After the Fighting in Gaza (Bangor Daily News) With prospects for a cease-fire in Gaza growing after an Israeli bomb reportedly killed dozens at a school there, attention in Israel, the Palestinian territories and the world must turn to what comes next.

2009: Year of the travel deal (Chicago Sun-Times) The value of the U.S. dollar is surging, gas prices are at their lowest levels in four years, and hotel rates are softening. If you can afford a vacation, 2009 will be "the year of travel deals," predicts Genevieve Shaw Brown, senior editor of Travelocity. Pauline Frommer, the guidebook writer, agreed.