Monday, October 31, 2011

GI News—November 2011

[COLLAGE]
  • GI pioneer Prof David Jenkins on GI and the best diet for longterm health
  • Prof Jennie Brand-Miller on GI and mixed meals
  • Babies and blood glucose
  • Why physical activity matters for managing BGLs
  • The scoop on sugar-free foods
  • Does taking vitamin supplements make you healthier?
  • New GI values for Vita-Weat Lunch slices, Up&Go Breakfast Yoghurt and Hollywood Foods More Than Pasta
Prof David Jenkin’s Glycemic index of foods: a physiological basis for carbohydrate exchange published in 1981 dramatically changed our understanding of carbohydrates and their effect on our bodies. Since then, research around the world has highlighted that the GI has implications for everybody including helping people maintain weight loss. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of its publication in AJCN, Fiona Atkinson, Manager of SUGiRS spoke with Prof Jenkins about the background to publishing the original paper and his current thoughts on GI, diet and health in general and Dr Alan Barclay reports on the incredible GI research journey.

Good eating, good health and good reading.

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

Food for Thought

Fiona Atkinson talks to Prof David Jenkins on GI, diet and longterm health
'I recently had a great opportunity to talk to Professor David Jenkins (a professor in the Departments of Medicine and Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, a staff physician in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, and the Director of the Clinical Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification Center, St. Michael's Hospital) to find out where the science of GI started. But we didn’t just cover GI but also other hot topics in nutrition such as vegetarian/vegan diets!'

Professor David Jenkins
Professor David Jenkins

FA: Did you have any idea at the time that the implications of your research and the paper Glycaemic index of foods: a physiological basis for carbohydrate exchange would be so far reaching?
DJ: We thought it would be broad because diabetes was linked with heart disease, renal disease, and with blindness. We didn’t want to even speculate how far this was going to go. We thought it was important because it was looking at diet from the physiological point of view and not simply from the chemical point of view.
FA: These days it typically takes 6 months for a paper to be reviewed/amended and then accepted for publication. Were there any challenges getting the study published at the time?
DJ: You’d be surprised, really surprised but Ted Van Itallie, who was editor of AJCN, a really nice guy and well known in terms of his work on obesity accepted the paper we sent him without revision and published it! Never before nor since have I had that treatment. The next surprise was that we got no requests for reprints, it was absolutely unnoticed for the next year. It was accepted without comment and without criticism, it was published and it was ignored.
FA: What did you do to follow up?
DJ: The data in the original publication included many studies, so we broke out many of the things already imbedded in it and started showing that pulses (beans, peas and lentils), were low GI foods; that cereal fibre didn’t necessarily make a difference and wheat fibre only made a small difference, which was again a surprise; and that pasta was different from bread. We must have done some self promotion and we referenced the original paper to make people aware that we made these discoveries before. I think people started to become interested in fibre or pasta or beans and I think that meant that there was a general interest. Out of all the papers that I’ve written and published, it’s had the slowest generation of interest but on the other hand it’s had the most sustained [interest].
FA: What do you see as the short term and long term benefits of adopting a low GI diet to prevent or treat disease.
DJ: I think that keeping glycemia under control stops you from stressing your pancreas, stops you from getting too much free radical damage and stops you from oxidising LDL [cholesterol], and stops you from glycating your haemoglobin. All these things may in the end have adverse consequences. Do I think that it matters that sleek, lean athletes who haven’t got an ounce of fat on their body, who’s blood glucose profile is flat and rarely raises above baseline are people on low GI diets. No – I think they can have high GI foods all the time and they can do what they like in life but in fact they don’t because by definition they’re trained athletes, by definition they’re incredibly disciplined, by definition they eat regularly and they exercise hard – they burn all their calories. So by definition they’re not slouches. But for the rest of us, mere mortals who don’t take any exercise and eat too much, watch too much television and do too much in front of computers and perhaps are driven to smoke – we really need to start thinking about how we are going to look after ourselves. We are becoming increasingly the norm, in fact we are the norm – the human greyhound is the abnormal person now.
FA: If you were going to give someone tips for the best things they could do for their longterm health, reducing disease risk even for the health of the planet and sustainability?
DJ: I think the first tip is focus on plant foods. The next tip is look at higher protein plus or minus the higher vegetable oil/vegetable protein foods such as nuts and legumes. Leafy vegetables are actually high in protein with very little fat and carbohydrate so these are useful. I think fruit is … should be the pleasure in life. Temperate climate fruit have a low GI so if you’re a little more overweight or a little insulin resistant you may have to forgo too many mangoes or too many bananas. Stick to apples, pears, peaches, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries – the berries – are generally good, I think that’s important. Obviously if you’re eating well, you must exercise well to the best of your ability – that’s important and often overlooked.
FA: What do you see as the benefit of going meatless?
DJ: I think the benefits are basically on an humanitarian perspective – I used to put that as a sort of rider at the end but I think now it’s becoming the first issue as human beings. Second, I think one has to think of the environmental issues. They always say it’s a ten to one ratio for plant based diet versus an animal based diet in terms of land consumption, water usage, which is obviously a problem in many places, and basically environmental impact and environmental degradation. We cannot afford to have the whole planet geared to feeding cattle that feed us, this seems to be an insanity that we accept because it’s palatable. I think those are really strong reasons. I think that if one is sensible and one watches B12 and one’s diet, one can live very well on a vegetarian or vegan diet.

Fiona Atkinson
Fiona Atkinson

News Briefs

Babies and blood glucose
In a review in The British Journal of Nutrition of the current literature on maternal glycemia and the role of the dietary GI and its impact on pregnancy outcomes, the authors conclude: ‘Data from clinical studies in healthy pregnant women have documented that consuming a low-GI diet during pregnancy reduces peaks in postprandial glucose levels and normalises infant birth weight. Pregnancy is a physiological condition where the GI may be of particular relevance as glucose is the primary fuel for fetal growth.’

Pregnant woman

Prof Jennie Brand-Miller explains. ‘A woman’s body changes during pregnancy to ensure a steady supply of glucose to her baby,’ she says. ‘Glucose is the main fuel the baby uses to grow and it crosses freely from mother to baby through the placenta. How much glucose the baby receives depends directly on the mother’s blood glucose level and the rate of placental blood flow. If a woman’s blood glucose level is high, then higher levels of glucose will also be transferred to her baby. Babies make their own insulin from about 15 weeks to handle glucose. So the extra glucose stimulates the baby’s pancreas to make extra insulin. The extra glucose is metabolised and stored, making the baby grow bigger and fatter than normal. The good news for pregnant women is that by treating elevated glucose levels during pregnancy, the risk of any problems drops considerably. And this is where the GI comes to the fore. Foods with a low GI typically evoke a lower rise in blood glucose levels, making maintenance of normal glucose levels easier.’

Physical activity matters for managing BGLs
When healthy young people cut back their physical activity by about half for three days, they doubled their postprandial glucose responses to their meals according to findings of a study in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. ‘We now have evidence that physical activity is an important part of the daily maintenance of glucose levels,’ says author Professor John Thyfault. ‘Even in the short term, reducing daily activity and ceasing regular exercise causes acute changes in the body associated with diabetes that can occur before weight gain and the development of obesity.’ Thyfault monitored the activity levels and diets of 12 healthy and moderately active young adults. When the participants reduced their physical activity by 50% for three days while continuing to enjoy the same diet, the continuous glucose monitors that they wore showed significantly increased levels in BGLs after meals. ‘This study shows that physical activity directly impacts health issues that are preventable,’ says Thyfault. ‘It is recommended that people take about 10,000 steps each day,’ ‘Recent evidence shows that most Americans are only taking about half of that, or 5000 steps a day. This chronic inactivity leads to impaired glucose control and increases the risk of developing diabetes.’

Group of people walking

What’s New?
Event: World Diabetes Day is held on November 14. Each year WDD features a theme chosen by the International Diabetes Federation. The slogan chosen for this year's campaign is: Act on Diabetes. Now. Check the website to find out what’s happening.

Get the Scoop with Emma Stirling

The scoop on sugar-free foods

Emma Stirling
Emma Stirling APD

For many years people with diabetes were told to cut out sugar completely. So it’s not surprising that we saw a huge increase in the number of products, from chewing gum to yoghurt, sweetened with alternatives. But in recent times ‘sugar free’ has come under the spotlight and the story for good health, may turn out to not be as sweet.

Sugar free does not mean calorie free. Just because your chocolate bar says ‘sugar free’ doesn’t mean that it is necessarily low in calories or will miraculously help you melt that fat away. Be careful to look at the total profile of a food by reading the nutrition information panel. If you bypass this step, you may be falling into the trap of a health halo – latching on to one prominent message and giving yourself permission to overeat or over compensate. Just because you were ‘good’ and had a diet cola does not automatically make way for a ‘sugar-free’ chocolate brownie indulgence.

Other concerns over sugar-free foods have surfaced. Some researchers have suggested that foods with artificial sweeteners may trigger hunger and cravings, but more studies are needed. And nutritionists have reported caffeine addictions when people get into the habit of swilling down large quantities of diet cola beverages all day. But it’s the new insights into dental health and that ‘sugar free’ label that’s got everyone talking.

Sugar-free foods are not all tooth friendly. We know that dental cavities can form when bacteria in your mouth convert sugars into acid, which then breaks down tooth enamel. So it would make sense that sugar-free foods would be a top choice for dental health. Indeed, some alternative sweeteners like xylitol have been shown in clinical trials to be ‘tooth friendly’. The problem is that you can’t make this same assumption for all sweeteners as a group. You see another sweetener sorbitol may be converted by bacteria in your mouth to acid. Furthermore, a recent study published in the British Dental Journal has shown that many sugar-free foods may in fact have a high acid content to start with. The presence of flavours, preservatives and other additives may make the food or drink highly acidic, which would cancel out the sugar-free benefits and could still lead to dental erosion.

The scoop Don’t panic if you enjoy sugar-free foods, these are just some new insights to keep in mind when balancing your healthy choices. Enjoying a sugar-free treat with a meal, rather than on its own and regularly brushing and flossing your teeth can minimise acid contact with your teeth.

Sugar

Or perhaps you can satisfy your sweet tooth with a little sugar? Many studies in the past 20 years show that a moderate amount of sugar (e.g. 30–50 grams or 6–10 teaspoons a day) does not adversely affect BGLs (if you have diabetes) nor lead to unwanted weight gain. Keep in mind, however, that this moderate amount includes all sources of refined sugar you consume over the day – white, brown, raw, treacle, golden syrup, soft drinks, desserts, cookies, breakfast cereals or a teaspoon of sugar added to a cup of tea or coffee. For a sweet, icy treat with a healthy twist, try my recipe for Yogurt Pavlova Popsicles!

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 and a healthy serve of what’s in flavour.

In the GI News Kitchen

American dietitian and author of Good Carbs, Bad Carbs, Johanna Burani, shares favourite recipes with a low or moderate GI from her Italian kitchen. For more information, check out Johanna's website. The photographs are by Sergio Burani. His food, travel and wine photography website is photosbysergio.com.

[JOHANNA]

Broccoli rabe tricolore
‘Tricolore’ is how the Italians refer to their national flag. It has three colors: green white and red. And those are the colors you will see looking at you from this dish. Broccoli rabe is more popular in the US than it is in northern Italy so when I find it and make it for my friends in Friuli, they devour it! And don’t be fooled: the simplicity of this recipe belies its full-bodied taste. To clean broccoli rabe, cut away about 2cm (1in) from the bottom of the stems and remove any discolored leaves Makes 4 servings.

1 bunch broccoli rabe, cleaned
4–5 sun-dried tomatoes, cut in thin strips
¼ tsp salt
1½ tbsp good quality olive oil
30g/1oz ricotta salata, shredded

Broccoli rabe tricolore


Place the broccoli rabe in a large sauté pan, add 1 cup water, cover and let simmer for approximately 8 minutes, or until stems are tender. Drain off all the water.
Add the tomatoes, salt and oil. Mix well in the pan. Transfer to serving dish. Top with prepared cheese. May be served warm or at room temperature.

Per serve
Energy: 530kJ/112cals; Protein 6g; Fat 7g (includes 1g saturated fat and 4mg cholesterol); Available carbohydrate 7g; Fibre 4g

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 this Money Saving Meals dessert. For more recipes check out the Money Saving Meal website.

Vanilla pannacotta with strawberry salsa
If you have a sweet tooth, you’ll enjoy the light and healthy sweet endings Foodwatch’s Catherine Saxelby and Woman’s Day Food Director Jennene Plummer have created in their Zest cookbook. Jennene says: ‘If you don’t use gelatine very often in your cooking, remember to let it cool to the same temperature as the yoghurt mix. This minimises the risk of lumps forming and ensures you achieve that desirable creamy smoothness.’ Serves 6

2 x 200g (7oz) tubs no-fat vanilla yoghurt
2 tbsp honey (or to taste)
½ teaspoon vanilla paste or pure vanilla extract
3 tsp gelatine
1/4 cup (60ml) just boiled water

Strawberry salsa
250g/9oz (1 punnet) strawberries, hulled and chopped
1 tbsp icing sugar
1 tbsp Grand Marnier or orange juice

Vanilla pannacotta with strawberry salsa


Chill six 80ml (1/3 cup) moulds. Combine the yoghurt, honey and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Dissolve the gelatine by whisking vigorously in hot water in a small jug. Allow to cool slightly.
Beat a little of the yoghurt mixture into the gelatine to equalise the temperature, then whisk this back into the yoghurt mixture until well combined. Pour into the prepared moulds and chill until almost set. Cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight.
Combine the strawberries, icing sugar and Grand Marnier (or orange juice) in a mixing bowl and toss together gently to make the salsa. Cover and chill until required.
Unmould the pannacottas by carefully running a blunt knife around the rim of each mould and then dipping them into hot water for a few seconds. Invert onto serving plates and shake firmly. Carefully lift away the moulds. Serve the pannacottas with a spoonful of strawberry salsa.

Per serve
Energy: 435kJ/104cals; Protein 6g; Negligible fat; Available carbohydrate 17g; Fibre 1g

Zest is available from Catherine’s website, Foodwatch.

Busting Food Myths with Nicole Senior

[NICOLE]
Nicole Senior

Myth: Taking vitamin supplements make you healthier
Fact: Supplements are only helpful to cover deficiencies and only paper over the cracks of a poor diet. There are some health risks attached to popping nutrient pills.
This month’s topic came about after a study was published in the well-respected journal Archives of Internal Medicine that found women who took multivitamins were actually at increased risk of dying compared to those who didn’t. The researchers followed 39,000 older American women participating in the US Women’s Health Study between 1986 and 2008, and arrived at this startling conclusion after accounting for the usual lifestyle factors such as body weight, smoking, alcohol and exercise levels. They also found taking some individual nutrient supplements was risky, namely vitamin B6, folic acid, iron, magnesium, zinc and copper. On the plus side, they found taking calcium reduced risk. This is not the first study to find that taking vitamins and minerals in supplement form is not as healthy as it seems: a meta-analysis and systematic review of 68 randomised trials in JAMA found increased risk of dying from supplemental beta-carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E.

Vitamin tablets

Vitamins and mineral supplements are a massive global business and have a done a great job in convincing those of us concerned about our health that popping vitamins daily is a good idea, just in case. However research has demonstrated that people who regularly take nutrient supplements are least likely to need them. It’s the ‘worried well’ who are filling the coffers of supplement marketers. As many vitamins are water-soluble and excess is excreted: they are simply creating brightly coloured, nutrient-charged urine. Fat-soluble nutrients (e.g. vitamins A, D, E) can actually build up in the body to toxic levels.

But supplements are not all bad. Sometimes they are a good idea: for example taking folate if planning a pregnancy, calcium if don’t eat dairy, iron if you are female and vegetarian, vitamin D if you’re deficient, or fish oil if you don’t eat seafood. Supplements can be very beneficial for vulnerable groups such as the frail elderly and others who for medical reasons struggle to eat a nutritious diet. But as a general health tonic, forget it: you’re better off spending money on eating better.

Food is complex: there are thousands of phytochemicals in plant foods we haven’t even named yet, and more bio-active substances in animal foods being discovered all the time. No doubt there are synergies between nutrients and other substances in food we can only speculate about at this point in time. It really is rather arrogant of us to expect we can replicate the goodness in food and sell it in a bottle. So if you’re keen to boost your health and wellbeing, skip the vitamin store and head straight to the food market. You can get all you need and more from two fruit, five veggies, legumes, wholegrain and low GI grain foods, lean meat, eggs, poultry and seafood, reduced fat dairy, oils, spreads, nuts and seeds. If you feel you’re diet is inadequate see a dietitian (APD/RD) to find out if you need to take supplements, which ones, and how much to reduce the risk of harm and wasted money.

Nicole Senior is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and Nutritionist and author of Eat to Beat Cholesterol, Heart Food and Belly Busting for Blokes.

GI Symbol News with Dr Alan Barclay

[ALAN]
Dr Alan Barclay

The incredible GI journey
Research on the GI started a world-wide glucose revolution as it clearly showed that carbs didn’t affect our BGLs the way we thought they did at all. Initially freeing people with diabetes from overly restrictive diets, using the GI as a dietary tool has moved on to weight management and prevention of diabetes and heart disease. Today it's also being linked to inflammatory diseases, birth defects, memory, different types of cancer and healthy eyes. There’s even research that suggests that food ‘addiction’ is related to high blood glucose spikes. Prof Jennie Brand-Miller is currently involved in research applying low GI diets to pregnancy. Here are the some milestones in this new glucose revolution.

1977: Dr Phyllis Crapo and colleagues look at the effect of a range of different starchy foods on blood glucose and insulin levels in a group of 16 adults. When they compared the effect of a portion of food calculated to contain 50g available carbohydrate on the total area under the blood glucose and insulin curve for a period of 3 hours after eating, they found that corn and rice produced the lowest glucose and insulin response curves, and potato the highest, with bread in between.

1978: Using a similar methodology, Dr Mark Wahlqvist investigates the effect of 50g of glucose and a range of different starches on the total area under the blood glucose and insulin response curves in a group of 6 adults, for a period of 5 hours. Surprisingly to scientists and health professionals at that time, they found no differences in the glucose or insulin response between glucose and the different sized starches.

1981: Dr David Jenkins, Dr Tom Wolever and colleagues develop the concept of the glycemic index (GI). They fed groups of 5–10 healthy fasting adults, 62 commonly eaten foods each containing 50g available carbohydrate. BGLs were measured over 2 hours and expressed as a percentage of the area under the glucose response curve and compared with the same amount of carbohydrate consumed as pure glucose. Starchy vegetables like potatoes had the highest GI values (70%), followed by breakfast cereals (65%), cereal grains and biscuits (60%). Fruit (50%), dairy products (35%) and legumes (31%) had a relatively small affect on blood glucose in comparison. Despite controversial beginnings, the GI is now widely recognized as a reliable, physiologically based classification of foods according to their postprandial glycemic effect.

1994: American Diabetes Association guidelines drop specific recommendations for people with diabetes to limit the amount of ‘simple sugars’ – and most of the diabetes associations around the world quickly followed suit.

1995: Kaye Foster-Powell and Prof Jennie Brand-Miller publish the first International tables of glycemic index in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, bringing together all of the published data on the GIs of individual foods (almost 600). The tables show the GI according to the glucose and white bread standards, the type and number of subjects tested and the source of the data.

1997: WHO/FAO recommend that the terms ‘simple sugar’ and ‘complex carbohydrate’ no longer be used to describe carbohydrate foods. They recommend the use of the GI and total carbohydrate as the best guides to the effect of carbohydrate foods on blood glucose levels.

2002: Kaye Foster-Powell, Dr Susanna HA Holt and Professor Jennie Brand-Miller publish the revised International table of glycemic index and glycemic load values with almost 3 times the number of foods listed in the original table.

2007: The Cochrane Review of the evidence from randomised controlled trials on GI in the management of overweight and obesity finds that overweight or obese people on low GI diets lost more weight (measured in body mass, total fat mass and BMI) and improved their cholesterol profiles (total and LDL ‘bad’ cholesterol) more than those receiving conventional ‘healthy’ diets.

2008: The first systematic review and meta-analysis of all valid studies investigating the role of GI in the prevention of type 2 diabetes finds that high GI diets increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 40%. This is comparable to the increase in the risk of developing heart disease when people consume a high saturated fat diet.

To improve the quality and quantity of GI data available for research and clinical practice, Fiona Atkinson, Kaye Foster-Powell and Prof Jennie Brand-Miller publish the International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values: 2008 in Diabetes Care listing the GI of over 2480 individual food items.

2009: The Cochrane Review of all of the evidence from randomised controlled trials on the GI in the management of diabetes finds that the use of the GI by people with diabetes leads to a 0.5% point decrease in glycated haemoglobin, or HbA1c, above and beyond that achieved by regular healthy diets, plus it reduces the risk of hypoglycaemia. A 0.5% point decrease in HbA1c is equivalent to what many diabetic medications and insulin's can achieve, and will reduce the risk of common diabetic complications by 10%–20%.

2010: The International Standard designed to measure the glycemic index (GI) of foods (ISO 26642:2010) sets out the internationally recognised scientific method to determine the GI of foods to ensure nutrition and health claims made on food labels can be trusted and to assist food producers formulate healthier low GI products.

The DioGenes study determined that a healthy low GI diet, moderately high in protein, is the best eating plan for long-term weight management.

But while the science of GI is ongoing and can be complex, lowering the GI of your diet today isn’t. It’s really simple – you swap a high GI food for a low GI food from within food categories – a low GI bread instead of a high GI one, a low GI breakfast cereal for a high GI one. Here’s how:

low GI swap it

The GI Symbol, making healthy low GI choices easy choices

New GI Symbol

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

GI Update

Prof Jennie Brand-Miller answers your questions

Jennie
Prof Jennie Brand-Miller

Can the GI be applied to everyday meals?
Criticism of the GI has focused on unpredictable outcomes of blood glucose values after meals because of variations in fat, protein and fibre content. Most of our meals consist of a variety of foods – not just a single food. Even though GI values are derived from testing single foods in isolation, we and other scientists have found that it is possible to predict the ranking of blood glucose responses among meals that consist of several foods with different GI values.

Concerned about the methodology of recent studies showing unpredictable responses, we and our co-researchers at the University of Toronto’s Department of Nutritional Sciences conducted studies with mixed meals on two groups of healthy subjects in Toronto and Sydney. We had previously done smaller studies, but we wanted to revisit the question, using more meals and variety in two different centres with judiciously selected foods. This time, 14 different test meals were used in Sydney and Toronto, and the food combinations reflected a range of typical breakfast choices.

Despite the variations in food factors, relative blood glucose responses remained consistent with GI measures. In fact, we were startled by the degree of predictability. The carbohydrate, fat and protein composition of the meals varied over a wide spectrum. The glucose responses varied over a fivefold range, and yet 90 per cent of that variation was explained by the amount of carbohydrate in the meal and the GI values of the foods as given in published GI tables. We found that the GI works just as predictably whether subjects consume a single portion of one item or a normal meal; we reported these findings in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

More recently, we systematically tested 121 single foods in 1000 kJ portions and 13 mixed meals in 2000 kJ servings. There were wide variations in carbohydrate, fat, protein and fibre content. We found that the GI and/or glycemic load were best predictors of the magnitude of hyperglycaemia and insulinemia, outstripping carbohydrate content in every instance. Indeed, among the mixed meals, carbohydrate was not even a significant predictor. These findings were also published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Another study in a recent issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded that there is substantial uncertainty in predicting the GI of mixed meals. The limitation with this study, however, is that the investigators chose to study just 3 mixed meals with a very narrow range in predicted GI (51, 53 and 63). Not surprisingly, they found that they couldn’t distinguish between the two lower GI meals. The potato meal produced the highest response as we might expect. Ideally, in studies such as this, it makes sense to study more meals across a wider spectrum of predicted GI.

New GI Values from SUGiRS
Arnott’s Vita-Weat Lunch Slices
These crispy slices make a great base for your favourite toppings for lunch or a snack. You’ll find them in supermarkets in Australia. Here are the GI values for the two flavours we tested:
  • Soy Linseed and Sesame: GI 52 – 1 slice provides 19g available carbohydrate. The GL of this size serving is 11
  • Sunflower Pumpkin and Canola – GI 59 – 1 slice provides 19g available carbohydrate. The GL of this size serving is 13.
Soy Linseed and Sesame slice

If you want to compare these crispy slices with similar products – or a slice of bread or piece of toast – here’s the nutrition information product data per 100 grams from the packaging (it wasn’t on their website when we checked just before posting this issue online):
  • Soy, Linseed & Sesame per 100 grams – Energy: 1720kJ; Protein: 14.5g; Fat: 11g (includes 1.3g saturated fat); Available carbohydrate: 57.1g; Fibre: 11.7g; Sodium 465mg
  • Sunflower, Pumpkin and Canola per 100 grams – Energy: 1720kJ; Protein: 14.3g; Fat: 11g (includes 1.4g saturated fat); Available carbohydrate: 58.1g; Fibre: 10.9g; Sodium 473mg
Sanitarium Up&Go Breakfast Yoghurt
Available in a 200g ‘squeezie pack,’ it’s a convenient way to grab a healthy yoghurt for breakfast when you are on the go. You’ll find this product in the chilled section in your supermarket and convenience outlets (Victoria Australia only). The nutrition and ingredient information is on the Sanitarium website HERE.
  • Strawberry and Vanilla flavours: GI: 44 (both) 1 serve (200g) provides 35g available carbohydrate. The GL of this size serving is 15

Up&Go Breakfast Yoghurt


New GI Values from GI Labs
Hollywood Foods More Than Pasta
More Than Pasta is fresh pasta produced artisan style with an original Italian pasta machine to give you that ‘homemade’ pasta experience. Co-owner Gabriella Micallef says that: ‘it’s a unique product as it has been specifically developed to be significantly higher in protein (15g per 60g serving) and fibre than traditional pastas.’ Available fresh or frozen, you can buy it in Toronto and selected outlets in Canada. Visit www.hollywood-foods.com for availability and nutritional analysis. More Than Pasta:
  • Fettuccine: GI 31 – a 60g (2oz/1/3 cup) serving provides 17g available carbohydrate, 5g fibre and 15g protein. The GL of this sized serving is 5.
  • Linguine: GI 31 – a 60g (2oz/1/3 cup) serving provides 17g available carbohydrate, 5g fibre and 15g protein. The GL of this sized serving is 5.

Linguine with traditional clam sauce


GI testing by an accredited laboratory North America
Dr Alexandra Jenkins
Glycemic Index Laboratories
20 Victoria Street, Suite 300
Toronto, Ontario M5C 298 Canada
Phone +1 416 861 0506
Email info@gilabs.com
Web www.gilabs.com

Australia
Fiona Atkinson

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

See The New Glucose Revolution on YouTube

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The Workmen’s Huts in the Theban Mountains -Project 2008–2013

I have loads of good Finish friends who love Egyptology, it seems to be a national characteristic :) This is an excellent website about the work of the Finnish team in Luxor for all those friends. The Workmen’s Huts in the Theban Mountains -Project 2008–2013: - Sent using Google Toolbar

Pharma giant Hospira fails to act on paralysis drug responsible for ‘torturous’ executions

Global pharmaceutical firm, Hospira, is now the only company supplying US execution chambers with the paralysis drug used in lethal injections. Pancuronium bromide is the second drug in the lethal injection ‘cocktail’ and serves to paralyse the prisoner before the lethal dose of potassium chloride is administered.
 
Israeli manufacturer, Teva, recently became the latest manufacturer to exit the execution drug trade, leaving Hospira solely responsible for the US supply of the drug. According to expert anaesthesiologist, Dr. Mark Heath, Pancuronium bromide serves no medical purpose in the lethal injection procedure, but rather a ‘cosmetic’ purpose, serving to mask any possible suffering of the inmate. If not properly anesthetised by the first drug in the cocktail, a prisoner will be paralysed by the pancuronium bromide, unable to move, speak or even motion that something has gone wrong. Dr. Heath attests ‘there is no dispute that the asphyxiation caused by pancuronium and the caustic burning sensation caused by potassium would be agonizing in the absence of adequate anesthesia’.

Earlier this month, legal action charity Reprieve wrote to Hospira to draw their attention to the issue. They offered to assist Hospira in creating a new distribution system which would allow the company to control who is able to use their product and for what purpose. Reprieve recently worked successfully with Danish manufacturer Lundbeck to restrict the distribution of pentobarbital, a product which was also being used in executions. Lundbeck’s effective action means that US prisons are now blocked from buying their drugs for use in executions. Hospira, a company which has long stated its opposition to the use of its drugs in executions, could take similar steps to prevent such abuse. However, they have not replied to Reprieve’s letter and offer of assistance.
 
On average, it takes an anaesthesiologist 5,110 days’ training before he is fully qualified to administer anaesthesia in hospitals; prison wardens are given an average of 2.5 days’ training before they are deemed qualified to administer anaesthesia in lethal injection procedures. Little surprise that executions are so frequently ‘botched’. If the first drug, the anaesthetic, is not properly administered, the prisoner remains conscious as the second and third drugs are injected, causing ‘agonizing pain’. The phenomenon has been likened to that of ‘anaesthesia awareness’ in surgery. Victims of anaesthesia awareness testify that the pain and terror is ‘cruel beyond description’.  

Reprieve investigator Maya Foa said: "Hospira’s silence on this issue is deeply disturbing. The potential for torture associated with this illegitimate use of their drugs is immense. Indeed, the American Veterinary Association has expressly condemned the use of paralytic agents in animal euthanasia. That prisoners are treated worse than animals by the state is scandalous; that healthcare provider Hospira should be complicit in this is nothing short of disgraceful."

Source: Reprieve, October 31, 2011

Perry Displays Varied Stance Toward Crime

Texas Governor Rick Perry (R)
AUSTIN — By the spring of 2004, when Rick Perry had been governor for over three years, the Texas Board of Pardons and Parole had yet to recommend to him that a single death row inmate be spared.

That May, though, the board’s chairwoman allowed the lawyer for Kelsey Patterson to personally present to her an 11th-hour plea that the inmate’s execution be blocked because of his severe mental illness.

Twelve years earlier, Mr. Patterson had murdered two upstanding residents of Palestine, Tex., for no apparent reason and then fled to a nearby yard where he stripped to his brown socks, gesticulating and hollering until the police arrived.

Juries had previously found Mr. Patterson, who had paranoid schizophrenia, incompetent to stand trial for other senseless assaults. After the double murder, however, he not only was tried but also testified, ranting about electronic implants in proceedings so tumultuous that he was repeatedly ejected from the courtroom or gagged with duct tape.

When the parole board voted unexpectedly to commute Mr. Patterson’s sentence to life in prison, his lawyer, euphoric, was cautioned by a legal counselor to Mr. Perry, “Honey, don’t get your hopes up.” Only the board has the power to recommend clemency, but the governor can deny it.

And indeed, the next day, Mr. Perry rejected the recommendation. Mr. Patterson was executed, and his incoherent final statement ended with the bell-clear “Give me my life back.”

In campaigning for the Republican presidential nomination, Mr. Perry has vigorously defended the executions on his watch: 236 over nearly 11 years.

Explaining in 2004 why he was rejecting clemency and upholding the execution of Kelsey Patterson, Mr. Perry said, “No one can guarantee this defendant would not be freed to commit other crimes were his sentence commuted.” Mr. Patterson would have become eligible for parole at 74.

Responding recently to that reasoning, Charles Aycock, a former Texas State Bar president who served on the parole board at the time, said in an interview: “Baloney. We would have never released anybody like that to the street.”

To some here, Mr. Perry’s championing of the death penalty seems crystallized by his 2001 veto of a bill banning the execution of the mentally retarded and by his refusal to stay the execution of Cameron Todd Willingham in 2004 after a last-minute report from an arson expert cast doubt on his guilt in his three daughters’ deaths in a house fire.


Source: The New York Times, October 30, 2011

A quiet job - gravedigging at Glasnevin

Since it's Halloween, here's a treat podcast about gravedigging at Glasnevin. It records a recent interview with Marie-Louise O'Donnell on the Today with Pat Kenny show.

Lovely detail about collapsing graves, maggots, the skill of lowering the coffin, and strange behaviour at the graveside. Would have loved more about the priest who stepped backwards and fell in with the recently departed!

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Investors to move focus from Europe to US economy

Investors to move focus from Europe to US economy

Encouraging news from Europe helped catch fire on stock prices in October. This week, investors will shift their focus to U.S. economic data, which might temper their exuberance.

Three events this week will command attention: the U.S. jobs report for October, the Federal Reserve's policy meeting and Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke's quarterly news conference.

A report Thursday showed that the U.S. economy expanded at a solid 2.5 annual rate in the July-September quarter. That helped ease concerns that another recession might be nearing. Yet the news may have also raised unrealistic expectations about the economy. Investors could end up disappointed.

Eric Green, chief U.S. economist at TD Securities said, “There’s a big difference between avoiding recession and stronger growth". "The economic data will be OK, but it's not going to be a catalyst to move stocks up" significantly.



Full Story

Heavy Snowstorm hits US – killing at least nine

An unusual snowstorm has hit the US East Coast, with some areas of Massachusetts seeing more than 27in (68cm) of snow.

The authorities stated that at least nine people have died in snow-related accidents. More than three million homes have lost their electricity supply from Maryland to Massachusetts - some residents may be without power for several days.

The snowfall eased on Sunday, as the storm headed north from Maine. It had worsened as it moved north, with states of emergency declared in New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and parts of New York.

Communities in western Massachusetts were among the hardest hit. Worcester, Massachusetts. Trees collected more snowfall as they have not yet shed leaves. A National Weather Service (NWS) statement said,Nantucket in Massachusetts experienced wind speeds of 69mph (111km/h)”.




Full Story

Do you know about Sugar Addiction Awareness Day?



I believe it is today - 30th October!!  Here is an interesting podcast with two women interviewed by Dr. Robert Su.

"Ms. Escher is the organizer of a campaign, the first “Sugar Addiction Awareness Day October 30, 2011.” She is a former sugar addict and has been actively helping prevent others from falling into the same trap, from which she has successfully escaped with lots of efforts.
Ms. Kvist is a nutritionist who joins Ms. Escher in this important movement with her enormous knowledge in carbohydrate addiction."


Dr. Su also wrote an interesting article about carbohydrate addiction.

Dig Houses in Luxor (via EEF)

We(Marcel and Monica Maessen) are happy to announce that we have been able to put up three new articles about dighouses in the Luxor area.

Although investigiations into the houses' history is still ongoing, we felt we had to place our preliminary articles anyway. Not in the last place to hear the reactions of people who actually lived in one of the houses.

Here are the articles we placed:

The Metropolitan house:
http://www.tawy.nl/EN_dh_The_Metropolitan_Dig_House_Luxor.html

The "The Garis Davies" house:
http://www.tawy.nl/EN_dh_Beit_Nimsawi_Home_to_Norman_and_Nina_de_Garis_Davies.html

Theodore Davis House:
http://www.tawy.nl/EN_dh_Davis_House_Luxor.html

Complete photoshoots will be available in February 2012.

Looking forward to all reactions.

More information on one of these houses (or any dighouse in Egypt) is always welcome.
For this, please reply off-list to research@tawy.nl

Marcel and Monica Maessen
The t3.wy Project

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Saudi Arabia beheads two convicted murderers

October 27, 2011: Saudi Arabia beheaded two men convicted of murder, one who ran over his victims and the other who deliberately hit his victim's car, the interior ministry announced. Mohammed al-Harbi, a Saudi national, was convicted of "intentionally running over" and killing a Saudi couple—Rabih al-Asiri and his wife Nasila Asiri, the Saudi interior ministry said in a statement carried by state news agency SPA.

He was beheaded in the kingdom's western province of Qunfudah.

In a separate statement, the ministry said that another man, Abdullah al-Jahdali, was also beheaded in another western province, Al-Laith, after he was found guilty of intentionally hitting Fahd al-Jahdali's car and killing him.

The executions bring to 67 the number of those beheaded this year in the ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom.

Source: Agence France-Presse, October 27, 2011

Willingham inquiry ends, but effects linger

The Willingham house
after the blaze
A state investigation into the science used to convict and execute Cameron Todd Willingham came to a quiet close Friday, but its results might echo across the justice system and the nation's death penalty debate for years to come.

Making final changes to its report on the Willingham case, the Texas Forensic Science Commission signed off on a document acknowledging that unreliable fire science played a role in the Corsicana man's conviction for the murder-by-arson deaths of his three young daughters in 1991. He was executed in 2004.

Following commonly held beliefs now known to be wrong, arson investigators testified that the Willingham house fire was intentionally set using a liquid accelerant, the commission concluded.

Modern fire experts working for the commission and for the New York-based Innocence Project, which is representing Willingham posthumously, have determined that none of the more than 20 "arson indicators" identified by fire investigators in 1991 are reliable evidence of accelerant use. The cause of the fire should have been "undetermined," the experts said.

Though the commission's inquiry was never intended to weigh Willingham's guilt or innocence, the findings have added fuel to the debate over capital punishment.

"The world should now know that the evidence relied upon to convict and execute Cameron Todd Willingham for the fire that killed his daughters was based on scientifically invalid and unreliable evidence," said Stephen Saloom , policy director for the Innocence Project. "By any fair estimate, that indicates he was innocent, that he did not set that fire."


Source: statesman.com, October 28, 2011

Stop! Don't Eat The Reeses Peanut Butter Cups! Have this instead.

Above is a safe treat.  Do check out the rest of my Confections section and make something safe to eat so that when faced with all that candy (I don't get Halloween, but don't mind me, I didn't grow up with it), you have something you can indulge your sweet tooth in.

Here is the recipe:  Also, in the Cookbook, Low-Carbing Among Friends.


CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CANDY
This yummy confection is going to very strongly remind you of peanut butter cups!  My family and especially Jonathan loved it. 
1/4  cup unsalted butter (60 mL)
1/4  cup coconut oil (60 mL)
1 oz unsweetened chocolate (30 g)
9 SPLENDA® packets
1/4  cup vanilla whey protein (60 mL)
1/4  cup whole milk powder (60 mL)
1/4  cup peanut butter,* (60 mL)
  sugar free (can contain salt)
1 tbsp whipping cream (15 mL)

In double boiler, melt butter, coconut oil and chocolate.  In food processor with sharp blade, blender or in bowl with electric mixer, pour melted chocolate mixture.  Add SPLENDA®, vanilla whey protein, milk powder, peanut butter and whipping cream; process. Pour into 8-inch (20 cm) square glass baking dish.  Freeze very solid.  This candy needs no thawing; using a knife, pieces break easily.  If desired, you may pour the candy mixture into candy molds instead or into pretty little foil bon bon cups.

Variation:  Chocolate Almond Butter Candy:  Use almond butter and a pinch of salt. (0.7 g carbs)

Helpful Hints:  *If peanut butter is unsalted, add a pinch of salt to the recipe.
The above analysis is a rough estimate, as the pieces that break are not uniform in size.  Do not be worried by the texture of the pre-frozen product – it tastes wonderful and different once completely frozen.  Double the recipe – you’ll be glad you did!  The whole milk powder I buy is finer in texture than skim milk powder.  You may use skim milk powder – just blend it finely first.

Yield:  36 pieces
1 piece
47.4 calories
1.1   g protein
4.5 g fat
1.0 g carbs




Israeli party ponders capital punishment bill to prevent another prisoner swap

The recent prisoner swap that saw Israel release several hundred Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit brought joy to many Israelis, but consternation to many others.

How could prisoners be released who had “blood on their hands” they demanded, referring to the fact that a large proportion of the Palestinians freed were serving life sentences (some of them multiple life sentences) for their role in terror attacks that killed Israeli civilians.

Since the exchange, several efforts have been mounted to try to ensure that such releases never take place again. One effort involves an attempt to draft a set of rules by which any future Israeli government must operate in the event an Israeli citizen is held hostage.

Another effort has been taken by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) to try to ensure that no Israeli soldier is ever taken prisoner. The new directive is to the effect that Israeli soldiers must fire upon any enemy forces attempting to abduct a fellow Israeli soldier, even if such fire jeopardizes the life of the soldier being taken captive.

This week, Shas, one of the parties in the governing coalition announced it would put forward another formula for ensuring no prisoners with blood on their hands are ever released – a bill to be introduced in the Knesset that would impose a death penalty on terrorists who seek to destroy the state of Israel.

Not since 1962, when former Nazi officer Adolf Eichmann was executed for his role in the mass extermination of Jews in Europe, has capital punishment been carried out in Israel. Indeed the action is not one of the legal punishments set out in almost all criminal statutes administered by civil authorities.

Such a bill as Shas has championed has a few problems to overcome, not the least of which is the fact that most Palestinians in Israeli prisons have been convicted by military courts. While Israel’s civil justice system is internationally praised for its independence, impartiality and the quality of the judiciary, the same cannot be said of the country’s military courts (nor almost any country’s military courts).

Capital punishment, still permitted in certain military court cases, has only been carried out once, in 1948, in the early days of the state.

By its very nature, a military court operating in occupied territory and trying civilians from the occupied population is hardly independent or impartial. The officers of the court are also uniformed military officers in an armed force that largely views the prisoners as the enemy.

Until 2004, when legal minimums were introduced, many of those sitting in judgment even in trials of capital offences need not have had legal training.

Not surprisingly perhaps, Israeli studies have shown that in some recent years more than 99 % of the accused have been convicted.

The practice of military courts trying civilians (as opposed to trying its own soldiers accused of breaching military laws) is widely discredited in international legal circles, and neither Israeli society, nor the international community would tolerate a situation where such a court system meted out the death penalty.

This would mean that, if the Shas or a similar bill is passed into law, a large number of the hundreds of serious Palestinian cases would have to be tried in Israeli civilian courts where processes would take far longer than the often brief, summary-style justice of the military courts. It might also result in a far lower rate of conviction.

That alone would probably guarantee that a bill introducing new terms for capital punishment will not be passed.

It is noteworthy that it is Shas that is bringing a capital-punishment proposal forward. Created in the 1980s, Shas is an ultra-Orthodox religious party that represents mostly Sephardi Jews, those descended from Jewish communities of the Middle East and North Africa, as opposed to Northern Europe.

Capital punishment is widely condemned in Jewish religious circles and Shas is breaking from that religious position, not an insignificant matter.

It’s also worth noting what happened in that early Israeli military case of capital punishment.

An Israeli officer named Meir Tobianski was charged with treason for allegedly having passed information to Jordanian forces that allowed their artillery to hit sensitive targets during Israel’s War of Independence. Capt.Tobianski was tried by a makeshift military court in June 1948, found guilty based on evidence provided by the fledgling state’s head of military intelligence, and executed by firing squad.

A year later, an investigation determined that Capt. Tobianski had not been guilty. He was posthumously acquitted of all charges.

Source: The Toronto Globe and Mail, October 28, 2011

Japan Minister Must Not Cave in to Pressure on Death Penalty: AI

The main gallows at
Tokyo's Detention Center
Japan’s justice minister should not sign execution warrants, Amnesty International and the Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network said today, following the minister’s announcement that he does not intend to end capital punishment, despite saying last month that he would not approve executions.

Justice Minister Hideo Hiraoka said Friday he would look at each death row case individually, after a prominent politician reportedly had encouraged him to exercise his power to authorize executions.

"After showing reluctance to sign execution warrants last month when he first took office, it is deeply alarming that Minister Hideo Hiraoka now seems to be under pressure to approve executions despite his own calls for caution," said Catherine Baber, Amnesty International’s deputy director for Asia and the Pacific. "The minister must stand by his original commitment which was to suspend executions until Japan’s application of the death penalty can be more carefully considered."

Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura reportedly encouraged Minister Hiraoka at a parliamentary committee on Wednesday to press ahead with executions.

The last executions in Japan were carried out on July 28, 2010, when Ogata Hidenori and Shinozawa Kazuo were hanged in the Tokyo detention center.

A study group on the death penalty was established by the former Minister of Justice Keiko Chiba in 2010. The study group is continuing to work under the current Minister, Hideo Hiraoka, who encouraged discussions on the subject both in public and within his ministry, taking into account international trends and opinions.

No date for its report has been announced.

There are currently 126 people on death row in Japan.

Executions in Japan are by hanging and are typically carried out in secret. Death row inmates are only notified on the morning of their execution and their families are usually informed only after the execution has taken place.

This means that death row prisoners live in constant fear of execution. Enduring these conditions for years or even decades has led to depression and mental illness among many death row inmates.

More than 2/3 of the countries in the world have abolished the death penalty in law or practice. Out of 41 countries in the Asia-Pacific, 17 have abolished the death penalty for all crimes, 9 are abolitionist in practice and one – Fiji – uses the death penalty only for exceptional military crimes.

This means that less than half of the countries in that region still use this ultimate and irreversible punishment. Of the G8 nations, only Japan and the United States still use capital punishment.

Amnesty International opposes the death penalty as a violation of the right to life in all cases, regardless of the nature of the crime, the characteristics of the offender, or the method used by the state to carry out the execution.

"Japan should immediately commute all death sentences and introduce an official moratorium on executions as a first step towards abolition of the death penalty," said Baber.

Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 3 million supporters, activists and volunteers in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom and dignity are denied.

For more information, please visit www.amnestyusa.org

Source: Amnesty International USA, October 28, 2011

Friday, October 28, 2011

News between 24-30OCT


Transaero Airlines of Russia has officially announced that it has signed a deal with Airbus to purchase 4 Airbus A 380s to initially replace its fleet of Boeing 747-400s within the next 2 years as the carrier has an ambitious long haul growth plan set in stone. These A380s will be configured with the highest density i.e. 700 seats in a 3 class configuration containing a small business class, premium economy cabin and a dense economy class cabin. Its initial route will be on Moscow-Bangkok where the carrier has a strong following.


Air France
has officially announced that it will be placing the Airbus A 380 on its popular LAX-Los Angeles route from 28MAY 2012 onwards as the carrier looks to further increase its premium brand awareness in the local market place. AF will be operating the A380 on a daily basis on the CDG-LAX sector however in turn to cater for the capacity increase, the route's total frequencies will drop from 20 weekly B777s to 15 weekly flights i.e. 8 weekly B 772ERs + a daily A 380. AF too confirmed for the IATA S12, its capacity to YYZ-Toronto shall also fall as the carrier will no longer be operating a daily B 747-400 on this route, instead a daily B 772ER will be used which will come as a sigh of relief for its business class passengers in particular due to the better on board seat product features.



Air Berlin of Germany
has officially announced that it will be expanding its long haul network to USA out of its Berlin hub as the carrier looks to strengthen One World's presence in the German market with the cooperation of American Airlines. As a result, it will be launching new 3 weekly nonstop flights to LAX-Los Angeles effective 11MAY 2012 using an Airbus A 330-200. AB too revealed that it shall be implementing further capacity increases which are as follows:


TXL/JFK
- frequencies increased from 4 weekly to daily flights using an A332.

DUS/MIA
- frequencies increased from 4 to 5 weekly flights using an A332.

DUS/JFK
- frequencies increased from 5 weekly to daily flights using an A332.

DUS/YVR
- frequencies reduced from 3 to 2 weekly nonstop flights using an A332.

DUS/LAX
- frequencies reduced from 4 to 3 weekly nonstop flights using an A332.


Ethiopian Airlines has officially announced major capacity changes to its IATA W11 schedule of which the main highlights are as follows: BAH - all flights suspended effective 30OCT


DXB
- frequencies reduced from triple daily to 15 weekly flights using a B 777


DEL - frequencies increased from 5 weekly to daily nonstop flights

KWI
- capacity increased from daily nonstop B 737-700s to daily nonstop B 737-800 terminator flights with no extension to BAH.



Air Pacific of the Fiji Islands
has officially announced that it has canceled its entire order of eight Boeing 787-900s as it could not accept further delays to the delivery of these aircraft by Boeing. In turn, FJ has placed an order for 3 Airbus A 330-200s which shall be used to replace its entire long haul fleet of 2 B 744s and 1 B 763ER. FJ has confirmed that these A332s will be used to operate to HKG, SYD, LAX and HNL.



Qatar Airways
has officially announced that it will be increasing capacity to Kuala Lumpur and Phuket effective 25MAR 2012. The main highlights are as follows:

KUL - capacity increased from 13 weekly A 332s to 13 weekly B 773ERs i.e. an increase of approximately 2000 r/t seats per week.

HKT - capacity increased from daily A332 via KUL to daily B 773ER.


United Airlines has officially announced many capacity changes to its long haul network for the IATA W11 season of which the main highlights are as follows:

SFO/LHR - capacity increased from daily B772ER to daily B744.

SFO/KIX - frequencies reduced from daily to 5 weekly B772ERs.

SFO/PVG - capacity reduced from daily B744 to daily B772ER.

IAD/GVA - frequencies reduced from daily to 5 weekly B763ERs.

IAD/FCO - frequencies reduced from daily to 5 weekly B763ERs.

IAH/FRA - capacity increased from daily B762ER to daily B764ER.

IAH/CDG - capacity reduced from daily B764ER to daily B762ER.

EWR/CPH - frequencies reduced from daily to 5 weekly B757s.

EWR/DUB - frequencies reduced from double daily to daily B757s.

EWR/FRA
- frequencies increased from daily to double daily.

EWR/ARN - frequencies reduced from daily to 5 weekly.

EWR/GRU - capacity increased from daily B762ER to daily B764ER.


More points of view on Google News

By Jayakumar Hoskere, Software Engineer
When a big story breaks, there are often over a thousand articles written about the news event. At Google News, we work hard to surface the most relevant and interesting content to you -- so you can spend less time sorting through thousands of articles, and more time consuming news from a range of diverse perspectives. For instance, since introducing expandable stories, we have added additional labels to call out special types of articles in many editions. These labels are designed to highlight different content types on Google News, and show you stories that complement and expand upon standard news reporting. The four labels we recently launched include:
  • Live Updating: A live-updating article, such as a liveblog.
  • Featured: An article a publisher has told us is standout.
  • Fact-check: An article providing fact-check content about the story.
  • Your Preferred source: An article from a source that you preferred.
Evaluating a story from different angles often provides a sharper perspective. That is why we also now highlight special types of articles in many Google News search results. Your search results will not only show recent articles, but also those from diverse perspectives that relate to a given query.
We also recently added the Translate button to non-English international stories in expandable story boxes in the U.S edition, giving you the ability to read pieces from all over the world -- even if you don’t speak the language.
 
We hope you find these changes useful as we continue to develop opportunities for you to find more interesting and valuable content.