep count of the GI values of your meals and snacks
With the current trend to count each and every gram of carbohydrate (or every calorie/kilojoule) in a food or beverage, it is easy to understand that some people feel that they should be adding up the GI values of their meals or even keep count of the total GI value of all the meals and snacks they have in a day.

Relax. You absolutely don’t need a calculator nor a pen a paper when you eat the low GI way. It’s not necessary, nor is it a good idea for a number of reasons.

Firstly, unlike grams of carbohydrate and other nutrients or calorie (kilojoule) counts, the GI is a measure of quality – not quantity. A useful analogy is that of mixing paints – the final colour will reflect the dominant colour used, not simply the sum of its parts.

It’s true that researchers sometimes calculate what is called the average dietary GI, or to be more precise, the weighted average GI – where the weighting is a percentage value representing the proportion of total carbohydrate contributed by each individual food and beverage. But this is for studies to be published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. For everyday use, this is simply not necessary as we know from what’s called ‘dietary modelling’ that simply replacing most of the high GI carbs you eat with with medium or low GI ones will lower the GI of the average person’s diet sufficiently to reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes and will also help them achieve and maintain a healthier weight.

In addition, numerous studies have shown that people with diabetes can improve their glycated hemoglobin (a measure of their average blood glucose level over a 3–4 month period) simply by lowering the GI of their diet. In these studies, the people did not have to calculate their daily GI values– it was not necessary: they just used the substitution model (look how easy it is):



Secondly, we also know that you don’t have to sweat over making sure every meal you eat is low GI. This is due to what’s known as the second meal effect: if you eat a low GI meal, you reduce the glycemic impact of the carbohydrates eaten at the following meal. Research has found this applies to a high GI breakfast eaten after a low GI dinner the night before, or a high GI lunch, after tucking into a low GI breakfast.

Finally, like grams of carbohydrate and other nutrients and calories/kilojoules, GI values aren’t 100% accurate – for all of the same reasons: foods are grown in different soils, under different weather conditions, and consequently, all have a slightly different nutrient composition – so it is pointless to try and be too precise with GI (or any other nutrient) values.

So ‘don’t sweat the small stuff’ and add stress to your life. Simply swap the high GI carbs you eat at most meals for low or moderate GI counterparts and you will achieve a low(or lower) GI diet overall. And don’t forget about the total calories/kilojoules, type of fat and sodium content of your meals – GI is only one part of healthy eating.

For more information on GI values and why you don't need to keep count, please feel free to contact me: alan@gisymbol.com



For more information about the GI Symbol Program
Dr Alan W Barclay, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer
Glycemic Index Foundation (Ltd)
Phone: +61 (0)2 9785 1037
Mob: +61 (0)416 111 046
Fax: +61 (0)2 9785 1037
Email: alan@gisymbol.com
Website: http://www.gisymbol.com/

GI Update

GI Q&A with Prof Jennie Brand-Miller



What’s ‘available’ carbohydrate?
When we talk about available carbohydrate (also called glycemic, net or usable carbohydrate), we mean the carbohydrate that is absorbed into the bloodstream and directly affects blood glucose levels. It excludes the escapees like fibre, and some sugar alcohols, that are not completely digested in the small intestine.

How is carbohydrate measured?
The carb content of foods can be calculated in a couple of ways. Many countries including the US and Canada determine it indirectly or ‘by difference’. First they measure the amount of protein, fat, water and ash in 100 grams of a food, they then tot up the numbers and subtract the total from 100. What's left over is called carbohydrate. This means that the carbohydrate content figures on their food labels and in their food tables includes both available and unavailable carbs (the ones which cannot be absorbed into the bloodstream). In Europe, Australia and New Zealand on the other hand, the food labels and food tables only includes available carbs (the ones that are absorbed into the bloodstream).

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 http://www.gilabs.com/

Australia
Fiona Atkinson



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

See The New Glucose Revolution on YouTube

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How to increase Insulin Sensitivity and help treat diabetes

From Wikipedia: What appears to be the fruit of the cashew tree is an oval or pear-shaped accessory fruit that develops from the receptacle of the cashew flower. Called the cashew apple, better known in South America as "marañón", it ripens into a yellow and/or red structure about 5–11 cm long. It is edible, and has a strong "sweet" smell and a sweet taste. The pulp of the cashew apple is very juicy, but the skin is fragile, making it unsuitable for transport.

(My note: this fruit makes a lovely jam, not unlike apricot jam. The oil found inside the seed pod between the nut and the shell is very corrosive and toxic to skin. The juice of the fruit itself can stain clothes permanently.)

School of Montreal experts suggests cashew extract may help treat diabetes.A new study published in the journal Molecular Nutrition and Food Research shows cashew seed extract may play an important role in preventing and treating diabetic issues.The cashew is a tree in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The plant is indigenous to northeastern Brazil.

Image via Wikipedia

Scientists at the School of Montreal and the University of Yaoundé in Cameroon studied how cashew products affected the responses of rat liver cells to insulin. In Canada, more than three million Canadians have diabetes and this number is supposed to reach 3.7 million by 2020, according to the Canadian Diabetes Association. (My injection: this is so hard to believe because when I arrived in Canada in my early twenties, there were not that many people with diabetes. Growing up in South Africa, I only knew of one lady who had diabetes, and certainly I knew of no children with the condition.)

In U.S.A, according to the American Diabetes Association, from the 2007 National Diabetes Fact Sheet, there are total 23.6 million children and adults in the United States - 7.8% of the population - have diabetes. 1.6 million new cases of diabetes are diagnosed in people aged 20 years and older each year.

Scientists viewed cashew tree leaves, bark, seeds and apples. They found that precisely the cashew seed extract increased the absorption of blood sugar by the cells. Extracts of other plant parts had no such effect, indicating that cashew seed extract likely contains active compounds, which may have potential anti-diabetic properties.

In certain people who have diabetes, a disorder called insulin resistance prevents the body from processing the hormone, which regulates energy and the processing of sugars in the body. Insufficient insulin can lead to heart or kidney diseases as time passes.

The cashew nut is a popular snack, and its rich flavor means it's often eaten on its own, lightly salted or sugared.Cashews are a staple in vegan diets. They are utilized as a base in sauces and gravies, and can take on sweet properties for frostings and cookies.They are high in protein and a raw, natural way to obtain energy.The fats and oils in cashew nuts are 54% monounsaturated fat, 18% polyunsaturated fat, and 16per-cent saturated fats (9% palmitic acid and 7% stearic acid).Since there is no cholesterol in cashew nuts they are a healthy fat food for heart patients too. And because of their high levels of monounsaturated essential fatty acids, in addition they help support healthy levels of good (HDL) cholesterol.

Here below a 4 servings recipe "The Cashew Curry" made in 45 mins having a wok or frying pan, a wooden spoon and these ingredients:

* ½ pound whole cashews
* 2 T organic extra-virgin olive oil
* 5 shallots, thinly sliced
* 5 curry leaves
* 2-in bit of lemongrass or zest of just one lemon
* 1 T coriander
* ½ t turmeric
* ½ t salt
* 2 chiles, thinly sliced
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 slices ginger
* 15 oz unsweetened coconut milk
* 2 T cilantro, chopped
Sauté the shallots in the oil, stirring occasionally, until golden, about ten minutes.Add the curry, lemon, turmeric, chiles, garlic, ginger, and salt, and cook until fragrant, 5-10 mins.

Add remaining ingredients and simmer until thickened, another 5-10 mins. Remove curry leaves and serve, with diabetic rice or brown rice (my injection: or cauli-rice).

About the writer - Linda Miller writes for http://www.diabeticcookbooks.org/">diabetic person cook books , her personal hobby web site targeted on cooking techniques to help individuals eat healthy to protect against or deal with type 2 diabetes.

Medical references:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/news/2010/Jul/cashew-seeds-can-help-fight-against-diabetes-94654599.html

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/117935711/grouphome/home.html

Mummification Museum Lecture - South Assasif Project - Dr Elena Pischikova

South Assasif Project - Dr Elena Pischikova

Nespakashuty TT 312 late Twenty sixth Dynasty tomb

Back in 2005 when Dr Elena was coming to the end of her excavation of Nespakashuty TT 312 a late Twenty sixth Dynasty tomb at Deir el Bahri they decided to look for the tomb of his mother. Lepidus had recorded this tomb but when they went to look for it there was a village in the way. So they were surrounded by houses in 2006 when they started the project but by 2009 these had been removed. They are working in three tombs Karabasken TT391, Karakhamun TT223, Iritieru TT390. This is mainly a conservation project. Karakhamun was a Kushite and a plan of his tomb was made in 1974 but it did not record a court or vestibule and very little was actually seen and a lot guessed. They have found lots of new features not on the plan and the tomb is very large. There is a lot of soot damage

Back in 2006 the tomb was completely destroyed and nothing was visible and it was a big risk to excavate and feel the laughter of your colleagues asking why is she excavating a rubbish dump. This was exactly what it looked like then. Then finding your first fragment which although it had no name did at least confirm you were looking in the right place. After three or four weeks of non-productive digging they found a lovely figure of Karakhamun and underneath the plaster was carved his name. In fact they had found their best preserved wall as the rock in this area is appalling quality. Even when they were excavating in Ancient Egyptian times they had to do running repairs. (I was shown some of these on my visit). The carving is the best quality Kushite carving and one particular carving excited a lot of interest. It is a little greyhound like dog.

All this was found in 2006, in the east part of the first pillared hall the pillars are in a ruined state however there are lots and lots of fragments so actually it is good news as they can reconstruct the pillars. By 2008 the northern aisle had been cleared of thousands of wall fragments. The first pillared hall consists of 8 pillars on each side. In the south west corner they found an intrusive burial. There is chapter 114 of the book of the dead. Dr Elena would like to restore and open the tomb but it is slow work, the reconstruction of one pillar has taken a complete season and with 7 further pillars and all the rest of the tomb it could take her all her life to complete. (I suspect funds would help, check the website for details). On the south wall there is chapter 117 of the Book of the Dead with associated vignettes. They have sorted all the fragments and have identified several artists working on the tomb, possible up to a dozen. Another chapter 31 has crocodiles and they have found the evil crocodile of the north.

Another find is a figure of Ptah which is found in chapter 106 now this has cast a ripple in the pond of Egyptology. Previously it was speculated that the Memphite decoration in the tomb of #Harwa was carved by artists of the north on their way south to be employed by Tarahaka in the kingdom of Kush. This is why that particular tomb has a lot of old kingdom influence but the tomb of Karakhamun is a lot earlier which casts doubts on that theory. It would seem that was a big revival of Chapter 106 in the early 26^th dynasty.

The stone in the tomb is very poor quality and with the northern aisle having the 11^th hours of the book of the day there are a lot of similar vignettes of Karakhamun, Ra Herakyty and three gods.

This season has started with reinforcing and conserving before reconstruction. The remaining stone is so unstable that it could not support the weight of reconstruction so they have had to make a steel reinforcement into the bedrock to take the higher reconstructed elements. Eventually they will reach 3m high. And there is the ceiling, they have lots of ceiling fragments and she dreams of reconstructing that but it would need some imaginative engineering to do so.

On the East side there is a procession of offering bearers. They are now working in the second pillared hall and here there is a different style of his face, he is perhaps meant to look older in the second pillared hall and younger in the first (Francesco Tiradritti talked about this in his lecture on the tomb of Harwa). They also have a really nice jar wall (which I have seen and it is nice). You can also see grid lines as parts are incomplete and this tomb uses the 21 grid lines instead of 18 which is the earliest use of this grid.

There is another intrusive burial in the 2^nd pillared hall of Petahor (?) who has sandstone chapel. As this area was underneath the village it is unlikely that there will be any objects mainly wall fragments but she did have a wooden Anubis with a tiny bit of gilding around the eye which may be original to the tomb as it is typical of that period.

It is a Kushite feature to have a surrounding corridor around the burial chamber and it is possible they may have a feature like this but it remains to be excavated. However they have found the stairs to the burial chamber, actually this is not quite as exciting as it sounds as there is a shaft leading directly to the chamber which has been used by robbers but it might mean there may be small objects on the stairs. The chamber has been seen by people before the collapse of the ceiling and was described as being quite beautiful. They hope to eventually open the chamber may be after a couple of years. So the tomb is still full of surprises and there are lots of new things. There is a website although she admitted it was a bit out of date www.southasasif.com she foresees this taking at least a decade before it can be opened to the public.

There were some interesting questions.

What were his titles? He seemed to collect meaningless titles he is described as First Aq Priest of Amun but what is Aq. It is one of the largest Kushite tombs but we have no idea who he is, she believes he must be related to royalty as his tomb is much larger than the Mayor of Thebes.

When did the tomb collapse?

It was recorded in 1974 and re-entered in 2001 nobody knows what happened between those dates

Human rights lawyer Mohammad Mostafaei urges the Iranian authorities to release his wife and brother in law

Mohammad Mostafaei

After 1 week of no new about whereabouts of the human rights lawyer Mohammad Mostafaei, he sent an open letter to Tehran's public prosecutor today.

The human rights lawyer Mohammad Mostafaei asked in an open letter to Jafar Dowlatabadi the public prosecutor of Tehran, to release his wife and brother in law.

Mr. Mostafaei wrote in his letter: "The district prosecutor of Shahid Moghaddas, has in an act which is unjustifiable and contrary to the principle of personal crimes, taken hostage my wife and brother in law, and announced that they will not be released until I present myself". Mr. Mostafaei characterized this action as "abuse of power" and "acts of personal taste".

Mr. Mostafaei explained that he presented himself to the prosecutor's office last Saturday after being summoned "legally". Later the same day he was once again summoned by phone and he had decided to go to the prosecutor's office the next day. However he was told by his father in law that his wife and brother in alw were taken into custody late that night.

He writes" After hearing this disturbing news I intended first to go to the Evin Prison, but I don't tolerate so much lawlessness and violations of basic human rights, and despite the fact that they were holding my loved ones I decided not to participate in anu judicial process that doesn't adhere to basic principles of the law including the principle of crimes and punishments of being personal, presumption of innocence, the principle of legality of crimes (the hostage taking is illegal), principle of people having a fair hearing, the principle of impartiality of judges and hundreds of other principles. I decided not to present myself to the prosecutor's office unless they decide to come and arrest me.

Mr Mostafaei finally asks the prosecutor general to "release his wife and brother in law who have been taken as hostages" and that "he is willing to be present in any fair trial court and accept any fair charges and punishments".

Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the spokesperson of Iran Human Rights urged the international community, UN, the International Bar Association and all national and international lawyer associations to show their support for the human rights lawyer Mohammad Mostafaei and put pressure on the Iranian authoriteis to stop harrasment of Mr. Mostafai and his family. Amiry-Moghaddam said: Mr. Mostafaei has been defending tens of the weakest victims in the Iranian society, and has defended and managed to release several minors on the death row and women sentenced to death by stoning. It is the world community's moral responsibility to defend Mr. Mostafaei's rights.

Source: Iran Human Rights, July 31, 2010

Two hanged in Iran

2 men were hanged in the prison of Isfahan, (in the central part of Iran) early today, reported the state run news agency Fars.

According to the report the men were identified as "Behnam J" (32) convicted of keeping 1 kilo and 645 grams of heroin, and Shahram A. convicted of keeping 166 grams and selling 15 grams of crack.

The charges have not been confirmed by any independent sources.

Source: Iran Human Rights, July 31, 2010

Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani asks to be reunited with her children

Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani

Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani's supporters call for support to free her from prison, after sentence was changed to hanging.

The Iranian woman whose sentence of death by stoning was commuted to hanging after an international campaign, today sent a message from inside Tabriz prison calling for further support so that she might be reunited with her children.

Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, a 43-year-old mother of 2, said she thinks of nothing other than hugging her children and that she was mentally broken when authorities flogged her 99 times in front of her then 17-year-old son, Sajad.

She thanked the world for launching the campaign for her release but said part of her "heart is frozen". "Every night before I go to sleep, I think who would throw stones at me", she said.

The message was read by Mina Ahadi, of the Iran Committee against Stoning (ICAS), at a press conference in Conway Hall, in London.

"Put Sakineh's picture beside Neda Agha-Soltan's and don't let Iran repeat what it did with Neda again with Sakineh," said Ahadi, an Iranian human rights activist. Agha-Soltan was shot to death in the aftermath of Iran's disputed election in June 2009 and became a symbol of Iran's post-election rebellion.

Yesterday, Iran allowed Mohammadi Ashtiani's family to have a full contact visit with her in the prison.

"When I told her about the world's support for her, that the world doesn't think she has done any crime even if she had had an adulterous relationship, I had the feeling that once again she regained her honour ... after all those humiliations from the Iranian officials," Sajad, now 22, said.

After weeks of imposing a media blackout over Mohammadi Ashtiani, Iran's state-run TV broadcast a report this week that tried to link her campaigners to "the west and Israel", and accused them of calling for the release of someone who had been convicted of murder.

At the conference, ICAS presented a document showing Mohammadi Ashtiani had in fact been convicted of adultery. She was originally sentenced to 99 lashes, but her case was reopened when a court in Tabriz suspected her of murdering her husband. She was acquitted, but the adultery charge was reviewed and the death by stoning sentence handed down on the basis of "judge's knowledge".

The documents provided by ICAS show that 2 of 5 judges who investigated Mohammadi Ashtiani's case concluded that there was no forensic evidence of adultery. "It's shocking, she's sentenced to death by stoning because 3 judges think, just think, that you had an illicit relationship outside marriage," said Maryam Namazie of the ICAS.

This week, Iran issued an arrest warrant for Mohammad Mostafaei, the lawyer who volunteered to represent Mohammadi Ashtiani. Mostafaei has gone into hiding, but Iran has taken his in hostage to force him to reappear. The Guardian has learned that Mostafaei is safe and plans to publish an open letter to Tehran's prosecutor.

ICAS also issued a warning over the case of Mariam Ghorbanzadeh, 25, whose stoning sentence was commuted to hanging this week.

Ghorbanzadeh is pregnant and human rights activists believe that Iranian authorities are putting pressure on her in prison in the hope that she miscarries. They would then be allowed to execute her.

Source: The Guardian, July 30, 2010

Activist: Iranian with lifted stoning sentence says she's grateful for support but heartbroken

An Iranian woman whose sentence of death by stoning was lifted earlier this month says she's grateful for the international support she's received, but remains heartbroken at the separation from her children and tormented by the fear she could still be executed, a rights activist said Friday.

Iranian officials have said Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani will be spared stoning, which in Iran involves being buried from the chest down and pelted with rocks. The announcement came after international outrage over plans to execute the mother of two for adultery — an offence her supporters say she confessed to under duress.

Germany-based activist Mina Ahadi, who helped publicize the case, said Friday that Ashtiani remains locked up in Tabriz prison in northwestern Iran and could still be hanged. Many others on Iran's death row still face the prospect of being stoned, Ahadi said.

"You're talking about the Middle Ages," she told journalists in London, speaking through a translator. "Stoning is a form of terrorism."

Ahadi read out a message from Ashtiani in which she spoke of her shock at the sentence and said that "part of my heart is frozen."

"The day they sentenced me to stoning, it was as if I fell into the bottom of a well, and I lost consciousness," the message read. "Many nights before going to sleep I think: 'Who can think of throwing a stone against me, and crushing my face and hands?

"From Tabriz prison, I thank all of you. Tell everyone I am afraid of dying."

Ahadi said Ashtiani had dictated the message over the phone from prison during the past week. Ahadi did not provide further details.

Ashtiani, who is in her early 40s, was first convicted in May 2006 of having an "illicit relationship" with 2 men following the death of her husband and sentenced to 99 lashes.

Later the same year, she was also convicted of adultery.

A translated court document handed out to journalists appears to show that judges were divided about Ashtiani's guilt. The minority opinion held that she was being tried twice for the same crime, and that in any case there was no proof she cheated on her husband.

"Prosecution in this case has no legal justification as no positive religious or legal evidence can be found," the minority opinion read, according to the document. "The above-named is believed to be innocent of the charge."

Mohammad Mostafaei

But the majority ruled that Ashtiani's "severely corrupt mind," as well as other evidence, pointed to the crime of adultery, and she was sentenced to death by stoning.

Ashtiani's appeal failed, and she has been sitting on death row since.

She might have died in obscurity had it not been for the efforts of her tech-savvy attorney, Mohammad Mostafaei. Shortly after he published a blog post saying he feared his client would be executed imminently, the image of Ashtiani's face — framed in a black chador — spread across newspaper front pages, television bulletins and the Internet. Celebrities including Robert Redford, Emma Thompson and Colin Firth put their names behind a campaign to release her, while the United States and Britain also demanded Ashtiani's sentence be lifted.

Such a punishment would "disgust and appall the watching world," British Foreign Secretary William Hague said, while Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu promised to raise the issue with Tehran.

Faced with a growing international outcry, the Iranian Embassy in London issued a statement saying Ashtiani would not be executed by stoning, although the announcement still left a question mark over her fate.

On Saturday, authorities called Mostafaei, her lawyer, in for questioning. He was released, but has since disappeared and is thought to be in hiding. Ashtiani's son, Sajad, has also had his cellphone blocked in an effort to prevent him from speaking about the case, Ahadi said.

Amnesty International Iran researcher Ann Harrison said about a dozen people are still thought to face death by stoning in Iran. Ahadi said Friday she believed the number could be twice as high.

The phone rang unanswered at the Iranian Embassy in London Friday.

Source: Canadian Press, July 30, 2010

Amnesty International: Urgent Action Appeal for Zoda Hiroshi in imminent danger of execution in Japan

Tokyo Detention Center

Two men, Ogata Hidenori and Shinozawa Kazuo, were hanged in the Japanese capital, Tokyo, on 28 July. Of five men on death row in Japan highlighted by Amnesty International in UA 54/09, four have now been executed. The fifth man, Zoda Hiroshi, could be executed at any time.

Ogata Hidenori (also known by the name Hideki) and Shinozawa Kazuo were hanged in Tokyo Detention Center. They had been convicted of murder. Shinozawa Kazuo’s death sentence was confirmed by the Supreme Court in February 2007. Ogata Hidenori had expressed his intention to withdraw his appeal against the death sentence filed by his attorney. The Supreme Court confirmed his death sentence in July 2007. They were the first people to be put to death since a new government took office in Japan following elections in August 2009.

Zoda Hiroshi remains in imminent danger of execution. He is also held in Tokyo detention center.

Executions in Japan are by hanging and are usually carried out in secret. Prisoners are typically given a few hours’ notice but some may be given no warning at all. This means that prisoners who have exhausted their appeal options spend their time on death row knowing they could be executed at any time. Families are notified after the execution has taken place.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

These execution orders are the first to be signed by Minister of Justice Keiko Chiba since she took office as part of the government formed by the Democratic Party of Japan in September 2009. Seven people were executed in 2009, but there had been no executions since 28 July 2009.

Minister Chiba, who has previously spoken out against executions, announced plans to set up a working group on the death penalty within the Ministry of Justice following the hangings on 28 July 2010. She is the first Minister to attend the executions in person.

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:

- Expressing regret at the Justice Minister’s decision to proceed with the executions of Ogata Hidenori and Shinozawa Kazuo;

- Urging the Minister not to execute Zoda Hiroshi;

- Calling on the Minister to order an immediate moratorium on the death penalty with a view to full abolition and to commute the sentences of all those now on death row.

APPEALS TO:

Justice Minister

Keiko Chiba

Ministry of Justice

1-1-1 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku

Tokyo 100-8977

JAPAN

Fax: 011 81 3 5511 7200

Salutation: Dear Minister

COPIES TO:

Prime Minister

Naoto Kan

Prime Minister

Prime Minister’s Office

1-6-1 Nagata-cho

Chiyoda-ku

Tokyo 100-8968

JAPAN

Fax: 011 81 3 3581 3883

Email: (via website) http://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/forms/comment.html

Newspaper

Asahi Shimbun

5-3-2 Tsukiji

Chuo-ku

Tokyo 104-8011

JAPAN

Fax: 011 81 3 3545 0285

Ambassador Ichiro Fujisaki

Embassy of Japan

2520 Massachusetts Ave. NW

Washington DC 20008

Fax: 1 202 328 2187

Email: jicc@embjapan.org

PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.

Check with the AIUSA Urgent Action office if sending appeals after 10 September 2010.

Pacific Party is nearly officially history

In March the Family Party was deregistered by the electoral Commission. At the time I said that as three Christian parties - Family, Pacific and Christian Heritage - had departed from the political scene - two of their leaders are in prison, and the third is associated with a man who claims he is the physical manifestation of God, it was time to deregister the Pacific Party.

The Pacific Party was formed to attack Labour's "ungodly laws", but was the only political party registered while its leader was facing charges of ungodly lawlessness (which he lied about, and is consequently now in prison).

Four months after that post, the Pacific Party is finally going to be consigned to the dustbin.God is happy.

U.K. Author Says He Won't Apologize for Book on Singapore's Death Penalty

Alan Shadrake (left), the British author charged for contempt of court for challenging the integrity and independence of Singapore's judiciary, said he wouldn’t apologize for his book on the city's death penalty.

"I want to have my day in court," he said after his trial was adjourned today to allow his lawyer more time to prepare a defense of fair criticism and fair comment. "I didn't spend 3 years writing the book only to run away," Shadrake said.

The 75-year-old writer is also being investigated for criminal defamation by Singapore authorities. His book "Once a Jolly Hangman: Singapore's Justice in the Dock," suggests that the government "succumbs to political and economic pressures" in meting out the death penalty, the Attorney-General's Chambers said in court papers.

Shadrake can "tender an unreserved apology in unqualified terms," David Chong, chief counsel of the Attorney-General's civil division, said in court today. "Justification is no defense" for contempt of court, Chong

said.

Refusing to apologize would count as an "aggravating factor," the Attorney-General’s office said in a statement today. "An apology tendered to the court, if unqualified and sincere, may mitigate the punishment," according to the statement.

The book "insinuates that the Singapore judiciary is a tool of the People's Action Party to muzzle political dissent" through the award of "heavy damages in defamation actions brought without legal basis," the Attorney General's office said in the court papers. The book contains comments that imply the Singapore judiciary was "guilty of impropriety" by being "biased particularly against the weak, poor or less educated," according to the papers.

Contentious Statements

Shadrake's lawyer M. Ravi asked Justice Quentin Loh today to order Chong "not to put unnecessary fear in the media" after the prosecutor told journalists not to cite contentious statements from the book or risk being in contempt as well.

"I see quite a number of members of the media smiling," Loh said. "I don't think they're in fear."

Shadrake's book isn’t banned in Singapore, the Media Development Authority said in an e-mailed statement today. The regulator added that book retailers and distributors will have to seek legal advice on whether they can sell or distribute the book in the city-state.

“Singapore uses criminal defamation laws to silence critics of government policies," Amnesty International’s Asia Pacific Deputy Director Donna Guest said. "If Singapore aspires to be a global media city, it needs to respect global human rights standards for freedom of expression."

The Singapore police have said that Shadrake’s anti-death penalty views are not the issue in its investigations.

Singapore's Laws

"It is his violation of the laws of Singapore which are," the police said. "Those who disagree with our position have presented their arguments and as a matter of principle, we respect their right to hold such opposing views, as we hope they do ours."

The city-state, which has one of the world’s lowest crime rates according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes, imposes a death penalty for offenses including murder and drug trafficking.

Singapore in 2008 expanded the scope of free speech including allowing outdoor public demonstrations without police permits at designated areas and eased restrictions on political films. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in August 2008 the moves were to "liberalize our society, widen the space for expression and participation."

Contempt of court carries a jail sentence, a fine, or both. No maximum penalty has been specified under Singapore's constitution, according to the Attorney General's office.

Previous Cases

In March 2009, Singapore's High Court fined a senior Wall Street Journal editor S$10,000 ($7,300) for the publication of 3 articles that the city-state’s government said showed contempt of its judiciary. Three activists were sentenced to between 7 and 15 days in prison for wearing t-shirts with pictures of a kangaroo dressed as a judge in another contempt of court lawsuit.

Dressed in a sand-colored linen suit, Shadrake waved to the gallery as he entered the court earlier and showed the thumbs up sign. His lawyer told the court that Shadrake suffers from a heart condition and hypertension and has been “put to severe stress,” because of the trial and criminal defamation investigation.

Shadrake told reporters outside the court the case has helped his book, now in its third printing, "sell like hot cakes." The Singapore government has "blown me up into an international celebrity," he said. "Before, I was just an unknown poor journalist."

The case is Attorney-General vs Alan Shadrake OS720/2010 in the Singapore High Court.

Source: Bloomberg News, July 30, 2010

Mr. R&F'n'R

Acrylic on canvas: 120 x 160 cm (47 x 63 inches).

Stealing Shakespeare

David recently narrated a new documentary for BBC One. If you missed it you can catch up on the iPlayer here.

Stealing Shakespeare:
The remarkable story of how a 53-year-old rare book dealer from the North East of England became the centre of a mystery surrounding the disappearance of a long lost Shakespeare First Folio. The film follows bachelor Raymond Scott as he finds himself the focus of a worldwide investigation, involving the FBI, a Cuban fiancee and Durham CID.

EDIT: Added internation version for overseas fans to watch below.
Thanks to Vanessa.

Decoy Bride Update

Filming for Decoy Bride has been continuing across Scotland this week and for an amazingly informative insight in to the process we recommend that you read ForArgyll.com's blog about a day on location with the cast and crew here.

There's also a couple of new on set photos of David to be found here.

The Guardian Recommend Blackpool

The Guardian have today published a review of Blackpool on DVD, starring David Tennant.
Read it below:

Blackpool, the all-singing, all-action drama from 2004, features whipsmart dialogue and gripping chemistry between its three principal characters.
Perhaps it's the Glee effect, but Blackpool seems less weird now than when it was first broadcast, in 2004. At the time, many viewers balked at a crime drama in which the cast burst into hallucinatory song-and-dance numbers, Dennis Potter-style, at climactic moments. And it's hard to think of any other series that would run to an elaborate staging of the Smiths' The Boy With the Thorn in His Side, complete with a chorus line of twirling policemen, lip-synching tramps and a leering David Tennant.
The six-parter was written by Peter Bowker, with a cast led by David Morrissey, a pre-Doctor Who Tennant and Mistresses' Sarah Parish. Ostensibly a domestic whodunnit, Blackpool is really the portrait of Ripley Holden (Morrissey), a charismatic monster to rival Ashes to Ashes' Gene Hunt. This "prehistoric" Elvis-alike is an amusement-arcade boss intent on transforming the seaside town with his plan for a Vegas-style resort hotel ("It's goldrush time in Blackpool," he announces at one point, "and guess who's shitting golden nuggets?"). When a dead body turns up, Holden is soon butting heads with detective Peter Carlisle (an equally charismatic Tennant), who in turn becomes compromised when he embarks on an affair with Holden's wife, Natalie (Parish).
The real joy of Blackpool is the explosive chemistry between this trio, played out in part via karaoke renditions of pop classics such as Cupid and the Clash's Should I Stay Or Should I Go (indeed, Tennant's absence fatally hobbles 2006's disappointing one-off sequel, Viva Blackpool). But there is much else to savour, including a solid supporting cast (Corrie's Georgia Taylor as Holden's daughter Shyanne; John Thomson and Steve Pemberton as seedy associates), some whipsmart dialogue and a noirish Americana score that surely approximates the music playing inside Holden's head. In the same way, this town of strippers, stag parties and addicts is subtly glossed with an exotic sheen. Blackpool has never looked better: truly, the Vegas of the north.

Source: The Guardian

You can order Blackpool & Viva Blackpool from our shop for just £7.99!