SNL, Car Washes, and Dartmouth

A summary of the best reads found behind the paywall of The New York Times.

Now that The New York Times pay wall is live, you only get 10 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.

Top Stories: How Saturday Night Live wrung out comedy from the first presidential debate.

World: Caste-based affirmative action in India tends to reward the wealthy.

U.S.: In Phoenix, where cars are abundant and keeping them clean is "ritualistic," the car wash is used to raise money for everything from cheerleading to burying the dead.

New York: A New York senate race shaped by two women who were at Dartmouth as it was "still struggling to adjust to the presence of women."

Technology: The software patent system is one that "federal judges, economists, policy makers and technology executives say is so flawed that it often stymies innovation."

Sports: The postseason is looking grim for the Oakland Athletics.

Opinion: Bill Keller on healthcare and death in Britain and the U.S.

Dance: Justin Peck's "Year of the Rabbit" — a ballet to music by Sufjan Stevens at the New York City Ballet — "was a triumph not just for Mr. Peck but also for the institution that has nurtured him."

Television: Duck Dynasty, about a family in the duck-call-making business, is "one of the quirkiest, most enjoyable reality shows on television" with a sitcom-like format.