Saturday, April 30, 2011
Will the Mana "party" get increased taxpayer funding?
It is quite clear that Hone Harawira has every intention of breaking his agreement with the Maori Party not to stand any candidates in Maori seats. Furthermore he wants to get as much money as possible to contest the general election.That’s why he announced yesterday that he is having a by-election, after lying about it by denying it earlier that day, at a cost to the taxpayer of $500,000. It’s got nothing to do with getting a mandate. It’s to do with getting the $100,000+ leaders budget and other perks in parliament to set up his new party. Whether he succeeds is another matter. I think he is somewhat misguided.
If I was Act leader Don Brash, I'd contest the by-election for the publicity.
Having missed out on the deadline on election broadcasting funding, Harawira is trying to scrape together 500 people to quickly register his party so he can have “Mana” (instead of independent) on the ballot paper and have more money for the general election. An unregistered parliamentary party will not be able to get a leaders budget if it is not recognised as a parliamentary “party”. There is some information about that, here. All registered parties are recognised as parliamentary parties if they have an MP in the House - and the MP was elected on that party banner.
Election candidate Annette Sykes has been asking for 1000 people to support the party by today, so that it can quickly register – even though only 500 are needed. She is also calling on people to enrol on the Maori electoral roll. Once enrolled on the Maori roll, these voters can only vote for candidates on the Maori seats – the seats that Harawira earlier agreed he will not contest. She is talking up the numbers at the weekend’s hui that launched the Mana party, claiming that “more like 700 to 1000” people were there. The media reported 300.
So why are people like Sue Bradford and Matt McCarten behind the Mana Party, when they don’t particularly like Maori nationalism? I believe it is because they see this party as the only party that will threaten John Key’s leadership for the benefit of the Left as Labour is no threat, even with union backing. With the assistance of the unions, they consider this support can increase the party vote beyond five per cent after the election – and perhaps take a few MPs away from the National-supporting Maori Party.
Anyway back to the leader’s budget. If Harawira resigns on Monday he won’t be getting paid as an MP from the day he resigns until the day he is elected - which could be as late as July. And he`ll lose all his parliamentary responsibilities. I’m wondering if there will be much difference between the money Harawira loses between resignation and election in unpaid salary and perks compared to the money he gains as a parliamentary party leader between the by-election and the General election - and to what extent he and his party are aware of this.
Graeme Edgeler has an pretty good post on the numbers, detailing the perks, what Harawira loses when he resigns, as well as providing more information on how the various instruments outline the status of political parties.
GI News—May 2011
![[COLLAGE]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_shEi2gdn5PjGSvI2-CtNR96VYTs306DOxUDCSBr5avp4fM1T9dnuTL_QMLtxBHhqavWIG0rNNbGwV3xr49_zfHhTwyB9I_KrBnTvd5eCgnGbBU1I6L6Bhgmx-CTI8=s0-d)
- Jennie Brand-Miller on why gestational diabetes numbers are doubling
- Child obesity – from the get-go, it’s Mum and Dad who can make a difference
- The Australian paradox: sugar consumption down while overweight and obesity increase
- Nicole Senior debunks the ‘people with diabetes shouldn’t eat sugar’ myth
- Emma Stirling on why lollies and candy are OK for treats (as part of a healthy diet)
- Would an insulin index of foods be more useful than GI values?
- 4 delicious recipes for Mother's Day – low GI potato salad with lemon yoghurt dressing, pasta shells with pinto beans, gluten-free mandarin almond cake and Antony Worrall Thompson’s aromatic tomato tart
Good eating, good health and good reading.
Editor: Philippa Sandall
Web management and design: Alan Barclay, PhD
Food for Thought
Jennie Brand-Miller on why gestational diabetes numbers will double
‘Apart from re-living ‘The Sound of Music’ at the 6th International Symposium on Diabetes in Pregnancy meeting in warm and sunny Salzburg, I learned that the findings of the HAPO Study (Hyperglycemia and Pregnancy Outcomes Study) are changing the way the world diagnoses gestational diabetes (GDM, or diabetes first recognised during pregnancy). One of the following is now sufficient:
Why have they moved the goal posts? Well, HAPO was one of the biggest studies every done in pregnant women (over 25,000 women from 15 centres in 9 countries). They enrolled only healthy women, specifically excluding those already diagnosed with gestational diabetes according to the old guidelines. The aim was to see if women whose blood glucose levels were ‘intermediate’, that is, high but not so high as to be classed as GDM, were also at risk of having adverse outcomes (e.g. having an emergency caesarean section).
What they found surprised many. There was a very strong link between higher glucose levels and the rate of caesarean section (planned or unplanned), the rate of shoulder dystocia (where the baby’s shoulder is too large for the birth canal) and the chance of having a very large baby, with a weight higher than the 90th percentile. In other words, these women with intermediate BGLs were in need of just as much care as women with diagnosed diabetes, yet as no one thought there was a problem, they were not receiving it.
Another reason why the findings of HAPO were so important relates to what’s called ‘metabolic programming’ and the current epidemic of child obesity. In Australia, like other nations, birth weights have been steadily increasing, and 1 in 5 children is now classified as overweight or obese by only 2–3 years of age. We already know that birth weight correlates with the mother’s BGLs. So, the best way to reduce birth weight, and therefore the likely risk of an overweight child, is to focus on the mother’s BGLs. Ongoing research will determine whether a low GI diet in pregnancy reduces the risk of having GDM or an overweight baby. Stay tuned …’
‘Apart from re-living ‘The Sound of Music’ at the 6th International Symposium on Diabetes in Pregnancy meeting in warm and sunny Salzburg, I learned that the findings of the HAPO Study (Hyperglycemia and Pregnancy Outcomes Study) are changing the way the world diagnoses gestational diabetes (GDM, or diabetes first recognised during pregnancy). One of the following is now sufficient:
- Fasting glucose: above 5.1 mmol/L
- 1 hour post 75 gram of glucose: above 10 mmol/L
- 2 hour post 75 gram of glucose above 8.5 mmol/L
Why have they moved the goal posts? Well, HAPO was one of the biggest studies every done in pregnant women (over 25,000 women from 15 centres in 9 countries). They enrolled only healthy women, specifically excluding those already diagnosed with gestational diabetes according to the old guidelines. The aim was to see if women whose blood glucose levels were ‘intermediate’, that is, high but not so high as to be classed as GDM, were also at risk of having adverse outcomes (e.g. having an emergency caesarean section).
What they found surprised many. There was a very strong link between higher glucose levels and the rate of caesarean section (planned or unplanned), the rate of shoulder dystocia (where the baby’s shoulder is too large for the birth canal) and the chance of having a very large baby, with a weight higher than the 90th percentile. In other words, these women with intermediate BGLs were in need of just as much care as women with diagnosed diabetes, yet as no one thought there was a problem, they were not receiving it.
Another reason why the findings of HAPO were so important relates to what’s called ‘metabolic programming’ and the current epidemic of child obesity. In Australia, like other nations, birth weights have been steadily increasing, and 1 in 5 children is now classified as overweight or obese by only 2–3 years of age. We already know that birth weight correlates with the mother’s BGLs. So, the best way to reduce birth weight, and therefore the likely risk of an overweight child, is to focus on the mother’s BGLs. Ongoing research will determine whether a low GI diet in pregnancy reduces the risk of having GDM or an overweight baby. Stay tuned …’
News Briefs
New link between mother’s pregnancy diet and offspring’s chances of obesity
An international study published in Diabetes has shown for the first time that a mother’s diet during pregnancy can alter the function of her child’s DNA through a process called epigenetic change – effectively turning on a fat switch and leading to her child laying down more fat as it grows older. Researchers measured epigenetic changes in nearly 300 children at birth and showed that these strongly predicted the degree of obesity at six or nine years of age. This effect acts independently of how fat or thin the mother is and of the child’s weight at birth. While it is not yet clear exactly which foods have the greatest influence on the DNA of unborn babies, the study did find an association between lower carbohydrate intakes and the methylation of the gene. However, is it unknown whether the amount of carbohydrate the women ate was within a healthy range. Further research is needed to explore which food groups, if any, are associated with epigenetic changes.
Prof. Keith Godfrey
‘We have shown for the first time that susceptibility to obesity cannot simply be attributed to the combination of our genes and our lifestyle, but can be triggered by influences on a baby’s development in the womb, including what the mother ate, says lead author Prof. Keith Godfrey from the University of Southampton. ‘This study indicates that measures to prevent childhood obesity should be targeted on improving a mother’s nutrition and her baby’s development in the womb.’
Co-author Prof. Mark Hanson explains: ‘This study … strengthens the case for all women of reproductive age having greater access to nutritional, education and lifestyle support to improve the health of the next generation, and to reduce the risk of the conditions such as diabetes and heart disease which often follow obesity.’
Child obesity – it’s Mum and Dad who make a difference
Health programs to help overweight and obese kids commonly target the children themselves. The two-year follow-up findings for the HIKCUPS study published in Pediatrics show that the most effective treatment for young children is to give parents good quality advice and support to improve their family’s food habits. ‘You can achieve better results simply by targeting parents alone, even without the child’s involvement,’ says Prof Clare Collins, from the University of Newcastle.
In the randomised controlled trial, 165 overweight young children (aged 5–9) were allocated either to a parent-centered nutrition/lifestyle program, or a child-centered physical activity/skill program, or to both. The good news is that all the children became slimmer for their age (i.e. they gained less than half the weight for their age had they not been in the program). ‘The greatest effects were achieved through inclusion of a parent-centered diet program, indicating the importance of targeting parents within treatment and the possibility of targeting them exclusively in treating obese pre-pubertal children,’ conclude the authors.
‘We are not advocating stopping the great health programs currently targeting children, as educating our kids on healthy lifestyles is critically important,’ says co-author Assoc Prof Tony Okely. But ‘our results indicate that by targeting the parents predominately, we can make a huge difference to this global epidemic.’
Saturated fat, heart disease and why it might be OK to say 'cheese please'
Most dietary guidelines around the world tell us we have to reduce our intake of saturated fat to reduce our risk of heart disease, but they don’t tell us what to put in its place. In Western diets, it’s generally replaced with carbohydrates – and often refined ones. But say Prof Arne Astrup and a panel of world experts in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition ‘the evidence is consistent in finding that the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) is reduced when SFAs are replaced with polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs)’ while ‘no clear benefit of substituting carbohydrates for SFAs has been shown, although there might be a benefit if the carbohydrate is unrefined and has a low glycemic index.’
They go on to say that while it’s more useful to give people dietary advice based on specific foods (e.g. cheese or red meat) rather than nutrients (e.g. protein, carbohydrate or fat) the evidence is limited. For example although there’s strong evidence that diets high in processed meats are linked to an increased risk of heart disease, there’s no consistent evidence that a high intake of dairy products is too. They write: ‘There is increasing evidence to support that the total matrix of a food is more important than just its fatty acid content when predicting the effect of a food on CHD risk, e.g., the effect of SFAs from cheese on blood lipids and CHD may be counterbalanced by the content of protein, calcium, or other components in cheese.’ You can read the whole report online HERE.
New Nutrisystem edition: The Low GI Cookbook
Nutrisystem provides home-delivered, low GI weight loss programs throughout North America. In case you don’t know about it (and we didn’t), the idea is to help make getting started on a healthy weight loss effort as easy as possible, by providing portion-controlled entrees (main meals for those outside the USA) and snacks in customised monthly shipments, along with a meal planner and other tools and support. ‘However, many customers worry about being able to manage their weight once they stop the program,’ says Karen Curtis, registered dietitian with the Nutrisystem R&D team. ‘They need to learn how to prepare low GI foods and practise portion control for themselves'. To help them navigate the transition, we partnered with Low GI Diet Cookbook authors Prof Jennie Brand-Miller, Kaye Foster-Powell and Dr Joanna McMillan to adapt their book for the program. The Low GI Cookbook helps you understand why the program works and shows you how to sustain your weight loss by continuing to eat the low GI way.’
An international study published in Diabetes has shown for the first time that a mother’s diet during pregnancy can alter the function of her child’s DNA through a process called epigenetic change – effectively turning on a fat switch and leading to her child laying down more fat as it grows older. Researchers measured epigenetic changes in nearly 300 children at birth and showed that these strongly predicted the degree of obesity at six or nine years of age. This effect acts independently of how fat or thin the mother is and of the child’s weight at birth. While it is not yet clear exactly which foods have the greatest influence on the DNA of unborn babies, the study did find an association between lower carbohydrate intakes and the methylation of the gene. However, is it unknown whether the amount of carbohydrate the women ate was within a healthy range. Further research is needed to explore which food groups, if any, are associated with epigenetic changes.
Prof. Keith Godfrey
‘We have shown for the first time that susceptibility to obesity cannot simply be attributed to the combination of our genes and our lifestyle, but can be triggered by influences on a baby’s development in the womb, including what the mother ate, says lead author Prof. Keith Godfrey from the University of Southampton. ‘This study indicates that measures to prevent childhood obesity should be targeted on improving a mother’s nutrition and her baby’s development in the womb.’
Co-author Prof. Mark Hanson explains: ‘This study … strengthens the case for all women of reproductive age having greater access to nutritional, education and lifestyle support to improve the health of the next generation, and to reduce the risk of the conditions such as diabetes and heart disease which often follow obesity.’
Child obesity – it’s Mum and Dad who make a difference
Health programs to help overweight and obese kids commonly target the children themselves. The two-year follow-up findings for the HIKCUPS study published in Pediatrics show that the most effective treatment for young children is to give parents good quality advice and support to improve their family’s food habits. ‘You can achieve better results simply by targeting parents alone, even without the child’s involvement,’ says Prof Clare Collins, from the University of Newcastle.
In the randomised controlled trial, 165 overweight young children (aged 5–9) were allocated either to a parent-centered nutrition/lifestyle program, or a child-centered physical activity/skill program, or to both. The good news is that all the children became slimmer for their age (i.e. they gained less than half the weight for their age had they not been in the program). ‘The greatest effects were achieved through inclusion of a parent-centered diet program, indicating the importance of targeting parents within treatment and the possibility of targeting them exclusively in treating obese pre-pubertal children,’ conclude the authors.
‘We are not advocating stopping the great health programs currently targeting children, as educating our kids on healthy lifestyles is critically important,’ says co-author Assoc Prof Tony Okely. But ‘our results indicate that by targeting the parents predominately, we can make a huge difference to this global epidemic.’
Saturated fat, heart disease and why it might be OK to say 'cheese please'
Most dietary guidelines around the world tell us we have to reduce our intake of saturated fat to reduce our risk of heart disease, but they don’t tell us what to put in its place. In Western diets, it’s generally replaced with carbohydrates – and often refined ones. But say Prof Arne Astrup and a panel of world experts in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition ‘the evidence is consistent in finding that the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) is reduced when SFAs are replaced with polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs)’ while ‘no clear benefit of substituting carbohydrates for SFAs has been shown, although there might be a benefit if the carbohydrate is unrefined and has a low glycemic index.’
They go on to say that while it’s more useful to give people dietary advice based on specific foods (e.g. cheese or red meat) rather than nutrients (e.g. protein, carbohydrate or fat) the evidence is limited. For example although there’s strong evidence that diets high in processed meats are linked to an increased risk of heart disease, there’s no consistent evidence that a high intake of dairy products is too. They write: ‘There is increasing evidence to support that the total matrix of a food is more important than just its fatty acid content when predicting the effect of a food on CHD risk, e.g., the effect of SFAs from cheese on blood lipids and CHD may be counterbalanced by the content of protein, calcium, or other components in cheese.’ You can read the whole report online HERE.
New Nutrisystem edition: The Low GI Cookbook
Nutrisystem provides home-delivered, low GI weight loss programs throughout North America. In case you don’t know about it (and we didn’t), the idea is to help make getting started on a healthy weight loss effort as easy as possible, by providing portion-controlled entrees (main meals for those outside the USA) and snacks in customised monthly shipments, along with a meal planner and other tools and support. ‘However, many customers worry about being able to manage their weight once they stop the program,’ says Karen Curtis, registered dietitian with the Nutrisystem R&D team. ‘They need to learn how to prepare low GI foods and practise portion control for themselves'. To help them navigate the transition, we partnered with Low GI Diet Cookbook authors Prof Jennie Brand-Miller, Kaye Foster-Powell and Dr Joanna McMillan to adapt their book for the program. The Low GI Cookbook helps you understand why the program works and shows you how to sustain your weight loss by continuing to eat the low GI way.’
Get the Scoop with Emma Stirling
The scoop on sweet treats
Emma Stirling APD
Feel strongly that anyone watching their weight or who has diabetes, should cut out sweet treats altogether? Well, it’s time to shake up your views and check out the smart approach to treat time.
You can enjoy any food as long as you consider how much and how often you eat it. If you need to keep an eye on your BGLs, chocolate generally has a low GI due to its high fat content but most other candies and lollies have a moderate or high GI and they pack in a fair few carbs too. For example if you down a 30g (1oz) pack of jelly beans (GI78) at a sitting, you have downed 28g carbs (e.g. the equivalent of 2 slices of bread). Timing matters, too. Enjoying your small candy treat after a low GI meal will not cause the same rise in your BGLs compared with tucking in on an empty tummy mid-afternoon at the movies.
If you have a sweet tooth, deprivation just sets you up for constant temptation. In fact research indicates that depriving yourself of choccy or candy may set you up for stronger cravings and challenge your resolve to stay on track. A study published in Nutrition Research on chocolate and candy eaters, provides evidence that sweet treats can fit into a balanced eating pattern. When compared to non-candy eaters, people who ate sweet treats tended to weigh less, have lower BMI and waist circumferences, and have decreased levels of risk factors for heart disease and metabolic syndrome. However, cautions lead researcher Carol O’Neil, it is still all things in moderation. ‘We certainly don’t want these results positioned as eating candy helps you to lose weight,’ she said. ‘This study adds to the evidence base that supports candy’s role as an occasional treat within a healthy lifestyle.’
Keep treats on neutral ground ‘Oh my poor darling, let me get a plaster for your grazed knee and give you a little candy to cheer you up.’ Sound familiar? The problem of using food to reward or comfort anyone, especially children, is that it can create very unhelpful food habits that can last a lifetime and set up future patterns of emotional eating. Treats have to be treated as an enjoyable part of regular eating (a healthy diet of course), with no emotional strings attached.
Tips to for keeping candy treats moderate and occasional
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.
Emma Stirling APD
Feel strongly that anyone watching their weight or who has diabetes, should cut out sweet treats altogether? Well, it’s time to shake up your views and check out the smart approach to treat time.
You can enjoy any food as long as you consider how much and how often you eat it. If you need to keep an eye on your BGLs, chocolate generally has a low GI due to its high fat content but most other candies and lollies have a moderate or high GI and they pack in a fair few carbs too. For example if you down a 30g (1oz) pack of jelly beans (GI78) at a sitting, you have downed 28g carbs (e.g. the equivalent of 2 slices of bread). Timing matters, too. Enjoying your small candy treat after a low GI meal will not cause the same rise in your BGLs compared with tucking in on an empty tummy mid-afternoon at the movies.
If you have a sweet tooth, deprivation just sets you up for constant temptation. In fact research indicates that depriving yourself of choccy or candy may set you up for stronger cravings and challenge your resolve to stay on track. A study published in Nutrition Research on chocolate and candy eaters, provides evidence that sweet treats can fit into a balanced eating pattern. When compared to non-candy eaters, people who ate sweet treats tended to weigh less, have lower BMI and waist circumferences, and have decreased levels of risk factors for heart disease and metabolic syndrome. However, cautions lead researcher Carol O’Neil, it is still all things in moderation. ‘We certainly don’t want these results positioned as eating candy helps you to lose weight,’ she said. ‘This study adds to the evidence base that supports candy’s role as an occasional treat within a healthy lifestyle.’
Keep treats on neutral ground ‘Oh my poor darling, let me get a plaster for your grazed knee and give you a little candy to cheer you up.’ Sound familiar? The problem of using food to reward or comfort anyone, especially children, is that it can create very unhelpful food habits that can last a lifetime and set up future patterns of emotional eating. Treats have to be treated as an enjoyable part of regular eating (a healthy diet of course), with no emotional strings attached.
Tips to for keeping candy treats moderate and occasional
- Portion control – go for single-serve, individually wrapped treats. You can prolong the pleasure by serving your treat in solitary splendour on a mini platter surrounded with fresh fruit like strawberries or blueberries.
- Out of sight, out of mind – keep a treat box (make sure it is an opaque container), high on the pantry shelf.
- Establish a frequency framework – perhaps one a day after dinner from the (opaque) treat box. And let kids choose their treat. It gives them a sense of empowerment.
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
New Idea’s low GI potato salad with lemon yoghurt dressing
You can whip up this tasty low GI potato salad that was featured in Catherine Saxelby’s weekly column in 20 minutes. Perfect for summer salads or a buffet or barbecue. Serves 6
1kg (2lb 4oz) Carisma potatoes, washed
2 small zucchini (courgettes), thinly sliced
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup chopped fresh mint
¼ cup chopped fresh chives
Fresh mint, to garnish
Lemon yoghurt dressing
1 cup low fat natural yoghurt
¼ cup low fat mayonnaise
1 tsp finely grated lemon rind
1 tbs (20ml) lemon juice
Ground white pepper, to taste
Make the lemon yoghurt dressing by combining all the dressing ingredients in a medium jug.
Cut the washed potatoes into quarters. Place in a saucepan of hot water. Bring to the boil. Cook, uncovered, for 4–5 minutes, or until just done. Potatoes should be slightly firm in the centre. Be careful not to over-cook. Drain well.
Place the warm potatoes in a large bowl with the zucchini, parsley, mint, chives and half the dressing and toss to combine. Refrigerate, covered, until cold.
Drizzle remaining dressing over salad just before serving. Garnish with fresh mint.
Per serving
Energy 660 kJ/ 160 cals; Protein 7 g; Fat 0.6 g (includes 0.2 g saturated fat and less than 4 mg cholesterol); Available carbohydrate 23 g; Fibre 4 g
– Reproduced courtesy New Idea magazine, Photo: Andrew Young; styling: Carolyn Fienberg.
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.
Inspired by Claudia Roden’s Orange & Almond Cake, I created this moist, dense cake using ground almonds, a can of chickpeas and mandarins as they are just coming into season. I can’t say it is low GI as it hasn’t been tested. But it does contain low GI ingredients like chickpeas and mandarins and will make a perfect dessert for that special Mother’s Day dinner when the family is gathered served as is or with a dollop of Greek yoghurt. It keeps for about 2 days in a sealed container. Not suitable for freezing. Makes 12 slices.
4 mandarins (about 70g/2½oz each), washed
1½ cups slivered almonds (or 180g/6oz ground almonds)
400g (14oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
4 eggs
1¼ cups caster sugar
1 tsp gluten-free baking powder
½ tsp vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 170ºC. Grease and line the base of an 18cm (7in) round cake pan (base measurement).
Place the mandarins in a microwave-safe baking dish and cover. Microwave the mandarins for 3–3½ minutes until soft. When cool enough to handle, break each into a few pieces, remove any seeds and stems. Don’t peel.
Process the almonds until ground in a food processor. Remove. Process the chickpeas until chopped and crumbly. Add mandarins (skin and all) and process until pureed.
Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a large bowl. Add the mandarin puree, ground almonds, baking powder and vanilla and stir to combine well (it is a runny mixture). Taste for sweetness and add an extra tablespoon of sugar if need be.
Pour the cake batter into the cake pan. Bake for 60–65 minutes or until top is firm and a skewer into the centre comes out clean. Remove cake from the oven and leave in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Turn the right way up and leave to cool.
Per serve (based on 12 slices)
Energy: 1040 kJ/ 250 cals; Protein 7 g; Fat 11.5 g (includes 1.5 g saturated fat and 63 mg cholesterol); Available carbs 29 g; Fibre 3.5 g
Antony Worrall Thompson’s aromatic tomato tart
This exquisite tart reproduced here with permission from Antony Worrall Thompson’s GI Diet (which has sold over half a million copies) is very simple to prepare and can be eaten either alone or as part of a main course. Serves 4
4 sheets filo pastry
2 tbs (30ml) olive oil
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp fennel seeds
3 spring onions, sliced
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 garlic cloves, sliced
¼ tsp chilli powder
6 large ripe tomatoes, each cut into 4 thick slices
Preheat the oven and a non-stick baking tray to 220ºC/425ºF/gas mark 7.
Lightly brush the sheets of filo pastry with a little of the olive oil and fold them in half. Stack them one on top of the other on another non-stick baking tray.
Warm the rest of the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the ground coriander, fennel seeds, spring onions, cumin seeds and garlic, and stir-fry until the spices start releasing their fragrant bouquet. Add the chilli powder and the tomatoes (you will need to do this in two batches), and cook for 1–2 minutes, being careful not to break up the tomato slices. Set aside any cooking juices.
Arrange the tomatoes on the pastry, leaving a 5mm (1/4in) edge to the pastry. Set the baking tray on top of the hot tray in the oven and cook for 15–20 minutes, until the pastry is crisp and golden. Drizzle any tomato spice juices over the tart and serve.
Per serving
Energy: 460kJ/110cals; Fat 8g (includes 1.6g saturated fat); Available carbs 9g
Anthony Worrall Thompson has such an irresistible way with vegetables and salads you’ll find it easy to boost your serves of veggies a day to at least five a day (if not more) cooking from this book. In addition, he has included a generous serving of recipes that make the most of legumes and barley – a real plus. If you invest in a copy, be aware that the potato, pizza, bread and rice pudding recipes are likely to be moderate or even high GI and that a number of recipes are low carb so you may need to top up your tank with your favourite low GI fuel. The GI Diet is available from good bookshops and online.
You can whip up this tasty low GI potato salad that was featured in Catherine Saxelby’s weekly column in 20 minutes. Perfect for summer salads or a buffet or barbecue. Serves 6
1kg (2lb 4oz) Carisma potatoes, washed
2 small zucchini (courgettes), thinly sliced
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup chopped fresh mint
¼ cup chopped fresh chives
Fresh mint, to garnish
Lemon yoghurt dressing
1 cup low fat natural yoghurt
¼ cup low fat mayonnaise
1 tsp finely grated lemon rind
1 tbs (20ml) lemon juice
Ground white pepper, to taste
Make the lemon yoghurt dressing by combining all the dressing ingredients in a medium jug.
Cut the washed potatoes into quarters. Place in a saucepan of hot water. Bring to the boil. Cook, uncovered, for 4–5 minutes, or until just done. Potatoes should be slightly firm in the centre. Be careful not to over-cook. Drain well.
Place the warm potatoes in a large bowl with the zucchini, parsley, mint, chives and half the dressing and toss to combine. Refrigerate, covered, until cold.
Drizzle remaining dressing over salad just before serving. Garnish with fresh mint.
Per serving
Energy 660 kJ/ 160 cals; Protein 7 g; Fat 0.6 g (includes 0.2 g saturated fat and less than 4 mg cholesterol); Available carbohydrate 23 g; Fibre 4 g
– Reproduced courtesy New Idea magazine, Photo: Andrew Young; styling: Carolyn Fienberg.
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.
Shells with pinto beans and feta
This is a basic recipe that changes with the whim of the cook, limited only by imagination and culinary curiosity. Italian cooks are naturally drawn to add in seasonal produce (spinach, cauliflower, green beans, etc.) or possibly something leftover in the fridge (peperonata, canned plum tomatoes, grilled eggplant, chicken breasts, etc.) Go for it! Servings: 5 (1 cup each)
180g (6oz) uncooked medium shells
1 tbs (15ml) extra virgin olive oil
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 large bunch scallions (4 oz.), washed, horizontally sliced
440g (15oz) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup stock (chicken, beef or vegetable)
2–3 tbs (30–45ml) red wine vinegar
¼ tsp salt or to taste
1/8 tsp pepper or to taste
120g (4oz) feta cheese or other cheese of choice
Cook shells according to package directions. Do not overcook. Drain and set aside.
Sauté garlic in oil for 1 minute in a medium-sized, non-stick pan then add the scallions and continue cooking for another 2 minutes. Add in the beans, broth, vinegar, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly. Cook with medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to simmer, add in pasta and mix thoroughly. Heat through for 1 minute. Crumble cheese on top of the pasta and serve directly from the pan.
Per serving (1 cup)
Energy: 1188kJ/ 283cals; Protein 14g; Fat 7g (includes 3g saturated fat and 12mg cholesterol); Available carbohydrate 39g; Fibre 5g
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.
![[JOHANNA]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tdmgRQrh7rz_YurKfzEznFK0swsSia0lPt-bjLwCiWYsBNRAFUU4BGz06T7CQoE5Qk9j7_LjK17kbJSc1KhXDZxw_WYVDR8Xl_A_NTeAO0kf8wXxV1zQgXEZCpkfHm=s0-d)
Inspired by Claudia Roden’s Orange & Almond Cake, I created this moist, dense cake using ground almonds, a can of chickpeas and mandarins as they are just coming into season. I can’t say it is low GI as it hasn’t been tested. But it does contain low GI ingredients like chickpeas and mandarins and will make a perfect dessert for that special Mother’s Day dinner when the family is gathered served as is or with a dollop of Greek yoghurt. It keeps for about 2 days in a sealed container. Not suitable for freezing. Makes 12 slices.
4 mandarins (about 70g/2½oz each), washed
1½ cups slivered almonds (or 180g/6oz ground almonds)
400g (14oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
4 eggs
1¼ cups caster sugar
1 tsp gluten-free baking powder
½ tsp vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 170ºC. Grease and line the base of an 18cm (7in) round cake pan (base measurement).
Place the mandarins in a microwave-safe baking dish and cover. Microwave the mandarins for 3–3½ minutes until soft. When cool enough to handle, break each into a few pieces, remove any seeds and stems. Don’t peel.
Process the almonds until ground in a food processor. Remove. Process the chickpeas until chopped and crumbly. Add mandarins (skin and all) and process until pureed.
Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a large bowl. Add the mandarin puree, ground almonds, baking powder and vanilla and stir to combine well (it is a runny mixture). Taste for sweetness and add an extra tablespoon of sugar if need be.
Pour the cake batter into the cake pan. Bake for 60–65 minutes or until top is firm and a skewer into the centre comes out clean. Remove cake from the oven and leave in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Turn the right way up and leave to cool.
Per serve (based on 12 slices)
Energy: 1040 kJ/ 250 cals; Protein 7 g; Fat 11.5 g (includes 1.5 g saturated fat and 63 mg cholesterol); Available carbs 29 g; Fibre 3.5 g
Antony Worrall Thompson’s aromatic tomato tart
This exquisite tart reproduced here with permission from Antony Worrall Thompson’s GI Diet (which has sold over half a million copies) is very simple to prepare and can be eaten either alone or as part of a main course. Serves 4
4 sheets filo pastry
2 tbs (30ml) olive oil
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp fennel seeds
3 spring onions, sliced
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 garlic cloves, sliced
¼ tsp chilli powder
6 large ripe tomatoes, each cut into 4 thick slices
Preheat the oven and a non-stick baking tray to 220ºC/425ºF/gas mark 7.
Lightly brush the sheets of filo pastry with a little of the olive oil and fold them in half. Stack them one on top of the other on another non-stick baking tray.
Warm the rest of the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the ground coriander, fennel seeds, spring onions, cumin seeds and garlic, and stir-fry until the spices start releasing their fragrant bouquet. Add the chilli powder and the tomatoes (you will need to do this in two batches), and cook for 1–2 minutes, being careful not to break up the tomato slices. Set aside any cooking juices.
Arrange the tomatoes on the pastry, leaving a 5mm (1/4in) edge to the pastry. Set the baking tray on top of the hot tray in the oven and cook for 15–20 minutes, until the pastry is crisp and golden. Drizzle any tomato spice juices over the tart and serve.
Per serving
Energy: 460kJ/110cals; Fat 8g (includes 1.6g saturated fat); Available carbs 9g
Anthony Worrall Thompson has such an irresistible way with vegetables and salads you’ll find it easy to boost your serves of veggies a day to at least five a day (if not more) cooking from this book. In addition, he has included a generous serving of recipes that make the most of legumes and barley – a real plus. If you invest in a copy, be aware that the potato, pizza, bread and rice pudding recipes are likely to be moderate or even high GI and that a number of recipes are low carb so you may need to top up your tank with your favourite low GI fuel. The GI Diet is available from good bookshops and online.
Busting Food Myths with Nicole Senior
Myth: People with diabetes shouldn’t eat sugar
![[NICOLE]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tAcoAyj63o5R5UTzRTu988i0qTl-kklX5RisJoxr5Z7yetvksBjC8yxFxvh1t8lzdt47ZWO4190cBAdACmcBEaPuugUtPR0ziqUOH9TKlH6yyEdsoQpZiFw8KasBmgOA=s0-d)
Nicole Senior
Fact: People with diabetes can enjoy sugar in moderation as part of a healthy diet.
Do you believe that all chocolate and candy or lollies cause a rapid spike and then crash in blood glucose levels? You’re not alone. If you ask anyone walking down the street what they think a diet for people with diabetes should include, chances are the first thing they’ll say is ‘no sugar’. It’s one of the most pervasive and persistent myths about diet and health ever, I reckon. Yet it is a myth.
The downfall of the ‘no sugar’ dietary dogma started with the advent of the glycemic index (GI). The GI was the first means by which we could actually measure the effect of different foods on our blood glucose levels and it turned the nutrition world upside down. Before the GI we separated carbs into starches and sugars, and recommended ‘complex’ starchy foods over ‘simple’ sugary foods in the mistaken belief they would not raise your BGLs to the same degree. We were wrong. Measuring the GI of a variety of starchy and sugar foods turned the old advice on its head. We discovered most bread, potatoes and rice had a high GI, whereas table sugar and most honey had a moderate GI. Even more shocking was that sweet tasting foods such as (most) fruits, flavoured yoghurt and ice cream had a low GI! The shockwaves of this scientific development are still being felt. Even the terminology has changed. Using ‘complex and simple carbohydrates’ to describe speed of digestion is now defunct because we know many starches are very fast to digest and many sugars are slow.
The anti-sugar message has also soiled the reputation of all carbohydrates, promoting the use of low-carb diets. Besides the obvious nutritional problems of cutting out grains, fruits, dairy and starchy vegetables, new research suggests a ‘spoonful of sugar’ may actually be beneficial for the regeneration of insulin producing beta cells in the pancreas. A mouse study published in Cell Metabolism found the availability of glucose (from the digestion of carbohydrates) increased the speed at which these vital cells reproduce themselves, and may offer hope for people with diabetes whose beta cells have been destroyed or are in decline.
However, this doesn’t give a green light to people with diabetes to stuff themselves with sweets, but it does discredit the sugar veto. Today, the advice for people with diabetes is the same as for the general population: consume moderate amounts of sugars and foods containing added sugars. The caveat if you have diabetes being to spread your carbs evenly through the day, balance carb intake with medication and choose low GI carbs where possible. Sugar is NOT OK when eaten in large quantities and in less nutritious foods such as confectionery and soft drinks. But some sugar is OK when eaten in moderate amounts within healthy foods. For example, in low fat fruit yoghurt, custard or ice cream, or wholegrain or high fibre breakfast cereal – even a small piece of fruit cake or oat biscuit. There is no need to especially restrict the natural sugars found in fruit and dairy foods. There’s more to a diet for diabetes than the sugar content of foods and a little sugar might help make healthy foods more enjoyable and life a little sweeter.
For great recipes moderate in sugar and also good for your heart, check out Nicole’s books at www.eattobeatcholesterol.com.au HERE.
Nicole Senior
Fact: People with diabetes can enjoy sugar in moderation as part of a healthy diet.
Do you believe that all chocolate and candy or lollies cause a rapid spike and then crash in blood glucose levels? You’re not alone. If you ask anyone walking down the street what they think a diet for people with diabetes should include, chances are the first thing they’ll say is ‘no sugar’. It’s one of the most pervasive and persistent myths about diet and health ever, I reckon. Yet it is a myth.
The downfall of the ‘no sugar’ dietary dogma started with the advent of the glycemic index (GI). The GI was the first means by which we could actually measure the effect of different foods on our blood glucose levels and it turned the nutrition world upside down. Before the GI we separated carbs into starches and sugars, and recommended ‘complex’ starchy foods over ‘simple’ sugary foods in the mistaken belief they would not raise your BGLs to the same degree. We were wrong. Measuring the GI of a variety of starchy and sugar foods turned the old advice on its head. We discovered most bread, potatoes and rice had a high GI, whereas table sugar and most honey had a moderate GI. Even more shocking was that sweet tasting foods such as (most) fruits, flavoured yoghurt and ice cream had a low GI! The shockwaves of this scientific development are still being felt. Even the terminology has changed. Using ‘complex and simple carbohydrates’ to describe speed of digestion is now defunct because we know many starches are very fast to digest and many sugars are slow.
The anti-sugar message has also soiled the reputation of all carbohydrates, promoting the use of low-carb diets. Besides the obvious nutritional problems of cutting out grains, fruits, dairy and starchy vegetables, new research suggests a ‘spoonful of sugar’ may actually be beneficial for the regeneration of insulin producing beta cells in the pancreas. A mouse study published in Cell Metabolism found the availability of glucose (from the digestion of carbohydrates) increased the speed at which these vital cells reproduce themselves, and may offer hope for people with diabetes whose beta cells have been destroyed or are in decline.
However, this doesn’t give a green light to people with diabetes to stuff themselves with sweets, but it does discredit the sugar veto. Today, the advice for people with diabetes is the same as for the general population: consume moderate amounts of sugars and foods containing added sugars. The caveat if you have diabetes being to spread your carbs evenly through the day, balance carb intake with medication and choose low GI carbs where possible. Sugar is NOT OK when eaten in large quantities and in less nutritious foods such as confectionery and soft drinks. But some sugar is OK when eaten in moderate amounts within healthy foods. For example, in low fat fruit yoghurt, custard or ice cream, or wholegrain or high fibre breakfast cereal – even a small piece of fruit cake or oat biscuit. There is no need to especially restrict the natural sugars found in fruit and dairy foods. There’s more to a diet for diabetes than the sugar content of foods and a little sugar might help make healthy foods more enjoyable and life a little sweeter.
For great recipes moderate in sugar and also good for your heart, check out Nicole’s books at www.eattobeatcholesterol.com.au HERE.
GI Symbol News with Dr Alan Barclay
![[ALAN]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_t94vp-cuORdfjo6DSwAOiU0itkjOFVzAhDVnnhOyGj0SlbMF8kn-91FWKXfdl0tRKEsGdaSzgHfZFspV5KiX4_q05YPkLjqAF9JKT0GxQqVMvIKgy1a7OFkEUf4-GM=s0-d)
Dr Alan Barclay
Eat foods, not nutrients
In his NYT piece Unhappy Meals Michael Pollan documents the ‘shift from eating food to eating nutrients’ and argues that relying solely on information regarding individual nutrients has led people and policy makers to repeatedly make poor decisions relating to food and nutrition over the last forty years.
The ‘low fat’ story is a good example of this nutritionism at work. Research from the 1960s and 1970s linking high fat (especially saturated fat) diets with cardiovascular disease, led to widespread government health recommendations to cut back on fat intakes – a mantra quickly enshrined in dietary guidelines the world over to beat heart disease and the battle of the bulge. The food industry responded by developing a vast array of reduced and low fat alternatives (often substituting refined carbohydrates for the fat). People responded too, cutting back on full fat products and tucking into the ‘diet’ and ‘lite’ alternatives with gusto. And although heart health statistics improved, the scales told a different story. People just kept on getting fatter. Why? Well as Arne Astrup points out in Saturated fat and heart disease – the latest evidence in this issue, what you replace fat with really does matter.
The huge success of Dr Atkins’ New Diet Revolution with his message that excessive carbohydrate consumption (not fats saturated or otherwise) was the bad guy behind the US obesity epidemic shone the spotlight back on carbohydrates in general. Post Atkins Revolution, one carbohydrate in particular – fructose - has been singled out as the cause of the US obesity epidemic, especially in the form of high fructose corn syrups used in increasing amounts by the US food industry from the late 1970s. The parallel increase in rates of overweight and obesity with the increasing use of HFCS has led some researchers to believe that fructose is in fact a major cause of the obesity epidemic. Yet rates of overweight and obesity have increased around the globe, even in countries like Australia (we are right up there in the fattest nations league) where high fructose corn syrups are not generally used.
At the University of Sydney's Human Nutrition Unit, we decided to explore further the links between increased consumption of sugars (including fructose) and the global obesity epidemic. In our paper published in April in Nutrients we investigate trends in sugars consumption in Australia, UK and the US between 1980–2003 to see whether it was likely that increased consumption was the cause of the obesity epidemic in these nations.
In Australia, the UK and US, per capita consumption of refined sucrose (table sugar) decreased by 23%, 10% and 20% respectively from 1980–2003. However, when all sources of nutritive sweeteners, including HFCS, were considered, per capita consumption decreased in Australia (16%) and the UK (5%), but increased in the US (23%). During this period, the prevalence of obesity has increased three-fold in Australians and at least doubled in the UK. So while excessive consumption of fructose in the form of HFCS may be a contributing factor to the US obesity epidemic, it seems unlikely that it is a major cause elsewhere.
It appears that in Australia at least, people took the message to eat less sugar very seriously. Australians are very good at adopting public health messages with one of the lowest rates of cigarette smoking in the world due to decades of the Quit campaign, and the Slip, Slop, Slap campaign to reduce sun exposure has been so successful that rates of vitamin D deficiency are skyrocketing.
Maybe the real problem is focusing on individual nutrients in foods to find a key culprit to blame for of the obesity epidemic. And while we obsessively count the grams of fat or sugar we consume, we inadvertently consume more food and drink overall. Also, we often overlook the fact that most of us are less physically active than we were a few decades ago.
Of course, foods and traditional diets are far more than just nutrients. Food is one of life’s great pleasures to be enjoyed with family and friends. For each of us it is part of our cultural heritage and for many integral to religious beliefs. If we want to deal with the current obesity epidemic without totally destroying our enjoyment of food, life and the environment, let’s encourage people to enjoy whole foods and beneficial dietary patterns such as the Mediterranean diet (and here I mean both what was eaten and how mealtimes were enjoyed), rather than blaming specific nutrients.
For more information email Dr Alan W Barclay here: alan@gisymbol.com
For more information about the GI Symbol Program
Dr Alan W Barclay, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer
Glycemic Index Foundation (Ltd)
Phone: +61 (0)2 9785 1037
Mob: +61 (0)416 111 046
Fax: +61 (0)2 9785 1037
Email: alan@gisymbol.com
Website: www.gisymbol.com
GI Update
Professor Jennie Brand-Miller answers your questions
Isn’t the insulin response more important than the GI value? Wouldn’t it be better to have an insulin index of foods?
The insulin demand exerted by foods is indeed important for long-term health, but it doesn’t necessarily follow that we need an insulin index of foods instead of a glycemic index. When they have been tested together, the glycemic index is extremely good at predicting a food’s insulin index. (In other words, a low GI food usually has a low insulin index value and a high GI food usually has a high insulin index value.) There are some instances, however, in which a food has a low GI but a high insulin index value. This applies to dairy foods and to some highly palatable, energy-dense ‘indulgence foods.’ Some foods (such as meat, fish, and eggs) that contain no carbohydrate, just protein and fat (and have a GI of essentially zero), still stimulate significant increases in blood insulin.
We don’t currently know how to interpret this type of response for long-term health. It may be a good outcome, because the increase in insulin has contributed to the low level of glycemia. On the other hand, it may be less than ideal, because the increased demand for insulin contributes to beta-cell ‘exhaustion’ and the development of type 2 diabetes. Until studies are carried out to answer these types of questions, the glycemic index remains a proven dietary tool for predicting the effects of food on health.
A recent study in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition comparing GI and insulinemic index (II) values of carbohydrate-rich foods in healthy people, hyperinsulinemic people and people with type 2 diabetes reports that the GI values are similar regardless of the severity of glycemia or degree of insulin sensitivity, showing that GI is a property of foods and affirming its clinical usefulness in a broad population. Prof Tom Wolever concludes: ‘However, the II values of carbohydrate foods were inversely associated with insulin sensitivity and positively related to the severity of glycemia and hepatic insulin extraction, suggesting that II is not solely a property of foods but also depends on the metabolic status of the subjects.’
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]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_thKjiuyZBUp1BSRKBxpGxWOGb_C3_ZQbsgZrqPYCp2rQZbcIwejH7e3ZGqPM_xee9E3VTGrJcYJClNHzkT_uhBiqOEGbD77qxS5jtLYnIb0-ltir9rgvzzH-oOkbXT=s0-d)
Research Manager, Sydney University Glycemic Index Research Service (SUGiRS)
Human Nutrition Unit, School of Molecular and Microbial Biosciences
Sydney University
NSW 2006 Australia
Phone + 61 2 9351 6018
Fax: + 61 2 9351 6022
Email sugirs@mmb.usyd.edu.au
Web www.glycemicindex.com
See The New Glucose Revolution on YouTube
Isn’t the insulin response more important than the GI value? Wouldn’t it be better to have an insulin index of foods?
The insulin demand exerted by foods is indeed important for long-term health, but it doesn’t necessarily follow that we need an insulin index of foods instead of a glycemic index. When they have been tested together, the glycemic index is extremely good at predicting a food’s insulin index. (In other words, a low GI food usually has a low insulin index value and a high GI food usually has a high insulin index value.) There are some instances, however, in which a food has a low GI but a high insulin index value. This applies to dairy foods and to some highly palatable, energy-dense ‘indulgence foods.’ Some foods (such as meat, fish, and eggs) that contain no carbohydrate, just protein and fat (and have a GI of essentially zero), still stimulate significant increases in blood insulin.
We don’t currently know how to interpret this type of response for long-term health. It may be a good outcome, because the increase in insulin has contributed to the low level of glycemia. On the other hand, it may be less than ideal, because the increased demand for insulin contributes to beta-cell ‘exhaustion’ and the development of type 2 diabetes. Until studies are carried out to answer these types of questions, the glycemic index remains a proven dietary tool for predicting the effects of food on health.
A recent study in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition comparing GI and insulinemic index (II) values of carbohydrate-rich foods in healthy people, hyperinsulinemic people and people with type 2 diabetes reports that the GI values are similar regardless of the severity of glycemia or degree of insulin sensitivity, showing that GI is a property of foods and affirming its clinical usefulness in a broad population. Prof Tom Wolever concludes: ‘However, the II values of carbohydrate foods were inversely associated with insulin sensitivity and positively related to the severity of glycemia and hepatic insulin extraction, suggesting that II is not solely a property of foods but also depends on the metabolic status of the subjects.’
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
Making the Most of GI News
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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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If you have posted a question in GI News, be assured that the GI Group will answer this as soon as possible. We welcome your views about our articles and other reader’s suggestions. Please POST your comments and questions on the site.
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Copyright
This website and all information, data, documents, pages and images it contains is copyright under the Copyright Act 1968 (Commonwealth of Australia) (as amended) and the copyright laws of all member countries of the Berne Union and the Universal Copyright Convention.
Copyright in the website and in material prepared by GI News is owned by GI News, Human Nutrition Unit, University of Sydney. Copyright in quotations, images from published works and photo libraries, and materials contributed by third parties including our regular contributors Alan Barclay, Jennie Brand-Miller, Johanna Burani, Diane Temple, Emma Stirling and Nicole Senior is owned by the respective authors or agencies, as credited.
GI News encourages the availability, dissemination and exchange of public information. You may include a link to GI News on your website. You may also copy, distribute, display, download and otherwise freely deal only with material owned by GI News, on the condition that you include the copyright notice “© GI News, Human Nutrition Unit, University of Sydney” on all uses and prominently credit the source as being GI News.
You must, however, obtain permission from GI News if you wish to do the following:
This permission does not extend to material contributed and owned by other parties. We strongly recommend that you refer to the copyright statements at their respective websites and seek their permission before making use of any such material, whether images or text. Please contact GI News if you are in doubt as to the ownership of any material.
Disclaimer
GI News endeavours to check the veracity of news stories cited in this free e-newsletter by referring to the primary source, but cannot be held responsible for inaccuracies in the articles so published. GI News provides links to other World Wide Web sites as a convenience to users, but cannot be held responsible for the content or availability of these sites.
© ® & ™ The University of Sydney, Australia
To subscribe to GI News, simply click on the SUBSCRIBE link in the top right-hand column. Help us be sure our email newsletter isn’t filtered as spam. Add "gifeedback@gmail.com" to your address book to ‘whitelist’ us with your filter, helping future issues of GI News get to your inbox.
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
Your questions answered
If you have posted a question in GI News, be assured that the GI Group will answer this as soon as possible. We welcome your views about our articles and other reader’s suggestions. Please POST your comments and questions on the site.
Want to search past issues of GI News?
Want to search the GI News Archive for a particular topic, food or recipe? Make the most of our search feature with Google. Simply enter the term in the space provided and press SEARCH.
Want to print a copy of this GI News edition?
Download and print the PDF.
Copyright
This website and all information, data, documents, pages and images it contains is copyright under the Copyright Act 1968 (Commonwealth of Australia) (as amended) and the copyright laws of all member countries of the Berne Union and the Universal Copyright Convention.
Copyright in the website and in material prepared by GI News is owned by GI News, Human Nutrition Unit, University of Sydney. Copyright in quotations, images from published works and photo libraries, and materials contributed by third parties including our regular contributors Alan Barclay, Jennie Brand-Miller, Johanna Burani, Diane Temple, Emma Stirling and Nicole Senior is owned by the respective authors or agencies, as credited.
GI News encourages the availability, dissemination and exchange of public information. You may include a link to GI News on your website. You may also copy, distribute, display, download and otherwise freely deal only with material owned by GI News, on the condition that you include the copyright notice “© GI News, Human Nutrition Unit, University of Sydney” on all uses and prominently credit the source as being GI News.
You must, however, obtain permission from GI News if you wish to do the following:
- charge others for access to the work
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- modify the work.
This permission does not extend to material contributed and owned by other parties. We strongly recommend that you refer to the copyright statements at their respective websites and seek their permission before making use of any such material, whether images or text. Please contact GI News if you are in doubt as to the ownership of any material.
Disclaimer
GI News endeavours to check the veracity of news stories cited in this free e-newsletter by referring to the primary source, but cannot be held responsible for inaccuracies in the articles so published. GI News provides links to other World Wide Web sites as a convenience to users, but cannot be held responsible for the content or availability of these sites.
© ® & ™ The University of Sydney, Australia
Bahrain worshippers protest death sentences
 |
| Source: Al Jazeera |
Thousands of Bahraini Shia Muslims have gathered before a revered cleric to denounce death sentences given to protesters over anti-government rallies crushed last month in the Gulf kingdom.
The verdict, handed down by a military court a day earlier to four men accused of killing two policemen in violent protests last month, could intensify sectarian tension in the Sunni Muslim-ruled state that hosts the US Navy's Fifth Fleet.
"It's not true that they killed them," a man who identified himself only as Moussa said, after praying at the mosque of Sheikh Issa Qassim, as a police helicopter circled overhead.
"The government made it up just like a movie."
He was referring to video footage that Bahraini authorities have circulated showing the two policemen smashed by a vehicle that sped through a crowd of protesters, some of whom appeared to then trample and kick the fallen men.
Police kept a tight grip on roads leading to the village where the mosque is located, turning back many vehicles.
The rulings were only the third time in over 30 years that a death sentence had been given to a Bahraini citizen.
The seven defendants were tried behind closed doors on charges of premeditated murder of government employees, charges which their lawyers denied.
They have further divided a country whose Shia majority says it faces systematic discrimination, but whose Sunni leaders claim Iran is trying to extend its regional influence by manipulating its co-religionists.
Opposition leaders argue the protests in February and March were about demanding more political freedoms and a constitutional monarchy, and that the government is trying to caste it in a sectarian light.
"The sentence was appropriate," Mohammad al-Ammadi, a Sunni lawmaker, citing what he saw as the extreme brutality of the killings. "This is the first time this happened in Bahrain."
In his sermon, the cleric Sheikh Issa Qassim alluded to the growing rift in the country.
"If you wish to be assailed with problems, to lose all comfort ... then allow the spirit of antagonism to take hold and spread in your country," he said.
"This is a fire which may seem manageable at first, but is ultimately beyond control ... and its consequences are always grave."
In the aftermath of the protests, hundreds of people have been detained, and at least three have died in custody. Human rights groups say hundreds of people have been sacked from public sector jobs and that Bahraini forces have seized patients and health workers from hospitals where protesters had been treated.
The latter assertion figured in a rare, mild rebuke of Bahrain from the United States on the heels of the court ruling, which included life sentences for three other men.
"Security measures will not resolve the challenges faced by Bahrain," Heide Bronke-Fulton, a spokesperson for the US state department, said via email.
"We are also extremely troubled by reports of ongoing human rights abuses and violations of medical neutrality in Bahrain. These actions only exacerbate frictions in Bahraini society."
Germany urged Bahrain on Friday to rescind the death sentences.
"This draconian punishment impedes the process of rapprochement and reconciliation in Bahrain," Andreas Peschke, a spokesperson for the German foreign ministers, said on Friday.
Solidarity protests
More than 200 Shia Muslims protested in Saudi Arabia's oil-producing east on Friday in solidarity with fellow believers in nearby Bahrain, who are facing a rolling crackdown, two activists said.
The gatherings in the towns of Awwamiyah and Qatif on Friday defied a call by leading Shia clerics last week for an end to rallies in the conservative Gulf kingdom's Eastern Province, in an apparent bow to government pressure.
Shia activists in the area have held weekly protests over the past two months without major clashes with police.
"There was a protest of over 200 people in Awwamiyah, with the same demands as previous weeks. Police were present but far from the protesters," one activist in Awwamiya told the Reuters news agency by telephone.
The Sunni Muslim monarchy of Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter and a major US ally, does not tolerate any form of public dissent.
Saudi protesters have called for solidarity with Shia in the nearby Gulf island kingdom of Bahrain, where a fierce crackdown has continued since anti-government rallies, led mostly by Shia, were crushed there in March.
Bahrain's uprising unnerved Saudi Arabia, which is connected to the Gulf island kingdom by a causeway. Saudi authorities sent in troops after Bahrain's rulers called on Gulf neighbours to support its crackdown.
In the Pakistani city of Lahore, Shia Muslims held a protest on Friday against the death sentence ruling in Bahrain, carrying symbolic coffins in a show of support.
Bahrain’s prime minister ordered the head of the country's civil service and other senior officials to review procedures for firing state employees, the state news agency said a week ago.
Related article: "Four protesters sentenced to death in Bahrain", April 28, 2011
URGENT APPEAL for Ali Abdullah Hassan al-Sankis, Qassim Hassan Matar, Saeed Abduljalil Saeed, Adbulaziz Abdulridha Ibrahim Hussain at imminent risk of execution in Bahrein
Four men accused of killing two policemen during anti-government protests last month have been sentenced to death in Bahrain. They may be at imminent risk of execution.
Ali Abdullah Hassan al-Sankis, Qassim Hassan Matar, Saeed Abduljalil Saeed and Adbulaziz Abdulridha IbrahimHussain were sentenced to death on 28 April by a military court although they are believed to be civilians,their trial was conducted behind closed doors. The prosecution accused them of the premeditated murder of two police officers during anti-government protests in March by deliberately running them down with a vehicle. They and three other defendants tried with them - Issa Abdullah Kadhim Ali, Sadeq Ali Mahdi and Hussein Jaafar Abdulkarim – who were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment, all reportedly deny the charge.
The seven defendants are believed to have been tried by a special court, the National Safety Court of First Instance, which was established under the State of National Safety (SNS), a national state of emergency declared by the King of Bahrain on 15 March. The provisions of the SNS are broadly drawn and vague, and it contains no explicit human rights guarantees. The SNS also established the National Safety Court of First Instance to try people accused of crimes committed under the state of emergency, and a National Safety Appeal Court to hear appeals from this special court. The SNS stipulates that Bahrain’s ordinary courts may not hear appeals from these special courts, whose verdicts are final.
It is expected but not yet confirmed that the seven defendants will lodge appeals. If this does occur, the appeals may be held very quickly and the four prisoners under sentence of death may be at imminent risk of execution. The seven are believed to have been held incommunicado for some time following their arrests which are believed to have taken place on or after 16 March, and they may have been subjected to torture or other ill-treatment.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible:
--Expressing grave concern at the imposition of death sentences on Ali Abdullah Hassan al-Sankis, Qassim Hassan Matar, Saeed Abduljalil Saeed and Adbulaziz Abdulridha Ibrahim Hussain after a military court trial behind closed doors.
--Acknowledging the Bahraini government’s responsibility to protect the public and bring to justice those responsible for committing crimes, but insisting that this should always be done in accordance with international law and Bahrain’s international human rights obligations;
--Urging His Majesty Shaikh Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifa to commute the death sentences imposed today and those of all others facing possible execution in Bahrain if they are confirmed by appeal courts
--Urging His Majesty to establish a full, thorough and independent inquiry into all alleged abuses of human rights committed during the recent protests, including allegations of unlawful killings by the security forces, with a view to ensuring that those responsible for serious abuses are brought to justice through fair trials and without recourse to the death penalty.
APPEALS TO:
King
King Shaikh Hamad bin ‘Issa Al Khalifa
Office of His Majesty the King
P.O. Box 555
Rifa’a Palace, al-Manama,
BAHRAIN
Fax: 011 973 17664587
Salutation: Your Majesty
COPIES TO:
Prime Minister
Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa
Office of the Prime Minister
P.O. Box 1000, al-Manama,
BAHRAIN
Fax: 011 973 17533033
Salutation: Your Highness
Minister of Justice and Islamic Affairs
Shaikh Khaled bin Ali al-Khalifa
Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs
P. O. Box 450, Manama
BAHRAIN
Fax: 011 973 17531284
Salutation: Your Excellency
Ambassador Houda Ezra Ebrahim Nonoo
Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain
3502 International Drive. NW
Washington DC 20008
Phone: 202 342 1111
Fax: 1 202 362 2192
Email: ambsecretary@bahrainembassy.org
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.
Source: Amnesty International
May 2, 2011 Update
Set Aside Martial Law Death Sentences -- 4 Civilians Condemned to Death, 3 to Life in Prison in Unfair Military Trial
Bahraini authorities should set aside a military court ruling on April 28, 2011, sentencing 4 defendants to death and 3 others to life in prison for their alleged involvement in the murder of 2 police officers, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch understands that the 7 defendants, ages 19 to 24, whose trial and sentencing lasted less than 2 weeks, are the 1st civilians to be convicted in special military courts set up after King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa declared martial law on March 15.
Authorities accused them of running over 2 police officers on March 16, 2011, when security forces attacked protesters occupying the Pearl Roundabout in central Manama.
"By establishing these special courts, the government of Bahrain is making it near impossible for defendants to enjoy the rights to which they are entitled," said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "The role of the military prosecutor, the makeup of the special court, and the meager access to legal representation undermine the most basic due process protections."
One defense lawyer who had initially acted in the case was arrested just before midnight on April 15 and lack of information about his whereabouts and well-being gives rise to concern that he may have been forcibly disappeared. Other defense lawyers were called in for questioning in recent days.
Authorities charged the defendants with premeditated murder under Bahrain's 1976 Penal Code and the 2006 counterterrorism law, which mandates the death penalty for certain crimes, including murder, when designated a terrorist crime. The trial began in the special military court, which the government calls the National Safety Lower Court, on April 17 after at least three pretrial sessions in early April. All the defendants pleaded not guilty to charges of premeditated murder. The rulings came four days after Bahrain's military public prosecutor, Col. Yusif Rashid Feleyfel, announced that the government was seeking the death penalty and defense lawyers presented their final pleadings.
Bahrain's Information Affairs Authority announced the death sentences on April 28 for Ali Abdullah Hassan al-Singace, 19; Qasim Hasan Matar Ahmad, 20; Saeed Abd al-Jalil Saeed, 19; and Abd al-Aziz Abd al-Ridha Ibrahim Husain, 24, "for their role in the deaths of policemen Kashef Ahmed Madhoor and Mohammed Farooq Abdulsamad."
The court sentenced Isa Abdullah Kadhim Ali, Sayyed Sadiq Ali Mahdi, and Husain Jafar Abd al-Karim, all age 19, to life in prison. A defense lawyer who represents one of the defendants told Human Rights Watch that during the trial lawyers were able to meet with their clients only twice - for 30 minutes before the trial began and once again before the final hearing. Unlike regular criminal court proceedings, the lawyer said, a military prosecutor presented the state's case, and a military judge, accompanied by two civilian judges, presided.
The official Bahrain News Agency (BNA) said that family members and others were allowed to attend the trial, although it was not open to the public. Under an April 8 National Safety Court of Appeal decision, media may not publish information about cases pending before the national safety courts to "ensure safety of evidence and guarantee the right of witnesses for legal protection."
A lawyer representing one of the seven men told Human Rights Watch that the defendants may appeal their convictions and sentences to a National Safety Court of Appeals. Those decisions are final and not subject to further appeal. In civilian trials, defendants can appeal criminal sentences to the Higher Court of Appeals, and the Court of Cessation must review all death sentences. On April 28 the BNA acknowledged that Bahrain has observed a "de facto moratorium on capital punishment" but "retained the right to apply the punishment for the most serious of crimes."
Bahrain is a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which includes guarantees for a fair trial. Although neither international law nor the covenant prohibit the establishment of special courts, the UN Human Rights Committee has explicitly confirmed that the trial of civilians by such courts can only be very exceptional and take place under conditions which genuinely afford the full guarantees of a fair trial. These include the right to presumption of innocence and against self-incrimination; the right to be tried before an independent tribunal; the right to a lawyer of the defendants own choice and to have adequate time and facilities for the preparation of a defense including the right to adequate communication with a lawyer and right to call and examine witnesses.
Human Rights Watch opposes the creation and use of special courts to try national security crimes, as it believes that ordinary courts are capable of effectively prosecuting serious crime including terrorist offences. Human Rights Watch also opposes capital punishment in all circumstances because of its irreversible, cruel, and inhumane nature.
"Even during a state of emergency, fundamental rights such as the right to life and the right to a fair trial must always be respected," Stork said. "And any restrictions during a genuine emergency must be strictly limited and justified by the exigencies of the actual situation. Bahrain's obligations as a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights remain fully in force."
As of April 27, according to the head of the Information Affairs Authority, Shaikh Fawaz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, authorities had referred 405 detainees to the special military court and released 312. Human Rights Watch is aware of at least 4 other defendants currently on trial for attempted murder and other crimes before the National Safety Lower Court. On April 20, authorities announced the arrest of a suspect identified as A.Y.A., a 21-year-old male, who allegedly ran down a third police officer, Ahmed al-Muraisi, with a car on March 15, killing him.
One defense lawyer initially involved in the April 28 case, Mohammed al-Tajer, was arrested shortly before midnight at his home on April 15 and has not been heard from since. His wife and colleague lawyers told Human Rights Watch that authorities have not provided any information as to his whereabouts or his well-being, giving rise to concern that he may have been forcibly disappeared. Human Rights Watch has also received reliable information that over the past week Interior Ministry officials summoned 4 defense lawyers, including at least three involved in this case, and that each was questioned by the military prosecutor for between 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 hours.
Human Rights Watch is concerned that al-Tajer's arrest and the questioning of the other lawyers is a tactic by the government to intimidate and silence defense lawyers. Under the UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers, states are required to guarantee that lawyers are able to perform all of their professional functions without intimidation, hindrance, harassment, or improper interference, and that their security is not threatened as a result of discharging their functions.
Despite the defendants' "not guilty" pleas, Bahrain TV aired a program on April 28, following the announcement of the sentences, in which several of the defendants appeared to describe in detail their plans to kill police officers. Human Rights Watch has reviewed the 24-minute program and believes that one of those shown on the broadcast was Ali Isa Ibrahim Saqer, 34, who died in custody under suspicious circumstances. He had gone to the police station after police officers came to his home looking for him in connection with the death of a police officer who had allegedly been run over by protesters.
Human Rights Watch viewed Saqer's remains during the ritual body washing before he was buried in his home village of Sehla on April 10. His body showed signs of severe physical abuse. Authorities maintained that Saqer had "created chaos" while in detention, "which led security forces to bring the situation under control," resulting in his death. Saqer's case was 1 of 4 documented by Human Rights Watch in April in which an individual died under suspicious circumstances while in police custody.
"By videotaping the alleged confessions of these defendants and shamelessly airing them on the day the sentences are handed down, Bahrain is taking a page right out of the propaganda playbook of notorious human rights abusers like Iran," Stork said. "It appears they included the televised confession of a detainee who to all appearances had been tortured to death."
Human Rights Watch called on the Bahraini authorities to immediately release information on the whereabouts and safety of Mohammed al-Tajer as well as hundreds of other detainees who have not been permitted contact with families or lawyers. The authorities should either release them or charge them now with a recognizable offense. In any event, they should have immediate access to lawyers, doctors, and families.
Source: Human Rights Watch, May 2, 2011
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Luxor Temple at night
Next time take a tripod! Luxor temple at night is truly magically. I have been telling other people to go there for years and finally did it myself. I did most of my photos resting the camera on a handy nearby stone, pillar or pole.
The first photo was taken on the road a little way from the temple, the angle was dictated by the wall I rested the camera on. You can also get a good shot from MacDonald’s or Snack time.
The beginning of the avenue of sphinxes.
Ramses II look particularly magnificent
A completely different perspective in the dark.
The peristyle hall was wonderful for photos.
To the side of the sanctuary there is the birth room. Now normally the inscriptions are quite tricky to see in daylight but at night-time they were perfectly clear and even a photo was possible.
Exit the temple at the sanctuaries and walk back along the block yard, wonderful in the dark, here are the lady apes, see their skirts : )
The restored mosque is lovely and even the door shows without flash.
The first photo was taken on the road a little way from the temple, the angle was dictated by the wall I rested the camera on. You can also get a good shot from MacDonald’s or Snack time.
The beginning of the avenue of sphinxes.
Ramses II look particularly magnificent
A completely different perspective in the dark.
The peristyle hall was wonderful for photos.
To the side of the sanctuary there is the birth room. Now normally the inscriptions are quite tricky to see in daylight but at night-time they were perfectly clear and even a photo was possible.
Exit the temple at the sanctuaries and walk back along the block yard, wonderful in the dark, here are the lady apes, see their skirts : )
The restored mosque is lovely and even the door shows without flash.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Fright Night Empire Interview
The above article is featured in the latest issue of Empire (June 2011) which is out now priced at £3.99.
The Telegrah Preview The Gobetweenies
The Telegraph have previewed David's new Radio 4 comedy The Gobetweenies:
David Tennant plays Joe, father of ten year old Tom and teenage Lucy. He's no longer married to Mimi (Sarah Alexander.) She's on marriage 3 now but both parents try hard to keep the ties that, naturally, will bind them all at least until the two children have finished school. So there's lots of driving around, talking on mobile phones, picking up and bringing back, trying not to contradict each other. But it's all very wearing so Joe has a bright idea. Is is practical? This comedy by Marcella Evaristi shows every sign of being neatly drawn from life.
Episode 1 of The Gobetweenies will air on Friday 6th May 2011 at 11:30am
David Tennant plays Joe, father of ten year old Tom and teenage Lucy. He's no longer married to Mimi (Sarah Alexander.) She's on marriage 3 now but both parents try hard to keep the ties that, naturally, will bind them all at least until the two children have finished school. So there's lots of driving around, talking on mobile phones, picking up and bringing back, trying not to contradict each other. But it's all very wearing so Joe has a bright idea. Is is practical? This comedy by Marcella Evaristi shows every sign of being neatly drawn from life.
Episode 1 of The Gobetweenies will air on Friday 6th May 2011 at 11:30am
Guest Blogger: My David Tennant Sculpture
We're introducing a bit of a new feature to the blog section of the site with guest bloggers getting the chance to write an article.
Our first guest blogger is the artist George Mark:
Hi there folks I am a sculptor living and working in the West of Scotland I specialise in portrait sculpture and am commissioned to to do different pieces of work from all over, recent work has included a commission to sculpt the late John Smith http://news.stv.tv/scotland/west-central/225768-scottish-labour-leader-to-unveil-statue-of-john-smith/ and last week along with the Arch Bishop Mario Conti handed over a bust of Pope Benedict to a local business man who won it at auction for £3500 http://local.stv.tv/coatbridge/news/15935-archbishop-praises-work-of-local-artist/My most enjoyable work is when I am free to sculpt my own favourite people, I have recently sculpted Micheal Buble, Bob Marley, Beyonce, Frank Sinatra, and of course David Tennant as Doctor Who! I am a big Doctor Who fan and can remember back to all the Doctors and cowering behind a cushion as a kid when the Daleks or Cybermen were trying to overcome the Doctor. Wasnt it sad when the Doctor disappeared off our screens a while back , but isnt it wonderful that the amazing David Tennant and the creativity of Russell T Davies has breathed new and exciting life back into the show, so much so I was moved to create this sculpture in clay and glaze which is 16 inches high and 12 inches wide with the Doctor staring into space and the sinister hand of the Cyberman reaching over his shoulder!! I get the feeling though the Doctor will prevail! This sculpture will probably go to one of the galleries representing my work and can be seen on the Fine Art America site http://fineartamerica.com/featured/doc-who-george-mark.html
Hi there folks I am a sculptor living and working in the West of Scotland I specialise in portrait sculpture and am commissioned to to do different pieces of work from all over, recent work has included a commission to sculpt the late John Smith http://news.stv.tv/scotland/west-central/225768-scottish-labour-leader-to-unveil-statue-of-john-smith/ and last week along with the Arch Bishop Mario Conti handed over a bust of Pope Benedict to a local business man who won it at auction for £3500 http://local.stv.tv/coatbridge/news/15935-archbishop-praises-work-of-local-artist/My most enjoyable work is when I am free to sculpt my own favourite people, I have recently sculpted Micheal Buble, Bob Marley, Beyonce, Frank Sinatra, and of course David Tennant as Doctor Who! I am a big Doctor Who fan and can remember back to all the Doctors and cowering behind a cushion as a kid when the Daleks or Cybermen were trying to overcome the Doctor. Wasnt it sad when the Doctor disappeared off our screens a while back , but isnt it wonderful that the amazing David Tennant and the creativity of Russell T Davies has breathed new and exciting life back into the show, so much so I was moved to create this sculpture in clay and glaze which is 16 inches high and 12 inches wide with the Doctor staring into space and the sinister hand of the Cyberman reaching over his shoulder!! I get the feeling though the Doctor will prevail! This sculpture will probably go to one of the galleries representing my work and can be seen on the Fine Art America site http://fineartamerica.com/featured/doc-who-george-mark.html
Hope you like it guys!
Blog Review: Kafka The Musical
Kafka The Musical reviewed for David-Tennant.com by Jude Burke
It’s fair to say that, if I were hunting around for a subject for a musical, the life of Czech writer Franz Kafka, author of the disturbing ‘Metamorphosis’, probably wouldn’t be at the top of my list. Hopelessness, alienation and death at the age of 40 from TB don’t exactly fit with the glitz and glamourof musicals, after all. But that didn’t put off writer (and Dr Who composer) Murray Gold, who hassucceeded in creating an entertaining and touching – if somewhat confusing – drama from this most unlikelysubject matter.
‘Kafka: The Musical’ begins with Kafka (played by DT) waking up from uneasy dreams one morning to find, not that he has been transformed into a gigantic insect, but that his life has been turned into a musical.His father, keen to see Kafka do some real work andfinally earn a living, has convinced local showbiz producer Herr Grossman to work with Kafka on a new show.
But when he goes to Grossman’s offices, the mysterious producer isn’t there – in fact, Kafka never meets him. Nonetheless, the writer finds himself plunged into a world beyond his control, where he is to be the star of a show he has neither agreed to, nor seen the script for – a show about his own life. Complete with song and dance.
Confused? So was Kafka - so was I, in fact. And things got even more baffling. As rehearsals for the ‘show’ progress, the lines between art and life – or at least play and musical – become blurred. Scenes that appear to be part of Kafka’s life turn out to be in the musical. Characters from Kafka’s life crop up, but not necessarily in the role they originally played (FeliceBauer, the woman Kafka almost married, is the assistant stage manager, for example). Strange men turn up in Kafka’s dreams asking questions about Grossman – but are they really his dreams? And who is this Grossman? Why does Kafka never meet him? What does it all mean?
After about an hour or so of feeling thoroughlyperplexed, along comes a comma (you’ll have to listen to the play if you don’t know what I mean) and everything changes. Out of all this confusion comes a touching story of a man who, having lived in fear and self-doubt all his life, finally embraces love and life just as it nears its end. The question of where the musical ends and life begins no longer matters – it’s all life, Kafka’s life, with its inevitable sad conclusion.
It goes without saying that DT is excellent as Kafka, brilliantly conveying his changing emotions – from nervous and bewildered in the beginning, to his growing confidence and love towards the end. The final scenes with Dora, his true love, are particularlypoignant, as Kafka clings on to a life he has only recently come to love.
(And of course, this being a musical, DT also gets to sing a song or two. But don’t get too excited - while they were perfectly passable, I don’t think he should give up the day job just yet.)
While ‘Kafka: The Musical’ left me feeling a little too baffled to be able to say that I thought it was brilliant, it was definitely engaging – even moving, in places.There are certainly worse ways to spend an hour and a half than listening to it. And I would dearly love to know what was going through Murray Gold’s mind when he came up with the idea.
You can read Jude's review of United on her blog here.
It’s fair to say that, if I were hunting around for a subject for a musical, the life of Czech writer Franz Kafka, author of the disturbing ‘Metamorphosis’, probably wouldn’t be at the top of my list. Hopelessness, alienation and death at the age of 40 from TB don’t exactly fit with the glitz and glamourof musicals, after all. But that didn’t put off writer (and Dr Who composer) Murray Gold, who hassucceeded in creating an entertaining and touching – if somewhat confusing – drama from this most unlikelysubject matter.
‘Kafka: The Musical’ begins with Kafka (played by DT) waking up from uneasy dreams one morning to find, not that he has been transformed into a gigantic insect, but that his life has been turned into a musical.His father, keen to see Kafka do some real work andfinally earn a living, has convinced local showbiz producer Herr Grossman to work with Kafka on a new show.
But when he goes to Grossman’s offices, the mysterious producer isn’t there – in fact, Kafka never meets him. Nonetheless, the writer finds himself plunged into a world beyond his control, where he is to be the star of a show he has neither agreed to, nor seen the script for – a show about his own life. Complete with song and dance.
Confused? So was Kafka - so was I, in fact. And things got even more baffling. As rehearsals for the ‘show’ progress, the lines between art and life – or at least play and musical – become blurred. Scenes that appear to be part of Kafka’s life turn out to be in the musical. Characters from Kafka’s life crop up, but not necessarily in the role they originally played (FeliceBauer, the woman Kafka almost married, is the assistant stage manager, for example). Strange men turn up in Kafka’s dreams asking questions about Grossman – but are they really his dreams? And who is this Grossman? Why does Kafka never meet him? What does it all mean?
After about an hour or so of feeling thoroughlyperplexed, along comes a comma (you’ll have to listen to the play if you don’t know what I mean) and everything changes. Out of all this confusion comes a touching story of a man who, having lived in fear and self-doubt all his life, finally embraces love and life just as it nears its end. The question of where the musical ends and life begins no longer matters – it’s all life, Kafka’s life, with its inevitable sad conclusion.
It goes without saying that DT is excellent as Kafka, brilliantly conveying his changing emotions – from nervous and bewildered in the beginning, to his growing confidence and love towards the end. The final scenes with Dora, his true love, are particularlypoignant, as Kafka clings on to a life he has only recently come to love.
(And of course, this being a musical, DT also gets to sing a song or two. But don’t get too excited - while they were perfectly passable, I don’t think he should give up the day job just yet.)
While ‘Kafka: The Musical’ left me feeling a little too baffled to be able to say that I thought it was brilliant, it was definitely engaging – even moving, in places.There are certainly worse ways to spend an hour and a half than listening to it. And I would dearly love to know what was going through Murray Gold’s mind when he came up with the idea.
You can read Jude's review of United on her blog here.
Governor Brown Cancels Plan to Build New $356 Million Condemned Inmate Housing Facility at San Quentin
 |
| San Quentin's new death chamber |
SACRAMENTO – Acting to save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today canceled plans to build new housing for condemned inmates at San Quentin.
“At a time when children, the disabled and seniors face painful cuts to essential programs, the State of California cannot justify a massive expenditure of public dollars for the worst criminals in our state,” said Brown. “California will have to find another way to address the housing needs of condemned inmates. It would be unconscionable to earmark $356 million for a new and improved death row while making severe cuts to education and programs that serve the most vulnerable among us.”
Planning for a new condemned inmate housing facility at San Quentin was initiated in 2003, during the administration of Governor Gray Davis, and was continued by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s administration. The project was designed to house 1,152 inmates and provide for future growth of California’s condemned population. California currently has fewer than 700 inmates awaiting death sentences.
This project would have added another $356 million to the state’s debt, at an annual cost of $28.5 million in debt service that would have come out of General Fund dollars.
Source: Los Angeles Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, April 29, 2011
California: Brown Cancels New Death Row Complex
Gov. Jerry Brown has canceled plans for a new $356 million death row complex at San Quentin State Prison. Governor Brown said Thursday that the state could not justify the expense at a time of huge cuts to education and other essential services. Plans for the new death row complex were approved in 2003 by Gov. Gray Davis and continued to be developed under Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The complex was designed to house 1,152 inmates, allowing California’s condemned population to grow. The state now has fewer than 700 inmates awaiting death sentences.
Source: AP, April 29, 2011
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Thursday, April 28, 2011
Hone Harawira’s expensive divisive politics
We all know that Hone Harawira is a loose cannon and a drain on the taxpayer. He draws an MPs salary and trips around the country attending hui and promoting himself and his new party. The speaker line up for the launch of the party this weekend is here and includes Veronica Tawhai, Annette Sykes, Sue Bradford, Nandor Tanczos, Matt McCarten, Margaret Mutu and John Minto. I've met most of them and it is an impressive list.Since Harawira left the Maori Party the Maori Party travel expenses have dramatically reduced. In the past few months the Maori Party has spent $44,000 on travel, just $1000 more than Harawira alone. So Harawira was responsible for half the Maori Party travel bill bill and we are still paying that half while Harawira trips around as an independent MP trying to stitch up his divisive party.
And it will be divisive. It will pit Maori against Maori at the taxpayers expense. If he wins his seat as a leader of a parliamentary party he will get even more money. There was even talk of Harawira resigning from Parliament to force a by-election to get a mandate for his new party so he could be a Parliamentary leader in parliament before the General election – at a cost of $500,000.
Harawira must realise that the only way to get extra MPs for his Mana party is to challenge the Maori seats, just like Tariana Turia did. So you can expect that Harawira’s agreement not to challenge the Maori seats will be broken.
Then it will be an all-out Maori-against-Maori divisive political battle. Instead of Harawira discussing white mother***ers raping our land, he`ll be focusing on the Maori Party, tripping around the country attempting to create a wedge between his party and the Maori Party, and many ofthose speaking at the launch of the party this weekend will not be impressed. In addition the party will struggle to create an identity, as it jumps between nationalism, unionism and left wing politics. That has started already with Sue Bradford announcing she is unwilling to join a party that is more focussed on nationalism than the Left.
The Mana party will get nasty as it will need all the publicity it can get, in the absence of broadcasting funding. If it is successful it could split the Maori vote and be quite divisive. A similar scrap has happened before when Christians Graham Capill and Graeme Lee had their public scrap within the Christian Coalition in the 1990s, and more recently when the Gordon Copeland and Brian Tamaki kissed and fell out. The difference here is that Capill and Lee were never going to win seats, and Copeland was a list MP-turned-independent.
In addition, the leaders of the two Maori parties are current MPs thanks to MMP, and are likely to retain their seats after the election.
Harawira wants to be an “independent” voice - and I think he`ll get his wish as the lone MP from his party in parliament. Whether this voice will have any worthwhile influence within Parliament, even if he does take others in with him, is another matter.
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