Sunday, October 31, 2010

X rated Graffitti at Deir el Bahri courtesy of Richard Sellicks and Jstore

A huge treat for us all, some fantastic photos taken by a much younger Richard Sellicks just a few decades ago lol. For those of you wanting to learn more this Jstore article will helphttp://www.jstor.org/stable/545062 Thought by some to be a comment on Hatshepsut's relationship with Sennenmut










GI News—November 2010

[COLLAGE]
  • New light on dietary recommendations for heart health
  • New International Standard for GI testing
  • How scientists measure a food’s GI
  • New GI values for agave syrups and protein drinks
  • Nicole Senior investigates the story that saturated fats aren’t that bad
  • The scoop on stevia with Emma Stirling
The recent publication of the International Standard for GI testing is very good news for consumers. It will play an important role in ensuring nutrition and health claims about GI made on food labels and in advertisements can be trusted, and will assist food producers and manufacturers worldwide in formulating low GI products. A food’s GI value cannot be predicted from its appearance, composition, carbohydrate content, or even the GI of related foods. The only way to know a food’s GI value is to test it in real people (not a glass dish) following a strict protocol which Dr Alan Barclay describes in GI Symbol News. If you want to know the GI value of a food you like to eat and can’t find it on the GI database (www.glycemicindex.com), contact the manufacturer and suggest they have it tested.

Good eating, good health and good reading.

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

Food for Thought

Science and the low GI concept
The number of papers with ‘GI’ in their title published in peer-reviewed scientific journals has increased exponentially over the last 10 years. In an interview with FoodIngredientsfirst Jennie talked about how science is developing around the GI concept. We reprint an extract here.

Prof Jennie Brand-Miller
Prof Jennie Brand-Miller

‘Science has always underpinned the low GI concept,’ said Prof Jennie Brand-Miller. ‘Indeed, it is what separates the GI concept from a ‘fad’. Research is showing that high GI foods and diets with a high glycemic load are much more likely to be linked to development of diseases like type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease than the amount of carbohydrate, starch or sugar content of the diet. There is also more focus on weight control, particularly the ability to prevent weight re-gain after weight loss – the holy grail.

And while the science of GI can be complex, the consumer application isn’t. It’s really simple – you swap a high GI food for a low GI food from within food categories – a low GI bread instead of a high GI one, a low GI breakfast cereal for a high GI one. The consumer learnt that there are good fats and bad fats and to swap one for the other. The same applies to carbohydrate.’

What are the new emerging GI areas? ‘It amazes me that the GI is being linked to so many things, including inflammatory diseases (e.g. arthritis), birth defects, Alzheimer’s disease, memory and different types of cancer. There’s even research that suggests that food ‘addiction’ is related to high blood glucose spikes. I’m currently involved in research applying low GI diets to pregnancy. We want to reduce the risk that the baby will have excess fat on its body at birth. The child obesity epidemic can be traced back to increasing birth weights over the past 25 years.’

Which countries and food markets hold the most potential for low GI? ‘I think the GI is relevant to every nation on the planet. All of us are more or less susceptible to obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Our health care budgets can’t sustain the current rate of expenditure. Prevention is the only way forward – diet and exercise are the two biggest parts of the solution.’

– Reproduced with kind permission of FoodIngredientsfirst.

News Briefs

New light on dietary recommendations for good heart health
A new study (known as the RISCK trial) published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has shed light on practical and achievable dietary recommendations for reducing the risk of heart disease.

Prof Susan Jebb
Prof Susan Jebb
‘The RISCK trial is important’ says lead author Prof Susan Jebb, Head of Nutrition and Health Research at the MRC Human Nutrition Research Unit ‘because in one study, it has tested the impact of changing the amount and type of fat and carbohydrate in the diet of individual participants to test the effects on their health, using very detailed measurements. It suggests that you can achieve favourable blood lipid (fats) profiles, associated with reductions in cardiovascular disease risk, by reducing saturated fat and substituting this with monounsaturated fat and by substituting high GI carbohydrates with low GI carbohydrates.’

The trial included 548 overweight people at risk of cardiovascular disease. All followed the same ‘reference’ (weight maintenance) diet for a month and were then randomised to one of five diets for 6 months (24 weeks):
  • One group continued with the reference diet.
  • Two groups were provided with foods that, although relatively high in fat, had around a third of the saturated fat component replaced predominately with monounsaturated fat (carbohydrate was 45% of total energy intake for these groups).
  • The remaining two groups reduced the saturated fat in their diet by replacing the energy with carbohydrate (55% total energy).
The study indeed confirmed the well established finding that reducing saturated fat intakes results in decreases in total and LDL (bad) cholesterol. However, interestingly, the researchers also found that simply following a lower GI diet led to significant further reductions in total and LDL cholesterol with the greatest improvement in blood lipids – including an increase in HDL (good) cholesterol – seen in the high monounsaturated fat/low GI group.

Substituting low GI carbohydrates for high GI carbohydrates

In the study, the researchers provided the participants with key foods and the target differences between the high GI and low GI groups was 11 and 13 GI points respectively. ‘In the event,’ says Prof Jebb ‘the dietary records suggest we achieved a smaller difference than the target – about 8. We based the low GI dietary intervention entirely on swaps – one type of bread or breakfast cereal for another as we were very keen to keep the rest of the diet unchanged as far as possible. Where we did struggle was to find low GI snacks, which fitted with our broader dietary goals for fat type as well as GI. If more suitable products were available that would have helped to achieve a bigger reduction in GI. For example, we didn't want people to go from biscuits to fruit as this would have upset the calorie intake and fat/carbohydrate intake as well as GI.’

We asked Prof Jebb to comment on the suggestion made previously in GI News (Dr Alan Barclay) that a GI of 45 or less is what we all need to be aiming for ‘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 heart disease and diabetes.’

‘We were no where near 45 for the diet as a whole,’ said Dr Jebb. ‘However, it is important to remember in the RISCK study what we were looking at is what could be realistically achieved at a broad community level in the UK – not for individual clinical cases. Our focus is more on supporting people in the UK community at large to make healthy changes with very practical advice.’

You can read more about the RISCK study HERE.

GI and heart disease
A study from Mexico in the Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism reports that both the quality and the quantity of carbohydrate consumption significantly influence blood cholesterol and triglyceride (a type of blood fat) concentrations and heart disease risk in Mexican adults who don’t have diabetes. The researchers analysed data from 5830 participants from the Health Worker Cohort Study and assessed dietary GI and GL using a validated food frequency questionnaire.

Chickpea salad

‘Our data strongly support the hypothesis that diets with a low GI and GL – which include foods like whole grains (e.g., whole grain breads, barley and wheat germ), vegetables, legumes, fruits, and nuts – are associated with a more favorable lipid profile that may be cardioprotective,’ they conclude.

New international yardstick for GI claims
Consumers around the world will benefit from the release of the new International Standard designed to measure the glycemic index (GI) of foods (ISO 26642:2010), which sets out the now internationally recognised scientific method to determine the GI of foods. It will play an important role in ensuring nutrition and health claims made on food labels can be trusted and will assist food producers formulate healthier low GI products.

ISO Symbol

Put simply, the GI ranks the glycemic potency of different carbohydrate-containing foods as they are eaten. Foods with a high GI cause a dramatic rise in blood glucose levels while foods with a low GI value have much less of an impact. Studies from major medical research institutions and research universities have found that the GI is a clinically proven tool in its application to the dietary management of diabetes, coronary health and weight control.

Dr Alan Barclay, Chief Scientific Officer at the Glycemic Index Foundation commented that: ‘Consumers looking for healthy foods need to be confident the claims made by food manufacturers on their labelling and in advertisements are accurate and reliable,’ he said. ‘Historically, not all GI claims have been reliable with some based on extrapolation or inappropriate methodology. A food’s GI value cannot be predicted from its appearance, composition, carbohydrate content, or even the GI values of related foods. The only way to know a food’s GI value is to test it, following the now international standardized methodology.’
French and English language versions of the ISO standard are available 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.

[JOHANNA]

Orecchiette and broccoli alla Franca
I’ve known Franca almost as long as I have known my husband (39 years). They were high school friends and anytime we visit my husband’s hometown, Reggio Emilia (about 30 minutes west of Bologna), we always wind up at Franca’s house for dinner. Her culinary prowess is as acclaimed as her affable personality, wit and contagious laugh. Recently I asked her for one of her recipes that I could share with GI News readers; she wrote this up for me in less than 5 minutes! Franca says: Instead of the garlic, one can substitute 2–3 anchovies in oil, smashing them with a fork and adding them to the cheese. Serves 4

500g (1¼ lb) head of fresh broccoli
240g (8oz) orecchiette
30g (1oz) freshly grated pecorino romano cheese
1–2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp (45ml) extra virgin olive oil

Orecchiette and broccoli alla Franca

Bring 5 litres (quarts) of water to a boil. In the meantime, wash the broccoli and divide it up into small florets, trim the stems and cut into small slices. When the water starts to boil, add the pasta and, after about 3–4 minutes, add the broccoli. Cook over moderate heat until the pasta is al dente, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon. When the pasta and broccoli are cooked, drain, keeping aside ½ cup of cooking water. While the pasta and broccoli are cooking…
Combine half the cheese, the garlic, 2–3 tablespoons of cooking water and 1 tablespoon of the oil in a small bowl; mix to form a dense paste.
Place the pasta and broccoli quickly in a preheated serving bowl, add the remaining olive oil (2 tablespoons) and the cheese paste plus a little reserved cooking water if the pasta is too dry. Serve immediately with the remaining cheese sprinkled on top.

Per serving
Energy: 1617kJ/385 cals; Protein 16g; Fat 14g (includes 3g saturated fat and 7mg cholesterol); Available carbs 44g; Fibre 9g

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.

Chicken pilaf
‘Veg’ it up as much as you like adding a diced carrot or orange-fleshed sweet potato or butternut pumpkin (winter squash) and a sliced stick of celery with the onion and other greens (I love asparagus, broccolini, zucchini or broccoli) with the beans. The greener the better. I serve it with toppings such as chopped coriander, toasted cashews or a dollop of yogurt. Makes 6 serves (and there’s only 1 pot to wash)

1 tbsp peanut or canola oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
500g (1lb) skinless chicken thigh fillets, fat trimmed, chopped into small chunks
1 tbsp mild curry powder
1½ cups (300g) basmati rice
3 cups (750ml) salt reduced chicken stock
200g (7oz) green beans, trimmed, sliced into 2.5cm (1in) lengths
90g (3oz) spinach leaves

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and cook the onion over low–medium heat for 4–5 minutes or until the onion is starting to colour. Add the ginger, chicken chunks and curry powder and stir for about 3 minutes, until the chicken is golden all over.
Add the rice stirring to make sure the grains are well coated then tip in the stock and bring to the boil. Stir, cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Place the beans (and any other veggies you are using) on top of the rice, cover, and simmer for another 5 minutes. Add the spinach, remove from the heat and stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Stir the vegetables through the rice and serve with your chosen toppings.

Per serving
Energy: 1480kJ/355 cals; Protein 21g; Fat 11g (includes 3g saturated fat and 75mg cholesterol); Available carbs 42g; Fibre 2g

Get the Scoop on Nutrition with Emma Stirling

The scoop on stevia

Emma Stirling
Emma Stirling APD

The 'pure, white and deadly' myths surrounding sugar have helped create a huge market for alternative sweeteners. Some, such as aspartame (Equal/Nutrasweet) and saccharin, have themselves been subject to a huge number of urban myths and internet scare-mongering about their supposed poor safety record. But these non-nutritive sweeteners are in fact among the world’s most tested and evaluated food ingredients and there is an extremely lengthy government process in place for approval, monitoring, review and regulation before they are allowed to be included in the food supply.

This process includes scientific risk assessment reports, independent scientific review plus public consultation and can take several years. The latest tabletop sweetener and food ingredient to go through this process and be added to the alternative sweetener ranks is stevia, the common name for the extract stevioside made from the leaves of Stevia rebaudiana, a natural, sweet-tasting plant native to South America. It has recently been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) and Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ).

Stevia rebaudiana

You can now find stevia in hundreds of food products including teas, soft drinks, juices, yogurt, soymilk, baked goods, cereals, salad dressings and confectionery. Interestingly stevia is not yet approved as a food ingredient by Canadian regulators. And before you jump to the conclusion that Canadians are more wary than the rest of us, it just means that they are on a different timeline and yet to assess an application for stevia. You can read more background on stevia in Canada here.

What I would like to suggest is that rather than focus on the safety of non-nutritive sweeteners like stevia, you really need to devote your energy to deciding if they will work for you. For your diabetes management? For your weight loss? For your style of cooking, eating and family meals? For your budget?

Stevia for example will have virtually no effect on your blood glucose levels and can help you cut back on your calories if you use it to replace equivalent amounts of sugar, honey, etc... And one recent study reported in Appetite found that people do not compensate with extra calories or kilojoules after consuming food and drinks sweetened with stevia and participants reported similar levels of satiety (appetite satisfaction) to consuming a high calorie sucrose preload. You can read further studies on stevia at the Global Stevia Institute.

The major drawback of stevia and other non-nutritive sweeteners is that they aren’t as versatile as sugar and honey and other nutritive sweeteners. This is because:
  • They tend not to be heat stable.
  • They don’t brown or caramelise.
  • They don’t add texture or bulk to food when used in baking or making desserts.
  • And they also tend to be much more expensive gram for gram.
So if you invest in stevia to sweeten your tea or coffee, you will still have to keep sugar (Logicane is a good option) in the pantry if you occasionally like to bake or make desserts.

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 for hot news bites.

Busting Food Myths with Nicole Senior

Myth: Saturated fats aren’t that bad.

[NICOLE]
Nicole Senior

Fact:
A large body of evidence says a diet high in saturated fat increases blood cholesterol and heart disease risk.
However, an old idea has recently found new legs: the idea that saturated fats aren’t that bad. The latest rumblings were published in Lipids based on a session at the 2009 Annual Convention of the American Oil Chemists Society (AOCS). The AOCS is an industry organisation ‘for those interested in the science and technology of fats, oils, surfactants and related materials’.

One article reviewed the biochemical roles of saturated fatty acids. Yes, saturated fatty acids have a role in the diet. No-one is saying remove saturated fats completely from the diet – it is impossible because all dietary fats are composed of a mixture of fatty acids anyway. Incidentally, the body can synthesise its own saturated fatty acids, but we must consume essential omega-6 and omega-3 ALA polyunsaturates from our diet to do so.

Another article was in defence of dairy. Prospective cohort studies fail to show increased heart disease, diabetes and death rates from consuming dairy foods. In fact people who consume the most dairy tend to live longer lives and have an 8% lower risk of heart disease. This makes sense as dairy contains a bundle of important nutrients. These studies are problematic because of their imperfect measurement of dairy intake, for example there are inconsistencies between whether the dairy foods were reduced fat or not. This review does not constitute a green light for eating saturated fat. Dietary guidelines suggest we take the good and leave the bad by choosing reduced fat milk and yoghurt, and limiting butter.

Another article suggests that because human breast milk contains 50% saturated fatty acids there may be benefits we don’t yet understand. This is placed best into context by one of the authors Professor J. Bruce German from the Department of Food Science and Technology at the University of California, ‘The relationship between dietary intake of fats and health is intricate, and variations in factors such as human genetics, life stage and lifestyles can lead to different responses to saturated fat intake’. So perhaps what’s best for infants is not best for adults.

So what is muddying the water on the saturated fat issue? In part, it’s because many studies have only examined saturated fat intake and failed to consider that unsaturated fat intake is protective and that too much of the wrong type of carbohydrate can be detrimental. There are several studies that have now investigated the role of GI and the risk of cardiovascular disease, and the majority have found a positive association between the GI of the diet and increased risk. The Harvard Nurses Health study, for example, showed that women consuming high GI carbs had twice the risk of having a heart attack over a 10 year period.

The bottom line? Replace saturated fats with unsaturated fats or low GI carbs in a balanced diet.

Nicole Senior MSc (Nut&Diet) BSc (Nut) is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and Nutritionist. For more information on heart-friendly eating and fabulous recipes low in saturated fat and high on flavour check out Nicole’s books Eat to beat Cholesterol and Heart Food HERE.

GI Symbol News with Dr Alan Barclay

[ALAN]
Dr Alan Barclay

How scientists measure a food’s GI value
GI testing has a very strict protocol in order to detect true differences in the glycemic potential of the carbohydrates in different foods. Here’s how we test the GI of a food following the protocol set out by the International Standards Organization:

Step 1. Ten volunteers consume a fifty-gram carbohydrate portion of the reference food on three separate days. Pure glucose dissolved in water is the usual reference food, and its GI is set at 100. The test is carried out in the morning after an overnight fast. The solution is consumed within ten to twelve minutes, and blood glucose levels are measured eight times over the next two hours. The findings from those three days of testing are averaged to find each person’s usual response to the reference food.

Step 2. Next, we measure the individuals glycemic response to a fifty-gram carbohydrate portion of the test food (e.g., approximately one cup of cooked rice) once, using exactly the same two-hour testing protocol.

Step 3. Then we calculate each person’s response to the test food as a percentage of his or her average response to the reference food. We do this by plotting his or her blood glucose response to the test food on a graph and comparing this with the response to the reference food; the response can be summarized as the area under the curve—the exact value of which is calculated using a computer program.

Step 4. Finally, we average the responses of all ten volunteers to the test food; this is the GI value which we publish. If the average test food response area (i.e., the area under the curve) is only 40 percent of the reference food, then the GI of the test food is 40. Not everyone will give exactly the same number, of course, but the law of averages applies. If we tested them over and over again, people would all tend to congregate around the same number.

Because each person is his or her own control, testing foods in volunteers with diabetes or prediabetes gives approximately the same GI values as testing people who don’t have diabetes.

In practice, the average result in the group of ten healthy people is the published GI value of the food. At least 240 blood glucose assays (the technical term for the test measuring the blood glucose) will have been made to generate that number. In some labs, up to 640 assays are
made. So there is nothing crude about GI testing.

For example, the GI value of bread (70) means that the overall fluctuation in blood glucose after eating a serve of white bread will be about 70 percent of the effect of an equivalent amount of carbohydrate from pure glucose (GI value of 100).

If you want to know more about GI testing or find an accredited laboratory to test your food product, drop me an email: alan@gisymbol.com

New GI Symbol

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

Professor Jennie Brand-Miller’s Low GI Diet Shopper’s Guide 2011 out now

Low GI Diet Shopper’s Guide 2011

Australia’s #1 low GI shopper’s guide will help you make the switch to a low GI diet by putting the low GI choices into your shopping trolley and on the table. The 2011 edition is even easier to use and includes:
  • A to Z tables with the GI (and GL) of over 1000 foods by food category such as ‘Breads’ and ‘Breakfast cereals’, ‘Fruit, Vegetables’.
  • In each food category, foods with a low GI have been separated from those with higher or unknown GI values.
  • Handy household measures like cups and tablespoons for the sample serving sizes.
Professor Jennie Brand-Miller’s Low GI Diet Shopper’s Guide 2011 (Hachette Australia) is available in leading bookshops in Australia and NZ.

New GI values from GI Labs in Toronto
Iidea organic agave syrups
These organic agave syrups are low GI sweeteners extracted from the agave plant which is large and spiky like a cactus, but in fact is Mexico’s famous succulent that also gives us aguamiel, pulque, and tequila.

You can use agave syrup instead of sugar to sweeten food, desserts or drinks including tea and coffee. Keep in mind however, that it’s about 1½ times sweeter than sugar so you don’t need to use as much. One level teaspoon provides around 5g carbs and 20 calories (84kJ) along with small amounts of calcium, potassium and magnesium like other less refined sweeteners such as raw sugar, Logicane™, honey and 100% maple syrup.
  • Light Standard Agave Syrup (70–78% fructose) – GI 28
  • Light Premium Agave Syrup (78–85% fructose) – GI 22
For more information go to http://www.iidea.com.mx/

CalNaturale Svelte (TM) protein drinks
These rich and creamy-tasting low GI protein drinks for sustained energy are made with fresh organic soy milk and organic rice syrup, sugar and inulin. They can be used as a meal replacement product, a pre- or post-workout pick-me-up or an anytime snack. Svelte (TM) drinks are dairy-free, gluten-free and certified kosher and come in 15.9 fl oz servings (470 ml or almost 2 cups). Each serving provides 16g protein, 35g available carbohydrate, 10g fat (naturally occurring in the soy milk) and 260 calories (1092 kJ). These drinks are also a good source of fiber (5g per serving).
  • SvelteTM Chocolate Sustained Energy Protein Drink (with pure organic cocoa) – GI 21
  • SvelteTM French Vanilla Sustained Energy Protein Drink (with pure organic vanilla) – GI 24

Sveltebrand chocolate
CalNaturale Svelte (TM) is part of California Natural Products, a leading natural foods company with a 30-year history of innovation and excellence. For more information: http://sveltebrand.com/products

GI Labs has moved

Inside GI Labs

GI Labs is proud to announce that, due to increased demand, we have moved to a new, larger facility that is better equipped to meet your research needs. Our new facility is well-suited to the needs of our busy company, outfitted with numerous clinical testing areas, an upgraded analytical laboratory, well-ordered test kitchens, and office space for client meetings. Please contact us for a tour next time you are in Toronto!
  • 20 Victoria St., 3rd floor Toronto, ON M5C 2N8 Tel: 416-861-0506

    new offices of GI Labs
GI testing by an accredited laboratory
North America

Dr Alexandra Jenkins
Glycemic Index Laboratories
20 Victoria Street, Suite 300
Toronto, Ontario M5C 298 Canada
Phone +1 416 861 0506
Email info@gilabs.com
Web www.gilabs.com

Australia
Fiona Atkinson

[FIONA]

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

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Texas: Hundreds of people march against the death penalty

Death penalty protestors gather in front of the Texas State Capitol every year on the weekend before All Souls' Day, or The Day of the Dead, which falls on November second. This Tuesday happens to also be Election Day.

For the men leading the procession from the Capitol, down Congress Avenue to 6th Street, it’s a tough walk. They were once on Death Row. Evidence exonerated them. The journey's been an especially hard one for Gregory Wilhoite. After he was freed, an accident put him in a wheelchair.

“For whatever reason, I'm convinced that God's got a job for me, so I'm a man on a mission, and the mission is educating people about the realities of capital punishment,” Wilhoite says.

He used to be pro death penalty until he found himself on death row for a crime that evidence would later show he did not commit. Another Death Row survivor, Shujaa Graham, says he made a lot of promises while he was there.

“I promised a lot of prisoners that once I was released from prison that I would fight and try to see that they would be able to survive themselves,” Graham says.

The survivors here are not just ex-prisoners. Bill Pelke's grandmother was murdered by four teenage girls. One got the death penalty.

“Originally I supported the judge's decision,” Pelke says. “But I went through a transformation and became convinced that execution is not the solution.”

Some protestors carried signs and shouted chants against Governor Rick Perry, a death penalty proponent. Not everyone at the Capitol agrees with those views.

“I am for the death penalty,” Mike Smith, visiting from Houston, says. “But I also agree to freedom of speech, and it's a good thing that they can voice their opinions.”

Sylvia Garza is voicing her opinion. Her son Robert was convicted under the law of parties.

“It's not a crime to be in a car behind some people that committed a murder,” Garza says. “He didn’t commit the murder.”

Many Death Row inmates claim innocence, including Rodney Reed of Bastrop. Now the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals is deciding whether Reed will get to walk this walk with other death penalty survivors.

Reed’s brother, Rodrick Reed, says, “If he wins this appeal, then my brother will come home and be a free man so that's what, that's what we're shooting for.”

How important the death penalty issue is remains to be seen at the ballot box on Election Day. According to several recent polls, immigration and the economy are the two top issues on voters' minds.

Texas has executed 17 people so far this year. The state executed 24 people last year. There are currently 333 people on death row in Texas.



Source: kvue.com, October 30, 2010


Exonerees, advocates to rally for death penalty reform

One local group is taking action to abolish the death penalty here in Texas.

The group, called Journey of Hope, met at the Capitol Building Friday to discuss alternatives to capital punishment.

On Saturday, Journey of Hope is hosting a march to raise awareness for their cause.

It’s a cause that Curtis McCarty knows a lot about. He was wrongly sentenced to death over 20 years ago.

"I was arrested and charged with first degree capitol murder in the spring of 1985," McCarty said. "I went to trial in 1986, sentenced to die and spent the next twenty years fighting for my life."

The president of Journey of Hope, Bill Pelke, wants Gov. Rick Perry to know his organization believes another man was wrongly convicted and put to death at the hands of the state.

Cameron Todd Willingham was executed in 2004, but new forensic evidence strongly suggests he was not responsible for the arson and murder of his three young children.

"When the death penalty was ended in New York state it really was because people had a moral conversion," Pelke said. "I think it was primarily the realization that we did not have a system that could guarantee that innocent people would not be executed.”

The Willingham case is waiting for an appeals ruling to move forward in an evidentiary hearing. Willingham’s fate will be decided right here in Austin.

As McCarty continues to adjust to being a free man, he still remembers the lessons of youth that didn't hold true for him.

"I believed all those things that I was taught in school, that we're a nation of laws, that we have a constitution that protects us from misconduct, that we all receive a fair trial,” he said. “And it simply didn't happen."

Source: News8Austin, October 30, 2010

Justice, Singapore Style - An Open Letter from Alan Shadrake to the Singapore Government

Alan Shadrake
I am being prosecuted and facing jail for exposing prosecutorial scandals in Singapore – scandals this PAP dictatorship doesn’t want decent Singaporean citizens to know about. One particular heinous scandal concerns Guiga Lyes Ben Laroussi, a Tunisian and valuable ‘foreign talent’ who was the main drug supplier to Singapore’s so-called High Society Drug Circle in 2004.

This destroyer of lives was allowed to escape Singapore after facing a mandatory death penalty charge. The charge was then ‘negotiated’ down so he would receive a jail sentence of between 20 and 30 years in prison instead.

Then another miracle happened: He was allowed bail in the sum of $280,000, given his passport back and allowed to leave Singapore. This could only have been done with the connivance of top government officials because they feared he would expose bigger names if he were to be sent to the gallows.

I exposed this and other prosecutorial scandals in my book Once A Jolly Hangman: Singapore Justice in the Dock, because I hate injustice. While this evil drug baron – friend of the rich and privileged in Singapore – is enjoying his life of luxury in his mansion on his family estate in Le Bardo, Tunisia, Singapore is preparing to hang more pitiful drug mules – perhaps some who helped Guiga get rich.

How is it that this evil drug trader managed to escape justice? I cannot get my passport back and be allowed to leave Singapore. They are determined to punish me first!

I am facing a six months prison sentence for exposing this and many other prosecutorial scandals. There are two other charges hanging over me arising from my book one of which carries as two year prison sentence. My medical and mental problems have been horrendous. I almost bled to death in the street six weeks ago from internal haemorrhage. Had I not been rushed to hospital I would have collapsed and died without anyone knowing the cause until it was too late.

Where is the justice in what they are now doing to me? Did anyone notice that Guiga Lyes Ben Laroussi had escaped justice? Did the Straits Times publish this scandal and demand with massive headlines that Guiga should be extradited back? It did not. Why not? The answer is in my book. But what happened when a Romanian diplomat ran away in March 2010 following a fatal traffic accident? Screaming headlines in the Straits Times and all the local media for him to be brought back and tried.

Guiga Lyes Ben Laroussi, big time destroyer of lives – including his own Singaporean girlfriend, Mariana Abdullah – has been on Interpol’s wanted list for five years. The head of Interpol is Singapore’s very own former police chief Khoo Boon Hui! No attempt has been made to bring him back. His lawyer, Subhas Anandan, has said his powerful family will tell the Tunisian police to ‘go fly a kite’ if they attempt to arrest and have him extradited.

This is yet another scandal in this saga. Perhaps I would have been better treated had I been a major drug syndicate boss.

Amazingly, Law Minister, Mr. K. Shanmugam recently told TODAY that the death penalty for drug offences here is a “trade-off” the government must make to protect “thousands of lives” if drugs became freely available. He further explained that if Yong Vui Kong (now on death row with 36 others) escapes the death penalty, drug lords will see it as a sign that young traffickers will be spared and will then use more of them as drug mules. “You save one life here, but 10 other lives will be gone. What will your choice be?” he added.

My choice, Mr. Shanmugam? If anyone has to be hanged, start with drug barons like Guiga Ben Laroussi!

Here are some of those young people Mr. Shanmugam believes should have been hanged: Flor Contemplacion, Angel Mou Pui-Peng, Vignes Mourthi, Shangmugam Murugesu, Amara Tochi, Thiru Selvam, Zulfikar bin Mustaffah, Rozman Jusoh, Chuek Mei-mei, Nguyen Van Tuong, Tsang Kai Mong Elke, Poon Yuen-chung. I will continue my fight to get justice for all of the above and those who are bound to follow and I will remain a thorn in Singapore’s side regarding injustice until the day I die!

Alan Shadrake

A Prisoner of Singapore

October 29, 2010

Source: British Weekly, October 31, 2010

Pakistan: Death Row Convicts Bear Brunt of Torture

Rights groups are up in arms over reports of abuse and torture of prisoners.

As if being sentenced to death is not enough punishment, those on death row in Pakistan are also among those being singled out for abuse by jail personnel.

This is according to rights groups that are already up in arms over how torture seems to have become far too common in Pakistani prisons.

In September, the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HCRP) discovered that 3 inmates in a Punjabi jail had developed renal ailments after being tortured by jail staff. 2 of them are on death row.

"Those on death row are considered expendable relative to the fact that they are already condemned," says Rafia Zakaria, a Pakistan-born director at the human rights monitor Amnesty International.

There is tacit tolerance of the torture for those facing capital punishment. Explaining the prevailing attitude, rights campaigner Zohra Yusuf says, "They (death row inmates) are guilty of heinous crimes and so do not deserve a humane treatment."

Indeed, the treatment of prisoners is itself abhorrent, with the ways of torturing them including foot whipping with a cane or rod, prying out of fingernails, rubbing chili into eyes, and beatings with the victim stripped and hung upside down.

Mirza Tahir Hussain, a British national who spent nearly 2 decades on death row in Pakistan before his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment in 2006, told IPS that the most popular torture methods of Pakistani jailers are the 'Panja' and the 'Jahaz'.

"In 'Panja'," he said, "the victim is held by both his arms and slapped on the neck and head, which leaves him severely shocked and unconscious. In "Jahaz", the victim is made to lie face down. He is held and stretched by 4 guards (who) lift him off the ground and whip him with a terrible invention called 'chitter' (a kind of leather belt) on the back and bottom." He added: "And this is just the tip of the iceberg."

In the recent Punjab case, the 3 inmates who were tortured were first beaten severely before they were stripped naked. Then with their private parts taped so that they could not urinate, they were forced to drink four litres of water each and administered injections that made them want to relieve themselves.

According to the HCRP, the tape was not removed off the inmates' private parts until 4 hours later.

It also says that as many as 20 prisoners were actually beaten up after the jail staff searching for mobile phones in the cells came up empty. But the three inmates, in particular, received more abuse.

Pakistan is a signatory to the U.N. Convention Against Torture and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Activists also point to Article 14 of the Constitution of Pakistan, which states, "No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment."

"It does provide the basis for litigation," says Zakaria, referring to the charter. "The only obstacle would be an immunity clause that could apply to police officers acting in their investigative capacity, although I have been unable to find one myself."

But the constitution is apparently just the ideal. According to human rights activist I A Rehman, most prisoners in this country are beaten up almost as soon as they step into the jail. "They cannot look the jail staff in the eyes," he says. "The prison staff enjoy wide powers to punish the prisoners."

Rights groups say part of the problem is that there is no system through which prisoners or their relatives could report abuse by jail personnel.

A jail superintendent in Sindh province refutes this, though, saying, "In Sindh, since a year now, prisons are visited every day by a judicial magistrate and by a district court judge once a week. The magistrate meets every person individually and in private. So a prisoner can lodge a complaint and many do."

The superintendent asserts, however, that not all the complaints are justified and hints prisoners need "disciplining" because they tend to turn violent.

"There have been riots, too, and prisoners have to be dealt with more firmly," he adds.

The HRCP itself says that the incidence of jail riots have increased in recent years – often as protests against the excesses of jail staff.

Hussain, the British convict who was released shortly after the commutation of his sentence, has theorised that the idea behind the abuse is to cause "maximum verbal, physical, and mental torture to scare the victim and to make him an example to the rest of the inmates".

He also said, "Someone on death row can become a target of severe torture by the prison authorities “ from lowest to highest ranks“ without even the slightest provocation and this may continue over a long period of time."

On average, death row inmates in Pakistan spend 10 years in incarceration before they are executed, usually by hanging. This can also be much lengthier, as in the case of Hussain who spent 18 years behind bars.

Estimates by rights groups put the current number of death row inmates in Pakistan at about 7,400 -- 1/3 of the global total and the largest in the world.

The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) has also noted that 63 years ago, only "murder and treason" carried the death penalty in Pakistan.

Today, it said, 27 crimes carry the capital punishment, "including blasphemy, stripping a woman in public, terrorist acts, sabotage of sensitive institutions, sabotage of railways, attacks on law enforcement personnel, spreading hate against the armed forces, sedition, (and) cybercrimes".

Source: IPS, October 30, 2010

Supreme Council of Antiquities - Breaking News

The new SCA website, much easier to navigate and lots of information.Supreme Council of Antiquities - Breaking News: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Hurley letters shed light on Irish emigrant experience

An extensive collection of letters from two West Cork brothers who emigrated to Nevada in the USA in the 19th century has been donated by their family to Cork City and County Archives.

The 122 letters were written by Michael and Denis Hurley over nearly 70 years from 1871 and were sent to their parents, siblings and nieces in Tawnies, Clonakilty and Timoleague. Their importance lies not just in the way that the story of their lives in America unfold over the years, but in their survival as a unique historical source for understanding the Irish emigrant experience in America, especially that of emigrants who continued westward after crossing the Atlantic.

Michael Hurley lived in Nevada, Lake Tahoe and Oregon before settling in San Francisco in 1881. His younger brother Denis lived and worked in Nevada (first for the Railway, then as a prison guard and, in his later years, as Bailiff of the US District Court), and was elected Mayor of Carson City.

The Hurley Family Emigrant Letters collection will be properly preserved by the Archives and made available for further research and public exhibition.

Source: Southern Star newspaper

Battersea Bunches trailer

Check it out here - the trailer to Battersea Bunches - a movie by Alex Paterson and Mike Coles.

FUDGEY CHOCOLATE CHIP BROWNIES (GF)

FUDGEY CHOCOLATE CHIP BROWNIES
When chilled, these brownies are fudgey. 
Text Box: Yield:  20 brownies 1 per serving 96.0 calories 3.2 g protein 7.1 g fat 1.8 g carbs3 oz butter, softened (90 g)
3/4 cup SPLENDA® Granular (175 mL)
1/3 cup powdered erythritol (75 mL)
1 cup Low-Carb Bake Mix (250 mL)
2 eggs
2 tbsp cocoa (25 mL)
1/4 cup sugarless chocolate chips, (50 mL)
  melted or softened at the very least (microwave it)
1/2 cup sugarless chocolate chips (125 mL)
In food processor or in mixing bowl with electric mixer, process butter, SPLENDA® Granular, Low-Carb Bake Mix, eggs and cocoa.  Add melted chocolate chips; process.  Stir in chocolate chips. Spread in greased 8-inch (20 cm) square glass baking dish. Bake in 350°F (180°C) oven 15 to 20 minutes, or until set.
 Semi-sweet chocolate chipsImage via Wikipedia
Helpful Hints:  I have heard tell that Chocoperfection chocolate chips are very good, however, also very expensive.  Hershey’s makes sugar free chocolate chips, however, they contain maltitol.  Lindt 70% bars, cut up, would do in a pinch, but one would need to increase the sweetener in the recipe by a tablespoon or two.  These are thin bars, so if you’d like them thicker, spread the batter in 3 mini loaf pans.
Gluten-free option:  I have made these with my newest gluten-free bake mix as well; however, it is not ready for publication until next year sometime.  I added 2 tbsp (25 mL) cream to the recipe.  You could use 14 tbsp of my current Gluten-free Bake mix (the one with coconut flour in it) and a little extra cream, if necessary.  The batter is fairly thick anyway.
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Kick the Sugar Habit - Why?

Sugar is by far my biggest dieting downfall.  I cannot lie about it.  Once I start eating goodies with sugar in it, my body craves it and it takes me a long time sometimes to get completely off of it.  There I said it!  Now you know why I'm a baker and love to make goodies that mimic our old faves.  I have a sweet tooth that demands to be satisfied.  Sure I've gone for periods without anything sweet, but I was plain old miserable!!  It is much better for me to have some legal treats around most of the time, so that I don't cave and have the real thing - even if it is simply plain yogurt sweetened with Splenda and some strawberries or blueberries.  That usually does the trick if there is nothing else in the house.  I will occasionally have some honey, but only occasionally.
 Front of yellow Splenda consumer packet.Image via Wikipedia
 
Here is an article about why we should forswear sugar written by Mike O'Donnell, who is a fitness and health guru, with a simple message of how to lose weight through eating only 2 meals a day (that is his latest e-book).  Many, if not most of us, eat too much and too frequently.  We live in a world of abundance.  It takes restraint to reign ourselves in for the sake of our health and weight.
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Friday, October 29, 2010

Teachers strike extends to school prizegiving?

The Bay of Plenty Times reports
Secondary teachers are refusing to take an active part in end-of-year prizegivings as part of their pay dispute...The ongoing battle between secondary school teachers and the Ministry of Education has seen bans by the Post Primary Teachers' Association (PPTA) on teachers attending meetings and events after 5pm.

Otumoetai College principal Dave Randell said this meant he took "total responsibility" at last night's Creative Arts Awards ceremony.
Well, according to the Ministry of Education
A ban on PPTA members attending meetings and events before 8.30am or after 5pm.... includes a refusal to attend events like parent/teacher meetings and departmental meetings, but will not include formal prize giving ceremonies.
Just putting aside that creative arts awards are not end of year prizgivings, but are formal prizegiving ceremonies, the Ministry's website implies all prize giving ceremonies, including creative arts awards, are able to be attended by teachers in their teaching capacity.

But, unlike this journalist, I actually spoke with the PPTA. I was told the PPTA position exempts "academic prizegivings", even though that's not what the Ministry indicates. It would have been really nice of a journalist to contact the PPTA to clarify that end of year prizegivings are to be attended by teachers as they are exempt from the pay dispute, rather than write an inflammatory and incorrect article based on ignorance.

Creamy Pumpkin Cheesecake (GF)







CREAMY PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE
This sweet, creamy Pumpkin Cheesecake is melt-in-your mouth delicious. However, if a much firmer texture is desired, leave out one egg and use 1/2 cup (125 mL) canned pumpkin.

Crust:
1 1/2 cups ground almonds, OR (375 mL)
Almond flour
1/4 cup vanilla whey protein (50 mL)
2 tbsp vital wheat gluten, OR (25 mL)
oat flour
4 SPLENDA® packets
1/3 cup butter, melted (75 mL)
Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Batter:
16 oz regular cream cheese, softened (500 g)
2 eggs
1/4 cup sour cream (50 mL)
3/4 cup canned pumpkin (175 mL)A pumpkin stem.Image via Wikipedia
1/2 cup SPLENDA® Granular (125 mL)
1/2 cup powdered erythritol (125 mL)
4 Splenda packets
2 tbsp Da Vinci® Sugar Free Gingerbread Syrup (25 mL)
(optional)
2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened (25 mL)
2 tbsp vital wheat gluten, OR oat flour (25 mL)
1 tsp vanilla extract (5 mL)
3/4 tsp cinnamon (3 mL)
1/4 tsp ground ginger (1 mL)
1/4 tsp nutmeg (1 mL)

Crust: In medium bowl, combine ground almonds (or almond flour), vanilla whey protein, vital wheat gluten (or oat flour), SPLENDA® and butter. Press into a 9-inch springform pan or pie dish. Bake in 350°C (180°F) oven 10 minutes.

Cheesecake Batter: In food processor with sharp blade, process cream cheese. Add egg, sour cream, pumpkin, SPLENDA® Granular, erythritol, SPLENDA®, (from packets), Da Vinci® Sugar Free Gingerbread Syrup (if using), butter, vital wheat gluten (or oat flour), vanilla, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Process until well combined. Pour batter over crust. Bake in 350°C (180°F) oven 35 minutes in a water bath, page___, or until set.

Variation: Sweet Potato Cheesecake: Use canned yams, mashed, instead of pumpkin if desired. (7.2 g carbs)

Yield: 12 servings,1 serving
306.5 calories
11.0 g protein
26.5 g fat
6.3 g carbs
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Māori Party has a new president

The Māori Party has a new president. He is Pem Bird and was elected at the Māori Party conference. Bird beat Mereana Pitman, a former contender of the party's Ikaroa Rawhiti candidacy last election. Before the vote, Pitman told the conference that one of the reasons she was standing was to support Hone Harawira - who is campaigning against his colleague's deal on the repeal of the Foreshore and Seabed Act.

She also said she did not trust Prime Minister John Key and did not support the Maori Party's coalition with National but that she would meet with and work with Key for the sake of the party.

Bird supports the replacement legislation of the Foreshore and Seabed.

The party now has to elect a vice president to replace Heta Kingston,. Kingston is a retired judge whose decision on the Ngati Apa foreshore and seabed claim in the Maori Land Court led to the Court of Appeal decision which led to the Foreshore and Seabed Act, which led to the Maori Party.

It will be interesting to see how the new leaders handle the Iwi Leaders Group.

Barbecue, bearhugs and no looking back; First full day as free man finds Anthony Graves praying it's not just a dream

Anthony Graves shortly
after his release from jail
Anthony Graves spent his first full day of freedom in almost two decades eating barbecued ribs, visiting with happy supporters who had diligently pressed his case and insisting to all who cared that he bore no malice toward those who railroaded him onto Texas' death row for a crime in which authorities now say he had no part.

Graves said he was enjoying just soaking in the free world, which he had not seen since August 1992, and praying that it was not merely a dream that would end with the sharp clank of heavy cell door or a painful twinge from a hard steel bunk.

"It's still a surreal moment for me," Graves told reporters on Thursday, calmly entertaining every question with a smile. "I've tried to understand as best I could what I'm feeling, but I still haven't been able to. I was going through my own personal hell for 18 years, then one day I walk out."

Graves, 45, was released Wednesday from Burleson County Jail, where he has been for the last four years awaiting retrial, after prosecutors filed a motion to dismiss capital murder charges arising from the brutal killing of a family, including four children, in Somerville. Those prosecutors followed the dismissal with an angry denunciation of the former district attorney, Charles Sebesta, whom they claim fabricated evidence and intimidated witnesses.

Graves, however, said he intends to stay positive, move on with his life and devote his time to helping others.

No energy for anger

He had a simple description for the 12 years he spent on death row: "Hell. Whatever your description of hell is, that's what it is. I don't even need to elaborate."

Graves said repeatedly that he was not angry at the people responsible for his conviction.

"I'm not going to give them that kind of energy," he said. "I gave them 18 years. I just have to give that to God. I'm ready to live now."

Graves said the love and support of people who came forward to help him kept him going over the years. He especially thanked St. Thomas University journalism professor Nicole Casarez and a handful of her students whose investigative work gave momentum to the effort to get his conviction overturned.

"I never lost hope, because once you lose hope, you're a dead man walking," Graves said. "I wasn't just going to lay down and die. I knew that one day it would come to this -- I just didn't know what day."

Graves said that immediately after his release he rode a "roller coaster of emotions" and cried "because of the wrong that had been done to me." But he said he had no real animosity toward Robert Carter, the actual killer who had named him as an accomplice and testified against him at trial before recanting prior to his execution in 2000.

"I never really knew him," he said of Carter. "I don't have any feelings toward him today because I think that for the most part they manipulated him, too, so I can't even speak to that."

Others rail at injustice

If Graves seemed indifferent toward those who sent him to prison, attorney Katherine Scardino expressed the same outrage voiced by Bill Parham, the current district attorney for Washington and Burleson counties, and Kelly Siegler, a onetime assistant DA in Harris County. Scardino, like Siegler, had been brought in for Graves' scheduled retrial in 2011 after a federal appeals court overturned his conviction.

"I have never seen such blatant injustice to another human being as what was done to Anthony Graves in this case," said Scardino.

She also was indignant that a different set of prosecutors had offered Graves a life sentence a year ago in lieu of another trial. She said no one seemed interested in looking afresh at the evidence - or lack of it - and that if they had, Graves might have been freed long ago. Scardino relayed the offer to her client, confident that he would reject it and pleased when he did.

"How am I going to do a life sentence knowing that I'm innocent?" Graves said. "I always told my attorneys that I didn't want no plea bargain. They were either going to free me or kill me. I couldn't betray my family and stand in front of judge and plead guilty to something I didn't do. You have to stand for something in this world."

Graves arrived at the mid-afternoon news conference at Scardino's office fresh from a barbecue restaurant.

Slowly he worked his way into the conference room, one hug at a time. There were family members he hadn't seen in the 22 hours since he walked out of jail, as well as lawyers and students who had worked for his release.

He stopped as he came across 36-year-old Michael Rueter, who was a teenager when they last met.

"Oh, you grew up on me," Graves told the tearful Rueter.

And then came Rueter's father, who'd been a friend before testifying against Graves at his 1994 trial after first putting up money for his defense.

"I'm sorry," Roy Rueter said.

"It was not your fault," Graves assured him, opening his arms for another hug. "You were manipulated. It happens to the best of us."

Faces from his past

Graves had been employed at Rueter's family business in Brenham at the time of his arrest. The men played softball together, and Graves served communion at Roy Rueter's wedding. Rueter said he had come to the office just for the chance to see his friend walk free.

He had been persuaded to testify against Graves, believing prosecutors when they said a cheap knife Rueter had given Graves was a match for the wounds on one of the slain children.

He said he realized he had been misled in 1996 after being contacted by an investigator working for Graves' first appellate lawyer.

"It made me physically ill," Rueter said. "No excuse for betraying a friend."

After the news conference, Graves said Texas' criminal justice system makes convictions and death sentences too easy to obtain. He said the public should demand more accountability from prosecutors and greater scrutiny of evidence.

"People don't realize it can happen to them, but we are all vulnerable," he said. "I never thought about the death penalty for two seconds. I didn't live that kind of life."

Graves said he wanted to work on behalf of those who have been wrongfully convicted, though as yet he has no specific plans. He said the state's "flawed system" leaves him with no doubt that there are others on death row not guilty of the crimes that sent them there.

Source: Houston Chronicle, October 29, 2010


Students Helped Free Death Row Inmate

Huntsville Unit
Huntsville, Texas
It took college students getting involved to keep Anthony Graves, now 45, from being wrongly executed.

Graves spent 18 years behind bars, a dozen of them on death row, before being freed Wednesday. A jury convicted Graves of helping Robert Carter brutally murder a grandmother, her teenager daughter and four young grandchildren in 1992. Prosecutors had no physical evidence linking Graves to the crime. Instead they relied on Carter's initial statements that he later repeatedly recanted.

The students were in Nicole Casarez's journalism class at the University of St. Thomas. Students enrolled in the class investigate inmates' claims of innocence through the Innocence Project. Back in 2002, they agreed to take on the Graves case, never knowing it would change their lives.

"It's unfortunate it's taken this long. It's hard for me to believe. It hasn't quite sunk into me that it's true," said Nicole Casarez, UST journalism professor.

"It's actually frustrating we had to get involved. The system should be better than this. It should be better for people," said Gia Gustilo, a former student.

Casarez knew the case was worth looking into from the start.

"For me it was the dying declaration of Robert Carter. Robert Carter before being executed his last words were, 'Anthony Graves had nothing to do with this. I lied on him in court'," she said.

"To actually meet Anthony, you know he's innocent," said Meghan Bingham, a former student.

The team began reviewing trial transcripts and rebuilding the case by talking to witnesses.

"I think the thing that really touched us is when we met Yolanda Mathis. She was Anthony's alibi witness for that night. This is 15 years later, and she's got nothing to gain by this and she says, 'He's innocent and I know he's innocent'," said Bingham.

"That was a big moment for me, too. I'm a mother, and that's what Yolanda said, 'I'm a mother, why would I protect a baby killer'?" said Casarez.

The students uncovered new information about the physical evidence, too.

"We talked to Anthony's boss who actually gave him the knife (prosecutors claimed was used) and he told us how flimsy the knife was, that it was held together with rubber bands and there's no way this knife could have done what prosecutors said it did," said Michael Bingham, a former student.

Graves case was set for retrial in February when the Burleson County District Attorney's office decided to drop all charges.

"I would have loved to have seen Jimmy Phillips and Katherine Scardino (Graves' attorneys) in action and see them kick some people around. On the other hand, I'm delighted I don't have to go through that, and more importantly I'm delighted Anthony doesn't have to go through that," said Casarez.

Casarez feels confident Graves would have been acquitted had the case been retried, but acknowledges there's always a risk with a jury especially when they are asked to decide an emotional case involving murdered children.

Casarez has investigated 15 to 20 other capital and non capital cases. This is the 1st time one of her investigations has resulted in a release.

"If something like this can happen, then obviously Anthony isn't the only innocent person behind bars. If there's one innocent person, then there needs to be a moratorium on the death penalty," said Michael Bingham.

"It does make you afraid, afraid of what may have happened, what by the grace of God could have happened to Anthony," said Casarez.

Source: myfoxhouston, October 29, 2010