Trimming the Times: Flashback to 2008; Contractors in Somalia

A guide to what's in The New York Times for those worried about hitting its pay wall

Now that The New York Times pay wall is live, you only get 20 free clicks a month. For those worried about hitting their limit, we're taking a look through the paper each morning to find the stories that can make your clicks count.

On the home page, a lead feature compares the current stock market volatility to the 2008 crisis. Just below that, a report from Syria says local support for the government of President Bashar al-Assad is crumbling as an uprising there continues. And don't miss the international section's reporting on U.S. contractors in Somalia.

World: The lead story here is the best -- an in-depth look at the U.S. use of contractors to train local troops in war-torn Somalia. Another story worth your click is the report on China's safety investigation following its recent high-speed rail crash, which is "closely mirroring" its reaction to the Fukushima nuclear disaster in that its structured so as not to impede progress on existing projects.

U.S.: A report on a housing lawsuit in Lancaster, California, is worth a read because it gets into some issues of changing demographics and urban development affecting a lot of big-city suburbs right now. Another good read comes from Phoenix, where police officers aren't happy at being told to keep their tattoos covered, despite the sometimes oppressive heat.

Business: Global market turmoil dominates here, but one story in particular jumps out, about a move in Europe to temporarily ban short-selling as markets there slide. And DealBook takes up a basic but interesting question in the wake of the Raj Rajaratnam conviction: Just how serious a crime is insider trading?

Technology: The report on the death of Kenneth Oshman is quite a full tribute to a key Silicone Valley character -- more than the one in the valley's local paper, the San Jose Mercury News. Another report worth your click takes a close look at the strike in Verizon's land-line unit from the technological point of view.

Sports: Even if you're not a golf fan, the idea of a section of the P.G.A tournament set aside for workaday pros (the kind who give lessons at country clubs) is a neat one.

Opinion: In the lead op-ed, Maryland's Republican U.S. Representative Roscoe G. Bartlett makes a case against scientific testing on great apes such as chimps.

Arts: The lead story, a seasonal look at the "sounds of gridlock" is fine, but a little too conceptual to grab. For a bit of conflict with your culture, check out the Arts Beat post on Stephen Sondheim's letter of displeasure with a remake of Porgy and Bess.

Style: A story about the stress of too much socializing online is a bit stressful to read itself, but it makes a good point.