Finally, as promised, the New York Times has brought opinions 'Online,' to the internet, with its new 'web log' thing, "Room for Debate." Lets' explore!

NYT Opinion page editor Andy Rosenthal promised that this "Instant Op-Ed" section would allow you, the reader, to see opinions about things at a rate far quicker than your daily newspaper deliveryman could deliver. Lively debate, at your fingertips, in mere hours! What contentious issue of the day has the Times chosen as its inaugural topic for expert debaters to fight over? It concerns all the recent layoffs you've heard about:

What is the toll on individual workers and on the economy as a whole?

Stand back and watch the feathers fly, whoa! Seriously though, boring timidity like this is one reason people like our boss have called for the NYT to abandon the news/ opinion divide, which is just the type of wacky idea that gains currency when this is what passes for lively debate. Don't encourage him, guys.

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