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Forum for discussion about the Netflix Prize and dataset.
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Different conversations on this forum and on other blogs wondered about the usefulness of achieving a lower RMSE.
That is, what impact on users we expect by lowering the RMSE by, say, 10%.
This even led some posters to question the importance of the Netflix Prize challenge.
I would like to shed some light on this important issue, by examining the effect of lowered RMSE on a practical situation.
A common case facing recommender systems is providing "top K recommendations". That is, the system needs to recommend the user the top K products. For example, recommending the user a few specific movies which are supposed to be most appealing to him. A major question would be to assess the effect of lowering the RMSE of the quality of top K recommendations.
To evaluate this, I used all 5-star ratings from the Probe set as a proxy for movies that interest the user. My goal is to find the relative place of these "interesting movies" within the total order of movies sorted by predicted ratings for a specific user.
To this end, for each such 5-star rated movie, M, rated by user U, I selected 20 additional random movies and predicted the ratings by U for M and for the other 20 movies. Finally I order the 21 movies based on their predicted rating, in a decreasing order. (The number 20 is arbitrary, and has no real effect on the discussed result.)
Notice that the 20 movies are random, some of which may be of interest to user U, but most of them are probably of no interest to U. Hence, the best hoped result is that M (for which we know U gave the rating of 5) will precede the rest 20 random movies. A case where none (0%) of the random movies appears before M in the ranking will be scored 0%. If a single random movie out of the twenty (5%) appears before M, the score would be 5%. And so on, such that if all (100%) of the random movies appear before M in the sorted order, the associated score would be 100%. I call this scoring a "ranking-based test".
Overall, the Probe set contains 384,573 5-star ratings. For each of them (separately) we draw 20 random movies, predict associated ratings, and derive a score between 0% to 100%. Eventually, we average the score over all these 384,573 5-star cases, to achieve a final ranking-based score.
Let's see how different methods fare. We begin with the popularity-based method, where a predicted rating is taken simply as the mean rating of the movie. Such a method would generate a RMSE of 1.0527 on the Probe set. In our ranking-based test, this method achieves a score of 18.70%, meaning that the 5-star rated movies are ranked, on average, after 18.70% of the other movies.
A more sophisticated approach would involve collaborative filtering. Let's start with the very simple movie-movie neighborhood-based approach, where weights are taken as the Pearson correlation coefficient. This is the most common approach in the literature preceding the Netflix Prize competition. It would yield a RMSE=0.9430 on the Probe set, an improvement of 10.42% over the movie-mean-based RMSE. The ranking-based score for this method drops to 14.92%, that's an improvement of 20.2% over the baseline approach.
Now let's try a latent factor model enhanced by neighborhood information. Its RMSE on the Probe is 0.8949 (15% improvement over baseline). We can clearly achieve better RMSEs using our full model, but the chosen method still represents some of the innovations developed during the first year of the Netflix Challenge. For this method the ranking score drops to 10.72%. The interpretation is that when ranking all movies for a single user by their predicted value, 10.72% of the movies will precede those rated 5 within the Probe set. Notice that this is a very significant 42.67% improvement over the baseline result (which was 18.70%), and a 28.15% improvement over a standard CF model.
What I learn from this is that the small improvements in RMSE translate into very significant improvements in quality of the top K movies. In other words, a 1% improvement of the RMSE can make a big positive difference in the identity of the "top-10" most recommended movies for a user.
All this makes me optimistic about the practical benefits of the much hard work that people put into this competition.
Happy New Year,
Last edited by YehudaKoren (2007-12-19 05:32:46)
I'm just confused about the rational behind your approach. I think you are going in the right direction by focusing on the fact that recommendation engines are often used to select those items that have the top predicted rating, but after that I see little justification behind your approach.
Why do you think this approach is a good way to estimate the quality of the user's experience? Can you contrast this with the approach I outline here?
Last edited by sanity (2007-12-19 05:03:00)
I proposed a natural measure for assessing the quality of the top-K recommendations, or in other words, to evaluate how well a method orders movies for a user. Lower ranking scores indicate improved ordering, and importantly, these scores have a direct intuitive interpretation - the fraction of the overall movies that is ranked before those rated 5 in the Probe.
However, frankly, I couldn't find a direct link between your approach and the quality of movie-ordering. You compare distribution of true rating against predictions, which has much more to do with the RMSEs themselves, so no wonder that a small change in the RMSE will translate into a small change in that distribution.
I would encourage you to come up with an alternative metric, but it should stem formally and directly from the movie ordering objective in order to be plausible
Your assessment of your approach as intuitively being proportional to user satisfaction is entirely subjective based on what I've understood so far. I was hoping you have some kind of objective justification for why this method of measurement maps in some useful way to user satisfaction.
I'm not trying to defend my approach. I completely acknowledge that I have not yet offered an objective justification for my method of measurement.
I think we need to develop a measurement approach that maps to some plausible model of user satisfaction, that would be useful to a likely user of a recommendation system.
An example of such a plausibility measurement would be to make the assumption that the user of the CF algorithm generates revenue every time they successfully recommend an item to a user that the user likes. If the algorithm recommends 10% more items that meet this success threshold, then the user generates 10% more revenue. This assumption may not be exactly true for Netflix due to their business model, but it will be valid for many potential users of collaborative filtering systems.
Perhaps your approach meets this criteria, in which case, I'd be grateful if you could explain why.
Last edited by sanity (2007-12-19 06:03:57)
Yehuda is correct.
Your analysis is based on comparing the distribution of actual values Vs predicted, which is meaningless.
You should compare predicted Vs actual and not vice versa. Just to illustrate, see the following example, which shows that certain data, with your approach, will show that for each predicted value - most of the actual values match the predicted value. while if you turn the rows into columns for the same data - the second graph shows that for each actual value group - the predicted values are totally disorganized:
Thanks Yehuda, A nice simple and clear cut experiment IMHO.
Recently I tried using my various models for predicting ratings for myself, I built an interactive GUI that allows me to add my own ratings and then refresh the list of predicted ratings in descending order. What I noticed was that small improvements to the model being used don't radically alter the overall RMSE of most ratings, but DO tend to significantly alter the order of movies in top-down order. So in fact small changes in the predicted ratings can radically alter their order.
Another way of thinking about this issue would be to consider that a small lowering of RMSE may be due to many small adjustments to many ratings versus a few large adjustments. If the latter case was predominant then the business case probably would suffer because we would simply be improving the top-N movie predictions for relatively few users.
Last edited by Bored Bitless (2007-12-19 19:32:04)
sanity wrote:
I think we need to develop a measurement approach that maps to some plausible model of user satisfaction, that would be useful to a likely user of a recommendation system.
Perhaps your approach meets this criteria, in which case, I'd be grateful if you could explain why.
Yes, Ian. Actually, this is exactly what I tried to do, given the available data. Those movies rated 5-stars were my best proxy for suggestions that will satisfy the users, and hence I judge order quality by the relative place of these "satisfying" recommendations within the full order.
Let me point a few more issues with your previous measure:
1) You never measure an order, but just refer to rating above or around some value. This way you fail to distinguish between, e.g., the 1st place and the 10th place. For example, the vast majority of predicted ratings would be above 3.5. Now, breaking all those ratings >3.5 into bins is not very meaningful as it disregards the internal ordering of all those ratings.
2) A measure that caters for a top-K recommender must treat each user separately, as the goal is to supply best K recommendation for each single user. In other words, we are not trying to order all movie-user pairs, but after fixing a single user, we try to order all movies for him. However, your measure bundles all users together, thus becoming irrelevant for evaluating top-K quality, and much more related to RMSE quality.
3) Notice that my measure is based on many more test points than just the Probe set itself. In fact, it is trying to evaluate the quality of total order of the 17,770 movies for each individual user.
Thanks for the explanations guys. I will digest and respond if I have further questions.
Frankly I will be glad if my initial assessment is wrong, having spent so much time working on a CF algorithm :-)
Ok, I've thought about it a bit more, but I'm still unclear about how Yehuda's approach might map to an economic advantage for a user of the algorithm. Thanks to everyone for being patient with me :-)
Lets construct a scenario, where the effectiveness of a recommendation algorithm has a direct impact on an economic outcome. I want to come at this from the perspective of someone that wants to sell a CF algorithm to someone, and needs to make an economic case for it.
I have a website where I want to recommend products to users. For a given user, I need to select 5 products to show the user, in the hope that the user will wish to purchase one or more of those products. My revenue is proportional to the total number of products purchased.
If we can determine the mean number of products purchased by a user with different recommendation approaches, then we can say "you will generate X% more revenue using this algorithm versus this other algorithm". So we might find that if we select products at random, the average user purchases 0.3 products, but with a more sophisticated approach, this is increased to 0.5, hence a 66% increase in revenue.
With the Netflix dataset we could say that a 5 star rating equates to a purchase, and then we could look at the average number of 5 star ratings in the top 5 probe recommendations for different algorithms.
I've spent some time talking to potential users of CF algorithms, and this is the kind of metric they want. An RMSE isn't useful to them because they can't use it to estimate an increase in revenue. Yehuda's metric, of where the desirable item would appear within an ordered list of 20 randomly selected items, doesn't seem to map to an economic advantage either.
Am I missing something?
Last edited by sanity (2007-12-19 19:43:54)
There may be some misunderstanding:
My measure doesn't check where the 5-star ratings fall within 20 movies, but checks where they fall among ALL 17,770 movies.
That is, a ranking-score of 10% means, that when ordering all movies for a specific user, we expect the 5-rated movies from the Probe to fall, on average, after 10% of the movies in this order.
Picking 20 random movies is just a computationally efficient way to achieve this goal through sampling. In fact you can change this "20" number to "10" or "17,770", and the result will stay virtually the same.
Maybe this helped, because I'm not sure that I understood what you are looking for. Anyway, I will try also another angle.
I agree that for some datasets we can formalize your economic notion into a working quality measure.
Especially datasets where the observed user actions are monetary transactions...
However, the Netflix data doesn't supply us with economic values but with interestingness values (star ratings).
Therefore, I was after measuring the "interestingness" of the ordered recommendation given to the user, and suggested an appropriate measure accordingly.
BTW, I am sure that there are other valid measures to evaluate this. You just need to check that these measures pass some sanity checks, and can work robustly with the limitations of the available data.
I do understand that the 20 movies are just a sampling, and that the percentage actually pertains to the position of the 5 star movies within the entire dataset.
My proposal is that through a few assumptions, we could infer the economic benefit of using a particular CF algorithm based on its performance on the Netflix dataset. Obviously, the Netflix dataset isn't perfect for this, it would be better if it actually dealt with monetary transactions, rather than indications of how interesting something is. But I think its probably good enough.
For example, just as you have defined a 5-star rating to be a special threshold of interestingness for the purpose of your measure, we could make the assumption that a 5-star rating from a user results in an economic transaction, and then look at the economic benefit of differing approaches.
Imagine that you were trying to sell your CF to someone based on some metric of its performance. I'm sure you agree that this would be difficult based on RMSE because the potential buyer would have no way to map RMSE to economic benefit. Similarly, I can't see any way to map your measure to an economic benefit for the user.
But I can see how the mean number of 5-star actual ratings in the top-N predicted ratings for a given user would translate into a relative economic benefit that people could understand. If one algorithm produced, on average, 0.5 5-star ratings in the top-10 recommendations, and another algorithm produced, on average, 0.8 5-star ratings, then this can be used to infer the relative revenue that could be generated using each of these approaches.
I think you may be asking for something too specific. Netflix wants a better theory of collaborative filtering, they have picked the measurement and named their price. The whole task is somewhat artificial since we have one piece of information that will not be available in commercial use: we know that the user has already rated the movie.
Artificial as the yardstick may be it may still be the best one available to achieve what Netflix wants to achieve. The benefits for Netflix from making good recommendations could be substantial. Given the subscription nature of the Netflix business it is not important that the users rent a lot of movies (in fact it is a negative for Netflix) - it is extremely important that the customers get value for the money for the movies they do rent.
The business challenge for Netflix is to predict the movies that a user will like but part of that challenge is avoiding the false positives of recommending a movie that the user does not enjoy.
If I were selling my algorithm, RMSE could have been a good start point to get them listening. Afterwards, I would start a small trial with some set of actual users, and test how the algorithm improves some measurable factors regarding the following behavior of the users.
Anyway, if I had to design the competition, I couldn't choose a better evaluation metric than RMSE. First, unlike MAE, it is mathematically elegant. Second, unlike top-k related metrics, it is efficient to compute. So IMHO RMSE is still a very good choice. Oh, maybe I would exchange it for MSE, to make the progress look more impressive
Last edited by YehudaKoren (2007-12-19 22:46:28)
I don't disagree with the usefulness of RMSE as a way to evaluate whether algorithm A is better than algorithm B.
But this is of limited use. It doesn't tell us what the practical implications are of algorithm A having a 5% or 10% lower RMSE than algorithm B. Why does it matter? If we don't know the benefit, how do we know whether the costs are worth it? What if our slaving to get from 0.87 to 0.85 results in a negligible difference in user experience?
Sure, if all you care about is winning the prize then it makes a big difference, but I'm more concerned with the difference CF algorithms can make in general.
When you say that the first 5-star rating occurs after 10% or 20% of movies arranged in descending order of predicted rating, its useful as a way to judge whether algorithm A is better than algorithm B, but it has limited meaning except as a relative measure.
I'm proposing a simple metric where if it says that algorithm A is 5% better than algorithm B, that this 5% is meaningful, that I can turn it into a dollar value (even if that requires a few simplifying assumptions).
In his original post, Yehusa says "What I learn from this is that the small improvements in RMSE translate into very significant improvements in quality of the top K movies"
But really this notion of "quality" is entirely fuzzy, and while it is undoubtedly a different metric than RMSE, and while it tries to emulate the way that items are actually presented to users (the top X predicted ratings), the numbers produced by it are still only useful when evaluated relative to each-other, they have no absolute meaning.
Last edited by sanity (2007-12-19 23:55:20)
sanity wrote:
When you say that the first 5-star rating occurs after 10% or 20% of movies arranged in descending order of predicted rating, its useful as a way to judge whether algorithm A is better than algorithm B, but it has limited meaning except as a relative measure.
I'm proposing a simple metric where if it says that algorithm A is 5% better than algorithm B, that this 5% is meaningful, that I can turn it into a dollar value (even if that requires a few simplifying assumptions).
while it tries to emulate the way that items are actually presented to users (the top X predicted ratings), the numbers produced by it are still only useful when evaluated relative to each-other, they have no absolute meaning.
We are in agreement here. My proposed measurement is useful for relative comparisons. Although the absolute value is interpretable, I wouldn't read too much into it. However, absolute measures are very application specific, and it is probably unrealistic to use them unless having a very specific goal/task in mind.
Last edited by YehudaKoren (2007-12-20 01:38:04)
I've been one of the skeptics.
Trying to look at things from a customer standpoint, I think Yehuda does have a point in homing on the movies that I will likely rate a 5. I rarely rate a 5 and do not mind watching 4's. As a customer, I've rated over 350 movies so far and there are so many recommended movies for me to watch, but one look at the title and the short plot summary and I cannot convince myself to rent those movies. Most of these are predicted 4's. As an example, movies dating back to the 60's and 70's.
I think sanity is diluting his results (for lack of a better descriptive term) by selecting a rating of 3.5. What would the results be if sanity set it at 4.5 instead of 3.5?
I would go with Yehuda's approach, I'd like to see movies I'd rate a 5, coz to me there are lots of 4's and 3's. There are just tooo many so-so movies, and so little time. As a customer, I'd like for Netflix to find and recommend the movies I'd rate a 5.
One other thing, if a recommender system predicts 5 and I say 1 or 2, that would be a real turn-off.
YehudaKoren wrote:
To evaluate this, I used all 5-star ratings from the Probe set as a proxy for movies that interest the user. My goal is to find the relative place of these "interesting movies" within the total order of movies sorted by predicted ratings for a specific user.
Thanks for sharing that approach, Yehuda. I think it's brilliant. I had played around with a similar metric, which involved hiding half of a user's ratings, generating an ordered set of predictions for that user, and then determining the chance that the highest prediction also present in the hidden half was actually rated 5. Your approach is less convoluted, and doesn't require masking off half the user's ratings.
I'd be interested if you came across any cases where the rank percentages you calculated diverged from the RMSE --- that is, where a set of predictions with a lower RMSE yielded a higher rank percentage. Intuitively, I think this is bound to happen, and that an algorithm optimized for recommendation could give a lower rank percentage than an algorithm with a better RMSE that is tuned for prediction.
Have you thought much about this?
nate wrote:
Thanks for sharing that approach, Yehuda. I think it's brilliant.
nate wrote:
I'd be interested if you came across any cases where the rank percentages you calculated diverged from the RMSE --- that is, where a set of predictions with a lower RMSE yielded a higher rank percentage. Intuitively, I think this is bound to happen, and that an algorithm optimized for recommendation could give a lower rank percentage than an algorithm with a better RMSE that is tuned for prediction.
Have you thought much about this?
Actually, yes, though I haven't experimented enough with this. When I replaced movie-mean with the more substantial "global effects" scheme, which substantially lowers the RMSE, the ranking score went in the other direction - up a little bit, contrary to my expectation. On the other hand, I also tried another method with a RMSE slightly higher then the reported .8949, and the ranking score went up as well, as expected. I would bet that RMSE and rank-scores do generally move in the same direction, but not in a lockstep. Also, rank-score movements are more magnified.
If one really cares about the top-K, he can develop methods optimizing more appropriate measures than RMSE. However, given the elegance of RMSE, optimizing rank-K-based measures might be just too complicated and doesn't worth the effort. But this is just a speculation...
some interesting dialogue here on different metrics. I found a good survey
paper once on good collaborative filtering metrics. however, the problem of
picking the right metric is to a large degree a nonscientific problem.
it would be
very difficult to create tests that tend to support one metric over another. I suppose
one approach would be to send videos to users based on the different metric
systems and then have them rate their overall satisfaction. you can see the problem, its almost like measuring effectiveness of metrics requires a new metric, a meta-metric.
another important point is that different metrics may be optimizing different aspects of the problem, and I highly suspect there is some arrow-theorem (see wikipedia) like result that the different goals that one would like to optimize for are in fact incompatible.
arrows thm is a surprising but beautiful result from game theory about elections that names several highly preferred properties of elections, and proves they are in fact mathematically inconsistent. in fact various research into elections may be highly relevant here. in election theory, people vote on candidates, in collaborative filtering, they rate objects. not so different.
in fact I can name one directly that I have read about, I think bennett/prizemaster may have mentioned this in an interview or talk. the new releases at netflix & other rental sites are the most in-demand, but also the most expensive for netflix to buy/distribute.
therefore optimizing customer satisfaction would involve many new releases but this would not maxmimize profits. on the other hand, maximizing profit would involve sending out a lot of the "long tail" videos that are not so expensive for netflix to buy.
but, given all that, I do suspect there is a nonlinear effect to some degree between the improvement in the RMSE and customer satisfaction and/or netflix bottom line. such that small improvements in RMSE may lead to an improved/worthwhile overall system, ie maybe impacts the *average* customer in a bigger way. yehuda seems to have shown this directly with his other new metric.
but, there is always "diminishing marginal returns" at some point.
it would be very interesting if netflix did a study about how gains in the RMSE translate to gains in customer satisfaction or retention of customers or new customers. it would be nontrivial/difficult to design such an experiment. the latter are all rather difficult to measure as related to rating quality. the relationship would be indirect.
netflix did do a study that measure the cost of their rating system versus the cost of other internal systems, I recall seeing it in Bennet's speech. it was found that the rating system was not so expensive vs other approaches yet was worthwhile. I dont recall the exact x/y axis. did anyone else recall that graph? I will look it up if there is further interest. but I would be surprised if netflix has done any deeper analysis than that.
collectively this crowd could build some much greater insight into the deeper problem related to eg choice of metrics if netflix employees were permitted/willing to more openly collaborate on this forum. but netflix is in a deathmatch competition with blockbuster, & as just announced recently, even apple. its a small miracle we are witnessing this competition & a testament to netflix's appetite for risk & reward.
its a pity that prizemaster feels he has to be so removed from dialogue here in the interests of fairness (& there is zilch dialogue with anyone internal at netflix), that would be a great topic of discussion.
it seems that netflix is willing to dip their toes in the water, but not jump in. (I dont blame them for that)
on the other hand, netflix has done a massive service to all the researchers here by just picking one reasonable metric and eliminating any uncertainty over the metric used. it is conceivable they could have designed the contest completely differently such that they used some other possibly less-quick approach eg measuring customer satisfaction, and then have the collaborative community try to figure out the best rating metric as part of the problem.
another question is, why $1M prize? a very careful company would have figured out exactly how much each change in RMSE is really worth based on some measurements. but such a measurement seems difficult, again. it seems the CEO hastings & bennett probably just came up with some big number that seemed reasonable & that would motivate the crowd. (Ive wished for more background on that decision, but despite all the trappings of openness eg bulletin board etc, again netflix is being pretty opaque about a lot of this).
is a 10% improvement really worth $1M? more? less? $1M looks definitely very generous compared to what other companies are offering-- zilch. [but, on the other hand, netflix has a large market capitalization...]
but I personally would like to know of at least some theoretical justification for RMSE over MAE (mean average error), as I mentioned elsewhere early in the contest.
what everyone should realize is that there are distinctly different goals of scientific research & business development that are overlapping to various degrees with this contest, & are not fully compatible... netflix has advanced the scientific research tremendously with the contest, but can only go so far.
there are some much deeper scientific issues that I think literally could be explored for decades, one promising one I can think of-- I suspect there may be correlations between movie preferences & a persons score on various psychological tests. (eg the basic metrics like introverted vs extroverted etcetera) -- now wouldnt *that* be a fascinating study?
I don't think a Metametric is necessarily that difficult in this context. Of course it would have its limitations, but Customer Level Profitablity shouldn't be that hard to calculate. Given this Netflix could use a Test and Control design and see if you made more money from the new treatment. Obviously, there are a bunch of limitations and you'd have to at least partially implement the solution to test it. Given thats the case you would obviously have to use some other methods to decide which if any alternate system you wanted to test, but once you decided to test, I don't think it would be that difficult to determine if the new system made Netflix more money.
Obviously any metric is always going to have its limitations and a decision maker is going to have to take a lot of things into account, but I think there are some decent ways to evaluate if the new model is an improvement.


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Chronology of a transcendental discovery: Unitary Perception
1714: Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz, who discovered the differential and integral calculus, said that below the material universe there is a metaphysical reality that serves as its base and generates it. Space and time, mass and movement in physics and transference of energies are intellectual constructs, that is, inventions of thought.
1902: William James proposed that the brain normally filters a greater reality.
Introduction to Unitary Perception - University of Guadalajara
February 2nd, 2006
Ruben Feldman Gonzalez
(Translation by RFG, himself)
Introduction to Unitary Perception
INTRODUCTION TO UNITARY PERCEPTION. University of Guadalajara
February 2nd, 2006
Ruben Feldman Gonzalez<


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When Sherry and I decided to get married, like many other couples starting their lives together, we made plans. One of our plans was that when we got a house, we were going to buy a dog. Specifically a Yellow Lab and name her Genie.
Three and a half years after we got married, I drove to Memphis and picked up a little six week old, mostly white Lab puppy.
She was Genie.
When I brought her home, our two and a half year old daughter immediately fell in love with her best friend.
The two of them became inseparable. She announced she was now a dog. Sherry and I, as well as my in-laws who had moved in with us, all became dogs. My daughter proudly announced she no longer had hands but had to "wash her paws."
Genie grew from a bouncing puppy to a young adult dog. She loved to run outside and occasionally chase ball or a little girl.
Often in the evening when everyone else had gone to bed, I would either be working or watching TV and she would come up to me with her muzzle and nuzzle my hand, demanding the attention she so richly deserved. I would pet her head and say, "Genie, you are a good dog."
Time passed and Genie grew into an adult dog. She and my daughter were still inseparable. She loved to go riding in the car. She loved it so much we told her she was a "traveling dog." As my daughter grew, the TV became more of a fascination for her. Many afternoons, she would be in the living room watching the TV with Genie lying beside her or more often than not acting as her pillow.
And in the evenings, she would come up to me and nuzzle my hand, demanding the attention she so richly deserved. I would pet her head and say, "Genie, you are such a good dog."
Time passed. My in-laws passed away. Sherry and I welcomed one son and then a couple of years later another. As the boys grew and began to toddle around the house, they too knew Genie and fell in love with her. Genie loved them. Often they would launch themselves at her to hug her and she just stood there. Other times, Genie was a big, lovable and occasionally moving pillow.
Genie loved those boys. We welcomed two more dogs to our home. Genie wasn't as thrilled about them.
And in the evenings, Genie still frequently came up to me, would nuzzle my hand, demanding the attention she so richly deserved. I would pet her head and tell her, "Genie, you are such a good dog."
Time passed. My daughter became a teenager, the boys went into elementary school and Genie became an old dog.
Time was not Genie's friend. She went blind and became very arthritic. Last fall, the first frost had come and we were taking the dogs out and we noticed Genie was having trouble standing and walking.
We had talked about what life would be like when we had Genie, we talked about life with Genie and now for the first time, Sherry and I talked about life after Genie.
This winter was mild, even by southern standards. As the cold weather finally yielded to spring, we watched as the infirmities of age ravaged Genie and we began to ask how long she had.
A few weeks ago, a wonderful opportunity presented itself, but it meant would move to Virginia. We began asking ourselves if Genie could even make the trip and how it would be for her. She was blind, old and had only known one house.
As we searched for an answer, Genie decided the issue. A few days ago, she climbed the stairs from our basement to the main floor of the house. It took every bit of strength to climb those stairs and she collapsed when she made it to the top. She lay there for several minutes before finally getting up. The next day she just lay around. Her breathing was labored. Finally she went downstairs for a while, to her favorite spot. When she tried to make it back up the stairs, she barely made it. When we took her outside, she had trouble standing.
We knew the time had come.
I strapped the leash to her collar and took her outside to do her business, and then I said, "Come on Genie, let's go for a ride." She wagged her tail, still loving to ride in a car. Sherry and I stood there with tears in our eyes, knowing how this ride would end.
Almost thirteen years earlier Genie had ridden with me for the first time. Now, there was one final ride.
We want to ascribe human attributes to dogs but as we were at the vet's office, somehow I think Genie knew the end had come. I fed her a few final dog treats while the Vet prepared paper work and the shot. Genie lay on the examining table and she reached up with her muzzle, nuzzling my hand. For the last time I reached over and petted her, saying, "Genie, you are a very good dog."
My loyal friend of thirteen years is gone. My life is now a bit emptier than it was a few days ago. Genie was originally just an idea that eventually became a part of our family. A chapter in my life has closed.
I woke up this morning in a new home. I got up in the quiet darkness and went out into the living room. Down the darkened hall, in a home she had never been in, I could almost see the white outline of a familiar shape. She was not the old, gnarled dog, who had to hop up stairs. She was the young dog who joyously played with a little girl and greeted us all with sloppy kisses.
Just then, I could almost feel that muzzle nuzzling my hand again, demanding the attention she so richly deserved.
"Genie, you were such a very good dog."
Views: 1608
Thanks, Judson.
I feel your pain for Genie. A dog becomes such a great companion, and certainly became central to your girls lives!
No other animal tries so hard to become truly part of the family, does it?
We've had three, actually, and none came to a death truly attributable to old age.
The middle one, a toy poodle, became paralyzed by an attack by a big mongrel. Lived several more months in a custom designed and built "wheel chair wagon". Pulled herself around with her front legs.
We've not had a dog for a decade now. Thinking about again now! You need a new dog as well, I think.
Some people eat dogs. I, for one, think that is terrible.
As I wipe the tears from my eyes so that I can write this reply, I think of my 10 year-old daughter and our two cats, Samantha and Monty. I know that a similar day will come when we'll probably have to make the same decision for our pets as it makes me tear up even more.
I am truly sorry for your loss; people say "it's almost like losing a member of your family when you lose a pet;" I say, "no, it is losing a member of our family."
God Bless,
Mitch Counts
Belmont Law
Judson, I know how you feel and you got me in tears...sorry for the loss, but envious of the memories!
I think you might like to pick up the short story "Dog Star" by Arthur C. Clarke. It can be picked up at your local library (it was published in the collection of short stories entitled "The Nine Billion Names of God") and is only a few pages long. But I know you'll appreciate reading it right now. You might even find yourself reading it out loud over the phone to more than one person...
Let me know what you think when you read it. God Bless, Tony
I know exactly how you feel, I went through the same thing on 10/13/11. Still hurts, and your story brought me to tears. God bless your family, and Genie who is romping around with Him in Heaven now.
the hardest thing in the world is letting go of someone you love dearly. some people will say it is just a dog where i say dogs are better then most people. someone can beat on me all day and i won't shed a tear but one of my dogs die and i cry like a baby. wonderful touching story judson!
Dear Judson & Sherry
My condolences on the passing of Genie. Although a blessing and joy for 13 years, her absence is heartbreaking.
My condolences to you and your family, Judson.
Mr Phillips
I am so sorry for your loss. Your good dog had a very good man.
We had a wonderful Akita named Codybear. He was a beautiful, loving 135 lb. lap dog. When his time had come, our outstanding and compassionate DVM Nick Valenti, from Selden, NY gave us this poem:
"Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.
You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.
Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together.... "
Author unknown...
A beautiful tribute to a special member of your family. I'm Sorry for your loss Judson.
Some day in heaven, I will see my precious Missy again.
Judson, thank you for sharing your life,Sherry and Genie's life with us. Still have water flowing from my eyes. Genie is at Rainbow Bridge waitingt for you and family to be picked up on your way to Heaven. I just saw the video of the 3-year old boy who died and went to heaven..came back, and at 11 he and his pastor dad wrote a book, "Heaven is for real". He said he saw a lot of animals in Heaven. Just look forward to the nuzzling of that muzzle again.Filena and I have a little Poodle, "Snuggles" and "HAD" ONE NAMED "Precious" and am looking forward to being with them both in Heaven.
Thanks again for this post. Lord Bless. & comfort you in your loss.
Rev. Don Beddingfield, (Ret.)
© 2016 Created by Judson Phillips. Powered by


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Former Major League Baseball pitcher Curt Schilling was a competitor on the mound and now he has to prove just how much of a competitor he is in life. According to Boston.com on Feb. 5, Schilling has announced that he has been diagnosed with cancer.
The current ESPN broadcaster, who was monumental in two Boston Red Sox World Series titles in 2004 and 2007, called his cancer diagnosis another challenge.
"I've always believed life is about embracing the gifts and rising up to meet the challenges. We've been presented with another challenge, as I've recently been diagnosed with cancer."
The type of cancer hasn't been specified, but ESPN is in his corner as he has recently signed an extension with the broadcast company. In a statement, ESPN sent their support to the former Red Sox, Phillies and Diamondbacks pitcher.
"Our thoughts are with Curt and his family during this challenging time. His ESPN teammates wish him continued strength in his cancer fight and we look forward to welcoming him back to our baseball coverage whenever he's ready."
In his 20 seasons In Major League Baseball, Curt Schilling has battled to tough batters. The next batter is cancer and he is aiming to strike it out.
Subscribe to the Springfield Sports Examiner.
Follow the Springfield Sports Examiner on Twitter.
"Like" the Springfield Sports Examiner Facebook fan page.


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Sunday is Mother's Day and you need to get her the very best. Rather than stopping at the roadside flower stands, here are some ideas that the geek can give to Mom.
American Greetings, available at most brick and mortar department, drug stores and the like, has Magnetic Melodies, fun new Mother's Day cards with removable keepsake magnets that play a happy tune at the push of a button. Those who enjoy sending e-cards can share American Greetings cards online from www.americangreetings.com.
If you have a portable Apple device, you can send mom chocolates. Shari's Berries App for iPhone and iPod touch is an easy way to send a food gift on-the-go. A sample of gifts available for In-App Purchase include: gourmet dipped strawberries with chocolate chips and nuts, seasonally inspired dipped strawberries, dipped cherries, cake pops and other dipped treats like Oreo®, cookies, pretzel rods, and potato chips. The Shari's Berries App for iPhone and iPod touch is available for free on the App Store at www.AppStore.com or at http://www.berries.com/app.
Caffeine is an important part of the geek diet. So, the geek Mom or Mom geek should be happy to receive a "This Mom Runs on Dunkin'" tumbler to help Mom enjoy her fresh-brewed coffee at home or on the go. Then give her a new "Flowers for Mom" Donut, a mouth-watering flower-shaped yeast ring donut with strawberry-flavored icing and pastel green icing drizzle. But if there are miles between you and Mom. you can purchase limited-edition Mother's Day virtual Dunkin' Donuts Cards. Dunkin' Donuts Mobile Cards can be sent via email, text or Facebook through the mGift feature on the Dunkin' Donuts mobile app and can be redeemed directly from a mobile phone at participating U.S. Dunkin' Donuts locations. All Dunkin' Donuts mGifts can also be added directly to the Dunkin' App, reloaded right from the phone, and used as a fast, convenient way to pay. For more information, visit www.DunkinDonuts.com.
As all good techs know, there must be a disaster recovery plan. The Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.) thinks a well thought out disaster plan is a gift that provides peace of mind all year long. "Nothing says 'I love you' more than helping your mom be prepared in case of a disaster," said Jeanne M. Salvatore, the I.I.I.'s senior vice president and chief communications officer. The four steps to help her prepare are: Create a Home Inventory, Develop an Evacuation Plan,Disaster-Proof Her Home, and, of course, Review Insurance Coverage. At least they have free mobile apps to help.


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Categories: Reviews:
BetterPhoto Products and Services
First 10 of
all user reviews)
Average Rating:
out of 5
I have done a lot of research on the web over the past year and have looked at many similar sites but always come back to Betterphoto.
I love the photographers who often become close friends no matter how far away they are from Western Australia (thanks guys). I thoroughly enjoy viewing the photos displayed and the opportunity to learn. I also really appreciate the professionalism presented by Betterphoto on a daily basis, no matter how silly my questions must sometime seem.
Thank you for opening up a whole new world for me, I have discovered many new and exciting opportunities.
I am an avid shutterbug getting ready to take that huge leap and try my hand at "Real Photography". Your site has been an inspiration to me and I spend many hours here. I look forward to enrolling in your courses in the very near future.. as finances allow.
With that said, let me tell you how much I enjoy your tips, tricks, and downright practical advice. I have created a notebook to print tips for review at times when I do not have computer access. It's great to go over your tips quietly with camera in hand when I can truely (Focus) on the techniques.
I already have an account!


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Your mom is no doubt a special lady. She worked very hard to make you a respectable person and you need to get her a nice Mother's Day gift. Below you'll find some beauty-related gift ideas that will make your mother feel special and pampered, and will likely elevate you to favorite child status.
- Through May 10th, Ulta is offering a special CHI gift with purchase. Order the brand's Touch Screen Hair Dryer and receive a free styling iron. This deal is available online only and supplies are limited.
- Purchasing fragrances for someone else can be tricky, so unless you know her scent you may want to steer clear of playing the guessing game in a very crowded fragrance space. Perhaps stick to bath related items like body scrubs, lotions or bath oils. Famed perfumer Jo Malone offers a wide variety of indulgent bath oils and accessories, with scents ranging from citrus to spicy.
- Deborah Lippman's Manicure Essentials Set is both luxurious and affordable. The set includes nail polish remover, base and top coats and two Deborah Lippman nail lacquers.
- An investment in high-quality makeup brushes will be one your mother certainly appreciates. Currently available online at Neiman Marcus, Bobbi Brown offers a Limited Edition Hollywood Brush Set that includes eight essential Bobbi Brown brushes.
- Check out an extensive collection of Tory Burch cosmetic cases on the brand's website. There are cases of all shapes, sizes and patterns, and the site is offering free express shipping on select Mother's Day gifts.
You mom will probably love any of these gifts. A word to the wise, when purchasing beauty gifts for others, you may want to avoid gifts that are designed to correct existing problems, such as wrinkle creams or hair removal tools. You don't want your mom to get the wrong idea, even if your heart is in the right place. Stick to the list above and you'll most certainly earn the ire of your siblings.


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Permanent URL to this publication: http://dx.doi.org/10.5167/uzh-3041
Brülisauer, F; Thoma, R; Cagienard, A; Hofmann-Lehmann, R; Lutz, H; Meli, M L; Regula, G; Jörger, K; Perl, R; Dreher, U M; Braun, U; Stärk, K D C (2004). Anaplasmose in einem Milchviehbetrieb in Graubünden: Epidemiologische Ausbruchsuntersuchung. Schweizer Archiv für Tierheilkunde, 146(10):451-459.
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In summer of 2002, a case of severe clinical bovine anaplasmosis caused great losses in a dairy farm of an animal trader in Grisons. This article outlines the general approach of an outbreak investigation considering the case of anaplasmosis as an example. The goals of such investigations are to identify and eliminate the source of a disease outbreak in order to avoid additional cases. In addition, recommendations should be developed for preventing or limiting the magnitude of similar outbreaks in the future. In the outbreak presented, the causative agents were probably brought into the dairy farm by animal trade. Due to the large herd size, a missing quarantine for new animals and the coinfection with several pathogens, this case led to a high number of fatalities. The investigations of this outbreak demonstrated the importance of an universal and consistent identification of individual animals for the reconstruction of their movements. The veterinary practitioner should be reminded to act cautiously when facing strange clinical cases and to also consider "exotic diseases" as a possible cause.
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|Anaplasmosis in a Swiss dairy farm: An epidemiological outbreak investigation
|Item Type:
|Journal Article, refereed, original work
|Communities & Collections:
|05 Vetsuisse Faculty > Veterinary Clinic > Department of Farm Animals
|Dewey Decimal Classification:
|570 Life sciences; biology
630 Agriculture
|Deposited On:
|19 Aug 2008 12:31
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|05 Apr 2016 12:25
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U.S. (Food) Open: A Celebrity Chef Death Match
This is the second installment of our brazenly unscientific single-elimination tournament to choose a champion among the food options at the National Tennis Center in Queens. (See the previous round.)
The judging panel of WSJ reporters and editors visited the U.S. Open's South Plaza for the Celebrity Chef region of the food tournament. These contenders, famous chefs one and all, are also competing against each other in a cook-off on Sept. 4. The chef who sells the most of their signature dishes gets $5,000 to give to the charity of their choice.
For our contest, however, the prize was pride — and the chance to compete in the Food Final Four.
The top seed was Jonathan Waxman's roast chicken panino ($9.50), made with basil aioli and greens and mozzarella. Waxman is the chef/owner of Barbuto in Manhattan's West Village, a restaurant renowned for its roast chicken.
Taking on the panino was the #4 seed, Susan Feniger's Yucatan pork tacos ($10.50) made with braised achiote pork, orange jicama slaw, guacamole and pickled onion. The soft tacos are served with red rice and black beans. Feniger appears on the Food Network's Too Hot Tamales and recently open a Susan Feniger's Street restaurant in Los Angeles.
Our panel found the chicken to be more flavorful than the tacos, giving Waxman a 6-4 win on taste. For value, however, the tacos won 6-3 thanks to a nice boost from the side of rice and beans. In practicality, the edge went to the chicken panino 6-1 — the tacos wound up being a bit messy, according to our judges. Winner: Waxman's chicken panino
The next match was a showdown between an unusual hot dog and a pricey lobster roll.
The #2 seed, Rick Moonen's Moon'N Doggie ($11), is an all-natural shrimp hot dog served on a fresh toasted bun with Asian slaw, mint pesto and toga chips sprinkled on top. Moonen is the author of Fish Without a Doubt and chef/owner of RM Seafood at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
The shrimp hot dog took on #3 seed Carmen Gonzalez's lobster roll with key lime mayonnaise ($17). Gonzalez is the former chef/owner of the Miami-based, Carmen the Restaurant.
One bite of the shrimp hotdog provided a vast array of different flavors, giving it a 6-3 edge on taste. For value, a comparatively low price gave the shrimp hot dog a 6-2 edge. And, completing the straight sets victory, the shrimp won 6-4 on practicality as the mayonnaise quickly made the lobster roll quite soggy. Winner: Moonen's shrimp hot dog
The final match, a showdown between the chicken panino and the shrimp hot dog, was a real nail-biter. The shrimp hot dog won on taste 6-4. For value, the lower price and larger portion gave the advantage to the chicken, winning the set 6-4. In the deciding practicality category, we had to lean slightly towards the shrimp hot dog 7-6.
While baseball has it's beef hot dogs, a shrimp hot dog seems apt for the tonier tennis set. Rick Moonen's Moon'N Doggie is the winner of the Celebrity Chef region of the Food Open.
More U.S. Open food coverage: A video recap of Wednesday's Snack round in the food tournament.


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Smokie Norful
Smokie Norful
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Forever Yours
Smokie Norful$9.99Add Your ReviewSmokie Norful returns with his first new studio album in eight years, Forever Yours, featuring the lead single "No Greater Love." The album is a 10-song tour de force from the Grammy winner, flourishing with a wide array of styles from contemporary love songs to throw-back u... Learn More
Gospel's Best Love Songs
Forever Jones, Anita Wilson, Antonio Neal, Darlene McCoy, Darwin Hobbs...$9.99Add Your ReviewLove is in the air. Whether you're celebrating an anniversary, planning a wedding, or spending a quiet evening with a loved one, Gospel's Best Love Songs celebrates your love with music from the heart. Featuring music from Smokie Norful, Darwin Hobbs, Heather Headley, Fo... Learn More
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Earnest Pugh, Forever Jones, Lecrae, 21:03, Andrae Crouch, Anita Wilso...$14.99Add Your ReviewFeaturing 30 of the year's top gospel artists and songs, WOW Gospel 2012 is the perfect collection for fans of modern worship music. The 2-CD set includes hits from Christian worship artists like Kirk Franklin, Mary Mary, Lecrae, Jennifer Hudson, Earnest Pugh and more. This ... Learn More
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Anointed, Byron Cage, Cece Winans, Darwin Hobbs, Deitrick Haddon, Dona...$21.99Add Your ReviewWOW Gospel #1s includes 30 of the greatest gospel hits ever! These chart-topping songs from your favorite artists span two outstanding discs - with recordings from CeCe Winans, Kirk Franklin, Donnie McClurken, Mary Mary, Deitrick Haddon and more, WOW Gospel #1s truly repre... Learn More
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T. D. Jakes, 21:03, Bishop Paul S. Morton, Sr., Byron Cage, Canton Sp...$14.99Add Your ReviewWOW Gospel 2005 features 30 of the year's top gospel artists and songs! This compilation of the best gospel music of 2004 features music from Deitrick Haddon, Shea Norman, William Murphy, Donnie McClurkin, Hezekiah Walker, Yolanda Adams and more. This is a must-own col... Learn More
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T. D. Jakes, Various, 7 Sons Of Soul, Beverly Crawford, Cece Winans, D...$14.99Add Your ReviewWOW Gospel 2004 features 30 of the year's top gospel artists and songs! This compilation of the best gospel music of 2003 features music from Kirk Franklin, Smokie Norful, Marvin Sapp, CeCe Winans, T.D. Jakes and more. This is a must-own collection for fans of gospel music! ... Learn More


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Kindey Stone Waiting Period...
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Two and a half weeks ago, I found blood in my urine. I saw my GP the next day - she confirmed the blood (although it hasn't been visible since the first time) - asked if I had symptoms. I had none. She told me to book an appointment with the urologist - and that was about 4 weeks away (still pending on Feb 1).
A few days later, the pain in the left flank hit. Went to urgent care, CT scan revealed a 4mm stone starting down the pipe from the kidney.
I was told that standard; drink like fish, stay off the brown drinks, strain the pee and keep my urologist appointment - oh, and here are some narcotics for it if it gets bad.
Now, it's two weeks later. and I'm almost two weeks from the urologist.
I have not encountered any severe pain again. From what I'm reading - that isn't necessarily a good thing - since that means it probably isn't moving.
My urine is normal - no pain, difficulty, burning, etc. No bloodish color has returned, etc.
I do NOT believe I've passed anything - yet - unless the thing has dissolved down so much I couldn't tell if it came out.
My question is: I'm having some "symptoms" that I suspect are related to the stone - but I'd feel better if someone could share with me that THEIR experience was similar.
I feel discomfort periodically around my left side (front) and down above my privates but below the stomach. Some are unsolicited - sometimes they only happen if I do something (like stretch out).
I'm a martial artist - I'm used to these sort of muscle strains and pulls - but I've been taking it easy since the stone was diagnosed.
Is this normal? Does a stone - possibly one that isn't even moving - cause these sort of discomforts?
Along with this, I get feelings of nausea (on a scale of 1 to 10, maybe a 2 or 3) when I lay down - I'm told nausea is normal, but I would assume that was partially due to the pain (which I'm not really feeling - just the muscle discomfort).
Sometimes, I get the urge to poop .. just a little urge - even though I'm positive I don't need to. I assume that's tied into the nausea somehow.
If you're still reading - thanks!
Can anyone else confirm these sort of symptoms in their personal experience? I'd rather not waste time taking a day off work, going back to the GP, having her tell me "Oh, just keep drinking and keep that urology appt".
Any words of encouragement (or even "hey, you're crazy - go to the doctor") would be great.
BTW, I tried the lemon juice + olive oil trick. Didn't seem to help ... Nasty drink though. Any other tricks, tips, food proclivities, etc. I'd love to hear them.
Posted on 01/23/12, 12:14 am
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I am not an expert on this, but I dropped 5 stones, smaller than yours recently. The pain had three stages in my case:
1. Directly at the kidneys. When you put your hands to your belly and push behind the back, you can realise the pain.
2. The pain is now below your kidney area at the back or sometimes you may feel at the front.
3. The pain is at the place where you urinate.
After that 3rd stage you drop the stone and I suggest you to take some gloves and keep the stone, so that doctors can identify what caused to it, and you can go on to your life better. (Yes, it sounds a bit disgusting maybe, but it is good thing to do)
I think you are about to drop the stone at most in a week or two. And apparently you are doing your best to drop it, that's perfect. but still you may have an appointment from the doctor. +Drink too much water and continue living active, you'll be fine soon...
Hope you get well soon. Good luck!
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I have had stones now off and on for about 10 years and what you are experiencing is about normal for a kidney stone. I have been clean for about 2 years until last night 1/22/12 when I notice my urine was bloody and I have mild discomfort on my left side and back. I haven't made an appointment with my urologist yet. My last episode with a kidney stone was May of 2010 when I thought I was having a UTI but it turned out to be a 9mm that was blocking my pipes causing me to get a severe infection and going into the hospital so that I could get IV fluids of antibiotics....I was severly sick. Each time I have had a kidney stone I've experienced different symptoms, but basically the same. Lemonade does help along with LOTS of water. Good luck!
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Thanks guys ... I experienced some mild pain in my left side abdomen .. I'm assuming the stone is there now ... not much farther now!
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When I pass a kidney stone, it's almost as if i can feel my pulse in my kidney. It's a slow short shiver almost. I used to get nausea at first, but i've been dealing with stones for about 8 years everyday so i'm pretty used to it by now.
Honestly feeling like you need to go poop isn't very odd at all. It felt like that for me a lot at first as well. I'm just gonna guess everything is so close to each other down there. That the pain probably forces your other organs to spaz out for a moment.
I hope your pain isn't to serious. One really good advice (although most don't pay attention to fine details like i do lol) Is if your a guy Sit down to pee, if you feel a stone pain. You could black out and end up hurting yourself really bad. - Hope this was somewhat helpful. :)
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Very helpful! Thank you!
I can't imagine being a "regular sufferer" of these things. Let's hope this is my only one for awhile.
Thanks again!
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No problem glad i could be of help :)
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THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Tortilla's Restaurant Review: The only frills you'll find at this burrito dive in Poncey-Highland are the extra earrings, tattoos and random piercings on the staff behind the service counter. Place your order, and a goofy plastic figurine left on the table identifies your choice for delivery. The burritos---flour tortillas stuffed to the brim with Tex-Mex basics---are huge and cheap.
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text: Jun 12, 2015 08:13 2015 Subaru Outback 2015 Subaru Outback First Drive| By Steve Wheeler July 12, 2014; 8:27 a.m. Comments Some Subaru Outback owners believe their vehicles are happiest when they are dirty. Subaru wouldn't argue with that, saying most Outback owners love the outdoors and have selected the perfect car to take them there. And in the outdoors, dirt and dust just happen. The 2015 Subaru Outback is the fifth generation of the world's first utility wagon introduced 20 years ago. Subaru likes to say the Outback is the "original CUV." The new model is the roomiest Outback yet and by far the best on fuel economy, with expected mileage figures up to 33 highway miles and 25 city miles per gallon of gas. Like other Subarus, the Outback is equipped with symmetrical AWD, one of the best modern safety features to ever come along for automobiles. Add in the Outback's 8.7-inch ground clearance, and you've got the ability to slog your way to the hunting or fishing camp with ease. For 2015, Subaru's X-Mode system is also standard on all models. X-Mode optimizes engine output, increases AWD engagement and helps the vehicle dynamics control system to reduce wheel spin. It also enhances AWD by activating a hill-descent control feature, as well as an incline start assist. We had a chance to experience the benefits of AWD and X-Mode recently during a daylong test drive of the Outback in the high plains of central Oregon. Steep hills with loose lava pebbles proved to be no problem, nor did miles of loose gravel and dirt roads. Surefooted and stable, the Outback handled spirited driving in marginal conditions without any trouble. Two BOXER engines are available in the 2015 Outback: a DOHC 4-cylinder that generates 175 horsepower and 174 lb.-ft. of torque is in the 2.5i model, and a DOHC 6-cylinder that kicks out 256 horses and 247 lb.-ft. of torque is in the 3.6R Limited model. Both are hooked to a better-than-expected CVT transmission with paddle shifters. The 2.5i models also get an active grille shutter system that helps it get 25 mpg in the city and 33 mpg on the road, even the dusty road. The 3.6R Limited is rated at 20 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway, which is better than the fourth generation Outback. Meanwhile, design engineers worked a minor miracle with the interior of the 2015 Outback. While the wheelbase increases by just .02 inches and the overall length by just 0.6 inches, the Outback's interior room increases significantly. Passenger cabin space is up to 108.1 cubic feet from 105.4, and the cargo space (behind the rear seat) is up to 35.5 cubic feet from 34.3. Auto journalists were also able to test out Subaru's new EyeSight driver assistance and safety system on the test drive. Available in Premium and Limited trims, EyeSight uses camera technology to integrate the cruise control and pre-collision braking systems to bring the car to a complete stop when it senses a crash is imminent. We tested the system, which works up to about 30 miles per hour, on a course set up with a stationary inflatable "car." It's pretty nerve wracking to drive 30 mph headlong at a stationary object and completely trust the car to bring you to a stop by itself, even if the stationary object is an inflatable. But that's just what the Outback did time and time again. One nameless test driver, however, discovered the optional safety system had to actually be installed in the car to work. He plowed through the inflatable car, but both driver and inflatable car survived the misunderstanding. Subaru's been on a roll of late, with six straight record sales years including the auto industry's disastrous year of 2008, according to Michael McHale, director of corporate communications for Subaru. Subaru says 97 percent of Outbacks sold in the past 10 years are still on the road. 2015 Subaru Outback Engine: 4-cylinder or 6-cylinder BOXER Horsepower/Torque: 175/174 lb.-ft. (4 cylinder) 256/247 lb.-ft. (6-cylinder) Transmission: Lineartronic CVT with paddle shift switches Price: TBA Mileage estimates: 25 mpg city / 33 mpg highway (4-cylinder) 20 mpg city / 27 mpg highway (6-cylinder) Get The Advocate in your inbox Subscribe


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A company, which exports timber wants a corporate website. Is there any sense in classic call-to-action buttons in B2B sites, or are there any other practices?
closed as too broad by DA01, Charles Wesley, JohnGB♦, rk., Graham Herrli Aug 10 '13 at 14:24
There are either too many possible answers, or good answers would be too long for this format. Please add details to narrow the answer set or to isolate an issue that can be answered in a few paragraphs.If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.
Just ask yourself what the goal of the site is.
Who's going to see it, what can the company do for them, and thus; what will the call to action be.
And if you don't know; ask them.
A call to action implies by its existence that a user can do something on the corporate website, as opposed to simply viewing something.
If the corporate website presents more options than passive reading and viewing, and the tone of the writing is not "we-we-we" but more "you-you-you", then I think calls to action are a good fit.
They are part of a content strategy that includes action.
They should probably not invite a user to "Check out our __", but offer something tangible, like "View your order history" or "Download declaration form", or whatever is an appropriate action to take.
Corporate site often reflects the corporation's structure with its departments etc. Typically different users have different goals and site's navigation should supports easy access to user's tasks.
While the Call-to-action is a highly visually distinct, one-click control for accessing to some important task. Are this task equally important for all users? I think, not always.
So the answer, use CTA for the task, that is equally important to perform by majority of users. An example of such task could be: a) some event registration; b) registration for some competition etc.
Corperations are people too (Corporate personhood), so treat it as you would any other website.
If you are talking about an internal tool which is only seen my employees managing the shipping or whatnot, tailor the UI to returning users. If you are talking about a company webpage, put the information visitors will need up front. Instead of a signup form, highlight their hours or contact info.
Take away: The content may change, but there is always a purpose behind a website. Emphasize that purpose, no matter what it is or who it is for.


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Creating Jobs and Sustaining Hope for Seattle's Most Disadvantaged
In a state with 9.1 percent unemployment, possessing practical job skills and knowledge is crucial to successfully entering the workforce and sustaining a position. FareStart, a Seattle-based culinary job training and placement program, is addressing that need by providing training to enable homeless and disadvantaged individuals to step out of unemployment and into the food service industry. Since 1998, nearly 3,500 people across the Seattle region have transformed their lives through this program.
Recognizing FareStart's role in priming a workforce of self-sufficient and employable Seattleites, Bank of America recently awarded a $15,000 grant to support FareStart's Adult Culinary Job Training program. The contribution stems from the bank's consistent financial support since 2006. Over the last decade, the bank has awarded numerous grants to FareStart and named the organization a Neighborhood Excellence Initiative Builder Award winner in 2009, providing it with $200,000 in unrestricted funding.
"It's more than a meal. It reminds us to support nonprofits," said Bob Peters, Washington State President at Bank of America. "Our whole community benefits from that and FareStart is an excellent example of what is possible."
Join the conversation: Learn how we're working to help strengthen communities—on the Bank of America Facebook page.


text: Over 45 years ago, Holden Earth Moving and Construction Company began hauling earth materials on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The company incorporated in 1974 and today operates a fleet of modern equipment capable of meeting all site development requirements. Having grown into one of the most respected civil construction companies in South Mississippi, Holden Earth Moving and Construction Company has completed multiple multi-million dollar projects.


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Scientific studies have shown that a wide range of chemicals damage the control system weight makes it difficult to lose weight on a normal diet.
Pesticides, heavy metals, environmental pollutants, some medicines, fire retardants, solvents and synthetic materials such as plastics, PVC and styrenes are among the most common. With all around us these wonder that obesity is a huge problem in the Western world?
It is now being unraveled how chemicals can poison your body's weight control mechanism. These chemicals toxins in your body to food, water, air we breathe and personal care products to its place in the skin.
Our bodies have developed a very sophisticated system detoxification in the time spent every day internal toxins produced by our body as a result of normal metabolism. But it seems that it is unable to cope with the onslaught of synthetic chemicals that bombard us every day.
Like what you're reading? Then LIKE us on Facebook!
Bisphenol-A (BPA)
Traditionally used worldwide in plastics used for food and drink storage, BPA has long been known to mimic estrogen and has been associated with impaired reproductive function, but it's also an obesogen. A 2012 study published in the International Journal of Obesity found that BPA is responsible for starting a biochemical cascade within fat cells that increases inflammation and promotes fat-cell growth. Anytime you purchase canned goods or food in plastic containers (including bottled water), be sure the product is labeled as "BPA free."


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Fresno State earns 161 points to take second place in a four-way meet in Gainesville, Fla.
May 2, 1999
Gainesville, Fla. - After travelling all day Saturday to get there, the Fresno State mens track and field team finished in second place with 161 points at the USTCA Challenge hosted by the University of Florida in Gainesville, Fla., today. The Gators won the four-way meet with 221 points while the University of Illinois came in third with a team score149 and Florida State in fourth with 134.
Five Bulldog men in all won their events in this long awaited meet. Senior and 400 meter relay All-American Mike Ward (Salinas, Calif.) ran a season best time of 46.86 to win the 400 meter race and as well as taking third in the 200 meters with a time of 21.08. All-American pole vaulter Jim Davis (Godley, Texas) cleared another provisional qualifying height of 17-5 3/4 to beat the competition in his event.
Junior distance runner Tim Padilla (Coarsegold, Calif.) won the 3,000 meter steeplechase clocking a time of 9:16.83 - less than a second off his personal best.
The throwers also had success in the field events with senior Luke Woydziak (Reno, Nev.) winning the hammer throw with his second best throw of his career - 212-5. And freshman Matt Drinkwalter (Billings, Mont.) threw the shot put a distance of 53-7 3/4 to take first in the event.
The men are now 9-2 in dual meet action and will return to action this Friday, May 7, at the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif., and on Saturday, May 8, at the Modesto Relays.
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Things to see and do - Fredericton
Leaving for Canada
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Tourist attractions
Tourist attractions Fredericton
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1 Beaverbrook Art Gallery
Museums and art
703 Queen St. CDN - Fredericton E3B 5A6
Designed and financed by Lord Beaverbrook, the original structure was his gift to the people of New Brunswick. Opened in 1959 and expanded in 1983, the gallery is a major art centre of Atlantic Canada, featuring the donor's personally selected collec..
2 Christ Church Cathedral (Fredericton)
Religious buildings
168 Church St. CDN - Fredericton E3B 4C9
This elegant stone church, distinguished by a copper-green spire and pointed arch windows, is surrounded by large, attractive, Loyalist-built timber houses and tall shady trees. Completed in 1853 the church, modelled after the parish church of St. Ma..
3 Military Compound
Architecture, castles and historic districts
Queen St. CDN - Fredericton E3B 4Y7
The central location of the former British military headquarters shows the importance of the infantry garrison in early Fredericton. (Today the country's major military training area-Canadian Armed Forces Base Gagetown-lies just to the southeast.) In..
4 Legislative Building (Fredericton)
Architecture, castles and historic districts
706 Queen St. CDN - Fredericton E3B 1C5
Opposite the Beaverbrook Art Gallery stands the stately Georgian seat of provincial government, with its classical dome and double-columned portico. This elegant edifice (1880) was built to replace the old Province Hall, destroyed by fire. The assemb..
5 York-Sunbury Historical Society Museum
Museums and art
571 Queen St. CDN - Fredericton E3B 5C8
This museum provides a portrait of the Fredericton area from its settlement by the Native American population to the present. Exhibits on the Loyalists and the garrison are included, and a World War I trench has been reconstructed. The mounted Colema..


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KFC Zinger Hot box continues to be at a special promotion price till 21 April 2013. Enjoy it before the promotion expires.
Only applicable for Cheezy Hot Box & Tangy Hot Box. Subject to 6% government tax. Other terms and conditions apply.
See ad image for more details
Click on thumbnail[s] to enlarge. Sales on until 21 Apr 2013


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America's food supply is among the safest in the world, yet the recent salmonella outbreak in eggs has some people wondering about what is safe to eat and what to do to avoid food-borne illness. Today's blog takes a look at foods with the lowest risk and includes tips on how to handle and prepare food to keep contamination at an all time low.
Although, the FDA estimates that there are more than 76 million cases of food-borne illness annually, making wise food choices and taking simple precautions can lower risk dramatically. The best way to avoid food-borne illness is to prevent it. Foods most likely to cause food poisoning include raw or undercooked meat, poultry and fish, and unpasteurized milk.
Serves 6 as an appetizer
1 loaf French bread, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 packages Hokto White Beech mushrooms, ends trimmed and mushrooms pulled apart
8 ounces jarred roasted red bell peppers, sliced into thin strips
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Brie cheese round, cut into 1/4-inch slices
September is a busy month for food and is the monthly host for additional culinary delights, some of which pair quite nicely with mushrooms. It turns out that September is also National Wild Rice and National Organic Harvest Month. What a great fit if you're in the mood for celebrating these monthly themes!
Four 6-ounce salmon fillets
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Two 6-ounce packages of Hokto King Trumpet mushrooms, ends trimmed and mushrooms sliced into 1/4 inch thick slices
1 1/2 tablespoons cooking oil, separated
1 stalk green onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup Teriyaki sauce (recipe below)
Easy Teriyaki Sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
2 teaspoons sugar
We continue to commemorate mushrooms during the month of September; however, the ninth month of the year is also host to National Cholesterol Education Month and National Self Improvement month (no kidding).
Over twenty years ago, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) launched the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) in order to help reduce illness and death from coronary heart disease (CHD) by reducing the percent of Americans with high blood cholesterol.
Your day should always start off right with a good, healthy breakfast, and a quick sauté of Hokto's Brown Beech or White Beech mushrooms with fresh tomatoes served over toast gives you enough energy to last you throughout of the morning. Breakfast shouldn't be complicated, and this recipe takes only five minutes to create and is even vegan. Substitute the whole wheat bread with your favorite gluten-free version, and you've also got a perfect gluten-free breakfast.
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 green onion, minced
1 package Hokto Brown or White Beech mushrooms (or a mix)
1/2 tomato, diced
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 piece toasted bread, cut in half diagonally
September is National Mushroom Month and a great time to enjoy an exotic food once reserved for royalty. I'd like to present some fun facts about mushrooms. Let's see how mushroom savvy we are!
Did you know?
While often thought of as a vegetable and prepared like one, mushrooms are actually a fungus, a special type of living organism that has no roots, leaves, flowers or seeds.
Mushrooms are more closely related to animals than plants and like most living organisms, are 85-95 percent water. Also similar to mammals, mushrooms take in oxygen for their digestion and metabolism and "exhale" carbon dioxide as a waste product.
Mushrooms grow from spores, not seeds, and a single mature mushroom will drop as many as 16 billion spores!
Most kids are excited about the prospect of going back to school–new clothes, new books, new supplies, –an opportunity to reconnect with classmates. But going back to school also means increased exposure to germs. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) states that nearly 22 million school days are lost each year due to the common cold, flu and other infections.
And, unfortunately, nationwide budget cuts will likely result in larger class sizes, a shorter school year and fewer staff, including janitorial services meaning less clean classrooms.
When preparing children for going back to school, learning about germ prevention and healthy habits are just as important as reading, writing and arithmetic.
Puff Pastry Mushroom Cups
Serves 6 as an appetizer
1 box (10 ounces) Pepperidge Farms Puff Pastry Shells (6 shells)
8 ounces Gruyere cheese, shredded
2 packages Hokto Maitake mushrooms
2 onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup Gorgonzola Cream Sauce (see below)
1/2 tablespoon parsley, finely minced
Frozen dinners have come a long way since the '50s. Today, with the increased use of microwave ovens and less time spent stove cooking, frozen dinners have become a large part our dinner meal time. According to a Harris Interactive online survey, each American chills out with six frozen meals per month. Research by the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) reports that over $4.5 billion is spent on frozen meals per year, mostly because consumers want convenience and prefer to eat dinner at home after a busy week. Summer excursions and back-to-school shopping trips cut further into dinner prep time, resulting in even less time spent on meal planning and cooking and increased spending on frozen entrees and pizza.
Fun Facts:
1. Each man, woman and child in America eats an average of 46 slices (23 pounds) of pizza a year.
2. Americans eat approximately 100 acres of pizza each day, or 350 slices per second.
3. Kids between the ages of 3 to 11 prefer pizza over all other food groups for lunch and dinner.
Emphasis on Flavorful Foods with Nutritional Benefits
The standard American diet (also known as SAD) is typically high in processed foods, which tend to be high in saturated and hydrogenated fats, high in sugar and salt and low in complex carbohydrates and fiber. Two emerging food trends in the US have been identified as a demand for more nutritious food and food with flavor. The latest food trends include get back to basics with meals that are quick, but with an emphasis on flavor and also offering superior nutritional value.
Food with Health Benefits – Functional Foods
While there's no formal definition for "functional food," the meaning typically includes foods that provide a health-promoting or disease-preventing property beyond the basic function of supplying vitamins and minerals. For example, tomatoes contain the "phyto-nutrient" (plant compound) known as lycopene associated with a lower risk for prostate cancer. So tomatoes could be referred to as a functional food for men with increased risk for prostate cancer. Functional foods definition has been extended to include processed foods or foods and beverages fortified with health-promoting additives, such as calcium enriched orange juice (to lower risk for osteoporosis). Fermented foods with live cultures are also included in the functional food category with probiotic benefits.
Last week's blog targeted the growing trend of simplifying meals with an emphasis on flavor and health. Today's blog continues with more food trends identified by The Food Channel and CNN for 2010, and how Hokto mushrooms fit right in.
Food Trends in 2010
• Back to basics economy and a return to natural ingredients
• Flavor delivery using international foods
• Food Safety
• Sustainability
• Foods with nutritional benefits
• Food with flavor (Umami)
Udon Miso Noodle Soup
Servings: Serves 4
Prep Time: 5
Cook Time: 10
Store fresh udon noodles in the refrigerator or in the freezer. If you don't have fresh udon noodles, you can substitute with dry pasta or dried noodles of your choice. The vegetables are up to you – keep the vegetables thinly sliced so that they cook quickly. Sliced zucchini, small broccoli florets, cabbage and even frozen corn/peas are great.
10 Minute Shrimp and King Trumpet Curry
(Serves 2)
1/2 teaspoon cooking oil
1 tablespoon red curry paste
6 ounces coconut milk
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips
One 6 ounce package Hokto King Trumpet mushrooms, sliced
1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
8 basil leaves (optional)
Warm Maitake Pasta with Citrus Soy Dressing
(Serves 4 as part of a multi-course meal)
3 packages Hokto Maitake Mushrooms, ends trimmed and separated
1/2 pound dried pasta of your choice
1 tablespoon cooking oil
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
1 teaspoon minced fresh herbs of your choice (i.e. cilantro, parsley., green onion, chives)
Despite the abundance of convenience foods and drive-thrus, in today's economy, families are beginning to cook more at home. According to research published by the Food Channel, CNN and others, quick, simple meals expressing individuality, flavor delivery, and sprinkled with a dash of ethnicity are a few of the latest trends in 2010. Home cooked meals in minutes. Hokto mushrooms can certainly contribute to that!
Also, more and more people are moving away from a "meat and potatoes" diet to include more vegetables and less meat in their home-cooked meals. According to USDA statistics, consumption for meat has been decreasing over the last three years. In fact, this trend has created a new word, "flexitarian". While not true vegetarians and not quite fulltime carnivores (meat-eaters), flexitarians tend to eat a mostly plant-based diet composed of grains, vegetables, and fruits, but they occasionally obtain protein from lean meat, fish, poultry, or dairy. A quarter of Americans fit the description, consuming meatless meals at least four days a week, according to the American Dietetic Association.
The 2010 San Diego County Fair is in its final week of "Taste the Fun" theme that celebrates food and local venders from San Diego County. The main, theme-based attraction continues with the "Tour of Tastes," an exhibition featuring cooking competitions and demos. Today, I had another opportunity to work with one of the chefs and speak on behalf of Hokto at the San Diego County Fair on June 29th, demonstrating the continued versatility and great flavor of Hokto mushrooms with the theme of vegan and vegetarian meals. Vegetarians may eat dairy and eggs (ovo-lacto), but vegans avoid all animal products. So mushrooms are a great compliment to a meatless dish in adding a savory flavor and mouthfeel.
Again we had a record breaking audience observe Chef David prepare three dishes made with all four varieties of Hokto mushrooms –King Trumpet, White Beech, Brown Beech and Maitake.
The 2010 San Diego County Fair opened last Friday, June 11, with a "Taste the Fun" theme that celebrates food. The main, theme-based attraction is "Tour of Tastes," an exhibition featuring cooking competitions and demos. Again, I had the wonderful opportunity to speak on behalf of Hokto at the San Diego County Fair on June 22nd, demonstrating the versatility and flavor of Hokto mushrooms. We continue to have a great turnout, with more than 150 people in attendance to observe Chef David prepare three dishes made with all four varieties of Hokto mushrooms –King Trumpet, White Beech, Brown Beech and Maitake.
An "Iron Chef" mini-competition began using two volunteers from the audience! I was selected to participate in the contest to see who could prepare a stir-fry in six minutes or less that tasted fabulous and looked great. A panel of four judges would compare the meals for flavor, eye-appeal.
The 2010 San Diego County Fair opened on Friday, June 11, with a "Taste the Fun" theme that celebrates food. The main, theme-based attraction is "Tour of Tastes," an exhibition featuring cooking competitions and demos. I had the wonderful opportunity to speak on behalf of Hokto at the San Diego County Fair on June 15th, demonstrating the versatility and flavor of Hokto mushrooms. We had a great audience, with more than 150 people in attendance to observe Chef Robert Reid prepare three dishes made with all four varieties of Hokto mushrooms –King Trumpet, White Beech, Brown Beech and Maitake.
The first dish was roast quail stuffed with Maitake mushrooms sautéed in olive oil. While the chef prepared the dish, I had an opportunity to share some facts about Hokto mushrooms and highlight some of the special qualities these locally grown Japanese mushrooms have to offer, such as the nutritional value, health benefits and savory flavor. The prepared dish was passed around so the audience could appreciate a true work of culinary art.
National Men's Health Week is celebrated each year as the week leading up to and including Father's Day, which this year occurs June 14th – June 22nd. The purpose of Men's Health Week is to increase awareness of preventable health problems and to encourage early detection and treatment of disease among men and boys. Research has shown us that a diet high in plant foods can help lower risk for disease such as heart disease, cancer, stroke, high blood pressure and diabetes. Good dietary habits can begin at any age and mushrooms may contribute significantly towards better health.
Now that the introductions are out of the way, are you're ready to try a rather exotic looking mushroom but not sure how to begin? Wash? Rinse? Peel? The good news is that Hokto's mushrooms are ready to be cooked right out of the bag. They do not need to be washed, rinsed, or peeled because they are not grown in dirt and are completely bug-free!
Welcome to Hokto's new website! My name is Leslie Kay and I am a registered dietitian, author and frequent presenter on the various topics of food and nutrition. My specialty area is working with clients and patients that want a more natural approach to better health by increasing foods in the diet that contain unique properties that help to prevent or manage an illness or disease. For example, adding enough fish oil to the diet can help lower triglyceride levels; increasing fiber can help manage glucose levels, and adding the right combination of nuts and plant foods can help manage high blood pressure and heart disease.
You can't beat a simple and quick stir fry! Serve this dish with a bowl of rice and enjoy the classic Chinese flavors. Here's a new stir fry technique for you: instead of adding the ginger and garlic first to the pan, you'll be adding them AFTER the chicken is almost cooked through. This ensures that the aromatics do not burn! (Serves 4)
Everyone loves sauteed mushrooms over steak. Here's a great twist, using Hokto Kinoko White Beech Mushrooms. The mushrooms are briefly sauteed in a little pat of butter and gets a jolt of flavor from the addition of whiskey. (Serves 2)
This Brown Beech Mushroom Flatbread makes a wonderful appetizer as it comes together in less than 15 minutes. Or you can double the recipe and serve it for dinner with a nice salad. I love using Naan flatbread because of its soft airy interior and crunchy crust once it comes out of the oven. If you can't find naan flatbread, you may use pita bread, prepared pizza crust or even regular tortillas. The sauce base is a flavorful basil pesto, and you can find prepared pesto in jars right next to spaghetti sauce at the grocery store. (Serves 2)
Sauteed Maitake mushrooms is a quick and easy addition that takes your burgers to another level. The combination of soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce blends well with the earthy flavor of the Maitake Mushroom. If you'd like, you can substitute ground turkey or ground pork for the beef, just make sure you cook the burgers all the way through. (Serves 4)
Easy and elegant, this roasted mushroom and asparagus dish only comes together in less than 15 minutes. The King Trumpet mushrooms are thick, meaty and very satisfying even as a main dish. Roasting the vegetables intensifies the natural flavors without losing any of the wonderful nutrients. (Serves 4)