cartoons Archives - Gilbert Van Kerckhove, author

The little brothers of books: newspapers in print.

I mentioned a lot about books, but what about newspapers?
I have been a dedicated reader for decades of what was the International Herald Tribune, then later called The New York Times International Edition. Unfortunately, while the print arrives in my Beijing home in a sealed envelope, sometimes copies are censured of simply not delivered because of “bad content”. All while one has to submit also copy of the passport; not suitable for local Chinese. Worse, cost went up every year and one year subscription became RMB 9,300. Yes, that’s OVER US$9,300!!! So, I gave up and took a digital subscription. I am slowly getting used to it but I still miss my beloved newspaper. Now left is only China Daily, the newspaper without real news, so censured it has become.

See the last copy I received.
I also kept some of the historical different prints from IHT and NYT, when they started color or different designs. I also have an original copy of the first ever China Daily!

Which is the best newspaper?

I tried several newspapers. The Wall Street Journal Asia is pretty OK but by far I have always preferred the “IHT”. Reason: in-depth coverage and a very wide range of articles, from U.S. politics to China issues, over arts, health, name it.

I still have this “poster” hanging in my office of THINK. Many people should read more papers like this, it would ‘MAKE AMERICA THINK AGAIN”. Oh well, wishful thinking…

NYT stops its political cartoons

Well, that is what I call short-sighted and stupid. I loved many of those. Anyway they were not available in the digital online version. Well we still have the China Daily cartoon, obviously not always that memorable. Except like this one of 19 December 2016 where it predicted the current trade war…

See:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2019/06/11/new-york-times-cuts-all-political-cartoons-cartoonists-are-not-happy/

and

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/10/business/international-new-york-times-political-cartoons.html

I love cartoons

I also miss in the NYT digital version the other cartoons like Peanuts. I still have some in China Daily. Funny enough I found out that the same cartoon published in a different newspaper… is not 100% the same.

As we would say “spot the differences!”

Not the end of print

Contrary to the prediction of many, books are alive, in print.
The year 2018 has been, much to everyone’s surprise, a blockbuster for the publishing industry. Despite the relentless bad news, readers have bought books in droves. Hardcover sales are up, and unit sales at independent bookstores have risen 5%.
But what should be good news for publishers, agents and authors has created headaches during the crucial holiday sales season, as printing presses struggle to keep up with a surge in demand, creating a backlog that has led to stock shortages of popular titles.
The biggest cause of the bottleneck, publishers and agents say, is consolidation and collapse among printing companies.
The printing industry has its own problems, including paper shortages and price increases. And the low unemployment rate has made it harder for printers to hire additional workers.
Surprisingly, some of the current chaos has come about because the publishing industry is not only stable but seems to be thriving. After years of declining print sales, hardcover and paperback editions have been rising recently, while e-book sales have fallen.

The full story

Read the full story here:
23 December 2018 – Bottleneck at Printers Has Derailed Some Holiday Book Sales
The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/23/books/paper-printers-holiday-sales-books-publishers.html

Alive and thriving, illustrated by cartoons

Some consider book readers to be “suspicious” people, as per a French cartoon (“I am worried, he has bad friends… they all read books.”)
And a double-meaning cartoon in French gives the correct message: “This is one of the big pleasures in life… Read a book!” (If you see something else, please consult a psychologist!)
Reading a book is indeed taking a bath in culture and dreaming.
Obviously there are countries where bookshops are closing in favor of more sinister outlets…
And some of the young might be clueless looking at a “book” (with no batteries).

Gilbert Van Kerckhove, author

cartoons

What about newspapers