Pro-Gadhafi forces fight rebels in 2 cities

International force on Moammar Gadhafi to end a crackdown on adversaries escalate Monday as his loyalists fought rebels holding the two cities neighboring to the assets and his warplanes bombed an bullets storehouse in the east. The U.S. enthused marine and air forces closer to Libya and said all options were open, counting patrols of the North African nation's skies to defend its citizens from their ruler.

France said it would wing aid to the opposition-controlled eastern half of the country. The European Union forced an arms restriction and other sanctions, subsequent the guide of the U.S. and the U.N. The EU was also bearing in mind the creation of a no-fly zone over Libya. Plus the U.S. and Europe were freezing billions in Libya's foreign possessions.

"Gadhafi has lost the legality to govern, and it is time for him to go without more hostility or delay," U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said. "No option is off the table. That of track includes a no-fly zone," she added. British Prime Minister David Cameron told lawmakers: "We do not in any way rule out the use of martial possessions" to deal with Gadhafi's regime.

Full Story

useful links: transport rankings

Certified Gluten-free Oat Flour

Bob's Red Mill Certified Gluten-free Oat flour

Somebody told me they were having trouble sourcing it.  I don't think Netrition carries it but they do carry the coconut flour.

Image via WikipediaOat grains in their husks--->


Here's what they say about their gluten-free oat flour:

"Our Gluten Free Oat Flour is milled from the purest gluten-free oats grown by over 200 farmers on clean, dedicated oat-growing fields. This whole grain flour is excellent for adding to gluten free baked goods to impart a true oat flavor and wholesome nutrition. The flour is milled and packaged in our 100% gluten free facility and tested for gluten to ensure purity."




Note:  The reason there is a problem with regular oat flour purchased in a grocery store is that it is milled in the same place as other wheat flours and cross-contamination can and does occur. The other reason is that farmers could be growing wheat and oats near each other and during harvest time cross-contamination can also occur.  Oat flour itself does not contain gluten which is great news as oat flour is a lovely flour, lower in carbs than white flour and much tastier - plus it produces baking with a soft, moist crumb.  People with a gluten intolerance may think they are reacting to oat flour if it produces gas, but sometimes oats can do that to a person, especially oats themselves vs oat flour.

GI News—March 2011

• Low carb and low GI are not the same
• Low GI diets do increase satiety
• Download Pulse Canada’s gluten-free book
• Low GI porridge for brekkie – new GI values
• The scoop on nuts with Emma Stirling

The new ‘Half-Your-Plate’ approach in the 2010 American Dietary Guidelines wants to make mealtimes easier by dispensing with measuring and counting your veg and fruit serves a day. Now they suggest people simply fill half the plate with fruits and vegetables at each meal rather than worry what a serving of broccoli or carrots looks like. We’d tweak this and say ‘non-starchy veg’ as the starchy ones like potatoes and sweet potatoes belong in the low GI carb corner with pasta etc. But we think it’s a great idea to tell people to make fruit and veg the focal point of meals, it's what we have been saying for years. All you have to do now is keep it colourful (think rainbow on your plate), tuck in and enjoy.

Good eating, good health and good reading.

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

Food for Thought

Making a real meal deal of it

If you asked your Mum or Dad or grandparents what’s a meal or what’s for dinner, they’d probably say something like meat and three veg one of which would be potato – and here in Australia the other two might be carrots and peas/beans/broccoli. Life’s not like that any more. ‘Meal’ and ‘dinner’ are pretty meaningless terms and seem to cover anything from a choosing a variety of tapas-style sharing plates to virtually veg-free zones.



For example, a meal in a Sydney steakhouse might be a 650g Angus rib on bone served with red wine jus and your choice of chips, baked potato or mash. Salads or seasonal greens are extra. For family fare, there’s the ‘KFC Mega Meal’ which is (in Australia): ‘12 pieces of Original Chicken Recipe, 1 Maxi Popcorn Chicken or 12 Kentucky Nuggets, 2 Large Chips, 1 Large Potato & Gravy, 1 Large Coleslaw and a 1 Large Drink.’







What we are eating is clearly part of the cause for our expanding waistlines. Looking for a culprit, the food police and pollies found one: fast food chains. And a solution (closing them down not being an option): nutritional labelling so we can make more informed choices. Since February this year all major fast food chains in NSW Australia must display the kilojoule (calorie) counts of their food with the same prominence as the price to help us make better choices. The question is: will we?



Nicole Senior took a look at nutritional labelling in fast food joints in the US last year and reported in GI News that: ‘New York City has a nutritional labelling program which came into full swing in 2009. While it’s too early to say it’s been a flop, initial results have been disappointing. A study by New York University compared fast food purchases in New York City (with calorie counts on menus) and neighbouring Newark (without) and found there was no difference between calorie content of what customers bought in stores with calorie counts compared to those without calorie counts. This, despite the fact that 28% of NY customers said calorie counts had influenced them to order better: a classic case of saying one thing and doing another.’



Wiser heads than ours are probably pondering the whys and wherefores of consumer behaviour. But could it be that we eat food not nutrients. And that throwing numbers at us with nutritional labelling doesn’t give our brains the sort of information they are wired to use to help us make better choices picking a meal in a restaurant, food hall or fast food chain. After all, we didn't evolve eating by numbers. No-one was counting calories when the day's kill was brought back to the cave.



So here’s a thought. Why not go back to basics and make it a rule that every time a food company, restaurant, fast food chain, recipe writer, food stylist etc. tells us that what they are offering is a ‘meal’ or a ‘dinner,’ that’s what it’s gotta be. And here’s where we can make use of those rather long-winded dietary guidelines. The 2010 American ones put it (almost) perfectly recommending Americans fill half their plates with fruits and vegetables at every meal. We’d just tweak that and say ‘non-starchy vegetables’. They go in the low GI carb corner.

News Briefs

‘Glycemic index may not affect appetite: Unilever study.’
The story was published in an online newsletter called ‘Food Navigator’ that’s widely read by the food industry and dietitians etc. We don’t know who wrote it, but it is misleading (to put it mildly) as we discovered when we asked Dr Alan Barclay to check it out. ‘First of all, the study wasn’t testing a solid food’ it was testing drinks and drinks on the whole are thought to be less satiating than solid foods,’ he said.

‘In summary,’ he says, ‘it is a poorly designed single study and it is not about GI. It is about glycemic response (not the same thing at all). There are numerous things wrong. Participants were fed between 22–24g carbohydrate for example while standard GI testing around the world (and there is an International Standard) uses 50g of available carbohydrate. In addition, they did not use glucose as a control, so the actual GI values of the test foods could not be calculated so we do not actually know if the various drinks were low, medium or high GI. Looking at the blood glucose response curves in their ‘Figure 1’ in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that differences between the GI of each test drink would be minimal, so it’s hardly surprising that they did not affect appetite.

There is level 1 evidence that low GI diets increase feelings of satiety and facilitate long term weight and body fat loss. A systematic literature review and meta-analysis of GI and appetite in 2009 found that low GI meals significantly increased feelings of satiety compared with high GI meals. (Here's the reference: Wati, P. GI and satiety. MND thesis. University of Sydney). Furthermore, the Thomas et al Cochrane review found that “Overweight and obese people lost more weight on low GI diets than on high GI or other weight reduction diets and their cardiovascular risk marker profile improved as well”.’

Two words not in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans …
‘Glycemic index.’ But we still think that the new guidelines are heading in the right direction. The notable difference between the US Dietary Guidelines (pretty much the same as guidelines around the world) and previous versions is their new recommendation to limit refined grains – not quite on par with statements like ‘reduce added sugars’. To match this statement they need to say something along the lines of ‘reduce added refined starches’. You can read the guidelines HERE.

Pulse power for gluten-free diets
Pulses or legumes are an important part of the healthy low GI way of eating for everybody. They are especially important if you are on a gluten-free diet as they provide much of the fibre and nutrients found in the gluten-containing grains that you can’t eat any more. Dietitian Dr Kate Marsh recommends you put them on the menu at least twice a week – more often if you are vegetarian.

Looking for recipes? Pulse Canada has published a handy 32-page PDF booklet Pulses and the gluten-free diet put together by Shelley Case RD and Carol Fenster PhD. It covers types of pulses (legumes), health benefits, celiac disease and the gluten connection, nutrition on a gluten-free diet, buying storing and cooking pulses and a really practical section on using pulses in GF baking. There are 26 recipes – all photographed (the black bean pizza is pictured here). They haven’t estimated the recipes GI value. You can download it HERE.



The baked recipes use a variety of gluten-free flours including white and black bean flours and yellow pea flour. We asked Peter Watts who is the Director of Market Innovation at Pulse Canada about the availability of these products. ‘You can purchase a number of different pulse flours in grocery stores including pea flour, bean flour, chickpea flour,’ he said. ‘Chickpea flour and some bean flours are available in bulk. Bob’s Red Mill in the US has some nifty packaging with these products in 500 gram bags and they are quite widely available. You can also order on line – a company in Manitoba called Best Cooking Pulses just started selling pea flour and chickpea flours on Amazon. This is not to say that pulse flours are generally available – they are still usually housed in the specialty food section of grocery stores and not all stores offer them, but they are increasingly present. And consumer demand will help increase supply and distribution.’

We haven't been able to track down these flours in Australia or NZ. Let us know if you know where you can buy them.

eBook update: Nutrition for Life



It’s great to see Australian publishers finally embracing eBooks. This best seller by Catherine Saxelby (an early GI supporter) is now available as a digital download as is her Zest cookbook (with Woman’s Day Food Director Jennene Plummer.) We checked out the eBook formats for her books – Kindle and Apple are our favourites for quality and ease of use. We’d give the rest a miss frankly.

• Got Kindle? Buy Nutrition for Life and Eating for the Healthy Heart (or the US edition titled There’s More to Heart Health Than Cholesterol) from the Kindle bookshop on Amazon HERE
• Got Apple? Buy Nutrition for Life, Zest and Eating for the Healthy Heart from iBooks for the iPad or iPhone HERE

Prof Jennie Brand-Miller's GI books will be available in eBook formats soon they tell us. We’ll keep you posted.

Get the Scoop with Emma Stirling

The scoop on nuts





Emma Stirling APD



Nuts have made a come-back in recent years with compelling research from around the world showing that regular nibblers may dramatically boost their heart health and manage their weight and BGLs. Here’s the scoop.



Nut-rient know how Tree nuts – almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, chestnuts, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts – are a particularly nutrient dense food. They are packed with protein, healthy poly- and monounsaturated fats, fibre, plant sterols and a range of vitamins and minerals including folate, magnesium, potassium, zinc, copper and vitamin E. In fact, the vitamin E content may explain the finding from a Harvard University School of Public Health study, which found that increased nut consumption (including natural peanut butter) may improve the body’s ability to balance glucose and insulin.







GI nuts Most tree nuts contain very little carbohydrate, so most do not have a GI value. Here are the figures we have:

• Pecans: – GI10 – ¼ cup (50g) contains 3g carbohydrate
• Cashews: GI22 – ¼ cup or 50g contains 13g carbohydrate
• Peanuts (GI23) are actually a ground nut and are technically a legume – ¼ cup (50g) of dry roasted peanuts will provide 5g carbohydrate.
  
  

Nuts for research The health story just keeps getting better for tree nuts since two major population research publications, the Nurses’ Health Study and the Physicians’ Health Study, found a relationship between nut consumption and decreased risk of coronary heart disease. Nuts have since been associated with a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes, shown to help people with existing diabetes manage their BGLs, and give you a weight loss edge (but more of that later).



What about allergy? It’s important to remember that there are also a growing number of children and adults with severe allergic reactions to peanuts and tree nuts including life threatening anaphylaxis. Many schools here in Australia are now nut free zones and that includes products like muesli bars or cookies with nuts as an ingredient. It’s a great idea to ask if any children visiting your home have special dietary needs.



Boost your intake Aim to be a regular nut nibbler, and mix up your unsalted nuts for maximum protection. It’s OK to enjoy a portion controlled, small handful (30–50g) providing about 10g fat a day. Don’t just go nuts for snacks, use them in your cooking. Why not:

• Sprinkle slivered nuts in your stir-fries, salads and pastas
• Make a topping or crust for fish with crushed nuts, breadcrumbs and fragrant herbs
• Top fruit salad and yogurt with a crushed nut mix
• Grind up a dukkah mix of Brazil nuts, coriander seeds, cumin and seasoning and enjoy with bread dipped in a little extra virgin olive oil or on lamb cutlets
• Puree different nuts for an alternative spread to peanut butter
• Shake some nuts into your storage container of breakfast cereal or whip up our Bircher Muesli with mixed nuts (recipe follows).

What about weight loss? Jump on over to The Scoop on Nutrition and discover how to enjoy almonds for a weight loss edge. Although it’s been around for centuries, it came as news to this dietitian.



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.

In the GI News Kitchen

Bircher muesli with mixed nuts

Lisa Yates from Nuts for Life shares her favourite nut and oat breakfast recipe that will really keep you on the ball until lunchtime. This bircher muesli with crunch keeps in the fridge for a couple of days. There’s about 30g (1oz) nuts per serving, equivalent to the recommended small handful a day. Makes 6 serves.



2 cups (180g) traditional rolled oats

1/3 cup (50g) sliced dried apricots

2 tablespoons sultanas

1½ cups (375ml) apple juice

50g (1½oz) raw pecans

50g (1½oz) raw hazelnuts

50g (1½oz) raw whole blanched almonds

50g (1½oz) raw macadamias

1 medium red apple, halved and thinly sliced

½ cup (125ml) low fat natural yoghurt

¼ cup (60ml) skim milk

2 tablespoons honey (if desired)

Place the rolled oats, apricots and sultanas in a bowl and pour over the apple juice. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF. Place all the nuts on a baking tray and bake for 5 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven, cool then chop roughly.

Add the nuts to the rolled oat mixture, along with the apple, yoghurt and milk. Stir until completely combined. Serve with a drizzle of honey if desired.



Per serving (with honey)

Energy: 1850kJ/ 440 cals; Protein 10g; Fat 25g (includes 2g saturated fat and 1mg cholesterol); Available carbs 45g; Fibre 7g



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.

Baked oranges with amaretti-pistachio filling

Italians only eat produce in season. In March, Sicilian oranges reign all over Italy. They are so scrumptious that they are usually eaten as dessert, just as they are. But sometimes cooks want to present them in a fancy way for a special occasion. If you enjoy the taste of a fresh orange, wait until you taste these baked ones. The combined flavours of the amaretti (an Italian airy macaroon made from apricot paste found in most large supermarkets) and pistachios really enhance the natural goodness of the humble orange. Delicious served warm with a chocolate-covered biscotti. This recipe is made using a standard (15ml) tablespoon. The Australian tablespoon is bigger (20ml), so you only need 1½ tbsp flour, orange zest, pistachios and amaretti. Serves 4 (1 filled orange cup each)



4 medium navel oranges

2 tbsp plain white flour, sifted

½ cup (125ml) non-fat milk, warmed

½ cup (125ml) fresh orange juice

4 tsp brown sugar

2 tbsp finely grated orange zest

2 tbsp finely ground amaretti

2 tbsp pistachios, coarsely chopped

1 large egg, beaten until frothy

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF.

Wash and pat dry the oranges. Cut off the top ¼ of each orange. Using a grapefruit or paring knife and a teaspoon, carefully remove the pulp from inside the orange without piercing through the rind. Place the pulp in a strainer over a mixing bowl and, with a fork, squeeze out all the juice. Set the juice aside. Discard the pulp. Set the 4 orange cups aside.

In a small saucepan, add the flour and then the milk in a slow stream, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes. Avoid scorching by stirring constantly.

Slowly add in the next 5 ingredients (orange juice through pistachios). Continue to cook the mixture for 3 minutes stirring constantly. Set aside and allow the mixture to cool for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the egg and mix well. Fill the 4 orange cups with equal amounts of the mixture, place on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.



Per serving (without the biscotti)

Energy: 475kJ/ 113 cals; Protein 4g; Fat 3g (includes less than 1g saturated fat and 54mg cholesterol); Available carbs 16g; Fibre 1g



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.



No nuts ‘choccy’ fruit slice

Here’s a lunch box snack the kids can take to school. It has no nuts and less added sugar than most slice recipes, but it is probably moderate GI thanks to the flour. Note that I use a 20ml Australian tablespoon in my cooking. If you have a standard 15ml one, you’ll need to use 4 tablespoons cocoa and oat bran. It’s really easy to make, and you can even let all those ‘Junior MasterChefs’ at home take over the kitchen. It sure works out much cheaper than buying a pack of muesli bars. And it makes 18 pieces.



½ cup (75g) plain flour

½ cup (80g) plain wholemeal flour

½ tsp baking powder

3 tbsp cocoa powder

1/3 cup (75g) brown sugar

3 tbsp oat bran

½ cup (55g) sultanas

1/3 cup (45g) sweetened dried cranberries

1/3 cup (50g) chopped dried apricots

1/3 cup (65g) dark choc bits

70g (2½oz) polyunsaturated spread, melted

2 eggs

½ tsp vanilla essence

¼ cup (60ml) skim milk

Preheat the oven to 170ºC/325ºF and spray and line a 26x19cm (10x8in) slice pan with baking paper.

Mix the flours, baking powder, cocoa, sugar and oat bran together in a large bowl. Add the dried fruit and choc bits and mix well.

Combine the margarine, eggs, vanilla and milk in another bowl then pour into the dry mixture and stir until it is well combined.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until firm. Leave in pan for 5 minutes then turn out on a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container for lunch box snacks and after school treats.



Per serve

Energy: 535kJ/ 130 cals; Protein 2.6g; Fat 5g (includes 1.8g saturated fat and 24mg cholesterol); Available carbs 18g; Fibre 2g

Busting Food Myths with Nicole Senior

Myth: When it comes to food, fresh is always best.





Nicole Senior



Fact: Fresh food is great but our lifestyles no longer permit eating only fresh food.

‘Processed’ food can make a significant contribution toward health, convenience and enjoyment. I get a bit annoyed at those holier-than-thou health nutters who say we should avoid all ‘processed’ foods. It sounds great – indeed virtuous – but in reality it’s both impractical and undesirable for regular folk who are busy trying to keep work, home and family ticking over.



The term ‘processed’ itself is nutritionally meaningless without qualifiers like ‘highly’ or ‘overly’ or even ‘minimally’ as just about all foods we buy are processed in one way or another – just think of basics like low fat milk, grainy bread, traditional porridge oats, rice and pasta.



There’s also a good reason why food technology has made leaps and bounds; we demanded it. I’m not saying all technological advances have been used to promote health, but on balance it’s been a great leap forward for society. Processed food is the price we pay for the life we desire, and we can’t go back. To support a global population of 9 billion – mostly urbanised – people by 2050 we’re going to need more technology to help feed the world, not less.



We now spend less time on shopping and preparing food. We demanded this because women moved out of the kitchen and into the workforce. Unfortunately men (generally speaking) haven’t assumed their share of the domestic tasks – including cooking – and the food industry has picked up the slack. It now takes 30 minutes rather than 3 hours to whip up spaghetti Bolognese using dried pasta, frozen mince, a bottled sauce and some bagged salad; an incredible feat of modern food technology when you think about it. The same meal could take a day to prepare from scratch (plus the toil of preserving the previous summer’s tomato crop). While many people moan about supermarkets, they now give us everything we could want (and lots we shouldn’t want) all under the one roof. Easy.



Processing food allows us to enjoy food from around the world. Could you imagine only being able to eat fresh food from your local area? And then having to preserve what you couldn’t consume in a few days? Buying local where you can is a great thing, but the 100-mile diet is unrealistic for most people. Australia, the USA, Canada and the UK are cultural melting pots and processed foods allow migrants to enjoy the tastes of home and the rest of us to expand our culinary horizons. International trade in food supports many developing countries as well as developed ones.



Food technology and food additives reduce food waste by prolonging shelf life and preserving seasonal produce. While there are some unfortunate individuals who are sensitive to certain food additives, their benefits are still worth it for society at large (and clear labelling allows avoidance if necessary). We forget about the untold millions of lives saved due to preservatives stopping the growth of deadly bacteria. The huge consumer concern about food additives is disproportionate to the actual evidence of harm. They undergo safety testing before they are permitted in foods and there has never been a single reported death attributed to a food additive. On the other hand, eating too much salt is a contributing factor in millions of deaths globally but it doesn’t attract the same antipathy as additives because it doesn’t need a code number. We have very high standards for the food we buy but fail to recognise the role of additives in producing its desired safety, colour, texture and flavour.



I applaud taking more time to buy quality, fresh, local produce and preparing it at home with love and care because this brings a range of health, environmental and social benefits; just don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. I’d rather be choosing from the wonderful diversity of fresh and healthier processed foods than wearing an apron 24/7. I think I’ll treat myself tonight with some low fat (and low GI) vanilla ice cream, raspberries (from the freezer) and dark chocolate shavings, followed by a decaf coffee. Try making those from scratch ...



Declaration of interest: Nicole provides nutrition consultancy services to food companies as well as the media, the organic food industry and health and community organisations. She has not worked for any companies that manufacture or market food additives.



For more real-world advice about eating for a healthy heart, check out Nicole’s website HERE.

GI Symbol News with Dr Alan Barclay

Dr Alan Barclay



Low GI and low carb are NOT the same

There are a growing number of foods and beverages on supermarket shelves with packaging claims which are designed to encourage us to believe they will have a minimal impact on our blood glucose levels. Typical claims include ‘low carb’, ‘low glycemic’ and of course ‘low GI’. Catherine Saxelby’s Foodwatch website has just posted a report on ‘Sumo Salad Low GI Chicken Salad’ which hasn’t actually been GI tested and is in fact low in carbs. You can check it out HERE.



While these products may look like a good choice if you have diabetes or pre-diabetes, that’s not always the case. Undeniably, the immediate effect of what you eat or drink on your blood glucose levels is an important factor in deciding what to put in your shopping trolley. But it’s not the only one. There are many other aspects to good nutrition you need to consider including the amount of protein, the amount and type of fat and the amount of sodium … Here’s why these on-pack and point of sale claims may not be as healthy as they seem.



Low carb is far and away the most popular claim. When manufacturers reduce the carb content of a product they usually have to increase one of the other macronutrients – protein or fat – or alcohol in the case of low carb beers. While this may not be a problem if you like to buy a particular low carb product, it can become a problem if the bulk of what you eat and drink are low carb products. Here’s why.

• It is generally advisable for people with diabetes to avoid high protein diets (more than 25% of kilojoules/calories from protein) because of possible harmful effects on your kidney function (a common complication of diabetes).
• We don’t need to tell you that high fat diets (that’s more than 35% of kilojoules/calories from fat) tend to lead to weight gain (fat provides more than double the kilojoules/calories per gram than carbs or protein). And the problem with weight gain (apart from the obvious one) is that it can decrease your insulin sensitivity. In addition, if too much of the fat is saturated or trans fat (more than 10% of kilojoules/calories), it will have an adverse affect on cholesterol levels, leading to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. And once you’ve put it on, it’s really hard to get it off for good.

Moderate carbohydrate diets (45–60% of kilojoules/calories) on the other hand, tend to be lower in calories/kilojoules and higher in fibre than high fat or protein diets which is why they are widely recommended for people with diabetes.



Low carb or low glycemic on labels does not necessarily mean a food or drink is low GI at all. The carbs in products with packages proclaiming they are 'low carb' or 'low glycemic' can and often do have a high GI, and again, if you over-consume them it can have detrimental effects on your beta cell function, blood triglyceride and free fatty acid levels. It also affects satiety (feeling full).



To help make healthy low GI choices easier, we developed the GI Symbol Program. It was our response to the raft of false claims and it’s your guarantee that the food is an all-round healthy choice and that it also has been tested and really is low GI.







Help us get the GI Symbol on more foodsTo help bring more healthy low GI foods to your local supermarket:

1. Buy products that carry the Certified Low GI symbol. They are delicious and healthy, and their sales support us.

2. Write a thank you email to the manufacturers’ of healthy low GI foods customer care departments to help ensure that they continue to bring healthy products to market.

3. Call or email manufacturers encouraging them to join the GI Symbol Program.







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 answers your questions



‘I like to eat a wide variety of vegetables. In fact I love having a rainbow on my plate. But some of my favourites like pumpkin seem to have moderate or even high GI values. Does that mean people with diabetes shouldn’t eat them?’



People with diabetes can happily tuck into pumpkin (GI66), beetroot (canned beetroot GI64), swede/rutabaga (GI72) as well as turnips, parsnips (GI52), carrots (GI39) and green peas (GI51). Unlike potatoes, sweet potatoes and cereal products including corn, these vegetables are low in carbohydrate so their glycemic load is low for typical servings. And like other green and salad vegetables including onions, tomatoes, capsicum/peppers and broccoli, they are packed with micronutrients. They should be considered free foods for everyone to eat to their heart’s content.



New GI values from Fiona Atkinson at SUGiRS

An all Goodness brekkie

Goodness Superfoods produce a range of low GI ready to eat brekkie cereals and porridges made with CSIRO’s modified (not GM) barley grain. We reported three Goodness Superfoods ready-to-eat cereals (45g or 1½ oz a serving) a year ago, as a reminder, here’s how they rated in the GI stakes.

• Heart 1st: GI 46 – available carbs 20g
• Digestive 1st GI 39 – available carbs 21g
• Protein 1st GI 36 – available carbs 17g

And here are the latest GI values for two types of Goodness Superfoods porridge (made according to packet instructions with water, nothing else added).

• Traditional Barley+ Oats 1st (GI47) – available carbs (for a 40g serving prepared with water) 25g carbohydrate.
• Quick Sachets Barley+ Oats 1st Apple & Honey (GI55) – available carbs (for a 35g serving prepared with water) 25g carbohydrate.

Alternatively, top your favourite foods (fruit, yoghurt, ice cream) with a spoon of two of their FibreBoost Sprinkles (GI34) to improve inner health and be regular.



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







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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Help us get the GI on more foods

To help bring more healthy Low GI foods to your local supermarket:

1. Buy products that carry the Certified Low GI symbol. They are delicious and healthy, and their sales support us.

2. Write a thank you email to the manufacturers’ of healthy low GI foods customer care departments to help ensure that they continue to bring healthy products to market.

3. Call or email manufacturers encouraging them to join the GI Symbol Program



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Mmmm Gluten-free Muffin Recipe

These are actually a photo of my muffins made with the Ultimate Gluten-free Bake Mix and flax option.  I  used raisins (not recommended due to carbs being too high) as I ran out of sugarless chocolate chips. 

CINNAMON CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS

Lovely texture to these muffins.

2¹/₄ cups Ult. GF Bake Mix, (550 mL)

  OR Splendid Gluten-Free Bake Mix, OR
  OR Splendid Low-Carb Bake Mix

¹/₂ cup SPLENDA^® Granular Liquid

  Sucralose equivalent (125 mL)

¹/₄ cup granulated erythritol (50 mL)

2¹/₂ tsp baking powder (12 mL)

2 tsp cinnamon (10 mL)

¹/₂ tsp baking soda (2 mL)

¹/₄ tsp salt (1 mL)

¹/₂ cup whipping cream (125 mL)

¹/₂ cup water (125 mL)

¹/₄ cup olive oil (50 mL)

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract (10 mL)

²/₃ cup sugarless chocolate chips (150 mL)

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). In food processor, combine Ultimate Gluten-free Bake Mix, page___, Liquid Sucralose, erythritol, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, whipping cream, water, olive oil, eggs and vanilla extract.  Process about 1 minute, scraping the sides once.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Fill 12 greased muffin cups ²/₃ full and bake 20 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly before removing muffins.  Keep at room temperature in an airtight container for up to two days, then refrigerate or freeze.

Variation:  Cinnamon Nut Muffins:  Use chopped walnuts instead of chocolate chips for a lovely breakfast muffin. (6.3 g carbs)

Put Some Full Fat Sour Cream On Your Butter!

I'm trying to catch your attention! Now that I have it, seriously, the study seems to suggest that women who love butter actually increase their risk slightly of dying from heart disease (goes up 4%), but that eating full fat yogurt or sour cream can mitigate that somewhat as the risk of dying goes down 8%.  Men don't seem to fall in the same risk category if they eat lots of butter (weird, huh - what makes them so different?).  Also, eating cheese and drinking milk doesn't seem to have any effect on longevity for men or women one way or the other.

My theory as to why women fare less well eating lots of butter is because women tend to love desserts and, therefore, consume more sugar than men.  Women are around sugar more often as well because they take care of the children's dietary needs, which often include sweet treats, and makes it almost certain that the mother will indulge as well.  Most times women do the grocery shopping and sweet treats and temptation abounds; even when grabbing a cup of coffee with a friend, a sweet treat is usually involved.  Men are less likely to indulge their sweet tooth as much.

What does eating a lot of sugar and fat do?  Well, consuming sugar and fructose raise triglycerides (medical term for fat) in the blood stream which is implicated in heart disease.  A person with high triglycerides caused by eating lots of sugar has too much fat in their blood stream because they are making too much and unable to burn it efficiently.  Add eating a ton of fat as well in the form of butter and my theory is that would be overload and predispose women who love butter and sugary desserts to heart disease and a greater risk of dying from it.  Men have a lower risk when they love eating lots of butter because generally men prefer savory foods over sugary foods and, in fact, it is true that men prefer pizza and women prefer chocolate.  Just thinking this morning....

76 Reasons to Avoid Sugar

Dr. Mercola lists 76 reasons why sugar is the enemy.  He also goes into some detail about the dangers of consuming too much fructose.

IrishGraveyards – a monumental leap forward

Today's launch of IrishGraveyards.ie represents monumental progress for Irish family historians.

The new website is designed to hold photographs and memorial transcriptions from digitally-mapped and carefully documented surveys of graveyards and cemeteries.

IrishGraveyards differs from other graveyard transcription sites in that its images and searchable details are not randomly contributed by individual family historians.

“IrishGraveyards.ie holds information gathered during systematic surveys of entire graveyards,” explains Michael Durkan, managing director of Irish Graveyard Surveyors (IGS), the Mayo-based company behind the new website. “The surveys are carried out by qualified teams, using a combination of GPS and eye-mapping. The team even includes a Braille reader who can often decipher by touch inscriptions that are too eroded for the eye to read.”

During a survey, every grave, whether identified by a huge Celtic Cross, a simple stone slab, or even unmarked, is recorded and numbered, and a digital map of the churchyard or cemetery is then produced. So, too, is a list of the names, addresses and dates/age of death of the occupant of each grave, as recorded on memorials.
Drafts of the map and list are initially made available only to the local community who can correct or add details, especially about unmarked graves or incomplete memorials.

“Parishioners are an important source of additional information,” says Durkan, whose own father, an undertaker, was often called upon to help visitors locate the graves of their ancestors in his local churchyard. “My father knew every occupant and every blade of grass in Balla churchyard,” says Durkan proudly. “But his familiarity, and the knowledge that today’s parishioners hold, dies with them. IrishGraveyards is capturing and preserving that knowledge for future generations of family historians.”

Following each survey, a stainless steel version of the map and alphabetical list of names is at the graveyard.

Since its formation in 2007, IGS has completed more than 200 surveys, most of them in western counties. One of the largest projects undertaken was recently completed at the 9-acre St Mary’s cemetery in Newry, and details from this survey will be uploaded to IrishGraveyards within the next fortnight. Meanwhile, the company’s surveying team has been commissioned to conduct a further 60 projects; 22 counties are represented in the commission list.

Experience suggests numbers will quickly grow. “Once IGS arrives on site, word soon spreads to a neighbouring parish,” says Durkan. “That congregation and the clergy like what they hear, and they pop by to see for themselves how simple the entire process is, and we come away with another commission.”

Family historians will also like what they see on the freely accessible website. The search facility is extremely flexible, and records can be searched by name, year of death, and/or location.

Results are returned in table format, together with a thumbnail picture of the grave. When clicked, an 8mb photograph can be viewed and downloaded.

Grave inscriptions can be extremely helpful to genealogists. They often contain information that is not recorded elsewhere, or that clarifies family associations and helps breakdown research brickwalls. IrishGraveyards.ie will therefore be a huge boon to anyone conducting research on Irish ancestors.

While the majority of the records held by IrishGraveyards.ie relate to deaths in the 19th and 20th century, some are older. The oldest grave recorded is that of John Gwinn of Iskaheen, co Donegal, who died in 1661. It seems somehow fitting that he was the local gravedigger!

Photos

Top: Michael Durkan and Niall Broderick of Irish Graveyard Surveyors install a map at Ballybrack, Greencastle, co Donegal.

Middle: Map and list of graves at Leenane, co Galway.

Bottom: Map and list of graves at Cushlough, co Mayo.

Mmmmm Gluten-free and Low-Carb Muffins!

 

UPDATE:  I no longer use the bake mixes below.  Look for my Splendid Gluten-free Bake Mix.  :)

I made batch after batch of muffins and my conclusion is still the same.  I like this recipe below.  The coconut flour I used, Aloha Nu, is from a small company and is not always reliable as far as having the stock available at Netrition.  However, Bob's Red Mill Coconut flour seems to be the favored one in the low-carb community.  I personally have not tried it in this recipe yet (still have plenty of coconut flour on hand), but I'm sure it will be fine.

I made a regular banana loaf with this bake mix.  I live in the tropics and buy a crate of bananas a week to feed the beautiful, colorful birds.  They were handy and I was using my son as a taste-tester and banana loaf is his favorite (so that's my excuse).  I have to tell you Daniel is not one for muffins made with regular white flour.  He doesn't like them.  However, he really really liked this bake mix in the muffins, loaf and cookies I made.  It just so happened that a friend gave Ian some banana loaf while he was visiting their home.  Of course, it was made with white flour and sugar.  Ian brought some home and comparing the two and even after they were both refrigerated, my banana loaf was much nicer - everyone in the family agreed!  So, basically, although not perfect, this bake mix can produce muffins, loaves and cookies that are comparable or better than high-carb equivalents.  I have not tried this bake mix in cakes, but I assume it would make a dense, moist type of cake.  Cakes can also be made solely with nut flours and egg whites for leavening for fluffier textures. 

To be perfectly honest, I cannot eat more than two muffins with this bake mix a day without tummy issues.  This bake mix is self-limiting for me and perhaps that is a good thing. Baked goodies should be a treat and not something we eat every single day.  Freeze the rest or share with friends for tea.  However, I know many people enjoy recipes with much more coconut flour and other fiber in them without problems.  Certainly my sons had no problems and especially my younger son ate so much of my baking in one day, I was worried, but he was fine.

Compare the ingredients in these muffins to regular muffins with white flour and sugar and you'll notice they are healthy ingredients comparatively speaking.

Ultimate Gluten-Free Bake Mix:
1 1/2 cups ground almonds or almond flour
1 cup certified gluten-free oat flour
2 tbsp sifted coconut flour, OR 1/4 cup golden flax meal (with flax use 1 tsp Xanthan gum)
1 1/2 tsp Xanthan gum

Yield:  2 1/2 cups, 10 servings, 1/4 cup servings:
126.2 calories; 4.7 g protein; 8.0 g fat; 6.4 g carbs (5.9 g carbs with flax meal)

To see how to use this bake mix and for conclusions, click here. 

Re Ultimate Gluten-free Bake Mix with flax meal:  Keep in mind that wet/liquid ingredients may have to be decreased by 1/4 to 1/2 cup.  When replacing flour cup-for-cup in regular recipes with this gluten-free low-carb bake mix, add 1/4 cup extra bake mix.

FOR PEOPLE WHO LIKE MY SPLENDID LOW-CARB BAKE MIX OR THE VITAL ULTIMATE BAKE MIXES - they may be substituted for any of the gluten-free bake mixes cup-for-cup, keeping in mind that liquid requirements may occasionally be slightly different, but not usually.

This Splendid Gluten-free Bake Mix came to me after prayer as I was stumped after trying to remove the coconut flour completely from the Ultimate Gluten-Free Bake Mix.


Splendid Gluten-free Bake Mix: (batter made with this mix tastes wonderful, however, I am abandoning it - too many problems with it)
1 2/3 cups ground almonds or almond flour
3/4 cup certified gluten-free oat flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
3/4 tsp Xanthan gum

Yield:  2 1/2 cups, 10 servings, 1/4 cup servings:
125.8 calories; 4.5 g protein; 8.5 g fat; 6.3 g carbs


Advantages of these two bake mixes:

1)  They may be used interchangeably in recipes, although I will only mention the bake mix that I use to test a particular recipe.

2)  Substitute 1/4 cup extra bake mix when substituting for white flour.  This usually means the same amount of liquid/wet ingredients in the recipe will be required or 1/4 cup less (rarely) or 1/4 cup more depending on the recipe.  Therefore, always start by withholding 1/4 cup liquid/wet ingredients and adding in as necessary.  Process the batter 1/2 min to a minute and it should thicken up. 

3)  More bake mix options so that people can pick and choose what suits their budget and lifestyles, likes and fiber sensitivities best.

4)  The baking is lovely and moist with a soft crumb.

5)  The Splendid Gluten-free Bake Mix has an incredible taste - yum!  


Disadvantages:

1)  The baking rises well, but then sinks overall ever so slightly upon cooling with these two bake mixes.  This is due to the fact, in my opinion, that the bake mixes absorb plenty of moisture - too much for the actual structure of the delicate bake mixes.  The Coconut Flour Gluten-free bake mix and the Flax Gluten-free bake mix (flax option above) will not have this problem.

2) Some folks might taste the Xanthan gum a bit in the Ultimate Gluten-free Bake Mix (I don't) and some folks might actually react to the increased Xanthan gum or even the coconut flour with tummy issues.  There are 2 other alternatives to try - guar gum and pre-gel starch.  I'm thinking the latter sounds interesting.  This bake mix is a bit more robust than the Splendid Gluten-free Bake Mix, also tastes incredible and produces lovely, moist baked goodies with a soft crumb.

3)  I wish I could have provided the absolute perfect, bullet-proof Gluten-free and low-carb bake mix, but alas I am not a miracle worker with the few ingredients I had to work with - only so many computations and configurations possible!  As it is I came by the Splendid Gluten-free Bake Mix after praying about it as I was stumped before that.  I wanted to eliminate coconut flour for individuals who can't come by it easily or who are reactive to it due to the fiber content.  This bake mix uses very ordinary ingredients, except maybe for the certified gluten-free oat flour that some people may have to source on the internet.  See my post about it.

Conclusions and weight loss observation:  After all those muffins, cookies and banana loaf, I didn't gain any weight, in fact, I lost a pound.  I ate less regular food than normal but I was adding a ton of calories in baked goodies.  I did some research on Xanthan gum and found this interesting article.

This is what caught my eye under the observations in man:

"The authors concluded that Xanthan gum can affect a slow but significant weight loss in individuals with varying degrees of overweight!"

Woohoo, looks like we can have our oat flour in this bake mix and eat it too and lose weight!  Bonus!

That said, if you don't like Xanthan gum, you can try guar gum or pre-gel starch apparently; they also have gluten-like properties for gluten-free baking which prevents crumbly, dry results.  I'm not familiar with the latter suggestion.

NPR Egyptian Town Anxiously Awaits Tourists

Here is a radio report by Corey Flintoff who interviewed me and others about the loss of tourism in Luxor. NPR Luxor: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Germany reacts to criticism of Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle's trip to Iran

German Foreign Minister
Guido Westerwelle and
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

BERLIN, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle has defended himself against criticism that he met with Iranian hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to free two German journalists.

"Whoever criticizes this trip should tell that to the two who are now back in Germany," he said.

Westerwelle Saturday flew to Iran to bring home two German journalists who had been sitting in an Iranian prison for several months. They were arrested last October while interviewing the son of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, whose death-by-stoning sentence for an adultery conviction drew international condemnation last summer.

The affair had further undermined Germany's relations with Iran, which is shunned by the West for its controversial nuclear program and its crackdown on the domestic opposition.

After months of negotiations, Tehran last week indicated that the pair, reporter Marcus Hellwig and photographer Jens Koch, might be released on the condition that Westerwelle meet with Ahmadinejad. It was the first such bilateral encounter between the Iranian president and a German foreign minister.

Afterward, Westerwelle, Hellwig and Koch boarded the Bundeswehr plane and flew to Germany, where they were greeted by the journalists' families who had feared for their relatives for months.

The German opposition and exiled Iranians in Europe condemned the meeting as an unnecessary gesture to the Iranian regime at a time when it's coming under pressure from protesters.

"This trip is nothing but pinning hope on the bankrupt and utterly failed policy of appeasement," the National Council of Resistance of Iran, an exiled Iranian opposition group, said in a statement e-mailed Saturday to reporters.

It said Westerwelle's meeting with Ahmadinejad took place "only a few days after the bloody crackdown" on Iranian anti-government protesters, and served "only (to) embolden the regime to further suppress Iranian people."

And indeed, after Westerwelle had departed, the regime in Tehran tried to use the meeting to its advantage.

The New York Times quoted Iranian Foreign Ministry official Hassan Qashqavi as saying on Sunday that Westerwelle's visit "proved the failure of European Union policy on Iran."

Brussels has in the past asked EU foreign ministers not to visit Iran. "The current visit puts an end to such a decision," Qashqavi is quoted as saying.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel was informed about the trip but didn't know that it would include a meeting with Ahmadinejad, her spokesman said Monday.

"In that kind of a situation it is always a question of weighing the pros and cons," spokesman Steffen Seibert said at a regular news conference in Berlin. "Our international partners are still absolutely clear that our opinion of Iran hasn't changed at all. ... We're absolutely clear about the fact that the situation in Iran concerning human rights and political freedoms is unacceptably bad."

He added that Merkel was happy with the outcome of the trip.

Source: United Press International, February 22, 2011

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Afghan Officials Say Jailed Convert Is Free

Under international pressure, government officials in Kabul, Afghanistan, say they have freed an Afghan man who had been jailed since May and faced the prospect of the death penalty for converting from Islam to Christianity.

The release of the man, Sayed Mussa, 46, follows months of quiet diplomacy between the Afghan government and United States Embassy officials in Kabul, who along with members of Congress and other foreign embassies had sought the former aid worker's release.

Mr. Mussa, a married father of six who worked for the International Committee of the Red Cross before his arrest, was released Monday from Kabul Detention Center after prosecutors determined there was insufficient evidence to go forward with the case, said Gen. Qayoum Khan, the detention center director. But there were conflicting accounts about the terms of his release. A senior prosecutor involved in the case, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he was released only after agreeing to return to Islam.

It was also not immediately clear where he was taken or if he even remains in the country. Some of his relatives, including his wife, said they had not heard from him.

An embassy spokeswoman would not confirm his release and declined to talk about the case, saying only that the embassy continued to monitor Mr. Mussa's case and others like it.

General Khan said Mr. Mussa was released Monday and turned over to the attorney general's office.

"We got a letter from the attorney general's office which said we do not have any proof against this man and his detention needs to be removed," General Khan said. The attorney general's office did not return phone calls Thursday.

Mr. Mussa was arrested last May after a television station in Kabul broadcast images that it claimed showed Westerners baptizing Afghans and other Afghans praying at private Christian meetings. The broadcast stoked fears of proselytizing brought on by the influx of foreigners since the American-led invasion in 2001. Some lawmakers have publicly declared that converts should die.

A senior prosecutor closely involved with the case, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case, said last month that the government was under heavy international pressure to release Mr. Mussa. But how to release him without upsetting hard-line conservatives in the government and among the public was presenting a challenge, the prosecutor said.

On Thursday, however, the same prosecutor said Mr. Mussa was released only after finally agreeing to return to Islam.

"Mr. Mussa said in front of everyone in high court that 'I made a mistake converting to Christianity and I want to return back to Islam,' " he said, adding that "we worked with Mr. Mussa for a long time to convince him to return back to Islam."

The prosecutor said he did not know Mr. Mussa's current location.

Mr. Mussa was one of at least two Afghans being held in cases that underscore the contradictions and limits of religious freedom in Afghanistan nine years after the end of the Taliban's rigid Islamic rule. The other, Shoaib Assadullah Musawi, who has been jailed in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif since November after being accused of giving the New Testament to a friend, is still being held, a court official said.

Afghanistan's Constitution, established in 2004, guarantees that people are "free to exercise their faith." But it also leaves it open for the courts to rely on Shariah, or Islamic law, on issues like conversion. Under some interpretations of Shariah, leaving Islam is considered apostasy, an offense punishable by death.

Mr. Mussa's cousin-in-law, Said Yaseen Hashimi, said he visited Mr. Mussa at the jail on Monday but when he returned the next day he was told Mr. Mussa had been released the night before.

In a phone interview from Pakistan, Mr. Mussa's wife, whose full name is not being used out of concern for her safety, said she had not heard from her husband and did not know if he had been released.

"I am very concerned about him," she said. "I don't know how he might have spent the time in prison in this cold winter season. Even if he is released I don't know where he might be now. Or maybe he is in one of the foreign embassies for protection."

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, February 25, 2011

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URGENT APPEAL for Aleh Gryshkautstou and Andrei Burdyka likely to be executed within the next few weeks in Belarus

The clemency applications of two men on death row in Belarus, Aleh Gryshkautstou and Andrei Burdyka have been turned down. They are likely to be executed within the next few weeks.

Aleh Gryshkautsou, aged 29, and Andrei Burdyka, aged 28, were sentenced to death by shooting on 14 May 2010 for crimes committed during an armed robbery on a flat in Grodno in October 2009. Both men were found guilty of premeditated murder, armed assault, arson, kidnapping of a minor, theft and robbery. On 17 September 2010, the Supreme Court in Minsk turned down their appeals.

The families of the two men only learnt that President Lukashenka had refused their requests for clemency after the news was broadcast on national television on 22 February. On 24 February, Andrei Burdyka’s mother received a letter from him in which he said that he would be seeing a priest on 23 February. This may indicate that his execution is very imminent.

Aleh Gryshkautstou and Andrei Burdyka have not denied the charges. However, Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception. It violates the right to life, as proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment.

In Belarus, prisoners on death row are told that they will be executed only moments before the sentence is carried out. They are shot in the back of the head; sometimes more than one bullet is needed. The body is not handed over to the family, who are often informed only afterwards, and the place of burial is kept secret, causing further distress to relatives.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Aleh Gryshkautsou is also known as Aleg Gryshkautsou.

Belarus carried out two executions in 2010. Vasily Yuzepchuk and Andrei Zhuk, were executed in March 2010, approximately two months after their clemency applications had been turned down. As in all death penalty cases in Belarus, neither the prisoners nor their relatives were informed of the date in advance. Andrei Zhuk’s mother only learnt of her son’s execution afterwards when she tried to deliver a food parcel on 19 March. The execution was carried out despite the fact that both men had applied to the UN Human Rights Committee, and on 12 October 2009 the Committee had made a request to the government not to execute the two men until it had considered their cases.

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

--Calling on President Lukashenka to stop the executions of Aleh Gryshkautstou and Andrei Burdyka;

--Calling on President Lukashenka to establish an immediate moratorium on the use of the death penalty, in line with UN General Assembly resolution 63/168, adopted on 18 December 2008.

APPEALS TO:

President

Alyaksandr Lukashenka

Administratsia Prezidenta Respubliki Belarus

ul.Karla Marksa, 38

220016 Minsk

BELARUS

Fax: 011 375 17 226 06 10 OR 011 375 17 222 38 72

Email: contact@president.gov.by

Salutation: Dear President Lukashenka

COPIES TO:

Ambassador Oleg Kravchenko

Embassy of the Republic of Belarus

1619 New Hampshire Ave NW

Washington DC 20009

Fax: 1 202 986 1805

Email: usa@belarusembassy.org

politics@belarusembassy.org

PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.

President Lukashenko denies clemency to Aleh Hryshkawtsow and Andrey Burdyka

February 25, 2011: Belarusian president Alyaksandr Lukashenko rejected clemency requests from death row inmates Aleh Hryshkawtsow, 29, and Andrey Burdyka, 28, according to Belarusian human right defenders. They were were sentenced to death by the Hrodna Regional Court on May 14, 2010, for an alleged triple murder in October 2009.

Burdyka and Hryshkawtsow, who had previous convictions, were found to have robbed an apartment in Hrodna in October 2009, killing one man and two women and taking a child hostage. They reportedly set fire to the apartment and then forced a taxi driver to drive them to Minsk or Moscow, but were arrested the following morning when the taxi driver escaped.

On 17 September, the Supreme Court of Belarus rejected appeals against the death sentences.

In their appeals, Burdyka and Hryshkawtsow argued that investigators had violated procedural regulations and the International Covenant on Civic and Political Rights, using illegal methods to obtain confessions. In addition, both Burdyka and Hryshkawtsow insisted that they had murdered only one person and blamed the other two murders on each other.

The two men are currently held in the detention centre on Minsk's Valadarskaha Street.

Source: BBC, 25/02/2011
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Singapore defends death penalty in first rights report to UN

Singapore in its inaugural report to the United Nations on the status of human rights defended its tough stance on the death penalty as well as other issues like detention without trial that have repeatedly come under fire from human rights groups.

The city-state is set in May to undergo the first stage of a review under the UN's Human Rights Council as part of the UN's effort to review the human rights situation in all its 192 member states.

The report released late Friday said 'as a young city-state with a multiracial, multireligious and multilingual population, Singapore has no margin for error.'

The government said it respected the universality of human rights but maintained that 'the manner in which all rights are attained and implemented must take cognizance of specific national circumstances and aspirations.'

On the death penalty, which is mandatory for murder and some drug-related offences, the report said Singapore 'considers capital punishment as a criminal justice issue rather than a human rights issue.'

'In the case of drug trafficking, the death penalty has deterred major drug syndicates from establishing themselves here,' it argued.

The report also defended Singapore's Internal Security Act, which allows detention without trial, saying it was preventive in neutralizing threats to national security and had proved effective in fighting terrorism.

'Governments around the world increasingly recognize the need for preventive powers within a comprehensive institutionalized legal framework to deal effectively with terrorism and all forms of violent extremism,' it said.

The report countered criticism by groups like Human Rights Watch that Singapore's laws on assembly and freedom of expression sharply limit peaceful criticism of the government and stymie dissenting voices.

'Behind the facade of a dynamic and open Singapore promoted by the government is a more sinister reality of serious restrictions on civil and political rights and determination to maintain one-party rule,' Human Rights Watch said in January. 'Behind the sunny Singaporean smile featured in tourism ads, there are iron teeth prepared to deal with those considered a challenge to the government.'

The government countered this week that given Singapore's small size and high population density and diversity, 'it is vital that individual rights and freedoms be exercised responsibly within a legal framework.'

Singapore, however, was open for change, the report added.

'We recognize that as the demands of our people change over time so too must our goals and policies,' it said.

Source: Deutsche Presse-Agentur, February 26, 2011

Singapore's human rights record under UN scrutiny

The Singapore government has submitted its report on the country's human rights track record to the United Nations, as part of a review of all UN member states.

This is the 1st time Singapore's human rights record is under scrutiny by the UN. 159 states have been reviewed since the 1st Universal Periodic Review (UPR) session in April 2008.

The 10,700-word report submitted to the UN seeks to put in context Singapore's political and social landscape.

It also looks into the protection of human rights in areas such as housing, education and special interest groups such as women, children and migrant workers.

Observers said issues that could attract attention include those concerning Singapore's position on detention without trial, right of assembly and corporal punishment including the death penalty.

In its report, the government said Singapore's diverse multi-racial, multi-religious society poses a challenge in balancing social harmony with the preservation of individual rights.

Under the chapter on political and civil liberties, the government said "no person has ever been detained for engaging in lawful political activities" in Singapore.

It added Singaporeans are free to set up societies and associations. There were 7,100 registered societies in 2009, compared to 5,300 in 1999 and 3,900 in 1988.

But the report added while Singaporeans are free to establish such groups, there are certain restrictions in the Societies Act to "ensure that groups intended for unlawful purposes or pose a threat to public order and welfare are not established".

Between 2007 and 2009, 5 out of 886 applications for registration were rejected.

The government added Singapore "considers capital punishment as a criminal justice issue, rather than a human rights one".

The report said capital punishment is imposed only for the most serious of crimes.

In the case of drug trafficking, the death penalty has deterred major drug syndicates from establishing themselves in Singapore.

On preventive detention, the government said it's a "last resort" to counter serious threats against public or national security.

"The need to protect witnesses and informants from intimidation is one of the reasons for preventive detention".

The Internal Security Act (ISA) for example, is not "punitive" but "preventive" in neutralising threats such as the emergence of terror group, the Jemaah Islamiyah.

The report said: "Governments around the world increasingly recognise the need for preventive powers within a comprehensive institutionalised framework to deal effectively with terrorism and all forms of violent extremism".

While the Singapore constitution provides that every citizen has the right to freedom of expression, the report said "Singapore's small size, high population density and diversity mean that actions or speech by one group of people could potentially have an impact on other groups.

"Given this, it is vital that individual rights and freedoms be exercised responsibly within a legal framework".

Civil society groups said the process is a good learning journey.

Braema Mathi, chairperson of Maruah, which represents a coalition of civil society organisations in Singapore, said: "It runs the risk of being a talk show, definitely we have to admit that, and I think this is where the test comes for the state -- whether the state is serious and to the best that all I have seen of Singapore, Singapore takes its international conventions very seriously and when it does agree to something, it tries to make sure that it acts on them.

"So I'm hoping that this will be one such structure that it will move on certain things.

"Of course, it will be foolhardy to think that 'wow! We will go and change everything overnight', but on certain crucial things, I think we must move and I hope that in the next 4-year cycle, we can go there and say 'ok these areas, we have improved substantially, not just the marginal tinkering around the edges'.

"We hope that with greater publicity, (we) will be more aware of human rights. This is in a way a report card that the UN is trying to bring more and more countries onto a universal platform on how human rights is appreciated, observed and acted upon.

"I think that's a very good beginning and we hope that more of our citizens will get engaged in looking at this".

Ms Mathi said this was a rigorous process for civil society and the government because Singapore is fact oriented.

"And in that process, we also do a lot of self learning and that's a good thing," she said.

"This cannot be done in isolation, governments cannot work on these things on their own, neither can civil society. So the more we interact, the more we consult one another, the more we work towards common goals, the better we make the country."

Still, Ms Mathi said she would have seen more of the inputs from civil society groups included in the report.

"The state has given a factual accounting of our thought processes, our history, how we relate to, in broad strokes, the concept of human rights.

"Basically it is the state stating its case in a lot of ways and I think there are no surprises in that approach.

"It would have been good to have some response because for the first time, quite a number of the civil society organisations put up their report to the office of the human rights council and therefore I do think it would have been great to see some form of interaction.

"But I also understand that this is the approach the state will take and all the specific issues will come up on May 6 when the government will be due for its report submission and interaction by other governments, who will then ask questions alongside international NGOs.

"So we hope that during that period of interaction, there will be more substantive questions on the various matters raised by the different civil society groups".

The national report is 1 of 3 to be submitted to the UN.

The rest are reports by local and international civil society organisations as well as one from the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights.

Singapore, led by Minister for Home Affairs & Minister for Law K Shanmugam, will make its representation in Geneva on May 6.

The 3-hour session will involve a dialogue with UN member and observer states.

An outcome document which is a summary of the proceedings and recommendations will be adopted on May 10.

The final outcome document will be adopted in September. This is where civic society organisations can also speak before the UN formally adopts the outcome document.

The final outcome document from this process will form the basis of the next review in 4 years.

The government has said Singapore will build on its achievements in human rights.

Preserving racial and religious harmony is top priority but it added laws will evolve to meet the changing political, economic and social aspirations of Singaporeans".

Source: Singapore News, February 25, 2011
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