text:
That was a sensational race and a great ride from Ryan Mania. The bookies will be drinking Dom Perignon in his honour tonight. Thanks for your emails and below the line comments.
The finishers
[1] Auroras Encore
[2] Cappa Bleu
[3] Teaforthree
[4] Oscar Time
[5] Rare Bob
[6] Swing Bill
[7] Soll
[8] Tarquinius
[9] Saint Are
[10] Always Waining
[11] Major Malarkey
[12] Join Together
[13] Seabass
[14] Across the Bat
[15] Balthazar King
[16] Quiscover Fontaine
[17] Any Currency
Congratulations to the fence builders
"That was the best National I have ever seen!" writes Sya Elwes. "It was so magic to see those amazing animals get round without injury. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Brilliant fence building. I managed to watch without shutting my eyes." Hear, hear Sya.
A proper racing man writes …
The Grand National has provided another sensational shock with victory for Auroras Encore, a 66-1 shot who pounded clear on the run-in under jockey Ryan Mania, having his first ride in the famous race. The winning trainer is Sue Smith, wife of the former show-jumper Harvey, who achieved fame in the 70s as a bad boy of a sport that then enjoyed much TV coverage.
There was a great deal of pressure on Aintree's officials to provide a safe race after two equine deaths over the first two days of the race-meeting, despite newly softened fences. The result was that there were no fallers and no jockeys were unseated over the first seven fences, including Becher's Brook. Early indications were that all horses had returned safely.
Click here for Chris Cook's full report.
And Sue Smith …
Harvey Smith speaks (V for Victory) …
You don't win a big 'un every day. We bought him out of Doncaster sales, broke him, made him, that's what we did. We're over the moon.
Ryan Mania speaks
There are no words to describe it. I got a dream ride round, I couldn't believe my luck. I couldn't fault the horse. I had a choice of two but he was second on this course last year so I thought I better stay loyal to him. He loved every second of it. He was just class.
The winning trainer and her husband (13 years ago)
All the runners came back safe and sound
… reports Clare Balding.
Auroras Encore
Ryan Mania was the winning jockey in his first National ride and the first Scot to win for almost 50 years, Sue Smith is the trainer. Teaforthree's error at the last was decisive I think. I had a ten-spot each way on Cappa Bleu so I've covered my stakes at least. How did you all get on?
Grand National 2013 result
1) Auroras Encore 66-1
2) Cappa Bleu 12-1
3) Teaforthree 10-1
4) Oscar Time 66-1
5) Rare Bob 16-1
Final Fence
Teaforthree makes a mistake, Aurora's Encore leads now by two lengths.
One to go
Oscar Time from Teaforthree from Aurora's Encore and Cappa Bleu.
Oscar Time now takes the lead.
At 27
Across the Bay from Oscar Time and Teaforthree. Here comes Cappa Bleu …
Becher's for the second time
Most seem to be over Teaforthree catches Across the Bay, neck and neck.
At the 20th it's still Across the Bay now from Teaforthree.
Across the Bay from Balthazar King and Teaforthree.
The Chair
Colbert Station down. Across the Bay from Balthazar King one and two. Thirty-three horses still in it.
Across the Bay in front at the 13th two lengths ahead of Balthazar King
Tatenen unseats his rider at the open ditch.
Balthazar King still in the lead over Valentine's
Treacle falls at the Canal Turn.
Balthazar King leads over Bechers – and they're all over the Brook too.
They're all over the first and second
Viking Blond leads.
And they're off
So the false start problem was eradicated by switching the start
Latest betting
Seabass 6-1
On his own 8-1
Teaforthree 10-1
11-1 bar
There's no formal parade this year and the start has been shifted forward 90 yards closer to the first fence – some of the changes made after last year's deaths. Many of the horses are on the track now, cantering, turning and waiting.
Here come the jockeys
For the official photo. And the zoom goes in on Katie Walsh. Are we to have a woman winning jockey? A third for her brother?
(noun) a conduit for the dissemination of jokes about horse burgers. Ho, ho, bloody ho.
Hat tip, pork pie natch, to Tony Paley
Latest betting
Seabass 7-1
On His Own 9-1
Teaforthree 10-1
Cappa Bleu 12-1
Chicago Grey 12-1
Colbert Station 14-1
Imperial Commander 16-1
Balthazar King 16-1
Sunnyhillboy 16-1
Rare Bob 18-1
Roberto Goldback 20-1
Report from the 3.25
Courtesy of PA: "Battle Group secured his second course win in the space of just three days with a brilliant performance in the John Smith's Handicap Chase.
Second in this race 12 months ago when trained by David Pipe, the eight-year-old has since joined Kevin Bishop and landed some hefty bets when running away with Thursday's Silver Cross Handicap Hurdle, a race he also won in 2011.
With Daryl Jacob taking over in the saddle from Brendan Powell, Battle Group was a 7-2 favourite back over the larger obstacles and travelled with his usual enthusiasm.
While on occasions in the past he has failed to go through with his effort, he bounded clear once sent on halfway up the home straight, coming home 16 lengths ahead of Mac Aeda."
Father's day?
"Not since 1948 has the same stallion had his sons win both the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Grand National in one year, but that may change today," writes foal production fluid expert, Chris Cook. Bob's Worth, winner of last month's Gold Cup, is a son of Bob Back, as are Rare Bob and Roberto Goldback, runners in today's Grand National. Bob Back, a winner at Royal Ascot back in 1985, enjoyed a long life and died at the age of 30 two years ago."
3.25 – John Smith's Handicap Chase
1) Battle Group 7-2
2) Mac Aeda 14-1
3) John's Spirit 12-1
4) Problema Tic 14-1
1973 and all that
"God knows there's enough wrong with horse racing, but its greatest glory appears to be lost," writes Gary Naylor. "The 1973 Grand National commentary is unsurpassingly magnificent, as John Hamner, Julian Wilson and the incomparable Peter O'Sullevan call home Red Rum and the bravest loser in history, big, black, beautiful Crisp. 40 years on, I wanted to show my son one my favourite links and it has been deleted. We paid for this once already, and we should have it free of charge now. It is, to use the most overworked phrase of the last 12 months, a national treasure." You're right Gary, it was unimprovable – such drama brilliantly conveyed.
Do you share a birthday with a Grand National runner?
Well, do you? This comes courtesy of Chris Cook:
The oldest runner in this year's Grand National is Mumbles Head, one of five 12-year-olds in the field. With a foaling date of March 8, 2001, he is one day older than Always Waining. The youngest runner is Saint Are, the only seven-year-old. Thoroughbreds have a communal official birthday of January 1 but Saint Are's actual foaling date is Grand National eve, April 5.
Balthazar King – Feb 12, 2004
Becauseicouldntsee – Feb 14, 2003
Chicago Grey – Mar 6, 2003
Auroras Encore – Mar 10, 2002
Seabass – Mar 13, 2003
Major Malarkey – Mar 15, 2003
Join Together – Mar 16, 2005
Any Currency – 29 Mar 2003
Viking Blond – 1 April 2005
Tarquinius – 4 April 2003
Saint Are – 5 April 2006
Roberto Goldback – 7 April 2002
Mumbles Head – 8 April 2001
Always Waining – 9 April 2001
Across The Bay – 9 April 2004
Weird Al – 18 April 2003
Treacle – 19 April 2001
Tatenen – April 21, 2004
Colbert Station – April 25, 2004
Harry The Viking – April 29, 2005
Ballabriggs – April 27, 2001
Big Fella Thanks – April 28, 2002
Joncol – April 29, 2003
Quel Esprit – April 30, 2004
Sunnyhillboy – April 30, 2003
Soll – May 4, 2005
Ninetieth Minute – May 5, 2003
Swing Bill – May 9, 2001
Forpadydeplasterer – May 10, 2002
Oscar Time – May 14, 2001
Rare Bob – May 16, 2002
What A Friend – May 18, 2003
Imperial Commander – May 21, 2001
Mr Moonshine – May 25, 2004
The Rainbow Hunter – May 28, 2004
Cappa Bleu – June 6, 2002
Teaforthree – June 6, 2004
Quiscover Fontaine – June 11, 2004
On His Own – July 10, 2004
Lost Glory – Sept 4, 2005
Chris Cook reports on the topsy turvy week of Solwhit's jockey
Paul Carberry, who has just won the third race at Aintree on Solwhit, was a doubtful participant at this race-meeting until this morning, having been bashed around a bit when unseated at Fairyhouse on Tuesday. The veteran jockey suffered bruised ribs.
Asked how confident he had been that he would be riding here, Carberry said: 'If you'd asked me on Wednesday, not really. But Thursday morning was a lot better and it's progressed all week.' He looked the picture of health in the winner's enclosure.
Carberry will ride Chicago Grey in the Grand National and said: 'He'd have to have a good squeak, if he gets a clear run. He got brought down last year and hopefully he didn't get a fright from that.'
Liverpool Hurdle report:
Courtesy of PA:
Ladbrokes World Hurdle hero Solwhit turned in another superb display in the hands of Paul Carberry to claim the John Smith's Liverpool Hurdle.
The talented but fragile nine-year-old proved his ability to stay three miles when claiming his seventh Grade One prize at the Cheltenham Festival, and was sent off the 9-4 favourite to make it eight on Merseyside.
Always travelling well in the middle of the pack, Charles Byrnes' stable star was still cruising in behind the leaders at the top of the home straight but Carberry was keen to bide his time.
The ultra-confident Carberry was looking round for dangers between the final two flights and Solwhit sealed victory with a spring-heeled leap at the last.
He kicked on up the run-in to score by three lengths from Holywell, with Smad Place back in third.
Carberry said: 'He was absolutely brilliant today. He travelled great the whole way and jumped absolutely brilliant. I'd say he's nearly twice the horse today he was at Cheltenham.'
Record breakers
Richard Johnson holds the record for the most rides in the National without a win – 16 with a runners up place in 2002 on What's Up Boys his closest effort. He's on Balthazar King today, an 18-1 shot.
Currently leading the betting are:
Seabass 7-1
On His Own 10-1
Chicago Grey 12-1
Cappa Bleu 12-1
Teaforthree 12-1
Colbert Station 14-1
Imperial Commander 14-1
Balthazar King 18-1
2.50 – John Smith's Liverpool Hurdle
1) Solwhit 9-4
2) Holywell 9-1
3) Smad Place 5-1
4) Won in the Dark
That was a hugely impressive run from a "proper Grade One" horse. By eight lengths at least I thought.
More on Leona Lewis's twatter attack
Brendan Powell, the Grand National-winning jockey and now trainer has a good line:
Another owner speaks …
JP McManus says he hasn't had a bet on any of his four horses and won't, it's tough enough watching them, but suggests punters might like to have a pound each way on two others, Seabass and Imperial Commander.
And good news for students of Dorothy Paget – William Hill's Graham Sharpe is currently working on a new book on her. She'll be up there with David "Lord" Sutch as his wackiest subject.
"One further detail on the woes of punters so far," adds Chris Cook. "Those who bet during the race on Betfair were so sure that Overturn was on his way to winning the second race that he traded at odds of 1-7. The eventual winner reached a high of 139-1 at one point."
It's Chris Cook, Claims Five, CC, checking in
Chris writes:
Grand National day has been a nightmare for most punters so far, with the first two winners returned at 22-1 and 28-1. At this rate, the one to back in the big race itself must be Mumbles Head or Tarquinius, the 150-1 shots.
But even the trainers can be surprised by their charges. Gary Moore, trainer of Ubak, who hacked up in the opener, said it had been his original plan to send the horse for a midweek meeting at unglamorous Fontwell.
Meanwhile, someone who is possibly feeling worse than the losing gamblers is the jockey Andrew Lynch, left bruised and sore by a fall here on Friday. He decided this morning to give up his rides, which included Special Tiara, the surprise winner of the second race. If Treacle were to win the National, that would be rubbing salt into Lynch's wounds.
The rider who benefited was Bryan Cooper, the 20-year-old Irishman now widely seen as a new star in the sport after three winners at last month's Cheltenham Festival. He won a Grade One race here on Thursday and will ride Rare Bob in the big race at 4.15pm.
More on the 2.15
"Dan Barber, Timeform's jumps editor, knows his onions (or perhaps carrots) where National Hunt horses are concerned," writes Tony Paley. "He said of that second race result on Twitter: One of the oddest races I've seen on every level."
Intellectual close friends get to call him TP
Providing it's with dignity …
Tony Paley on the 2.15:
"Punters are throwing themselves off the stands. Overturn, who looked a terrific bet having drifted out to a very generous 11-4 there, is caught on the line by Special Tiara at 28-1. What might be more significant than the winning horse, which again was impossible for backers to work out in advance was the jockey in the saddle. The Irish jockey, Bryan Cooper, had a wonderful Cheltenham and he really impressed there. He is one of the best up-and-coming riders in the business right now and all his mounts are well worth noting these days. He rides Rare Bob (not without a chance) in the Grand National."
2.15 – John Smith's Maghull Novices Chase
1) Special Tiara 28-1
2) Overturn 11-4
3) Alderwood 2-1
4) Sire De Grugy
A horrible day for punters so far
It still hurts …
Here's the Observer looking back at the race in 2007.
Richard Pitman remembers:
Then everything changed. At the second last, Crisp went from full to empty in a matter of strides. It was like a balloon being pricked. Suddenly he was going up and down on the spot. His ears were limp. He had nothing left. I hoped we were far enough clear to hang on, but when I sensed Red Rum catching us I made a silly mistake. I went for the whip with my right hand, forcing Crisp to veer away from, rather than towards, the Elbow. It cost us two or three lengths, crucial momentum and, ultimately, the National.
An expert writes on the 1.45
"It could be a day for the outsiders so get those pins out for the Grand National," writes Tony Paley. "Ubak started at 100-1 when he ran last time at the Cheltenham Festival and was beaten 25 lengths. Clare Balding on Channel 4 said the 22-1 winner today could have enjoyed the sunny weather. Who knows? Certainly not the trainer Gary Moore, who admitted: 'I only declared him because there was only eight in it. I wanted to go to Fontwell next week.'
File under: impossible to work out."
If you've been following our racing editor's Twitter today you'll know about Armando Ianucci's imaginative genius for horse names, as you alos woiuld if you were a fan of On the Hour. Here are some of today's submissions:
1:45 – John Smith's Mersey Novices' Hurdle
1) Ubak 22-1
2) Utopie Des Bordes 9-2
3) Seefood 7-1
4) Eduard
Absolutely stormed up the home straight to record a maiden victory.
Betting slips on the table …
… I've had a £10 each-way wager on Cappa Bleu and a £5 e/w bet on What a Friend. The first was deliberate, the second was a cock-up, I'd been asked to stick it on Harry the Viking but the only thing I could remember when I was in the bookies this morning was that it was part-owned by Sir Alex Ferguson and backed that instead of Harry the Viking. My mistake - but one now resolved online.
Ten years on …
… from Master Robert, Golden Miller won. I used to work at Sportspages, the defunct sports specialist bookshop, and this was an extraordinary read on Golden Miller's owner which was a rewarding lunchtime diversion. Dorothy Paget was an extraordinary character – not the least of her idiosyncrasies came during the second world war when she wrote to the Transport ministry asking to reserve a railway carriage to herself, because sitting next to a strange man 'is liable to make me vomit'. More on her here …
Isn't it great to see Clare Balding? Such a rare opportunity. Where's she been hiding herself?
Good afternoon
I feel like Michael O'Hehir taking over from Sir Peter for a stint. Or would O'Hehir be Barry Glendenning and I'm Julian Wilson? Any road … someone's singing the national anthem at Aintree, possibly Katherine Jenkins, I'm not all that au courant with these young pseudo-operatic types. I find their range makes my teeth itch. Yesterday morning while driving along the Great Western Road I passed a hotel named after the 1924 winner, Master Robert. I've passed it many times but decided to get to the bottom of it once and for all – I knew the horse was Irish but couldn't work out what links does it have with a flyblown road in Hounslow? And I find that it wasn't trained nearby or anything of such significance. Instead, according to the inn itself: "Whilst the adjacent public house was being built, the Robert Inn, the horse was in the stables of Mr Lynwood Palmer, the famous painter of horses who lived nearby. He also apparently agreed to paint the sign for the hotel only if it was named after the horse. This was agreed and the sign was hung in 1929 by the owners of the horse Lord Airlie and Major Green". And 84 years on it remains the Master Robert.
And as they cross the Melling Road . . .
. . . it's over to my co-commentator/blogger and man in the nifty titfer Rob Bagchi. Be careful out there . . .
Your guide to the other races
If you were unaware there are some other races at Aintree today and our very own Chris Cook has had his nose in the form book and come up with these suggestions (I like Eduard and Cantlow but don't tell him)
1.45 Aintree No trainer is hotter just now than Nicky Henderson, who had four winners at Aintree yesterday, and his Utopie Des Bordes has a chance to show why she was brought over from France this winter. She coped well with a dry surface on her British debut at Doncaster and should be suited by underfoot conditions here. She simply ran out of stamina in the Albert Bartlett at last month's Cheltenham Festival, tackling three miles on soft going, but should be able to finish her race off much more strongly this time. The likely favourite, Up And Go, is taking a big step up in class, while Dodging Bullets has a bit to prove after his Festival flop.
2.15 Aintree This flatter track and drying surface will be perfect for Overturn, who should not be judged harshly for his Festival fourth behind Simonsig. But he may again find himself setting the race up for a talented rival, in this case Alderwood, who belied his lack of chasing experience when cruising to success in the Grand Annual at the Festival. Good going is fine for Tom Mullins' horse, who may continue an excellent meeting for jockey Tony McCoy and owner J P McManus.
2.50 Aintree Not every winner of Cheltenham's World Hurdle is able to cope with the very different test posed by Aintree but there is no such doubt about Solwhit, who won the shorter Aintree Hurdle here four years ago on his only previous visit, when Hardy Eustace, Celestial Halo and Katchit were among those down the field. Charlie Byrnes's runner completed his recovery from injury with his recent Festival success and looks the most talented horse in the field, though he must prove that he has recovered from those exertions, an issue that cannot be taken for granted now that he is nine. Medinas and Holywell, handicap winners at Cheltenham, can make it interesting, while African Gold was beaten only by At Fishers Cross in his Festival race and that winner won again here yesterday.
3.25 Aintree Battle Group will be popular if he lines up in the attempt to win a second race in three days, having hacked up here on Thursday. But Russian War makes more appeal at double-figure odds, running from a mark just 3lb higher than when he won a handicap hurdle at this meeting two years ago. He comes from the uber-shrewd yard of Gordon Elliott and will relish this sound surface.
Grand National favourite takes trainer and jockey hostage
Yes you read that right.
it's true. The DM Reporter* are reporting it.
*We are not journalists. We do not write for the Daily Mail. We do not think coffee gives you cancer. We happen to think immigration makes the world interesting.
This just in! More on the Leona Lewis twatter storm. Racing Post reporter Paul Eacott reports in a report: "So I take it as she despises horseracing so much Leonna Lewis will be returning the money she was paid for performing at Meydan..."
Of course as he can't spell Leona correctly he'll be up before his chief sub but you get the point anyway. Now as there were three deaths at Meydan last year and two at Aintree . . .
Paul Carberry fit to ride Chicago Grey
The Racing Post are reporting the above. There had been a doubt as Carberry had been suffering with a chest injury following a fall at Fairyhouse in Ireland on Tuesday. But clearly he's had the all-clear and that's good news for The Grey's supporters. Superb jockey.
Leona Lewis in Grand National twatter storm
No, come back that's what singer Leona Lewis thinks. She's not kept it to herself either. She's gone on Twitter to say so.
In fact, she didn't leave it at that. She also tweeted, er, probably best to click this link and read that yourself (hence the headline).
It's safe to say the racing fraternity won't be inviting her to lead the singing before the race any time soon. Trainer and ex-National jockey Jamie Osborne has already responded, as has Coral bookmakers' Dave Stevens. Apparently some have reported that she is the brand activist for the Body Shop and that this could be related to the tweet. I couldn't possibly comment.
It's Alison Goldfrapp time
Sunday, sorry Saturday Brunch, on Channel 4 are compiling a horsey soundtrack (it's all Grand National related you see) and they have just put up Ride A White Horse from Goldfrapp. Chicago Grey? Quel Esprit? Swing Bill? Or Tarquinius? Whatever, enjoy . . .
He's walked the course - and Frankie says relax!
Frankie Dettori (he's been a naughty boy and can't ride till late May) is at the Grand National for the first time, reports BBC reporter Frank Keogh. He's at the track to support the Legends charity race for the Bob Champion Cancer Trust before racing.
Apparently, he's wearing mirrored sunglasses and we will try and get photographic evidence of that later. He's also walked the track according to the other Frank (who I can reveal does an excellent Frank Spencer impersonation) and says he enjoyed it.
Well that's no surprise as he only rides on the Flat so he doesn't have to get up on a horse and ride over the obstacles. We believe you Frankie.
Seabass going to start favourite
Have you been to the bookies yet? Have you logged on and had a punt? The aforementioned Seabass, with Katie Walsh on board, has been all the rage and as James Knight, the Coral odds complier reports, that horse is going to go off favourite this afternoon. The bookmakers are so sure they have suspended their betting on who is going to go off market leader for the big race. After yesterday's shambles at the beginning of the Topham Chase over the National fences, you may be interested to know that Coral are betting 5-6 that there will be a false start today! Clearly plenty of shrewdies think that's a cracking bet.
What Katie did next . . .
The biggest potential story today is Katie Walsh, who was third on Seabass last year, steering that horse to victory and becoming the first woman to win the race. Last year Chris Cook talked to female Grand National pioneers about that quest. You can read all about that here.
Ever wondered how Ladies' Day came about? No me neither but the Sunday, sorry, Saturday Brunch programme on Channel 4 devoted to the race have just revealed that . . . they haven't go a clue either.
Of course we do have some idea how the famous landmarks got their names. The Chair is the biggest fence on the course, not Becher's Brook as most folk would think. And here's how that obstacle earned the moniker . . . courtesy of the Jockey Club (which, of course, is not run by jockeys and never has been . . .)
Chris Cook reports from the track on the sticky Treacle situation . . .
Noel Fehily has picked up the ride on Treacle in today's Grand National. The unlucky man who had been booked for the ride is Andrew Lynch, who is still sore after falling at the first fence in yesterday's Topham on Mister First.
Lynch's agent reports that he is not badly injured and might even be back in action at Limerick tomorrow, but says: "You have to be 100% to ride in the National, so he'll give it a miss."
Fehily is a tremendous substitute. In fact, I'm surprised he didn't have a ride in the race already. He'll give Treacle every chance and, if the horse jumps round, his stamina may bring him into contention.
Just looking at his National record, Fehily has only got round twice from 10 attempts but his mounts have not generally been the envy of all other riders and he's had a couple of bits of bad luck.
I first went to the National 30 years ago when Corbiere won (you might be able to spot me on the edited highlights on YouTube here) and you can't beat being there. Kate Miller of William Hill's is there and she's posted this view from the top of the stands. The atmosphere will be electric when the 70,000 racegoers are there later.
Fehily takes over on Treacle
News in of a jockey change from the track. Noel Fehily will deputise for Andrew Lynch aboard Treacle in the Grand National this afternoon.
Fehily comes in for the spare ride after Lynch suffered minor injuries when he was unseated from Mister First in the Topham Chase on Friday. Lynch's agent Frosty Kelly said: "He won't be riding today as he's very sore. You have to be 100% to ride in the National, so he'll give it a miss. It's nothing too serious - he got a bang on a leg and the X-rays were all clear. He might even resume at Limerick tomorrow."
I've always thought Treacle needed sticky going (ouch) so going on the soft side of good would be perfect (sorry).
Chris Cook writes from Aintree
With 40 runners lining up, Saturday's Grand National is a pretty confusing affair, even for those of use who spend the whole year watching horse races. If you're one of the many who hasn't given the game a second thought since last year's race, it's bound to be baffling.
This feature is an attempt to help you find the right horse for you. All you have to decide is this: what kind of horse are you looking for?
A grey!
Which would mean an unprecedented two grey winners in a row, following Neptune Collonges last year. The previous grey winner before him was all the way back in 1961 and there have only been three in more than 170 years of the National. This year's slow boats in grey coats:
Chicago Grey
Quel Esprit
Swing Bill
A chestnut!
Chestnuts, for those who don't know, are the pretty, orangey ones. Some people believe their pigmentation makes them more sensitive to temperature than your average bay or brown horse, making them more likely to run well in warm weather . . . but rather poorly with the temperature down in single-figures, as now. Shivering their way to the start:
Harry The Viking
Mumbles Head
Viking Blond
A horse trained in Ireland!
Irish raiders went from 1975 to 1999 without a single Grand National success but there have been six since then. This year's typically strong team of 14:
Chicago Grey
Colbert Station
Ninetieth Minute
On His Own
Oscar Time
Quel Esprit
Quiscover Fontaine
Rare Bob
A horse trained in Wales!
There hasn't been a Welsh-trained National winner since Kirkland in 1905, a month before Las Vegas was founded. It's a long time to wait but an odd feature of recent jumps seasons has been the emergence of Welsh stables as a powerful collective force. Doing it for the dragon:
Always Waining
Cappa Bleu
Mumbles Head
Saint Are
A horse wearing blinkers!
Well, they should help you to pick your horse out from the crowd but blinkers are thought to be a disadvantage in the National. They narrow a horse's field of vision dramatically, whereas it may be helpful to see that loose horse approaching from your side. Since 1975, only Earth Summit and Comply Or Die have worn blinkers to National glory. Taking a narrow view:
Across The Bay
Viking Blond
What A Friend
A horse who won its last race!
You'd think that would be a helpful sort of clue but in fact the omens are not especially propitious. Horses being aimed at the Grand National are often given a pretty easy time of it in their final prep-races, which may partly explain why only two of the past 10 National heroes had won the time before. Winners when last seen:
Across The Bay
Chicago Grey
Colbert Station
Lost Glory
On His Own
A horse who ran really badly in its most recent race!
Odd as it may seem, the Grand National often produces excellent performances from horses whose recent form has been dubious at best. Some beasts need this sort of extreme test to show their true form, others have been deliberately held back for the big day. Four National winners in the past 10 years were either pulled up on their previous start or finished more than 20 lengths behind the winner. Half the field were stuffed out of sight last time:
Any Currency
Auroras Encore
Always Waining
Harry The Viking
Join Together
Major Malarkey
Mumbles Head
Oscar Time
Quel Esprit
Quiscover Fontaine
Saint Are
Swing Bill
Viking Blond
Weird Al
What A Friend
A horse with a jockey who's won the race before:
Ballabriggs (Jason Maguire, 2011)
Chicago Grey (Paul Carberry, 1999)
Colbert Station (Tony McCoy, 2010)
Join Together (Daryl Jacob, 2012)
Joncol (Robbie Power, 2007)
Ninetieth Minute (Niall Madden, 2006)
On His Own (Ruby Walsh, 2000, 2005)
Roberto Goldback (Barry Geraghty, 2003)
Weird Al (Timmy Murphy, 2008)
Hello and welcome to the greatest day of the racing year bar none. It's the Grand National, the event that transcends the sport. Everyone has their own idea of what is going to win and most people will have a wager on this one day.
Personally, I loved the days before chief handicapper Phil Smith became "The Tinkerman", started fiddling with the weights and we started to get 100-1 winners again. It's not such a hot betting medium for me these days but I could not resist taking some of the 12-1 William Hill and Ladbrokes are offering about On His Own this morning.
There will be plenty more, and probably much more sage advice, here in the build-up to today's first race at Aintree at 1.45 with the big race set to go off at 4.15. Stay with us here for all the latest news, opinion and best bets as we bring you the Grand National, the only Thoroughbred contest that actually merits the tag 'greatest race in the world'.
Tony will be here shortly. In the meantime, here's Chris Cook's tip for today's National. Get more tips in our Talking Horses blog here.
Jockeys hate to choose between two horses, which carries the twin risks of offending an owner and picking the wrong one, and it makes perfect sense to delay as long as possible, even if the correct decision appears obvious. So Tony McCoy was never likely to reveal his Grand National mount until Thursday but on this occasion there is every reason to believe that he really did agonise over whether it should be Colbert Station or Sunnyhillboy and he had other attractive options.
The wisdom or otherwise of his choice may not be clear until the run-in of today's famous race at Aintree. It is not difficult to imagine the pair of them sailing over the last together and fighting it out to the line for first-place prize money of £547,000.
At that stage, the outcome might not matter to J P McManus, who owns both and has an exceptionally strong hand for this year's National. But, as McCoy eventually judged, the credentials of Colbert Station (4.15) are hard to beat and the 11-1 shot can give the two men their second success here, following Don't Push It in 2010.
Marked out as "strong" by the respected judges at Timeform at the start of the season, Colbert Station looked a real National prospect when weaving through a field of 27 rivals on his way to an easy victory at Leopardstown over Christmas. That valuable handicap ought to have been hard to win but he was confidently backed and justified that faith.
Naturally, he is much higher in the weights today but should have more to offer. He appeals as the type to cope well with a test like this, while some of his rivals cringe and drop themselves out.
Sunnyhillboy is most unlikely to do any such thing, however, having coped stylishly with the race last year, when the fences were stiffer. He looks one of the more reliable prospects in the field and should not be 20-1, though his finishing effort 12 months ago couldn't quite match that of Neptune Collonges, who pipped him on the line. With more weight on his back this time, he may again fall short.
Colbert Station's trainer, Ted Walsh, has only a handful of horses at his Kildare yard and is still best known as a broadcaster and a breeder of jockeys. But he sent Papillon over to win the 2000 National and if he repeats the feat, he will have to be acknowledged as a major talent.
Walsh also has Seabass, a major contender if ridden with rather more restraint than last year by the trainer's daughter, Katie. Another attacking approach to the race, however, may leave him vulnerable to stronger finishers.
Another member of the Walsh clan, Ruby, is likely to get a great spin from On His Own, running like a winner last year before getting squeezed by two others on the approach to Becher's, where he fell. Still, we cannot be certain what would have happened if he had been luckier and it is offputting that he has not raced over fences since that day.
His odds are unattractively short but the same cannot be said of Lost Glory, another McManus runner, who should bounce off this drying surface. He is trained by Jonjo O'Neill, of Don't Push It fame, who will surely have him primed after a long absence and he is an interesting outsider at 66-1.
At the dafter odds of 100-1, Tarquinius is also capable of a big effort. Soft ground is not, as some believe, an absolute prerequisite for this stayer, who can make the frame with a clear run. He has recovered his form since joining Gordon Elliot, much as Silver Birch did before winning the 2007 National at 33-1.


text:
Andre Leduic IT Association of Canada
As VP Government Relations and Policy this event will explore best practices for collaboration and measuring cyber resilience and capacity to adapt to an ever changing threat landscape.
I've long been a proponent for increased collaboration and a 'whole of community' approach to cyber security. This event will allow me to garner lessons learned and best practices from the NFPPC and bring these back to Canada.
Greg Sanker State of Oregon
As the Acting CIO and Technology Delivery Manager at Oregon Department of Administrative Services I have been working with both the National Forum for Public-Private Collaboration (NFPPC) and a working
group chartered by the Department of Defense to develop supplementary guidance for cyber security to the Department of Defense Enterprise Service Management Framework (DESMF) document.
The DESMF is a public domain document I'm using as a starting point for how to include best practice security and mission elements in daily IT operations.
The NFPPC recognizes it as a foundation for public-private collaboration.
Benefit to Department of Administrative Services (DAS) of the State of Oregon:
Collaborate with leaders in Cyber Security and IT Service Management
Learn how other government agencies (both state and federal) are addressing information security in IT operations
Shape DAS approach to information security based on real world experience of industry experts
Leverage world class expertise in information security (rather than developing our own expertise from scratch)
Establish mutually beneficial connections with leading IT and Information security experts
This is a great opportunity to further collaborate with leading experts in an area that is critically important to DAS information security.
Mike Smith Acacia Security
True public-private partnerships are the only way to achieve resilient critical infrastructure.
I applaud the NFPPC's goals and objectives and hope the lessons I learned at the Department of Energy will add value to its efforts. I am also anxious to learn from the experiences of other participants in this critical activity.
Mike is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Acacia Security, a Maryland Corporation, providing consulting services to enhance the security and resilience of Energy Sector industrial control systems. Prior to founding Acacia Security, Mike was the Senior Cyber Policy Advisor to the Assistant Secretary in the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability at the U.S. Department of Energy. He was responsible for coordinating all ICS cybersecurity activities that could impact the Energy Sector, to include legislation, policies, public-private partnerships, threat information sharing, best practices, and research and development. Mike established and led the Cybersecurity Risk Information Sharing Program (CRISP) with the Electricity Subsector; current participants provide electric power to more than half of the continental U.S. customers.
Mike's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-smith-a8979554/
Acacia Security website: https://www.acaciasec.com
Blake Bommelje Novant Health
To achieve: Novant Health is attending in the hopes of learning and discussing some ways in which the Cybersecurity Framework is being utilized to meet the needs of the cybersecurity programs in other organizations and in other industries. I'm also hoping to have a better understanding from thought leaders how they are integrating the framework within the context of changing security landscapes and NIST's newer publications.
To offer: As one of the few healthcare entities embracing the CSF as a foundation for our Cybersecurity Program, we offer unique insights and experiences in that adoption and determining what works best for our organization and industry. We have had great wins in a world dominated by headlines of ransomware in convincing our leadership to adopt a slow-and-steady and process-focused cybersecurity program that I think could be valuable to others.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Our teams are building an accessible website. In the meantime, you can continue your experience on our ALL - Accor Live Limitless website or contact us through the web accessibility page by email or phone.
As we're now part of ALL - Accor Live Limitless with a unique customer online account, the authentication process has changed. Therefore you'll need to reset your password with the email address linked to your Fairmont account.
I forgot my email address
Our exclusive lifestyle hotel experience, designed to fulfill the needs of the discerning business executive and leisure traveler.
Our hotels offer a broad range of function rooms - from elegant boardrooms to banquet halls.
Whether on an epic journey or a weekend getaway, we make every child's stay magical.
These exquisite properties are the perfect vacation oasis for you and your loved ones.
Purchase a gift card or browse through our selection of quality bed linens, pillows and bathrobes or sample our premium teas.
After an invigorating day on the slopes, step into consummate luxury.
Our luxurious golf destinations include breathtaking mountains, stark deserts and warm tropical beaches.
Experience our growing collection of breathtakingly beautiful spas around the world.
View the latest issue of Fairmont Magazine.
Celebrate the beginning of your journey together at one of our landmark wedding resorts.
Fairmont Fit is your gateway to hundreds of well-being experiences, across the world.
Enjoy up to 25% off
As we're now part of ALL - Accor Live Limitless with a unique customer online account, the authentication process has changed. Therefore you'll need to reset your password with the email address linked to your Fairmont account.
On the river, the Fairmont Nile City is pleased to offer Cairo hotel packages & deals that will enhance your stay and turn moments into memories.
Fairmont SAVERS 25% Off Advance Purchase
One night room accommodation in an elegant Fairmont guest room.
This package is valid year-round, subject to room availability.
Prices are exclusive of service charge & applicable taxes.
Please note, advance purchase of 14 days is required. Full prepayment is due at the time of booking and is non-refundable in the event of cancellation. All rates are subject to availability and do not include tax, gratuity or service charge. To make hotel reservations, click on the "Book Now" button below.
Toll Free (Room Reservations only):
1 888 310 2323
20 22 461 9494
20 22 461 9595
International Numbers
Share your stories on FairmontMoments.com
Unlimited access to the world of Fairmont wherever you go.


text:
We stock designer ranges for both prescription and non-prescription needs.
We stock a range of sunglasses covering lots of needs, whether you want sunglasses for sports use such as cycling, or simply fashion sunglasses to protect your eyes and look good in the sun! Please call into either practice to try on some sunglasses, we will be happy to advise on any queries you may have.
Alternatively we can fit tinted lenses into most frames and also supply clip-on sunglasses to attach to your spectacles.
We now stock an extensive range of the latest Maui Jim sunglasses. Created on the Hawaiian Islands to make the colours shine, Maui Jim sunglasses feature patented PolarizedPlus2® lens technology for brilliant colour so every detail is crisper and cleaner without glare or harmful UV. Slip on a pair and See The Brilliance.


text:
This Sunday is Father's Day, which means QT with dad is a must. Whether you're going on outdoor adventures or lounging around in the shade, top off the day with these manly cocktail recipes from our friends at Liquor.com and raise your glass to good old Dad.
2. Bobby Burns
5. Deshler


text:
Yes you can, once you've entered the details of your first order you can either click continue to payment details or send more flowers & save £5.
When more than one bouquet is ordered in one transaction, you'll save £5 off the subsequent bouquets.
If you're looking to send a large number of orders as a corporate gift or to a business client, please email firstname.lastname@example.com and we'll be able to help.


text:
Kailua Kona, HI 96740
Contact: Francesca SakaiPhone: 808-328-9318
Website: http://www.passionmoonpotions.com
Passion Moon Potions embodies both luxurious and indulgent skin care products and are made with natural vegetarian and vegan friendly ingredients.
All products are made without harsh chemical preservatives.
Sensitive skin friendly, sweet smelling Passion Moon Potions are a decadent dessert for your skin. As you indulge in these delicious products I wish for you to awaken to your passion as well.


text:
CITY: With drone shots, Christopher Sherman is helping to alter Austin's self-image. Taken from my story in the Statesman: "The streets of Austin lie empty. A ghostly blue wraps the buildings, bridges and greenery. The horizon blooms yellow-pink. It is as if the city is lit from within. The most unsettling thing about these Austin images, however, is the point of view: Lower than if taken from an airplane, higher than all but the tallest local skyscrapers. Reproduced countless times online, drone-taken photographs, some shot at almost 400 feet above the ground, are changing the way we see the city. Among those pioneering this technique is Christopher Sherman, a technology events planner, licensed pilot and camera enthusiast. In the past few months, he and other photographers have gone a long way to upend the city's self-image. "I don't even call it a drone," Sherman, 48, says. "It's my flying camera." http://shar.es/1fL1Hk
LAW: Ernie Hinkle was born to be an Austin street cop. Taken from my story in the Statesman: Lt. Ernie W. Hinkle relished being a street cop. During his 35 years with the Austin Police Department, he fought any attempt to fold his 6-foot 5-inch frame behind a desk. Which meant that, from 1960 to 1995, Hinkle saw a lot. And he kept a record. "I was fortunate to be on the street most of my career," he says. "I had a clipboard and wrote stories down, then did research to make sure the facts were right. Any case I felt like I was going to court on, I'd copy all the notes so I wouldn't have to go and look them up." Luckily, for a time, another officer served as his secretary. "She took everything out of the wastepaper basket," Hinkle, 82, says. "She said: 'You're going to want these someday.' And I did." http://shar.es/1fL1A8
SPORTS: To Jenna and Martin Arnold, dressage is 'yoga on horseback.' Taken from my story in the Statesman: "To the untrained eye, rider and horse appear to move in fluid harmony. They go from walk to trot to canter like two dancers who have shared the stage for many years. Even at the quickest gait, the equestrian pair's movements seem slow, dignified and restrained. "In horse racing, they gallop their horses," says Martin Arnold of Concordia Dressage, located not far from Coupland. "We do not use the gallop." Arnold and his wife, Jenna Arnold, have been competing in — and training horses and riders for — the ancient sport of dressage for years. They see it as a rigorous athletic, mental and spiritual exercise for all involved. "From the outside looking in, dressage can simply look like 'prancing ponies,' but it is more complex than that," Martin, 34, says. "It is the systematic gymnastic development of a four-legged athlete. To take a horse to the highest level of the sport takes a minimum of five years." http://shar.es/1fL1Mv


text: Our dentists and team use intraoral cameras to view the inside of your mouth in great detail. Intraoral cameras produce much clearer views of your mouth, enabling us to perform your treatments more easily and ensure that you receive the best care possible. For more information about intraoral cameras in Kilgore, Texas, and to make your appointment with our dentists at J. de Graffenried Dentistry, call us today at 903-218-4044.


text:
STRANGEBEAUTIFUL Strikes Again
I really do like these anti-colour nail shades from STRANGEBEAUTIFUL that twist up hues into an interesting and edgy palette. The forthcoming collection, Volume V Library of Color, is a little different in coverage than previous collections giving a semi-opaque coating. The shades take inspiration from the Hudson River estuary and in particular, the 19th century brick factory that dominates the landscape. The boxed set of 10 colours launch into Liberty in August, £55.
*all products are sent to me as samples from brands and agencies unless otherwise stated. Affiliate links may be used. Posts are not affiliate driven.
Comment by Facebook
3 comments
I am really gravitating towards Luxe Mud colours. There is something so rich and earthy about them. This looks very appealing
oh wow these have got me looking forward to autumn! i've been wanting to try sb for ages
amina x
I'm not a fan of jelly/semi opaque colours but a MASSIVE sb fan (I have their camo library and treasure it). So I'll probably wear these with a mannequin shade underneath to create full opacity. visible nail line turns me into a crazy person. I want (need? :D) to own the WHOLE SB line!!!


text:
The Grand Lake Fall League offers an opportunity for players to continue to improve and refine skills for five weeks in the fall against some of the better players in the area. The league will be divided into three divisions: 9th-12th and 6th – 8th grade. This year we have added a 3rd to 5th grade division that will be machine pitch.
The League will play games on Sundays beginning August 18th, including August 25th, September 8, September 15, and the 22nd. Each team will play a doubleheader each Sunday. There are NO practices, as to avoid any conflict with fall sports. Game times will start at 10:00 and continue every one and a half-hour after. We will make every attempt that you will play your games back to back. We will utilize the field at KC Geiger Park in St. Marys, Ohio. League officials will obtain coaches for the teams.
Cost of the league will be $100 for the High School Division, $100 for the Travel Team Division and $100 for the Jr. High Division. Cost of the 3rd to 5th grade division is $85. The entry fee will pay for shirts for the players, umpires, and operating expenses. Entry deadline is July 25, 2019
Statistical leaders also will be available each week as well as league leaders for the HS and Jr high division. If you have any further questions, please email the support staff at firstname.lastname@example.com or John Hendricks 765-348-6413.
2019 Fall League Registration Form Online Registration is available!
Like us on Facebook 2018 PreSeason letter to former participants
Team rosters, schedule, and player letter for the 2019 Fall League are now posted.
Team rosters updated on August 14, 2019
2019 Fall League Registration Form PDF St. Marys Park Department Waiver Map of KC Geiger Park
All players will need to sign and turn in the St. Marys Park Department Waiver, you can email your signed copy to
email@example.com or hand into your coach before your first game!
Grand Lake Fall League
Important 2019 dates:
July 25: Registration deadline.
August 12: Posting of teams and schedule.
August 17: Coaches Lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings in St. Marys: MP and HS/Travel 2:00 and JH 3:30
August 18: Opening Day
Players: Please read the 2019 Player Letter Coaches: Please read the 2019 Coaches Letter
First game is on August 18, 2019, Schedule, rules, team rosters, and player letter will be posted on August 12, 2019!
Fall League Coaches, please read the coaches letter and rules.
Please visit scorebooth.com, User Name for the high school division is grandlakehs, password is viewonly. The reports tabs will allow you to access the league leaders. User name for the Jr. High Division is grandlakejr, password if viewonly. User name for the travel division is grandlaketr password is viewonly


text:
This blog is totally independent, unpaid and has only three major objectives.
The first is to inform readers of news and happenings in the e-Health domain, both here in Australia and world-wide.
The second is to provide commentary on e-Health in Australia and to foster improvement where I can.
The third is to encourage discussion of the matters raised in the blog so hopefully readers can get a balanced view of what is really happening and what successes are being achieved.
Monday, April 11, 2016
Your Taxes At Work - Courtesy Sean Parnell - Health Editor Of The OZ
"Fed Govt spent $1.5m rebranding PCEHR as My Health Record, plus indirect costs. Consultants advice on new agency to replace NEHTA cost $3.9m"
Amazing waste for what we all know is likely to be a disaster in the ilk of NEHTA and HealthCONNECT!
3 comments:
It seems like a lot of money to spend on branding the project without first ascertaining that they could register and protect the trade mark. The private sector first undertakes due diligence. What does the government do?
- April 11, 2016 3:59 PM
What exactly was the $1.5 million actually spent on? Was it spent on consultants and brand designers? Surely not.
- April 11, 2016 4:03 PM
And how much on re-branding the Medicare Locals as PHNs? Seems to be the key health policy..rename and re-brand and for what?
- April 12, 2016 5:27 AM


text:
A summary of September's Professional Development CPRS event
The Canadian Public Relations Society Vancouver (CPRS) hosted their first fall event at the Metropolitan Hotel in Vancouver's downtown core on Tuesday, September 17, 2013. With an excellent turn out of CPRS members and non-members, the topic of coping with social media in public relations proved to be one that many students and professionals were interested in.
The field of public relations has adapted to and leveraged social media more than any other profession. Social media continues to grow and impact public relations. Peter Walton, Simon Fraser University associate director of the Writing and Communications Program, gave insight and research on social media while showing a passion for the university's Public Relations Program.


text:
Stepan ShevtsovSave contact Download hi-resolution image
Stepan Shevtsov started his PhD in 2014 in the AdaptWise research group. One key challenge in the field of self-adaptive systems is to provide evidence to assure the required quality properties during system operation. To tackle this challenge, Stepan studies an approach that combines formal modeling and verification with online learning. He takes an architecture-centric perspective on self-adaptation, which provides the right level of abstraction to manage complexity and the required generality of solutions. To design feedback loops, he employs principles from control theory, which provide a mathematical basis for analyzing key properties of self-adaptation, incl. stability and transient behavior. Online learning provides the means to enable the self-adaptive system to acquire knowledge about design time uncertainties during system operation. E.g., the system learns over time the reliability of a set of services, which enables better service selection. The research results will be validated in one of the domains of that are studied in the ongoing research projects of the research group.
Article in journal (Refereed)
- Shevtsov, S., Weyns, D., Maggio, M. (2019). SimCA* : A Control-theoretic Approach to Handle Uncertainty in Self-adaptive Systems with Guarantees. ACM Transactions on Autonomous and Adaptive Systems. 13. 1-34.
- Shevtsov, S., Berekmeri, M., Weyns, D., Maggio, M. (2018). Control-Theoretical Software Adaptation : A Systematic Literature Review. IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering. 44. 784-810.
Conference paper (Refereed)
- Gerasimou, S., Calinescu, R., Shevtsov, S., Weyns, D. (2017). UNDERSEA : An Exemplar for EngineeringSelf-Adaptive Unmanned Underwater Vehicles. 2017 IEEE/ACM 12th International Symposium on Software Engineering for Adaptive and Self-Managing Systems (SEAMS). 83-89.
- Shevtsov, S., Weyns, D., Maggio, M. (2017). Handling New and Changing Requirements with Guarantees in Self-Adaptive Systems using SimCA*. Proceedings - 2017 IEEE/ACM 12th International Symposium on Software Engineering for Adaptive and Self-Managing Systems, SEAMS 2017, 3 July 2017 - 23 May 2017, Buenos Aires. 12-23.
- Shevtsov, S., Weyns, D. (2016). Keep It SIMPLEX : Satisfying Multiple Goals with Guarantees in Control-Based Self-Adaptive Systems. FSE'16 : PROCEEDINGS OF THE 2016 24TH ACM SIGSOFT INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON FOUNDATIONS OF SOFTWARE ENGINEERING. 229-241.
- Shevtsov, S. (2016). Developing a Reusable Control-Based Approach to Build Self-Adaptive Software Systems with Formal Guarantees. FSE'16 : PROCEEDINGS OF THE 2016 24TH ACM SIGSOFT INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON FOUNDATIONS OF SOFTWARE ENGINEERING. 1060-1062.
- Shevtsov, S., Iftikhar, M.U., Weyns, D. (2015). SimCA vs ActivFORMS : comparing control- and architecture-based adaptation on the TAS exemplar. Proceedings of the 1st International Workshop on Control Theory for Software Engineering. 1-8.
- Filieri, A., Maggio, M., Angelopoulos, K., D'ippolito, N., Gerostathopoulos, I., et al. (2015). Software engineering meets control theory. Proceedings of the 10th International Symposium on Software Engineering for Adaptive and Self-Managing Systems. 71-82.
- Weyns, D., Shevtsov, S., Pllana, S. (2014). Providing Assurances for Self-Adaptation in a Mobile Digital Storytelling Application Using ActivFORMS. 2014 IEEE Eighth International Conference on Self-Adaptive and Self-Organizing Systems (SASO) : Date 8-12 Sept. 2014. 110-119.
Article, review/survey (Refereed)
- Filieri, A., Maggio, M., Angelopoulos, K., D'ippolito, N.R., Gerostathopoulos, I.T., et al. (2017). Control strategies for self-adaptive software systems. ACM Transactions on Autonomous and Adaptive Systems. ACM Digital Library. 11.
Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
- Shevtsov, S. (2019). A Control-theoretic Approach to Realize Self-adaptive Software Systems with Guarantees. Doctoral Thesis. Växjö, Linnaeus University Press.
Licentiate thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
- Shevtsov, S. (2017). A Control-based Approach for Self-adaptive Software Systems with Formal Guarantees. Licentiate Thesis. Växjö, Linnaeus University Press. 172.


text:
Unknown Phantom Adult Costume - News
REVIEW: "Supergirl" Pilot Succeeds Despite Some Stumbles
Her mother tasked the brave little girl with protecting her cousin Kal-El once she landed, but shock waves from Krypton's destruction threw her into the time-frozen Phantom Zone. It wasn't until years later that Kara touched down. From there A
Warren Gerds/Critic at Large: Review: UWGB play channels Thornton Wilder
Creative: Playwright – Matthew Burnett, from novel "Theophilus North" of Thornton Wilder; director – John Mariano; scenic designer – Jeffrey Paul Entwistle; costume designer – Kaoime E. Malloy; lighting and sound designer, technical director – R
Where can Metal Gear go from here?
If The Phantom Pain sells like gangbusters - and all signs suggest it's done well - and Konami decides to reconsider its alleged stance on console gaming, would we want another Metal Gear game without Kojima at the helm? The first answer that springs
Theater Listings for Oct. 2-8
The cast is talented, the costumes are glittery, and aerialists dangle from above, but the performance feels less like a theater piece than like an imitation 1920s cabaret show with a thematically related art installation taking place around it (2:45
9 ways to see classic horror movies on the big screen
Even with all those unknown shocks and advanced CG effects powering them, though, there's something special about seeing a classic horror film on the big screen with other fans. It's like a concert, except that instead of singing "Piano Man" for Billy
Lehigh Valley Ghost Guide 2015: Haunted houses and other Halloween attractions
Shocktoberfest: New: Zombie Safari Hayride Tour, Unknown 2.0 and Prison of the Dead Escape. Also Zombie Ghost Tour of New Hope: Lantern-led walk; learn about the doings on the towpath, or see the phantom hitchhiker or the historic inn where Aaron
31 Days of Halloween: Universal vs. Hammer -- which classic horror studio ...
The mid-1920s also saw one American company -- Universal Pictures -- become the first Hollywood studio to embrace the genre, starting off with silents like The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923), The Phantom of the Opera (1925) and The Man Who Laughs (1929


text:
Griffin Reclaimed Wood End Table
- Sustainably Sourced
- Unlimited Flat Rate Delivery
Earn $41.90 (10%) back in rewards* on this item when using your Pottery Barn Credit Card.Learn More
- Overview
Our one-of-a-kind coffee table bears the marks of time for a beautiful, authentic look. Heavy wrought iron forms a linear base that looks warm against natural wood.
- Crafted from reclaimed pine kiln-dried wood.
- Welded wrought-iron legs.
- Hand-applied finish is painted, antiqued, and sealed for protection.
- Kiln-dried wood helps prevent warping, splitting, cracking and developing mildew.
- The reclaimed wood features variations inherent to salvaged materials such as a rustic distressed finish, visible nailheads, knots, hairline cracks and oil stains, which may result in hue variations, rubbed edges, or other antique-like characteristics.
- Adjustable levelers provide stability on uneven surfaces.
- Simple assembly required.
- Imported.
- Dimensions & Care
- Overall: 27" wide x 17" deep x 26" high
- Top: 27" wide x 17" deep x 3" thick
- Clearance Below Top: 23"
- Distance Between Legs: 17.75" (front/back); 11.5" (side to side)
- Weight Capacity: 330 pounds
- Weight: 27 pounds
- Packaging Dimensions & Weight: 31 x 21 x 15" 42 pounds
- Wipe clean with a soft, dry, lint free cloth.
- Do not use harsh or abrasive chemicals to clean as this may damage the finish.
- Shipping & Returns
In-stock items will usually ship within 7-10 business days for the cities listed below:
- San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, Detroit, Columbus, New York City, Baltimore, Boston, Cromwell, Atlanta, Raleigh, Charlotte, Tampa, Fort Meyers, Orlando, Miami, Fort Lauderdale. For other areas, your items will be delivered within 2-3 weeks.
Unlimited Flat Rate Shipping
For one low, flat fee per trip, we will*:
- Deliver every eligible piece to the room of your choice – regardless of number of items
- Unpack and assemble each piece
- Remove and recycle the packaging
You can schedule delivery as soon as all items are ready. White glove service includes a two-person crew. Delivery fee varies by zip code and order total. Eligible items will show "Unlimited Flat Rate Delivery" on the product page.
White Glove delivery is only available in the contiguous 48 states. Delivery is by appointment Tuesday – Saturday in most major metropolitan areas, with Monday delivery available in some areas. Service to outlying areas may be restricted based on geographic location. Our delivery service will contact you to arrange a delivery date and confirm the appointment timeframe.
*Exceptions include outdoor patio structures, marble or stone sink consoles, lighting, mirrors, rugs, headboards attached to a metal frame and any items requiring home installation or wall mounting.
View the complete Shipping and Delivery Information page.
You can return eligible item(s) within 30 days of receiving an order or 7 days for Quick Ship upholstery items for a refund of the merchandise value. An original receipt or gift receipt is required. Monogrammed items and Made to Order furniture or rugs are not eligible for returns. Review the full list of ineligible items and our refund policy below before starting the process.
Easy Ways to Return:
- Stores - You can return most non-furniture items to your local Pottery Barn store for free.
- Bring to UPS Location (under 70 lbs) – See our full Easy Returns Policy to start the process.
Ineligible Items
Items non-eligible for returns or exchanges:
- Monogrammed items
- Mattresses
- Gift cards
- Made to Order items, including custom rugs and furniture
- Final sale items (with prices ending in $.X7 or $.X9)
- Items damaged through normal wear and tear
Questions? See our full Easy Returns Policy.
Also in this Collection
You May Also Need
Griffin Reclaimed Wood Coffee Table
Griffin Reclaimed Wood Console Table
Console Table
- Unlimited Flat Rate Delivery


text:
Director: Francis Lawrence
"God's a kid with an ant farm, lady. He's not planning anything."
John Constantine in Constantine
I didn't realise that Constantine was based on any written work prior to watching the movie. It was only afterwards that I found out Constantine is based on Hellblazer by Vertigo Comics. The movie took plot points from both the Dangerous Habits and Original Sins story arcs, for those who are interested in reading the comics. I will admit that I'm not a fan of reading comics myself, so I haven't read them.
Constantine tells the story of John Constantine (played by Keanu Reeves). Constantine has always been able to see half-breeds—angels and demons that are part human—whose purpose is to influence humans to be good or evil in an effort to help God or Lucifer 'win' more souls in their war. At the beginning of the movie, Constantine exercises a full-fledged solider demon that is trying to use a young girl as a doorway out of hell. Constantine visits Gabriel (an angel half-breed) and asks Gabriel to prolong his life (he has late stage lung cancer) so he can stop the demons. Gabriel declines, and chides him for trying to buy his way into heaven through a selfish vendetta. Constantine is unsatisfied with the answer and decides to ask Papa Midnite, a retired witch doctor, for help. Papa Midnite also declines as he refuses to upset the balance between good and evil.
In the meantime, Angela asks Constantine to help her find out who killed her twin sister, Isabel. While the evidence suggests Isabel committed suicide, Angela is convinced someone made her do it because Isabel was a devout Catholic. Constantine refuses at first, until Angela is attacked by demons and he realises that Angela is a psychic. Can Constantine unravel the mystery surrounding Isabel's death, and protect Angela at the same time? Also, will Constantine be able to figure out how full-fledged demons are breaking out of hell and stop it before it's too late?
Here is the movie trailer:
Constantine is one of my favourite movies. I've watched it so many times that I've lost count. Although the movie comes under the horror genre, I don't think the movie is scary. It's more of a thriller. In fact, the director has said that Constantine was toned down to fit a PG 13 (12A) rating.
I love the little details in this movie. The things Constantine uses to fight demons are brilliant. He has a key chain of circular symbols and the demons react to certain ones. He also has holy water, gold bullets used in a cross shaped gun, a screech beetle, and loads of other weapons. I also love how Constantine enters and leaves hell; again, it's all in the details. The need for water, using cats' eyes as a portal and time slowing down, amongst others, are all brilliant. Then there's hell itself. It's exactly as I would picture it—a firey torture pit. I love how Constantine steams when he returns from hell because it's so hot there.
I also love the time and effort that went into the effects for the demons. The demons look different depending on which type of demon they were. Half-breeds look human, but Constantine can distinguish them by their eyes. Some half-breeds also look more like demons to Constantine. Then there are the full-fledged demons, which are pretty creepy to look at. Lucifer (played by Peter Stormare) is my favourite character in the entire movie. He's only on-screen for a short time but he's brilliant. One moment he's clapping his hands giddily and the next he's sniffing Constantine like he's dinner. I love the styling of Lucifer too; a brilliant white suit with black tar dripping from his feet and strange eyes.
Constantine's attitude throughout is brilliant. He is unusually calm and unemotional for the majority of the movie, but that works well for the character. I find his attitude towards God and Lucifer, and his colourful turns of phrases amusing to watch, especially as Angela is a devout Catholic. I really love Constantine's general bad attitude. I mean, he finds time to flip the Lucifer the bird! I did like the few scenes where Constantine calm facade disappears. I don't think it's because his calm facade is an act as in many books, I think he genuinely didn't have care about anything at the start of the film. It's nice because it makes Constantine more believable.
I thought Angela (played by Rachel Weisz) was okay. The psychic part of her character is fascinating, especially when she enters hell for the first time after shutting herself off from her power completely as a child. There are times where she does frustrate me through. She generally doesn't listen to Constantine and this means she gets herself into serious trouble. I did like that she was a strong woman who felt capable of looking after herself, but we are talking about fighting demons.
This is one of very few movies where the romance doesn't play a significant role. There is clearly chemistry between Constantine and Angela, but they clearly dislike things about each other. Instead, the focus is on the demon fighting, which I love.
Finally, I'd just like to mention Gabriel (played by Tilda Swinton). Gabriel was made to look incredibly androgynous with short hair and masculine clothes. The way Swinton acted the character complimented this nicely. I love that Gabriel's gentle voice contrasted with Gabriel's ability to lift Constantine off the floor without breaking a sweat. I looked forward to the scenes with Gabriel in, and I wish there had been a few more.
Final Verdict: If you are a fan of movies where the main character kicks some demon butt, check this movie out!


text:
(Our current set-up)
When I first started my blog early in 2011, my son Bruce was five and a half years old and reading at about the 3rd grade level. I wrote a post about how I organized our home library to support Guided Reading.
(Earlier in the year)
Since then, Bruce has entered first grade, had a birthday, and is now reading at the fourth or fifth grade level. My husband has brought down even more books from the garage, and our home library/playroom has gotten a bit hairy. So today I tackled the mess. Luckily for me, Jenna(2.5) is the rare two-year-old who is not a "dumper". For some reason it has never occurred to her to empty out one of the Guided Reading baskets, even though she is now tall enough to reach them. This has continued to allow me to organize our chapter book collection thematically and by author.
It would be better to have sturdy wooden or plastic boxes for this system, but the drawer organizers I purchased from Ikea are a lot cheaper, and do the job in a pinch.
If I had more space, I would continue the box system on into the picture books, but that is simply not an option unless I purchase more bookshelves (and had space to put them). So for now, masking tape has to suffice. As you can see, not all of the books are organized. The rest could be labeled "General Fiction", but I didn't want to be too neurotic!
There is an empty basket near the recliner in the corner for Jenna to dump books that she has finished reading. That way I can put them back myself in order, and keep tabs on what she's looking at. Having a "return basket" is also a tip you could use if you had a nanny. That way you could see what books your child was reading while you were at work.
If you turn a lot of our books over, you will find the Guided Reading level written on the back with Sharpie. An alternative way to organize your box system, is by actual Guided Reading level. In many Balanced Literacy classrooms you will see a K box, an L box, and M box etc. The benefit to having the Guided Reading level on the back of your books is that it helps you and your children choose books at the appropriate reading level. Jenna is not ready for this to make a difference of course, and Bruce is way beyond needing this type of assistance. But for beginning readers, this can really work wonders.
It takes a lot of time to look up and label the Guided Reading level of each book, but an additional bonus is that it will help you quickly assesses and monitor your child's reading level. You simply pull down a book and see if your daughter can read it. If it's too hard, move back in the alphabet; too easy, move ahead. Just right books are ones where a child makes no more than three mistakes on the first page.
Looking back through all of these pictures I keep thinking to myself "Holy cow, that was a lot of work!" But as a former teacher, I know that organizing a classroom library helps kids feel less overwhelmed by their reading options. It can also help reluctant readers gain footing on the path to becoming strong readers. Once they find the type (or box) of books they like, they know where to start. Hopefully, once they start reading, they will never stop.


text:
Letters to the Editor
Voting on campus
"Blame the legislature." That's the message we've been hearing in regards to rising tuition, which can leave students feeling powerless. What can students do to change the ideology in the legislature? It's actually pretty simple: vote.
One reason the state doesn't prioritize higher education is because students don't vote in large numbers. Legislators can cut university budgets and still keep their jobs. If students were a viable voting block, legislators might think twice before slashing into our funding.
Thankfully, tens of thousands of students now have access to the ballot right on campus. ASU now has an early polling location in Tempe, located in Palo Verde West. Early voting is a great option for students for several reasons.
When students go to vote on Election Day, Arizona's strict ID requirements often keep them from voting. The address on the voter's driver's license must match the address where they are registered — which is not always the case for students because we move around throughout four years.
Early voting does not require identification but instead checks the voter's signature, so the regular ID requirements are waived. Also, early voting is open for three weeks so it lets students vote on their own time and avoid long lines.
While the voting site is now open for the Tempe City Council election, the plan is to use it for future elections. This means during the fall elections, anyone registered in Maricopa County would be able to vote early on campus.
In order for the student voice to matter we have to take advantage of these opportunities. The first step is getting involved in our own community. If you are registered in Tempe, you can vote in the Tempe City Council election until March 5 at 5:00 p.m. — go make your voice heard.
Rudi O'Keefe-Zelman Vice President of Policy, USG


text:
Område: Marielyst
6 bäddar
3 sovrum
This holiday house offers a number of advantages. You will be given the bed linen along with the house keys and in certain seasons electricity fee is not charged. You can relax in the living room, which is sunlit. On the terrace there is comfortable outdoor furniture. You can prepare food on the barbecue on the terrace. There is a dishwasher to do the daily dishes. Lolland, Møn and Falster offer many sporting activities. The imposing Cliffs of Møn will take you on a journey of 70 million years. There is also a museum - the interesting Geocenter - where you can see the T-Rex in 3-D in the cinema room. The BonBon-Land, the Knuthenborg Safari Park and the Medieval Centre of Nykøbing Falster are some attractions worth visiting.
TV Satellit-TV Diskmaskin


text:
I am halfway through the Tracy Anderson Metamorphosis Abcentric program and it has forced me to define what I think "healthy" means. I really admire Tracy a lot, and have successfully completed and reviewed six of her previous videos. I've also written about the Tracy Anderson Method in my "I Brake for Moms" column. But I am concerned about what would happen to a woman who got ahold of Metamorphosis who was already prone to an eating disorder. (Note: you can find copies of the Dynamic Eating Plan online, but I've chosen not to share them because of copyright issues.)
Tracy makes big promises about how your body will change during her 90 day program, but only if you commit to her eating plan and do 30 minutes of dance aerobics combined with 30 minutes of muscular structure work six days a week.
To give you an idea of what her eating plan looks like, I cooked up week one for you:
Basically, it's baby food and green juice. I'm not a nutritionist, but I did type every last ingredient into the computer and determined that the diet is less than 1,000 calories a day and contains barely any protein. The puréed foods plan alternates every other week, but the off weeks aren't very different in caloric or nutritional content.
Now, I've made homemade baby food before. I've fed it to my actual babies. But at the same time, I also breastfed them with high protein, high fat, organic, Jennifer Bardsley milk.
If you're a teen girl reading this, I want you to know that your bones are developing and if you rob them of essential nutrients like calcium, vitamin D and protein, there will be serious consequences. My grandmother was malnourished during the Great Depression and she spent the last decade of her life with a hunchback from osteoporosis. Believe me, it was horrible.
Okay, forget the diet. What about the exercise? I honestly do love TAM, and have been doing it six days a week for the past eight months. Metamorphosis was a nice change of pace from Perfect Design, because it was only one hour a day instead of one and a half.
But here's the problem. All of that dance cardio was really hard on my 30+ year old body. I'm not overweight, I have a BMI of 19.8. Still, every time I bounced I felt pain in my Achilles tendon. It got so bad that my calf hurt when I was sitting in a chair, or completely still.
I took a week off from TAM when my family went to Walt Disney World and the pain went away even though we were walking twelve miles a day. When we returned from vacation, I decided that instead of doing the high impact dance cardio every day, I would alternate it with Zumba, which is lower impact.
I felt really guilty, because Tracy's whole shtick is that you're not supposed to do anything else but TAM. But what does it mean to be "healthy"? To starve yourself? To be in pain?
Diet–scratch. Dance cardio–scratch. At least I was doing the muscular structure workout six days a week. But it was tough, especially for me. You see, in the Abcentric routines Tracy has you spend about twenty minutes in some sort of plank position, with a lot of your weight on your wrist.
I don't want to gross you out, but last year I broke my wrist ice skating and here are some pictures. I have a permanent scar, as well as two titanium screws and a plate in my left wrist. Notice how when my wrist was in a cast, my arms became two different sizes!
Gulp. So now I'm on week five of the muscular structure videos and they are becoming harder and harder. I can complete about 85% of the thirty minutes. At that point, my wrist just can't do it any more.
So why bother? For one thing, I'm not a quitter. For another, I'm really amazed by how far my wrist has come. If you had asked me last April if I ever thought I could do plank again, I would have told you no way. I could barely hold a coffee mug.
Have I lost weight? No. Have I lost inches? No. But so what!
I started this post by saying that TAM has forced me to define what I think "healthy" means, and here it is:
I need to move. I need to eat real food. I need to give myself permission to make good choices for my own body and not get swayed by what other people say I should do. It's okay to have desserts. I don't need to be perfect. Above all, health is about treating my body with kindness and respect.
I hope those are truths you can embrace for yourself too.


text:
Desert Vista raises over $800 in one day!
As part of their ongoing efforts to partner with and support the work of The Salvation Army in their local community, members of the Desert Vista High School Red Kettle Club spent this past Saturday at their neighborhood Safeway store. They stood at the red kettle, rang bells and even strummed their ukuleles! Throughout the day, they…Read More