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RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, increasingly unpopular and worn out by a power struggle with Yasser Arafat, submitted his resignation Saturday, dealing a serious blow to a U.S.-backed peace plan.

Abbas held office for only four turbulent months, and there was some uncertainty about whether his resignation was final. One Palestinian lawmaker said the resignation might be a tactical move designed to pressure Arafat. [New York Times]

Transplanted pubic hair is the latest trend in South Korea, where it is regarded as a sign of fertility.

The operation is conducted under local anaesthetic and bandaging can be removed after just one day.
[Ananova]

Simply Amazing.

On the first anniversary of the attacks, Carbonera allowed himself to shed some tears at the six memorial services he attended. This year, he plans to spend the day with his colleagues at the airport command station, where a private memorial service will be held beside the two-month-old plaque just outside the front door of the building. It was paid for with $50 donations from each officer at the station.
        The granite plaque lists the names of all the Port Authority officers and one K9-unit dog killed that day, alongside the words NEVER FORGOTTEN BY THE JFK COMMAND and sits atop a rusty chunk of one of the steel beams that used to hold up the towers. Every day, Carbonera places his hand on the names before he goes through the doors to work. “It’s my way of saying I remember you.” []MSNBC]

So…. around 4:20 yesterday, the lights around my cubicle got REALLY bright, then fizzled, then went out.  Our building had “blinked” once or twice before, but when the lights didn’t come back after a minute or two, people began to mill around.  We realized that it wasn’t just our floor, it was the building. A security announcement over the P.A. confirmed that.  We went to the windows and realized that the lights in the intersection were out.  then we saw the smoke from the buildings all over brooklyn as the diesel generators kicked in.  Then we saw the same smoke in manhattan.  Then the same smoke in Jersey.  This was going to be an interesting day in New York City.

Aug. 15 – The official leading the investigation into the biggest power failure in history said Friday that a section of the U.S.-Canadian power grid in Ohio had emerged as the %u201Cprime suspect%u201D for triggering the cascading shutdowns that left as many as 50 million people without power a day earlier. [MSNBC]

The Boston Globe has updated their online site boston.com with a new look, feel, and interface.