The Onion Starts Online Subscription Fee called "Donate or Fuck Off"

Joining the ranks of other online news agencies such as the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, satirical newspaper The Onion today announced they would begin a donation policy called "Donate or Fuck Off" for the use of their website after the reader has read nine and three quarters articles a month.  The media hobbit has tested online subscriptions in other markets and has maintained a print subscription fee, but this is the first time they have attempted this particular method in the U. S. of 'Merica.

Onion, Inc. chief technology officer Michael Greer explains the new plan: 

"We know our readers will read us. It's what they do. Hell, most of them expect to pay something anyway. So in a way, we are giving them what they want. And people keep throwing around buzz words like 'subscription' and 'newspaper.' That's not what we do here. We just offer internet content for free in an Internet fashion, with ads. All we are asking is a little kickback now and then or maybe we stop giving you content. That's all. We even got a nice JPEG that tells you to fuck off. It's not really funny."

Long time reader of The Onion, John 'Whiplash' Williams had this to say: 

"Eh. If they start making me pay, I guess I'll try it out. Maybe I'll get a deal for the print and online. Bird's gotta shit somewhere, right?"

The Onion was not contacted for comment. 

Amazon Working on a Subscription Library?

Amazon is reportedly in talks with major publishers to offer a subscription-based ebook service to their Kindle and app ereaders sort of like their audio book service Audible or their Amazon Prime movie service.  Customers would pay an annual fee to access a library of materials, but publishers have not been responsive.  Huffpost 

It seems we are going back in time folks.  When libraries first started, you would bring a chicken to the building, offer it up to the monks, priests or guys in powdered wigs and get to read some stuff.  Make no mistake, kids, these libraries still exist (such as the Library Company of Philadelphia and the New York Society Library) and have for a while.  Here's what I want to know:  If this library service takes off, do you see a privatization of libraries on the way?  This has already happened in some libraries, so don't tut-tut me that it can not happen.  If online companies such as Amazon offer to staff and fill your library, tell me your city council would not bend their ears for just a moment.  Seems a subscription based library on the cheap cheap, even in ebook form, could have libraries going down an interesting road.