Beijing

Thursday August 12, 2021

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday August 12, 2021

Canada Considers Countering Winter Games and Hostage Diplomacy

Canada is being urged by legal and international experts to apply diplomatic pressure on both China and the United States to secure the release of Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, following Spavor’s 11-year prison sentence by a Chinese court.

December 8, 2020

Spavor, an entrepreneur, was detained in China in December 2018 along with Kovrig on allegations of state spying, charges widely seen as retaliation for the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver in connection with a U.S. extradition request. Meng’s formal extradition hearing began on Wednesday in British Columbia.

Since their arrest, Canada has been pushing for the release of Spavor and Kovrig. Both Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau condemned Spavor’s sentence on Wednesday.

“This decision was made after a process that lack both fairness and transparency including a trial that did not satisfy the minimum standards required by international law,” Garneau said at a press conference, adding Canada was is ‘intense’ discussions with both Chinese and U.S. officials to free both Spavor and Kovrig, who is still awaiting trial in China.

February 12, 2021

Trudeau, in a statement, called the sentence unacceptable and unjust.

“For Mr. Spavor, as well as for Michael Kovrig who has also been arbitrarily detained, our top priority remains securing their immediate release. We will continue working around the clock to bring them home as soon as possible,” he said.

Since the arrests in 2018, Canada has decried what it calls “hostage diplomacy” and in February launched the ‘Declaration Against Arbitrary Detention in State-to-State Relations,’ which has now been endorsed by 66 countries.

Meanwhile, the Conservative Party leader has warned that it may soon be too dangerous for Canadians to travel to China for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. (CTV) 

December 12, 2018

Speaking at a news conference on Ontario on Tuesday, leader Erin O’Toole said: “We are approaching a point where it won’t be safe for Canadians, including Olympic athletes, to travel to China.”

Diplomats from dozens of countries gathered at Canada’s embassy in Beijing on Wednesday to hear the Spavor verdict. The fate of a fellow Canadian, former diplomat Michael Kovrig, remains unclear.

O’Toole was speaking after a court rejected the appeal of a third Canadian, Robert Schellenberg, whose prison term in a drug case was abruptly increased to death following Meng’s arrest.

March 24, 2008

Asked about the winter Games, O’Toole said: “Yes Canada should be considering a boycott.

“And I’ve said we’re going to be watching the decision very closely. Beijing has to know that the world is watching the genocide taking place against the Uyghurs. They’ve watched what’s been happening in Hong Kong and the situation with Mr Schellenberg, Mr Spavor and Mr Kovrig.”

He said Canada would have to think “long and hard on whether we reward a country like that with the Games”. (The Guardian) 

 

Tuesday February 27, 2018

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday February 27, 2018

Pyeongchang Winter Olympics 2018: ‘the Games of new horizons’?

Moments before the XXIII Winter Games ended amid a furious barrage of K-pop and firecrackers, the president of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, insisted: “We have seen here how sport can make the world a better place … these are the Games of new horizons.”

July 21, 2016

Watching athletes from North and South Korea strolling happily together, for once separated by centimetres rather than 73 years’ antipathy, it was entirely possible to be swept along by waves of sentiment and hope.

Yet another image of Bach, from earlier in the day, was also hard to shake: one of the IOC president despondently confirming that Russian athletes would not march under their own flag  at Sunday’s closing ceremony, because of two doping violations at these Games.

Especially as, with his very next breath, he also promised that the Russian Olympic Committee’s suspension would be lifted very soon if there were no more positive tests. That suspension was imposed on 5 December and will have probably lasted less than 100 days when it is lifted.

August 19, 2004

As a response to the most audacious state-sponsored doping programme in history, it counts as barely a slap on the wrist – even when a $15m fine, being forced to call themselves “Olympic Athletes from Russia”, and a ban on the Russian flag and anthem in Pyeongchang is tacked on.

A closing ceremony that began with the crowd of 35,000 people counting down together to say “one” as the athletes entered the stadium ended with the Russians close to being officially readmitted to the Olympic fold.

September 9, 2000

On the final day of competition, the Olympic Athletes from Russia won their second gold of the Games, in the men’s ice hockey. But it only inched them up to 13th in the medal table – a far cry from their first place in Sochi when their athletes were fuelled by a cocktail of steroids as well as patriotic fervour.

The next Winter Olympic games will be in Beijing in 2022. (Source: The Guardian) 

 

SaveSave

Thursday August 7, 2008

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator - Thursday August 7, 2008 About those U.S. cyclists with gas masks American athletes arriving to compete at the 2008 Olympics and wearing protective masks inside the Beijing airport they wereÊacting like jerks. Yeah, no kidding, the air in Beijing is worth complaining about. These are athletes at the peak of their conditioning. But they can't endure the air inside a building? While they're walking,Êrather than running or breathing hard? And for the few minutes it would take to get past all the photographers and into theÊprivacy of their buses or cars? But complaints should come in the context of realizing that Chinese officials, companies, and citizens actually have done quiteÊa lot to try to cope with the problem (details here) -- and that it's sad in many ways, rather than contemptible, that the first viewÊthe world's TV audience will have of spiffed-up Beijing will be of the opaque gray-brown skies. Unless, of course, there's aÊbig cleansing wind out of Mongolia right now. It's embarrassing enough for the Chinese hosts that the air looks so bad. It's tasteless, prissy, and showboating for visitors toÊrub it in this way. (Again, I'm talking about wearing the masks inside, in front of cameras, while standing around -- notÊsensible precautions for training.) (Source: The Atlantic)Êhttp://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2008/08/about-those-us-cyclists-with-gas-masks/8658/ International, China, Beijing, Summer, Olympic, games, restrictions, freedom, USA, ugly, Americans, obnoxious, rude, demanding, media, complaining

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday August 7, 2008

About those U.S. cyclists with gas masks

American athletes arriving to compete at the 2008 Olympics and wearing protective masks inside the Beijing airport they were acting like jerks.

Yeah, no kidding, the air in Beijing is worth complaining about.

These are athletes at the peak of their conditioning. But they can’t endure the air inside a building? While they’re walking, rather than running or breathing hard? And for the few minutes it would take to get past all the photographers and into the privacy of their buses or cars?

But complaints should come in the context of realizing that Chinese officials, companies, and citizens actually have done quite a lot to try to cope with the problem (details here) — and that it’s sad in many ways, rather than contemptible, that the first view the world’s TV audience will have of spiffed-up Beijing will be of the opaque gray-brown skies. Unless, of course, there’s a big cleansing wind out of Mongolia right now.

It’s embarrassing enough for the Chinese hosts that the air looks so bad. It’s tasteless, prissy, and showboating for visitors to rub it in this way. (Again, I’m talking about wearing the masks inside, in front of cameras, while standing around — not sensible precautions for training.) (Source: The Atlantic)

 

July 29, 2008

Well, the above cartoon is not my finest work but I can keep my head up knowing I was able to draw something on the issue of smog and the coming Beijing Olympics without having to rely on using two very overused visuals, the gas mask, and the 2008 logo: (as has been the case with other cartoonists) here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. No offence to my cartoon friends, but the logo parody has been done to death, hopefully restraint can been exercised in the weeks to come so we don’t have to see another. Further apologies to other cartoonists whose similar work I neglected to link to.

This isn’t to say logo parody cartoons shouldn’t be done, but I think they should be drawn sparingly, and only if there’s a great idea. The concept of showing the stylized figure depicted on the Beijing Olympic logo as a truncheon bearing police officer is a great visual, but I’m not sure even a week to go before the games begin many people are familliar with the actual logo.

Among many editorial cartoonists I talk to logo cartoons are often viewed as being easy in and outs enabling the cartoonist to take the rest of the day off. It doesn’t take much to punch in the words ‘Beijing’, ‘Olympic’, and ‘logo’, into Google images to find a wealth of visuals of varying resolution, before manipulating one and handing it off to the editor for approval.

Cliches, metaphors, and proverbs are very important instruments cartoonists use to draw their commentary. While I and others groan at the overuse of some of the gags and scenarios seen in editorial cartoons editors tend to gobble them up, certain that the readers are going to easily understand what point is being made. Sometimes they become so overused it makes it easier for the lazier cartoonists to blatantly plagarize others.

On this occasion let’s review some of the common editorial cartoon cliches:

Please feel free suggest new ones through the comment box to add your own to the list.

THE OLD…Puzzle with a missing piece(s) editorial cartoon.
THE OLD…Painting oneself in a corner cartoon.
THE OLD…Walking the plank cartoon.
THE OLD…Large fish eating the medium-sized fish eating the small fish gag.
THE OLD…Things proceeding as slow as a snail/turtle gag cartoon.
THE OLD…Image of a beaver representing Canada.
THE OLD…Image of Uncle Sam representing America.
THE OLD…Donkey and Elephant representing the political parties in the U.S.
THE OLD…Corporate logo incorporated in a cartoon gag (i.e. Olympic rings for wheels on a tank. Bush choking on an Pretzel in the shape of the Enron logo.)
THE OLD…Manipulation of a flag, national symbol, coat of arms, etc
THE OLD…Sinking Ship cartoon.
THE OLD…Hear no evil. See no evil. Speak no evil cartoon.
THE OLD…Combination of two unrelated current events.
THE OLD…Loon on a Canadian dollar drowning/choking/spashing during currency fluctuations cartoon.
THE OLD…Ostrich head buried in the sand gag.
THE OLD…Taxpayer being held upsidedown with money falling out
THE OLD…Blind justice statue editorial cartoon.
THE OLD…Incorporating popular cartoon characters iE: Homer Simpson, Mr. McGoo, Peanut’s characters, etc. in an editorial cartoon.
THE OLD…Adding irony/humour to illustrations of famous photographs editorial cartoon (ie: the Hindenburg blowing up)
THE OLD…Dividing a continent/country up and pointing to different regions with satirical names gag.
THE OLD…naughty pupil writing lines on a chaulkboard cartoon.
THE OLD…”kick me” sign on the backside of a politician gag.
THE OLD…Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden image.
THE OLD…finger in the dike cartoon.
THE OLD…New arrivals to hell cartoon
THE OLD…labyrinthe image to convey, timelines, bureaucracy, etc.
THE OLD…target plastered on a person image marking imminent firing, defeat, death, etc.
THE OLD…circling vultures image to convey the same thing as painted on targets
THE OLD PIG…representing gluttony
THE OLD…peace dove altered to convey no chance of peace
THE OLD arrow going through someones’ head
THE OLD big politician holding another less big politician up as a puppet
THE OLD jumping out of a cake
THE OLD gas station imagery: pump hoses like snakes, guns…whatever
THE OLD alterations of gas/gallon signs

I’ve discovered something new pertaining to what’s popular among the gag cartoonists when it comes to cliches, but it could very well include editorial cartoonists. A cartoon editor at Prospect, a monthly British general interest magazine, has ranked cartoon cliches in order of popularity based on what’s subitted for publication. From First Draft, The Prospect Magazine blog, here are the top 20 cliches used by cartoonists:


20. Confessionals
19. Medieval sieges
18. “Back in 5 minutes” signs
17. Adam and Eve
16. Cavemen
15. Fairy Tales (ie: The 3 Bears, 3 Little Pigs, Rapunzel)
14. Business meetings
13. Ordering in a restaurant
12. Witch hunts
11. Hell
10. The Grim Reaper
9. Job interviews
8. Doctor appointments
7. Heaven
6. Goldfish bowls
5. In/Out trays
4. Gurus
3. Smoke signals
2. Psychiatrist couches
1. Desert Islands

Monday March 24, 2008

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator - Monday March 24, 2008 China reproaches foreign media China has sharply criticized foreign reporters here over their coverage of the riots in Tibet, accusing them of biased reporting andÊpreventing them from traveling to Tibet or neighboring provinces to report on the unrest. The government has also increased its propaganda campaign aimed at convincing the Chinese public that the Dalai Lama, the exiledÊTibetan leader, instigated the violence in Tibet on March 14 and that China was a victim of separatist terrorist activity. The campaign is the clearest sign of China's concerns that the Tibet unrest, as well as anti-government protests over Darfur, could disruptÊthe Olympic Games this summer. In a sign of the tension with the media, three members of the Athens chapter of Reporters Without Borders, a media-rights group based inÊParis, disrupted the Olympic flame-lighting ceremony in Greece on Monday. The incident occurred as Liu Qi, president of the BeijingÊOrganizing Committee, was addressing thousands of spectators, dignitaries and Olympics officials. The government appears to be blocking foreign Web sites inside China and censoring foreign television broadcasts here about theÊsituation in Tibet. Youtube.com was blocked after the riots began and CNN and BBC broadcasts regularly go black after any mention ofÊTibet. The New York Times Web site also appeared to have been blocked or censored in recent days. (Source: NYTimes)Êhttp://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/24/world/asia/24iht-beijing.4.11382684.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 International, China, Beijing, Summer, Olympic, games, opening, ceremonies, Bite Me, reaction, diplomacy, boycott, Tibet

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Monday March 24, 2008

China reproaches foreign media

China has sharply criticized foreign reporters here over their coverage of the riots in Tibet, accusing them of biased reporting and preventing them from traveling to Tibet or neighboring provinces to report on the unrest.

The government has also increased its propaganda campaign aimed at convincing the Chinese public that the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan leader, instigated the violence in Tibet on March 14 and that China was a victim of separatist terrorist activity.

The campaign is the clearest sign of China’s concerns that the Tibet unrest, as well as anti-government protests over Darfur, could disrupt the Olympic Games this summer.

In a sign of the tension with the media, three members of the Athens chapter of Reporters Without Borders, a media-rights group based in Paris, disrupted the Olympic flame-lighting ceremony in Greece on Monday. The incident occurred as Liu Qi, president of the Beijing Organizing Committee, was addressing thousands of spectators, dignitaries and Olympics officials.

The government appears to be blocking foreign Web sites inside China and censoring foreign television broadcasts here about the situation in Tibet. Youtube.com was blocked after the riots began and CNN and BBC broadcasts regularly go black after any mention of Tibet. The New York Times Web site also appeared to have been blocked or censored in recent days. (Source: NYTimes)