Africa's Snow White - Chapter 13
As one gets closer to the end of the book, it gets very exciting. Trust me on this one.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Yong Vui Kong gets to see his next birthday
In a court ruling on 31 Aug, Yong Vui Kong (left) gets another stay of execution from the High Court when it ruled that the date for appeal of the High Court's judgement on judicial review will be on the week commencing from 17 Jan 2011.
Vui Kong, who will be 23 in January next year, will have spent almost 4 years in prison after his incarceration.
The average waiting time for convicts in death row in recent years have reduced dramatically as the court processes become more efficient.
The judges seem to have a compassionate streak to give Vui Kong's lawyer another 4 months to prepare and Vui Kong another 4 months to continue his daily ritual of prayers and maintain a tiny sliver of hope that one day, the Singapore President can grant him clemency.
Before passing the judgement, trial judge Justice Choo Han Teck summoned both the defence and prosecution into chamber and asked the prosecution if they would consider reducing the charge given the relatively young age of the drug offender, who was not even 19 at the age of the offence. The prosecution declined and the death sentence was handed to Vui Kong.
On 14th May, the Court of Appeal duly rejected Vui Kong's first appeal. But it acknowledged that the mandatory death sentence is considered a cruel, degrading and inhuman punishment.
The judges seem to favour giving Vui Kong a second chance, but they are unable to because of the lack of discretion due to the mandatory nature of the death penalty applicable to drug traffickers.
This is unfortunate, because day in and day out these judges see criminals, some sentenced to death, others not. High court judges should be given the powers to decide whether a person has committed a crime so heinous that he/she deserves the death sentence.
Malaysia has had a minister speaking up about abolishing the death penalty recently, when would it be Singapore's turn?
Source: Save Vui Kong, August 31, 2010
Vui Kong’s appeal set for Jan 2011
January 2011 – that’s the date the Registrar of the Supreme Court has set for the Court of Appeal to hear Yong Vui Kong’s appeal against the High Court’s decision on his judicial review application.
Vui Kong’s lawyer was today informed that the appeal hearing has been set “for the week commencing 17 January 2011”.
“This early notice is to give sufficient time for parties to be ready for the hearing, though we are aware that the record of appeals and cases have still not been filed,” the Registrar’s letter said.
The High Court had, on 13 August, dismissed Vui Kong’s appeal for judicial review concerning the authority to grant presidential clemency. Justice Chong ruled that the power to grant clemency “rests solely with the Cabinet” and that the President has no discretion in this.
Justice Chong also laid down that the courts have no power to review the clemency process.
The court was asked to adjudicate on Law Minister K Shanmugam’s remarks made in public before Vui Kong had filed his appeal for presidential clemency and while the Court of Appeal was deliberating Vui Kong’s appeal against his sentence. Vui Kong’s lawyer, Mr M Ravi, argued that the minister’s remarks had prejudiced Vui Kong’s appeal. Justice Chong, in his ruling, said he saw “nothing objectionable about the Minister’s statement”.
Mr Ravi later submitted a notice of appeal to the courts informing them that he intends to appeal Justice Chong’s decisions.
Vui Kong was originally scheduled to be hanged on 4 December 2009.
The original deadline for Vui Kong to submit his presidential clemency appeal was 26 August. The Singapore Prison Service has since informed Mr Ravi that it has extended the deadline until after the Court of Appeal’s hearing.
In the meantime, the Malaysian government sent a letter of appeal for clemency to the Singapore government on Vui Kong’s behalf on 29 July. The Singapore government has yet to respond to the letter. On 26 August, a group of Malaysian lawyers and parliamentarians handed a memorandum to the Singapore High Commission in Kuala Lumpur asking for Singapore to show mercy to Vui Kong.
Vui Kong’s family, together with MP for Sabah, Datuk Chua Soon Bui, and supporters, paid a visit to the Istana on 24 August to plead for Vui Kong to be given a second chance. The family members handed over 100,000 signatures collected in both Malaysia and Singapore in support of the plea. (Read TOC’s report here.)
The campaign to save Vui Kong has gathered pace in recent weeks, with many non-governmental organizations, politicians (both from the ruling party and from the opposition), Buddhists associations and youth groups, giving their support to the clemency request.
Singapore’s President, SR Nathan, has never granted any clemency appeals in his 11 years in office as Head of State.
Source: The Online Citizen, August 31, 2010
Three Australians die in PNG plane crash
THREE Australians and a New Zealander has been kill in a fiery plane crash on a distant island in Papua New Guinea.
The charter plane Crash - transport five people - overshot the landing strip, crashing into trees and full into flames, on landing at Misima Island yesterday - 200 kilometres off PNG's south-east tip.
The fifth one was being treated for serious staining.
It is supposed heavy rain was a causative factor.
Information put forward there may have been fatalities, including Australians,'' a spokesman from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said last night.
''We are looking for to corroborate the reports as a matter of urgency.''
Full story
Palestinian kills 4 Israelis on eve of peace talks
A Palestinian gunman opened fire on an Israeli means of transportation traveling in the West Bank on Tuesday, murder four passengers, establishment said, in a lethal assault that cast a long shadow over Mideast calm talks set to start this week.
There was no instant claim of responsibility. Other than in the past, confrontational groups have theatrical attacks in an effort to sabotage peace efforts.
Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the gunman opened fire at a vehicle traveling near Hebron — a unstable city that has been a flash point of violence in the past. Some 500 ultranationalist Jewish settlers live in heavily carrying weapons enclaves in the city amid more than 100,000 Palestinians.
Israel's nationwide save service said the victims included two men and two women. It gave no further details.
Full story
5 more American troops die in Afghan fighting
Five additional American troops were killed in action in Afghanistan on Tuesday; finish the month with a point in carnage that has claimed the lives of 19 U.S. service members in only four days.
The U.S. death fee for August stood at 55 — three-quarters of them in the second half of the month as the Taliban fight back next to U.S. pressure in southern and eastern strongholds. American losses accounted for additional than 70 percent of the 76 fatalities suffered by the whole NATO-led force.
NATO supposed four of the Americans were killed by a roadside bomb in eastern Afghanistan, while a fifth died in a fight with insurgents in the country's south. No other details were free.
Full story
Obama's Iraq address: Afghan war looms large over speech
At what time he speaks from the Oval Office on Tuesday nighttime, Barack Obama will transport one of the hardest addresses of his government. All right, he's had hard ones previous to - on Afghanistan, health care and the BP oil spill. Other than Tuesday's language marking the end of the U.S. combat mission in Iraq confronts Obama with a topic that defies easy clarification, a policy that allows little self-congratulation and a following climate in which Iraq's place is not clear.
Present are three reasons for that lack of clearness. The first is that Iraq itself is in an open to doubt place. The Obama direction had hoped that by now a third democratically designated government would be performance in Baghdad, but five months after national elections in March, a following stalemate drags on.
Iraq may yet emerge as a comparatively American-friendly exemplar of Middle East democracy. But it's still possible that more chaos and civil war - perhaps leading to something far more sinister - lie around the corner. Obama simply can't claim closure.
Full story
GI News—September 2010
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- Wanted! Low GI fast food choices
- Why it’s time to raise the bar and lower the GI cut-offs for fast foods
- Low carb or low fat for weight loss? The choice is yours if you can stick to it
- Masterchef. The other ‘big M’ and healthy home-cooked meals
- How nutrition health halos trick us into treating
- Will you have a statin with that?
Vote with your feet. It’s up to us, not governments and self-appointed nutrition nannies. If we all demand healthy low GI fast food options, you can be sure the food companies will supply them. Our job is to make it profitable for them to do so. That means we have to order them and not the tempting high calorie, high fat, high GI alternatives. So here’s to great tasting baked ‘fries’ or wedges made with lower GI potatoes, lean meat burgers on really grainy low GI buns and curries and stir fries served with lower GI rices.
Good eating, good health and good reading.
Editor: Philippa Sandall
Web management and design: Alan Barclay, PhD
Food for Thought
It’s time to raise the bar and lower the GI cut-offs for fast foods and convenience meals
The GI was introduced back in 1981 to rate the glycemic character of the carbohydrate in individual foods like bread, breakfast cereal, rice, pasta, apples etc. The purpose was to exchange one carbohydrate source with another for snacks and in your meals (e.g. replacing a high GI breakfast cereal like corn flakes with a low one like natural muesli). The decision behind the cut-offs for high GI (70 or higher) and low GI (55 or lower) foods at that time was based on the scatter of GI values among single foods that had been GI tested.
We are often asked about mixed meals including fast foods and convenience meals and the effect of extra protein and fat in the food on GI and blood glucose response. Eaten alone, protein and fat have little effect on blood glucose levels, but that’s not to say they don’t affect your blood glucose response when they are combined with a carb-rich food. Protein will stimulate additional insulin secretion, resulting in lower blood glucose levels. Protein and fat both tend to delay stomach emptying, thereby slowing the rate at which carbohydrate can be digested and absorbed. So a high fat meal will have a lower glycemic effect than a low fat meal even if they both contain the same amount and type of carbohydrate.
Because SUGiRS (Sydney University Glycemic Index Research Service) is being asked to test an increasing number of fast foods and convenience meals, we think is that it’s high time to review the cut-offs for mixed meals. When it comes to defining a low GI meal such as a pizza (crust + toppings) or hamburger (bun + pattie + mayo + ketchup + salad + pickle), we should be looking at a figure of around 45 or less so that the GI value reflects the effect of the fat and protein in the meal.
We suggest the 45 or lower would be the appropriate new cut-off for a low GI fast food or convenience meal. Why 45? Well, we now know from numerous observational cohort studies around the world that the daily average GI of the diet of people in the lowest quintile (20% of the population) is about 40–50. Similarly, in a meta-analysis published in Diabetes Care of 15 experimental studies investigating the role of low GI diets in managing diabetes, the daily average GI was 45. Since this average GI has been proven to have significant health benefits in people with existing diabetes and in reducing the risk of chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease, and importantly, people can and do achieve it in real life, we believe a GI of 45 or less is what we all need to be aiming for in mixed meals like burgers or pizzas or toasted sandwiches or filled subway-style rolls and in our overall diet.
Here are the new cut-offs we are suggesting for fast foods and convenience meals:
The GI was introduced back in 1981 to rate the glycemic character of the carbohydrate in individual foods like bread, breakfast cereal, rice, pasta, apples etc. The purpose was to exchange one carbohydrate source with another for snacks and in your meals (e.g. replacing a high GI breakfast cereal like corn flakes with a low one like natural muesli). The decision behind the cut-offs for high GI (70 or higher) and low GI (55 or lower) foods at that time was based on the scatter of GI values among single foods that had been GI tested.
We are often asked about mixed meals including fast foods and convenience meals and the effect of extra protein and fat in the food on GI and blood glucose response. Eaten alone, protein and fat have little effect on blood glucose levels, but that’s not to say they don’t affect your blood glucose response when they are combined with a carb-rich food. Protein will stimulate additional insulin secretion, resulting in lower blood glucose levels. Protein and fat both tend to delay stomach emptying, thereby slowing the rate at which carbohydrate can be digested and absorbed. So a high fat meal will have a lower glycemic effect than a low fat meal even if they both contain the same amount and type of carbohydrate.
Because SUGiRS (Sydney University Glycemic Index Research Service) is being asked to test an increasing number of fast foods and convenience meals, we think is that it’s high time to review the cut-offs for mixed meals. When it comes to defining a low GI meal such as a pizza (crust + toppings) or hamburger (bun + pattie + mayo + ketchup + salad + pickle), we should be looking at a figure of around 45 or less so that the GI value reflects the effect of the fat and protein in the meal.
We suggest the 45 or lower would be the appropriate new cut-off for a low GI fast food or convenience meal. Why 45? Well, we now know from numerous observational cohort studies around the world that the daily average GI of the diet of people in the lowest quintile (20% of the population) is about 40–50. Similarly, in a meta-analysis published in Diabetes Care of 15 experimental studies investigating the role of low GI diets in managing diabetes, the daily average GI was 45. Since this average GI has been proven to have significant health benefits in people with existing diabetes and in reducing the risk of chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease, and importantly, people can and do achieve it in real life, we believe a GI of 45 or less is what we all need to be aiming for in mixed meals like burgers or pizzas or toasted sandwiches or filled subway-style rolls and in our overall diet.
Here are the new cut-offs we are suggesting for fast foods and convenience meals:
- Low GI 45 and under
- Medium GI 46–59
- High GI 60 and over
News Briefs
Wanted! Low GI fast food choices
Carmel Smart's study in Diabetes Care reported that swapping high GI for low GI carbs in 4 healthy breakfast options brought additional benefits for children and teenagers with type 1 diabetes on multiple daily injections and helped reduce post-meal hyperglycemia. What happens, however, when young people with type 1 take their pick from typical food hall lunchtime takeaway offerings?
A study published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice that looked at the glycemic effects of popular takeaway meals reports that it’s not just the quantity of carbs that counts when adjusting insulin dosages, the GI and fat content matters too. In the University of Newcastle study, 9 young adults (average age 23) with type 1 diabetes (all on intensive insulin therapy) tucked into 4 typical lunchtime takeaway meals available in any food hall on 4 different occasions at least 3 days apart. The meals had the same amount of carbohydrate (about 60 grams) but different amounts of fat and protein and low, moderate and high GIs. The meals were:
Will you have a statin with that?
A study published in the American Journal of Cardiology argues the case for handing out free cholesterol-lowering statin drugs whenever you buy fast food to cancel out the health risks of high fat food and provide us with cardiovascular benefits. ‘It is difficult to know how seriously to take this study’ write the reviewers at NHS Choices.‘... junk food has many negative health consequences beyond just increasing cholesterol. Taking a statin pill while continuing with an unhealthy diet will not address all of these. Most importantly, statins are designed for longer-term use under medical supervision. They should not be dished out like ketchup.’
Gut reactions
An Italian study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences compared the gut bacteria from children in Italy following a Western diet (they don’t tell us what the children actually ate) to children from a village in Bukina Faso, Africa, who followed a traditional African farming diet that was richer in fibre. ‘This study did not follow up the health consequences of the different types of bacteria found in the children and did not directly assess whether there is a link between a particular type of bacteria and illness, allergies or obesity,’ report the reviewers at NHS Choices.‘This study indicates that different diets around the world may have resulted in a different distribution of bacteria found in the gut in different populations. The researchers emphasise that looking further at these distributions may help us to understand which illnesses are diet-related and the role that bacteria play in the promotion and prevention of disease. However, at this point it does not provide evidence linking one type of diet to any illness.’
Lower (45%) carb diet helps weight loss
Obese women with insulin resistance lost a little more weight after 12 weeks on a lower carb, higher fat diet than on a traditional low fat, high carb diet with the same number of calories according to a Jenny Craig-funded study presented at The Endocrine Society’s 92nd Annual Meeting in San Diego.
The researchers randomised 45 insulin-resistant women to a low fat diet or a lower carb diet and provided them with prepared calorie-controlled meals as part of a behavioral weight loss program. The low fat diet consisted of 60% of calories from carbs, 20% from fat and 20% from protein. The lower carb diet held the protein calories at 20%, but cut the carbs back to 45% (a pretty typical amount for many Australians in fact) and upped the fat to 35% primarily from unsaturated fats such as nuts. The daily menus included a minimum of 2 fruits and 3 vegetable servings. Both groups lost weight at each monthly weigh-in, but by 12 weeks, the lower carb dieters lost about 3 pounds more than the low fat dieters (19.6 pounds/9.3kg versus 16.2 pounds/7.3kg). – Source ScienceDaily as the study is not yet published.
Low carb or low fat for weight loss? The choice is yours if you can stick to it
A new study published in Annals of Internal Medicine reports that after 2 years, low fat or low carb dieters taking part in a behavioral program to help them change their lifestyle can both achieve successful weight loss. Both groups in this study lost on average 7kg or 7% of their body weight. A low carb diet may modestly improve some, but not all, risk factors for heart disease, though the researchers report that it is unknown whether these improvements will influence the future development of heart disease.
The study included 307 obese men and women. The low carb diet group was instructed to eat no more than 20 grams of carbohydrate per day for 3 months and then increase that by 5 grams a day each week until they achieved their desired weight. The low fat diet group were told to decrease their calorie intake to 1200–1800 calories a day with no more than 30% of calories from fat. All took part in the education program that met weekly for the first 20 weeks, then every other week for 20 weeks, and then monthly for the rest of the 2-year study to help them increase their physical activity and change their lifestyle. Many participants did not last the course on this study.
Carmel Smart's study in Diabetes Care reported that swapping high GI for low GI carbs in 4 healthy breakfast options brought additional benefits for children and teenagers with type 1 diabetes on multiple daily injections and helped reduce post-meal hyperglycemia. What happens, however, when young people with type 1 take their pick from typical food hall lunchtime takeaway offerings?
A study published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice that looked at the glycemic effects of popular takeaway meals reports that it’s not just the quantity of carbs that counts when adjusting insulin dosages, the GI and fat content matters too. In the University of Newcastle study, 9 young adults (average age 23) with type 1 diabetes (all on intensive insulin therapy) tucked into 4 typical lunchtime takeaway meals available in any food hall on 4 different occasions at least 3 days apart. The meals had the same amount of carbohydrate (about 60 grams) but different amounts of fat and protein and low, moderate and high GIs. The meals were:
- Spaghetti carbonara – low GI/high fat
- McDonald's Quarter Pounder with fries (fries reduced by 40% to stay within the 60 grams carb limit) – Moderate GI/high fat
- Thai chicken and cashew stir fry with jasmine rice – high GI/low fat
- Cheese, ham and tomato sandwich – low GI/low fat
Will you have a statin with that?
A study published in the American Journal of Cardiology argues the case for handing out free cholesterol-lowering statin drugs whenever you buy fast food to cancel out the health risks of high fat food and provide us with cardiovascular benefits. ‘It is difficult to know how seriously to take this study’ write the reviewers at NHS Choices.‘... junk food has many negative health consequences beyond just increasing cholesterol. Taking a statin pill while continuing with an unhealthy diet will not address all of these. Most importantly, statins are designed for longer-term use under medical supervision. They should not be dished out like ketchup.’
Gut reactions
An Italian study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences compared the gut bacteria from children in Italy following a Western diet (they don’t tell us what the children actually ate) to children from a village in Bukina Faso, Africa, who followed a traditional African farming diet that was richer in fibre. ‘This study did not follow up the health consequences of the different types of bacteria found in the children and did not directly assess whether there is a link between a particular type of bacteria and illness, allergies or obesity,’ report the reviewers at NHS Choices.‘This study indicates that different diets around the world may have resulted in a different distribution of bacteria found in the gut in different populations. The researchers emphasise that looking further at these distributions may help us to understand which illnesses are diet-related and the role that bacteria play in the promotion and prevention of disease. However, at this point it does not provide evidence linking one type of diet to any illness.’
Lower (45%) carb diet helps weight loss
Obese women with insulin resistance lost a little more weight after 12 weeks on a lower carb, higher fat diet than on a traditional low fat, high carb diet with the same number of calories according to a Jenny Craig-funded study presented at The Endocrine Society’s 92nd Annual Meeting in San Diego.
The researchers randomised 45 insulin-resistant women to a low fat diet or a lower carb diet and provided them with prepared calorie-controlled meals as part of a behavioral weight loss program. The low fat diet consisted of 60% of calories from carbs, 20% from fat and 20% from protein. The lower carb diet held the protein calories at 20%, but cut the carbs back to 45% (a pretty typical amount for many Australians in fact) and upped the fat to 35% primarily from unsaturated fats such as nuts. The daily menus included a minimum of 2 fruits and 3 vegetable servings. Both groups lost weight at each monthly weigh-in, but by 12 weeks, the lower carb dieters lost about 3 pounds more than the low fat dieters (19.6 pounds/9.3kg versus 16.2 pounds/7.3kg). – Source ScienceDaily as the study is not yet published.
Low carb or low fat for weight loss? The choice is yours if you can stick to it
A new study published in Annals of Internal Medicine reports that after 2 years, low fat or low carb dieters taking part in a behavioral program to help them change their lifestyle can both achieve successful weight loss. Both groups in this study lost on average 7kg or 7% of their body weight. A low carb diet may modestly improve some, but not all, risk factors for heart disease, though the researchers report that it is unknown whether these improvements will influence the future development of heart disease.
The study included 307 obese men and women. The low carb diet group was instructed to eat no more than 20 grams of carbohydrate per day for 3 months and then increase that by 5 grams a day each week until they achieved their desired weight. The low fat diet group were told to decrease their calorie intake to 1200–1800 calories a day with no more than 30% of calories from fat. All took part in the education program that met weekly for the first 20 weeks, then every other week for 20 weeks, and then monthly for the rest of the 2-year study to help them increase their physical activity and change their lifestyle. Many participants did not last the course on this study.
Get the Scoop on Nutrition with Emma Stirling
The scoop on nutrition health halos and how they trick us into treats
Emma Stirling APD
In today’s health-aware world we are bombarded with nutrition messages. Words like ‘natural’, ‘diet’, ‘light’, and ‘low- or no-fat’ entice us with ‘ticks’, ‘star bursts’ and other bells and whistles every time we shop or stop for food. But can you accurately assess these supposedly healthier foods on face value? Or could their seemingly saintly glow really turn out to be just a health halo?
What is a nutrition health halo? Dubbed the Sherlock Holmes of food, Director of Cornell University’s Food and Brand Lab, Dr Brian Wansink is credited with coining the phrase ‘health halo’. It’s an effect that occurs when we make the assumption that a particular food is healthy because of a positive association with the parent brand or positive nutrition and health claims. One example is Wansink’s case of Subway versus McDonald’s. Subway carries a health halo due to the perception that its menu contains better choices (all those salad rolls). McDonald’s on the other hand carries the burden of a health shadow after years as the fast food king (all those fries). However, on closer inspection it is clear that McDonald’s now offers many better-for-you options, such as salads. And Subway has its fair share of not-so-heavenly-for-your-health chocolate chip cookies, large sodas and sandwiches high in calories or kilojoules and saturated fat. We can be tricked by a health halo in a number of ways:
Tunnel vision Research into the area has revealed that it’s common for people to misinterpret or latch onto a single nutrient or health claim like ‘low fat’, which may mask the true picture or total nutrient profile of a food. For example, when you take time to look at the nutrition information panel, you may find your favourite low fat ice-cream is high in added refined sugar and consequently has a similar calorie or kilojoule count per serve to another brand without the ‘low fat’ claim.
Under estimates It’s also common for people to dramatically underestimate the calorie or kilojoule content, and eat more of a food, because it comes from a brand perceived to be healthier. A recent study by the University of Michigan revealed that organic claims influenced how ‘fattening” subjects perceived a food to be. Subjects were more likely to underestimate the calories or kilojoules when told a cookie was “organic” compared with a conventional cookie.
False permission Finally, many of us give ourselves the OK to eat a treat food as a reward for choosing a food with a health halo, resulting in a far greater overall calorie or kilojoule intake. A classic example is pairing a diet cola with a doughnut. It is clear that any calories or kilojoules saved by switching from regular to diet cola, does not miraculously cancel out the calorie-loaded treat. This effect can also apply to other aspects of lifestyle behaviour. In the University of Michigan study above, subjects were less critical when someone had an ‘organic’ dessert and skipped exercise.
Devil is in the details The best way to avoid being caught by a health halo is learn the steps to being an avid label reader and favour whole foods close to the natural source like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and wholegrains. Come on over to The Scoop on Nutrition and watch our latest video on the hottest new wholegrains in town that can help boost your nutrient intake and manage your blood glucose levels.
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.
Emma Stirling APD
In today’s health-aware world we are bombarded with nutrition messages. Words like ‘natural’, ‘diet’, ‘light’, and ‘low- or no-fat’ entice us with ‘ticks’, ‘star bursts’ and other bells and whistles every time we shop or stop for food. But can you accurately assess these supposedly healthier foods on face value? Or could their seemingly saintly glow really turn out to be just a health halo?
What is a nutrition health halo? Dubbed the Sherlock Holmes of food, Director of Cornell University’s Food and Brand Lab, Dr Brian Wansink is credited with coining the phrase ‘health halo’. It’s an effect that occurs when we make the assumption that a particular food is healthy because of a positive association with the parent brand or positive nutrition and health claims. One example is Wansink’s case of Subway versus McDonald’s. Subway carries a health halo due to the perception that its menu contains better choices (all those salad rolls). McDonald’s on the other hand carries the burden of a health shadow after years as the fast food king (all those fries). However, on closer inspection it is clear that McDonald’s now offers many better-for-you options, such as salads. And Subway has its fair share of not-so-heavenly-for-your-health chocolate chip cookies, large sodas and sandwiches high in calories or kilojoules and saturated fat. We can be tricked by a health halo in a number of ways:
Tunnel vision Research into the area has revealed that it’s common for people to misinterpret or latch onto a single nutrient or health claim like ‘low fat’, which may mask the true picture or total nutrient profile of a food. For example, when you take time to look at the nutrition information panel, you may find your favourite low fat ice-cream is high in added refined sugar and consequently has a similar calorie or kilojoule count per serve to another brand without the ‘low fat’ claim.
Under estimates It’s also common for people to dramatically underestimate the calorie or kilojoule content, and eat more of a food, because it comes from a brand perceived to be healthier. A recent study by the University of Michigan revealed that organic claims influenced how ‘fattening” subjects perceived a food to be. Subjects were more likely to underestimate the calories or kilojoules when told a cookie was “organic” compared with a conventional cookie.
False permission Finally, many of us give ourselves the OK to eat a treat food as a reward for choosing a food with a health halo, resulting in a far greater overall calorie or kilojoule intake. A classic example is pairing a diet cola with a doughnut. It is clear that any calories or kilojoules saved by switching from regular to diet cola, does not miraculously cancel out the calorie-loaded treat. This effect can also apply to other aspects of lifestyle behaviour. In the University of Michigan study above, subjects were less critical when someone had an ‘organic’ dessert and skipped exercise.
Devil is in the details The best way to avoid being caught by a health halo is learn the steps to being an avid label reader and favour whole foods close to the natural source like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and wholegrains. Come on over to The Scoop on Nutrition and watch our latest video on the hottest new wholegrains in town that can help boost your nutrient intake and manage your blood glucose levels.
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.
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.
Rice pudding with almond cherry sauce
Cherries and almonds are a match made in heaven. That’s not to say that the rice-milk-lemon mixture isn’t a divine combination as well. In winter, rice pudding (‘budino di riso’) is cooked with lots of milk to make it creamy and is served warm by itself or with stewed dried fruit. This is the summer version: just barely enough milk to cook the rice, leaving it dry enough to take the shape of a pudding mold, served at room temperature with a warmed seasonal fruit sauce. The Italians think of everything! Be generous with the sauce (double sauce ingredients if you wish). Makes 5 (depending on mold size used.)
2 cups fat free milk
1 cup Uncle Ben’s long grain rice
pinch salt
finely grated zest ½ lemon (approx. 1 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 teaspoons sugar
450g (1lb) dark sweet cherries, washed, pitted, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon almond extract
Bring the milk to a boil slowly. Gently add in rice and salt, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. If needed, in the last few minutes, add ½ cup hot water, 2 tablespoons at a time. When the rice is cooked, remove it from the heat, add the lemon zest, almond extract and sugar and mix thoroughly. Divide the rice mixture evenly and fill 5 molds, pressing down to fill all the crevices. Set aside.
Make the sauce, by combining the cherries and honey in a small sauce pan and cooking over a low heat for 15 minutes. Stir frequently. When the sauce becomes creamy, remove from heat, add the almond extract, and set aside.
Place the rice molds upside down on individual dessert plates, and tap to release. Spoon the warm sauce generously on top and serve immediately.
Per serving
Energy: 1079kJ/ 257 cals; Protein 8g; Fat 1g (includes 0g saturated fat and 2mg cholesterol); Available carbs 54g; Fibre 2g
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.
Burgers with beetroot relish
Make these with seriously grainy rolls, pile on the veggies and serve up a low GI meal everyone will love. Serve them ‘ready made’ or just throw everything on to a large platter and let everyone make their own. Makes 8 burgers.
1–2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 small carrot, scrubbed and grated
1 small zucchini, grated
2 teaspoons Moroccan spice mix
350g (12oz) lean beef mince
2 tablespoons tomato sauce
¼ cup dried breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
8 dense grainy rolls, toasted
Beetroot relish
225g (8oz) can sliced beetroot, drained
¼ cup low fat plain yoghurt
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Fillings
90g (3oz) mixed salad leaves
1 large Lebanese cucumber, sliced
2–3 Roma tomatoes, sliced
Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and cook the onion for 3-4 minutes until soft. Add the carrot, zucchini and spice mix and cook for 1 minute, stirring to combine. Place this mix in a large heatproof bowl and add the mince, tomato sauce, breadcrumbs and parsley and mix well to combine. Form into eight patties, about 6–7cm in diameter.
Wipe the frying pan with paper towel and reheat with 1 tablespoon of the oil. When the oil sizzles, cook half the patties for 4–5 minutes each side over low-medium heat, until cooked through. Drain on paper towel. Repeat with the remaining patties using more oil if necessary. While the patties are cooking, make the beetroot relish . . .
Puree the beetroot with the yoghurt in a small food processor or blender and then stir in the parsley.
Assemble the burgers with a toasted grainy roll, meat pattie, a dollop of relish and a mixture of the fillings.
Per serving
Energy: 1374kJ/327cals; Protein 20g; Fat 10g (includes 2g saturated fat and 23mg cholesterol); Available carbs 37g; Fibre 6g
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Busting Food Myths with Nicole Senior
Myth: Food cooked at home is always healthier
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Nicole Senior
Fact: Just because you cook it yourself, doesn’t mean it’s healthy.
It depends on what you cook, how you cook it and how much you eat. Food and cooking are back in fashion. This cultural shift is punctuated by the phenomena of Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, the ratings behemoth of 'Masterchef', amazing sales of cookbooks and the endless buffet of celebrity chefs, cooking shows and food magazines. I hope this has had some positive impacts on the community at large. I’ve heard many stories of children being inspired to cook by watching 'Masterchef' on TV, and families becoming inspired to cook more at home for fun. The question is, are we eating any healthier?
One reason why the food and cooking trend may not have traction on our path to health is that many of us are just looking rather than doing it; the reason premium cookbooks have come to be known as ‘gastro-porn’! Meals eaten away from home continue to grow, and our love affair with fast food shows no sign of slowing down.
Unfortunately, most of the recipes we see on TV are not particularly healthy and would have the red light furiously flashing if we had a traffic light system of food labelling. Celebrity chefs are famous for their liberal use of fatty meat, butter, cream and salt. Most demonstrate what I call ‘special occasion’ or ‘sometimes’ food, yet this is rarely pointed out. Ingredients used on episodes of 'Masterchef' experience massive sales booms after the show goes to air so it appears some of us cook what they cook.
Even if we don’t actually cook the recipes, what about role modelling? Celebrity chefs have attained rock-star status but what a lost opportunity when vegetables hardly feature on the ‘restaurant-quality’ meals presented. What a pity many recipes contain an entire day’s worth of salt in a single dish. When the food prepared is more approachable, it draws on peasant origins designed for toiling in the fields with large portions and all the trimmings; hardly suitable for our sedentary lifestyles. If the cooking on TV and in celebrity chef cookbooks is any indication of what we’re eating at home, it is little wonder we’re in trouble with diet-related disease.
Many people speak ill of foods in packets like chocolate bars but feel good about whipping up a chocolate mud cake from scratch and eating a generous slice even though an objective measure of kilojoules and saturated fat would demonstrate that the home-made treat is worse. It is easy to criticise a fast food burger but somehow Jamie’s Steak, guinness and cheese pie with a puff pastry lid (made with all-butter pastry and pictured above) has a health halo. Just for fun I totted up the nutritional numbers. The Hungry Jack's (Burger King's) Ultimate Double Angus burger was attacked by health professionals yet Jamie’s recipe contains even more kilojoules and artery clogging saturated fat.
I’ve done a small study on the types of fats used in magazine recipes and it’s little wonder high cholesterol levels are so common. ‘But what about the love’, I hear you ask. While the love in home cooking cannot be measured, it still doesn’t counteract a diet of excess, although you may die happy with a face full of pie!
In times past, a good cook knew about balance, moderation, variety, fresh ingredients and providing nourishing meals on a budget. The same knowledge and skills are needed today, but we must add environmentally sustainable and extra healthy to the list. Much of what we see of cooking in the media has a different focus. If more home cooking is to help rather than hinder our wellbeing we have to see more about healthy eating in our info-tainment. Or switch off altogether and take lessons from grandma.
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.
GI Group: Check out the ‘Money Saving Meals Masterchef Makeover’ and see how Diane saved a lot of dollars and even more calories and saturated fat HERE.
Nicole Senior
Fact: Just because you cook it yourself, doesn’t mean it’s healthy.
It depends on what you cook, how you cook it and how much you eat. Food and cooking are back in fashion. This cultural shift is punctuated by the phenomena of Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, the ratings behemoth of 'Masterchef', amazing sales of cookbooks and the endless buffet of celebrity chefs, cooking shows and food magazines. I hope this has had some positive impacts on the community at large. I’ve heard many stories of children being inspired to cook by watching 'Masterchef' on TV, and families becoming inspired to cook more at home for fun. The question is, are we eating any healthier?
One reason why the food and cooking trend may not have traction on our path to health is that many of us are just looking rather than doing it; the reason premium cookbooks have come to be known as ‘gastro-porn’! Meals eaten away from home continue to grow, and our love affair with fast food shows no sign of slowing down.
Unfortunately, most of the recipes we see on TV are not particularly healthy and would have the red light furiously flashing if we had a traffic light system of food labelling. Celebrity chefs are famous for their liberal use of fatty meat, butter, cream and salt. Most demonstrate what I call ‘special occasion’ or ‘sometimes’ food, yet this is rarely pointed out. Ingredients used on episodes of 'Masterchef' experience massive sales booms after the show goes to air so it appears some of us cook what they cook.
Even if we don’t actually cook the recipes, what about role modelling? Celebrity chefs have attained rock-star status but what a lost opportunity when vegetables hardly feature on the ‘restaurant-quality’ meals presented. What a pity many recipes contain an entire day’s worth of salt in a single dish. When the food prepared is more approachable, it draws on peasant origins designed for toiling in the fields with large portions and all the trimmings; hardly suitable for our sedentary lifestyles. If the cooking on TV and in celebrity chef cookbooks is any indication of what we’re eating at home, it is little wonder we’re in trouble with diet-related disease.
Many people speak ill of foods in packets like chocolate bars but feel good about whipping up a chocolate mud cake from scratch and eating a generous slice even though an objective measure of kilojoules and saturated fat would demonstrate that the home-made treat is worse. It is easy to criticise a fast food burger but somehow Jamie’s Steak, guinness and cheese pie with a puff pastry lid (made with all-butter pastry and pictured above) has a health halo. Just for fun I totted up the nutritional numbers. The Hungry Jack's (Burger King's) Ultimate Double Angus burger was attacked by health professionals yet Jamie’s recipe contains even more kilojoules and artery clogging saturated fat.
I’ve done a small study on the types of fats used in magazine recipes and it’s little wonder high cholesterol levels are so common. ‘But what about the love’, I hear you ask. While the love in home cooking cannot be measured, it still doesn’t counteract a diet of excess, although you may die happy with a face full of pie!
In times past, a good cook knew about balance, moderation, variety, fresh ingredients and providing nourishing meals on a budget. The same knowledge and skills are needed today, but we must add environmentally sustainable and extra healthy to the list. Much of what we see of cooking in the media has a different focus. If more home cooking is to help rather than hinder our wellbeing we have to see more about healthy eating in our info-tainment. Or switch off altogether and take lessons from grandma.
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.
GI Group: Check out the ‘Money Saving Meals Masterchef Makeover’ and see how Diane saved a lot of dollars and even more calories and saturated fat HERE.
GI Symbol News with Dr Alan Barclay
![[ALAN]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tLXlfVYq2Zfz8tGYsej5Si5c40WCJq9KwoJh5hYCHwQ7SrlBEFia4MBVCbWePIxrkTuPDG14i9TFYcRcmwdsmP9xZooW4eR65YokzV4iIybrk3XOA8N2q9_rwFBMTE=s0-d)
Dr Alan Barclay
Lowering the GI of fast food and convenience meals
Food companies around the globe have made concerted efforts to reduce sodium/salt, saturated and trans fats in the food supply. In Australia, for example, the Heart Foundation’s Tick program estimates it has helped remove 235 tonnes of salt from the Australian food supply, and Australian margarine manufacturers almost completely removed trans fatty acids from table margarine over a decade ago. But what about the carbohydrates (the sugars and starches) in fast food and convenience meals?
There has been some effort to reduce the amount of added sugars in fast food and convenience meals. For example, diet and no-added sugar versions of soft drinks are readily available at fast food outlets and in convenience stores throughout the nation, potentially helping us to decrease our total kilojoule intake – although the evidence for this is by no means conclusive.
Some Australian food companies have, or are pledging to, reduce the amount of added sugars in their bread rolls – a move that you could reasonable argue is more hype than substance as it is unlikely to have a significant impact on the kilojoules in the bread rolls as sugars actually provide slightly less kilojoules than the starches that will replace them. Look at the numbers and see for yourself – 15.7 kJ/g (3.75 calories/g) in sugars against 17.5 kJ/g (4.2 calories/g) in starches. Bread rolls are not a major source of added sugars in Australia anyway, with an average 90 gram roll containing around 5 grams of sugar and the picture in the USA is essentially the same. Some fast food outlets are now offering wholemeal or wholegrain bread options. While these are more nutritious in many ways than regular white bread, containing more dietary fibre and a number of important vitamins and minerals, most still have a relatively high GI.
Indeed, the main sources of carbohydrate in fast food and convenience meals with very few exceptions (see our table in Food for Thought) have a high or medium GI. Unfortunately the most commonly consumed forms of bread, potato and rice have, on average, high GI values, and these form the basis of most fast food and convenience meals like the buns for burgers and hot dogs, potato chips/French fries, and rice. The notable exceptions to the rule are pasta – and some noodle-based dishes and some sushi. It wouldn’t be too hard to make the switch to low GI options in popular fast food and convenience meals as low GI breads, potatoes and rices are around and could be used instead of the current high GI varieties if the will was there.
Healthy low GI sushi from keepin it fresh..
A more concerted effort needs to be made by the fast and convenience food industry to ensure that when they do replace saturated fat, trans fat and/or added sugars in their products, they use healthier alternatives. In particular, when it comes to carbohydrates, they should ensure that they use healthy low GI alternatives, otherwise it is highly unlikely that the new improved formulations with all their accompanying nutrition and health claims, health marks and endorsements will provide any real health benefits.
For more information on why it is highly unlikely that the new improved formulations with all their accompanying nutrition and health claims, health marks and endorsements will provide any real health benefits if they don't use healthy low GI carbs too, 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: www.gisymbol.com
GI Update
GI Q&A with Prof Jennie Brand-Miller
If additional fat and protein cause lower glycemic responses, shouldn’t you advocate higher protein or higher fat diets for people with diabetes?
Yes and no. It’s a matter of degree and quality, rather than quantity. This type of diet shouldn’t be taken to extremes because very low carb diets have little to recommend them – they are difficult to sustain and they don’t reduce the risk of chronic disease. If your preference is to eat more protein and fat and moderately reduce carbohydrate intake, then go ahead. The US-based Joslin Clinic for people with diabetes recommends a diet with 40% of energy from carbohydrates (that’s lower than is typical in the US), with a greater proportion of protein and good fats. The emphasis should be on quality – good fats, low GI carbs and nutritious protein sources such as fish, poultry, lean red meat, tofu and legumes. If your preference is for higher carbohydrate intake, then that’s OK too, but the quality of those carbs is of paramount importance.
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
![[FIONA]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_thKjiuyZBUp1BSRKBxpGxWOGb_C3_ZQbsgZrqPYCp2rQZbcIwejH7e3ZGqPM_xee9E3VTGrJcYJClNHzkT_uhBiqOEGbD77qxS5jtLYnIb0-ltir9rgvzzH-oOkbXT=s0-d)
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
See The New Glucose Revolution on YouTube
If additional fat and protein cause lower glycemic responses, shouldn’t you advocate higher protein or higher fat diets for people with diabetes?
Yes and no. It’s a matter of degree and quality, rather than quantity. This type of diet shouldn’t be taken to extremes because very low carb diets have little to recommend them – they are difficult to sustain and they don’t reduce the risk of chronic disease. If your preference is to eat more protein and fat and moderately reduce carbohydrate intake, then go ahead. The US-based Joslin Clinic for people with diabetes recommends a diet with 40% of energy from carbohydrates (that’s lower than is typical in the US), with a greater proportion of protein and good fats. The emphasis should be on quality – good fats, low GI carbs and nutritious protein sources such as fish, poultry, lean red meat, tofu and legumes. If your preference is for higher carbohydrate intake, then that’s OK too, but the quality of those carbs is of paramount importance.
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
See The New Glucose Revolution on YouTube
Making the Most of GI News
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To subscribe to GI News, simply click on the SUBSCRIBE link in the top right-hand column. Help us be sure our email newsletter isn’t filtered as spam. Add "gifeedback@gmail.com" to your address book to ‘whitelist’ us with your filter, helping future issues of GI News get to your inbox.
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If you have posted a question in GI News, be assured that the GI Group will answer this as soon as possible. We welcome your views about our articles and other reader’s suggestions. Please POST your comments and questions on the site.
Want to search past issues of GI News?
Want to search the GI News Archive for a particular topic, food or recipe? Make the most of our search feature with Google. Simply enter the term in the space provided and press SEARCH.
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Download and print the PDF.
Copyright
This website and all information, data, documents, pages and images it contains is copyright under the Copyright Act 1968 (Commonwealth of Australia) (as amended) and the copyright laws of all member countries of the Berne Union and the Universal Copyright Convention.
Copyright in the website and in material prepared by GI News is owned by GI News, Human Nutrition Unit, University of Sydney. Copyright in quotations, images from published works and photo libraries, and materials contributed by third parties including our regular contributors Alan Barclay, Jennie Brand-Miller, Johanna Burani, Diane Temple, Emma Stirling and Nicole Senior is owned by the respective authors or agencies, as credited.
GI News encourages the availability, dissemination and exchange of public information. You may include a link to GI News on your website. You may also copy, distribute, display, download and otherwise freely deal only with material owned by GI News, on the condition that you include the copyright notice “© GI News, Human Nutrition Unit, University of Sydney” on all uses and prominently credit the source as being GI News.
You must, however, obtain permission from GI News if you wish to do the following:
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Disclaimer
GI News endeavours to check the veracity of news stories cited in this free e-newsletter by referring to the primary source, but cannot be held responsible for inaccuracies in the articles so published. GI News provides links to other World Wide Web sites as a convenience to users, but cannot be held responsible for the content or availability of these sites.
© ® & ™ The University of Sydney, Australia
Iran Foreign Minister: 'No one is executed in Iran for political reasons'
SPIEGEL: Mr. Foreign Minister, you are the senior diplomat of the Islamic Republic of Iran. You represent a nation that prides itself on a cultural history stretching back more than 2,500 years. Don't you find it shameful that people are stoned to death in your country?
Manouchehr Mottaki: You come from a country that murdered millions of people during a tyrannical war, and you want to talk to me about human rights? OK, we can certainly discuss the laws in various countries and naturally we can, in a friendly atmosphere, debate the different legal principles.
SPIEGEL: It isn't a matter of legal subtleties. Stoning is a glaring violation of universal human rights. It's barbaric.
Mottaki: There is a certain framework for punishments in Islam. In Iran, we treat crimes that are punished with the death penalty with special sensitivity, because Islam assigns special value to human life. The Koran reads: ""Anyone who murders any person (…), it shall be as if he murdered all the people. And anyone who spares a life, it shall be as if he spared the lives of all the people.""
SPIEGEL: We are not talking about murder, for which the death penalty by hanging is imposed in Iran, but about the stoning of adulterers. International human rights organizations report that there have been seven cases in the last five years alone.
Mottaki: I cannot confirm your number. But it shows that this sentence is in fact carried out very rarely.
SPIEGEL: The names of 14 other potential stoning victims are also known. This places Iran on the same level as countries like Somalia and Afghanistan when it was under Taliban rule.
Mottaki: Certain groups are making these accusations, and the West must be careful not to allow itself to be misled by people who seek to harm our reputation. Many of the things that were reported on the most recent case…
SPIEGEL: …the impending stoning of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani …
Mottaki: … are either completely incorrect or contradictory. This file has existed for several years, and nothing was done about the case, deliberately so. The campaign is now backed by people who, with the help of a few European politicians and the media, are playing a rigged game. We will soon announce further information about what is behind this game. And when you speak of Afghanistan, why don't you mention the victims of the foreign troops? Countless people have died as a result of their military campaigns. But you challenge me on this one case and then compare us to Afghanistan.
SPIEGEL: Will you lobby for Ashtiani not to be stoned?
Mottaki: I am not a judge. Besides, this case requires further legal review. A final decision has not yet been made.
SPIEGEL: This case is only one example of Iran's contempt for human rights. Iran, which executed 400 people last year, is second from the top of the list of countries that still impose the death penalty -- behind China, with a population 20 times as large.
Mottaki: You have to understand our situation. Iran is in a region in which a lot of money is made in the drug trade. Most crimes are related to the trade. We have to take a firm stance against these crimes. Some 4,000 police officers and soldiers have died fighting dealers in our country. We sentence criminals on the basis of our laws. Criminals are treated fairly. Don't forget that we are the first line of defense against drugs. Iran also protects the young people and the population of your country. Germany is a target of the drug trade.
SPIEGEL: But it isn't just criminals who are executed. Death sentences are also passed against political prisoners.
Mottaki: No one is executed in Iran for political reasons. You have no evidence to prove the opposite.
SPIEGEL: The large wave of arrests after the reelection of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad last June shows that your legal system is political. Thousands have been arrested since then. The revolutionary courts have imposed long prison sentences on people whose only offence was to oppose the president.
Mottaki: This election was a triumph. We had the highest turnout for a presidential election since the 1979 revolution. Of 40 million voters, a turnout of 85 percent, 25 million voted for Mr. Ahmadinejad. But as was already the case during Mr. Ahmadinejad's first election in 2005, the West apparently expected a different election result. We think the Western countries lack political maturity.
SPIEGEL: For the West, but also for millions of people in Iran, the most recent election was a huge fraud.
Mottaki: Manipulation is an issue in elections everywhere. Just think of the differences of opinion that elections have triggered in the United States, where a court had to step in to end a dispute over the validity of ballots. The accusations were also investigated in our country, at the urging of the opposition and our leadership. The votes were recounted. Since then, the result has been legally binding.
'We Don't Want More than What Is Our Right'
SPIEGEL: The victims of your legal system included highly respected people like Mohammad Ali Abtahi, vice president under the former reformist President Mohammad Khatami, Mohammed Atrianfar, an adviser to Khatami's predecessor, Hashemi Rafsanjani, and the well-known journalist Issa Saharkhiz, who was arrested after an interview with SPIEGEL.
Mottaki: The accused have acknowledged their mistakes.
SPIEGEL: But those were extorted confessions.
Mottaki: How can you claim that? The confessions were made in an open atmosphere, in the presence of media representatives. They were also repeated in front of other witnesses.
SPIEGEL: The charges included contact with the West. What's wrong with that?
Mottaki: There is nothing inherently wrong with it. We have had contact with the West for 150 years, and we promote cooperation. But in these cases we are talking about concrete instructions that the accused were given. A number of Western news services deliberately used these people.
SPIEGEL: Isn't the crackdown by the security apparatus a sign that the Ahmadinejad government is finished, and that the only way it knows to stay in power is to use repression?
Mottaki: This government has already been in office for a year and will remain in power for another three years, that is, for the full four years for which it was elected. But what is finished is the nefarious game that was intended to distort our election victory. The Iranian people are a cultivated and intelligent people. No one can manipulate them.
SPIEGEL: Ahmadinejad came into office five years ago promising to fight mismanagement and corruption. But the situation has only worsened under his leadership. The inflation rate is estimated to be at least 25 percent, and half of Iranians live at or below the poverty level.
Mottaki: This sort of propaganda is merely meant to show that the sanctions are working. Look at our economic growth, especially in the industrial sector. Note the reduction in the inflation rate, the upturn in the market and our growing trade relations with many countries, even with countries that voted for the resolutions. The sanctions have made us immune to the global economic crisis that has hit other countries, including those in Europe. We have become self-sufficient. Iran is exporting wheat for the first time. Despite the sanctions, we have launched a satellite into space. And we have now mastered uranium enrichment.
SPIEGEL: The United States and the EU, in particular, have implemented sanctions that go beyond the United Nations Security Council resolutions. They are now affecting the important oil industry and gasoline imports. Were you surprised by the Europeans' tough approach?
Mottaki: Europe will undoubtedly suffer more under the new sanctions than we will. Europe will be the big loser in relation to this policy. We already reduced our trade relations with Europe considerably in recent years. We now produce some of the goods ourselves, and we have found new suppliers for the rest. We're not concerned about our supply of gasoline and other energy sources.
SPIEGEL: Did Turkey and China step in?
Mottaki: You don't actually expect me to tell you about the details of the agreements?
SPIEGEL: The German government was particularly adamant about setting a rigid course. Has this affected relations adversely?
Mottaki: If your government is not interested in expanding and deepening our relations, Iran doesn't have to run after it. We think it's beneath the dignity of the German people to support a certain US policy. My recommendation is for Germany (to pursue) an independent policy.
SPIEGEL: And the recommendation from Germany is that you show a willingness to compromise in the nuclear conflict.
Mottaki: I would like to direct a comment at your foreign minister, Mr. (Guido) Westerwelle, and his European counterparts: We don't want more than what is our right. We have created this right without outside assistance. And I think the best thing now would be to recognize this right, within the framework of the appropriate provisions and regulations.
'Anyone Who Attacks Iran Will Regret It'
SPIEGEL: It still isn't quite clear what Tehran wants. The president recently announced that he intends to resume negotiations on Sept. 8, after the end of Ramadan. Shortly afterwards, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ruled out talks with the United States. What next?
Mottaki: You have to keep these things carefully separated. We want to talk to the so-called Vienna Group about the exchange of fuel: We deliver low enriched uranium in return for 20 percent enriched fuel for our research reactor in Tehran. The negotiating partners are France, Russia, the United States, Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna. There are also proposals to include Turkey and Brazil in these talks.
SPIEGEL: Still, are you unwilling to show any accommodation in the real conflict over uranium enrichment?
Mottaki: We want to talk, but first the structure of the group, which consists of the five permanent members of the Security Council plus Germany, must be changed. Other countries must be added to the group. The talks can then be resumed with this new structure.
SPIEGEL: And your president also wants direct talks with the president of the United States independently of that?
Mottaki: Mr. Ahmadinejad has announced his willingness to engage in a public debate with Mr. Obama. This is quite different from official talks between the United States and Iran, which the leader of the revolution has spoken out against.
SPIEGEL: In other words, Iran is continuing to try to stall for time. You are aware that there is a substantial risk of a military strike against your nuclear plants?
Mottaki: You cannot disregard a country's rights and force it to make compromises. We are determined to defend our right. Anyone who attacks Iran will regret it.
SPIEGEL: There are growing calls in Israel for a military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities -- with or without Washington's approval.
Mottaki: Israel has been talking about this for years. The Zionist regime knows exactly what fate awaits it here. The regime would be putting its own existence at stake with an attack.
SPIEGEL: You would attack Israel?
Mottaki: I have just told you what would happen.
SPIEGEL: Your first reactor, in Bushehr, is scheduled to go online on Sept. 26 after more than 30 years of construction. Do you really want to see the Israelis reduce it to rubble?
Mottaki: Do you have evidence that Bushehr will be attacked? How probable do you think such an attack is?
SPIEGEL: The likelihood is considered high.
Mottaki: We don't see this likelihood.
SPIEGEL: Do you want to ignore reality? Don't you recognize the military threat? Don't you see the worldwide protest against the impending stoning of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani?
Mottaki: What is the point of these questions? You would be better advised to listen to us. It was our interpretations of the situation in this region that have proved to be right. We predicted that the United States would capitulate in Iraq, and that's what has happened. Instead, you are playing the human rights game. You ask me about the possible killing of a human being. But you show no sensitivity for the many, many people that are being killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. How long does the West intend to live with this contradiction?
SPIEGEL: In two conversations, we also asked you about your assessments of the region, and we found your responses to be noteworthy. But now the Ashtiani case has caused an international reaction. And the international community is extremely alarmed in light of Iran's nuclear activities. It seems to be one minute before midnight.
Mottaki: No. On my watch it's one o'clock, and precisely at that moment the Bushehr nuclear power plant, which was originally supposed to be built by the Germans, will be loaded with Russian fuel rods.
SPIEGEL: Mr. Foreign Minister, thank you for this interview.
Source: Tehran Times, August 31, 2010
Illegal Organ Harvesting Worse Under Chinese Reforms
SYDNEY—Illegal organ harvesting has become worse under reforms put in place by the Chinese leadership to stop it, says a Canadian human rights lawyer.
David Matas is in Australia to present a paper on the issue at a United Nations conference for non-government organisations (NGOs) involved with health in developing countries.
He says Chinese authorities have developed liver and kidney registries, an organ donor programme, restricted the number of hospitals permitted to perform organ transplants in China to 650 and shut down websites advertising the speedy sourcing of organs in an apparent effort to halt the trade.
However, while the reforms had reduced “transplant tourism” from Westerners seeking organ transplants, they had neither stopped the illegal organ trade nor increased transparency.
“The cover-up is worse,” he told The Epoch Times.
Mr Matas said entries into the organ registries were sporadic, hospital restrictions did not account for military hospitals where many of the transplants were performed and the touting of organs had just become more secretive.
Mr Matas also welcomed initiatives by Chinese authorities that have reduced the number of death penalty executions, but noted that the number of transplants had remained the same at around 10,000 a year. As their organ donor programme was only at a pilot stage, organs must be coming from somewhere else, he said, but identifying that source was now more difficult.
Domestic Demand Fuelling Trade
Mr Matas, a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, is co-author, with former Canadian Secretary of State David Kilgour, of two reports on illegal organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners in China.
He said that although Chinese authorities did not initially admit it, executed prisoners had long been used for organ transplants in China.
“The depersonalisation of the Falun Gong, their huge numbers in detention and their vulnerability as an unidentified population made it easy for them to become the next source of organs for sale,” he explained.
The lucrative organ trade, based on demand from the West, was further fuelled by Communist Party reforms that cut funding to the health system and left hospitals desperate for income.
“The transplants were subsidising the Chinese health system by massive amounts,” Mr Matas said, adding: “The system has become dependent on it [organ trade] for funds.”
The switch from an international market to domestic then changed the nature of the demand, not the supply, he said, quoting Chinese data that estimates over two million Chinese are waiting for organ transplants.
Mr Matas said that at the time of the first report in 2006, the ratio of organ transplants from Falun Gong practitioners to executed prisoners was around 7500 to 2500.
Now, with reforms reducing death penalty executions, he estimates the ratio is “about 1000 organs from the death penalty and Falun Gong make up the rest.”
Mr Matas says one of the reasons he was in Australia to speak at the UNDPI/NGO Conference was to raise awareness of the issue.
The illegal harvesting of organs from Falun Gong practitioners in China must stop, he said, but under the present regime, it is unlikely that the persecution of Falun Gong adherents will cease any time soon. Nor is it likely that the forced labour camp system will be shut down, he said.
Chinese authorities have said, however, that it is not right for organs to be taken from executed prisoners and have said they want that to stop.
Mr Matas said in that event, it might be “achievable” to stop the illegal harvesting of organs from Falun Gong practitioners that way.
“If they shut down the sourcing of organs from prisoners, then the issue of sourcing is solved,” he said. “This is a realisable goal.”
Source: The Epoch Times, August 31, 2010
California DR inmate hangs self days after death sentence lifted
SAN QUENTIN, Calif. (AP) — A 70-year-old California inmate who had just had his death sentence lifted has hanged himself in his cell less than a week after the reprieve.
San Quentin State Prison spokesman Lt. Sam Robinson said that a guard found George Smithey on Saturday hanging from a noose made from bed sheets tied around his cell bars.
A Calaveras County judge overturned Smithey's death sentence Aug. 23, more than 20 years after he was convicted of killing a woman there during a 1988 break-in.
The judge ruled that Smithey was mentally retarded under state standards set years after his trial and therefore ineligible for the death penalty. His sentence was commuted to life without parole.
Robinson said he did not know whether Smithey had learned his death sentence had been overturned. Authorities found no note.
Source: Indiana Gazette.com, August 31, 2010
Texas Warden Was Last Voice Heard By 140 Inmates
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| Charles Thomas O'Reilly: "No reservations, no nightmares." |
For about 140 people over the past six years, the soft Texas drawl of Charles Thomas O'Reilly was the last voice they heard before they died.
O'Reilly — who retired Monday from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Huntsville Unit, where he presided over more lethal injections than any other warden — leaves with no reservations, no nightmares.
"I don't have any intentions of changing my mind, reflecting on how could I have ever done this stuff," he said of the execution duty, which began for him in September 2004 when he took over the more than century-and-a-half-old 1,700-inmate penitentiary in downtown Huntsville. "If you think it's a terrible thing, you shouldn't be doing it in the first place. You don't do 140 executions and then all of a sudden think this was a bad thing."
O'Reilly, who turns 60 Wednesday, retired after more than 33 years with the Texas prison agency. On his last day, he looked like a warden from a Hollywood casting call: burly, white-haired, jeans, a western-style belt with a star dominating his buckle, a black shirt.
He didn't keep an exact tally of the number of inmates he stood over as they were strapped to the gurney and prepared for injection. The 140 inmates whose executions he estimated he oversaw account for about a third of the 463 put to death since Texas resumed carrying out of capital punishment in 1982.
Some did leave an impression, although the only name that came immediately to mind for O'Reilly was Frances Newton, who in 2005 became the third woman executed in Texas in modern times. She was the only woman executed under O'Reilly's watch.
"One guy, he cracked jokes, he cracked jokes through the whole thing," O'Reilly said. "I can't remember his name. But I remember things like that."
While O'Reilly recalls the professionalism everyone shows throughout the process, it's the last words of the inmate that tend to draw considerable attention.
With witnesses assembled and looking through windows, the chaplain normally offering a comforting hand resting on the inmate's leg and the final OK from a prison department executive, O'Reilly, standing near the prone inmate's head, leaned over.
"I ask them: Do you wish to make a statement?" he said. "I leave the words 'last' out, or 'final,' or anything like that. I think that's probably better than making a last statement, or final word. I just try to keep that out of it."
The condemned inmates arrive in Huntsville from death row, at a prison about 45 miles to the east, early in the afternoon on the day of an execution. The punishments generally occur just past 6 p.m.
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| Huntsville Unit holding cells where inmates spend their last hours. Execution chamber is at the far end of the corridor. |
O'Reilly would meet with inmates when they arrived to explain what would happen.
"What I want to do is talk to him and figure out his demeanor," he said. "Whenever they get here, they're either angry, extremely upset or nervous. They know why they're here. ... It's weighing kind of heavy on them. One way or another, it's weighing heavy on everyone here.
"I tell them I want to afford them all the dignity they allow us to. I tell them I'm going to come back at 6 o'clock and tell them: 'It's time.'"
Few condemned inmates balked when the "time" arrived, O'Reilly said.
"We've had some tell us: 'I'm not going to fight, but I'm not going to walk,'" he said. "We picked them up and carried them. Ninety-nine percent of them, they walked on their own."
He told inmates they could say whatever they wanted in their last statement, but it must be in English — "That's all I understand," he said — and it can't be profane. If the obscenities start, so do the drugs.
"He's got about 15 seconds to do all the cussing he wants to and it will be all over," O'Reilly said. "It is going to be the last thing they're going to say. It ought to mean something. Most of the statements are pretty decent. They apologize to the victim's family and tell their family they love them."
Once the statement is complete, the drugs begin, normally carried through needles inserted in each arm of the prisoner. About five minutes later, a physician is summoned to make the death pronouncement.
The Huntsville Unit was the 11th stop in a career that took O'Reilly to prisons from one end of Texas to the other beginning in January 1977.
Edward Smith, a warden who worked as an assistant under O'Reilly, called him "a natural leader."
"I took from him on how to be cool in the face of crisis, being the warden everyone looks to see if you're in control. And it gives them comfort and confidence to see that ... being committed to the responsibility that comes with being a warden, not consumed by its authority," Smith said.
Although he has no qualms about capital punishment, O'Reilly would prefer to remembered for other aspects of his career. He figures he's worked with about three generations of prison staff and sees some of the grandchildren of people who were there when he started.
"The things I want to stand out in my career, my past, isn't executions," he said.
Source: The Associated Press, August 31, 2010
Related stories: Texas Death Row Chaplain Opposes Capital Punishment, November 14, 2009; Speak easy, Gamso - For the defense, September 2, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Extending the Associated Press as Hosted News partner
We’ve extended our existing licensing agreement with the Associated Press that permits us to host its content on Google properties such as Google News. We look forward to future collaborations, including on ways Google and AP can work together to create a better user experience and new revenue opportunities. You can read more about our hosted news agreements in this post and this one.
How Government Ministers respond to OIA requests
A good post by No Right Turn overnight, indicating that government Ministers are regularly ignoring the law when responding to requests made under the Official Information Act.Of more than 2000 requests to Ministers under the Official Information Act between 1 July 2009 and 30 June 2010, just one Minister, Chris Finlayson, responded to all requests within the statutory 20 day period. All other Ministers have failed to uphold the law.
Overall, only 71 percent of requests were answered on time, while three Ministers - Jonathan Coleman, Tim Groser, and Judith Collins - made timely responses in only 50 percent of cases. One Minister, Gerry Brownlee, responded to less than 40 percent of requests within the statutory period.
Another Minister, Paula Bennett, refused to cooperate at all, offering various excuses before ultimately claiming that compiling the data would not be in the public interest. This refusal is now the subject of a complaint to the Ombudsman.
OIA responses must be provided "as soon as reasonably practicable, and in any case not later than 20 working days after the day on which the request is received". Just about everyone flouts that law. Ministers appear to be using the 20-day period as a deadline and flouting that, which is worse.
The survey will be repeated next year.
Bonnets honour thousands of women transported to Australia
A poignant memorial ceremony was held yesterday at Cobh quayside, scene of so many sad farewells over the last two centuries, for the 194 Irish convict women who were condemned to transportation in the prison ship Elizabeth which set sail here in 1828.
The event formed part of the Roses from the Heart bonnet project which was conceived by Christina Henri, an Australian artist and historian, to commemorate the 25,566 female convict prisoners shipped out from Ireland and Britain between 1788 and 1853. Their crimes were often no more than stealing to feed their children.
The bonnet was chosen as the symbol because many of the women were assigned to work as domestics in their new land.
Each bonnet has been created individually and donated to the project by women from Ireland, Britain, Australia and New Zealand. Although created from a template, the maker had the freedom to select their own white or cream fabric and form of embellishment. If they had no genealogical connection to any of the women, they could 'adopt' a convict and create their own personal tribute. Each bonnet bears the name of the convict, and many also have the name of the ship on which she travelled.
Each bonnet commemorates the value of a female convict's life. Being made individually, rather than mass-produced, each one symbolises the individuality of the woman whose name it carries.
Roses from the Heart is making a short tour of Ireland. Details as follows:
edited 6 Sept.
The event formed part of the Roses from the Heart bonnet project which was conceived by Christina Henri, an Australian artist and historian, to commemorate the 25,566 female convict prisoners shipped out from Ireland and Britain between 1788 and 1853. Their crimes were often no more than stealing to feed their children.
The bonnet was chosen as the symbol because many of the women were assigned to work as domestics in their new land.
Each bonnet has been created individually and donated to the project by women from Ireland, Britain, Australia and New Zealand. Although created from a template, the maker had the freedom to select their own white or cream fabric and form of embellishment. If they had no genealogical connection to any of the women, they could 'adopt' a convict and create their own personal tribute. Each bonnet bears the name of the convict, and many also have the name of the ship on which she travelled.
Each bonnet commemorates the value of a female convict's life. Being made individually, rather than mass-produced, each one symbolises the individuality of the woman whose name it carries.
Roses from the Heart is making a short tour of Ireland. Details as follows:
* Fri 3 Sept: Spirit of the Convict Women Concert, St Michael Theatre Centre for the Arts, New Ross, Wexford. 8pm. Tel: 051 421255.
* Sat 4 Sept: Spirit of the Convict Women Concert, Railway Club, Rosslare Harbour, Wexford. 8pm. 053 917 8913.
* Sun 5 Sept: Blessing of the Bonnets. Mary Immaculate, Inchicore, Dublin. No details available.
* Sun 12 Sept: Blessing of the Bonnets, Kilbroney Parish Church, Rostrevor, co Down. 11am.
edited 6 Sept.
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