This week’s guest list for “This is Hell”:http://www.thisishell.net/ follows the articles.

“Maxim showcases the Israeli army’s secret weapon — beautiful soldiers”:http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/06/19/africa/ME-GEN-Israel-Maxim-Spread.php “A photo spread in the upcoming July issue of the U.S. lad mag Maxim features a roster of Israeli models, all ex-soldiers, photographed wearing very little in the cause of their country. Initiated by Israel’s New York consulate and headlined “Women of the Israel Defense Forces,” the campaign has already been criticized as inappropriate by some in Israel.” The Associated Press (6/19/07)

“Fringe Science Yields ‘Gay Bombs’ and Psychic Teleportation”:http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=3299379&page=1 “This year the Pentagon will spend $78 billion — about half of all government research dollars — on military research, according to the Association for the Advancement for Science.” From creating armor that makes a soldier invisible to stimulating the brain to suppress sleep for days to arming sharks with chemical implants and cameras to work as spies. ABC News (6/21/07)

“Almost 1.8 Million Veterans Lack Health Insurance and Access to Care”:http://www.yubanet.com/artman/publish/article_59597.shtml “There are close to two million U.S. military veterans without health insurance or adequate access to health care, according to recent analysis of 2005 U.S. Census Bureau data. Steffie Woolhandler, M.D., M.P.H., an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and the co-founder of the nonprofit Physicians for a National Health Program, presented her findings today to the House Committee on Veterans Affairs. The analysis, based on work done in conjunction with Public Citizen, revealed that in 2004, there were almost 1.8 million veterans in the United States who were left uninsured and without ongoing care at Veterans Health Administration hospitals.” Public Citizen (6/21/07)

“The Big Profits in Biowarfare Research”:http://www.counterpunch.org/ross06222007.html “A number of major pharmaceutical corporations and biotech firms are concealing the nature of the biological warfare research work they are doing for the U.S. government.” Counterpunch (6/22/07)

“A Slow Demise in the Delta. U.S. Farm Subsidies Favor Big Over Small, White Over Black.”:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/19/AR2007061902193.html?hpid=topnews “From 2001 to 2005, the federal government spent nearly $1.2 billion in agricultural subsidies to boost farmers’ incomes and invigorate local economies in this poverty-stricken region of the Mississippi Delta. Most residents are black, but less than 5 percent of the money went to black farmers. They own relatively little land, and so they generally do not qualify for the payments. Ninety-five percent of the money went to large, commercial farms, virtually all of which have white owners.” Washington Post (6/20/07)

“Kopp Sentenced to Life Plus 10 for Abortion Provider’s Murder”:http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070620/NEWS01/706200379 “Militant abortion opponent James Kopp was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison plus 10 years on federal charges for the 1998 murder of a doctor who performed abortions.” The Associated Press (6/20/07)

“High court has been good for business”:http://www.latimes.com/news/la-na-scotus21jun21,1,3185866.story?track=rss “The Bush administration and corporate lobbyists long have sought sweeping “tort reform” to limit lawsuits and massive jury awards — without much success. But in the last year, they quietly have been winning much of what they’ve wanted on a case-by-case basis in the Supreme Court. With a week to go in their term, the justices have handed down a dozen rulings that sharply limit the damages that can be won in lawsuits or make it harder to sue corporations.” Los Angeles Times (6/21/07)

“Rich, White Property Owners Disproportionately Hurt by Eminent Domain Abuse”:http://www.reason.com/blog/show/120920.html “Just kidding. A new report from the Institute for Justice finds that residents of areas targeted for private economic development projects that rely on eminent domain are poorer, less educated, and less likely to be white than people in surrounding communities. In 184 areas where the use of eminent domain was approved, the median income was about $19,000, 34 percent of adults had less than a high school diploma, and 58 percent of residents were members of minority groups. The corresponding numbers for nearby neighborhoods were $23,000, 24 percent, and 45 percent, respectively.” reason (6/20/07)

BBC News (6/22/07) “Chinese activist ‘beaten in jail”:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6230148.stm ‘A leading Chinese human rights activist has been severely beaten in jail by other prisoners on the orders of his guards, Amnesty International has said. Chen Guangcheng (who is blind) was reportedly beaten after he insisted on his right to appeal against his sentence and refused to allow his head to be shaved… Mr Chen was jailed in 2006 for damaging property and disrupting traffic. But his lawyers said the real reason was Mr Chen’s exposure of violations of China’s one-child policy, including forced sterilisations and abortions.”

“Iran Leads the World in Executing Children”:http://www.yubanet.com/artman/publish/article_59577.shtml “Iran’s highest judicial authorities have repeatedly upheld death sentences handed down to juvenile offenders charged with committing crimes when they were as young as 15. Such sentences violate Iran’s international treaty obligations, which prohibit the death penalty for crimes committed by people under 18. In some cases, the death sentences also violate Iranian domestic law requiring that children under 18 be tried before special juvenile courts.” Human Rights Watch (6/21/07)

“East Africa: Human trafficking ‘on the rise’”:http://www.yubanet.com/artman/publish/article_59579.shtml Human trafficking is on the rise in eastern Africa and officials attending a meeting aimed at raising awareness of the problem called for concerted efforts by governments to curb it. IRIN (6/21/07)

“House votes to reverse ban on overseas contraceptive aid”:http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2007/06/house-votes-to-reverse-ban-on-overseas.php The US House of Representatives [official website] Thursday passed a measure by 223-201 that would reverse a ban on contraceptive aid to overseas agencies that offer abortions. The measure, introduced by Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY), is attached to bill HR 2764, appropriating $34.2 billion for the Department of the State and for foreign aid inr 2008. The amendment would allow contraceptive aid to be given to nongovernmental agencies overseas, regardless of whether they promote or provide abortions.” Jurist (6/21/97)

“Starbucks in Ethiopia coffee vow”:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6225514.stm Starbucks has agreed a wide-ranging accord with Ethiopia to support and promote its coffee, ending a long-running dispute over the issue. BBC News (6/21/07)

“The end of the line”:http://www.salon.com/mwt/food/eat_drink/2007/06/20/clover_qa/ Interview. Author Charles Clover on the scourge of overfishing, disgraceful restaurants, and yes, sustainable McDonald’s. Clover has been monitoring the oceans since the late 1980s. His book, ‘The End of the Line: How Overfishing Is Changing the World and What We Eat,’ was published in the United States last year but, sadly, was met with a deafening lack of attention. That’s a shame, because Clover presents a compendium of how precisely we are eating our way through the seas. Scientists reported last year that fish would be gone from the oceans by 2048 if this behavior goes unchecked – though Clover points out that it’s not as if the seas will be empty. In the absence of all the fish we’ve eaten, we’ll also experience a surfeit of species like jellyfish because biodiversity has been undone.’ Salon (6/20/07)

Notes
Alternate graphic was the Israeli Defense Force Maxim issue, but that would have been too blatantly pandering for hits. But for those who like their propaganda on the steamy side click “here”:http://www.africanpath.com/p_blogEntry.cfm?blogEntryID=1113.

This week’s guests on “This is Hell”:http://www.thisishell.net/, 9 am CMT:

• Jehangir Pocha, who recently wrote in “The Nation,”:http://www.thenation.com/ “The Last ‘Competitive Advantage”: Letter From China.”
• David Bacon, a California photojournalist who documents labor, migration and globalization. His book “Communities Without Borders” was just published by Cornell University/ILR Press. At truthout he recently written “‘Like Outlaws, Like Rustlers, Like Thieves’,”:http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/061307N.shtml and “Who Killed the Immigration Bill, and Who Wants It to Come Back?,”:http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/061107T.shtml both on immigration. He’s also written on the Iraqi workers movement, “Iraq’s Workers Strike to Keep Their Oil.”:http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/060907A.shtml
• Chris Toensing, editor of “Middle East Report”:http://www.merip.org and executive director of the Middle East Research and Information Project. Chris will discuss the situation in Gaza.
• Pauline Baker, president of the Fund for Peace, will discuss “The Failed States Index 2007”:http://www.fundforpeace.org/web/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=229&Itemid=366 which was compiled with the assistance of Foreign Policy. The “Foreign Policy”:http://www.foreignpolicy.com/ article on the third annual Index can be read by clicking “here.”:http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=3865

This week’s irregular correspondents will be:

• “Jeff Dorchen”:http://www.mejeffdorchen.oblivio.com/ who will deliver a Moment of Truth
• “Elvis DeMorrow”:http://www.nodoctors.com/ will dive back into the Konspiracy Korner

If you knew… appears as “a blog”:http://mwm.gnn.tv/ on most weekdays and is posted as “an article”:http://www.gnn.tv/articles/3152/If_you_knew on Fridays. Any comments, suggestions, critiques or leads to articles, are welcomed.
‘If You Knew…’ will soon be announcing some changes, in coordination with the website of the “This is Hell”:http://www.thisishell.net/ radio program. This is Hell broadcasts every Saturday morning at 9 am CMT.