Amazing coincidences!

(January 18) – His motorcade to the Berlin airport yesterday was accompanied by German federal security police, who kindly helped him process his papers. Angela Merkel was on the job.

He innocently boarded a “low-cost flight” from Berlin to Moscow, sat in an economy seat and was accompanied by a planeload of journalists and intelligence officials.

Landing in Moscow, the masked man was greeted by more journalists. “He then embraced his wife Yulia, kissed her on the cheek, and walked toward passport control, where he was detained by a group of police officers.”

Northern ice: A shame on Canada

(December 27, updated December 29) – Canada routed Germany 16-2 in the “world” juniors hockey championship on December 26. The German team was missing six players including its top to goaltenders – one third of its roster – due to the covid pandemic. It had also played the night before, while Canada was playing its first game. Nevertheless, the game was not cancelled or postponed by the International Hockey Federation, being scheduled for the TSN Cable TV sports network [1] at primetime (6 p.m.) Saturday night.

Globe and Mail ignores cuba’s contribution to fight against global pandemic

Members of the Henry Reeve Brigade in Havana, April 25, 2020, as they prepare to leave for South Africa to fight COVID-19 pandemic.

The following letter was sent to the Globe and Mail on May 13 by Isaac Saney, Co-Chair & Spokesperson, Canadian Network On Cuba and a Cuba Specialist, Dalhousie University in Halifax.

Freedom of the press, Trudeau-Freeland style

(February 3, updated February 10) – As part of the brutal information war on the question of Venezuela and other questions, Global Affairs, the Canadian foreign affairs ministry, denied accreditation to the South American news agency teleSUR and blocked it from covering the highly irregular meeting of its Lima Group in Ottawa on Monday February 4. In addition, three Russian news agencies were prohibited from attending the official press conference.

The Globe and Mail’s false pretensions of diversity

‘It all played out very suddenly’: Former Globe and Mail reporter on resigning over race dispute | KAREN K. HO, Columbia Journalism Review

Ahed Tamimi: Erasing the violence, erasing the history

Still from Telesur

The same newspaper that heralds “a new era” for women in Canada victimized by “men in power” has no objection to the brutish treatment of Ahed Tamimi, the 16-year-old Palestinian girl who is in indefinite military custody for courageously challenging Israeli occupation forces on her family’s property. The Globe and Mail has carried but one item – on January 1 from Reuters. CBC also carried the same item on January 1st. The Toronto Star carried a derivative six-sentence item on the same date.

Patrick Brown: Am I missing something?

By TONY SEED

International Women’s Day March, Toronto, March 2017

(Revised and expanded from a Facebook post on January 25) – CBC TV’s The National hosted by Michael Serapio devoted the first 21 minutes of its 3-4 p.m. newscast on 25 January to the case of Patrick Brown, who has resigned/sacked as leader of the Conservative Party in Ontario although not his seat as an MPP after two women accused him of sexual misconduct. The case is dominating the news cycle. Premier Wynne, head of a government known for corruption and selling out the interests of the working class as in the case of U.S. Steel, was “shocked.” For its part, the Ontario PC Party declared it “unequivocally upholds the principle that a safe and secure society is what we expect and desire” and has “a message of change.” Federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh called the Brown allegations ‘heinous.” Tory MP Lisa Raitt says she has an “open door” for anyone experiencing harassment. All apparently stand for women’s empowerment.

Africa ‘threatens the future of the planet’

By ISAAC SANEY*

I picked up the Globe and Mail to read that Africa “threatens the future of the planet.” Under the guise of advancing the rights of African women, correspondent Geoffrey York (in his front-page article “U.S. cutbacks undermine efforts to keep Africa’s population in check”, Globe and Mail, April 17, 2017) openly advocates the long discredited neo-malthusian imposture.

Moreover, this utterly anti-black racist tract is embedded in the open white supremacist view that there are too many Africans. York actually states “humanity is increasingly becoming African…The result could be an escalating crisis in hunger, over crowding, ecological damage and rising immigration pressures in Europe and North America and within Africa itself.”

Thus, all the problems of Africa are attributed to the existence of excess Africans NOT to the global imperial system that has been built on the dehumanization, brutalization, plunder and exploitation of Africans and the African continent.

Anti-Communist fairy tales about Cuba, freedom, democracy and human rights

Re: Op-ed in the Globe and Mail, February 25. Originally posted on February 25, I am reposting as a Globe editorial on March 22, 2016 called for regime change in Cuba.

By ANNA DI CARLO*

Certain things are well known when it comes to the U.S. For instance, the U.S. contains only 4.4 per cent of the world’s population but it has the dubious prestige of incarcerating 22 per cent of the world’s prisoners, not to mention a largest number of political prisoners. It is also infamous for its arbitrary detentions and Guantanamo-type torture camps. In 2015 alone police in the U.S. killed 1,140 people.

Nothing free about this ‘free election’

The ruling class is divided over whether to have a Harper government or a Liberal government. Despite this, by the looks of it, the majority of the mouthpieces of its contending factions are hoping for a Liberal majority. One is even calling for a Harper government but without Harper! The only thing certain is that none of them are calling for an NDP government! In fact, they are pinning their hopes on the social forces they command in the workers’ and people’s movement wiping the NDP out in order to achieve the Liberal win in the election.

Globe and Mail Leaders’ debate: Our economy cannot be left to chance

Last night the Globe and Mail newspaper held a debate with leaders of only three of Canada’s registered political parties — Stephen Harper of the Conservative Party, Thomas Mulcair of the NDP and Justin Trudeau of the Liberal Party. The debate, called “Our Economy. Our Future,” focused on what the Globe called “the most critical ballot-box issue.” However, instead of discussing the economy and how to change its direction so that it is able to meet the needs of the people, the Globe said it will “probe the economic platforms of the three official parties, assessing their plans on everything from energy and housing to taxation and jobs.”

What to think about Canadians being told what they think?

Discussion on Bill C-51, Anti-terrorism Act, 2015

On January 29, one day before the Harper government introduced its new anti-terror act in the parliament an article appeared in the Globe and Mail entitled “Canadians support increased security powers, poll suggests.” It is worth asking why such a dramatic headline would be used before the contents of the bill were revealed.

New anti-terrorism act: Irresponsible polling and media coverage

Polling firm Angus-Reid released a story on February 19 which claims overwhelming support among Canadians for the government’s new anti-terror legislation.

It goes so far as to say “Canadians are firmly supportive of Bill C-51” and that “ [n]early half of Canadians say [the] draft law ‘strikes right balance,’” while “fully one-third say it doesn’t go far enough.” It says that “less than one in five (19 per cent) worried that it (the legislation) goes too far, compromising freedom and privacy.”

Journalists as megaphones: The Globe and Mail covers Bell

By DWAYNE WINSECK

ONCE AGAIN, yet another story in the Globe and Mail yesterday was out peddling a story of doom and gloom about the state of conventional commercial television broadcasters in Canada. This time, the story by Steven Ladurantaye came hot on the heals of a Supreme Court of Canada ruling Thursday that threw cold water on the idea that cable, satellite and IPTV services should pay broadcast tv companies — Bell (CTV), Shaw (Global), Rogers (CityTV), Quebecor (TVA), the CBC, and a smattering of smaller independents — to deliver their signals to the tv screens of Canadians across the country.

Reforms in Cuba and disinformation concerning layoffs

The monopoly-owned media see what they want to see, writes ENVER VILLAMIZAR

THE CANADIAN monopoly-owned media have been reporting that the Cuban government is set to lay off 500,000 public employees. The way this is reported suggests that this is a step towards capitalist restoration in Cuba. In a September 19 editorial, the Globe and Mail wrote: “The Cuban government’s surprise announcement this week that it is laying off 500,000 state employees could trigger unrest, but the reforms are a welcome first step.”

CIC Award for Media Excellence – Letters from Colleagues across Canada

25 November 2006

Tony Seed,

Editor & Publisher,

Shunpiking Magazine, Halifax, Nova Scotia

Dear Tony,

Congratulations on receiving the Award of Media Excellence 2006 from the Canadian Islamic Congress (CIC). For many years we have been journalistic colleagues and kindred spirits in building an independent media that tells the truth and provides Canadians with information relevant to their concerns. Your journalism, embodied in the ongoing work of Shunpiking Magazine and elsewhere, is at the same time fully partisan in its unrelenting defence of the rights of all, and most especially, those singled out for attack by the Canadian state and world reaction.

CIC Award for Media Excellence 2006

Speech of Acceptance by TONY SEED

Dr Mohamed Elmasry, CIC president, presents award to Tony Seed of Shunpiking Magazine

THE Canadian Islamic Congress 2006 Award for Media Excellence was presented to Tony Seed of Halifax on 30 October in Ottawa. Shunpiking Magazine’s editor and publisher was also invited to address the CIC’s Annual Gala Dinner – held in the West Block of the Parliament Buildings – on the topic of “Muslims and the Media.”

Invited guests included community activists and Muslin delegates, politicians, senior government officials, Ambassadors of 26 Muslim countries as well as professional and business leaders from across Canada.