Horizontal newspaper text is replacing the vertical original in Chinese-American newspapers. One editor claims it's because of software & to integrate English words. But as the NYT points out, some speculate that a political conspiracy may be afoot to court Beijing at the expense of Taipei. And indeed, While most papers still use Chinese characters, in November the pro-Beijing China Press switched from traditional to simplified characters (after having switched from vertical to horizontal publishing three years ago). Despite a rocky start, the paper's circulation has jumped by 20 percent. And after all, there are increasing numbers of immigrants from mainland China. I wonder if ultimately they won't change US policy towards China.