Birmingham Brother Rice's boys swim team accomplished something it hadn't done in 18 years at the recent Division 1 state championship meet.
The Warriors scored 358 points in the competition held March 13-14 at Eastern Michigan University to capture their second straight state crown. It was the ninth state title in program history, but their first consecutive championships since soaring to five straight in the mid-'90s.
"It felt great to repeat," said Brother Rice head coach Mike Venos, whose team went undefeated this season. "It was tough trying to maintain our focus on just going out and swimming fast when these kids knew that we could accomplish something that hadn't been done at Rice since we won five in a row from 1993-98.
"These boys knew the legends that swam back then," he added. "I just wanted them to understand that they were as good, if not better, than most of our teams back in the mid-1990s, if they could just stay focused on swimming their best."
Brother Rice, which was ranked No. 1 all season, lived up to the high standard with a tremendous display of depth.
"The key to our victory was a great mix of our stars and our depth," Venos said. "We knew that guys like Gust Kouvaris, Mark Blinstrub and Rudy Aguilar would take care of business, but we weren't going to be successful unless everyone stepped up their game.
"We took 19 kids to the meet, 13 of them scored and 12 of the 13 scored in two individual events," he said. "We had 25 individual swims at finals, which is just a monstrous number for the Division 1 meet."
The Warriors' lone wins came in the first (200-yard medley relay) and last (400-yard freestyle relay) events of the meet.
The medley relay quartet of senior Blinstrub, junior Drew Grady, senior Kouvaris and senior Jack Kennedy won that opening event in a time of 1:31.68. The foursome of Kouvaris, sophomore Aguilar, junior Bobby Powrie and Blinstrub touched first in the 400 free relay by nearly four seconds over Holland West Ottawa.
While Rice did not win any individual championships, it excelled nonetheless with seven runner-up performances.
Aguilar was second in both the 200 free and 500 free; Blinstrub second in the 200 IM and 100 free; and Kouvaris second in the 100 fly and 100 back. Grady was runner-up in the 100 breast.
Rice's remaining all-state swims came from Powrie (sixth, 200 free), sophomore Jake Zalinski (fifth, 200 IM) and freshman Alex Margherio (eighth, 100 fly).
Brother Rice's 200-yard freestyle relay squad of Grady, Kennedy, Aguilar and Powrie placed third.
Venos indicated his Warriors exceeded expectations.
"Our boys swam so well, it did surprise me a bit," Venos said. "Overall, I believe we broke seven varsity records. We have quite a history on our record board, so this was no easy accomplishment.
"I don't know if there were any individual surprises to be honest with you," he added. "Our stars in the championship finals really fed off of the success of the kids in the consolation heats. It was another great example around here of a total team effort."
Holland West Ottawa was second with 247 points, followed by Ann Arbor Pioneer (178), Saline (158) and Zeeland (151). Bloomfield Hills placed 17th with 42 points.
Junior Max Threlkeld was 13th in the 200 IM and 16th in the 100 free for Bloomfield Hills. Black Hawks senior teammate Joshua Hemsworth was 16th in the 50 free.
Bloomfield Hills' 400-yard freestyle relay team of Threlkeld, senior Mitchelll Salhaney, junior Blake Woods and Hemsworth placed 10th.


To whichever lovely person seems to be going through my old House/Chase fics. I had so much fun writing them and the deterioration of the later seasons didn't impact the dynamics of the ship very much IMAO. Good times.


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Home / Practice Areas / Family Law / Child Custody / Fathers' Rights
Long Island Fathers' Rights Attorneys Serving Nassau and Suffolk Counties
Protecting a father's rights to his children
When our firm began, fathers' rights were virtually unheard of: the mother was the presumptive best parent. Period. But, because of tenacious attorneys who advocated for fathers in contentious custody battles, attitudes inside and out of the court have changed. At Bryan L. Salamone & Associates, P.C., we're proud of the role we've played in advancing the cause of fathers' rights. As examples:
We have won numerous custody cases in which the law guardian advised the judge that custody should be with the mother.
We have won custody in cases where the forensic psychologist testified that the mother was a more appropriate custodian.
We have won custody in cases where the forensic psychologist stated to the judge that the mother was more appropriate for custody.
Bryan L. Salamone, Esq. has prevailed against long odds and well-known adversaries, including ex-judges and the president of the local bar association. He is able to achieve these results through sharp cross-examination, incisive use of forensics, and a clear presentation of facts that casts doubt on expert recommendations.
Our firm wins more custody cases for men than any other Long Island firm. We handle more cases and have more legal muscle (eight full-time attorneys) than many attorneys who claim to be leaders on fathers' rights.
We help fathers deal with a variety of family issues
In addition to helping fathers achieve custody of their children in appropriate cases, we address other aspects of divorce, including:
Alimony/maintenance — In the past, husbands have typically been expected to pay alimony to their wives, but growing employment opportunities for women have changed that dynamic. We work hard to make sure the court takes full account of the true financial situation of the parties.
Child support — We advocate in the courts for child support payments that are fair to our clients who are fathers, whether they are the payer or the recipient.
Modification of child custody — If existing child custody arrangements are unfair to the father, we muster the evidence needed to persuade the court to grant a modification.
Visitation — If a father does not have custody, we advocate zealously for the visitation rights he needs to maintain a relationship with his child.
Prenuptial agreements — Our protection of the father's rights can begin before marriage, with the negotiation and drafting of an effective prenuptial agreement.
We provide dedicated, constructive and, if necessary, aggressive representation to fathers in all types of family law cases.
Fathers must overcome a multitude of problems
Fathers' rights have come a long, long way but they have not yet reached the point of receiving equal treatment. In our experience, men do not get the equal treatment touted by legislation or fathers' rights activists. Too many judges simply think the norm should be a standard cookie-cutter model, with the mother having custody (especially of younger children) and the father having visitation and paying support. Some of these judges may also have an axe to grind against the father who wants to buck the system by prosecuting a unmarried fathers' rights case, instead of settling.
Our response is to fight aggressively for your rights. We can and will go to higher courts. We are never afraid to appeal a biased decision. The good news is that we've been successful on many fronts:
Discrediting forensic specialists whose knee-jerk reaction is to grant custody to the mother
Challenging law guardians and convincing them to change their recommendations
Protecting you during in camera examination of the child's opinion of Dad's fitness and desirability as a custodian
Introducing evidence of the father's flexible work schedule
We will bring the same dedicated, effective approach to your legal issues.
Don't fall into the "target demographic" trap
Many divorce attorneys hold themselves out as fathers' rights advocates because of the growing awareness of this hot-button issue. But when push comes to shove, their small firms don't have the manpower or legal muscle fathers need to win their case. At Salamone & Associates, we've fought hundreds of fathers' rights cases and we know the specifics of this area of the law.
Hire winning Long Island fathers' rights lawyers. Don't wait. Call us now.
Bryan L. Salamone & Associates, P.C. is well-known for aggressive representation of clients in the toughest fathers' rights law cases. Contact us online for a free initial consultation with our skilled custody attorneys. For urgent cases, call us immediately at 1.631.479.3839.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


After 31 years, the Hillsborough/Orange County Chamber of Commerce decided to pass the Hog Day festival over to a group of veteran volunteers with the Orange County Optimist Club.
These volunteers have organized a Hog Day Committee to continue this tradition and use the profits to offer back as community grants to local children's projects, programs and nonprofits.
Some of the organizations our proceeds have supported include Efland Ruritan Club, Ronald McDonald House of Chapel Hill, Hillsborough Moose Lodge, Hillsborough Exchange Club, Orange County Social Services Christmas Child Program and many others.
Hog Day is celebrating its 36th anniversary and serves as Orange County's largest and longest running festival. Our event is rich in history and has received national recognition as one of the top festivals in America.
From our humble beginnings as a small community event to receiving as many as 50,000 visitors annually, we offer great family fun. 100% of the profit from this event stays in the community and will be invested into supporting projects, schools and nonprofit organizations here in Orange County.


When you choose to bank with us, you'll benefit from a personal service from our UK-based Customer Service centre. We are committed to providing high levels of customer service that will keep our customers satisfied, now and in the future. When applying for a loan, you'll have access to our team of Relationship Managers, ensuring that you will always talk to a person and not an automated message. Our Relationship Managers understand your business goals and will help you to succeed. With our internet and telephone banking, you are in complete control.
All of our funding comes from customer accounts and we benefit from a loyal and growing customer base. We use the deposits our customers entrust to us to fund lending which supports the communities we collectively serve. As well as being socially responsible, we are financially sustainable. Whilst profit is not our principal driver, it's still important that we operate effectively to enable us to re-invest in the business.
If you'd like to learn more about banking with us please get in touch today.
Stay in control of your finances – with access to internet and telephone banking and support from our UK-based Customer Service centre.
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Does your business want to make a real difference? We use the deposits our customers entrust to us to fund lending which supports the communities we collectively serve.
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Your security is important to us. Please read our guide to staying safe online and protecting yourself from fraudsters here.


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Home EntertainmentArts & Theater	Costa Rica's Museum of Contemporary Art & Design Presents "Cuadra Cero"
Arts & TheaterEntertainmentUncategorized
Costa Rica's Museum of Contemporary Art & Design Presents "Cuadra Cero"
written by Isabella Foster Villanueva 2018/03/01
Costa Rica Entertainment – Stephanie Williams is a brilliant artist. Her exhibit is a critical one on inequality. The creative spin is that it is from a false historical archive perspective. "Cuadra Cero" will be on display from tomorrow at the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design.
The collection includes animated short films and sound reproductions, historical design, and archives of the old National Palace. That was the area seen as the starting point for political strategies, according to research Williams did over two years.
The artist won Inquieta Imagen, a contest allowing an exhibition in the museum. It will take place in rooms 2, 3 and 4 of the museum.
The first room has animated audiovisuals reviewing the ideas on which the palace was founded. There are also propaganda posters, all invented by the artist. They connote submission of women and patriarchal society.
The next room features detailed replicas of the palace under dim artisan lighting used in the 19th century. The replicas are so realistic that the driver bringing them to the museum thought they were real antiques. The room features a waltz composition.
The last room is about false real estate plans of the property with fictitious records including journalistic chronicles.
The exhibition will be available until May 19th, from Tuesday to Saturday, from 9:30 am to 5 pm.
costa ricacosta rica art exhibitscosta rica culturecosta rica newsCosta Rica's Museum of Contemporary Art & Design Presents "Cuadra Cero"csota rica museumsCuadra CeroCuadra Cero costa ricanews in costa ricasan jose costa ricathings to do san jose costa rica
Isabella Foster Villanueva
Surf Photos & Costa Rica Weekend Surf Report- March 2nd & 3rd
Casting for Costa Rican Film "Ceniza Negra"


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Salem-Keizer campuses set to open for athletes' summer workouts
Pete Martini
After more than three months of being sidelined during the coronavirus pandemic, Salem-Keizer Public Schools will open campuses this week for athletes to do voluntary summer workouts.
The district developed a list of safety protocols to allow limited outdoor-only workouts for high school athletes, with a heavy emphasis on social distancing and sanitation.
"We're going to roll out only outdoors to start with," West Salem athletic director Bill Wittman said. "Even if you're a volleyball or basketball team, we're not opening up the inside facilities yet. But we do want to move forward with the outdoor, so the volleyball team can still work outdoors."
All athletes, their guardians and coaches must sign liability/disclaimer documents before using campus facilities.
Training for coaches
Coaches are required to get trained on the protocols before their teams can take the field for workouts. Training started Thursday, and additional training sessions are scheduled for 10 a.m. Monday through Friday this week.
Some coaches will be designated as site social distancing monitors, who will make sure athletes are keeping a distance of at least 6 feet from each other at workouts.
"I don't think it's going to be hard to get the kids to do anything they can to make sure we get to stay open," Sprague football coach Jay Minyard said. "If we aren't following protocols, then I think the district would be pretty quick to shut us down."
Precocious player:Incoming North Salem freshman quarterback already offered by Oregon Ducks
Although it's not mandatory, athletes are strongly encouraged to wear a face mask when they arrive at the school facilities, and continue wearing it when not participating in a specific drill. Coaches are required to wear face masks.
"I know for a lot of guys, including myself, we really want to be able to play football this year and finish out our senior year," West Salem senior quarterback Jackson Lowery said. "So at least for me, I know that any work we can do with all the guys again, and just get back in that environment, is crucial to going forward and what's going to happen with the season."
Facilities limited to athletes, coaches
Only Salem-Keizer athletes and coaches are allowed to use the facilities. No parents, siblings or spectators will be allowed at the workouts.
The outdoor space will be limited to 100 individuals, and among that, they will divide up into smaller pods of five to 10 athletes.
Keep up to date on Salem-area high school sports by subscribing to the Statesman Journal
Coaches will conduct health screenings of the athletes at the entrance of the fields, and after the screening, the athletes will use hand-sanitizer entering the facilities. Also, athletes must not share clothing or water bottles.
"They put a lot of work and effort into this, and I think they did a good job," Minyard said. "It's about as thorough as you can possibly get in the situation that we're in."
For now, only outdoor facilities can be used, with the earliest possible date for use of indoor facilities set for July 20.
Official practices set to start Aug. 17
"Our plan is not to start until (July 13), just so that we can get ready, because in order to do things outside, we have to round up outdoor nets and figure that whole thing out," Sprague volleyball coach Anne Olsen said. "Part of me is frustrated because I just want to be in the gym. But at the same time, I'm completely understanding that if we have to follow these protocols in order to get us into the gym, then we'll do whatever we need to do."
During the workouts, the equipment will need to be cleaned and disinfected at least every 10 minutes. After the workouts, athletes are required to leave the field and campus immediately, and then coaches must clean and disinfect all spaces and equipment.
The first official practice of the OSAA fall season is set for Aug. 17, and the start of official contests is set for Sept. 3.
"This is a good chance to get ahead of the game," Lowery said. "It's really important for a lot of guys to come together and start doing some stuff before football starts."
Pete Martini covers high school and college sports for the Statesman Journal. You can contact Pete at pmartini@StatesmanJournal.com, 503-399-6730 and follow @PeteMartiniSJ


The increase on the collective radiation dose due to the large number of medical imaging exams has led the medical physics community to deeply consider the amount of dose delivered and its associated risks in these exams. For this purpose we have developed a Monte Carlo tool, PENRADIO, based on a modified version of PENELOPE code 2006 release, to obtain an accurate individualized radiation dose in conventional and interventional radiography and in computed tomography (CT). This tool has been validated showing excellent agreement between the measured and simulated organ doses in the case of a hip conventional radiography and a coronography. We expect the same accuracy in further results for other localizations and CT examinations.


Eeka Cupcake: Cupcake Loves Shoes!
Cupcake loves to sleep on shoes! I have no idea what her obsession is about, but it's adorable. The shoes in the pictures are my sons' cleats. As you can tell they are her favorite! Such a silly cat!


This page displays sold house prices for Sandy Lane in Aylesbury.
Sandy Lane in Long Crendon, Aylesbury consists predominantly of detached houses. Properties on Sandy Lane typically have values around £750,000 - £1,050,000, but larger detached houses can command upwards of £1,050,000.
Map showing Sandy Lane in Aylesbury.


iResponze monitors hotel and restaurant social media site reviews and provides comment responses on your behalf 24/7/365.
We provide IT support for hotels. Our experience includes Micros P.O.S., Opera PMS as well as networks, desktops and most lock systems. Our help desk is available 24/7 and we have support plans to suite any property or any size.


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2005-06Top 16Round 3
Panathinaikos 73
Efes Pilsen 76
Local time: 20:45 OAKA
Efes Pilsen downed host Panathinaikos 73-76
Efes Pilsen showed its resilience in Group G and left a pre-season title favorite winless when it downed host Panathinaikos 73-76 on the road in Athens, Greece on Wednesday. Efes improved to 2-1, good for second place in the Group G standings, one victory behind undefeated leader Cibona. Panathinaikos, which tied for the best record at the end of the regular season, dropped to 0-3 and is in a dramatic situation now, likely needing to win its three remaining games for a chance to return to the quarterfinal playoffs. Antonio Granger was the man of the game for Efes, hitting 7 of 8 three-pointers for 27 points that . Nikola Prkacin had 16 points and Kaya Peker 15 for Efes. Mike Batiste had a double-double of 14 points and 14 rebounds for Panathinaikos, Fragiskos Alvertis had 13 points and Vassilis Spanoulis 12 for the Greens, who led 50-49 late in the third quarter. Granger hit back-to-back threes for a 51-56 Efes lead after 30 minutes and stroke twice from downtown to boost the guests' margin to 56-66 with 5 minutes to go. Panathinaikos rallied and a three by Lakovic tied the game at 71-71, but free throws by Prkacin, Peker and Cenk Akyol allowed Efes to escape with a key road win.
Dejan Tomasevic scored in the paint to get Panathinaikos started. The two teams then missed a pair of shots each, before Kaya Peker drilled 2 free throws. Two impressive dunks, by Nikos Hatzivrettas and Peker, respectively, marked the next possessions as Efes got infront 4-6. Panathinaikos tried to put the ball inside, while Efes was able to find the net both from the paint and the perimeter. Ender Arslan's triple meant an 8-9 lead for Efes as he sought to show that his team's playmaking had not suffered unduly when regular starter Marco Popovic was injured before the Top 16. Arslan and Henry Domercant bore the point guard responsibilities with a lot of success as Efes stayed ahead at 9-11. However, Panathinaikos then built a quick 5-0 run thanks to a dunk by Batiste and a three-pointer by Kostas Tsartsaris that made it 14-11. Nikola Prkacin proved solid from the line for Efes, as the first quarter ended at 14-13 giving a signal of the low-scoring game that was to follow.
Prkacin connected with his familiar left-handed hook to spark a 0-6 Efes run to start the second quarter. Arslan and Granger added a jumper each to complete it and put the guests ahead 14-19. Batiste found the way to break that run, but soon Cenk Akyol nailed a triple to keep the momentum going for the visitors. Panathinaikos pushed the ball and found an easy fastbreak dunk for Tsartsaris to make it 18-22. Granger was hot from the perimeter, but Vlado Scepanovic answerd for Panathinaikos as the scoreboard stood at 20-25. As Efes found solutions against the Panathinaikos defense, the hosts faced trouble creating easy opportunities. Only when Vassilis Spanoulis scored a basket-plus-free throw and Tomasevic tipped in a miss did the Greens come as close as 25-27 and forced an Efes timeout. Tomasevic became the man to tie the game, too, at 27-27 points, before Spanoulis put Panathinaikos in front by capping a 9-0 run. However, Granger stepped up again for Efes to pop his third triple as the guests kept their nerve and retook a 29-32 lead. Scepanovic fired back with a three-point bomb to tie, but at the other end he committed the foul that allowed Prkacin to score a basket-plus-free throw to put Efes ahead at 32-35 after 20 minutes.
Peker scored inside and Domercant outside, hitting the sixth three-pointer in 10 attempts for Efes to get the second half going.. But, Panathinaikos also found the net from behind the arc as Scepanovic and Alvertis unloaded to make it 38-40. When Batiste tied it with a jumper from the corner, the fans went wild. Immediately, however, Prkacin calmed Efes by scoring 4 consecutive points at 40-44. Panathinaikos answered with Batiste and Dimitris Diamantidis keeping up a fascinating point-by-point battle that had been roaring since the opening tipoff. Both teams had already reached the foul bonus, and considering the tough defense being played, it was no wonder that the scoring moved to the foul line. Kerem Gonlum and Arslan missed free throw opportunities, but Diamantidis did not as Panathinaikos moved in front, 46-45. Prkacin again connected for Efes, but Alvertis answered back with another triple for a 51-49 Panathinaikos lead. Efes changed its defense to zone and stole the ball. Then, the key point of the game came as Granger silenced the crowd with a big three-pointer and returned before the quarter ended to pop from the arc again, giving Efes a 0-7 run and a 51-56 lead after 30 minutes.
Granger remained hot and increased not only that run, but also Panathinaikos's nervousness, to start the final quarter. Spanoulis drove and connected for the hosts, and Batiste found easy points from the line, but Panathinaikos was still down 55-58. Granger really was in the zone as he added another three-pointer; his sixth in seven attempts so far, at 55-61. He didn't wait long for his seventh triple, either, which combined with a jumper by Peker gave Efes a double-digit margin for the first time, 56-66, with 6 mintues left. Panathinaikos coach Zeljko Obradovic called timeout and ordered a full-court press that let Panathinaikos quickly cut the difference 62-66 after Spanoulis scored 4 points. After a free throw by Prkacin, Diamantidis stole and finished a drive to make it 64-67. Prkacin's put-back of an offensive rebound and free throws by Peker let Efes breathe again at 64-71, just 2 minutes before the end, but the Greens weren't done. Alvertis found the courage to nail a great three-pointer, before Spanoulis hit 1 of 2 free throws. When the second one missed, Diamantidis took the rebound and passed to Lakovic on the arc. After missing his previous 9 shots, Lakovic buried this triple for a 71-71 tie. Prkacin again calmed Efes with 2 perfect free throws, and Lakovic tried again to be the hero, but his three-pointer went off target. Peker increased the difference with another free throw at 71-74 and Alvertis got a pair of his own at the line before Cenk Aykol did the same for Efes. That left Panathinaikos with one shot, a game-tying triple attempt by Diamantidis that missed, sending Efes to second place in Group G and Panathinaikos, winless, to last.
Stelios Kyriakoglou, Athens
Referees: LAMONICA, LUIGI; MARTIN, JOSE; JERSAN, ANDREJ; TEOFILI, ALESSANDRO
Panathinaikos 14 18 19 22
Efes Pilsen 13 22 21 20
4 ALVERTIS, FRAGISKOS 19:15 13 3/5 4/4 4 2 9
5 KALAITZIS, GEORGIOS DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
7 LAKOVIC, JAKA 31:15 6 0/3 1/7 3/4 1 1 2 4 -2
8 BATISTE, MIKE 29:45 14 6/9 0/1 2/2 5 9 14 1 1 4 1 1 4 2 20
9 FEMERLING, PATRICK DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
10 HATZIVRETTAS, NIKOS 13:00 2 1/2 0/1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
11 SPANOULIS, VASSILIS 29:00 12 4/7 0/4 4/5 4 4 1 1 1 3 6 12
12 TSARTSARIS, KOSTAS 10:45 5 1/3 1/2 1 1 1 1 3 1 3
13 DIAMANTIDIS, DIMITRIS 31:00 6 1/5 0/2 4/4 3 1 4 3 1 1 1 1 4 2 5
14 SCEPANOVIC, VLADO 18:00 8 1/1 2/2 1 4 5
15 TOMASEVIC, DEJAN 16:00 7 3/3 1/2 1 4 5 2 1 1 2 2 13
16 SAKOTA, DUSAN 2:00
Totals 200:00 73 17/33 7/24 18/21 9 23 32 10 8 9 2 3 27 19 69
Head coach: OBRADOVIC, ZELJKO
Efes Pilsen
4 ARSLAN, ENDER 35:45 7 1/4 1/4 2/4 3 3 4 2 1 1 3 3 6
6 ERMIS, BARIS 4:00 0/1 1 1 -1
8 PRKACIN, NIKOLA 36:45 16 4/8 8/9 1 6 7 5 3 7 17
10 ABI, MUSTAFA 0:15
12 GONLUM, KEREM 9:15 2 0/2 2/4 1 1 2 1 2 1
14 PEKER, KAYA 33:45 15 4/7 7/12 2 5 7 1 1 3 2 4 7 18
21 GRANGER, ANTONIO 40:00 27 2/4 7/8 2/2 1 3 4 2 1 3 3 29
41 AKYOL, CENK 18:15 5 0/1 1/2 2/2 1 1 2 1 1 3 3 5
42 DEMIR, MUTLU DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
44 DOMERCANT, HENRY 21:45 4 0/3 1/2 1/2 4 4 3 1 1 1 1 2 6
55 YILMAZ, ALPER 0:15 1 -1
Totals 200:00 76 11/29 10/17 24/35 7 25 32 9 6 13 3 2 19 27 83
Head coach: MAHMUTI, OKTAY
REGULAR SEASON TOP 16 PLAYOFFS FINAL FOUR
Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 Round 6
Winterthur FC Barcelona 76
Olympiacos 72
March 9 20:45 CET LIVE FINAL
Zalgiris 66
Unicaja 79
Ulker 69
Real Madrid 71
Climamio Bologna 84
Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv 89
Tau Ceramica Vitoria-Gasteiz 96
Lietuvos Rytas 89
GHP Bamberg 64
CSKA Moscow 75
Cibona VIP 91
Benetton Basket 80


If you have frequent pain or tension in your muscles, consider getting an electric hand-held massager. These unique instruments are ideal for the individual who wants the relief of a massage at home. Each one is designed to let a single user get relief from their muscle pain or tension. Many of these items have curved handles and strategically placed massage pads to ensure that you can even massage those hard-to-reach places. Some hand-held massage tools are battery-powered, so they can be used anywhere for quick relief.
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Is the phrase "the reason why" correct? Or should it just be "the reason"? Examples: Should I say "the reason why I left is…" or should it be "the reason I left is …" Thanks!!
Both phrases are correct. However, historically, conservative semantic purists in Britain have dismissed "the reason why" as tautologous and redundant since both "reason" and "why" denote causation. That's why they dismiss the expression as "causational overkill." However, "reason why" is considered perfectly correct in contemporary British and American English. All modern dictionaries and usage guides in both the UK and the US accept "the reason why" as a legitimate usage. The objections of conservative grammarians to its usage have been, for all practical purposes, blunted.
For instance, two leading British grammarians, Sidney Greenbaum and Janet Whitcut, in their celebrated Longman Guide to English Usage, noted that "Only very conservative writers object to 'the reason why'." In America, almost no grammarian objects to "the reason why." In fact, "The Reason Why" is the title of a 2010 album by an American musical group called Little Big Town. And there is a classic American military history book titled, TheReason Why: The Story of the Fatal Charge of the Light Brigade.
I must add, however, that this objection seems arbitrary and churlish to me. "Reason why" and "reason was because" both exemplify causational overkill. Why one is preferred to the other is beyond me. But as I've said in my previouswritings, grammar, especially English grammar, isn't always governed by logic. It's sometimes just the product of the arbitrary "commandments" of snooty prescriptivist grammarians or the tyranny of popular usage.
What is the difference between "alright" and "all right"? Or are they different spellings of the same word?
In both British English and American English "alright" is considered an uneducated approximation of "all right." For instance, The Associated Press Stylebook, considered the "bible" of American journalism, forbids the use of "alright" in news copy. Many prestigious British English usage guides also object to its use in serious writing.
It truly throws me off when indigenous Africans declare that they "hail from" Washington DC, for instance. "Born in," "hail from"? I need clarification.
"Hail from" can denote one of the following: 1. come from, 2. be native of, 3. be born in. That means you don't necessarily have to be born in a place to hail from the place, at least in America. Recent immigrants "hail from" any part of America they are registered to vote. That means, in essence, that it's perfectly legitimate for naturalized African immigrants in, for instance, Washington D.C. to say they "hail from" that city whenever they are in America or are involved in America-specific conversations. Of course, it would be absurd for them to say they hail from Washington D.C. when they are in Africa.
Articles are tricky in the English language. That's why I can't do justice to your question in this limited space. I will only say this for now: "captain" and "king" should be preceded by either a definite article (i.e., "the") or an indefinite article (i.e., "a" or "an"). So "he is a captain" would mean he is one of several captains, while "he is the captain" would mean he is the one and only person known by that title in a specific area. Same rule applies to "king." In the third example, the sentence should be "he was elected chairman." Chairman is not preceded by an article here because the sense is non-specific. Also note that I omitted "as" in the sentence. Other examples: "He was elected president." "He was appointed commissioner," etc.
"Daughter: 'dad, do you snore 'cause I do.
Should not the "get" be GOT? Could you clarify this for me, please?
I agree with you, though, that Americans tend to use the historical present more often than the British do. The historical present is rarely used in Nigerian English, except by our creative writers who deploy it in their fictional narratives. In the hypothetical dialogue you cited, however, it would also be perfectly legitimate to replace "get" with "got." In fact, in formal contexts, "got" would be especially appropriate.
nice one there Dr Farouq..
u're polishing our english language skills one article at a time.. God bless.


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The First Kill (Life on...
The First Kill (Life on the Southside)
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Compton became newly Balkanised. It's such a tiny, impoverished piece of the Los Angeles sprawl, a few small square miles. And 20 years of bloodshed contained in the four words You from the South? Murder rates climbed year by year, but the rest of the world paid little attention. Who had even heard of Compton before ? NWA was the first group to lay out the ground rules for what became known as gangsta rap, mythologising the real violence that was taking place on their own doorstep.
NWA turned multi-platinum, and Eazy's label, Relentless, became a seemingly unstoppable money maker. Rap changed everything around here, offering a new hope. Until Eazy, the only glamorous get-rich-quick career plan on offer was dealing drugs. Gangsta rap, for a time, at least, was a way out of the gang lifestyle. He wanted some of what Eazy had. Knight founded his business on the production talent of Dr Dre, whom Suge - according to the rumours, at least - infamously strong-armed out of his contract with Eazy with the help of several thugs and a few baseball bats.
After , Death Row flourished; Relentless plummeted.
The North was up, the South was down. To call Knight a gang banger would be a misnomer. Bangers are the poor, usually teenage boys who hang out on corners, protecting territory. But Suge enjoyed playing the role of godfather. It's no secret that he placed Bloods from his neighbourhood on his payroll. Money flooded into the North Side of Compton, but at a price. Tupac wasn't from Compton. He had been born in the east.
When Tupac was convicted in of sexually assaulting a female fan, Suge Knight saw his chance to gain control of the fastest-rising star in hip hop. Joining Death Row made Tupac a superstar, but it also brought out the worst in him. With Death Row acting like a gang itself, Tupac eagerly took to the role. The platinum rapper with a luxury apartment on Beverly Boulevard played the part of street-corner thug with relish.
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In photo sessions, he wore the red rag on his head, holding up 'B' gang handsigns. In his open-top Jaguar, Tupac would roll through the Piru and Leuders Park Blood neighbourhoods, proudly mixing with his people. Orlando became enmeshed in the politics of Blood and Crip because he grew up among them. Tupac became affiliated out of choice. Ironically, it turns out that what Orlando really dreamed of was a career in the music business, but by , the year he turned 21, he had made little headway. He lived with Rasheena in her apartment in Lakewood, just south-east of Compton.
She was a student nurse, and by this time they had two girls, Krystal, then aged two, and Courtney, one. But he was also juggling another relationship, with a girl named Taiece Lanier, who had just given birth to a girl, Ariel. Only when Pooh returned to Compton in May after graduating from college did things start to progress.
He and Orlando decided to start a record label together and, believing in the power of positivity, called it Success Records. Orlando's other passion was sports. After Tupac was shot, the Las Vegas police were strongly criticised for failing to conduct follow-up interviews with possible witnesses who were in the cars behind Suge Knight's. Some of these, of course, were reluctant to talk to the police. Suge was the only person in the car with Tupac; Las Vegas police frostily described him as 'uncooperative'.
On 12 September, Compton police received a report from a gang contact who said that Bloods affiliated with Death Row believed Tupac's assault on Orlando had been prompted by an incident a few weeks earlier: One of the Crips snatched it. In South Central, that's like taking a war trophy. According to the informant, Tray had been part of the Death Row posse the night of the Tyson fight and had told Tupac in the seconds before Orlando Anderson was assaulted that Orlando was one of the Crips who had confronted him in the Foot Locker.
The informant then fingered Orlando as the man who later shot Tupac. In Compton, a bloody war broke out between the North and South Sides.
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Over the next few days, police counted 12 shooting incidents and three fatalities. Paranoia gripped the neighbourhood. On the night of 2 October, police officers swept down on the houses of known gang bangers in Compton and neighbourhoods to the south and east. The raid was ostensibly part of a crackdown to try to halt the warfare. But it also gave Compton police the opportunity to arrest Orlando. The affidavit that police prepared in order to obtain the arrest warrant cited additional informants who linked Orlando to violent gang warfare. The police arrested Orlando - not for the murder of Tupac Shakur, but for the 12 April slaying of a man named Edward Webb, who had been attacked from behind at a party and shot dead by 'several black males'.
Las Vegas detectives accompanied the Compton police, ready to question Orlando about the Tupac murder, but neither the Compton police nor the Las Vegas police department was able to turn the circumstantial evidence of the informants into anything that would make a case. In reality, much of their affidavit only detailed what members of Blood gangs and their associates at Death Row Records were saying about an alleged Crip.
The Las Vegas police could not link Orlando to Tupac's murder, nor were the Compton police able to satisfy the district attorney that they had enough to hold him even for the murder of Edward Webb. DA Janet Moore ordered that Orlando be released. At the time, her spokesperson merely announced: Three years later, and now employed in a different city, Moore refuses to go into the details of exactly why she made that decision.
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Orlando was free, but now he was publicly identified by the damning - yet ultimately inconclusive - evidence that had been leaked to the press. He became 'the man who shot Tupac'. Now when he went out, he realised people were looking at him. To be known as the man who shot Tupac leant a surreal edge to Orlando's life. Once, he was in Underworld Records, a shop in a run-down mini-mall on Alondra Boulevard. A girl in the store spotted a book on sale called The Killing of Tupac Shakur.
The gaudy cover blared: He's alive and living in Cuba. The book, of course, contained a photo of Orlando, captioned. Suddenly, she looked up at the real Orlando. For a glorious second, everyone laughed. The girl watched Orlando, unnerved. But by , his reputation still hadn't killed him. Things seemed to be looking up. He would wake up early and take out his pit bulls, Blue and Na-Na, riding a bicycle along the sidewalks, with the dogs running behind. He and Rasheena had another daughter, Sierra. I can't spend the rest of my life worrying about Tupac. Success Records was finally starting to take shape.
Orlando had found a garage in Compton to act as its HQ: Cross claims he was Orlando's business adviser. Orlando was well-loved around here; everyone says he was generous and charismatic and not at all violent. I ask Cross how Orlando, an unemployed man with four daughters, could afford to set up his studio. When I press him, he sighs and says, 'Well, it's no secret. Death Row had made some payments to him. That's the money he was using. In , Suge had pleaded guilty to two counts of assault stemming from a vicious attack on two young would-be rappers he had caught using a telephone without his permission in his studio.
He was still on parole when the hotel security-camera video clearly showed Suge taking part in Tupac's assault on Orlando. Legal authorities had been looking for something they could use to put Suge behind bars. Orlando was subpoenaed to appear as a witness at Suge's parole hearings. When interviewed by Las Vegas police, Orlando had plainly told them Suge had assaulted him. But on the witness stand, he reversed his testimony. Suge was 'the only one I heard saying, "Stop this shit! The rumours began spreading that Suge had paid off Orlando.
And there was no doubt that for a man with no job, Orlando always seemed to have cash during his last year alive. Rappers all over LA remember how he would turn up with champagne.
Man, we drank it until it was gone, and then he went and got some more. Campbell says that Orlando was simply too terrified for his life to testify against Suge. Knight's attorney, David Kenner, has not responded to repeated requests for comment. Not that Campbell isn't partisan. She is, after all, pursuing a suit against the estate of Tupac Shakur, Death Row Records, Suge Knight and other unidentified persons for compensation for the injuries that Orlando received in the assault.
She is seeking punitive damages on behalf of Orlando's estate. I ask Pooh about the rumours that Suge paid Orlando to testify in his favour. Where is the money, then? I'm sure his kids need it. Pooh says that the financial investment in the studio was entirely his own. Pooh had worked as an extra and appeared in a TV commercial, and had saved enough to provide the seed money.
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Orlando's role was to deliver the talent and the industry contacts. That Orlando bought champagne for people in the business he wanted to impress isn't that unusual. It's how business is often done in the hip hop industry. The money, Pooh insists, probably came from family members who felt sorry for Orlando.
The hidden inference enrages him. South Central can be like a maze. Rumours take on a life of their own. In this divided place, whispers and innuendo turn half-truths into hard fact. On 29 May last year, Utah Williams, the year-old matriarch at the heart of Orlando's family, died in the hospital where she'd been taken after a fall.
Orlando's mother Charlotte remained at the hospital, so Orlando, who had been waiting for her at the family home, decided to go out and get a burger with an old friend, Michael Reed Dorrough. A little after 3pm, driving a borrowed Chevvy Blazer, he pulled into the parking lot of Cigs Record Store, at the intersection of Alondra and Oleander.
Though both groups are Crips, they are rivals.
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According to the police, Orlando spotted Michael Stone at a car wash across the intersection and confronted him about money that Orlando believed Michael owed him. Michael was accompanied by his nephew, Jerry Stone. Tempers rose, and a gunfight erupted. All four were hit; Orlando and the Stones were all fatally injured. With Dorrough in the passenger seat, Orlando tried to drive to safety. He only made it a few blocks, to the corner of Willowbrook and Cocoa, on the far side of Compton High, before lapsing into unconsciousness. The three were pronounced dead at the Martin Luther King Jr-Drew Medical Center - the hospital locals call it 'Killer King' because so many of the young men who go there, often with gunshot wounds, are dead by the time they leave.
Around 4pm that day, the pagers began to go off. News of Orlando's shooting spread fast. A rapper friend of his rushed to the scene. He noted that the police hadn't even taped off the shot-up Blazer. To him, it was as if they didn't even think Orlando was worth it. But in the following days, the Tribune's headlines revealed the growing, horrifying reality that Holmes wasn't just a con man: He said they came easier.
Swindler of men, betrayer of women, he has left behind him a wake of ruin and tears that not all the courts of America can wash away," the Tribune reported. The story detailed his goofy swindles, such as his patented water-to-gas invention and his "discovery" of an artesian well in his basement that produced water with amazing curative powers. It also revealed his multiple wives, who were sometimes pretty but always wealthy.
Both she and her sister were missing. The answer and horrifying truth would have to wait about eight months. On July 15, , the bodies of Pitzel's two daughters, Alice and Nellie, were discovered buried in a cellar in Toronto. Little Howard was believed dead, but his body was still missing.
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The swindler was revealed to be a serial killer. It was front-page news across the country.
And the search for other bodies began. In Chicago, authorities looking for clues turned to Holmes' house. The Tribune described it in a article: In all America there was none other like it. Its chimneys stuck out where chimneys should never stick out. Its stairways ended nowhere in particular. Winding passages brought the uninitiated with a frightful jerk back to where they had started from. There were rooms that had no doors. There were doors that had no rooms. A mysterious house it was indeed — a crooked house, a reflex of the builder's own distorted mind.
In that house occurred dark and eerie deeds. Holmes had created a "murder factory. A third-floor room was a veritable bank vault, padded to muffle sound and fitted with a gas pipe to asphyxiate victims. A hidden shaft to the cellar made for easy disposal of bodies. And it was the cellar of the "murder factory" where Holmes undoubtedly worked, the Tribune reported. Behind a fake wall, police found a butcher's table, quicklime vats, bones, bloody clothing — and a crematory. In the oven, "They found a woman's watch chain. They found the buckle of a woman's garter," the Tribune reported.
Through the summer, Tribune readers learned of Holmes' other victims, including the Conner family.
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I always want to listen story about Mekong river, It remind me of the young boy who used go fishing with my friends for Giant Cat fish, My home town is Ban Houeisai , which is across of Chiang Khong Thailand. It is sad story to see about the change of Mekong river.
I would like to purchase the video if possible. Please let me know if I can do.


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The Gary Kubiak All-Stars
By Rivers McCown Aug 5, 2010, 3:11pm CDT
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Football Outsiders is running a series based on coaches called "The (Insert coaches name) All-Stars," which basically is a team of all the best players (and their best years) that a certain coach has had. Obviously, Gary Kubiak doesn't have the prestige (or the players, or the longevity) that some of the coaches in this series have had, but lets put together a team of our own just to see if we can find any trends.
Skill Positions
QB: Matt Schaub, 2009
RB: Steve Slaton, 2008
FB: Vonta Leach, 2007
WR: Andre Johnson, 2008
WR: Kevin Walter, 2008
TE: Owen Daniels, 2009
The skill position players are really just the best players the Texans have had in the last two years, when their offense turned from average to good, asides from Vonta Leach. Leach was a much better blocker in 2007 and has been on the downslide ever since. I don't really think there should be any arguments with the seasons here; I picked Johnson's 2008 because he had a better catch percentage, and Daniels was en route to his best season in 2009 before tearing his ACL again. It's comforting to know that all of the best offensive weapons the Texans have employed are also currently on the team.
LT: Ephraim Salaam, 2006
LG: Chester Pitts, 2007
C: Chris Myers, 2009
RG: Mike Brisiel, 2008
RT: Eric Winston, 2009
This one was a bit more troubling. Winston was easily the best player on the line, and one of Chester Pitts' good years was an easy cinch for left guard. Chris Myers was slightly better last season than he was in his first as the starter, and he's also Mike Flanagan, so he gets the nod. Brisiel was a great run mauler in 2008, but not much of a pass blocker. Still, his competition is Fred Weary and Steve McKinney. The Texans haven't had a great left tackle in four years. I gave the nod to Salaam, even if Kubiak did scale the 2006 offense back completely, because he managed to actually keep David Carr upright. Perhaps Duane Brown will take that spot next year, but his first two years have shown that he can't keep anyone away from his quarterback, sacks or no sacks.
Front Seven
DE: Mario Williams, 2007
DT: Amobi Okoye, 2007
DT: *sigh* Shaun Cody, 2009
DE: Antonio Smith, 2009
LB: Brian Cushing, 2009
LB: DeMeco Ryans, 2006
LB: Zac Diles, 2009
It's really depressing that the best "nose" tackle on this list is Shaun Cody, but the truth can be sad sometimes. It certainly wasn't Anthony Maddox or Travis Johnson. I was almost tempted to go with DelJuan Robinson, which is a telling statement in it's own right. The Texans other ends precluded the selection of Smith as well, as I would never put Anthony Weaver on this list. The good Amobi and best Mario seasons were easy picks. I went with Ryans' 2006 season mainly because he had more tackles in it than the other three. Diles was an easy, if sobering, pick at OLB compared to Morlon Greenwood.
CB: Dunta Robinson, 2006
CB: Fred Bennett, 2007
FS: Will Demps, 2007
SS: Bernard Pollard, 2009
Two guys who aren't with the team anymore, one who probably won't be when training camp ends, and Pollard. Yes, this is what happens when you make a safety core out of paper-mache and hope. Bennett's out of his head year and subsequent fall to earth is one of the many coulda-shoulda tales that probably should be explored further at some point. If Bennett had played to his rookie year level the last two years, the Texans very well have made the playoffs. Dunta was a solid, if perhaps slightly overrated, corner before his injury.
KR: Andre Davis, 2007
PR: Jacoby Jones, 2008
K: Kris Brown, 2008
P: Matt Turk, 2009
The Texans, with Jones, Davis, and also Jerome Mathis, have a history of solid return men. Brown was a solid kicker for most of his Houston tenure, but was definitely at his best in 2008. Matt Turk wins the "I'm not Chad Stanley" award for achievement in the field of excellence.
So, what have we learned? Someone needs to go more in-depth with Fred Bennett. Oh, and nose tackle and safety are problems and always have been. But we already knew that, I hope.


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Sword Art Online is a Japanese light novel series written by Reki Kawahara and illustrated by abec. The series takes place in the near future and focuses on protagonist Kazuto "Kirito" Kirigaya and Asuna Yuuki as they play through various virtual reality MMORPG worlds. Kawahara originally wrote the series as a web novel on his website from 2002 to 2008. The light novels began publication on ASCII Media Works' Dengeki Bunko imprint from April 10, 2009, with a spin-off series launching in October 2012. The series has spawned nine manga adaptations published by ASCII Media Works and Kadokawa. The novels and the manga adaptations have been licensed for release in North America by Yen Press.
An anime television series produced by A-1 Pictures, known simply as Sword Art Online, aired in Japan between July and December 2012, with a television film Sword Art Online: Extra Edition airing on December 31, 2013, and a second season, titled Sword Art Online II, airing between July and December 2014. An animated film titled featuring an original story by Kawahara premiered in Japan and Southeast Asia on February 18, 2017, and was released in the United States on March 9, 2017. A spin-off anime series titled Sword Art Online Alternative Gun Gale Online premiered in April 2018, while a third season titled Sword Art Online: Alicization premiered in October 2018. A live-action series will be produced by Netflix. Six video games based on the series have been released for multiple consoles.
Sword Art Online has received widespread commercial success, with the light novels having over 20 million copies sold worldwide. The light novel series had good reviews, mainly on later arcs, while other series like Progressive were praised since the beginning. The anime series has received mixed to positive reviews, with praise for its animation, musical score and exploration of the psychological aspects of virtual reality, but criticisms for its pacing and writing.
The light novel series spans several virtual reality worlds, beginning with the game, Sword Art Online, which is set in a world known as Aincrad. Each world is built on a game engine called the World Seed, which was initially developed specifically for SAO by Akihiko Kayaba, but was later duplicated for ALfheim Online, and later willed to Kirito, who had it leaked online with the successful intention of reviving the virtual reality industry.
In 2022, a virtual reality massively multiplayer online role-playing game called Sword Art Online is released. With the NerveGear, a helmet that stimulates the user's five senses via their brain, players can experience and control their in-game characters with their minds. Both the game and the NerveGear were created by Akihiko Kayaba.
On November 6, 10,000 players log into SAOs mainframe cyberspace for the first time, only to discover that they are unable to log out. Kayaba appears and tells the players that they must beat all 100 floors of Aincrad, a steel castle which is the setting of SAO, if they wish to be free. He also states that those who suffer in-game deaths or forcibly remove the NerveGear out-of-game will suffer real-life deaths.
One of the players, named Kazuto "Kirito" Kirigaya, is one of 1,000 testers in the game's previous closed beta. With the advantage of previous VR gaming experience and a drive to protect other beta testers from discrimination, he isolates himself from the greater groups and plays the game alone, bearing the mantle of "beater", a portmanteau of "beta tester" and "cheater". As the players progress through the game Kirito eventually befriends a young girl named Asuna Yuuki, forming a relationship with and later marrying her in-game. After the duo discover the identity of Kayaba's secret ID, who was playing as the leader of the guild Asuna joined in, they confront and destroy him, freeing themselves and the other players from the game.
In the real world, Kazuto discovers that 300 SAO players, including Asuna, remain trapped in their NerveGear. As he goes to the hospital to see Asuna, he meets Asuna's father Shouzou Yuuki who is asked by an associate of his, Nobuyuki Sugou, to make a decision, which Sugou later reveals to be his marriage with Asuna, angering Kazuto. Several months later, he is informed by Agil, another SAO survivor, that a figure similar to Asuna was spotted on "The World Tree" in another VRMMORPG cyberspace called Alfheim Online. Assisted in-game by his cousin Suguha "Leafa" Kirigaya and Yui, a navigation pixie, he quickly learns that the trapped players in ALO are part of a plan conceived by Sugou to perform illegal experiments on their minds. The goal is to create the perfect mind-control for financial gain and to subjugate Asuna, whom he intends to marry in the real world, to assume control of her family's corporation. Kirito eventually stops the experiment and rescues the remaining 300 SAO players, foiling Sugou's plans. Before leaving ALO to see Asuna, Kayaba, who has uploaded his mind to the Internet using an experimental and destructively high-power version of NerveGear at the cost of his life, entrusts Kirito with The Seed a package program designed to create virtual worlds. Kazuto eventually reunites with Asuna in the real world and The Seed is released onto the Internet, reviving Aincrad as other VRMMORPGs begin to thrive.
One year after the events of SAO, at the prompting of a government official investigating strange occurrences in VR, Kazuto takes on a job to investigate a series of murders involving another VRMMORPG called Gun Gale Online, the AmuSphere, and a player called Death Gun. Aided by a female player named Shino "Sinon" Asada, he participates in a gunfight tournament called the Bullet of Bullets and discovers the truth behind the murders, which originated with a player who participated in a player-killing guild in SAO. Through his and Sinon's efforts, two suspects are captured, though the third suspect, Johnny Black, escapes.
Kazuto is later recruited to test an experimental FullDive machine, Soul Translator, which has an interface far more realistic and complex than the previous machine he had played, to help develop an artificial intelligence for RATH, a research and development organization under the Ministry of Defense, named A.L.I.C.E. He tests the STL by entering a virtual reality cyberspace created with The Seed package, named UnderWorld. In the UW, the flow of time proceeds a thousand times faster than in the real world, and Kirito's memories of what happens inside are restricted. However, when Black injures Kazuto with suxamethonium chloride, RATH recovers Kazuto and places him back into the STL to preserve his mind while attempts are made to save him. During his time in UnderWorld, Kirito befriends Eugeo, a carver in a small village of Rulid, and helps him on a journey to save Alice Zuberg, his friend who was taken by a group of highly skilled warriors known as the Integrity Knights for accidentally breaking a rule of the Axiom Church, the leaders of the Human Empire. During his time in the Underworld, he and Eugeo soon find themselves uncovering the secrets of the Axiom Church, led by a woman only known as "The Pontifex", and the true purpose of UnderWorld itself, while unbeknownst to them, a war against the opposing Dark Territory brewing on the horizon. Meanwhile in the real world, conflict escalates as unknown forces raided RATH's facility in the Ocean Turtle in an effort to take A.L.I.C.E. for purposes unknown.
wrote the first volume in 2001 as a competition entry for the 2002 ASCII Media Works Dengeki Game Novel Prize, but refrained from submitting it as he had exceeded the page limit; he instead published it as a web novel under the pseudonym Fumio Kunori. Over time, he added three further main arcs and several short stories, which like the first arc Aincrad, were later adapted into the light novels. In 2008, he participated in the competition again by writing Accel World, this time winning the Grand Prize. Aside from Accel World, he was requested to get his earlier work, Sword Art Online, published by ASCII Media Works. He agreed and withdrew his web novel versions.
For the protagonist Kirito, Kawahara was asked if Kirito's personality and character were based on his own; he answered that he usually does not put aspects of himself into his characters, and jokingly remarked: "but if I had to say there was a point of similarity between Kirito and myself, it is the fact that neither of us are good at forming parties. We tend to play solo in these games a lot." He also noted that the female characters in the story were not based on anyone he knew in the real world, stating: "I don't usually make a character, setting, or anything before I start writing. As I write the story, the girls become what they are now. So, somehow, I don't know exactly, but somehow, my subliminal idea or some hidden emotion creates the characters to be strong and capable." He added that he wrote the series to demonstrate that he views online gaming not as a social ill or escape from real life, but rather decided to show games in a more positive light in his light novels. Kawahara also noted that the character of Asuna might have been created a little too perfectly.
After Kawahara's request for Sword Art Online to be published was approved, he started working with illustrator abec on the light novel series. The first volume was published in print on April 10, 2009, and 20 volumes have been published as of September 8, 2017. The first eight volumes of the light novel series told the story arcs for Sword Art Online, Alfheim Online, and Gun Gale Online. The Alicization story arc was covered by volumes 9 through 18, while volumes 19 and 20 told a side story called Moon Cradle. Kawahara plans on writing "one more big arc" called Sword Art Online: Unital Ring that will go back to the real world, and it is the first arc not based on the original web novel. The Unital Ring story arc began in volume 21, which was released in Japan on December 7, 2018.
Kawahara also writes the Sword Art Online: Progressive series, which covers Kirito's adventures on the first few floors of Aincrad. The first volume of Progressive was released on October 10, 2012, and six volumes have been released as of May 10, 2018. The first volume of a light novel series based on Sword Art Online titled Sword Art Online Alternative Gun Gale Online, written by Keiichi Sigsawa with illustrations by Kouhaku Kuroboshi, was published by ASCII Media Works on December 10, 2014. An original 100-page prequel novel to written by Kawahara, titled Hopeful Chant, was released to people who watched the film in Japan during March 4–10, 2017.
At their Japan Expo USA panel, Yen Press announced the rights to publish the light novels; the first volume was released on April 22, 2014. Yen Press later announced their license of the Sword Art Online: Progressive series, which is scheduled for release in 2015. The novels are also published in China, Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam, with future plans for publications in France, Germany, Italy, Austria, Switzerland and others.
There are a number of dōjinshi written by Kawahara under the pseudonym Fumio Kunori, titled Sword Art Online Material Edition. An 80-page assemblage of some of the Material Edition volumes was published on February 13, 2011; the latest release is Material Edition volume 25 on November 23, 2017. The author has also created some other dōjinshi including Lisbeth Edition, Silica Edition and Pina Edition under cooperation with Kurusu Tatsuya from ponz.info. It is reported that these dōjinshi gain traction from the involvement of the original author in its creation process, as well as from supplying more details on characters from the original work.
There are ten manga adaptations of the series, all written by Reki Kawahara and published by ASCII Media Works. Sword Art Online: Aincrad, illustrated by Tamako Nakamura, was serialized in Dengeki Bunko Magazine between the September 2010 and May 2012 issues. Two tankōbon volumes of Aincrad were released on September 27, 2012. A comedy four-panel manga, titled Sword Art Online. and illustrated by Jūsei Minami, began serialization in the September 2010 issue of Dengeki Bunko Magazine. The first volume of Sword Art Online. was released on September 27, 2012. A third manga, titled Sword Art Online: Fairy Dance and illustrated by Hazuki Tsubasa, began serialization in the May 2012 issue of Dengeki Bunko Magazine. The first volume of Fairy Dance was released on October 27, 2012; the third volume was released on June 27, 2014. The Aincrad and Fairy Dance manga have been acquired for release in North America by Yen Press. The first volume of Aincrad was published on March 25, 2014.
A spin-off manga starring Lisbeth, Silica, and Leafa, titled Sword Art Online: Girls Ops and illustrated by Neko Nekobyō, began serialization in the July 2013 issue of Dengeki Bunko Magazine. Following the discontinuation of Dengeki Bunko Magazine in April 2020, the manga was moved to the DenPlay Comic website. Girls Ops was licensed by Yen Press in November 2014, the first volume of which was released on May 19, 2015. A manga adaption of Sword Art Online: Progressive, illustrated by Kiseki Himura, began serialization in the August 2013 issue of Dengeki G's Magazine. The manga ended serialization in the magazine's May 2014 issue and was transferred to Dengeki G's Comic starting with the June 2014 issue. The Progressive manga adaption has been licensed by Yen Press, with the first two volumes released in January and April 2015, respectively.
A sixth manga, titled Sword Art Online: Phantom Bullet and illustrated by Kōtarō Yamada, had its first chapter serialized in the May 2014 issue of Dengeki Bunko Magazine, with following chapters being digitally serialized on Kadokawa's Comic Walker website. A seventh manga, titled Sword Art Online: Calibur and illustrated by Shii Kiya, was serialized in Dengeki G's Comic between the September 2014 and July 2015 issues. A single compilation volume was released on August 10, 2015. An eighth manga, titled Sword Art Online: Mother's Rosario and also by Tsubasa, is based on the seventh volume of the novel series and began serialization in the July 2014 issue of Dengeki Bunko Magazine. A ninth manga, an adaptation of Sword Art Online Alternative Gun Gale Online, began serialization in the November 2015 issue of Dengeki Maoh.
A tenth manga, titled Sword Art Online: Project Alicization and illustrated by Kōtarō Yamada, based on the Alicization arc of the light novel series, began serialization in the September 2016 issue of Dengeki Bunko Magazine. It moved to Web DenPlay Comic due to the discontinuation of Dengeki Bunko Magazine.
An anime adaptation of Sword Art Online was announced at Dengeki Bunko Autumn Festival 2011, along with Reki Kawahara's other light novel series, Accel World. The anime is produced by Aniplex and Genco, animated by A-1 Pictures and directed by Tomohiko Ito with music by Yuki Kajiura. The anime aired on Tokyo MX, tvk, TV Saitama, TV Aichi, RKB, HBC and MBS between July 7 and December 22, 2012, and on AT-X, Chiba TV and BS11 at later dates. The series was also streamed on Crunchyroll and Hulu. The anime is adapted from the first four novels and parts of volume eight.
The anime has been licensed in North America by Aniplex of America and an English-language dub premiered on Adult Swim's Toonami from July 27, 2013 to February 15, 2014. The series was released by Aniplex of America in four DVD and Blu-ray sets, with special extras on the BD sets, between August 13 and November 19, 2013. Manga Entertainment released the first series on BD/DVD in the United Kingdom in December 2013, whilst Madman Entertainment released the series in Australia and the English-language version began airing on ABC3 on June 7, 2014. Sword Art Online has been available on Netflix in North America since March 15, 2014.
A year-end special, titled Sword Art Online Extra Edition, aired on December 31, 2013. The special recapped the previously aired anime series and included some new footage. Extra Edition was streamed worldwide a few hours after its airing in Japan. The two-hour-long special was available on Daisuki worldwide except for French-speaking areas, as well as China and Korea. Daisuki offered subtitles in various languages such as English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and German. English-speaking countries, Mexico, Central and South America could also watch the stream on Crunchyroll. Extra Edition was also simulcast in Korea on Aniplus cable channel and in China on the LeTV streaming website. French-speaking countries could watch on the Wakanim streaming website. The Blu-ray Disc and DVD of Extra Edition was released on April 23, 2014 in Japan. The limited edition included a Yui character song titled "Heart Sweet Heart" by Kanae Itō and an original side story written by Kawahara titled "Sword Art Online Niji no Hashi".
At the end of the special, the anime television series was confirmed for a second season, titled Sword Art Online II, which premiered on July 5, 2014. The first 14 episodes of the second season are an adaptation of volumes five and six the light novels that cover the Phantom Bullet arc. Episodes 15 to 17 cover the Calibur arc from volume 8 of the novels, with episodes 18 to 24 covering volume 7 of the novels, the Mother's Rosario arc. Premiere screening events of the second season were held in the United States, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea and Japan before the television premiere between June 29 and July 4, 2014. At Katsucon, it was announced that the English dub of the second season would air on Toonami beginning March 28, 2015.
An animated film titled , featuring an original story by Kawahara set after the events of Sword Art Online II, premiered in Japan and Southeast Asia on February 18, 2017, and was released in the United States on March 9, 2017.
The third season of Sword Art Online, titled Sword Art Online: Alicization, and a spin-off anime, titled Sword Art Online Alternative Gun Gale Online, were announced in 2017. Sword Art Online Alternative Gun Gale Online, animated by 3Hz, premiered in April 2018. Sword Art Online: Alicization aired from October 6, 2018 to March 30, 2019, with a one-hour world premiere which aired in Japan, the United States, Australia, France, Germany, Russia and South Korea on September 15, 2018. The English dub of the third season premiered on February 9, 2019 on Toonami. The season was originally announced to air for four cours, and adapt from the novel's ninth volume, Alicization Beginning, to the eighteenth volume, Alicization Lasting. However, the season ended at episode 24 on March 30, 2019, and continued on October 12, 2019 with a second part titled War of Underworld. The second half of the War of Underworld series was originally scheduled to premiere in April 2020, but due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan, it was rescheduled to premiere on July 11, 2020.
Yuki Kajiura composed the soundtrack for the Sword Art Online anime, which was later released in the limited edition of the anime's fourth and seventh Blu-ray and DVD volumes. The first volume of the second season's soundtrack was bundled with the limited edition of the season's third and seventh Blu-ray and DVD volumes.
For the first 14 episodes of season one, the opening theme song is "Crossing Field" by LiSA, and the ending theme song is "Yume Sekai" by Haruka Tomatsu. From episode 15 onward, the opening theme is "Innocence" by Eir Aoi and the ending theme is "Overfly" by Luna Haruna. The main theme for Sword Art Online: Extra Edition is "Niji no Oto" by Aoi.
For the second season, the first opening theme is "Ignite" by Aoi, and the first ending theme is "Startear" by Haruna. The second opening theme is "Courage" by Tomatsu, and the second ending theme is "No More Time Machine" by LiSA, with the third ending theme being "Shirushi", also by LiSA. The song "Catch the Moment" by LiSA is used as the theme song to Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale.
For the third season, the first opening theme is "Adamas" by LiSA, and the first ending theme is "Iris" by Aoi. The second opening theme is "Resister" by Asca and the second ending theme is "Forget-me-not" by ReoNa, with episode 19 featuring "Niji no Kanata ni", also sung by ReoNa.
For the second part of the third season, the first opening theme is "Resolution" by Tomatsu, and the first ending theme is "Unlasting" by LiSA. The second opening theme is "Anima" by Reona and the second ending theme is "I will" by Aoi.
A number of character songs were included in the Blu-ray and DVD volume releases of the anime. These were collected into two compilation albums: Sword Art Online Song Collection, which included character songs released in the season one volumes, was released on August 27, 2014, while Sword Art Online Song Collection II, which included character songs released in the season two volumes, was released on March 22, 2017.
A stage event at the Dengeki Bunko Autumn Festival 2011 revealed that Reki Kawahara's light novels would get video game adaptations. The first Sword Art Online adaptation, titled ', was published by Namco Bandai Games for the PlayStation Portable. The game follows an alternate storyline, in which a glitch causes Kirito and the other players to remain in Sword Art Online despite defeating Heathcliff, and players from other VMMORPGs such as Leafa and Sinon get sucked into the game themselves. The game was released in both regular and limited edition box sets on March 14, 2013.
' is a PlayStation Vita game released in Japan on April 24, 2014. Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment takes place in the same alternative storyline as Sword Art Online: Infinity Moment, and it includes all content of "Floor Clearing" from that previous game with the addition of new unexplored "Hollow Area" of Aincrad. The protagonist Kirito will cross swords with a mysterious player who would become one of the key characters in the game. The game sold 145,029 physical retail copies within the first week of release in Japan, topping the Japanese software sales charts for that particular week. The game had also been released in Taiwan by Namco Bandai Games Taiwan with Chinese and English subtitles. A digital-only North American, European and Australian release was released in August 2014.
A third video game developed by Artdink and titled ' was released in Japan on March 26, 2015 on the PlayStation 3 and Vita platforms, with an English version being released in Asia. The game's producer revealed in October 2014 that the game is an open-world action RPG featuring an original storyline, set within Alfheim Online, where characters are able to fly. The game sold 139,298 physical retail copies on the PlayStation Vita in addition to another 55,090 units on the PlayStation 3 within its first week of release in Japan, ranking second and sixth place respectively within the Japanese software sales charts for that particular week, narrowly behind Bloodborne taking the top spot.
A fourth game titled ' was released in Japan for the PS4, Vita, and Windows on October 27, 2016 and worldwide on November 8, 2016 for the PS4 and Vita.
A social network game called Sword Art Online: End World was released for Japanese feature phones and smartphones on February 28, 2013 with more than 1 million registered users. It was discontinued in September 2017. Another freemium game for Android and iOS titled ' launched in 2014, and over 3,000,000 users have downloaded the game. Another game called Sword Art Online: Progress Link designed for the Mobage browser game platform on smartphones was released on February 10, 2015. The game was terminated on July 29, 2016.
Kirito, Asuna, Leafa, Yuuki and SAO Alternative: Gun Gale Online protagonist LLENN appear in ', a fighting game by Sega featuring various characters from works published under the Dengeki Bunko imprint. A browser game titled Sword Art Quest and its sequel smartphone game, Sword Art Quest II provide challenges to users to upgrade their characters to receive rewards. There is also a paid Android game titled SAO -Log Out- that users can download and play with characters from the series and obtain wallpapers from it.
A virtual reality massive multiplayer online game was in development by Kadokawa and IBM Japan, but was only a demo and will not be released as a full game.
An action role-playing game titled ' was announced in October 2016. The game is a crossover with Accel World, published by Bandai Namco Entertainment for PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and Windows via Steam, and was released to western audiences on July 7, 2017.
The Black Swordsman is a Chinese 3D role-playing game where the player can control 3D characters and experience Sword Art Online, ALfheim Online, and Gun Gale Online. It is developed by Yun Chang Game under Bandai Namco's supervision. The game is being distributed and is operating under Bandai Namco Shanghai, Bandai Namco Entertainment and Qihoo 360 on Chinese platforms. The game was launched on Android in May 26, 2016 and on iOS in June 9, 2016 after a brief period of closed beta, though it is officially still in an "open beta" phase.
Bandai Namco released Sword Art Online: Memory Defrag RPG for Android and iOS in August 2016. It was released outside of Japan on January 24, 2017. Featuring content from the anime series, Ordinal Scale, and some original shorts written for event characters, players are allowed to play solo and progress through the story, or join up with others online to farm special items, equipment, and materials. Common events include ranked challenges against other players, floor clearing, character introductions and seasonal events. Players have the choice of spending real money to speed-up their progress.
Bandai Namco released the Sword Art Online: Integral Factor free-to-play MMORPG for Android and iOS in December 2017. The English version was released in March 2018. It adapts the Aincrad arc starting from Floor 1 and gradually exploring every floor one-by-one. It allows playing as a player-created avatar.
A game based on Gun Gale Online, ', was released for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows on February 23, 2018.
Bandai Namco Entertainment released the Sword Art Online VR: Lovely Honey Days mobile game for iOS and Android devices in Japan in October 2018. The game's first episode is free-to-play, while the second episode and so on can be purchased as additional content.
Bandai Namco released Sword Art Online Arcade: Deep Explorer in Japanese arcades on March 19, 2019. It is an exploration action RPG that supports up to three players in online co-op and it is the first arcade game in the Sword Art Online series.
A video game based in the Underworld of Project Alicization, , was announced by Bandai Namco for release on the PS4, Xbox One, and Windows. The game is also the first game in the franchise to faithfully follow the canon storyline in the initial stage, adapting from Alicization Beginning, volume 9, to Alicization Uniting, volume 14. Following that, the game features a different arc focusing on Medina Orthinanos. Originally, the game was going to be released in May 2020, but it was delayed to July 10, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Live-action series
Sword Art Online is a planned American live-action television adaptation of Sword Art Online. Skydance Television announced on August 2, 2016, that they had acquired the global rights to produce a live-action television adaptation of Reki Kawahara's Sword Art Online light novel series. Laeta Kalogridis has been attached to write a script for the pilot, and will also serve as executive producer for the series alongside Skydance CEO David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Marcy Ross. Skydance has stated their intent to "fast-track" the launch of the series, along with plans to follow the TV series with the release of a Sword Art Online virtual reality experience. In February 2018, it was reported that the live-action series had been sold to Netflix.
According to Oricon, Sword Art Online was the top selling light novel series of 2012, with eight volumes figuring among the top selling light novels. It was ranked first in the 2012 and 2013 Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi! rankings, as well as top five placement in 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and top 10 in 2019. It was also the second best selling light novel series in the first half of 2016 in Japan, selling 489,374 copies. Sword Art Online: Progressive sold 321,535 copies in the same time period. As of 2017, the series has an estimated 20 million copies in print worldwide.
Richard Eisenbeis of Kotaku hails Sword Art Online as the smartest series in recent years, praising its deep insight on the psychological aspects of virtual reality on the human psyche, its sociological views on creating a realistic economy and society in a massively multiplayer online game setting, and the writing staff's ability to juggle a wide variety of genres within the series. Eisenbeis particularly noted how the romance between Kirito and Asuna is explored bringing "definition to exactly what love is like in a virtual world." However, at the time of this preliminary review, he had only watched the first 12 episodes of the series. He has since gone on to review the second half of the series, lauding its excellent use of plot twists and praising its well-written and believable villain. However, he felt that some of the initial positive aspects of the series were lost in the second half, such as the focus on psychological repercussions and social interactions that could be realistically seen in an online game. Criticism was also levied towards the aspect of turning Asuna into a damsel in distress, stating that a female lead as strong as her was "reduced to nothing but the quest item the male lead is hunting for." Eisenbeis closes his review of the series by stating in regards to the two halves, "Both, however, are enjoyable for what they are."
Rebecca Silverman of Anime News Network has criticized the series as having pacing problems, logical gaps and "sloppy writing". Theron Martin of Anime News Network criticized the story as struggling "to achieve and maintain the level of gravitas that life-or-death danger should have", while calling it unwilling to commit to Kirito's "lone wolf" image. DeviceCritique explained that Sword Art Online influences the virtual reality market to grow, and referenced the Oculus Rift as a prime example of the starting point of virtual reality. It also praised Sword Art Online for exploring the psychological and social aspects of virtual reality gaming.
While the anime received more criticism in western media, the light novels received praise mainly in latter arcs like Mother's Rosario and Alicization. In the Alicization arc, Anime News Network reviewer Theron Martin praised many of the volumes, saying that the author's writing has improved and he says for volume 16 that while not his favorite, the volume does its job well. The same reviewer also praised Sword Art Online for the same arc Alicization when it received an anime adaptation, with same praising for the second part of the arc on the anime called Alicization War of the Underworld, citing that, "The technical merits seem to be on the same level as the first half, including an amazing cabin design for Alice and Kirito's dwelling, some vibrant color work on the autumnal trees, and effective musical choices. Together they do an excellent job at conveying the various emotions present here: warmth, fear, frustration, and melancholy. Overall, this is a strong establishment episode for the next part of the story and about the best adaptation that could be hoped for of the relevant source material."
Kirito makes a cameo appearance in the eighth episode of the anime series Eromanga Sensei, with Yoshitsugu Matsuoka reprising his role.
Steven Spielberg's 2018 film Ready Player One contains a reference to Sword Art Online. Ernest Cline, the writer of 2011 novel Ready Player One, discussed Sword Art Online in an interview, noting how he met its writer Reki Kawahara at an event in Japan where they discussed how they independently developed similar ideas related to virtual reality. It has also been noted that the Phantom Bullet arc released in print in 2010 depicts an early fictional battle royale game called Bullet of Bullets.
On June 12, 2015, the now-inactive Chinese Ministry of Culture listed Sword Art Online II among 38 anime and manga titles banned in China. In July 2020, Sword Art Online became one of seven manga titles to be removed from Books Kinokuniya in Australia for claims of promoting child pornography.
In the 2020 edition of Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi, Sword Art Online was voted by the public in an online poll and by a jury as the best light novel series of the 2010s, being the first in the ranking with 1,728.95 points.