Outgoing U.S. President George W. Bush has said one of his main accomplishments had been keeping terror groups from carrying out another strike on U.S. soil.

But what if the big leaguers, al Qaeda, weren't really trying in that period? What if it's been waiting for a time more to its strategic advantage? What if that time is coming?

Columnist Gwynne Dyer explains the theory of the "South Waziristan Institute for Strategic Hermeneutics."

From Metronews.ca: (seen first at Twitter)

... All full-time staff with the company’s more than 70 publications were given the opportunity to reduce their work week to four days from five, accepting a 20 per cent pay cut for the duration of 2009.

“The four-day work week offered to publishing employees is purely voluntary and time limited,” for 11 months, said Louise Leger, spokesperson for the company. “Its purpose is to save money.”

Note the interest rate reported in this story.

From the NYT:

The New York Times Company said Monday it had reached an agreement with the Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim Helú for a $250 million loan intended to help the newspaper company finance its businesses.

Under the terms of the deal, Mr. Slim, who already owns 6.9 percent of the Times Company, would invest $250 million in the form of six-year notes with warrants that are convertible into common shares, the company said in a statement. The notes also carry a 14 percent interest rate, with 11 percent paid in cash and 3 percent in additional bonds.

The deal comes as the Times Company looks to raise money amid flagging advertising sales and approaching deadlines to pay back $1.1 billion in debt in the next few years.

The company will use the proceeds from the transaction to refinance its existing debt. One of its two $400 million revolving credit lines is set to expire in May. The $250 million investment should help free some of the company’s borrowing capacity.

From AP via Google News:

A Russian human rights lawyer renowned for his work on abuses in Chechnya was shot to death Monday by a masked gunman who followed him from a news conference, officials said. A young journalist who tried to intervene also was gunned down.

The broad-daylight shootings of lawyer Stanislav Markelov and journalist Anastasia Baburova prompted grief and outrage in a country where lawyers and journalists who challenge the official version of justice are frequently targeted.

The horrible economic conditions facing U.S. newspapers are causing rapid-fire turnover at the editor-in-chief and publisher levels.

The Politico drew up a list of 10 Bush pardons to watch for.

One-time newspaper guy and eternal corporate crook Conrad Black isn't on the list, although that doesn't necessarily mean he won't get one.

Still, the Politico said Bush hasn't shown any Clintonian-like proclivities to hold a pardon party in his dying days (less than 26 hours left as president!).

Oh dear.

The US$700-billion bailout of U.S. banks was supposed to melt the frozen river of credit and get those institutions lending again to (worthy) borrowers. It hasn't been working out that way.

From Nicholas Kristof's column:

If you win, you won’t be practicing tourism but journalism. You’ll blog for nytimes.com and file videos for The Times and for YouTube.

I’m doing this for two reasons. First, I want to engage young people about global issues that I’m passionate about. Second, it’s good journalism, for you’ll bring a tool to reporting from Africa that I no longer have: a fresh eye.

He goes further into the need for grassroots reporting from foreign lands:

CNN.com doesn't just want you to pop in for a quick burger or burrito and leave. They now want you to luxuriate on the site like you would at a fine-dining restaurant.