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Recent research has shown that humans, like many other animals, have a specialization for assessing fighting ability from visual cues. Because it is probable that the voice contains cues of strength and formidability that are not available visually, we predicted that selection has also equipped humans with the ability to estimate physical strength from the voice. We found that subjects accurately assessed upper-body strength in voices taken from eight samples across four distinct populations and language groups: the Tsimane of Bolivia, Andean herder-horticulturalists and United States and Romanian college students. Regardless of whether raters were told to assess height, weight, strength or fighting ability, they produced similar ratings that tracked upper-body strength independent of height and weight. Male voices were more accurately assessed than female voices, which is consistent with ethnographic data showing a greater tendency among males to engage in violent aggression. Raters extracted information about strength from the voice that was not supplied from visual cues, and were accurate with both familiar and unfamiliar languages. These results provide, to our knowledge, the first direct evidence that both men and women can accurately assess men's physical strength from the voice, and suggest that estimates of strength are used to assess fighting ability.
1. Introduction
Multiple converging lines of evidence indicate that the ability to fight has been a powerful selective force acting on human males over evolutionary time. Males have been shown to set thresholds for acceptable resource division (i.e. welfare trade-off ratios; see Tooby et al. 2008) based partly on physical strength: stronger men are more prone to anger (Archer & Thanzami 2007; Sell et al. 2009b). Stronger men also prevail more in conflicts of interest, and have a higher sense of entitlement to contested resources (Sell et al. 2009b). Stronger males are also rated as more physically attractive, have more sexual partners and lose their virginity at earlier ages than weaker men (Sell 2006; Frederick & Haselton 2007; Gallup et al. 2007). Most significantly, cross-cultural evidence indicates that a man's fighting ability is a powerful determinant of his access to resources in most, if not all, cultures (Daly & Wilson 1988). Documented cases include the Yanomamo of Venezuela (Chagnon 1983), the Achuar of Ecuador (Patton 2000), the Tsimane of Bolivia (von Rueden et al. 2008), the Dani of highland New Guinea (Sargent 1974), the Samoan islanders (Freeman 1983), Mexican gangs (Lewis 1961), the Montenegrins of Eastern Europe (Boehm 1984), the Inuit (Balikci 1970) and American gangs (Toch 1969). Finally, a large range of anatomical and physiological sex differences testify to an evolutionary past in which males frequently engaged in interpersonal aggression. For example, men mature later, have larger bodies (Plavcan & Van Schaik 1997), have higher basal metabolic rates (Garn & Clark 1953), larger hearts, better heat dissipation, more haemoglobin, more muscle, less fat and denser bones (Archer 2009; Lassek & Gaulin 2009).
Given the importance of men's strength and fighting ability in resolving conflicts and in female mate preferences, it would be surprising if both men and women did not have adaptive specializations for detecting relevant cues of these attributes. Such abilities have been routinely documented across a broad array of non-human species (for review, see Huntingford & Turner 1987; Krebs & Davies 1993). In fact, recent research has shown that both men and women can judge physical strength from photographs of conspecific males (Sell et al. 2009a); approximately 40 per cent of the variance in adult male strength can be detected from static photographs of the body, and 25 per cent from static photographs of the face alone.
(a) Are there acoustic cues of fighting ability in the human voice?
Ancestrally, there would have been many occasions when the assessment of fighting ability from visual cues would have been problematic: e.g. distance, darkness and intervening physical obstructions (as when chimpanzee male coalitions call from neighbouring territories). Such conditions, if sufficiently recurrent, would have selected for supplementary assessment systems that did not rely on sight. Moreover, it seems probable that the voice conveys an array of different kinds of information relevant to conflict that is largely absent from a visual inspection of the body. For example, the vocal cords are regulated by the vagus nerve, which receives information from the viscera, and is also involved in the parasympathetic–sympathetic regulation of heart rate, blood pressure and other aspects of the so-called fight-or-flight system. The voice is likely to reveal short run changes in the maintenance or loss of fine-motor control compared with gross motor control (relevant to rage); parasympathetic/sympathetic system state; and the current tension of the individual's muscular system—itself an indicator of fear. As muscular tension goes up, pitch rises (Titze 1994). The voice may reveal longer term, more stable characteristics as well, such as anatomical relationships related to resonance, and the degree of exposure to testosterone during development. The vocal cords have androgen receptors, and sex differences in vocal fold size are surprisingly large (Titze 1994; Newman et al. 2000).
If the voice contains adaptively relevant information not available visually, then it seems likely that specializations evolved for extracting this information. For these reasons, it becomes important to ask whether there are non-visual cues of fighting ability to which humans may have been designed to detect and respond. A number of lines of evidence suggest that normal adult male speech may contain cues of formidability.
— Many non-human species have been shown to assess fighting ability via auditory cues; e.g. red deer (Clutton-Brock & Albon 1979), common loons (Mager et al. 2007), toads (Davies & Halliday 1978), baboons (Kitchen et al. 2003), croaking gourami (Ladich 1998) and owls (Hardouin et al. 2007).
— Testosterone is known to have pronounced effects on male voices (Dabbs & Mallinger 1999) and across development could plausibly affect physical strength and fighting ability (Bhasin et al. 1996), and aggressiveness (Archer 2006).
— Women's mate choices are affected by voice 'quality', suggesting that features of the male voice correlate with desirable attributes (Collins 2000; Hughes et al. 2004; Puts 2005).
— Thirty years of auditory perception research suggests a possible ability to detect height and weight from the voice, though with frequent failures to replicate (e.g. Lass et al. 1979a,b; Collins 2000; Gonzalez & Oliver 2004).
Measuring fighting ability in humans is ethically difficult and complicated by an evolutionary history of weaponry. Upper-body strength, however, has been shown to be a good proxy for fighting ability: it correlates with a history of aggression, self-reported success in conflicts and objective ratings of fighting ability by third parties viewing photographs of the targets (Sell et al. 2009a). An engineering analysis also shows that it is primarily upper-body strength that determines the hitting power of the weaponry available to human ancestors (Brues 1959).
(b) Predictions
In the eight studies presented below, we tested the following predictions derived from the theory that humans possess perceptual adaptations for extracting vocal cues of strength and fighting ability.
People should be able to assess physical strength from the speaking voice of adult males.
If the ability to assess strength from the voice was the result of a general ability to detect correlations, then individuals would probably perform best on the targets they were trained on—members of their own culture. If the ability to assess strength from the voice is a specialization that was built by evolution operating ancestrally across a diverse range of cultures and languages, then the system should focus on cues that are predictive across the species range. This, in turn, predicts that people should be able to detect strength from voices drawn from other cultures and populations, speaking unfamiliar languages.
Because males deployed physical aggression more than females ancestrally, selection would have probably designed individuals to be more accurate at assessing strength from male voices than from female voices.
By hypothesis, we expect that there is information available from the voice that is not available visually. If this is true, then strength assessments are predicted to be substantially more accurate when both auditory and visual channels are available to raters.
Physical strength is probably a better predictor of fighting ability than height or weight (Sell et al. 2009a,b). Therefore, if raters can assess height and weight from the voice at all, raters should be able to assess strength independent of height and weight.
In addition to these primary predictions, we analysed the voice samples acoustically to determine the relationship of fundamental frequency (F0) and formant dispersion (Df) to voice ratings and physical strength and body size (i.e. height and weight).
2. Material and Methods
(a) Stimulus subjects
Voice samples, body and strength measurements were taken from eight populations. For each sample, strength measures were z-scored and then averaged to create a single strength score for each subject that weighted each strength measure equally (Sell et al. 2009a).
(i) Sample 1
Sixty-three male psychology students from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), (mean age = 18.7, s.d. = 0.88, range: 18–22) were given course credit for participating.
Strength assessments: (Cronbach's α = 0.78).
— Handgrip strength (M = 53.2 kg, s.d. = 8.4). A Rolyan hydraulic hand dynamometer was used to measure grip strength.
— Flexed bicep circumference (M = 33.5 cm, s.d. = 3.5). Approximately 50 per cent of the variance in weight-lifting strength among male college students is tracked by flexed bicep circumference (Sell et al. 2009a).
— Photo ratings. Subjects are highly accurate at judging physical strength from full body photographs (Sell et al. 2009a). Ratings of physical strength from full body pictures explain about 50 per cent of the variance in weight-lifting strength. Full body photographs of the stimulus subjects (i.e. no shirt, standardized gym shorts) were shown to 50 UCSB undergraduates (18 males and 32 females) who rated each photograph on physical strength from 1 (very weak) to 7 (very strong). Ratings were averaged so that each stimulus subject had a single photo-strength rating.
Voice samples.
Subjects were instructed to say in their normal speaking voice, 'This is an experiment, over and out'. Voices were recorded using the built in microphone on a portable audio cassette recorder (Sony CFD-S350; frequency range = 80 Hz–10 kHz). Acoustic analyses were performed on recordings acquired in a variety of ways, many using relatively low sampling rates, and three using compression (samples 3, 5 and 7). Research has shown that F0 measurements are highly comparable across formats in the range of sampling rates used in the current studies, including recordings using lossy compression (mp3; e.g. Gonzalez et al. 2003; Deliyski et al. 2005).
Aggression measures.
In sample 1 only, subjects were asked to report how many physical fights they had engaged in during the last 4 years (M = 4.0, s.d. = 7.4) and were given the Physical Aggression subscale of the Buss–Perry Aggression Questionnaire (M = 2.5, s.d. = 0.75; Buss & Perry 1992). This scale contains items designed to measure the tendency to react with overt physical attacks such as, 'If somebody hits me, I hit back' and 'Once in a while I can't control the urge to strike another person'.
(ii) Sample 2
Forty-nine adult male Tsimane Indians provided voice samples in their native Tsimane language and had their strength and body size measurements taken as part of a larger project (mean age = 35.8, s.d. = 13.5, range: 19–68; von Rueden et al. 2008). The Tsimane language resembles Moseten (the language of a Bolivian group similar to the Tsimane), but otherwise these two are distantly related to other South American languages.
Strength assessments: (Cronbach's α = 0.79).
— Chest strength (M = 28.9 kg, s.d. = 8.3). The subject pressed a Lafayette Manual Muscle Tester between the palms of his hands, with the elbows perpendicular to the torso at mid-chest height.
— Shoulder strength (M = 10.2 kg, s.d. = 2.1). The experimenter held the muscle tester on the subject's wrist while the subject's arm was outstretched at a right angle from his torso. The subject then raised his arm against the experimenter's resistance.
— Handgrip strength (M = 39.5 kg, s.d. = 7.3). A Smedley III handgrip strength dynamometer was used to measure grip strength.
— Flexed bicep circumference (M = 31.0 cm, s.d. = 1.9).
Voice samples.
Subjects were instructed to say in a normal speaking voice, 'Nobi cojiro tsun quin dyem' venchuban aca'yaty anic fer no'bacni tsun', which translates as, 'We will cross the river and then arrive home; it was a tough crossing for us'. Voices were recorded with a portable digital recorder (iPod with Belkin Voice Recorder; frequency range = 500 Hz–12 kHz).
(iii) Sample 3
Twenty male Andean herder-horticulturalists from the villages of Gobernador Solá and Ingeniero Maury in the province of Salta, Argentina, provided voices and were measured on strength, height and weight (mean age = 34.8; s.d. = 19.1, range 15–71). Their voice samples were given in Spanish.
Strength assessments: (Cronbach's α = 0.57).
— Chest strength (M = 38.8 kg, s.d. = 10.4). A Rolyan hydraulic hand dynamometer was used as a measure of chest strength. The handle was inverted and the subjects held the dynamometer to their chest and pressed the bars together. Subjects were told to hold the device to their chest with elbows at 90° from the torso and press in as hard as possible (Sell et al. 2009a; electronic supplementary material).
— Flexed bicep circumference (M = 32.3 cm, s.d. = 3.6).
Voice Samples.
Subjects were instructed to speak in a normal speaking voice, 'Cuando llueve se inundan las chacras, y la gente junta el maíz y prende fuego', which translates to, 'When it rains the ranches get flooded, and the people gather the maize and light fires'. Voices were recorded using a built-in microphone on a portable digital recorder (Olympus WS-100; frequency response: 100 Hz–12 kHz).
(iv) Samples 4 and 6
Fifty male students (sample 4) and 50 female students (sample 6) were taken from the student population at UCSB (males: mean age = 20.2, s.d. = 2.24, range: 18–31; females: mean age = 18.8, s.d. = 0.95, range: 18–22) and were paid $10 for their participation.
Strength assessments: (Cronbach's α = 0.75 males, 0.63 females).
— Chest strength dynamometer (men: M = 55.2 kg, s.d. = 14.1; women: M = 26.3 kg, s.d. = 6.1), as with sample 3.
— Flexed bicep circumference (men: M = 33.5 cm, s.d. = 3.2; women: M = 28.6 cm, s.d. = 2.6).
— Photo ratings. Twenty-four UCSB undergraduates (12 female) rated body photographs as in sample 1.
Voice samples.
Subjects were asked to read the first sentence of the Rainbow Passage (Fairbanks 1960), 'When the sunlight strikes raindrops in the air, they act like a prism and form a rainbow'. The recording was taken with the built-in microphone on a portable cassette recorder (Sony Pressman TCM-400DV; frequency range: 250–6300 Hz).
(v) Samples 5 and 7
Forty-four male students (sample 5) and 30 female students (sample 7) from the University of Timisoara in Romania (males: mean age = 21.7, s.d. = 3.48, range: 20–38; females: mean age = 21.1, s.d. = 1.89, range 20–29) participated as part of a course requirement.
Strength assessments: (Cronbach's α = 0.68 males, 0.64 females).
— Chest strength dynamometer (men: M = 46.3 kg, s.d. = 10.7; women: M = 26.6 kg, s.d. = 4.9) as with sample 3.
— Handgrip strength (men: M = 52.6 kg, s.d. = 7.7; women: 32.6 kg, s.d. = 5.2).
— Flexed bicep circumference (men: M = 32.9 cm, s.d. = 2.7; women: 27.6 cm, s.d. = 2.5).
Height and weight measures were not available for these subjects.
Voice samples.
Subjects were instructed to say in a normal speaking voice, 'Iesi si taci', which translates to, 'Get out and be quiet'. Voices were recorded with the built-in microphone on a portable digital recorder (Olympus WS-100; frequency response: 100 Hz–12 kHz).
(vi) Sample 8
Fifty-four male students from the student population at UCSB (mean age: 19.9, s.d. = 2.0, range: 18–23) were brought to a sound studio on campus to give voice samples and have strength measurements taken. High-quality recordings are needed to get accurate Df measures, so this sample served primarily to determine the relationship between Df and voice ratings and body measurements.
Strength assessments: (Cronbach's α = 0.61).
— Chest strength dynamometer (M = 53.6 kg, s.d. = 12.5) as with sample 3.
— Flexed bicep circumference (M = 31.7 cm, s.d. = 2.9).
Voice samples.
Subjects were instructed to produce five vowels ('a' as in bait, 'e' as in beet, 'i' as in bite, 'o' as in boat and 'oo' as in boot). Accurate measures of Df require averaging across a range of vocal tract configurations. Voices were recorded digitally (44.1 kHz, 16 bit) using AKG C 414B-XL II microphones with the polar pattern set to Cardioid (frequency range: 20 Hz–20 kHz).
(b) Voice ratings and acoustic analysis
Undergraduates from UCSB were instructed to rate the voices on physical strength, height and weight using a 7-point scale. Types of ratings were done separately and randomly so that a given rater would rate all voices in a given sample on one variable at random (e.g. strength), then the same voices on the next variable (e.g. height) and then on the final variable (e.g. weight). Voices were also randomized within each block. Because height and weight were not available for samples 5 and 7, these voices were rated on physical strength only. For sample 1 only, raters also assessed the voices on 'how tough he would be in a physical fight'. Each sample was rated by a different group.
Raters for sample 1. Fifty-three undergraduates (22 female, mean age: 20.7, s.d.: 2.8) were paid $5 to rate the 63 United States (US) male voices.
Raters for sample 2. Thirty-one undergraduates (10 female, mean age: 19.7, s.d.: 1.5) were paid $5 to rate the 49 male Tsimane voices.
Raters for sample 3. Thirty undergraduates (17 female, mean age: 18.8, s.d.: 1.1) were paid $5 or given course credit to rate the 20 Andean voices.
Raters for sample 4. Fifty-four undergraduates (42 female, mean age: 20.5, s.d.: 5.7) were paid $5 to rate the 50 US male voices.
Raters for sample 5. Twenty undergraduates (12 female, mean age: 19.1, s.d.: 1.0) were given course credit to rate the 44 Romanian male voices.
Raters for sample 6. Forty-seven undergraduates (30 female, mean age: 20.2, s.d.: 1.9) were paid $5 to rate the 50 US female voices.
Raters for sample 7. Twenty-one undergraduates (14 female, mean age: 19.0, s.d.: 0.9) were given course credit to rate the 30 Romanian female voices.
Raters for sample 8. Thirty-six undergraduates (25 female, mean age: 19.4, s.d.: 1.4) were paid $5 to rate the recordings of vowel sounds from the 54 US males.
(i) Acoustic analysis
All analogue (i.e. cassette recorded) speech samples were digitized (44.1 kHz, 16 bit) and resampled to 11.025 kHz with an anti-aliasing filter. Acoustic analysis was performed using PRAAT (v. 4.6.03). Average (F0) was calculated on entire utterances using PRAAT's autocorrelation algorithm with a search setting of 75–500 Hz, as recommended for adult males, or 100–600 Hz for female voices. In sample 8, Df was calculated as (F4 – F3) + (F3 – F2) + (F2 – F1)/3 with separate calculations of all formants for each vowel, and those values averaged for the final Df value. Overall F0 was calculated by averaging F0 values across the five vowels.
3. Results and discussion
All samples were analysed independently. In order to compare our results with previous studies that averaged ratings together and correlated them with body variables, we computed Pearson correlations between averaged voice ratings and their actual counterparts. This is the traditional technique for assessing the accuracy of voice ratings, but it provides ambiguous information about the accuracy of individual raters because a few raters with large correlations can cause sizeable aggregate correlations even if the average rater is not accurate at all. A more informative measure of the average individual accuracy can be done with hierarchical linear regression models (HLM) that we used to compute the average within-rater slopes of the relationship between voice ratings as a dependent variable and actual body characteristics as level 1 predictors (Raudenbush & Bryk 2002). For example, a regression slope relating ratings of strength to actual strength can be computed for each of the 53 raters in study 1. Hierarchical regression then computes a regression coefficient (γ) that represents the average of those 53 slopes and tests the null hypothesis that this average slope is zero. All variables were standardized (z-scored) before entry into the HLM, making the gamma statistic interpretable as a standardized regression coefficient. All HLM analyses controlled for sex of rater effects (all non-significant). All HLM calculations were performed with HLM 6.0 software from Scientific Software International, Inc.
(a) Accuracy of strength, height and weight assessment
So that our data could be compared with previous studies, we have reported the Pearson correlations between actual body characteristics and the average ratings of those characteristics from the voice on the left side of table 1. HLMs with ratings of a trait as the dependent variable and the actual measured trait as the level 1 predictor variable were used to estimate the average individual accuracy of strength, height and weight assessment from the voice and are reported in the three middle columns of table 1. These gammas represent the estimated accuracy for a random individual rater.
The results confirmed predictions (i) through to (v).
Average individual estimates of strength from the voice were accurate and highly significant across all six male samples ranging from γ = 0.18 to 31. This accuracy is similar to the accuracy of strength assessment from static visual images of the face, but lower than estimation from images of the body (Sell et al. 2009a).
Accuracy of strength estimation was similar across both familiar and unfamiliar languages.
While strength was accurately estimated from women's voices in both the US and Romanian samples, the effect was about half as large as for their male counterparts. The same pattern is found when assessing strength from visual images of the face (Sell et al. 2009a).
Estimates of strength were notably enhanced when both auditory and visual channels were available (see below).
Assessments of strength remained significant, controlling for both height and weight (see below).
(b) Is perceived fighting ability related to the other voice ratings?
Yes. In sample 1, raters assessed 'how tough he would be in a physical fight' in addition to strength, height and weight. Perceptions of the targets' fighting ability were virtually identical to the perceptions of physical strength (r = 0.98), showing that—regardless of their relationship in the real world—raters were treating physical strength and fighting ability as synonymous. This same relationship was found when assessing fighting ability from photographs (Sell et al. 2009a).
(c) Are subjects' perceptions of men's fighting ability related to those men's actual history of fighting?
Yes. In sample 1, the only sample for which the data were available, the average perceived fighting ability scores for target males were positively correlated with their fighting history (how many fights they reported having been in during the last 4 years), r = 0.36, p = 0.002, and their score on the Physical Aggression subscale of the Buss–Perry Aggression Questionnaire, r = 0.49, p = 0.0001. In other words, raters are detecting a cue in the voice that tracks actual measures of fighting behaviour. Although this finding suggests that they are tracking actual fighting ability, it ought to be treated cautiously because we do not know how many of these fights the targets won. Nonetheless, research has shown that more formidable individuals are those more likely to engage in fights (Archer & Thanzami 2007; Sell et al. 2009,b).
(d) Do listeners extract additional formidability information from the voice that is not supplied from visual cues?
Yes. To test prediction (iv), our strength measures for samples 1 and 4 were recomputed without the photograph rating component. The new strength measure was then predicted in a simultaneous regression analysis by both the average voice rating of strength and the average photograph ratings of strength. The results of the model showed independent contributions from both the photo ratings (sample 1: β = 0.52, p = 0.00001; sample 4: β = 0.50, p = 0.0002) and voice ratings (sample 1: β = 0.25, p = 0.022; sample 4: β = 0.27, p = 0.032) on actual strength. These results demonstrate that there are cues in the voice which predict strength that are not available during visual inspection of static photographs, and suggest that the system evolved to take advantage of this additional information.
(e) Is the ability to estimate strength a by-product of height and weight detection?
Because height, weight and strength are positively related to each other, the ability to assess strength from the male voice could be a by-product of height and weight detection. Alternatively, the ability to accurately estimate height and weight from the voice could be a by-product of a mechanism for strength assessment. Our prediction is that a mechanism designed by natural selection to assess formidability would extract cues of physical strength rather than just height or weight. This prediction stems from previous research showing that physical strength, more than height or weight, is related to anger and aggression (Sell et al. 2009a,b). To distinguish between these hypotheses, we constructed three HLM models each with actual strength, height and weight predicting one of the three ratings. The independent accuracy of each of the three body measurements across six studies are shown on the right side of table 1. The results indicate:
— ratings of strength from the voice, when controlling for height and weight, continue to predict actual strength across all male samples with roughly the same effect size. The ability to assess strength is not dependant on height or weight assessment;
— ratings of height inconsistently predict actual height when controlling for strength and weight;
— ratings of weight largely fail to predict actual weight when controlling for strength and height; and
— in contrast to male voices, the ability to estimate female strength from the voice completely disappeared, in fact reversed, when controlling for height and weight.
The ability to estimate strength, in men at least, is not a by-product of height and weight assessment; the data are more consistent with the proposal that height and weight assessment are by-products of strength assessment.
Furthermore, raters seemed to be giving the same ratings regardless of whether they were asked to rate height, weight or strength. The inter-correlations between the average ratings of height, weight and strength are extremely high, especially for samples with more raters: Cronbach's α (sample 1 = 0.97; sample 2 = 0.85; sample 3 = 0.90; sample 4 = 0.98; sample 5 = 0.91, sample 8 = 0.94; all n = 3). In summary, regardless of whether you ask individuals to rate height, weight, strength or fighting ability, they will produce the same ratings, which track cues of physical strength independent of height and weight.
(f) Is voice assessment accuracy the result of men who think they are strong modulating their voice?
No. In four of the six male samples, the stimulus subjects were asked to report their own physical strength (samples 1, 3, 4 and 5). The speakers rated their physical strength relative to other males—e.g. 'I am stronger than ____% of others of my sex'. This self-report measure has been shown to correlate with actual lifting strength in previous studies (Sell et al. 2009a; electronic supplementary material). For each of the four studies in which self-report was available, a simultaneous regression analysis was performed, predicting the voice rating of strength from both self-reported strength and actual strength. In all four samples, self-reported strength did not account for any significant variance in voice ratings when actual strength was in the model: sample 1: actual strength β = 0.47, p = 0.002, self-reported strength β = −0.083, p = 0.57; sample 3: actual strength β = 0.47, p = 0.047, self-reported strength β = −0.05, p = 0.82; sample 4: actual strength β = 0.51, p = 0.005, self-reported strength β = 0.004, p = 0.98; sample 5: actual strength β = 0.53, p = 0.0005, self-reported strength β = −0.17, p = 0.22. In other words, actual strength determined how strong the subject's voice sounded to others, and not how strong the subject believed himself to be. This is the opposite of what would be predicted if men who believed themselves strong were modulating their voice and that this relationship was responsible for the relationship between physical strength and ratings of strength from the voice. This is not to say that there are not vocal cues of confidence or lack of fear that may be produced during aggressive interactions (we believe there are), but those cues are not responsible for the ability to assess strength from normal speaking voices.
(g) Did F0 account for variance in physical strength and judgments of physical strength?
F0 is the acoustic correlate of perceptual pitch and is the result of vocal fold vibration during speech. Studies generally show no relationship between F0 and physical size in adult males (see Evans et al. (2006) for a notable exception), but experiments that manipulate F0 suggest that humans might use F0 as a cue to strength. For example, men show more deference to a voice with lower F0 (Puts et al. 2006). Rendall et al. (2007) suggested three possibilities for people's misguided use of F0 in body size judgments. One is that listeners might be generalizing the between-speaker differences that do exist (e.g. women and children, on average, have higher pitched voices than adolescent and adult males). Second, listeners might be generalizing from other negative pitch–size relationships (i.e. larger things produce lower frequencies on average in the world). Last, listeners might be letting other F0 correspondences (e.g. F0 is related to testosterone exposure) intrude on pitch–body size judgments (see also Collins (2000) for related discussion).
To address these questions, all voice samples were analysed for F0 and correlated with average voice ratings and actual body ratings. Results are reported in table 2. F0 failed to reliability correlate with measures of strength. While F0 did tend to affect raters' estimations of strength (i.e. lower pitch correlated with perceptions of greater strength), this percept was erroneous. Recent work has explored this 'perceptual pull' that F0 exerts on judgments of size, and the results are consistent with ours (Rendall et al. 2007).
(h) Did Df account for variance in physical strength and judgments of physical strength?
Df is the most reliable known acoustic index of body size in humans, as well as other primates. Df is the averaged distance between adjacent resonance frequencies resulting from the vocal source filtering of the superlaryngeal vocal tract. Fitch (1997) proposed that because vocal tract length (VTL) positively correlates with height, the distance between adjacent frequencies should provide a reliable index (i.e. Df should negatively correlate with VTL). There is only limited evidence that listeners can detect body size from this cue however (Rendall et al. 2007). Rendall and his collaborators found that judges could discriminate between speakers with different Df but only when the actual height difference between presented pairs exceeded 10 cm. These data are consistent with other work showing that VTL just noticeable differences are approximately 4–7% in synthesized speech (Ives et al. 2005; Smith et al. 2005). Detecting formant spatial relationships is clearly difficult even for a system that probably has related specializations for perceiving formant information in other domains (e.g. formant transitions in vowel sounds). Nevertheless, there is a distinct possibility that humans respond to Df as a cue of physical strength.
High-quality acoustic recordings of vowels representing a range of vocal tract configurations are needed for accurate measurement of Df. Sample 8 was designed primarily to assess the relationship between Df and formidability and ratings of strength. The voice samples consisted of vowels produced by subjects in a sound studio. Df did not correlate with physical strength or weight (strength: r = −0.08, p = 0.58; weight: r = 0.04, p = 0.77), but did show a significant negative relationship with height (r = −0.36, p = 0.01). Like F0, Df showed significant negative relationships with voice ratings as well (strength: r = −0.45, p = 0.001; height: r = −0.51, p = 0.0001; weight: r = −0.37, p = 0.01). However, Df cannot be responsible for the accuracy of strength assessment as it is not correlated with strength. Additionally, when controlling for Df, ratings of strength are still accurate (partial r = 0.30, p = 0.03). Ratings of height become only marginally significant when controlling for Df (partial r = 0.25, p = 0.07), suggesting raters may be using Df in their height assessments. In summary, Df is a genuine cue of height that raters might be using when assessing height, but Df is not related to physical strength and is not the cue raters are using to accurately assess strength.
For the moment, the acoustic variables that people use to assess physical strength are unknown.
4. Conclusion
These findings support the hypothesis that the human voice—especially the male voice—contains cues of physical strength, and that natural selection built specializations into the human neurocognitive architecture designed for assessing fighting ability based on these cues. These specializations extract information not available from the visual channel alone and cues that are uniquely predictive of upper-body strength rather than height and weight. These results complement and support earlier work, indicating that fighting assessment from visual channels focuses on predicting upper-body strength in men (Sell et al. 2009a).
These results offer an explanation as to why a 30 year research programme examining the ability of raters to detect height and weight from the voice has returned such inconsistent findings. From an evolutionary point of view, determining a conspecific's height or weight had no clear function in itself. On the other hand, determining physical strength was vitally important. Consistent with this, ratings tracked physical strength independent of both height and weight across all samples. However raters were not able to consistently extract unique cues of weight or height.
Both theoretical analyses and evidence from other species indicate that natural selection would favour cognitive mechanisms that accurately assess fighting ability. The studies presented here provide direct evidence that both men and women can accurately assess adult men's physical strength from cues in the speaking voice. Furthermore, the cues are not solely cues of size but instead appear to track correlates of upper-body strength more directly and in ways that do not require experience with a particular language. Taken together, the results strongly support the hypothesis that the human cognitive architecture contains specializations for formidability assessment through auditory channels.
The studies presented here in were approved by the Human Subjects Committee ethics board at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
We thank Christina Larson, June Betancourt, Mahsa and Golsa Afsharpour, Lauren Click, Andy Delton, Max Krasnow, Jim Roney, Roxana Toma, Silviu Nisu and Phillip Smith for their valuable insights and assistance. We would also like to thank Professor P. Petrescu of the University of Timisoara, Norma Naharro, Mirta Santoni, the head of the Museo de Antropología de Salta, and the villagers of Gobernador Solá and Ingeniero Maury as well as the Tsimane people. We thank Kevin Kelly for donating his time and expertise with the UCSB sound studio. Financial support for this project was provided by an NIH Director's Pioneer Award to L.C. and the UCSB Pre-Dissertation Field Site Visit Grant awarded to D.S.
- Received April 10, 2010.
- Accepted May 25, 2010.
- © 2010 The Royal Society


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CHILLICOTHE — The name of a new sports bar in Chillicothe, the Slide Inn, gives the indication that you could roll in, order your food, dine effortlessly, then roll out smoothly. That wasn't my experience on a recent Saturday.
The place has been open a little more than a month in the spot that formerly housed Tequila's Mexican Bar and Grill. The spot now has several big-screen TVs, team logos and lots of beer signs. There's a bar area in the back, and the walls are painted sporty blue and red.
We arrived about 5 p.m. on a Saturday and found a good percentage of the tables and booths occupied. As we waited for menus and drinks, the place steadily filled up. Soon, the staff was so slammed they were dashing down the aisles.
To drink I ordered a soda ($1.75) and my guest chose a Sierra Nevada draft ($4.25 for a 27 oz.) from the large selection of beer.
The menu includes appetizers such as fried pickles, onion rings, pretzel bats with cheese sauce and spicy mustard, and wings. There's pizza; sandwiches such as burgers and pulled pork; wraps and a few salads.
We placed our order — appetizers and main dishes — and after waiting at least 30 minutes the food arrived all at once. It's a minor inconvenience to get started on the appetizer while a sandwich and pizza gets cold. To add to the inconvenience, we had no utensils and had to ask two separate servers for silverware bundles before receiving them.
Once armed with forks, we both enjoyed the Bases Loaded Fries ($6.25), a basket of french fries with ground hamburger and nacho cheese sauce, topped liberally with iceberg lettuce, tomatoes and jalapeno slices, with sour cream on the side.
We also tried the boneless wings ($5.25 for a half dozen), and went with the spicy garlic sauce over the other options of mild, medium, hot, barbecue and teriyaki. The wing sauce had a delicious garlic tang with a slight spiciness.
The supreme pizza ($12 for a 12-inch, the only size) was so-so. They don't skimp on the toppings, but the crust was very dry, and that's not a good thing when no one checks back to see if your empty glass needs refilling.
My guest liked the tenderloin sandwich, which was juicy and lightly breaded. He ordered it with lettuce, onion and tomato, though it appeared without any toppings. We flagged down a server, who brought the toppings out. While the tenderloin was bigger than the bun, it wasn't monstrous, which is fine with me; when it comes to tenderloins I'd rather have quality than quantity.
We never received the side salad that came along with the sandwich but by this time we were both full, and it would've meant again flagging down another server.
The atmosphere here is laid back and jovial; it seems to already be a favorite place in town to sip beer, watch a game and meet up with friends. But when it comes to accurate or speedy service, be prepared to let some things slide.
Danielle Hatch can be reached at 686-3262 or email@example.com. Follow her on Twitter @danielle_hatch.
Dining Out: Slide Inn slips and slides by
CHILLICOTHE — The name of a new sports bar in Chillicothe, the Slide Inn, gives the indication that you could roll in, order your food, dine effortlessly, then roll out smoothly. That wasn't my experience on a recent Saturday.

subset: commoncrawl


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Kellan Lutz is single for the summer! The hunky Twilight star broke up with Australian actress Sharni Vinson in early May, several sources confirm to Us Weekly. Lutz, 28, and Vinson, 29, were first linked in September 2011.
Ironically, the former couple met during a chemistry reading for Step Up 3D. Though Vinson won the role of street dancer Natalie, Lutz never appeared in the dance flick.
PHOTOS: Kellan Lutz's top 10 shirtless moments
In the early stages of their relationship, Lutz often gushed about his compatibly with Vinson. "She's a happy person, which really just clicks with me," he once said of the Home and Away soap star. "It's just great to have someone you can smile with all the time. It's really special."
PHOTOS: Love lives of Twilight stars
The North Dakota native previously dated 90210 actress AnnaLynne McCord on-and-off from 2008 to 2010. Vinson, meanwhile, was linked to CSI: NY vet A. J. Buckley from 2007 to 2008.
Lutz currently appears in the film Syrup, costarring Amber Heard, Brittany Snow and Shiloh Fernandez. The drama is available on demand now and arrives in theaters June 7.
This article originally appeared on Usmagazine.com: Kellan Lutz Breaks Up With Sharni Vinson


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We are mainly engaged in R&D and production of road construction and high-end road maintenance equipment,the The Best China 1850 kg reliable intelligent trailer crack sealing machine and services have covered in more than 100 countries around the world,provide the One-Stop solutions for customers.With decades' development,we have absorbed the top technical talents to keep continuous innovation in leading high-end road maintenance equipment. Pavement Crack Repair Series,Pothole Repair Series,Pavement Surface Construction Series,Asphalt Mixture Equipment Series,Compaction Equipment Series,Concrete Construction Series and Pavement Maintenance Material Series are the main 7 series of products we are serving for customers.
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- "A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons."
- —Snape lecturing in Harry Potter's first year Potion class.[src]
As every First year Potions student learns, a bezoar is a stonelike mass taken from the stomach of a goat that acts as an antidote to most poisons, but does not work on everything. This object is usually made of hair, plant fiber, or similar indigestible matter that stays in the gut of an animal and forms a hard ball or "stone".
There is a small stock of bezoars in the Potions Classroom store cupboard. Severus Snape asks Harry Potter where to find a bezoar in Harry's first Potions class; when Harry is unable to answer this or any of the teacher's other questions, he earns Snape's contempt. Three years later, in a Potions exam, Harry forgets to add a bezoar to his potion, because he was thinking about asking Cho Chang to the Yule Ball. This earns him bottom marks.
As a student at Hogwarts, the Half-Blood Prince wrote "Just shove a bezoar down their throats." across the list of antidotes in his copy of Advanced Potion-Making. During his sixth-year class about antidotes, Harry, who was unable to understand Golpalott's Third Law, fetched a bezoar from the cupboard and showed it to Professor Horace Slughorn as the answer to the poison he was supposed to be analysing. This gained Harry Slughorn's admiration and ten points to Gryffindor for "sheer cheek."
Known UsersEdit
On 1 March, 1997, Ron Weasley was poisoned when he drank some oak-matured mead that was intended for Professor Dumbledore. Harry, remembering the above mentioned incident in Potions class, quickly found the bezoar he had given Professor Slughorn and shoved it down Ron's throat, saving his life.
Bezoars are undigested clumps of matter that accummulate inside a digestive system, similar to a cat's hairballs. They are used in Chinese herbology, and are claimed to remove toxins from the body. The word "bezoar" may come from the Persian pâdzahr (پادزهر), which literally means "protection from poison."
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (First mentioned)
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film) (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game) (First appearance) (GBC version only)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)
Thank you very much to the Harry Potter wiki from which I have gotten all my material!


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Protect Wealth through Fraud Prevention
Contact: Jim Gavin
Save + Invest = Wealth. This simple formula illustrates how saving and investing is key to helping consumers achieve financial security. As Indiana' s chief securities regulator, I encourage Hoosiers to save and invest; however, there's a flaw with this formula. It doesn't account for the "fraud factor" that my office investigates on a daily basis. Too many people forget to do their homework before they invest, and as a result, they lose their hard-earned savings to fraud.
During national America Saves Week, which runs February 24 - March 2, my office will focus on the importance of saving and investing wisely. The Secretary of State's office holds a unique position; we do not offer financial advice. Rather, we regulate those who do.
Our job is to protect Hoosier investors from fraud. We regulate the stockbrokers and investment advisers who help you invest your money. We make sure they are properly licensed and follow Indiana's securities laws. We also regulate Indiana loan brokers. But that's only part of the picture - our mission is to provide Hoosier investors with tools and resources needed to make wise and informed financial decisions.
A statewide survey we conducted in early 2006 showed that nearly two-thirds of Indiana adults who own financial investments were unaware of potential fraud. As a result, my office created "Indiana Investment Watch" - an educational outreach campaign geared towards educating Hoosiers on how to protect their hard-earned savings from fraud. The program features television, radio, print, outdoor, interactive DVD, podcasts and newsletters. The program is not funded from state taxpayer dollars. Instead, it is funded entirely from the fines paid by stock brokerage firms for conflict-of-interest activities.
Education and awareness are an investor's first line of defense against investment fraud. So make the decision to save and invest during America Saves Week, but don't skip the final step. Remember to be alert for the "fraud factor" as you plan for your financial future, and remember that if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.
Please contact the Indiana Secretary of State's Securities Division at 800-223-8791 or visit our website if you have any questions about a broker, investment adviser, investment product, or if you think you are a victim of fraud.


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To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
It seems to me like Nokia just needs to stick to one direction. The new CEO's talk about creating an entire ecosystem suggests that he understands what needs to be done. It is now more of a matter of figuring out how to accomplish that goal.
Would it be possible to port QT over to Android and Dalvik over to Meego? If they could, and with Google's blessing, then it seems like they could have both Android and Meego phones that in the long run compliment their entire software ecosystem as the new CEO is talking about. Since both QT and Dalvik are easy to port it seems to me that they could easily compliment one another. It seems like this would be okay with Google since their only real goal is to sell ads to mobile phones.
I still think it is crazy that they are not using a 100% QT stack for Meego. Hopefully in the long-run they will abandon the GTK+ portion and run just one toolkit. What exactly does the GTK+ portion of the stack bring that couldn't just as easily be done in QT other than legacy support for a platform that never took off in the first place?


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All Lenovo warranties include phone access to customer support and full coverage on labour, parts and system repair for all manufacturer defects or common-use issues that arise with your Lenovo Product. If an issue cannot be resolved by phone, Lenovo will dispatch a certified technician to attempt repair of your machine at your location with no shipping involved. This service provides parts and labour repair coverage where labour is provided onsite at your place of business. If Lenovo determines your product problem is covered by the product warranty and cannot be resolved over the telephone or with a customer replaceable unit, repair will be made onsite, typically the next business day. Service is available during Lenovo's normal in-country business hours. Calls received after 4pm local time will require an additional business day for service dispatch. On-site service is available in metropolitan areas only. Next business day service is not guaranteed.
Lenovo's Sealed Battery Warranty is an extended battery warranty available with depot or on-site service and offers a single battery replacement in the event a covered battery fails to meet minimum performance standards.


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Orange Army Navy has been owned and operated by the same family since 1955 trying to give the same customer service when it first opened. At Orange Army Navy, you'll find a wide range of authentic military items. We also carry clothing, hats, boots, medals, badges, ribbons, military insignias, knives, casual shoes, casual clothes, sunglasses, camping gear, and much more!
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Is Your IP Address Your Personal Information?
from the seems-like-a-stretch dept
In fact, this whole discussion raises an important (and all-too-often-ignored) issue: personal information and privacy isn't exactly a binary situation, where information either is, or is not, private. There's a whole spectrum -- and it depends very much on the circumstance. Your name is personal info, but most people are public enough with it. Your credit card information clearly is "private," but you share it with plenty of merchants as part of the transaction that you're making. Your phone number is personal information that you may keep private in some cases, but are willing to make public in others. So, the privacy of personal information varies a great deal based on the context and use -- and it seems a bit forced to suddenly declare that a particular piece of information is personal, and therefore must be kept private.


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Relax during your short drive in air-conditioned comfort to the world famous Dunn's River Falls where you'll climb 600 feet of cool refreshing water as it cascades over natural limestone terraces. Guides are provided to assist you when ascending the rushing waters as it plunges directly into the pristine Caribbean Sea. After this invigorating experience you will be transported to Dolphin Cove, upon arrival you'll be met by a friendly hostess and offered a complimentary fruit drink.
This unique park, surrounded by lush tropical jungle, is home to a beautiful family of bottlenose dolphins, sharks, stingrays, exotic birds, snakes and iguanas. After a brief orientation, you're ready to enter the world of nature's most fascinating creatures - the dolphins. Get to know the animals as you interact with them in deep water. Experience the thrill of "riding" the dolphin belly to belly. Dance, sing, play and even enjoy a kiss or two. After enjoying this experience of a lifetime, spend time watching the dolphins at play in their natural habitat, the Caribbean Sea.
Enjoy a leisurely stroll through the lush tropical jungle for an up close experience with the beautiful and friendly birds and iguanas. Mingle with and feed the colorful free flying lovebirds in the bird aviary. Interact with exotic sea creatures in the touch tank display. Enjoy a hands-on experience on how to make unique pottery at Wassi Arts at Dolphin Cove. Watch in amazement as a local wood carver makes ordinary pieces of wood come to life. Learn about Jamaican culture and enjoy many other amenities at Dolphin Cove. Shuttle buses are available at 10 minute intervals to return you to the ship. Optional shopping is available at your convenience. Tour may operate in reverse order.


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Imagine you are buying stocking stuffers and Christmas gifts for your daughter, niece, or granddaughter. You see some cute snuggly girly backpacks, some princess dresses, some multi-colored knee socks, some lip gloss, and crotchless panties! No we are not joking! This is similar to what happened to Erin French as she visited a children's store in Colorado. This outraged Erin along with several other parents, and the kids store has since been made to pull its crotchless underwear for kids! The store is called Kids N Teen, which is located in a Colorado mall. The owner of the store says that the store sells mostly kids products, but they also have "select" products marketed to teens. Erin French expressed her disgust saying that the store has "cuddly little backpacks and princess dresses". She was able to capture the crotchless thongs on her cell phone camera.
Inappropriate of not? What do you think?


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- AltCar Auto Show
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Auto Show: 2013 Detroit Auto Show
2014 Lexus IS: Detroit Auto Show
- New IS offers spindle grille, sharp lines
- Interior is radically different from today's model
- Engines carry over; hybrid won't come to US
The 2014 Lexus IS sports sedan has arrived in Detroit. Aimed squarely at new models from several other top luxury brands, the latest IS offers new styling, an overhauled interior and other major changes to stay competitive among a daunting group of rivals.
On the outside, the new IS makes a radical departure from today's model. Up front is Lexus's new "spindle" grille, which gives the car a more distinct look than the outgoing model. That look is aided by sharp new L-shaped LED light strips, which are separate from the sedan's headlights. Other major exterior updates include door sills that twist ahead of the sedan's rear wheels, pointed LED lights in back, and sculpted lines on nearly all surfaces.
But the IS's exterior overhaul hardly compares to its interior redo. The last model's comfortable - if dull - cabin has been totally transformed in the 2014 IS, taking many cues from Lexus's LFA supercar. That means the traditional gauges are gone, replaced by an electronic tachometer with a digital speed readout. The thick center stack adds aluminum trim and sharper edges. And the new IS ditches last year's touchscreen navigation system for what Lexus calls Remote Touch-controlled Navigation. That means the new system is positioned higher on the dashboard and controlled by a dial mounted next to the shifter.
Lexus says the US-bound IS will offer two engines, both carried over from today's model. A base-level IS 250 will use a 2.5-liter V6, while a 3.5-liter V6 will power the sporty IS 350. Both models will offer an "F Sport" package, which the automaker showed in Detroit. That version boasts performance-themed interior and exterior revisions along with suspension and steering that's tuned to improve handling.
Beyond the IS 250 and IS 350, Lexus says a hybrid IS 300h will also be available in other markets like Europe and Japan. The brand didn't announce why the gas-electric model won't make it stateside, nor did it comment on the future of the high-performance IS-F model or today's hardtop convertible variant.
Lexus has not yet announced pricing for the 2014 IS, which is scheduled to go on sale in mid-2013. We don't expect much of an increase from today's figures, which start around $34,500 for an IS 250 and $41,000 for an IS 350.
What it means to you: With the latest IS, Lexus offers a direct challenge to strong rivals like the BMW 3 Series, Cadillac ATS, and Infiniti Q50.
See all Detroit Auto Show News.
What do you think of the new Lexus IS? Let us know in the comments below.


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400 Long Lane Lancaster, PA 17603
Phone: (717) 872-9311
Outlet Store
Shop healthy fruts and veggies
About Us
Meet the Haas family
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400 Long Lane Lancaster, PA 17603
Phone: (717) 872-9311
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Cherry Hill Orchards Outlet
400 Long Lane
Lancaster, PA 17603
(717) 872-9311
Store Hours:
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Brief SummaryRead full entry
Stylommatophora is a "clade" of eupulmonate mollusk families that includes most of the terrestrial snails and slugs. All members of this group have a long pedal gland which produces protective and friction reducing mucus for locomotion, and two pairs of retractile tentacles on their head. The upper pair of tentacles house stalked eyes at the tip, olfactory organs are located on the lower pair (Kozloff 1990; Bouchet et al. 2005).


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The latest AJ features building studies of four housing projects: Ordnance Road in Enfield by Peter Barber Architects; Hortsley retirement housing in East Sussex by RCKa; Barbauld Road in Stoke Newington by Stephen Taylor Architects; and Anderston Regeneration Phases 4 and 5 in Glasgow by Collective Architecture. PLUS The AJ's Parenting Survey shows architecture is struggling to adapt to a flexible ...
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Where your money goes
AidData takes the lid off the shadowy world of foreign aid
AidData, a new public web site and search engine, will bring an unprecedented degree of transparency to the complex-and often shadowy-world of development finance.
AidData is a collaborative effort of the College of William & Mary, Brigham Young University and Development Gateway, an international nonprofit organization. The first version of the AidData web portal was launched in March at an international conference held in Oxford, UK.
AidData is the result of a merger between the databases of Project-Level Aid (PLAID) and Development Gateway's Accessible Information on Development Activities (AiDA). Project-Level Aid is a collaboration between William & Mary's Institute for the Theory and Practice of International Relations and Brigham Young University's Political Economy and Development Lab. PLAID was formed after scholars at William & Mary and Brigham Young University found that existing foreign-aid sources did not include enough comprehensive and detailed aid project information to perform their research on aid allocation and aid effectiveness. The PLAID initiative has received financial support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the National Science Foundation and other sources.
Michael Tierney, director of William & Mary's Institute for the Theory and Practice of International Relations, says that AidData currently is designed to be an "accessible portal" to be used by scholars, personnel in donor governments and organizations, advocacy groups, people in countries that receive foreign aid, journalists and ordinary citizens. Open access to aid records will have a beneficial effect across the foreign-aid spectrum.
"Citizens in democracies are happy to see some of their taxpayer dollars go to help people who are starving or dying," Tierney said. "They are not happy to see their money spent to prop up officials in corrupt governments. Shining a light on aid transfers reduces opportunities for waste and corruption."
The AidData team notes that each year, governments and international organizations provide nearly $160 billion to finance development projects in the world's poorest countries. But large bureaucracies and complicated reporting often make these transactions difficult for citizens to follow. AidData, by providing innovative web tools and access to the largest collection of development finance activities in the world, hopes to shed light on both the triumphs and failures of aid.
AidData nearly doubles the amount of money in development finance tracked by a single source, from $2.3 trillion since 1945 to $4.1 trillion. It makes available nearly one million individual foreign aid transactions, including detailed, paragraph-long narratives of multilateral aid projects.
In the coming months, Tierney explained, AidData plans to incorporate new types of foreign aid transactions, provide social networking tools, data visualization tools and also will attempt to broaden the database to cover other emerging donor countries such as Turkey, Cuba, Russia, Czech Republic, Libya and Iran.
If you would like to search AidData go to www.aiddata.org.


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San Joaquin County, with its agriculture-based economy, is among the lowest-ranked U.S. metro areas for science, technology, engineering and math-related employment, according to the Brookings Institution.
San Joaquin County, with its agriculture-based economy, is among the lowest-ranked U.S. metro areas for science, technology, engineering and math-related employment, according to the Brookings Institution.
A new Brookings study found nearly 25,000 STEM jobs in 2011, only enough to rank the county 98th among the nation's 100 largest U.S. metros. And that's less than a 14 percent share of area employment, again near the lowest in the country. Nationwide, about 20 percent of jobs are STEM-related.
Still, those workers have an important economic impact: At nearly $72,000 a year, they earn nearly twice the $37,000 annual wage of non-STEM workers in the county.
In San Joaquin County, the greatest concentration of science- and tech-related jobs is in health diagnostics and treatment. But other top sectors are construction trade workers, financial specialists, other repair and maintenance workers, and vehicle and engine technicians.
Jonathan Rothwell, a senior research associate at Brookings and the report's author, said the study released last week was aimed at teasing out the importance of technical jobs that require two years of college or less, what the report called "the hidden STEM economy."
Nationally, about half of all STEM jobs fall into that category. Yet they still remain in high demand.
"The strongest measure there is their wages are significantly higher," Rothwell said.
"Their wages are not just high compared to other Americans, but they are high compared to other workers with similar educational levels," he said.
So with an associate's degree or less - and without large school loans that attending four-year universities often involve - workers can acquire valuable, marketable knowledge.
But there's a strong bias toward professional occupations, and four-year degrees, in programs aimed at improving the nation's STEM work force.
Of the $4.3 billion spent by the federal government on STEM education, only one-fifth goes to support education or training below the bachelor's degree level, Brookings reports.
"Policymakers should recognize the contributions of all workers with a high level of STEM knowledge," Rothwell said. He suggested directing more of those educational funds to community colleges and other technical training programs.
Matt Wetstein, vice president for instruction at San Joaquin Delta College, welcomed Brookings' insight on STEM programs that are less than four years old.
Delta has a number of technical training programs that fit that description, including electrical, automotive, electron microscopy and solar power.
"We've got an amazing welding program," Wetstein said. And, he noted, "If you can do welding, you can make some good money."
In addition to pure technical training, Delta is working to boost the number of its students who ultimately transfer to four-year schools for advanced STEM education.
"Our transfers in STEM are really low," Wetstein said. "It's really a function of the low educational achievement levels (and poverty) in our region."
The idea is to better serve those students who might just need a little push in math or who have never thought of seeking a four-year degree in science and technology, he said.
To that end, Delta is using a federal grant to improve its STEM-related equipment and facilities, purchasing lab equipment, computers, software and the like.
"More of (Delta's students) are going to transfer, and more of them are going to be ready when they transfer to a four-year program," Wetstein said.
Skilled trade unions are also looking for more qualified applicants, typically recent high school graduates, said Rick Guantone, secretary/treasurer of the San Joaquin Area Apprenticeship Coordinators Association.
Whether the job is in electrical wiring, heavy-equipment operation, plumbing, welding or other trades, the level of technical knowledge and computerization is increasing, he said.
"They're using more and more of the technology, so the students coming in need more background in science and math to be successful in the trades," he said.
Guantone would like to see more emphasis on mathematics and other technical areas in K-12 education.
That's one of the messages his association tries to deliver at its annual career fair, which is attended by hundreds of area secondary school students.
"You're probably going to be working when you get out of high school, so you should work on some skills that are going to make you a little more employable," he said.
There is more STEM talent in the Stockton metro area than the Brookings study reveals, said Michael Ammann, chief executive of the San Joaquin Partnership. He said an estimated 60,000 San Joaquin County residents commute daily through the Altamont Pass to work in the Bay Area and Silicon Valley, which has the nation's highest concentration of STEM workers.
"We have two economies," he said. One is based on the county's $2 billion-a-year agricultural industry and related food and beverage processing and transportation activity.
"Then we have this STEM commuter economy, where half of our labor force leave in all different directions," Ammann said, including many who work in the Sacramento metropolitan area.
Working with other area development officials, the partnership is looking to build on that connection, having recently established an office in Santa Clara.
"Our whole effort is to try and figure out a way to grow some of those STEM jobs ... over here so we don't have to ship people over the pass every morning."
Contact reporter Reed Fujii at (209) 546-8253 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Hi all,
have any of you considered giving up on anime for a while and if so, how did you manage to do it?
For me, I reckon its a problem. I have been seriously addicted to anime but i find it hard to just stop or at least slow down.
Anyone else share similar feelings?
Find something else to watch, like for me i enjoy watching detective dramas and there are a lot of those around :).
I think, we as an anime loving community, share your feelings. I know for myself, I am addicted, can't go a day without watching at least like 3 episodes. I remember I had to stop for a certain period of time because of exams and I really needed to study! I found myself dying, knowing that I'm missing the latest episode of Naruto or SAO or any other anime and I just felt incomplete, I needed to get back on; but I disciplined myself and did what needed to be done in order to pass and I think that its because I forced myself to cut down on anime for a while that, first I passed all my classes, but also that I really appreciate all the amazing things that anime shows us or just some serious ass-whooping lol! Eventually class ended and I immediately got back to watching my shows for like a week straight!!!
Hey... Better to be addicted to anime than other things, right? :]
I am the wanderer...
Watch something else? I've been watching a lot of Western scifi dramas lately, and it's been fun.
But, not sure if that really stops the problem, since if you find one medium addicting who's to say that another medium won't be equally addicting.
edit :to simplify my previous answer, no,will not give it up
I stopped watching anime almost completely for about 5 years between 2006 and 2011. In total I only watched about 5 series in that time. I filled a lot of my free time with my social life instead of just working, gaming and watching anime. Now I am back in to it but not to the extent that I was. I guess the difference now is that in my time away from anime I managed to meet my wife and start a family. I only have about 6 series on the go at any given time now because, at best, I have time to watch only one or two eps in a day. Given that SAO and BTOOOM!!! just finished (and they both better have second seasons) I am open to suggestions
I really don't see anything wrong being addicted to anime or just watching it. Now a days American tv (most of the time) is not that good and seems to only be about reality TV and such. And scifi is always good! Supernatural, Battle Stargalactica (not the 80's one), Firefly are some good ones off the top of my head. The thing that draws me to anime is that some of the shows have great plots! So maybe just try to broaden what you watch even though anime is always great :}
meow meow! this kitty loves anime!! ^-^
No, I don't think I ever will. I have such a strong preference to animation it is not even funny, and anime is a big reason that made it easy for me to drop TV altogether.
I wouldn't consciously give up on it... maybe one day I'll grow out of it, who knows? But I wouldn't voluntarily just quit on anime because I watch 1 season in one day.
If anything, I hope my liking for anime would not end... I wouldn't know what to do in my spare time. Anyway... I need more new animes.... and they don't start till January... arrrghhhhhh.
The way I hold you and the night just seems to fly
No. Not giving up
Waiting for my buds to add me up in my contact.. deleting this one soon
Narukamiyu wrote:
Hey... Better to be addicted to anime than other things, right? :]
When given a choice between anime, drugs, and paid sex, I think anime addiction seems like a very reasonable choice.
the new season has started!
Anime is the best thing to be addicted too, now the only time i would ever consider anime addiction to be a problem is when you let anime rule your life, You have to be the master of your life and not let anime be the master of your life.
I personal have watched a large amount of anime in my time well over 2 years worth of anime, but at one point i let anime over run my life, i then quit anime for a yearish but when i say quit i didnt stop watching anime i just stopped the hardcore animeness i once had, I am now re entering the hardcore world of anime with new knowledge of how not to let it rule my life.
The best way to slow down is find things you enjoy to watch, I got netflixs and found alot of tv shows to watch. It ended up slowing me down. lol just my thoughts
I've never consciously given up on it, but I have had seasons where I've watched nothing at all.
The best thing I can recommend is to be more critical about what you're watching. If it's something that's basically a plot you've seen before repackaged, drop it; If it's something you're just watching to pass time rather than because you're really enjoying it, drop it; etc.. It's also helpful to watch the shows that are considered the best of the best, 'cause then it's much easier to compare things and find them coming up short.
I stopped watching anime for a couple of years. Life got to busy and I had to stop watching anime and reading Manga, but it has slowed down a little and I was happy to find this website so I could watch a few episodes a day


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This Tuscan wedding captured by Katie Grant is guaranteed to live up to all of your Italian wedding dreams...complete with gelato. Set among the cypress tress and sweeping vineyard views of Tuscany, it fully takes advantage of the gorgeous countryside with an alfresco celebration designed by Che Chic, along with florals by Janna Brown Design.
Melissa and Jordan found it no difficult task on deciding where to hold their intimate destination wedding. The rolling hills of Tuscany with it's Cypress lined roads, lush vineyards and sunny disposition were the perfect surrounds for their day. While they didn't get the last part (sunshine), the day was pure magic. Styled by Che Chic weddings with florals by Janna Brown Design, their day was ripe with lush centrepieces and local foliage, glowing taper candles and inspiring decor. A fun and vintage gelato cart and local cocktails served guests while waiting out the rainstorm. Later, the guests dined on traditional Italian fare at long tables under a romantic canopy.


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Confirm that the interface has been registered and obtain a reference to the server.
PRUint32 Init (nsISupports *aServer)=0;
The method has the following parameter:
On return, this location contains a reference to the server with which the module is registered.
NS_OK on success, non-zero error code on failure.
The server calls this method, after finding and registering the interface on module load, to confirm that the operation was successful. You can use the pointer returned in aServer to make calls out to the server.


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New Car Review Video
2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class: New Car Review Video
Jeff Thisted: Luxury roadsters are part of a small and exclusive club, and the all-new Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class excels by delivering the best in safety, performance and technology.
Shawntey Hinton: The 2012 SLK-Class comes with a retractable hard top that folds into the trunk. Now this makes it heavier than softtop convertibles like the Porsche Boxster, but the extra weight can help to protect you from all four seasons.
Jeff: The SLK's top opens or closes in under 20 seconds. The electric glass roof goes from transparent to opaque with just the push of a button.
And there are other eye-opening tech features that make the SLK an amazing machine. Like Mercedes Benz's standard Attention Assist that learns your driving habits when you first set out on a trip and monitors your steering behavior along with speed and lateral movement. When it senses changes, Attention Assist will warn you that you appear to be getting a little drowsy behind the wheel. A beeping sound occurs, and an image of a cup of coffee in the gauge cluster lets you know it's time to take a break.
Shawntey: Now the model we're driving here is the SLK350, with a 302-horsepower V6. Now that means, the SLK can go from 0 to 60 in just 5.4 seconds.
Jeff: Yeah, but you know what's missing in this car?
Shawntey: What's that?
Jeff: A manual transmission. I mean, the seven-speed automatic with the paddle shifters just doesn't do this car justice.
Shawntey: Well, Jeff, later this year Mercedes will address that with the SLK250. It will have a smaller 4-cylinder engine and come with either a six-speed stick shift or the automatic.
Jeff: Fuel economy or power? Yeah. It's going to be a tough choice between the SLK250 and the SLK55 AMG that's coming out later this year. Mercedes is sticking a 415-horsepower V8 in this thing.
Shawntey: Ooh, that's huge.
Jeff: Yeah, it's going to be pretty impressive. But no matter which model you choose, this thing corners like it's on rails. It isn't just a luxury compact; it's actually a true sports car.
If you do want more straight-line power, definitely wait around for the AMG model, but the 350 right here has got just the right balance of performance and agility.
Shawntey: And adding to that balance: the great fuel economy.
Jeff: Yeah, it's all about fuel economy.
Shawntey: Get this: The SLK350 gets 20 miles per gallon in the city and 29 on the highway. Now the Z4 28i with its inline-4 beats that, but the SLK matches the Boxster, which is the best-handling car of the group.
Jeff: The SLK350 isn't cheap. It costs more than the Z4 or the Boxster and can get pretty expensive when you start adding in options.
Expect to spend around $60,000 with goodies like navigation, the Harman Kardon sound system and the AIRSCARF system that warms your neck so you can comfortably drive with the top down even in colder weather.
Shawntey: The SLK is the most lavish of the group with a wealth of features that will sway the luxury buyer in you, but the Boxster is the performance king of the group. Even so, the SLK is still a blast to drive.
Jeff: If top-down motoring is your thing, and you want a year-round daily driver that'll turn heads, the SLK350 is the way to go.
It's not as aggressive as the Porsche Boxster, but it's definitely more comfortable, making it the right mix of performance and comfort.


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Talk about next man in.
Only in UCLA's case it's the next hot-name in.
Step up, Gregg Marshall; you're the latest name churning in the rumor mill as the Bruins continue their search for a new basketball coach.
With Shaka Smart and Brad Stevens reportedly not interested in the job, Marshall became the newest it-coach after guiding Wichita State to today's NCAA West Regional Final against Ohio State.
The ink had barely dried on the final box score from the Shockers' win over La Salle on Thursday when Twitter and the Internet blew up with speculation the Bruins would turn their attention to Marshall.
It didn't hurt Marshall and Wichita State were doing work a mere bounce pass away from Westwood, the close proximity to UCLA and the ease with which the Shockers entertainingly disposed of La Salle revving up Bruins' fans imaginations as they envision Marshall walking the sideline at Pauley Pavilion.
Of course if Ohio State wins in a blowout, Marshall might get pushed back to the end of the line.
See how this works?
Nothing against Marshall, who's been nothing short of sensational while pushing all the right buttons with his Shockers and smoothly handling his media duties, but is reaching the Elite Eight the new criteria for landing on UCLA's radar?
And while he appears an articulate, forthright, commanding presence on the sideline and in front of the camera, what do we really know about him to all of a sudden push him to the front of UCLA's line?
Other than his ninth-seed Shockers were better than 13 th-seeded La Salle in a tournament that's inspired no signature moment, revealed no dominant team and captured no one's imagination?
Or that the latest leg of their run just happens to be unfolding in Los Angeles, right under the nose of nervous Bruins fans anxiously on the lookout for Ben Howland's successor?
Is Marshall a worthy candidate or just in the right place at right time?
The credentials seem to be there. After Thursday's victory over La Salle, Marshall is 137-69 in seven seasons at Wichita State – including 85-22 and back-to-back 29-win seasons in the past three.
He spent nine seasons at Winthrop, where he's the winningest coach in the history of the Rock Hill, S.C., university (194-83, .700). The Eagles had six 20-win seasons and made seven NCAA Tournament appearances under Marshall, including four consecutive trips in his first four seasons as coach.
That's impressive by any measure, and it put Marshall in the mix of more than a few coaching searches over the years.
"I've been a head coach for 15 years and at least 10 of those years there's been conjecture like that," said Marshall, hip to how all this works.
He also didn't sound like a guy ready to leave Kansas.
"I'm very pleased to be the coach at Wichita State, content, happy," he said. "And you can't buy happy."
He's absolutely right. Marshall makes a great living, works in a town where his team is beloved by a rabid fan base and faces none of the anxiety that comes with coaching in a pressure cooker like UCLA.
Win or lose today, he'll return home a hero.
At UCLA, falling short of the Final Four is perceived as a disappointment.
Will a couple of more million dollars balance out the added stress of working at a school that just fired the coach who guided three teams to the Final Four in 10 seasons?
"Because once you take that money, you accept that pressure, too," former Michigan and Arizona State coach Bill Frieder said.
No doubt, UCLA is still a great job.
But it's no longer everybody's nirvana, not when mid-major programs in pleasant cities with appreciative fan bases pay their coaches as well as they do nowadays.
That is the lesson UCLA is brutally learning as one successful mid-major coach after another politely pulls their name from consideration.
That might not sit well with Bruins fans still stuck on the fact Westwood was once the pinnacle of college coaching. But when coaches are choosing to remain in small towns in Virginia and Indiana rather than relocated to the bright lights of Los Angeles, it becomes painfully obvious this job isn't as highly regarded as it used to be.
Yes, Marshall said he still considers UCLA one of the top six jobs in the country when asked about it Friday.
"North Carolina, Duke, Kentucky, Indiana, Kansas and UCLA," Marshall said.
But did you expect him to say anything different sitting in the heart of Los Angeles? Besides, he also quickly added, "But then you've got a lot of folks nipping at their heels."
Not all of whom are named Michigan State, Florida or Ohio State.
As we are learning in today's college basketball landscape, there is a place at the big table for programs like Butler, Gonzaga and Virginia Commonwealth. And yes, Wichita State.
It all just seems so accidental, anyway.
Marshall might be every bit the coach UCLA needs.
He might also be a coach riding the hot streak of a team playing in a tournament made up of 68 starless teams.
Worthy candidate, or just a guy in the right place at the right time at the moment?


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|Friends & Fans
Username: BryanFeeney (user 569)
Real name: Bryan Feeney
Website: http://www.bfeeney.uklinux.net
Location: London
Date Joined: 2005-07-06
Status: Trusted User
Bio: Having graduated in 2002, I started reading this site due to the high volume of programming articles. Unfortunately the quality of the articles has diminished and it's become clear the editors know very little of the subject matter at hand, causing them to inflate the importance of the few superficialities on which they feel equipped to hold forth (and even then they tend to show an absence of quality research). The real nail in the coffin has been the users though: with few honourable exceptions, they're a bunch of willfully ignorant ingrates whose inane commentary rises above mere trolling to a new level of aggravation. Also, I just returned to college this year, and have no time for reading anything not related to probabilistic machine learning.
Last Active: 2008-09-09
Number of Comments: 335 (179 voted up, 4 voted down)
Number of Comment Votes Applied: 273 (75% positive moderations)
Moving Average: 3.64
Average Comment Score: 0


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Researchers at Duke have spent the last two decades studying bullying and they say that it seriously affects mental health in childhood and adulthood, for the bully as well as the victim.
The researchers interviewed some 1,420 kids in North Carolina during their adolescent years, starting at age 9, 11, or 13. About a quarter of the kids said they had been bullied, and a tenth admitted to bullying others. Half as many, a total of 86 kids, reported having played the roles of both victim and aggressor.
How do you make a human ear that looks and functions like a real one? Researchers at Cornell published the first successful process in PLoS ONE Wednesday.
Step 1: Take a laser scan of a real human ear.
Step 2: Use digitization to print an ear-shaped collagen mold using a 3-D printer.
Step 3: Inject mold with gel of living cells.
DEET is the mother of all mosquito repellants. Its strong stench keeps bugs at bay by affronting their olfactory systems with an intensely offensive odor. But scientists are now running into a problem with DEET's effectiveness: after three hours the stuff no longer deters buzzing biters.
N,N-Diethyl-3-methylbenzamide, a.k.a. DEET, first emerged as a pesticide for crops, but the U.S. military then developed the chemical for use against biting insects in jungle environments during World War II. Available as a spray or a lotion, DEET is still used today to repel flies, ticks and mosquitoes, and to protect against the diseases these bugs can transmit.
But now, researchers in London have shown that three hours after Aedes aegypti mosquitoes were exposed to DEET, they seemed to become immune to the smell and were no longer repulsed by it. This species, also known as the yellow fever mosquito, is notorious for spreading tropical diseases.
A virus related to SARS has claimed its sixth victim, officials announced yesterday. A British man has died of the coronavirus, called HCoV-EMC, which was first identified last year. There have been a total of 12 cases of the coronavirus in the UK, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
Now in a new study researchers have actually quantified the infection rate of the new virus. Results show that at a cellular level EMC is as efficient at infecting human cells as the common cold. Scientists isolated cells from the lining of three healthy people's airways and cultured them in the lab, then introduced EMC, SARS, and a common cold virus to different groups of cells.
They found that EMC did indeed replicate in the airway cells (this tissue is especially vulnerable, which explains why infected individuals suffer respiratory problems). No detectable inflammation was produced, meaning that cells' inbuilt immune defenses didn't even see the virus, signalling that EMC is very effective at evading immune system defenses. However, its efficiency at causing disease is yet to be determined. Many coronaviruses are similarly good at infecting human cells—ie, getting inside them and replicating—but they cause only mild disease symptoms.
In people with hereditary retinal diseases like retinitis pigmentosa, the eyes' photoreceptors, or light sensors, degenerate slowly over time, eventually leading to blindness. While these people are unable to see, the rest of their visual pathway remains intact and functional. Researchers in Germany now have a way to work around this roadblock by introducing an implant to take the place of the broken photoreceptors and restore some level of communication directly with a patient's visual pathway.
The researchers implanted a tiny electronic device under the retina of patients to take the place of their non-functioning photoreceptors. The implant is only about a third of an inch squared—the size of a Chiclet—and converts light into electrical signals. It is powered wirelessly via a battery pack attached behind the patient's ear.
It's pretty standard for scientists to look at human skeletons to reconstruct past human health. But a new approach looks not at our ancestors themselves but the hardened gunk on their teeth to re-create the timeline of human dietary changes.
Scientists performed that analysis by looking at an array of ancient teeth. They found that shifts in the human diet over the millennia have led to big drop-offs in the diversity of good bacteria in our mouths—and the result is a severely weakened oral ecosystem and an increased risk of various diseases.
Saliva contains bacteria and minerals which accumulate on our teeth as plaque. Since skeletons can't brush their teeth, this film eventually crystallizes on tooth enamel to become almost bone-like, preserving the bacterial DNA inside it. The DNA of bacteria in crystallized plaque provides a snapshot of a person's diet, health and oral pathogens.
Paleontologists in California announced this week that fossils excavated in the early 2000s represent four new species of ancient whales. The toothed baleen whales apparently stuck around longer than scientists once thought, and they may hold clues about how and when whales evolved from toothy giants to the baleen-equipped beasts we see today.
Supernovae, the spectacular death rattles of the largest stars, are the astronomical gifts that keep giving.
The stellar explosions can add a temporary new jewel to the night (and sometimes day) sky, and they leave behind spectacular and intricate formations known as remnants. A certain class of supernovae helped astronomers realize that the universe's expansion is speeding up, leading to the "discovery" of dark energy pervading our cosmos. And now, it seems, supernovae might ultimately be to blame for one of astronomy's longest running mysteries: the origins of cosmic rays.
Scientists have known about these ridiculously energetic and high-velocity particles for nearly a hundred years. In daily life, cosmic rays may be familiar as the source of extra radiation airline passengers are exposed to. However scientists have been uncertain about where cosmic rays come from. The extreme conditions of temperature and speed that accompany supernovae and their remains made them a natural starting point for guesses. Now two separate Science papers finally provide evidence that cosmic rays do indeed come from supernovae remnants.
"Must be something in the water" isn't just a line from the opening minutes of a horror movie.
New evidence confirms fears that animals' behavior can be altered by medication inadvertently introduced into their habitats via our sewage systems.
In a study published today Swedish researchers report that fish given Oxazepam, an anxiety-moderating drug for humans, became less social and more aggressive. Researchers administered the drug to wild perch in the lab in amounts equivalent to levels found in local rivers and streams.
The dosed fish showed a number of behavioral changes, notably in their willingness to leave familiar and "safe" surroundings in favor of exposed, potentially dangerous areas. The fish treated with the drug also distanced themselves from other perch. These antisocial fish ate faster than normal, which, in the wild, could disrupt the established food chain.
It's not as exciting as El Dorado's source of eternal youth, but nitric oxide-producing bacteria are extending the lifespan of the humble roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans.
The worm lacks the enzyme needed to produce nitric oxide. In animals which are capable of manufacturing nitric oxide, it has been shown to increase blood flow, promote efficient nerve signal transmission and regulate the immune system, all factors that may contribute to a longer lifespan.
To see if nitric oxide alone could extend lifetime, researchers fed a group of C. elegans a soil-dwelling bacterium called Bacillus subtilis, which produces the gas. The worms, with colonies of B. subtilis established in their guts, had a lifespan of about two weeks—nearly 15 percent longer than a control group fed bacteria which didn't produce nitric oxide.


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We are a small family-run school located next to the Killarney National Park, one of the most magnificent settings in Ireland. Established in 2000 and recognised by the Irish Department of Education and ACELS , we have been teaching English to students of all ages from over twenty countries.
We are proud to offer:


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|2017 Ford Fusion SE FWD Special!! Was $17,950
13,500 Miles / VIN: 3FA6P0H73HR140956
Phone : (832) 900-1536
9142 Long Point RD , Houston, TX 77055
|Black 2017 Ford Fusion SE FWD VIN: 3FA6P0H73HR140956
|Sedan, 4 Doors, Front Wheel Drive, 2.5L 175.0hp, 4 Cylinders, Automatic Transmission Stock: 140956
|City MPG
|Hwy MPG
Located in Houston, Texas, Elite International Motors is a pre-owned, late model dealer that provides customers with a complete automotive experience at competitive prices.
Elite International Motors is dedicated to customer satisfaction and we have provided you with a map, as well as our address and phone number to help you find us easily.
We are specialized in Powerstroke trucks, We provide bullet proofed 6.0 engines on F-350, F-250, and Excursion. We only deal with the best diesel technicians in Houston area " Whitty'z Diesel" They Warranty their work for 12 months / 12000 miles , no questions asked.
We also provide tuners on our trucks " for better fuel economy and more horsepower "
Come by today and test drive the car of your choice.
At Elite International Motors, we are here to make purchasing your vehicle as easy as possible. We partnered with some of the leading financing institutions to make it happen.
Please, apply directly with us
Of course, if you need further help, do not hesitate to contact us and we will do everything we can to get you approved.


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Jessica Mauboy, the voice behind the NRL ad
The NRL season is just a week away, and footy fans can't wait for the official kick-off between the Roosters and the Rabbitohs on March 7 at Allianz Stadium.
And while we can't bring the season forward, we can show you the new NRL TV ad.
The ad features Jessica Mauboy singing "Something's got a hold on me" overlaid with a mix of NRL action blended with fans playing league in backyards, on beaches and running down streets.
What are your thoughts - do you like the video?
Do you like the song? And how does it rate compared to previous campaigns? Let us know your thoughts.
Discuss "Jessica Mauboy, the voice behind the NRL ad"
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