Trimming the Times: S&P Investigated; Black Fashion Vanguard

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.

The home page today leads with a report on a U.S. inquiry into Standard & Poor's decision to give high credit ratings to mortgage securities ahead of the financial crisis of 2008. Just below that, a breaking story has the terrifying account of a series of attacks on Israeli vehicles, including a bus, that has killed at least five people. But our top story comes from the Style section today, with its feature on a new, preppie-oriented trend in African-American fashion, and the Brooklyn bloggers who are leading the way.

World: Of course you'll want to be following the Israeli bus attacks (The Christian Science Monitor actually has some good early analysis), but there's also a great feature on the mysterious and growing Islamist network in northern Nigeria. And for a slightly lighter but still fascinating account, check out the report on a Moscow theater's renovation, long in the making, with a reopening set for this year.

U.S.: There's a great report on schools in tornado-torn Joplin, Mo., which opened on time against all expectations. And in an unusual story from Pennsylvania, a group of foreign students who got U.S. work visas are protesting their temporary employer, Hersheys, for forcing them to work too hard for too little pay.

Business: After that report on the S&P investigation, check out the story about another investigator's allegation that the Securities and Exchange Commission illegally destroyed files and documents related to a number of early-stage investigations over 20 years. And at the Economix blog, Simon Johnson tries to figure out whether or not the U.S. is on the precipice of another Great Depression.

Technology: There's a great feature on how (and whether) AOL can remake itself as a major contender after a tough year so far. And the report on IBM's new "cognitive computing" chip is very interesting, though one of many -- check out VentureBeat for another take.

Science: The story on DARPA offering $500,000 in seed money to a company that can study interstellar travel certainly captures the imagination -- both for would-be star travelers and would-be embezzlers.

Sports: The report on a probe into allegations of misconduct at University of Miami football is a little buried, but it's a good story. There's also some good analysis to go along with the news.

Opinion: In the lead op-ed, Frances G. Beinecke, the president of the Natural Resources Defense Council, argues that drilling for oil in the Arctic Circle, as Shell recently got permission to do, is simply too risky in the event of a spill.

Arts: It's a little long getting in, and a little wordy throughout, but the report on finding restaurant seats where you can watch the action in an open kitchen is a good service piece for those who want to do that without too much trial and error.

Style: Don't miss the profile of a pair of bloggers and entrepreneurs who are leading a vanguard of African-American preppie fashion.