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Title: One fateful day pt 1 of 3
Rating: PG
Pairing/Characters: Yonekuni & Shirou, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black
Series: Sex Pistols
Part of: Alt Universe; Crossover
Notes: I've been itching to write a Sex Pistols & Harry Potter. This just an experiment drabble. Remus & Sirius are out of character, I really need to practice on them. Wish me luck! Dance with the devil pt 3 of 3 is taking a lot longer, maybe it'll be out by the end of this coming up week or the first week of the new year.
Though summer had taken a hold of them, the cool breeze that rushed by him seemed to belie the heat that was promised to come. As the breeze seemed to die down and then pick up again, he caught the scent and taste of salt from the ocean close by. If someone were to ask him point blank what he would be doing for his summer break, he would have answered something completely different than what he was doing now. He never thought that before his and Yonekuni's first year of college, he would find himself in England, visiting with Yonekuni's father and his father's husband. The night before have been spent celebrating an anniversary, though with Yonekuni keeping his back to the wall, preventing David from surprising him from behind. With the blond still in the rented cottage, fast asleep and though he was asleep, he knew the blond would refuse to come sight seeing iwth him.
Sighing to himself, knowing he couldn't blame Yonekuni, he continued on his way. The faint hint of clouds started to form in the sky, offering some shade from the sun, though brief that it was. For being rather late in the morning, the streets were nearly empty, as were the stores. A shopping bag held in his right hand, he headed down the street while his feet took him to a place he'd never been before. Faintly humming to himself, his spirits picking up and his hopes high, the feeling of his skin prickling. Hair on the back of his neck starting to stand and the feeling of being followed wasn't his imagination. There, behind him, stood a large, black dog. Dark fur that looked matted while the animal looked emaciated. Dark eyes that seemed to pierce him before he attempted to approach.
The sudden curl of lips over long fangs was the warning he received before he scolded himself. He didn't know the dog and knew he shouldn't have tried to approach it. For all he knew, the dog could be a stray. Yonekuni always told him his heart was a little too soft and though he tried to brush away whatever Yonekuni had said, he knew the blond was right. All he knew that there was something about the animal that seemed off, not right. Turning around, he continued on his way, knowing that the dog was following him from a distance. Every few minutes, he would look over his shoulder to see the animal following him. And when he did pause, the growl of warning and he would continue.
The sound of waves breaking against the shore told him that he reached his destination, though he really didn't remember how he got there. Settling on a dune that overlooked the beach, setting the bag to his side while his companion stood off to the side, cocking his head when he reached into the bag.
"I bought too much," a whisper to himself. So used to buying for two and with Yonekuni and his appetite, he bought too much food. The panting sound, watching the dog lick its muzzle while he opened the ready made sandwich. Removing the wrapper, he held it out.
"Come here, boy."
The dog gave him a curious look before he realized that he was speaking in Japanese. Licking his lips, he called out again, this time in english. A step closer and a sniff before another step. The closer the dog got, the hint of a scent that called out to him. He bit his lip to hold back any sounds while the dog moved closer. And while the dog was just a step away, the scent became stronger and though it called out to him, it seemed to be mixed with something else. The feel of the sandwich being snagged from his hand pulled him from the lull of his thoughts. Watching the animal scarf down the food before handing him another.
As the animal ate, he talked quietly of his problems. His worries of Yonekuni not touching him and he ended up spilling everything to the dog, never knowing that the animal sat there quietly, listening intently to him. Looking off into the sea, seeing the clouds that started to build, he didn't see a figure approaching him from the side and it was only when he heard the sound cursing did he turn.
An man, older than him by far, kneeling on the sand. Pushing himself up, not bothering to be hesitant, he offered the man help up. Easily seeing the wince of pain crossing the rugged face, he dropped his hand when the man pulled away only to see the man stumble a bit. "Come on," he stepped ahead, guiding the man to the place he was sitting, momentarily forgetting about the dog. About to ask if the man was alright, he could hear the sound of a stomach rumbling. The man's head jerked up and the embarrassed laugh.
"I'm sorry about that," a rough chuckle that seemed to have a tinge of embarrassment in it.
Shirou didn't say anything, only smiling and pulling out some food from the bag and handing it to the man. A surprised look that said "for me?" and a nod in his direction. The scent that had seemed to call him earlier returned, only thicker and while the man ate, he handed the bag to the man and the dog, knowing that the two were more hungry than he was. "You can have the rest, you and him." His head nodded towards the dog, who's eyes seemed to be trained on the bag of food.
"By the way, my name is Fujiwara Shirou."
The man's scared face seemed to be in shock before he swallowed and wiped his lips. "Err, thank you for the food. I'm Lupin, by the way. Remus Lupin." Shirou watched as the auburn haired male, Remus, turned to the dog and muttered words that were too low to hear.
"Is he yours?" Wide eyes watched behind glasses as Remus seemed to look a little shocked before he shook his head.
"Uh, no, he's not. He's a local stray that I feed."
He sat in silence as the two finished off the food and he found himself wanting to know more. Wanting to know what the scent was that seemed to call to the inner animal inside. H was still sitting when the two got up and as they were about to walk away, he spoke up.
"If you live around here, would you mind meeting up tomorrow? The person I'm with doesn't want to go out." He seemed a little nervous. He wasn't sure if this was the right thing to do and wondered if Yonekuni would be mad, but he couldn't stop. "It would be nice to talk to some locals. And if you're hesitant, I don't mind paying."
Watching as Remus seemed hesitant before chancing a glance at the black dog. As if the two were silently communicating with each other before turning towards him. "Sure, if you don't mind. We'll find you." A flutter erupting in his chest, a feeling he wasn't used to and he smiled, looking forward to tomorrow. As the clouds moved closer, he watched as the two walk away, watching them until the sound of his phone ringing. Pulling and looking at the screen, he went to answer while searching for the two.
Pushing up from the dune that he had sat down earlier, he headed back to the small cottage, stopping at the store once more before heading back. Knowing that Yonekuni would wonder were he was, Shirou wasn't sure if he would tell the blond about what happened.


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|Helpful ways to be fire smart this holiday season
Holiday cooking, Christmas trees, candles and holiday decorations significantly contribute to the seasonal causes of home fires, said Kentucky State Fire Marshal Bill Swope, director of the state Division of Fire Prevention.
"The holiday season can remain festive and fun by taking preventative steps and following simple rules of thumb to prevent home fires," said Swope. "My advice is to stay in your kitchen while cooking, consider using flameless candles and follow the rules for placing and lighting your Christmas tree."
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subset: commoncrawl


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|Chapter Coffee House July 1st 1785.
The Petition of Thomas Mills Clerk, Humbly Sheweth.
That, as it would be the utmost Gratification of his Wishes to pay, with the greatest veneration and respect, every possible Encomium on Your Excellency, which your distinguished Rank, Splendid Virtues, and great Abilities (which were most conspicuously displayed in your Steady exertions and unremitting Ardor in the glorious cause of Liberty and Independance) so highly claim; and for which you will eternally receive the well earned Commendation, the superbiam quastitam Meritis of every true Advocate for the just Rights, Liberties, and Privileges of Mankind; It gives your Petitioner the most heartfelt Concern that, instead of assuming the more grateful character of a Panegerist, he is compelled by necessity to approach your Excellency as an humble Supplicant.
That your Petitioner, considering the many weighty and Important Concerns of the Republic, which must necessarily engage your Excellency's attention, "Cum tot Sustineas et tanta negotia Solus" humbly begs leave to lay before Your Excellency, a short and plain Representation of his unfortunate Case, with a Strict Adherence to Matters of Fact.
That your Petitioner was endowed with a liberal Education, and having first taken his Degree at Oxford, was ordained Priest in the Year 1771, from which Time he officiated chiefly as Curate to his aged Father who was possessed of the Small Living of Miserdine in Glocestershire (and who was then in such a weak and infirm State as to be incapable of performing the Ministerial Function) till a singular Circumstance occured; which, notwithstanding it proved the primary Source of your Petitioner's Misfortunes and present Distress, he will not, as he yet glories in the Deed, mention with Regret.
That on Sunday October the 22d. 1780 Your Petitioner, under a conscientious persuasion of the Rectitude of his Conduct, Zealously attached to the glorious cause of civil and virtuous Liberty, from which he will not on any Consideration whatever be induced to recede, and spurning with a just abhorrence, at the detestable Idea of a servile Submission to an Arbitrary and uncontrouled Government, which too generally sways with the Iron Rod of Tyrany and Oppression) having obtained Leave of Mr. Archdeacon Chapman to preach at the Abbey Cathedral in Bath, advanced certain Doctrines not altogether palatable to some Men high in Office, then present; (which by the inclosed Sermon, literally transcribed from the Original, and most humbly submitted to Your Excellency's perusal, will more fully appear) who, being incensed at your Petitioner, because he dared to tell them the Truth, prevailed with the Archdeacon to Order the Organist to play a full Organ, to the great interruption of your Petitioner in his discourse, and to the general dissatisfaction of the unprejudiced Audience, many of whom reprobated the Archdeacons unjustifiable and iniquitous Conduct.
That the Ministerial Advocates having convened the next day and held a consultation together on the above Affair, executed a Resolution of representing, in a very unfair manner, Your Petitioner's Conduct, (as far as related to the circumstance of the preceding Day; for they could bring no other Accusation against him, Your Petitioner having preserved his Character unblemished and irreproachable) to the Bishop of Glocester, in whose Diocese your Petitioner then held a Curacy, under his Father: which ungenerous proceeding not having the desired Effect on the good Sense of his Lordship the Bishop, who, as he himself declared, had never heard any ill Report of your Petitioner; The Ministerial Party, his Enemies, then caused repeated Advertizements and paragraphs to appear in the Glocester Journal and other Papers, describing your Petitioner as a Person of violent and dangerous Republican Principles, and an Enemy to the British Constitution; which tended greatly to his prejudice; for by these and such like unfair Methods by them taken, his Credit was greatly affected, his Interest much hurt, and his future views in Life utterly obscured.
That your Petitioner having a Wife and Six Small Children, and little more than a Curacy of £30. a year to maintain them, was under the disagreeable necessity of contracting a few debts in the procurement of Sustenance for his Indigent Family: Which Circumstance being known, afforded the Tories his Adversaries a fair Opportunity of gratifying their Malevolence by prevailing on his Creditors to proceed against him for the same, which one or two of them did by arresting him, or otherwise greatly harrassing him, to the utter Ruin of your Petitioner; who was, in Consequence of the Cruelty of his persecuting Creditors, obliged to desert his Native Home, and to suffer four Years Exile from his dear Wife, his Children, his Relations, and Friends: And your Petitioner's Father being lately deceased, and leaving Six Children to partake of the Division of his Effects, which are inconsiderable; Your Petitioner's Share being very trifling, scarce sufficient to satisfy the Demands of his Relentless Creditors, Your Petitioner, his beloved Wife, and dear helpless Children, at this time, Experience the most poignant distress.
That your Petitioner having the greatest Veneration for that Land of Liberty, where Bellona has, with the Arm of Valor, lately Erected a Temple Are perennius, adorned with the Trophies of Victory, to that Guardian Genius; which present and after ages, will adore and admire, whilst those Servile Wretches and Monsters of Mankind who Envy the Splendor and Magnificence of its Structure, will never be able to efface it; Your Petitioner is induced, as well from Inclination, as compelled by necessity, to seek, with his Wife and Six Children, that Assylum and Protection across the vast Atlantic, which he cannot find in his Native Land.
Your Petitioner therefore most humbly entreats Your Excellency to take his Unfortunate Case into your humane Consideration; and benignly Condescend to favor him with a Recommendatory Letter to America, or otherwise to hold out to him the soothing Hand of Succour and Relief in such manner as to Your Excellency shall seem meet.
And your Petitioner will ever pray &c.


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DAVENPORT, Iowa - When employees at Davinci's Café in downtown Davenport step out the back door for a break, they have a clear view of two garbage bins behind the Davenport Public Library.
The alleyway vista is unremarkable unless you happen to notice the content of the bins: hundreds of library books.
"They've been throwing them in the Dumpsters for at least the past two months," says Davinci's bartender Brittnee Kaecker, who recently salvaged two of the books for herself. Both bear multiple marks identifying them as property of the Davenport Public Library and are in such good condition one would assume they had just been checked out rather than pulled from the trash.
"They've thrown out Stephen King, art manuals, lots of good stuff," Kaecker says.
One of the books Kaecker grabbed, the novel 32 Candles by Ernessa T. Carter, was just published in 2010. Inside the front cover "DISCARD" is stamped in red ink in all capital letters.
The Rescuers
Early Friday morning, the back of Dave Rhoades' SUV is loaded with hundreds of books. Wearing dark sunglasses to protect from the late August sun, he runs his hand over the top of the pile.
"I've probably got three, four hundred in here," Rhoades says as he flips over one-by-one an array of works including adult novels, musical instruction manuals, reference materials and children's literature.
"Who doesn't like The Rescuers?" Rhoades queries while holding a kids' novel based on the Disney film.
The mountain of books so consumes Rhoades' SUV that he refuses a request to open the back hatch for fear of an avalanche.
Like Kaecker, Rhoades helped himself after discovering the Davenport Public Library was dumping books in the trash.
"It's pretty incredible," Rhoades says. "95% of these books are definitely usable and valuable to someone."
Rhoades' girlfriend, Malerie Stanforth, joined him in a rescue mission that was perhaps not unlike the plot of one of the novels they were saving from the landfill.
When she could no longer reach the books toward the bottom of the bins, Stanforth played the role of hero by bravely going where she had never gone before.
"I climbed up and got in the Dumpster and went Dumpster diving," Stanforth confessed with an uneasy smile, her voice fading with embarrassment. "I just couldn't see all these books go to waste."
Rhoades holds up a copy of the 2004 children's book Tito, the Firefighter. "We looked this one up on Amazon," Rhoades says, "and it was selling for $13 on Amazon."
"We saw they weren't in bad condition," Stanforth adds. "We couldn't understand why [the Davenport Public Library was] doing this."
An Outrage and a Sin
After KWQC TV6 broke the story of the discarded library books on its website Thursday, the KWQC Facebook fan page (http://on.fb.me/Qg6GFH) began filling with hundreds of angry comments such as "that is an OUTRAGE," "Throwing books away is a SIN," "This disgusts me!" and "I think everyone should boycott that branch!"
"With all of our taxes contiuously [sic] going up how dare they throw them away," Ron Hinz posted. "The library and the books are for the community, so give them back to them."
Terri Pebsworth wrote, "I would expect a bit more creativity from the library in finding a new home for the books they no longer want. Those books would be a treasure to the right organization."
Within 48 hours, the Facebook post showing some of the trashed books had been viewed more than 20,000 times and garnered more than 370 comments. Some came from school teachers like Amanda Elliot who complained, "I could have used those [books] in my classroom!!!"
A Last Resort
Davenport Public Library Director LaWanda Roudebush estimates the library has recently thrown out around 4,000 books that used to be on its shelves.
"We hate it just as much as anyone," explains DPL associate director of customer services Stephanie Schulte.
Roudebush and Schulte point out that among the discards are books that are no longer usable because they are in poor condition or contain outdated information. "You don't want a travel guide from 1999," Schulte explains. "You want 2012."
However, Schulte acknowledges that for a number of reasons books which are still in good condition with no outdated content have also been sent to the garbage "as a last resort."
The Davenport Public Library has approximately 300,000 books total. Like any business that stocks inventory, it strives to use its limited storage space to showcase its newest and most desirable inventory to meet customer demand.
"We don't just keep one copy of a popular book on hand," Schulte explains. "We keep multiple copies so that people don't have to wait."
The problem comes when books, especially those titles for which there are multiple copies, are no longer popular and no longer being checked out. When the library attempts to sell these books, it is competing with countless other used copies that are available online through websites like Amazon.com.
At the same time, many of these titles are also available for instant download in digital format. Because of technology, the supply of a book can often outweigh the demand regardless of whether the book is still being physically published.
"You would think our [Davenport Public Library] book sale would be packed and that there wouldn't be an item left," Schulte says. "But that's not the case."
The often disappointing interest in library book sales is echoed by Waterloo Public Library reference administrator Mike Dargan, who complained on KWQC's Facebook fan page that "If people would spend more time at library book sales it wouldn't be necessary to send unwanted books to the land fill."
Even if a library is stuck with books it cannot sell, book rescuer Dave Rhoades does not understand why the library still would not simply give the books away. "If you put them in a box that says 'free,' Rhoades says, "I guarantee you someone's going to come and get them."
However, Schulte explains that the Davenport Public Library is a government entity and there are legal restrictions on how government property, including library books, can be disposed. Schulte says a library by law cannot arbitrarily give away books to the general public.
There are permissible avenues of donating, but because of the abundant supply of books from multiple sources Schulte says library books often cannot even be given away. "The library has tried places like the jail, nursing home, Salvation Army, Goodwill; we've tried," Schulte says. "It's just not that easy to give [books] away to different places."
Furthermore, Schulte says glues and other materials many books contain make them ineligible for recycling.
Legal restrictions, limited space, demand, competition and other factors have led the Davenport Public Library to an ugly but arguably necessary practice that libraries would rather not be publicized.
Brown Paper Bags
The Davenport Public Library is not the first to destroy books – nor is it the first to incur public wrath for doing so. The practice has occurred around the country for decades, occasionally being brought to light by media reports:
Schulte says because of negative public reaction, some libraries before dumping books have been known to cover them in brown paper bags to avoid discovery.
A Weeding Controversy
Every library must somehow get rid of unwanted books to make room for desirable ones, a process known as "weeding." Given the potential reaction, librarians are directed to try to keep the process even more quiet than the voice level they allow patrons to use.
The Texas State Library and Archives Commission publishes a step-by-step guide for librarians which it says has "become the benchmark tool for weeding library collections." (http://bit.ly/Ryns3M) Its 2008 publication entitled "A Weeding Manual For Modern Libraries" advises librarians that one option for disposing of unwanted books is to "box them for garbage pickup," adding that "the advantage of this method is that it requires minimal time and effort."
However, the manual goes on to warn that "this method of disposal is likeliest to cause a 'weeding controversy,' since many people are shocked by the 'waste' of throwing 'good books' on the trash heap." The manual advises librarians that if they "can explain that only those books and nonprint items in the worst physical condition get this treatment, you may be able to avert negative publicity."
And if a library chooses to burn unwanted books, the Texas State Library warns to "be sure the books won't be seen by someone passing by. Citizens might misunderstand the reasons for destroying 'valuable' books."
The April/May 2005 edition of Library Media Connection magazine, targeting librarians and educators, bemoans the potential public response to weeding. Old Dominion University education professor Dr. Gail Dickinson writes, "Visions of headlines such as "Librarian Trashes Precious Books" and scores of parent protestors guarding school dumpsters can turn even the most determined library media specialist into an equally determined weeding procrastinator."
Multiple industry publications discuss the destruction of unwanted library books as a necessary evil that the public cannot understand.
Reflecting on the moment she and Rhoades discovered the trash bins filled with library books, Malerie Stanforth describes it as if she had been blindsided by a mystery novel plot twist. "I couldn't believe it," Stanforth says. "I was speechless for a couple of minutes."
She and Rhoades now plan to give the story a happy ending by giving away the books to those who can use them.
The two would give away more than they have now, but cannot.
After their first haul Rhoades returned to find the bins again filled with books but this time sealed in by a padlocked cover, which the library says is a routine safety measure.
Locked out, the rescuers' goodwill mission was over as suddenly as it had started. It was an ironic ending to an odd, unforseen adventure.
Just like something out of a novel.
Follow David Nelson on Facebook at http://on.fb.me/PdyVE3 and on Twitter http://bit.ly/MUP5yV
805 Brady Street, Davenport, IA 52803
Telephone: 563.383.7000
Fax: 563.383.7131
Email: email@example.com


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Find out who you can expect to see on the first week of Katie.
Jessica Simpson
Web Exclusive
What to See on Premiere Week!
[brightcove id=1826381429001 width=850 height=478]
Web Exclusive
On September 10th, It's "A New Beginning" For Katie Couric
All month, "Katie" celebrates women who are reinventing themselves. Plus, a rare television appearance by Barbra Streisand, Sheryl Crow, Chelsea Handler, E L James, Heidi Klum, Jennifer Lopez, Demi Lovato, Susan Sarandon, Jessica Simpson, Sofia Vergara and Wendy Williams. All join Katie in the first three weeks.


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One shouldn't. I just wanted to get your attention.
I was prompted to write this after reading the following particular comment to this recent SI.COM posting ("Cubs' wanna-be tough guys embarrass sport and themselves") on the Cubs behavior on brawl night (Thursday night's game):
Harper's an ass! That showboating punk is gonna be a target his whole career!
It got me to thinking about the reasons for negative comments about Harper, sometimes hateful ones, coming from some baseball fans. Here are the reasons I came up with:
- Harper's aggressive play sometimes out and out embarrasses the opposition and their fans. Stealing home on a pickoff play to first, taking second base on routine singles to the outfield, and scoring from third after being looked back on a fielder's choice play to first on the batter, are some examples. He plays a lot like Jackie Robinson played. It gets under people's skin who have to play against him.
- His youth. Some folks just cannot get their head around his talent at 19 years old. Its 'unfair' that he is this good at 19, so let's denigrate him on a personal level.
- Envy. I really wish he was on my team, but the Nats have him for many years. Well, crap on them and him.
- The publicity he has gotten, which he does not control, makes some people wanting him to fail. Society tends to build up selected individuals, then some have a desire to see them torn down. This relates back to envy.
I have not seen any showboating by Harper, have any of you? The only issue one could have about him is his temper directed at himself at times.


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There has been a lot of Stoneman bashing sprinkled in with some praise over the last however long this site has been up (I am not particularly fond of him) - ESPN is is doing a SportsNation poll of GM rankings. Where do you rank Stoneman compared to his competition?
You can also get to it by going through ESPN's MLB section
Currently Stoneman is right in the middle of the pack at 14 according to the voting...


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Seiko Titanium Automatic Diver
SKX405K, Cal. 7S26
Click on the pictures to go through the series
Different Lighting Angle to show Black
This difference in lighting shows the structure of the black gabbro nicely. It also creates an interesting reflection of the light bouncing off the crystal. The tripod is in the exactly same position as before, just the panel moved above the watch. I hope you enjoyed the experiment as I did.
Btw. Greg Heath, a fellow TZer from Bangkok pointed out, that this stone is not granite (there are no pink inclusions - feldspar): Here is his original explanation as posted on TZ Public Forum:
The rock is probably an igneous intrusive..
Posted By: Heat


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Zimbra Desktop 7.2.5
- Requires: Java 1.6 or lower
Zimbra Desktop is the next-generation email and collaboration client.
The free Zimbra Desktop client allows you to meld the online and offline worlds – storing and synching your email, calendar, contacts, files and documents in the cloud, yet having them locally accessible when on the road. Zimbra Desktop aggregates information across accounts (Zimbra, Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, Hotmail, etc.) to help make communicating and sharing information easier than ever.
If you want to find out how to set up a new email account, have questions about composing email, adding calendar events or using any other feature in Zimbra Desktop, please see the End User Guide.
You can also checkout the FAQ to help answers a wide range of questions including How to Download? to Troubleshooting.
If you do not see an answer for your question in the End User Guide or FAQ, try the Zimbra Desktop Forums. The Forums are a browse questions and answers, or ask an expert by posting your own question.
If you think you have found a bug or would like to request a new feature for a future version of Zimbra Desktop, you can always file it in the Zimbra Bugzilla database. Be sure to file your request under "Product = ZD" for Zimbra Desktop.
If your organization is a Zimbra Collaboration - Network Edition customer you may contact the Zimbra Support team for questions or problems using Zimbra Desktop with your Zimbra account. Please contact your support desk or IT manager about this process.
Zimbra Desktop allows you to manage just about any other non-Zimbra email account using IMAP and POP protocols. This includes accounts such as Yahoo! Mail and Gmail. Zimbra Desktop uses pre-configure settings where possible to connect to these email services and provides documentation on how to manage many external email accounts however connecting to these third-party email services is not supported by the Zimbra Support team.
Third party external email services are maintained at the sole discretion of their respective provider; we are reliant on their implementation and documentation of standards to access your data. Thus if a third party service and/or its APIs are labeled beta by their provider, we also consider the implementation of these services in Zimbra Desktop as beta.


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Videos > Kathia Nobili > Kathia Nobili blows a long hard cock and gets pounded on her cunt
Rocco Siffredi This is the official site of Rocco Siffredi. See him taking advantage of the most beautiful babes as he bangs them rough and hard, or lap up some POV cock sucking as they wrap their sweet lips round thick hard cocks. You won't be disappointed.
Featured Pornstars:
- Kathia Nobili


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Japanese Tsunami Dog reunited with owner but more pets and their owners need help?
[Apr. 8] — UPDATE
Following the 9.0 earthquake in Japan, the highest ever recorded in the nation's history, the tsunami that devastated Japan left at least one dog alive. Nicknamed Tsunami Dog, the Japanese tsunami dog located a couple of miles off the coast of Japan, floating atop a roof amid the debris of a home, has been reunited with its owner.
From USA Today:
The unidentified owner, a woman in her 50s, saw a TV news report about the Japan Coast Guard's rescue Friday and went to the animal care center in Tomiya, Miyagi Prefecture, NHK TV says.
The Japanese tsunami dog was rescued by the Coast Guard, three weeks after the tsunami devastated Japan. The tsunami dog was found floating nearly two miles out to sea after the devastating tsunami struck Japan, killing 20,000 people. The reports say the dog, a mixed breed named "Ban" was reunited with its owner, an unidentified woman, age 50.
The Seattle Times notes:
Several weeks after Japan's devastating earthquake and tsunami, a loose network of pet groups is working to provide many of the services for stranded and stressed animals that emergency services have been providing for people, including food, medicine and shelter.
Tsunami Dog is just one of the pets rescued following the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Some people have questioned the resources used to find pets instead of people, The Seattle Times reports, but others have said that those people who have lost homes and livelihoods following the tsunami are grateful to have their pets, which help the people reduce anxiety as they care for those animals they love.
When it comes to tsunami dog and the others who need help, Snoop Dogg also is helping the Japan tsunami relief effort:
Neff Headwear and the wrapper have teamed up to raise money for those affected by the recent earthquake and tsunami. The duo have designed a Japan relief t-shirt in which all profits will be donated to Operation USA, an international relief agency.
"I got so much love for Japan that when I heard about the recent disaster I knew I had to do what I could to help," Snoop said in a statement.
Way to go, Snoop, helping your fellow doggs. Many other celebrities have stepped up to the plate, including pet-friendly Sandra Bullock and Gwen Stefani, who each have donated $1 million to the relief effort. Keep it up for the tsunami victims. While some insist that pets like Tsunami Dog are worth less time in the tsunami relief effort, these pets may help find their owners. Many still are lost following the Japan earthquake and tsunami. Do whatever you can to ensure they continue to be found and reunited with their pet friendly families by donating whatever money you can to any number of the worthy charitable causes like the Red Cross to aid Japanese Tsunami survivors and any pet organizations helping to shelter lost animals displaced by the earthquake, nuclear reactor meltdown, and the Tsunami tidal wave floods.


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Women's Novice Rowers Take Third At Virginia
Crews Place Third, Seventh and Tenth for GW
Nov. 4, 2007
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - On a beautiful day at the Rivanna Reservoir the women's novice rowing team got their season off to a productive and competitive start by taking third of ten crews from Virginia GW and Georgetown. The other two GW crews took seventh and tenth, respectively.
The `A' crew of Zoe Calish, Kirsten Spittel, Kristina Zarenko, Sarah Davis, Alysha Eychner, Katharine Voorhees, Kimberly Shephard, Jina Morsi and Hadley Malcolm took the top spot for the Colonials, completing the 4,000-meter course in 16:08.45.
"We have just begun to see what these ladies are capable of doing in the boats," said Coach Maria Bokulich. "I am very excited to see what the rest of the season has in store for us."
The lineup of Brittany McCormick, Dagney Leonard, Katherine Dunn, Emily Koch, Kymberli Holmes, Meredith Hurley, Alexandra Hamilton, Olivia Richman and Kimberly Kroll formed the `B' crew and crossed the finish in 17:44.90.
Mary Kubat, Annie Hiatt, Kristina Guinter, Eva Ceder, Sam Sparks, Jessica Hoffman, Margy Goodman, Jessica Batter and Elaine Mo made up the `C' crew and finished in 19:05.44.
The Colonials novice rowing team will be back in action on Sunday, November 11 when they travel to Princeton, NJ to compete at the Belly of the Carnegie.


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Scoring ten
- 18 July, 2014
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Most people know about the curse of the ninth, but if you don't, here's a quick explanation. Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Choral (8.550181) laid down a few benchmarks. Its influence was felt most recently, perhaps, during the dawn of the age … Read More →
1 out of 8: the BBC Proms opening week
- 11 July, 2014
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Next Friday, 18 July sees the opening concert of the celebrated BBC Promenade Concerts, the world's largest music festival. Planning the programmes for the daily schedule of concerts during the 8-week jamboree must be a headache. There will always be … Read More →
Multiplied by the power of one
- 4 July, 2014
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There's no doubting the thrill of hearing a pot-bellied orchestra going for climactic points in a score with all its might and dislodging the dust from concert hall rafters. Yet the other end of the textural spectrum can be equally … Read More →
The Magic Fruit
- 27 June, 2014
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I expect many of us spend more time in supermarkets nowadays scrutinising the contents of packets of this and tins of that. Never before have we been made more aware of the devil being in the detail, and the fact … Read More →
My hero. Yours, too?
- 20 June, 2014
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Where would we be without our heroes? Well, classical music would certainly be the poorer without the heroic thread that weaves through the catalogue. Works are branded heroic either by their general aura, the mention of the word in the … Read More →


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As regular Irreal readers know, I mostly avoid the tech wars and especially tech wars involving Apple. I use Apple products and like them very much. I also use Linux, FreeBSD, and various other platforms so although I admit to admiring Apple products, I don't think it accurate to describe me as a fan boy. Nonetheless, a recent Register article has such an outrageous headline that I'm forced to leap to Apple's defense.
The article in question is headlined Apple's poisonous Touch silently kills the GNOMEs of Linux Forest. That's a lot of red meat so you might think it's about Apple sending out their covert operations ninjas to sabotage the powerful GNOME opposition. But no. It turns out Apple's dastardly plan was to do UIs correctly. By unfairly realizing that tablets and laptops have different UI needs and failing to conflate those needs into a single desktop environment, Apple poisoned the GNOME project.
Seriously? That's what the Register calls "Apple's poisonous touch?" Actually, the article itself is a reasonable exposition of the difficulties that the GNOME project finds itself in and the reason for those difficulties. It hardly mentions Apple at all except as an example of doing things right. GNOME's problems are of their own making just as they've always been. Apple has nothing to do with it.
Judging from the disconnect between the headline and the article itself, it's likely that the sensational headline was written by an editor with a feverish imagination rather than the author himself. No matter. At the end of the day the Register bears responsibility for an outrageous and irresponsible headline. If you were wondering why the technical press is so often the object of ridicule, now you know. I can hardly wait to hear what Gruber has to say.