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Human Behavior

Timeline for Speech Evolution Pushed Back 27 Million Years – The Wire

Sound doesnt fossilise. Language doesnt either.

Even when writing systems have developed, theyve represented full-fledged and functional languages. Rather than preserving the first baby steps toward language, theyre fully formed, made up of words, sentences and grammar carried from one person to another by speech sounds, like any of the perhaps 6,000 languages spoken today.

So if you believe, as we linguists do, that language is the foundational distinction between humans and other intelligent animals, how can we study its emergence in our ancestors?

Happily, researchers do know a lot about language words, sentences and grammar and speech the vocal sounds that carry language to the next persons ear in living people. So we should be able to compare language with less complex animal communication.

And thats what we and our colleagues have spent decades investigating: How do apes and monkeys use their mouth and throat to produce the vowel sounds in speech? Spoken language in humans is an intricately woven string of syllables with consonants appended to the syllables core vowels, so mastering vowels was a key to speech emergence. We believe that our multidisciplinary findings push back the date for that crucial step in language evolution by as much as 27 million years.

The sounds of speech

Say but. Now say bet, bat, bought, boot.

The words all begin and end the same. Its the differences among the vowel sounds that keep them distinct in speech.

Now drop the consonants and say the vowels. You can hear the different vowels have characteristic sound qualities. You can also feel that they require different characteristic positions of your jaw, tongue, and lips.

So the configuration of the vocal tract the resonating tube of the throat and mouth, from the vocal folds to the lips determines the sound. That, in turn, means that the sound carries information about the vocal tract configuration that made it. This relationship is a core understanding of speech science.

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After over a half-century of investigation and of developing both anatomical and acoustical modeling technology, speech scientists can generally model a vocal tract and calculate what sound it will make, or run the other way, analyzing a sound to calculate what vocal tract shape made it.

So model a few primate vocal tracts, record a few calls, and you pretty much know how human language evolved? Sorry, not so fast.

Modern human anatomy is unique

If you compare the human vocal tract with other primates, theres a big difference. Take a baboon as an example.

The vocal tract of a baboon has the same components including the larynx, circled in green as that of a person, but with different proportions. Photo: Laboratory of Cognitive Psychology (CNRS & Aix-Marseille University) and GIPSA-lab (CNRS & University Grenoble-Alpes), CC BY-ND

From the baboons larynx and vocal folds, which is high up and close to their chin line, theres just a short step up through the cavity called the pharynx, then a long way out the horizontal oral cavity. In comparison, for adult male humans, its about as far up the pharynx as it is then out through the lips. Also, the baboon tongue is long and flat, while a humans is short in the mouth, then curves down into the throat.

So over the course of evolution, the larynx in the human line has moved lower in our throats, opening up a much larger pharyngeal cavity than found in other primates.

About 50 years ago, researchers seized on that observation to formulate what they called the laryngeal descent theory of vowel production. In a key study, researchers developed a model from a plaster cast of a macaque vocal tract. They manipulated the mouth of an anaesthetised macaque to see how much the vocal tract shape could vary, and fed those values into their model. Then finally they calculated the vowel sound produced by particular configurations. It was a powerful and groundbreaking study, still copied today with technological updates.

So what did they find?

They got a schwa that vowel sound you hear in the word but and some very close acoustic neighbours. Nothing where multiple vowels were distinct enough to keep words apart in a human language. They attributed it to the lack of a human-like low larynx and large pharynx.

As the theory developed, it claimed that producing the full human vowel inventory required a vocal tract with about equally long oral and pharyngeal cavities. That occurred only with the arrival of anatomically modern humans, about 200,000 years ago, and only adults among modern humans, since babies are born with a high larynx that lowers with age.

This theory seemed to explain two phenomena. First, from the 1930s on, several (failed) experiments had raised chimpanzees in human homes to try to encourage human-like behavior, particularly language and speech. If laryngeal descent is necessary for human vowels, and vowels in turn for language, then chimpanzees would never talk.

Second, archaeological evidence of modern human behaviour, such as jewelry, burial goods, cave painting, agriculture and settlements, seemed to start only after anatomically modern humans appeared, with their descended larynxes. The idea was that language provided increased cooperation which enabled these behaviors.

Rethinking the theory with new evidence

So if laryngeal descent theory says kids and apes and our earlier human ancestors couldnt produce contrasting vowels, just schwa, then what explains, for instance, Jane Goodalls observations of clearly contrasting vowel qualities in the vocalizations of chimpanzees?

But that kind of evidence wasnt the end of the laryngeal descent idea. For scientists to reach an agreement, especially to renounce a longstanding and useful theory, we rightly require consistent evidence, not just anecdotes or hearsay.

One of us (L.-J. Bo) has spent upward of two decades assembling that case against laryngeal descent theory. The multidisciplinary team effort has involved articulatory and acoustic modeling, child language research, paleontology, primatology and more.

One of the key steps was our study of the baboon vowel space. We recorded over 1,300 baboon calls and analyzed the acoustics of their vowel-like parts. Results showed that the vowel quality of certain calls was equivalent to known human vowels.

A schematic comparing the vocal qualities of certain baboon calls (orange ellipses) with selected vowel sounds of American English, where the phonetic symbols / i u / represent the vowels in beat, bat, bot, bought, boot. Photo: Louis-Jean Bo, GIPSA-lab (CNRS & University Grenoble-Alpes), CC BY-ND

Our latest review lays out the whole case, and we believe it finally frees researchers in speech, linguistics, primatology and human evolution from the laryngeal descent theory, which was a great advance in its time, but turned out to be in error and has outlived its usefulness.

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Speech and language in animals?

Human language requires a vocabulary that can be concrete (my left thumbnail), abstract (love, justice), elsewhere or elsewhen (Lincolns beard), even imaginary (Gandalfs beard), all of which can be slipped as needed into sentences with internal hierarchical grammar. For instance the black dog and the calico cat keep the same order whether X chased Y or Y was chased by X, where the meaning stays the same but the sentence organization is reversed.

Only humans have full language, and arguments are lively about whether any primates or other animals or our now extinct ancestors, had any of languages key elements. One popular scenario says that the ability to do grammatical hierarchies arose with the speciation event leading to modern humans, about 200,000 years ago.

Speech, on the other hand, is about the sounds that are used to get language through the air from one person to the next. That requires sounds that contrast enough to keep words distinct. Spoken languages all use contrasts in both vowels and consonants, organized into syllables with vowels at the core.

Apes and monkeys can talk in the sense that they can produce contrasting vowel qualities. In that restricted but concrete sense, the dawn of speech was not 200,000 years ago, but some 27 million years ago, before the time of our last common ancestor with Old World monkeys like baboons and macaques. Thats over 100 times earlier than the emergence of our modern human form.

Researchers have a lot of work to do to figure out how speech evolved since then, and how language finally linked in.Thomas R. Sawallis is aVisiting Scholar in New College, University of Alabama and Louis-Jean Bo is Chercheur en Sciences de la parole au GIPSA-lab (CNRS) at Universit Grenoble Alpes

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Timeline for Speech Evolution Pushed Back 27 Million Years - The Wire

Human Behavior

Outrage Is Everywhere. Here’s Why. – Slog – TheStranger.com

An observer watching the Beyonce Black St. James video. FG Trade/Getty Images

Video of St. James performing at the December 9th Home Away King County conference went viral, largely because of Christopher Rufo, a former Seattle City Council candidate and resident conservative gadfly, who posted a clip of the performance on Twitter, which was then picked up by right-wing media (and then mainstream media after that). Its been viewed over 1.5 million times.

Rufo spun this as a story about government spending. On Twitter, he wrote: For years, Seattle has claimed that it needs more resources to solve homelessness, but as the video shows, they find it totally appropriate to pay for a transgender stripper to grind on members of the region's homelessness nonprofits and taxpayer-funded organizations.

This false statement was echoed by right-wing (and Russian) media. On RT, the (trans) writer Sophia Narwitz wrote, Unless she's hiding another secret in her pants, it remains to be seen how using government funding to hire a chick with a d**k to sexualize what should be a professional event will cure the local homeless crisis. This is yet another negative mark against a city that's already wasting vast sums of funds to combat a problem it doesn't seem capable of solving.

Turns out, there was no funding involved, government or otherwise. The county did not respond to a request for comment but according to journalist Erica C. Barnett, St. James was not paid for her dance.

Still, its not hard to see why this story has gone viral. The video might not be shocking to anyone who has been to a burlesque show before, but the fact that it takes place in at a florescent-lit conference center with no alcohol in sight does make for an incongruent imageespecially when St. James sticks her tongue in an audience members mouth. The audience member, for the record, seems to enjoy it, although some others in the crowd look uncomfortable. According to the Seattle Times, attendees included nonprofit workers, government employees, and members of the faith community, and in a full video of the event posted on Barnett's website (which has since been made private) you can see one woman staring down at the table as St. James writhes around her, as though if she ignored if hard enough, the whole thing would just disappear.

Since this story broke last week, heads have begun to roll. Kira Zylstra, the director of Home Away King County, was immediately suspended pending investigation. Then, on Monday, she stepped down from her job. That may have been inevitable, considering this thing has clearly been a PR disaster for both the city and county.

Ive seen very few defenses of this choice of entertainment for a county-funded conference, although there are a few notable exceptions: On Monday, for instance, community activist, attorney, and former Seattle mayoral candidate Nikita Oliver tweeted: More Ppl are mad a trans burlesque dancer performed at a publicly funded conference about homelessness; an issue which deeply impacts trans & queer communities, artists & sex workers. Do people get this mad when gospel choirs are the cultural performance at non-Christian conferences?

If this hypothetical gospel choir tossed their robes off and started twerking in pasties, I suspect that, yes, people would have been mad about that, too. I wanted to ask Oliver why she thinks this event has caused such outrageand whether she would have supported, say, the Chamber of Commerce or the Seattle Police Department using a burlesque dancer as in-house entertainment. But she declined to comment, as did St. James, and referred me to a statement by the Trans Women of Color Solidarity Network, which says St. James has been subjected to threats, harassment, and doxing.

Watching this story unfold and seeing the outrage it inspired, I was reminded of a recent segment on the NPR show Hidden Brain. The host, Shankar Vedantam, interviewed a journalist named Julie Zimmerman about the Covington High scandal, which, if youve wiped that particular outrage cycle from your memory, centered around a group of high school boys in MAGA hats who were accused of harassing an elderly Native American man in DC. That narrative ended up falling apart, which became national news on its own and spurned a thousand think pieces (my own included), but the question is, why does anyone care?

If you were my editor and I came to you and said, Yeah, this Native American guy and these kids in MAGA hats kind of got in this tense standoff on the mall today and I think it's a story, Zimmerman said, any self-respecting editor would say, Well, did somebody get shot? You know, how, like, how is this a story? Weird confrontations between people happen all the time, and we don't consider them to be news stories.

That may have been true in the past, but now, interpersonal conflict and drama can quickly go viral, and then global.

I've begun to wonder why we get so mad over things that, when it comes done to it, dont directly impact us. The attendees of the Home Away conference, who were reportedly not warned in advance, may understandably be pissed (although from the looks of the video, plenty of them enjoyed the show). But why the anger from anyone else, especially people thousands of miles away who dont give a second thought to Seattles actual homelessness problem?

Social scientists have been studying the issue of moral outrage for years, and theyve found, as anyone who spends a lot of time online has probably noticed, that the internet has vastly increased the amount of outrage were exposed to. One study found that encountering outrageous eventsor what they call norm violationsis relatively rare, but hearing or reading about them is exceedingly common online. Any scan of social media could tell you thats true. In fact, social media thrives on it.

Research on virality shows that people are more likely to share content that elicits moral emotions such as outrage, wrote Yale psychologist Molly Crockett in a 2017 paper published in the journal Nature. In other words, we get madder online than we tend to in real life, and this is reinforced by the algorithms that feed us content. As Columbia psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman told me, online, You arent rewarded for being reasonable but for being passionate.

The negative consequences of the ever-present cycle of outrage are obvious. For one, its divisive, contributing to the escalating tribalism and culture wars between left, right, and center. Plus, individuals, businesses, and institutions have lost their reputations and money after inspiring online outrage campaigns. The Hallmark Channel is learning about this right now: After a conservative group was outraged by a commercial featuring a lesbian couple, the channel yanked it from circulation, only to outrage progressive and LGBTQ groups, whose outrage got Hallmark to apologize and reverse course. That's another thing that has to be acknowledged: Outrage from minority groups over how they are treated does get things done sometimes.

Still, researchers have found that constantly feeling outraged not only reduces empathy, after a while, it creates a sort of numbness. Outrageous events start to take on less meaning, a proposed phenomenon some psychologists refer to as "outrage fatigue. We can only handle so much before checking out. As Molly Crockett told me in an email, If everything is worthy of outrage, effectively nothing is. This can mean truly outrageous things (for instance, US drones killing civilians in Afghanistan) inspire less outrage than strippers at conferences or kids wearing MAGA hats. (There are, I should note, multiple reasons we tend to care about dumb shit, not just outrage fatigue.)

And yet, the negative consequences of outrage may seem small compared to the benefits. Outrage can force action; it can signal I, personally, am on the right side of history; it can increase ones social position; and it can serve as a kind of bonding mechanism. Outrage can tear people apart, to be sure, but it can also bring them together.

Theres also a sort of visceral gratification associated with outrage. Getting outraged, and then acting on it, particularly by shaming the norm violator, activates parts of the brain associated with reward. But while the internet may have made outrage more ubiquitous, its not like any of this is new: In fact, its deeply ingrained in human behavior, according to Kaufman, who notes that for individuals who score high on traits of narcissism, expressing outrage online can be particularly rewarding. It doesnt just bring us attention, it also brings us esteem. The novelist Aldous Huxley wrote about this phenomenon in 1921: "To be able to destroy with good conscience, to be able to behave badly and call your bad behavior 'righteous indignation'this is the height of psychological luxury, the most delicious of moral treats." It feels good, so we do it.

On the plus side, outrage really can lead to social change. #MeToo is a movement built on outrage, its undeniable that its had a real impact on the culture, mostly for the better.

Unfortunately, outrage also has a tendency to obscure reason. Take, for instance, an incident at NYU, where last year, stereotypically African American food served at the cafeteria during Black History Month (including fried chicken and watermelon water) caused such outrage that two people lost their jobs. But, as New York Magazine detailed, both of the staffers fired were black and, whats more, the menus were designed by black employees. That, however, didnt matter. Outrage demands someonewhether its the villain or nottake the fall.

Where outrage typically fails, however, is in changing minds. As Shankar Vedantam said on his show, It can feel good to start a fire, to see all the push notifications that come to your phone as people like and retweet your outrage. But, he adds, When was the last time you changed your mind because someone screamed at you? If you are anything like me, the answer is never. Thats the thing about outrage: It rarely works on an individual basis. Outrage may feel good from within your echo chamber, but expressing it is less likely to change someones mind than listening, forming common ground, and asking questions designed to make people inspect their beliefs.

So what can we do to end this constant cycle of outrage besides chucking our phones off a bridge and moving someplace with no cell service?

This is something I think about often, and yet, I also have a confession, because I, too, was part of the outrage cycle over Beyonce Black St. James. While I wasnt outraged by the performance (it struck me as more amusing than enraging), I did feel a bit outraged by Nikkita Olivers defense of it. And so I did the thing that you do: I shared it on Twitter.

Ive been waiting for the first full-throated defense of hiring a stripper to perform at a county-funded event, and I finally found it. From a former city council candidate, nonetheless, I tweeted. I wasnt just wrong in my facts (Oliver was a mayoral candidate, not a city council candidate) but in feeling. Yes, the likes and the retweets gave me a quick reward, but I know the problems with the outrage cycle better than most. And yet there I was, perpetuating the very thing that I hate. So I deleted it. I disagree with her take, but who cares? Shes as entitled to her opinion as anyone else.

Until algorithms stop rewarding outrage, perhaps the only thing each of can do is to inspect our own part in the problem. This is a little like trying to solve climate change with reusable bags and bamboo strawsthe problem is too big for choices like that to have much of an impactbut for those of us sick of these cycles, maybe the first step is to stop taking part.

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Outrage Is Everywhere. Here's Why. - Slog - TheStranger.com

Anatomy

Study of human anatomy made easy with Augmented and Virtual Reality – OpenGov Asia

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are helping health and science students at the Bendigo campus of Australias La Trobe University to better understand the intricacies of human anatomy.

As reported, the recently installed technology in the campus anatomy laboratory and library is being used by students studying biomedical science, dentistry, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and speech pathology, among other disciplines.

Background

La Trobe Vice-Chancellor Professor John Dewar said the Universitys latest investment in new technology further demonstrates the Universitys commitment to building a strong rural health workforce.

There are students at the Bendigo campus who all need a deep and sophisticated understanding of the human body.

These students are in new courses like the Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Medical), as well as dentistry and a suite of allied health programs.

The state-of-the-art technology, combined with the newly refurbished anatomy labs, is helping students develop the knowledge and skills many will need when they start work in a rural health clinic or regional hospital after graduation.

A Lecturer in Anatomy, Dr Anita Zacharias, explained that technology makes the study of human anatomy more affordable and flexible for students. Also, it makes the learning experience an enriching one.

About the initiative

The anatomy students already learn from working with skeletons, models, and human specimens.

Adding AR and VR to the mix enables them to visualise and manipulate anatomical structures, which deepens their understanding of muscle function, and improves spatial awareness.

Furthermore, this means that students can access highly detailed 3D images, clinical cases and quizzes anywhere. It may be in their homes, on public transport, or wherever they have access to a phone, tablet or computer.

With AR, students can superimpose images of anatomical structures over a peer who can perform movements along with the app, to better understand muscle function.

While AR is completely transportable and available 24 hours a day, VR is used on campus with University supplied headsets.

The cost of using the AR technology is AU$ 10 per student, compared to more than AU$ 100 for a single textbook.

Expanding reach

La Trobe has invested AU$ 2.6 million this year on building and refurbishing science laboratories at its Bendigo and Albury-Wodonga campuses.

This was done in part to accommodate students in the new Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Medical), which launched in 2019.

Fifteen new students will start in the program across the two campuses in 2020, bringing the total number enrolled to 30.

Compared to last year, first preferences through VTAC and UAC for the Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Medical) are up 56% in Bendigo, and 146% in Albury Wodonga.

The selection process targets students with rural or regional backgrounds, who are seeking a career in the rural health workforce.

More than 77% of students studying health-related disciplines at La Trobes regional campuses are from a rural or regional background.

The AR and VR technology has been rolled out across La Trobes Melbourne, Bendigo and Albury-Wodonga campuses in recent months.

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Study of human anatomy made easy with Augmented and Virtual Reality - OpenGov Asia

Anatomy

So funny it hurts: The anatomy of Japanese comedy – Philippine Star

So funny it hurts: The anatomy of Japanese comedy

Japan as a country has always been fascinating for its distinctive culture and traditions, not to mention the unique food dishes that have sent throngs of tourists clamoring for authentic Japanese cuisine. But Japanese entertainment is also in a league of its own, with countless anim series and movies creating cult followings all over the world as well as Japanese dramas and comedy shows getting viewers hooked once they tune in.

Interestingly, Japanese comedy has made its mark for its inimitable approach in making audiences laugh even across different cultures, languages and ages. Its true that some jokes from Japanese comedy shows can only find humor among those who understand the language and relate to the jokes cultural or personal references, but there is just something about Japanese humor that cuts across borders and makes the comedy programs so funny that viewers hurt from laughing too much.

There are basically five types of Japanese comedy: The konto or scripted skits about utterly bizarre situations and strange encounters, the manzai or the stand-up comedy style with gags delivered in lightning-fast speed and often with slaps to one of the actors head, the more traditional rakugo where a kimono-clad storyteller sitting cross-legged delivers a story with a punchline that appeals to older audiences, the suberi where a bad joke given with the proper timing makes people laugh at how bad the joke is, and then theres the owarai which refers to comedy shows on television featuring various comedy acts.

Japanese comedy has gained popularity around the world for its quirky antics and a kind of slapstick humor that is so uniquely Japanese. In fact, there is a number of Japanese comedic acts that have done well on talent shows such as Americas Got Talent and Britains Got Talent. What is so remarkable about Japanese humor is that it can be universally consumed even without any familiarity with the countrys language and culture. For instance, the Japanese comedic duo Yumbo Dump made it to the semi-finals of Asias Got Talent 2017. With crafted actions, they managed to tickle the audiences and made the judges laugh so hard they wiped tears from their eyes.

In the Philippines, Japanese comedy made waves with iconic TV shows such as Takeshis Castle. Who didnt find themselves rolling in laughter at the crazy antics of those Japanese contestants who risked life and limb to complete their tasks? The thing with Japanese humor is that it has a kind of hypnotic attraction to viewers. Once you start watching, you just want to see the whole act through bellyaching laughter and reactionary slaps and pushes to your viewing companions body notwithstanding.

To date, the best Japanese comedy shows are being aired in the Philippines via GEM, an all-Japanese TV channel from Sony Pictures Televisions joint venture with Japans Nippon TV. Some of the popular Japanese comedies currently seen on GEM include The Quest, Monday Late Night Show, Must Be ARASHI! and even GOCHI: Dinner in on YOU Tonight. The latter features a star-studded cast of comedians and artists visiting a restaurant to order food within a given budget. Since the prices are not listed, the loser who orders way beyond the allocated budget ends up paying for everyones meals. What makes the show so remarkably funny is the quirky interaction among the celebrities who react to the dishes and make exaggerated expressions.

GEM has a whole line-up of comedy shows catering to Filipino audiences who want to indulge themselves with hilarious Japanese humor. For light yet action-driven fun, Beat the Rooms and EXIT are sure to keep viewers entertained with the adventures of Japanese personalities taking on challenges and solving puzzles to get themselves out of do-or-die situations. For those who are into Japanese pop groups, shows such as Must Be ARASHI! (starring the popular five-member ARASHI from Johnny & Associates) and AKBINGO! (featuring the stars of AKB48) are a must-watch for the merry mix of talk, games and variety shows with the signature dose of Japanese comedy.

According to Sony Pictures Television programming director for asian content Shi Ming Wee, the Japanese people are quintessentially creative and they are known for their fresh ideas that are not only new and unique but also trendsetting. The high quality of Japanese humor and innovative ideas have been one of the sources of inspiration and go-to/reference models for some international shows of similar formats which are then adapted and recreated in the localized context, Wee added.

Indeed, judging from how Japanese comedy is breaking bounds across cultures, Japans unique humor can be credited to its peoples creativity and boldness to try out new things. They go all-out with their comedy, and it is this commitment to entertain in a fearlessly no-holds-barred and often death-defying fashion that makes Japanese humor unparalleled and sought after in various parts of the world.

Luckily for us, Filipinos, we get our own dose of Japanese hilarity with what GEM brings to our screens.

GEM is available via SKYcable Channel 116 in Metro Manila; SKYcable Channel 222 in Cebu, Davao, Bacolod, Iloilo and Baguio; GSAT Channel 57; and various provincial cable operators nationwide.

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So funny it hurts: The anatomy of Japanese comedy - Philippine Star

Anatomy

The anatomy of fear – THE WEEK

It was the electrician I had called to repair the TV in my flat, where I live alone. He was slight of build. There was something oily in his talk, a slipperiness like he did not believe what he was saying and knew I did not, too. And he did not care.

I think he sat on the sofa. And alarm bells went off.

I think he asked me what I did for a living. Which he had no reason to.

But I am not sure, because the details have dimmed in the blinding brightness of my fear. Even after I forced him to leave and my breathing returned to normal, the fear lingered. I can still smell it, feel it in my bones. Its shape its anatomy.

***

I recall two occasions when my father refused to let me do something I wanted to. The first was when I was in school and a group of us decided to go to Goa for a weekend.

No, he said. Its not safe.

Why not? I asked in sullen rebellion.

I did not realise then that he was not being adamant. He was merely unable to express the truth. Because our collective vocabulary is too limited to put fear into words. How do you tell a schoolgirl of the worlds hidden savagery? Of its disguised brutality? Of losing her womanhood when she did not know that she had it?

But he need not have worried. Because I knew it already. Most schoolgirls do. If they are lucky, it will only be an unwanted touch. A hungry look. An inappropriate comment. If they are not, the fear takes early residence. Disillusionment creeps in. Dreams become dried-up husks.

It is only that, at that age, I had not fully understood its dynamics. I feared without knowing what exactly I feared. I did not know yet the ways in which the hollow of my fearstill formless, still vaguecould fit the contours of a mans perversions.

***

As I grew up, I became more familiar with fear. It was there the time I was alone in the lift with a man who kept staring at me. It was there the time I went to the bathroom on the deserted top floor of a restaurant, found the latch to be stuck and was terrified that someone had locked me inside. It was there the time I took an auto-rickshaw at night and realised that the driver was drunk. It was there the time I saw something like a camera in the changing room of a shop and assumed the worst.

I also learnt that fear was mutable. It was a shape-shifter that could take the form of various emotions.

It could be the helplessness I felt when I heard about a friend who was repeatedly molested by an uncle.

It could be the anger I felt when a politician said that rape could be sometimes right and sometimes wrong.

It could be the pain I felt when I heard the gruesome details of what happened to Nirbhaya or the Hyderabad vet.

Men would condemn these incidents for their brutality, their violence and their inhumanness. But women would inhabit these incidents. They would see themselves in the victims. They would wonder what if it had happened to them.

The full force of our fear lies in that what if. That is its home.

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The anatomy of fear - THE WEEK

Anatomy

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Fans Still Think This Is the Most Boring Romance of All Time – Showbiz Cheat Sheet

In the nearly 15 years that Greys Anatomy has been on the air, the show has seen its share of couples come and go.

Fans thought some couples were an odd match, such as step-siblings Jackson Avery and Maggie Pierce. Other couples on the show were loathed by fans, such as the pairing of the ever sleazy Mark Sloan and his best friends wife, Addison Shepherd. Love them or hate them, however, the shows couplings have been undoubtedly interesting. That is, until now.

In season 15 we began to see a confident and jock-type orthopedic surgery fellow, Nico Kim (Alex Landi), pursue the bumbling and nerdy surgical resident Levi Schmidt (Jake Borelli). The romance has a lot of potential, and fans are here for it, even giving the coupling its own name, Schmico. Who doesnt love to see a jock and a nerd falling in love?

The couple was off to a rocky start as we soon learn that Levi has never been with a man, and Nico refuses to be the sherpa guiding him through the process. Levis heartfelt confession to Nico after the two end up in an ambulance during a storm changes all that, and is, by far, one of the couples more interesting moments together.

As their relationship progresses we see Levi begin to change and come alive, even saying of the effects of finally being with a man, Its the most me Ive ever felt in my whole life. Nico, on the other hand, stays pretty stagnant and at times even seems set on continually sabotaging the budding romance.

Despite a few touching scenes, many fans think the characters are not developed enough to make the romance interesting. Though the character of Levi is endearing, it relies too heavily on nerdy tropes, without which he may fall completely flat.

When it comes to characters shortcomings, however, Nico brings the term undeveloped to a whole new level. His character has almost no moments of his own to flesh him out, aside from when hes shown using his Korean skills to translate for a patient. Nico isnt given a lot of screen time and mostly functions as a device in Levis storyline, who is already just a supporting character.

The frustration with Nico extends past his limited development, however, and right on to what he does with the little time hes given, which is not a lot. One Reddit user went as far as to say, Nico is basically a walking cardboard cutout at this point, while a Twitter user wrote, nico on greys is so boring and annoying and has zero emotion when he talks bring back callie and arizona for the beautiful gay love story nico and levi are so meh.

Indeed, though Levi certainly has more personality than Nico, fans want a lot more out of the shows first gay male couple.

Not every fan is on the Schmico is boring train. Many are excited to finally be represented on a show that has otherwise provided very little representation for the gay community. Others find the simplicity of the relationship refreshing.

One fan tweeted, nico and levi are the best relationship greys anatomy have had for so long.

Whats going to happen for Schmico in the future? Well, we havent seen the last of them yet, and there are bound to be some dramatic events. Jake Borelli told ET in a recent interview, Greysisnt known for completely smooth-sailing relationships. We also need to remember these are two young people and this is Levis first relationship with anybody. We can certainly expect some bumps.

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'Grey's Anatomy' Fans Still Think This Is the Most Boring Romance of All Time - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Anatomy

Citizenship Amendment Act: The anatomy of a protest |India Today Insight – India Today

Imtiaz Alam, an event organiser and PR professional who lives in Delhi's Jamia Nagar, is flooded with offers of help for the students of the city's Jamia Millia Islamia University. Alam, who is in his late thirties, is assisting students find alternative accommodation and extending other help that they may need as the varsity campus is out of bounds for students and semester examinations stand deferred in the aftermath of the student protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the brutal Delhi police crackdown that followed.

An uneasy calm prevails in Jamia Nagar, a predominantly Muslim locality where the university is located. But Alam is pleasantly surprised by the show of support that has poured in from a wide section of the people against the police action at the Jamia campus. "People from all walks of life and communities have come forward to help the students," he says.

Follow live updates of CAA protests here

Students recount the horror of December 15 evening, when a seemingly peaceful protest went out of control, leading to the torching of buses, vandalism of public property and police storming the Jamia campus, firing teargas shells and lathi-charging students. Meeran Haider, 29, a PhD research scholar at Jamia's Centre for Management Studies, says 95 per cent of the students were protesting around the campus and perhaps only a handful were at the protests in New Friends Colony, which turned violent. "We are protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act as it is against democracy and the country's secular and socialist character," says Haider, who is busy working with other students to chart out the future course of the protests that have spread to campuses across the country.

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Nabiya Khan, a 24-year-old student from a private university, was pursuing a master's degree at Jamia until last year. "Nothing had prepared me for what happened on December 15. I was at the campus. The students were protesting and then the police started the lathi-charge," she says. "People started running inside the campus. We were so sure that the police will not enter, but they did. It was pitch dark. The lights were out and the police were beating up everyone." Khan describes CAA as an "organised way of turning India into a Hindu rashtra where Muslims would be treated as second-class citizens".

In solidarity, students of elite colleges have come together to stand up against how the Delhi police dealt with the Jamia protesters. According to India Today's Data Intelligence Unit, at last count, 22 campuses across the country had joined the agitation.

History shows how student-led protests can galvanise quickly to reflect a national cause or sentiment, and governments can afford to be blas at their own peril. Some of the most defining protests in the country have emanated from universities. Several prominent leaders of the present government are products of the protests against Emergency imposed in 1975 by then prime minister Indira Gandhi-several cabinet ministers were college students at the time. The list includes the late Arun Jaitley and late Sushma Swaraj. They went to prison and were hounded by the police of the day. The Emergency period, from June 1975 to January 1977, is remembered for the suspension of civil rights. Even today, any dark phase or incident in India's democracy is referred to as an 'Emergency-like' situation.

Jamia is a centrally funded university with 50 per cent of seats reserved for Muslim students. While the police excesses at the campus have given critics of the Narendra Modi government a handle to paint it as 'anti-minority', sympathisers of the government point out that the anti-CAA protests are mainly concentrated around universities with a high concentration of Muslim students, notably Aligarh Muslim University and Jamia Millia Islamia.

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In many quarters, the protests are being seen as a tipping point for the Muslim community as a series of developments this year have heightened its vulnerabilities-the legislation scrapping the practice of triple talaq, which has not gone down well with hardliners in the community; the withdrawal of special status of Jammu and Kashmir and its downgrading from a state to a Union territory; and the Supreme Court's ruling on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute. What has certainly not helped is the fact that the ruling BJP does not have a single Muslim member in the Lok Sabha.

Students at Jamia Millia say they are in solidarity with the protesters in Assam, who are up in arms against the CAA, albeit for different reasons. The protests in Assam are driven by the onslaught of Bengali-speaking settlers from Bangladesh and other countries, who, locals say, are putting their livelihoods and culture at peril.

Students at Jamia say CAA uses religion as a discriminatory tactic and have vowed to continue the protests till the Act is revoked. In the past, galvanised protests by Muslims have forced overturns of even court verdicts. In the Shah Bano case, while the Supreme Court in 1985 ruled in favour of maintenance for the divorced Muslim woman petitioner, the Rajiv Gandhi government gave in to pressure from Muslim hardliners and enacted a law that shifting the onus of maintenance to the relatives or the waqf board. In 1988, the central government banned Salman Rushdie's book The Satanic Verses owing to protests that it projected Islam in a derogatory way.

In the case of CAA, the Supreme Court on December 17 redirected petitions against the legislation to the respective high courts. No protests are apolitical and often end up being exploited by political parties. Whether it is the alleged incitement of violence in Jamia Nagar by a Delhi MLA of the Aam Aadmi Party or the petitions filed against CAA by leaders of political parties, a protest is an opportunity best exploited for political gains.

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Given the intensity of the anti-CAA protests, the Union government cannot afford to brazen it out. Rather, it needs to show humility and engage in dialogue with the protesting groups, take steps to dispel apprehensions of targeted religious discrimination in the garb of CAA, and prevent politics of polarisation over the contentious issue.

It's tragic that with CAA, the government appears to have committed the same blunder it did when it announced demonetisation in November 2016-lack of groundwork.

While the Hindu-right argues that the country has become accustomed to the politics of entitlement and CAA is a shake-up of a system entrenched in appeasement politics, the ruling BJP, at the moment, runs the risk of turning the aspirational youth away. The same youth that Prime Minister Modi strategically designed his electoral pitch of development and jobs for. A segment that is conscious of its rights, values freedom and has faith in the India story.

Perception has the power to eclipse reality. At the moment, the perception seems to be that the government is bulldozing its way through crucial structural shifts in India. That this has happened before is not good enough reason, because times have changed. In the age of information explosion, every move is a public act. And a state perceived to be aggressive rarely comes off looking good when put face-to-face with agitating students.

FROM THE MAGAZINE | We, the People | ProtestsALSO READ | At the stroke of the midnight, how universities across India united for Jamia studentsANALYSIS | Jamia protest: Can police enter university campuses?ALSO READ | Several students missing after crackdown on AMU protesters: Fact-finding teamALSO WATCH | In Depth: How students' anti-CAA protests spread across the country

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Citizenship Amendment Act: The anatomy of a protest |India Today Insight - India Today

Anatomy

Grey’s Anatomy: 6 Romances That Ended Too Soon (& 4 That Didn’t End Soon Enough) – Screen Rant

With Grey's Anatomy in its 16th season, it fair to assume that it still has a popular following. When the show first began, it mainly followed the lives of five interns training to be doctors whilst also trying to cope with the pressures of working in the medical profession.

RELATED:Grey's Anatomy: 5 Best Friendships (& 5 Worst)

Now, look at it. Not only have fans seen them become amazing surgeons, but they have watched them fall in love, break-up, create families, and even become great mentors. However, do you ever wonder what would have happened if the writers went down a different route - especially with the romantic pairings? From Emma & Owen to Alex & Ava, here are 6 romances that ended to quick (& 4 that didn't end quick enough).

Considering that he had recently split from his wife, season 10 started well for Owen. In the episode "Puttin' on the Ritz", Owen attends a fundraiser for the hospital where he meets maternal-fetal surgeon, Emma Marling. They did genuinely seem happy together, with Owen inviting Emma as his plus one to April and Matthew's wedding.

The relationship soon became serious when the pair planned to move in together, with Emma telling the army veteran that she could picture a future with him. However, in typical Owen fashion, he managed to mess this up by cheating on her, and we haven't seen her since.

One couple that manyGrey'sfans disliked was Alex and Ava (otherwise known as Rebecca Pope). The romance that occurred between these two was quite similar to the Denny Duquette storyline with Izzie. Alex started as her doctor, bonding with Ava after he found her among the ferry debris in "Walk on Water."

Although she was married, Alex and Ava soon began a romance that lasted for the majority of season 4. However, problems arose when Ava had a hysterical pregnancy, which later led to the suspicion that she had an underlying borderline personality disorder. The relationship regressed, with Ava being committed to psych. Despite promising to get better for Alex, she has not been seen since (which made this romance pointless).

The romance between Maggie and Ethan has to be one of the worst developed relationships you will ever see on TV. One minute they were flirting in the elevator and two seconds later, Ethan was engaged to someone else after his split with Maggie.

RELATED:Grey's Anatomy: 5 Couples Perfect Together (& 5 That Make No Sense)

According to the cardiothoracic surgeon, they dated for six months. Yet, the time jump near the end of season 11 bypassed the relationship. The only thing fans learned was that Maggie got bored and let the romance fizzle out. It was a real shame that the writers didn't let this relationship evolve on-screen as there was the potential to explore Maggie's character outside the work environment.

Many were disappointed to see Stephanie and Kyle's romance come to an abrupt end - although it should have been expected since Grey-Sloan has a poor track record in that department. Kyle and Stephanie met after the musician came into the hospital with a tremor in his hand. After it was repaired, he and Stephanie agreed to keep in touch.

However, the writers ruined this relationship as well when Stephanie left him a Dear John letter, choosing to put her career first. The writers gave them false hope as the pair reunited during his readmittance- with Kyle asking her to go to Europe with him. Yet, he died in surgery and left a devastated Stephanie behind. It was a real shame to kill him off, considering Edwards left a year later to go traveling.

Cristina and Owen had a tumultuous relationship through season 5 to 8. It had enough passion and drama to keep fans on the edge of their seats, waiting for the next episode to see if they could work it out. However, after the "You killed our baby situation," the relationship fizzled out.

From this point, fans knew Owen and Cristina weren't meant for each other. Owen wanted to have children, and Cristina didn't. Their destiny laid on two different paths. So why did the writers continue a will-they-won't-they romance for another two years? They just delayed the inevitable, which saw them divorced.

What a wasted opportunity this pairing was. It was like the writers teased fans with an Arizona and Carina romance, only to rip it from their grasp when the peds surgeon decided to leave for New York. The potential had been there from the beginning, but it wasn't really developed - at least on-screen.

For instance, after dating for a few weeks, Carina and Arizona put their relationship on pause as Sophia was returning. Near the end of season 14, they reunited after spending weeks together working on their project. Just as it was blossoming, Arizona then decided to leave. It's so annoying when you think about it - why couldn't the writers have introduced her in season 13 instead of Minnick.

As soon as Izzie and George got together, everyone knew they were doomed for disaster. Although the best friends-turned-lovers trope has been a success with past romances, it did not work (at all) in this instance. In fact, it only worked when there was another participant involved - Meredith's best friend, tequila.

Related: Grey's Anatomy: 5 Times Cristina Was Meredith's Best Friend (& 5 Times It Was Alex)

Eventually, George and Izzie realized they had no chemistry as the relationship lasted all of 10 episodes. After this, the pair weren't near each other as much, with George striking up a friendship with Lexie and Izzie hanging out with Alex more. It was like the writers wanted to help us try and forget.

In season 3, there was an unexpected romance brewing between Alex and Addison. Although fans now see how perfect Alex is in his specialty, it did come as a surprise when he took an interest in pediatrics. Addison then took a liking to the softer side he displayed - which led to the pair hooking up in the on-call room.

However, the romantic ties of this couple were completely severed when Alex began to express more interest in Ava. With Addison also questioning her place in the hospital, this final rejection pushed her to look for a fresh start in Los Angeles. It was the right choice for her as Alex didn't seem too concerned with the move. At least fans got the chance to see her in Private Practice.

Out of all theGrey'scouples, never has there been as much uproar about a couple as there was with Jackson and Maggie (a.k.a. Jaggie). Maybe it's because fans can't picture Jackson with anyone other than April, or it's because their "parents" are married, but fans could never get on board this 'ship.

It looked as if the writers gave up trying to make the relationship work as they broke up at the beginning of the season 16 premiere. Seems like the pair wants to forget the disaster too, with the plastic surgeon now semi-involved with firefighter Victoria Hughes and Maggie hating him for even breathing in the same space as her.

Although many fans have begged for Scott Speedman to reprise his role as Nick, Scott Elrod should consider coming back as the surgical oncologist, William Thorpe. Fans may recall Will and Meredith had a brief romance in season 12 after the pair hit it off whilst working on a case together.

However, they called time on their relationship when Meredith decided that she was not ready to move on. Will understood and agreed to back off, saying he would be willing to wait for her because she was worth it. Although it looked as if this storyline would be revisited, Will hasn't made another appearance since. It would have been nice to get closure at least.

NEXT: Grey's Anatomy: 5 Characters That Need More Screen Time (& 5 Who Deserve Less)

NextStranger Things: 10 Hilarious Eleven Memes That Will Make You LOL

A writer, reader and tv fanatic, Kayleigh enjoys reading movie news and your film reviews. She has attained an Undergraduate degree in Creative Writing and is also the creator of the film and television blog 'The Critics' Corner'.

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Grey's Anatomy: 6 Romances That Ended Too Soon (& 4 That Didn't End Soon Enough) - Screen Rant

Anatomy

Grey’s Anatomy star Richard Flood on becoming Dr McWidow – The Times

Towards the end of the latest mid-season finale of Greys Anatomy, Richard Flood makes a handsome first impression in a frosty exchange with series heroine Meredith Grey, played by Ellen Pompeo. Following a conflict over medical ethics, with overtones of lusty soap opera foreplay, Floods dashing surgeon reveals the tragic loss of his wife. Right on cue, a nickname was born. McWidow was soon trending on Twitter.

It sounds a bit miserable, doesnt it? the Dubliner playfully offers, gulping on a morning coffee. I mean, you had McDreamy, you had McSteamy. And I get McWidow, the miserable one. My mates think its hilarious.

The power of the Greys Anatomy Mc label is no laughing matter, though. Just ask Patrick Dempsey, who scored leading roles in

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Grey's Anatomy star Richard Flood on becoming Dr McWidow - The Times

Anatomy

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Season 16: Will the baby stealing lead to the end of Jo and Alex? – MEAWW

The mid-season finale of 'Grey's Anatomy' from Season 16 had a couple of zingers. While Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) had a miscarriage, Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone) realizes that the father of her baby might be Owen (Kevin McKidd) and not Link (Chris Carmack), which means beating that dead horse again. The episode ended on a shocking note, as shocked as you can be when you watch 'Grey's' that is, as a car drove into Emerald City Bar, leading to several injuries and deaths.

Yet, the most intriguing part of the episode is when Jo (Camilla Luddington) runs off with a baby. Yes, she kidnaps a baby, with the best intentions. That might mean that Jo is ready to look after a baby and be a mother, but the point is that she has kidnapped a child, which is similar to what Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) did a couple of seasons ago, almost jeopardizing her relationship with Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey).

What does this hold for Jo and Alex (Justin Chambers) now? Unlike many other pairs on the show, this couple still has managed to stay together after numerous fights, jail time and break-ups, but this kidnap might once again, be difficult for them. They've been through worse, to be fair.

Things hit a dangerous peak when Jo refused Alex's proposal (one of the many), and due to a misunderstanding, Alex hit Andrew DeLuca, landing him in hospital. Alex's medical license was once again under threat, but hey, this is 'Grey's Anatomy', nobody loses their medical license, least of all the major characters. At the end of the 15th season, Jo distanced herself from Alex, after finding out about the horrible truth behind her birth. She had started drinking heavily, till finally, Alex demanded the truth from her. Things got ugly, and they even started threatening each other. Yet, they made it through that.

So...will baby-stealing be the deal-breaker for Jolex?

'Grey's Anatomy' will return on January 23, 2020, Thursday, 8pm ET.

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'Grey's Anatomy' Season 16: Will the baby stealing lead to the end of Jo and Alex? - MEAWW