As has been widely discussed, mocked, lamented, the New York Times today is introducing a subscriber model for its award-winning web site. Users can access twenty articles a month for free, anything more will set you back fifteen clams. It remains to be seen whether or not the new model will work - pay sites tend to be either business-oriented, leaving your boss to pick up the tab, or pornographic - and the Times' previous trial run with a paywall, TimesSelect, didn't really work out that well.

That said, this is just awesome: from Arthur Ochs Sulzberger himself.

A letter from the publisher of The New York Times about the beginning of digital subscriptions in the United States and the rest of the world. [emph. added]

Anyone else remember the famous headline, Fog in Channel, Continent Cut Off?

Dear Editors:
The constitution of this country reserves a special place for newspapers in this unfinished democracy: a special place which comes with specific responsibilities to the polity. Newspapers are expected to inform and edify the masses beyond the mundane day to day events of life in this city, state and nation. Its columnists, free-lance journalists and editorial boards are also expected to take positions on issues, in order to stimulate debate and discussion amongst elites, professionals and ordinary folks alike. Thus the roles and functions of any newspaper are quite important to the theory of democracy. And despite the fact that television, radio, the internet and other contemporary mediums within modern communications technology, have altogether surpassed newspapers as the main mode of information-gathering for most people, the responsibilities mandated by the constitution remain the same.  read more »

Will the 2008 Blue Wave sweep out the ossified obstructionist Republicans in Albany? Will a Democratic take over of the State Senate actually help to clear out Albany's political constipation or will the likes of Shelly Silver STILL keep things dysfunctional? We will soon find out. But what is clear is that there are three particularly good candidates Democrats can support for State Senate who would definitely improve things. And the NY Times has endorsed all three.

NY Times State Senate endorsements:

Third State Senate District on Long Island: Voters have a good choice in the Democratic challenger, Brian Foley, the town supervisor of Brookhaven. Mr. Foley has managed to restore the town's good name after decades of rotten Republican rule. The incumbent, Caesar Trunzo, was elected in the Nixon era. His core argument for re-election has boiled down to his pride in being a major conduit for pork. Long ago, he became a living monument to the inertia in Albany. We endorse Brian Foley.  read more »