For most Gazans, any type of food, water or basic hygiene is considered a great luxury and struggling through life, watching family members, neighbours and friends being murdered or blown to pieces is just a regular, every day occurrence for those who live on the Gaza Strip.

This, I suppose, you already know. But it isn’t only the same old, day to day killing and bombing which affects Gazans. Thanks to the walls on either side of the Gaza Strip, on Egypt’s and Israel’s borders, the Israeli-Egyptian alliance has effectively managed to choke off the economic flow for the Gazans and also in the West Bank, where a similar barrier is used. The result of this is essentially a lack of jobs and raw materials; something that’s vital to live any kind of meaningful life.

I suppose the Israelis and the Egyptians have got a point. After all, stopping cocoa powder from entering into Gaza has got to be a smart move. Who knows what kind of weapons of mass destruction Hamas will create from a huge supply of cocoa powder?

But wait. Didn’t all the Islamic countries in the Middle East promise to help Palestinians in their struggle for independence? That includes Iran, Saudi Arabia, even Egypt. So why does it follow that Egypt would also support a blockade to encircle the very people they pledged to defend?  It’s a place that’s very difficult for the Egyptian government, admittedly. One the one hand, they’re affiliated with the U.S. cause, in support of Israel’s right to a country, but on the other, they have an obligation as members of the Arab League to defend fellow Muslims such as the Palestinians. So perhaps the wall around Gaza is a move to satisfy those Western and Israeli powers. Then what’s the compromise for Gazans?

There is a break in the Egyptian blockade known as the Rafah crossing, or simply Rafah. From there a whole network of tunnels burrow underneath Egypt and surface in Gaza so that Palestinians can be supplied with some sort of food and supplies to just about live. It’s something that would make you think that maybe the Egyptian government is actively fulfilling its promise to the Palestinian people.

You’re wrong. First of all, these tunnels aren’t funded by the Egyptian government, they’re owned by wealthy families in Rafah. The Egyptian government haven’t and probably won’t act for or against the building of the tunnels. And why would they? Because, instead of these families simply allowing Gazans to use the tunnels as and how they wish, they charge a rental service. And when your tunnel is going to be used by pretty desperate people to transport things that are a a luxury commodity in their own country, charging high rent isn’t really going to be something for Hamas leaders to negotiate on. Of course, with more money on the Egyptian family’s part, there’s either greater spending or higher taxes. Well, both of those outcomes are going to lead to money being fed back into the Egyptian economy which doesn’t give the Egyptian government much incentive to stop anything from going on.

It’s a little short sighted of the Egyptians, and the Israelis, to not understand then that, if there’s trade with only a fraction of the borders open, surely it would increase dramatically if they were completely removed? I’m sure the 36% of Gazans who are currently unemployed would be excited at the prospect of working again, even in Israel. In the 1980s, the Gaza Strip struggled to have unemployment rates reach 5% when the borders were open for Palestinians to freely move. Now, with an increasing fertility rate and a lack of people working, violence and tension rises in the Gaza Strip and it’s pretty simple to see why, in the summer of 2010, a fleet of ships headed for the blockade surrounding this tiny stretch of land to deliver building and medical supplies.

Now, in 2010, it is expected that a new fleet of vessels, sponsored by Iranian activists is to enter the Gaza Strip through the notorious Suez Canal. Already, any possibility of the flotilla breaking through is being strongly opposed by Egyptian authorities. Of course, if you’re making a tonne of money by charging people for basic food and medicine, it isn’t exactly going to turn a great profit if you allow charitable organisations to do it for free, so what incentive have the Egyptians got to let it through?

There was once another wall, similar to the one surrounding Gaza. In 1989, activists and citizens from both sides marched to meet it. And they tore it down.

Links :

-Interview between Navtej Dhillon, Director of the Middle East Youth Initiative and Edward Sayre, the co-author of a forthcoming Middle East Youth Initiative working paper on demographics and the economy in the West Bank and Gaza, and currently a member of the board of directors for the Middle East Economic Association.

-Article from Bloomberg about the tensions arising between Arab states on their allegiances to Israel and the Palestinian people

-Leak from the CRS report on ‘The Egypt-Gaza Border and its Effect on Israeli-Egyptian Relations’

Fresh from the Coroner’s court today Alexander McQueen’s suicide is now being linked to depression, which caused him to hang himself. He had taken cocaine and a set of tranquilizers, before proceeding to hang himself with his ‘favourite’ brown belt. Dr Pereria, speaking at the coroner’s court, reported that “I certainly think where his private life was concerned, he was quite confused. He had been terribly let down by long-standing close relationships.” He also felt that after his mothers death “there was nothing left to live for.”

According to the doctor he lived a live of extreme highs, and depressing lows. Having begun as a Saville Row tailor, he worked hard his entire life to reach the international stardom which he obtained.  Ever since his death a great number of tributes have been offered by the fashion industry, including a forthcoming memorial window in the Saks Fifth Avenue store, owned by Boitano, who described his last collection as “gorgeous, just gorgeous; the most beautiful cocktail and evening gowns. We were planning to do a series of special ‘trunk’ shows in the store for special customers, but that won’t happen now.”

So everything has fallen apart for Dr Andrew Wakefield (pictured) – which is good, as we have no way of finding out how many babies have died thanks to him.

In 1998, he controversially announced that a study of autism sufferers might be connected to babies’ MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) vaccines. As a result, many parents decided not to give their children the jab. Over the next decade, the number of children with measles in England and Wales supposedly went from 56 in 1998 to 1348 in 2008 – and people have died.

In the meantime, it has slowly emerged that not only did Dr Wakefield have a conflict of interest – he was being paid to advise solicitors who were preparing a lawsuit against MMR manufacturers. Furthermore, not only did he manipulate his data to suit the results he wanted, but as of Thursday he has been found by the General Medical Council to have acted unethically in his gathering of the phoney data.

Not only did he make intrusive spinal taps in children without approval or qualification that were considered to be against their best clinical interests. At his son’s birthday party, he paid the young guests £5 each for a blood sample.

Dr Wakefield protests his innocence. But all the evidence suggests that justice has prevailed. The scientific debate has actually reaffirmed the reliability of the MMR jabs. A doctor who tried to abuse his profession has been discredited. We should be reassured that, in the course of scientific study, the truth has, once more, emerged.

A hundred and thirty-one years ago today, the British suffered their worst defeat by a native force at Islandlwana, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. When a 20,000 men strong force of Zulu warriors attacked the camp of 2,000 British soldiers, one of the most bloody and vicious battles of the Anglo-Zulu War kicked off. Even though the British were armed with Marti-Henry breech-loading rifles and the Zulu’s with only spears and shields made from cowhide, the huge number of the Zulu force was too overwelming for the British army.

The Zulu force attacked in their famous “Bull-and-horn” formation, having two forces coming in from the side, while a much larger force attacked from the back, effectively creating a bull’s head and its two horns. After a bloody battle that lasted hours, about 1,000 Zulu warriors were killed and 2,000 wounded, while 1,329 British soldier lost their lives.

The battle of Isandlwana shaped the outcome of the Anglo-Zulu War and actually led to the downfall of the Zulu force, since it forced the British to adopt a more agressive stance.

Crystal Castles are undeniably an outstanding band! It could be argued however that Kap Bambino were the starting point of the entire New Rave mashed, mixed and generally messed up noises genre. So who is the best, CCs or Kap?

Well Castle Crystals have stormed onto the scene, but not only have they produced their own amazing music but have blown people away with their awesome remixes. the White Lies remix was absolutely astounding and they seem to have a knack for making already good songs even more amazing!  Crystal Castles came to the UK  in one big wave, having already broken America and their native Canada.  Their sucess could be down to the amazing job the Canadian government do by subsidising Canadian music, to try and disassociate Bryan Adams from their own music history. They were asked to play on Skins (Channel 4) which opened them up to a vast amount of British teens. they are a must listen!

Crystal Castles – Vanished youtube

White Lies – Death (Crystal Castles remix)

Now Kap Bambino ahve been around for a long time, based in France they have never really been huge and only relatively big new rave fans have come across them. Kap Bambino have a funkier sound which is more childlike and faster. Hugely popular in France they have little sucess elsewhere, but this has not taken away from their music, they still create incredible tunes. One of my favourite tunes by them has to be Hey! an amazing song with a funny video.

Kap Bambino – Hey! youtube

So who is the best? It’s gotta be Crystal Castles although they may have been influenced by Kap Bambino they have surpassed them with ease. Not to say Kap Bambino are bad, like Girls Aloud, but Crystal Castles are just better! Their music is so easy to dance to, and their live presence is incredible. Crystal Castles have maintained a low profile when their private lives are concerned and for that i completely respect them. Let’s just hope that up coming artists can follow their example and sell out for the money.