Canadians rally in Toronto, Montreal to protest military action in Gaza

Canadians rally in Toronto, Montreal to protest military action in Gaza

CTVNews.ca

19 july 2014

Hundreds of people gathered at demonstrations across Canada Saturday to protest Israel's military action in Gaza, as the conflict in the Middle East continued to escalate.

In Toronto, demonstrators holding signs and chanting "free Gaza," gathered outside the Israeli Consulate. Organizer Hind Awwad said protesters were there to draw attention to what she called "Israel's ongoing aggression."

Saturday marked the second day of Israel’s ground operation in Gaza, as rockets continued fly from both sides. Israeli troops entered Gaza after a failed attempt to reach a ceasefire agreement with Hamas.

In Montreal, several hundred pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched through streets.

Jaoudat Abouazza, who emigrated to Canada from the West Bank in 1977, attended the demonstration. He said he still has family in the region.

"It's very upsetting,” he said. “It's hard to accept what's been happening there."

The rally in Montreal briefly became tense when a woman showed up waving a small Israeli flag and told demonstrators that Israel "has the right to defend itself."

While one demonstrator tried to rip the flag away from her, another woman gave her hug, saying everyone is hoping for peace.

On Friday, a similar rally took place in Calgary, where a fight broke out when a group of Israel supporters showed up at the demonstration.

In Vancouver, protesters called on Israel to stop its military operations. Demonstrators also criticized Stephen Harper’s support for Israel.

“Our government has been pro-Zionist and we want to stand against that,” said rally organizer Dania Kallas.

A spokesperson for Harper said the prime minister spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday. They discussed the need to “make every effort to minimize civilian casualties.”

Read More

Must See Celeb Nails of the Week

Certain celebrities' creative nail art is so cool that it practically deserves its own holiday — or in Zendaya's case, maybe even an entire month! Luckily we have Must-See Celeb Nails of the Week  to celebrate and show off amazing styles every week

Credit:Instagram
We're loving Peyton List's baby pink mani! The Jessie actress showed off her beautiful nail shade in a pretty Instagram pic showcasing her stylish  jeans and gold ring, and we love the neutral look.

Credit:Instagram
G. Hannelius has the perfect nail polish shade for fall! The Dog with a Blog actress showed off her moody looking deep purple mani hue in a pretty new Instagram pic, and we're obsessed with the classic style. We also love her dainty stacked rings!

Credit:Instagram
Dove Cameron looked so gorgeous showing off her red-hot "fall nails" in a glam new Instagram pic. We love her vibrant nail polish shade for autumn because it really looks cool.

Credit:Instagram
Woah! Vanessa Hudgens' latest manicure style is way over the top! We love how she kept her talon-like nail shape simple with a beige nail polish but kicked up her style with a cool 3D floral design on her accent nail.

Credit:Instagram
G. Hannelius wowed us with another gorgeous mani! This week, she showed off cool floral nail wraps and solid colored pastel accent nails. We love nail stickers because they're the quickest way to rock flawless and artistic designs!

Credit:Instagram
Call us obsessed with Bella Thorne's vibrant green and navy manicure that she rocked during New York Fashion Week! Not only are we crazy about the cool alternating colors and metallic studded accents, but we love how she stacked tons of dainty rings on each of her fingers.

Credit: Getty
We love the simple blue and white striped nails Zendaya showed off at her friend Trevor Jackson's 18th birthday party. Her dainty designs really popped against her all-white party outfit!

Credit:Instagram
We are so envious of Shay Mitchell's latest glittery manicure! Her pastel colored style reminds us of the mix of sea glass and sand at the beach.

Credit:Instagram
If you're not sure which shade of nail polish to wear, take Sarah Hyland's advice and try out different designs and shades on each nail! The Modern Family star tested out a bunch of her pre-MTV VMAs nail looks and showed off a totally cute custom mani on Instagram!

Credit:Instagram
Actress Hailee Steinfeld's glam nails from the Teen Choice Awards are so amazing! She showed off a pic of her black-rimmed mint nails on Instagram, and they looked so great against her colorful, lacy textured dress. We're also obsessed with her edgy metal bangle bracelets and stunning opal ring!

Credit:Instagram
Woah! Vanessa Hudgens' latest manicure is totally fierce! She showed off her cool claw-like talons in a pretty Instagram pic, and we love how she was inspired by a classic French manicure look but kicked her style up with accents of tribal print and triangle designs.

Credit:Instagram

Call us obsessed with Zendaya's latest fierce manicure! We love her latest navy blue nail look, which features a fun, red-plaid accent nail and a cool glittery letter detail on her thumb.

Credit:Instagram

Little Mix's Jade Thirlwall showed off her cool glittery nails by Elegant Touch on Instagram, and we love her sparkly style! Jade alternated between nude nail polish shades and gold glitter accent nails for her latest powerful manicure style

Credit:Instagram

Peyton List showed off her chic manicure – and incredible view of the "Eiffel Tower"! – in a cool pic she snapped in Las Vegas! We love how classic and glossy her white nails are, but a fun graphic black design on her accent nail gives her look a bit of fun edge!

Credit:Instagram

Pretty Little Liars star Troian Bellisario showed off the coolest feathered nails we've ever seen! We love how some of her nails are cute polka dots and others look like more natural wispy bird feathers.

Credit:Instagram

We love the cool rainbow manicure style that Demi Lovato wore performing at New York City's Pride. Each almond-shaped nail features a cool ombre fade of multiple vibrant glittery polishes.

Credit:Instagram
Shay Mitchell's latest manicure is perfect for summer! The Pretty Little Liars star shared a stylish snap of her "vacay nails," before heading out on a tropical vacation, and her nail art definitely reflects that summer getaway vibe!

Credit:Instagram
Beyonce is officially the queen, and her latest mani knows it! She showed off her gold foiled nails that were embellished with tiny crowns

Credit:Instagram
Bella Thorne shared a fun mani featuring nude sparkly nails accented with colorful animal-themed accents.

Credit:Instagram
Victoria Justice showed off her pretty teal mani, adorable Alisa Michelle rings, amazing lime green Danielle Nicole clutch bag, and cool printed pants all in one stylish Instagram snap

Credit:Instagram
Alli Simpson showed off one of the cutest cartoon manicures ever! She painted her Broadway Nails a glittery light pink shade before applying fun sticker decals on top. We love how creative the look is!

 Credit:Instagram
We're 100% obsessed with Shay Mitchell's colorful and cute ice cream manicure! The Pretty Little Liars star showed off her speckled nails on Instagram, and they seriously looked good enough to eat!

Credit:Instagram
We're seriously obsessed with the fun, sparkly nails Cher Lloyd showed off on Instagram! The singer's glittery gold nail polish is wonderful on its own, but she really kicked up her style by adding a cluster of shimmering rhinestones to one accent nail

Read More

You Won't Believe the Adorable Thing Harry Styles Did for a Fan

Even though we know One Direction cares a lot about their Directioners, we're still touched when the 1D boys make truly amazing gestures that show how much their fans mean to them. While in New Jersey for their Where We Are tour, Harry Styles made a special stop at Campbell Hoyt's house to fulfill her greatest wish.

Cam, who is battling brain and spine cancer, dreamed of meeting One Direction, specifically Harry. When her mom Robin Hoyt asked for help to make Cam's dream come true, Harry tweeted his support and sent her "all the love in the world."

Still, no one expected that Harry would visit her instead of just calling or video messaging her.

Robin said, "He was emphatic that he did not do this for publicity. He truly just wanted to meet Cam."

Their family friend Katie Borghese says that Cam's parents were "very moved by Harry's kindness," 

Read More

Find Out Who Zendaya Hates Being Compared To:

While Zendaya is definitely one-of-a-kind, she isn't immune to being compared to other actresses and artists — but that doesn't mean she likes it. Zendaya told Gossip Cop that she hates being compared to Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, and Demi Lovato because she's "not like the other Disney stars."

“Things that they’re doing are not what I’m gonna do because I’m not them. We’re completely different people,” she said. “You can’t really [say] ‘Oh because they did it, now [this one will].’ That doesn’t make any sense.”

However, she doesn't judge Miley, Selena, and Demi for who they are, and even says that she admires them.

“I don’t want to ever bring anyone else down for any decisions they made when they grew up, because everyone’s growing process is different, everyone learns differently. We’re all human beings. We’re all growing up. We’re all different. We’re all going to have different lives," she said.

“I admire some of them because they have had so much success at a young age, and they continue to handle themselves and persevere through any kind of problem that they have, which I think is most important."

Read More

Taylor Swift Serenading Young Cancer Patient

Taylor Swift Visits a Young Cancer Patient:

Taylor Swift always puts her fans first, from giving a Swiftie an amazing birthday gift to dispensinglove advice to a heartbroken fan on Instagram. But her latest visit to the Boston Children's Hospital is totally making her fans cry — it is so heartwarming.

Taylor surprised six-year-old Jordan Lee Nickerson with a visit, but it wasn't a quick meet-and-greet. Instead, she talked to him about Spider-Man, joined him for a round of air hockey, and even performed a rendition of "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together." Jordan looks thrilled that the singer visited him, and they both seemed like they had a great time together.

Read More

Palestine supporters protest at Zionist rally

Palestine supporters protest at Zionist rally

Johannesburg - Pro-Palestine supporters had gathered outside the Huddle Park Golf Course in Linksfield on Sunday, to protest against a rally being held by the SA Zionist Federation in support of the end the Middle East conflict.

Heavily armed police and security guards were stationed at the entrance to the venue.

The security guards requested that anyone that wanted to go inside the venue should produce an identity document.

The venue was filled with people who arrived in several cars and buses.

Pro-Palestine supporters, who stood at the entrance of the venue, were prevented by police and security guards from entering.

The supporters shouted anti-Israel slogans, while others displayed placards portraying anti-Israel messages.

One placard read, “Down with the Zionists,” while another read “Free Palestine.”

Some people shouted at Israeli supporters saying they were “child killers.”

Police were monitoring the situation. - Sapa

Read More

Thousands from across country protest in support of Palestinians near White House

Thousands from across country protest in support of Palestinians near White House

By Karen Chen August 2

A demonstration drew thousands to the White House and the streets of downtown Washington on Saturday afternoon as participants from across the country called for an end to the continued violence between Israel and Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

“Free, free Palestine, killing children is a crime,” the crowd chanted, several holding Palestinian flags, cardboard boxes decorated as coffins and posters with graphic images of the wounded.

Demonstrators started arriving around 1 p.m. for the event, which was organized online by a diverse collection of more than 40 groups. Organizers said many arrived by bus from cities such as Chicago and New York, and many others drove from as far as Florida to participate. Police blocked off several streets, including 15th Street NW in front of The Washington Post’s offices, so that protesters could march.

“It’s an exceptionally large number of protesters,” said Araz Alali, a D.C. police spokesman, who said there were no disturbances during the protest.

Sab Sab, 25, took a bus from Ohio to contribute his voice to the chants.

“I’ve been protesting every Friday in Cleveland, so I wanted to come out to the national protest,” Sab said, walking with his wife and cousin. “I’m here to ask for an end to the war and the siege on Gaza.”

Mounia Bounkenafet, 38, of Falls Church, Va., marched with her four children, ages 3, 5, 7 and 12.

“Sometimes when they watch the news on Gaza, they start crying in front of the TV,” Bounkenafet said. “I don’t even want them to watch, but they’re curious, and when they ask I tell them the truth: ‘This is a big crime.’ ”

“We have Arab Americans, Jewish Americans, people from Pakistan, people from all walks of life here,” she said. “There are many Jewish Americans who are very upset by the very disproportionate situation — it’s not a war, it’s an assault and an invasion.”

Caya Cagri, 60, of Kensington, Md., and her sister, Beyhand Trock, 59, of Bethesda, Md., don’t agree in all their views about the conflict, but both showed up to support peace in Gaza.

“Our mother’s Jewish and our father’s a Muslim,” Cagri said, explaining the family’s Turkish roots. “They had three daughters; one married a Jew, one married a Muslim and one married a Catholic.”

Cagri’s husband is Catholic and Trock’s is Jewish.

“They taught us to be accepting of other people, we’re all in one world — it’s about treating people with humanity,” Cagri said. “There are so many commonalities if people took the time to understand.”

“People have to leave their racism at the door,” Trock said. “Palestinians have the right to exist as humans and not under occupation.”

The sisters said the Muslim side of the family was in attendance Saturday but the Jewish side was not. They said that even in their family, conversations about the conflict were difficult to sustain without becoming emotional.

“Both sides feel victimized,” Trock said. “We also have our disagreements,” she added, gesturing at her sister, “but we don’t shoot each other.”

Zainab Chaudry, 32, of Columbia, Md., who is Maryland outreach director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said that Florida teenager Tariq Abu Khieder , 15, who drew national attention for a video that appeared to show Israeli soldiers beating him while he was on a family trip in the West Bank, was among those in the crowd. Khieder posted a photo to his Instagram account showing his now-healed face as he posed in front of the White House on Saturday.

Read More

Cristiano Ronaldo Fun Facts

Cristiano Ronaldo Fun Facts:

• NAME: Cristiano Ronaldo

• Ronaldo’s full name is “Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro”, he was named after former american president Ronald Reagen. Ronaldo name was choosen by his father who was admired of the american president.

• OCCUPATION: Soccer Player

• BIRTH DATE: February 05, 1985 (Age: 28)

• PLACE OF BIRTH: Funchal, Madeira, Portugal

•  ZODIAC SIGN: Aquarius

• Ronaldo was nicknamed "cry-baby" as a child. His mother Dolores Aveiro said: "When he got home from school I'd tell him to do homework but he'd say he didn't have any. I'd be making dinner and he would jump out of the window and run off until late. He used to cry when he passed and his friends didn't score. People called him 'cry-baby' and 'little bee' because nobody could catch him."

• He was an amazing player even at 11 years old. Paulo Cardoso, his first coach at Sporting Lisbon, said: "When he got the ball he went past two or three players. At the end of the game the players gathered around him, they knew he was a special kid."

• Jose Mourinho likened Ronaldo to Marco van Basten, the former Holland striker. Mourinho said: "I remember the first time I saw him play. It was for Sporting youth. I told my assistant, 'There goes Van Basten's son.' He had great technique. He stood out."

• As a teenager Ronaldo would train in the gym using weights on either foot and then dribbling with the ball. He thought it would improve his technique because without weights he would be even faster.

• Liverpool decided Ronaldo wasn't good enough a year before he signed for United for £12.2 m from Sporting in 2003. After the winger played against United in a friendly Sir Alex Ferguson said: "At half-time I knew I had to sign this boy. He was sensational."

• There is only one Cristiano Ronaldo but there are two Ronaldos. As coach of Brazil, Luiz Felipe Scolari, who worked with the other Ronaldo, said: "I hoped Cristiano would be as good one day. He just doesn't stop, no matter how much you demand of him."

• Ronaldo’s father, Jose Dinis Aveiro, passed away at the age of 52 due to alcoholism. As a result, Ronaldo does not drink alcohol because drinking it reminds him of the death of his father.

• It would take Cristiano Ronaldo just 6 days, 9 hours, 17 minutes and 5 seconds to earn what Barack Obama earns in one year! This is the most powerful man on the planet! he is currently earning £274,000/$452,182 in a week. It would take Cristiano Ronaldo 3 days, 19 hours, 40 minutes and 16 seconds to earn enough money to buy a 911 Turbo S Cabriolet. Ronaldo is the Highest Paid Footballer in the World.

• Ronaldo grew up in a largely working class neighborhood, his home a small tin roofed shack that overlooked the ocean. His early life was shaped by hardship; his father, a gardener, often drank too much, and eventually died from kidney problems in 2005. To help keep the children fed, and maintain some financial stability, Ronaldo's mother worked as a cook and cleaning person.

• It was through his dad's work as an equipment manager at a boy's club that Ronaldo was first introduced to the game of soccer. By the time he was 10 years old, he was already recognized as a phenomenon—a kid who ate, slept and drank the game. "All he wanted to do as a boy was play football,"

• If you have seen Ronaldo often in football games you would know that he has this amazing ability of jumping head and shoulders higher than the other footballers. Which gives him many headed goals. He can easily out jump an average NBA player.

• Ronaldo's freekick speed is around 130 kilometres an hour, which means 31.1 metres per second more than four times of Apollo 11 rocket's launching speed which was 7.3 metres per second.

Read More

Pics That Prove Harry Styles Is Obsessed With Fruit!

Whether Harry Styles is performing on stage, or trimming Zayn Malik's beard, he's not going to let hunger get the best of him. His go-to snack? Fruit, of course! What a healthy obsession!

Harry knows that bananas are a good source of potassium!

We think Louis wants your apple, Harry!

It looks like Harry had a late night grape craving!

Harry refuses to put down his fruit, even if he's shaving Zayn's face.

Banana break!

Harry's definitely not picky when it comes to fruit. He likes it all!

Harry came out of the store with nothing but strawberries. SO healthy!

If anyone ever need to get Harry a gift we know the perfect thing -- a fruit platter!

Read More

Spray-painted solar cells promise cheap power on seemingly any surface

Spray-painted solar cells promise cheap power on seemingly any surface

Jon Fingas

Engadget 

Scientists have dreamed of painting solar cells to generate energy on just about any surface, but efficiency has been a problem; researchers were happy to get one percent just a couple of years ago. At last, though, it looks like viable paint-on power is close at hand. A team at the University of Sheffield has developed spray-on cells that should be both cheap and capable. The trick is to coat an object in perovskite, a calcium titanium oxide mineral -- it's inexpensive like organic solar cells, but absorbs light nearly as well as silicon.
In the lab, the technology isn't quite ready for prime time. A spray-based cell gets about 11 percent efficiency versus 19 percent at perovskite's ideal performance. However, it's still early days. Scientists believe that their approach could scale up to the same manufacturing techniques used for spray painting vehicles. If that happens, it's conceivable that your future car (and virtually any other device) could harvest the sun's rays without the steep costs and awkward product designs that are frequently involved when you use old-fashioned solar panels.Source: University of Sheffield, Royal Society of Chemistry

Read More

Microsoft Surface will be used in first NFL game tonight

Microsoft Surface will be used in first NFL game tonight

by Christopher White

Neowin

The NFL began their pre-season celebrations yesterday by inducting seven new players into the Hall of Fame, including two players from teams that kickoff tonight: Andre Reed of the Buffalo Bills, and Michael Strahan of the New York Giants. What will be different for fans watching the game tonight is that Microsoft Surface tablets will be visible everywhere on the sidelines and in the coaching booth. This is the result of a $400 million dollar, five year deal between Microsoft and the NFL.

The NFL is starting to emerge from the 20th century and Microsoft is helping them out with this by providing 25 Surface tablets to each team. Thirteen of the tablets will be used on the sidelines, with another dozen held by coaches watching the game from upstairs. SFGate reports that this is the first time that players will be allowed to use this type of technology during a game; previously they used fax machines to send pictures of plays down to the sideline, and these documents were stored in 3-ring binders for players to look through during breaks. With the new Surface tablet agreement, players will be able to look at full color plays and can display up to four images at a time.

The NFL isn't ready to open the lid on all of the technology quite yet though. For example, the Surface will be locked down to prevent players and coaches from watching video. In addition, there will be no Internet access available through the devices; the only network connectivity is via a secure private network that hooks all of the Surface devices together. According to the NFL, "we want to make sure the players are deciding wins and losses, not technology."

There's some other new technology that, while not as visible, will hopefully lead to a better game. These include RFID chips implanted in the shoulder pads so that coaches can know exactly where and how fast players are moving; wireless communication between the referees; and instant communication between the head referee and the instant replay officials in New York.

Read More

3Doodler Review: Fun but Quirky 3D Pen

3Doodler Review: Fun but Quirky 3D Pen

Associated Press

3D printing is all the rage. You can hit a button on your computer, which sends a file to a printer, which produces a small 3D object out of plastic. It's a cool technology, but it's not exactly a hands-on way to make things.

Enter the 3Doodler, the pen that turns you into the 3D printer.

The $99 3Doodler, made by Boston-based startup Wobbleworks, is a fat pen not unlike a hot glue gun. It needs to be plugged into a wall outlet. A stick of plastic goes in on the blunt end and comes out, melted, at the tip. As you move your hand, it leaves a thin trail of cooling, solidifying plastic. Move it around with a plan, laying down string upon string, and an object starts taking shape.

It's easy to get started. Within a few hours, I made a few rings, an unusable but cute eggcup, and a three-inch sculpture of a walking man. I made shoes for my daughter's Barbie by coating the doll's feet in plastic. They were popular until they broke a few minutes later.

The finished objects have a unique and intriguing look to them - they're all reminiscent of a jumble of fused plastic wire. But it's very hard to make anything durable or useful this way. The company behind the 3Doodle recommends making paper clips as one of the first exercises, and sure, you'll have paper clips, but they'll be the most fragile paper clips you've ever seen. Bending clips from steel wire would be a much better way to go, if you really need paper clips.

It's fun to work with plastic, though. Plastic has, so far, not been a do-it-yourselfer's material. You can whittle wood, machine metal, and mold clay. But plastic, that near ubiquitous material, has been out of reach. That's a pity, because it's pretty cute. It's light, colorful and easy to shape. It's too bad it's so fragile.

There are two types of plastic available. Polylactide or PLA is made from corn and is biodegradable. It comes in several colors, including attractive translucent ones. I found it the easiest material to work with. Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, or ABS, is opaque and more flexible. It's more easily recycled than PLA. It's hard to work with, in part because the strands don't stick that well to one another.

The plastic costs $10 for packs of 25 sticks. Each pack weighs about 1.5 ounces or 40 grams. When bought in big rolls for 3D printers, the same amount of plastic costs about $1, so 3Doodler's markup is pretty hefty.

While 3D printers for home and amateur use have gone through several cycles of improvement over the last five years or so, the 3Doodler is a first-generation product, and it shows. The speed of the plastic feed will vary, especially when you've fed in a fresh stick. When using ABS plastic, it stops frequently. This makes it difficult to build with precision. You can chose between "fast" and "slow" speeds, but even the slow one often feels too fast.

The pen can't feed the last bit of the stick, so when the plastic stops coming out of the head and you insert a new stick, a dozen inches of plastic from the old stick comes out first. This makes it difficult to switch colors without waste - serious 3Doodlers will probably want more than one pen for multicolor projects.

I think these are fixable problems - the next generation of pens should be better. And while they're at it, it would be great to get a few different extrusion heads - one that squeezes out square bars and another that does flat bands.

In the 3Doodler's favor, it's a much simpler machine than a 3D printer. I got a $1,000 printer from Solidoodle and didn't manage to produce a single usable thing. There were at least three things wrong with the printer, and fixing all of them would require a major investment in time. If you're buying a 3D printer, you're investing in a new hobby.

The 3Doodler, on the other hand, is a low-risk buy. It's fun to play with, and despite the markup on the plastic, a pretty good value, especially if you have kids or have an artistic sense. I did, eventually, figure out how to make a few things that were both useful and durable: a set of translucent napkin holders.

Read More