In Gaza poverty is common. There is a demand for basic goods but they are in very short supply. Israel has placed blockades around the borders Gaza shares with other countries. So one of the best ways to get supplies into Gaza is through tunnels and there are an estimated 1,500.

In order to pull themselves out of poverty the Palestinians were encouraged to invest in the tunnels. Investors believed that these tunnels would help them out of poverty and smuggle in necessary goods. One town that has lots of these tunnels is Rafah which shares a border with Egypt.

There are lots of tunnels but Israelis end up bombing many of them so there are always tunnels under construction. There is a lot of money to be made from operating a tunnel. Two swindlers gathered money from Palestinians in order to build a tunnel and disappeared with anywhere from $100 million to $500 million. The money is gone and there is no tunnel.

Hamas the government in Palestine is trying to get the money back and has two suspects in custody but so far no money has been recovered. It's not just investors that are losing out on the tunnels but also workers. One worker didn't get paid for three months work and doesn't think he'll ever get compensation.

Tunnels may be money makers and lifelines to the people in Gaza but they are also very dangerous. With Israel dropping bombs on the tunnels and a constant threat of cave-ins, tunnel runners are always in danger. These tunnels provide not only money and goods to Palestinians but they come with a price. One father said "I want to go to the park at the end of the day, not go looking for my son inside a tunnel digging for a living and finding him dead inside the tunnel."

There are literally hundreds of underground tunnels that connect Egypt to Rafah and thousands of Palestinians working smuggling goods. Israel claims that it's necessary to stop these tunnels because weapons are being smuggled in, which may be true but the blockades are keeping Palestinians below the poverty line.

The chief reason that poverty is so rampant is the fact that unemployment in Gaza is up to 80 percent and many are forced to work in the tunnels. Even children run away to work in these tunnels and are quickly hired because many of the tunnels are only 4 feet tall inside. Children are also recruited to dig the tunnels and many are injured or killed when the tunnel collapses with them inside. One child reported to earn $100 a day in a tunnel.

Money is hard for these children to resist because they come from such disadvantaged backgrounds. The money is what drives this business and many children get caught up in it. Just this year alone over 59 Palestinians died in the tunnels, including children.

Since its fall there are tons of marathons throughout the country. For runners the three most important things are their broken-in shoes , heart rate monitor, and their tunes. Trying to exercise let alone run can be difficult if you don't have music blaring in your ear.

The music provides runners with motivation, distraction, and even inspiration. Because of the tie between the factors researchers have been trying to discover the close connection between our ears and feet. Sports psychologist Costas Karageorghis has been trying to understand the connection between moving and music for 20 years.

Through research he has discovered that there are four factors contributing to a songs motivation qualities: rhythm response, musicality, cultural impact and association. The first two are known as "internal" factors as they relate to the music's structure while the second two are "external" factors which reflect our interpretations of the music.

Karageorghis explains that rhythm response is linked to beats per minute of the song and how well it matches the heartbeat of the runner. The song structure such as melody and harmony also contributes to the musicality of the song. The external factors are also important because the genre of music we prefer and what we've learned to associate with specific songs and artists also influences our output while exercising.

Science has proven that by syncing beats per minute with your pace can increase your efficiency. A recent study found that individuals that cycled to music required 7 percent less oxygen than others who did the same amount of work that just listened to music in the background. Music can also help you block out the idea that its time to quit.

The current study shows that when our hearts perform between 30 and 70 percent of the maximum, we prefer an increase from 90 to 120 bpm. However when our anaerobic threshold is between 70 and 80 percent of maximum, we prefer a jump in rhythm from 120 to 150 bpm. But when it reaches above 80 percent of our maximum heart rate, faster music isn't preferred.

Researchers even found that if they increased or decreased the speed of a song by 10 percent the listener didn't notice but it had an impact on performance. Speeding up the music led to an increase in the distance covered in the same amount of time. Then when they slowed down the music the distance also decreased. Researchers concluded that when exercising individuals match their work effort with the tempo of the music they're listening too.

Since picking the right music can boost the workout that you're getting in the same amount of time; there are great tools that can help you match bpm with your music. You can create a custom playlist on your iTunes library which allows you the ability to arrange songs in several different tempos that you can cater to your warm-up and warm-downs along with the body of you workout.

In Kiev, Ukraine a mysterious illness has torn the country apart. Authorities say it is swine flu but reports claim it is more virulent than H1N1 and Swine Flu has hit the population exceptionally hard. Some believe that is closely resembles Typhus or the pneumonic plague. As a result, Ukraine has introduced the strictest measures in the world on Friday to try and combat and control swine flu. There have been many deaths in the western part of the country.

Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has taken action in order to try and control the outbreak. Travel restrictions are in place along with banned public gatherings; school closings including university level for three weeks, along with cinemas after the Health Ministry declared an epidemic of the H1N1 virus.

The ministry reported that 71 people have died from the flu and respiratory infections. However, it isn't clear how many deaths were a result of the mysterious illness. Because of the turmoil Ukrainians have begun to panic and the government has tried to keep everyone calm. It didn't help anything when many Kiev pharmacies shortly ran out of medications and face masks because of the large lines of people.

But it seems that many Ukrainians do not trust the government authorities and are trying to look out for themselves. They don't believe that they can rely on the state. This seems like a miracle because everyone nowadays at least in America everyone relies too heavily on the government. The spirit of independence and responsibility for ones self is lacking. It's fortunate that these citizens are responsible for themselves, but who can blame them for not trusting authorities with the type of background and history that they've had.

The country's elections aren't until January 17 but the outbreak has already become a political game. The president and prime minister have already issued orders to try and fight against the virus with masks and medications. Despite the actions taken, the virus continues to rage and more Ukrainians are dying by the day. The people are blaming government officials for their inaction and will voice their feelings at the election. There are also many Ukrainians currently calling for the health minister to step down.

In order to try and prevent the virus from spreading everyone is wearing masks in Ukraine when they are in public. This even includes police officers on patrol in the streets. Not only are public servants wearing the masks, but also everyday citizens. Ukrainians are also trying to avoid the virus by staying home and avoiding going out and being exposed. But, if they have to go out they make sure they have masks on.

Due to the number of supposed H1N1 cases in Ukraine and the number of deaths, a team from the World Health Organization is set to arrive in Ukraine on Monday to assist authorities. Hopefully this team can pinpoint exactly what it is and a way to treat it.

In order to combat this mysterious illness that officials are only guessing is the swine flu, the strictest measures in the world have been implemented in Ukraine. There have already been 71 deaths and growing fear of how much worse the outbreak and death numbers will rise.