"Chicago Tribune" Reader

"Chicago Tribune" Reader

Heffernan: It's the holidays — time to get in a car and fight!

Posted: 21 Nov 2012 01:44 PM PST

GPS VoicesJust like table-setting and side-taking after divorces, every family does car fights in its own way. Best to prepare. For that we need but one word, courtesy of our loyal robot driving companion—The Global Positioning System—composed and focused through wails and quips and rants.

Millions cram roads, air for Thanksgiving holiday

Posted: 21 Nov 2012 12:05 PM PST

Traffic moves on the arrival level of Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, CaliforniaNearly 44 million Americans are hitting the road for the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday weekend, most by automobile, with some in Northeast states hard hit by Superstorm Sandy moving their feast to warmer, drier quarters.

World’s oldest original working digital computer gets a reboot

Posted: 21 Nov 2012 01:51 PM PST

Computing has come a long way. Take a look at this clip of the Harwell Dekatron, otherwise known as the Wolverhampton Instrument for Teaching Computation (WITCH). The supercomputer from 1951 was restored over a period of three years by experts at England's National Museum of Computing in Bletchley Park. This week, they rebooted the beast [...]

Silent skies over Gaza after cease-fire

Posted: 21 Nov 2012 01:55 PM PST

Residents of the southern Israeli town of Sderot watch cross-border fighting from a hill overlooking the northern Gaza Strip, before a ceasefireThe fighting came to an end after a meeting between Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi and Hillary Clinton.

Five post-Thanksgiving fiscal cliffhangers

Posted: 21 Nov 2012 02:21 PM PST

Post-Thanksgiving Fiscal CliffhangersMake no mistake: This sleepy, turkey and stuffing-fueled week will give way to a frenetic pace during the month of December.

Photo calling for peace in Israel and Gaza goes viral

Posted: 21 Nov 2012 11:34 AM PST

As the fighting between Israel and Palestine continues, people all over the world are hoping for a cease-fire and for peace in Gaza. In acknowledgement of this wish for a truce, two men of different religious faiths made a public plea as they stood together holding signs in Midtown Manhattan on Tuesday. One man's sign [...]

Jump right in, the leaves are fine

Posted: 21 Nov 2012 12:35 PM PST

Clearly subscribing to the belief that more leaves equals more fun, a group of autumn enthusiasts assembled what must be one of the largest single pile of leaves. And for what purpose? Why, to jump into it from a roof, of course. A group of guys gathered leaves from every corner of Utah. All told, [...]

Video: TV news anchors resign on air

Posted: 21 Nov 2012 10:26 AM PST

A pair of local TV news anchors had a surprise for viewers at the end of their 6 p.m. newscast on Tuesday: They're quitting. Cindy Michaels and Tony Consiglio, anchors for ABC's WVII affiliate in Bangor, Maine, announced their joint resignations, citing a dispute with management over journalistic practices. "And finally tonight, this will be [...]

CTA chairman: No more fare hikes at least through 2015

Posted: 21 Nov 2012 10:19 AM PST

The CTA's top official, defending $56 million worth of fare increases set for next year, on Wednesday promised a moratorium on future hikes through at least 2015 as the result of the transit agency "righting this financial ship that we've been on."

Israel’s social media war run by 26-year-old

Posted: 21 Nov 2012 12:18 PM PST

Sacha DratwaSocial media have become tools for popular movements like the Occupy Wall Street protest and the Arab spring. But Israel may be the first country to launch a propaganda war using Facebook and Twitter.

Prince William PR pics revealed military secrets

Posted: 21 Nov 2012 11:52 AM PST

Photos released yesterday on the Royals' revamped website were intended to give the public a behind-the-scenes look at Prince William's daily routine as an RAF search and rescue helicopter pilot. However, upon closer look, the photos actually revealed much more.

Black Friday doesn't live up to the hype

Posted: 21 Nov 2012 09:03 AM PST

Contrary to what you might think, the day after Thanksgiving is not necessarily the best time to buy some items.

Jesse Jackson Jr. resigns from Congress

Posted: 21 Nov 2012 10:47 AM PST

U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. speaks at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in DenverJesse Jackson Jr. resigned his seat in Congress on Wednesday, acknowledging an ongoing federal investigation into his campaign funds and expressing a desire to be remembered for what he "did right." Text from Jackson's resignation letter, submitted on Wednesday to House Speaker John Boehner: During this journey I have made my share of mistakes. I [...]

Jesse Jackson Jr. resigns, acknowledges federal probe

Posted: 21 Nov 2012 04:42 PM PST

Rep. Jesse Jackson resigned from Congress today, saying in a letter that he is cooperating in a federal investigation "into my activities" but blaming his health problems for his decision to step down just two weeks after his re-election.

Obama praises Netanyahu on Gaza cease-fire

Posted: 21 Nov 2012 09:54 AM PST

Smoke raises as another missile approaches the target during an Israeli air strike in Gaza City, Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2012. Israeli aircraft pounded Gaza with at least 30 strikes overnight, hitting government ministries, smuggling tunnels, a banker's empty villa and a Hamas-linked media office. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)The president, speaking to Netanyahu by telephone, also underlined America's unwavering support for Israel's security.

Myanmar says it's ready to sign nuclear agreement

Posted: 21 Nov 2012 08:57 AM PST

FILE - In this Nov. 19, 2012, photo, President Barack Obama "douses eleven flames" as he tours the Shwedagon Pagoda with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in Yangon, Myanmar. Little noticed during Obama's landmark visit to Myanmar was a significant concession that could shed light on whether that nation's powerful military pursued a clandestine nuclear weapons program, possibly with North Korea's help. Myanmar announced it would sign an international agreement that would require it to declare all nuclear facilities and materials. Although it would be up to Myanmar to decide what to declare, it could provide some answers concerning its acquisition of dual-use machinery and military cooperation with North Korea. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)The nation agree to declare all of its nuclear facilities and materials in a development that could provide some answers about its military cooperation with North Korea.

Hero dog saves baby from kidnapping, family says

Posted: 21 Nov 2012 08:54 AM PST

A family dog stops an armed would-be kidnapper from leaving the family's home with a 3-month-old.

New TSA guidelines may mislead travelers, snow globe expert warns

Posted: 21 Nov 2012 07:58 AM PST

Some snow globes are OK for carry-on luggage, but one man says most are too big.

5 hurt in extra-alarm fire in senior high-rise

Posted: 21 Nov 2012 09:09 AM PST

At least five people have been injured in an extra-alarm fire at a senior citizen high-rise on the West Side this morning, officials said.

Clinton, White House denounce bus bombing

Posted: 21 Nov 2012 07:33 AM PST

US Secretary of State Clinton and Egypt's President Mursi meet at the presidential palace in CairoThe U.S. secretary of state expresses support for Israel as she seeks a truce between the nation and Hamas leaders.