Learning an instrument is a lifelong journey, but it's not only about technique and tone. It's also about understanding how the instrument in your hands was made. Nowhere is this more true than with acoustic guitars. Knowing the parts that comprise the whole means stepping into that space where craftsmanship meets engineering.

Whether you've had an acoustic in hand for decades or are just beginning your adventure with the instrument, this guide dissects an acoustic guitar from tip to toe and explores what makes each part tick.

Unlike electric guitars, which have a variety of configurations of the locations for tuning pegs, the vast majority of acoustic guitars are split with three up top and three below. This is in part due to heritage but also in part to physics: Since acoustic guitars typically have heavier-gauge strings, the distribution of tension on the horizontal axis of the neck helps maintain intonation and minimize torsion.

Tuning pegs can extend through the middle of the headstock on many old acoustics.

Acoustic guitars do, however, have more options on the orientation and mechanics of tuning pegs. Closed back machine heads are more standard. Some builders retain the classic feel and function of open-back designs.

The material construction of tuning pegs varies widely, though stainless steel is the most common. Some designs may also integrate more tonal materials, such as brass on the tuning barrels for added sustain and warmth.

Old-school acoustics and vintage restoration instruments may have what is becoming a rarity in tuner-peg positions: With tuning machines and pegs set perpendicular to the headstock itself, the tuning pegs extend through the headstock, allowing for a naturally arcing string-wind.

The next component your string touches is the nut, which cradles the strings as they stretch down the fretboard. Though slender and easily overlooked, the nut is an essential ingredient in the tonal quality of your acoustic instrument. The shape and size of the nut will depend on the design of your guitar.

Arguably, it's the materials it's made of that matters the most. Traditionally, animal bone was the go-to option for rich and full tone. However, advances in synthetic materials allowed for other innovations. These days some of the more common nut materials include synthetic ivory or bone, such as those in the line of Graph Tech TUSQ nuts.

This Cordoba Classical has a 52mm (2.04") nut.

Though it's one of the smallest components of your guitar, nut dimensions vary and make a massive difference in tone and playability. The height of the nut, as well as the depth of notches for strings, is one of the main variables securing your instrument's intonation and string height.

The width of the nut too matters as it establishes a main measurement of the fretboard. Typically, steel-string acoustic nut widths range from 41mm (1.61" or 1 5/8") to 47mm (1.85"), with many coming in at the middle around 4344mm (from 1.6875" or 1 11/16" to 1.73" or 1 3/4"). Classical or nylon-string guitars are typically wider at the nut, and are commonly 51mm (2") or larger.

A difference of a few millimeters can drastically change how a guitar feels and plays. Depending on the size of your hand and your preferred style of playing, you may prefer a smaller or wider nut, with larger sizes allowing more space for fingerpicking styles.

If you're buying a new instrument, the design and crafting crews have likely set the exact specifications for optimal performance. If, however, you're looking to do a DIY nut upgrade, be sure to do your homework on the size and spacing to ensure your upgrade helps your instrument become even more of its truest self.

Once free of the nut, your strings run down the neck. This portion of your instrument consists of up to four elements. Some you see, some you don't. Yet all work together to provide a tonal runway for your fretting fingers.

Your neck is likely constructed of at least two pieces of wood. The first is a slab out front that we call the fretboard. The vast majority of acoustic fretboards are made of darker-colored hardwoodssuch as rosewood or ebonywhich offer both durability and impart tonal character. The fretboard is joined to the neck itself, which is that contoured piece of wood your palm cradles in the back. Here too, a variety of materials abound. While maple or mahogany is common, acoustic builders may also match neck materials with those of the body.

When your neck and fretboard are matched up the shape and dimensions are strategically set. Neck shapes are often brand-specific but generally fall into a range of hard to soft "C" or "V" profiles.

Custom Shop Jimmy Page Dragon Telecaster, C-profile neck.

The other measurement that matters for neck profile is the radius of the fretboard. In short, while some classical or vintage acoustics have prairie flat fretboards, most have degrees of curve to them for increased playability. Acoustic guitars typically will have fretboard radius of 10", 12", or 16", with the smaller numbers reflecting a more accentuated arc.

Finally, the scale-length of any guitar is also an important measurement and something to consider when buying an acoustic. The scale-length is the distance between the nut and the bridge. Generally, described as "short" or "long" scales, the measurements here generally range from 24" to 25.5" or longer. Gibsons famously use a 24.75" scale-length (though it has varied somewhat over time), while Martin's standard scale-length is 25.34".

Martin SC-13E, 24 3/4" scale

The neck also has up to two metal components that complete the ensemble. Of course, there are the frets out front. These come in various sizes, both in width and height. While modern electric guitars typically range from 22 to 24 frets, acoustic guitars typically have fewer, with most landing in the 20-fret range. In terms of material, you can expect to find brass, nickel, or steel, with the former typically found on vintage instruments.

The second metal component is under the hood: the truss rod. While not all acoustics will have one, truss rods are inset within the neck and typically run from the heel to just under the nut. As you change to lighter or heavier gauges of strings, truss rods ensure the right balance of rigidity and flexibility so your neck doesn't bow. Tinkering with a truss rod is an art and science. Typically adjustments are made by removing a small truss rod cover right above the nut on the front face of the headstock.

When all of those components are brought together, your acoustic guitar neck is a material and tonal combo that connects at the heel to the body.

Luthiers have developed a deep catalog of acoustic body designs that are the result of endless variations and innovations of three key elements: shapes, woods, and construction.

Since the body of your acoustic functions as a resonant chamber, it's no surprise that the dimensions and shape of the body make a huge difference on sound projection and sustain. There are a number of shapes that contribute to a growing typology of acoustic guitars. But the most common categories include the following:

Dreadnought: This iconic shape with large shoulders and large lower-ends are your all-around strumming and picking machines.

Grand Auditorium: This design takes the best of the dreadnought but modernizes it by narrowing the waist of the guitar slightly and at times enhancing fretboard reach with a cutaway.

Orchestra: These feature an almost shrunken-dreadnought type body that results in more maneuverability and brighter tones ideal for finger-picking.

Concert: This throwback to the mid-19th century is a mid-size body that champions EQ in the mid- and upper-ranges, making it ideal for cutting through any unplugged session.

Jumbo: The name says it all. This one looks like a dreadnought that put on a few pounds but uses that new space to bellow out still more bottom end and bigger sounds.

Parlor: Small but bold, these designs are known for strong projection of mid-range tones.

Mini: These compact builds are ideal for mobility or smaller players.

7 Acoustic Guitar Body Shapes, Their Differences and Sounds

When it comes to woods, acoustic guitar builders have experimented with just every material on the green earth. It's common to feature a different tonewood for the top of the guitarknown as the soundboardfrom the back and sides.

Top woods like spruce or cedar impart a pop to the sound as it resonates and escapes the sound hold. The back and sides are commonly constructed over hardwoods known for deeper tones, such as mahogany or rosewood. Of course, some designs opt for a single wood for tops and sides, like koa, to give the guitar an all-encompassing tonal voice.

With the shape set and woods selected, construction is where craftsmanship, innovation, and budget intersect in acoustic designs. Bodies will either be constructed of laminated or solid woods. The former are made of layered and bound wood, which is generally a more economical approach. Solid tops and backs are less friendly on the pocket book but often result in richer tones and resonance.

Ladder Bracing | More Treble, More Air

X-Bracing | Tighter, Focused Mid-Range

The bracing of the bodythat inner skeleton of the body that seems to ingest all those picks dropped through the soundholealso affects sound and provides space for luthier's to develop the DNA of their design. Even more than body shapes, bracing "patterns" are diverse, with X-bracing and A-bracing common in steel-string acoustics, and fan-bracing or lattice-bracing common in classical guitars.

These patterned wood reinforcements are most often constructed of spruce. Because the patterns are bound to the body they also play a role in transferring vibration within and out of the guitar. That is, they're literally unseen and unsung heroes merging sonics and physics that help get the sound your fingers play to your inner ear.

No other instrument on earth is as versatile as the acoustic guitar. It's a staple on stage and in the studio, has annual gigs for months on end by summer campfires, is both the gateway for new players and tool for seasoned songwriters, and is equally at home in a Sunday service or resistance march. Whether unplugged or electrified, the endless possibilities for configuring the above components make acoustic guitars both classic and forward-thinking.

Buying Guide: Acoustic Guitars

Everything you need to know about body shapes, styles, and other considerations

Continued here:
The Anatomy of an Acoustic Guitar - Reverb News

Anatomy

Anatomy of the perks of power – Stabroek News

August 22, 2020 medical

That there are perks of power that go with political office is universally accepted as a fact of life. It is underpinned by an unwritten but nonetheless indelible (if there can be any reconciliation between such a contradiction in terms) rule that the holders of political office have earned, apart from the right to govern, the prerogative of a certain allocation of rewards for their faithful. Though there are other perks usually wrested from the state to be allocated for political loyalty, one such reward is the allocation of jobs that do not fall under the jurisdiction of the conventional Public Service. The state, or rather, the taxpayer must meet the emoluments associated with these political gifts. They are, as well, usually fashioned to suit the whims of the powers that be on the basis of what is determined to have been the contribution made by the particular beneficiary to the overall gain.

These are usually revolving door arrangements characterized by the periodic incoming and outgoing of the winners and losers, respectively. Unsurprisingly, therefore, the process is usually underpinned by equal measures of angst and anticipation on the respective sides. Sometimes, almost always, the process, becomes polluted by a great deal of ill will and vendetta with the termination of the losers contracts and the process of being shown the door assuming outrageous levels of theatre, ranging from the hilarious to the scandalous to the sublime. Some of these hand-over-take-over exercises are even believed to be underpinned by long-standing personal vendettas which have been known to play out in ridiculous public displays.

For reasons that remain unclear the more salacious and unpalatable the theatre surrounding these events the more they appear to attract the focused attention of some of the mainstream media. Social media, meanwhile, with their accustomed eye for scandal and sensationalism have taken to these things like proverbial ducks to water, mindful to garnish the naked facts with toppings of sleaziness and scandal even as the powers that be perform their stiff upper lip trick, as though the ensuing bacchanal is a figment of everyones imagination.

All too frequently, these episodes are disgraceful enough to match the ribaldry of even the most seasoned tenement yard cuss down, the studied indifference to the goings on by those in the upper echelons on both sides adding its own hilarious twist to the circumstance.

The leopards on all sides of the political spectrum cannot really be expected to change their spots. They do what they understand to be expected of them, except, of course that they appear to seriously expect that after the brouhaha that attends the musical chairs scenario associated with the distribution of the perks of power comes to any end, they can then revert to their own exalted positions as though the whole thing were a figment of everyones imagination and in the expectation that the citizenry, with its long memory, will take their antics seriously.

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Anatomy of the perks of power - Stabroek News

Anatomy

Anatomy of an NBA champion: Which playoff teams fit the statistical profile? – theScore

August 22, 2020 medical

What does a champion look like?

Anyone familiar with the pantheon of NBA champions knows that certain teams have dominated - only 12 franchises have won the last 40 titles. But what do those champions have in common? Do they provide a statistical profile we can use to learn about this year's playoffs?

After identifying a group of common statistical characteristics last year, the Bucks, Warriors, and Raptors came out as the most likely champions, with the Trail Blazers being identified as a sleeper contender. As it turned out, the Raptors took out the Bucks in the Eastern Conference finals and defeated the decimated Warriors for the championship, while the Blazers made a surprise run to the West finals.

When we're looking for statistical similarities among championship teams to help us evaluate this year's postseason field, we'll use the last 15 seasons. The NBA's current 30-team, six-division scheduling format has been in place since 2004-05. The league had already adopted rules that prioritized offense by eliminating hand-checking and illegal defenses. And it's also recent enough to account for the modern importance of 3-point shooting.

Let's dig into the numbers that link these NBA champions and see what they say about this year's playoff teams.

Modern champions have compiled a minimum win percentage of .634 - the equivalent of 52 wins in 82 games - and a top-five overall record during the regular season.

Even that might be a bit conservative, as the winning percentage outlier, the 2005-06 Heat, were on a 55-win pace (41-20) after Pat Riley took over coaching duties from Stan Van Gundy, and a 58-win pace (42-17) with Shaquille O'Neal in the lineup after the big man missed 18 of 20 games to start the season. You'll also notice that the last seven champs finished with top-three records.

Who fits the bill this year? Bucks, Raptors, Lakers, Clippers, Celtics

Who doesn't measure up? Nuggets, Rockets, Thunder, Heat, Pacers, Jazz, 76ers, Mavericks, Magic, Nets, Trail Blazers

Nearest outlier: Nuggets

Denver (.630) finished one win shy of cracking the .634 threshold and placed sixth overall rather than in the top five. It's not a stretch to say the Nuggets would've made up the difference had rookie Michael Porter Jr. been healthy and at his best all season.

An NBA champion needs to boast a top-eight scoring differential and top-eight net rating per 100 possessions. Specifically, the previous champions have outscored opponents during the regular season by at least 3.9 points per 48 minutes or 4.1 points per 100 possessions. The 2011 Mavs are an obvious outlier here, and a top-five differential might be the more accurate cutoff.

Who fits the bill? Bucks, Raptors, Lakers, Clippers, Celtics, Mavericks

Who doesn't measure up? Nuggets, Thunder, Pacers, Rockets, Heat, Jazz, 76ers, Nets, Magic, Trail Blazers

Potential outlier: Thunder

Forget playing at a championship level; Oklahoma City played at an all-time level with its best lineup on the floor this season. The five-man combination of Chris Paul, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Dennis Schroder, Danilo Gallinari, and Steven Adams outscored opponents by 29.9 points per 100 possessions in 177 minutes together - a full seven points better than the NBA's next-best lineup. The Thunder have the top-performing quintet among 218 lineups that logged at least 100 minutes together over the last two seasons.

Notwithstanding the 2009-10 Lakers, a top-nine offensive rating (points per 100 possessions), a top-six effective field-goal percentage, and a top-20 3-point percentage are all requirements for a championship offense. Dig deeper and you'll find that as NBA offenses have shifted to emphasize the 3-point shot, the last eight champions all finished in the top nine in 3-point shooting.

However, in the interest of consistency, we'll include the 2010 Lakers and say that the 2020 champion only requires a top-11 offensive rating, a top-15 eFG%, and a top-23 3-point percentage.

Those very modest cutoffs don't really discriminate.

Who fits the bill? Bucks, Lakers, Clippers, Nuggets, Heat, Jazz, Mavericks,Trail Blazers

Who doesn't measure up? Raptors, Celtics, Thunder, Pacers, Rockets, 76ers, Nets, Magic

Potential outliers: Rockets, Celtics, Lakers

Houston missed the 3-point accuracy cutoff by 0.3 percentage points, while Boston missed the eFG% cutoff by only 0.1 percentage points. Meanwhile, the Lakers barely qualified, as the last 15 champions have all had top-23 3-point shooting teams, and Los Angeles ranked 22nd in that category this season.

Although offense gets all the attention, every champion in our sample finished in the top 11 on the defensive end, with at least a top-13 mark in opponents' effective field-goal percentage. Also, note that 12 of the last 13 champions finished in the top eight in limiting opponents' effective field-goal percentage.

Who fits the bill? Bucks, Raptors, Lakers, Clippers, Celtics, Pacers, Thunder, 76ers, Nets

Who doesn't measure up? Nuggets, Rockets, Heat, Jazz, Mavericks, Magic, Trail Blazers

Potential outliers: Heat, Jazz

Miami and Utah both finished in the top 13 in opponents' eFG%, but their overall defensive rating was 0.1 points per 100 possessions worse than the top-11 mark needed to qualify.

The postseason, let alone the Finals, is about transcendent talent. Depth can carry you to the playoffs and an All-Star can perhaps drag you into the second or third round. But if you want to compete in June, you need a Hall of Fame-type player. There's a reason every Finals for the last 29 years has featured at least one of LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Duncan, Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, or Steph Curry.

There's obviously no way to quantify with 100% accuracy where players rank individually in the NBA, but one fun tool is using data that determines how stars stack up based on their average rank across a plethora of catch-all stats. Andy Bailey made this measure famous on Basketball Twitter, and a similar model can now be found at B-Ball Index. According to that data, each of the last 15 champions has had a player rank in the top 15 during the regular season.

You'll also notice every champion featured at least one All-Star, with 12 of the last 15 teams employing more than one.

All 15 champions featured at least one All-NBA selection (nine of 15 had multiple players on the year-end list), and 13 of the last 15 champions boasted at least one All-Defensive team selection. But those awards won't be handed out for weeks, so we can't use them to filter this year's squads.

Let's look for teams with a top-15 player this season, according to the average of those aforementioned stats.

Who fits the bill? Bucks, Raptors, Lakers, Clippers, Celtics, Nuggets, Thunder, Rockets, Heat, Jazz, 76ers, Mavericks, Blazers

Who doesn't measure up? Pacers, Nets, Magic

Potential outlier: Pacers

It's incredibly unlikely, but if Victor Oladipo can find his pre-injury form - or if T.J. Warren is suddenly the player he was in the seeding games on a full-time basis - Indiana would have the type of player good enough to be in the top-15 conversation.

Given there's no real home-court advantage in the bubble, this category obviously takes on far less meaning than it did in previous years. Still, a team that excels no matter where it plays is usually a pretty good indicator of a contender, so let's look at the home/road splits of recent champions and then compare that to the splits 2019-20 teams posted up until the March 11 shutdown.

We're looking for teams that posted a minimum home win percentage of .707 (equivalent to a 29-12 home record in a full season) while also recording a winning record on the road.

Who fits the bill? Bucks, Raptors, Lakers, Clippers, Celtics, Nuggets

Who doesn't measure up? Pacers, Heat, 76ers, Thunder, Rockets, Jazz, Mavericks, Magic, Nets, Trail Blazers

Potential outlier: Rockets

Had Houston won just one more home game this season, the Rockets would've met the home winning percentage required to qualify. Perhaps they would've boosted their .688 mark up to the necessary .707 had they played all nine home games lost when the season was postponed.

If you're wondering why some other metrics were left out of this research, I discovered that assist metrics, rebound rates, turnover measures, free-throw frequency, and opponent 3-point percentages didn't produce trends as consistently as the statistics cited above. The championship teams we examined often finished in the bottom third in at least one of those categories.

Only three teams managed to check every box. Unsurprisingly, the Bucks, Lakers, and Clippers enter the postseason as the clear-cut favorites when considering the statistical profile of an NBA champion, though the Lakers' shooting woes could prove to be a fatal flaw.

Just missed the cut: Raptors, Celtics

Both Toronto and Boston missed checking every box after falling short on the offensive end.

The Raptors finished 13th in offensive rating when no recent champion finished worse than 11th, and their half-court efficiency is perhaps the biggest postseason question mark looming over the defending champs.

The Celtics boasted an elite overall offense (fourth ranked) but fell short in effective field-goal percentage, which indicates that a fair share of their offensive success can be tied to offensive rebounding and free throws (as well as taking care of the ball). Both of those tend to dry up in the postseason when defenses and officials place extra value on every single possession. So Boston's inability to score efficiently on the first shot of possessions is concerning.

Just happy to be here: Magic

Orlando's the only playoff team without a single championship indicator, but it's worth noting that the only box Houston checked was "star talent." James Harden's brilliance is the only thing ensuring the Rockets enter the postseason with a better championship profile than the Magic.

Joseph Casciaro is theScore's senior basketball writer.

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Anatomy of an NBA champion: Which playoff teams fit the statistical profile? - theScore

Anatomy

The Anatomy of Stereotypes: Japan and the "Amae" Myth – Unseen Japan

August 22, 2020 medical

Needling your partner into buying you a frivolous gift. Acting coy to convince a coworker to do some menial task for you, even though youre more than capable of performing that task yourself. Pouting and splaying yourself dramatically across the nearest surface to get someones attention.

Chances are, youve engaged in similar indulgent behaviors. Theres even a word for this in Japanese: amae (). Amae derives from the verb amaeru () meaning to depend on others, act like a spoiled child, or presume on anothers kindness for emotional fulfillment.

Popularized by psychoanalyst Doi Takeo in the early 70s, amae has been hailed by some as the keyword explaining the Japanese psyche. Its undergone numerous dissections in both Japanese and Western academic articles and used to differentiate Japanese and Western child-rearing habits.

Is amae that unique to Japan? The short answer is no. But how and why did it become viewed as a Japanese-only concept?

Amae already existed in the Japanese lexicon prior to Dois discovery. Amai () is also common, meaning sweet, sugary, and naive, among other definitions. Its also similar to the verb amayakasu () meaning to pamper or spoil.

Amae has morphed into other nominal forms as well. (amaenbo) describes a spoiled person or animal who constantly demands affection. Your cat begging for head scratches every fifteen minutes when youre trying to read a book is acting amaenbo. A simple YouTube search of will garner you hundreds of videos of cats, dogs, even rabbits acting amae, begging for treats or pets, much to the laughing consternation of their owners. The videos with humans feature a more intimate and playful dynamic, usually with a woman acting coquettish towards her boyfriend.

13 [] https://news.tv-asa

(amae jouzu) is used to describe someone whos very good at giving puppy-dog eyes and getting others to spoil or do something for them. For example, I was very skilled at coaxing my ex to dispose of any spiders or earwigs in the apartment, even though I wasnt particularly grossed out by those insects and could do it myself.

Doi Takeo ( ) is the person credited with framing amae as a psychological phenomenon at the core of Japanese social interactions. He was a psychoanalyst and professor at the University of Tokyo. He also practiced abroad in the United States, and his various culture shocks drove him to explore what made the Japanese what they were. His work culminated in the 1971 book The Structure of Amae ( (Amae no Kozo). Dois book became a bestseller, and was translated into English in 1973 by John Bester, who rendered amae as dependence.

Doi loosely defines amae as the desire to depend and presume upon anothers love or bask in anothers indulgence. The ideal relationship to express this need is that between a parent (usually a mother) and child:

The psychological prototype of amae lies in the psychology of the infant in its relationship to its mother; not a newborn infant, but an infant who has already realized that its mother exists independently of itself [A]s its mind develops it gradually realizes that itself and its mother are independent existences, and comes to feel the mother as something indispensable to itself, it is the craving for close contact thus developed that constitutes, one might say, amae.

A child begging for a snack or story while the mother is working is an example of amae. The emotional reward is priceless and beneficial to both parties, as the child experiences a sweet sensation of being taken care of, while the mother feels needed and trusted.

Dois book may have become a bestseller, but that doesnt mean it wasnt without criticism. Some critics didnt like the vague openness of Dois definition and lack of empirical data to back his claims. Others found the book leaned too closely towards Nihonjinron (), texts that perpetuate Japans national and cultural uniqueness.

While Doi does point out that amae exists in other cultures, he argues that Japan is unique in having a word for it ingrained in their daily lexicon. He would be correct there. However, Doi also partly hinges his argument on the inability to translate amae into English. Yet translators have found suitable English counterparts, such as whining, pouting, coaxing, and sulking. Spoiling or indulging someone tends to be looked down upon in the US; the English translations thus inevitably carry somewhat negative connotations. Alternatively, a translation can be found through a combination of words, some of which Doi provides himself such as wish to be loved or dependency needs. The point remains that just because a word doesnt have an exact equivalent in another language doesnt mean its impossible to translate or doesnt exist in another culture.

With such a broad definition, amae has been used to excuse numerous behaviors and social constructs. This 2019 BBC article conflates amae with workplace sexism, citing an example of a male boss demanding his female employees serve tea. Again, thats not amae, just sexism. An example of amae within this scenario can still be found, but in order for it to be an act of amae, we would have to see the female employees beguiling their male boss into serving tea instead. A proper representation of amae is one where an individual within the subservient position is able to leverage control over one in a dominant position. The example in the BBC article merely reinforces the sexist gender roles that continue to perpetuate Japanese society.

Calling amae the foundation of all social interactions in Japan erases the myriad other ways relationships between people form.

However, acting amae in the workplace can be disadvantageous, especially if youre a woman. This incredibly sexist article laments the behavior of pampered women who hoist difficult tasks on their male coworkers who, of course, take their careers much more seriously than women do. Theres also a massive amount of articles on how to perform amae at work or in romantic relationships, and most of them are geared towards women. Amae to a certain extent falls under the umbrella of kawaii, or cute. However, articles like these enforce the idea that women have to act childish and manipulative to get their way.

Rather than an emotion, amae covers a variety of behaviors, relationships, and mutual understandings. Its also considered unacceptable to act coquettish and needy with someone who hasnt agreed to engage in that behavior. Age and social status also play a part. Id act needy to my boyfriend of two years, but I wouldnt presume to do the same with a new coworker, especially if they were younger than me. Successfully carrying out amae involves the ability to read social cues, a skill not everyone is adept at or capable of doing.

Does amae exist in other countries outside of Japan? You bet. Amae isnt unique to Japan; the only unique factor lies in how embedded amae is in the Japanese language. As many have pointed out, theres a danger in casting amae as a purely Japanese concept; doing so perpetuates the myth that Japan, and therefore Japanese people, are special. Calling amae the foundation of all social interactions in Japan erases the myriad other ways relationships between people form. It also smacks of homogeneity numerous other ethnic communities who call Japan home may not necessarily structure relationships on amae.

Recently, its been trendy for non-Japanese writers to pen pieces elucidating on a profound Japanese word (which contributed to the birth of the Japanese art of _____ meme). Fortunately, amae hasnt fallen prey to too many Western romanticizing clickbait pieces. Hopefully it stays that way.

Doi, T. (1973). The anatomy of dependence. (Trans. John Bester). Kodansha International.

Niiya, Y., Ellsworth, P. C., & Yamaguchi, S. (2006). Amae in Japan and the United States: An exploration of a culturally unique emotion. Emotion, 6(2), 279295. doi:10.1037/1528-3542.6.2.279

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Anatomy

Camilla Luddington Reveals the Character She’d Most Want To Switch Roles With on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ – Showbiz Cheat Sheet

August 22, 2020 medical

Greys Anatomy star Camilla Luddington has become a fan favorite since her debut as Dr. Jo Wilson (later Karev) in season 9. With her character overcoming various challenges over the years, the British-born actor exhibits a wide range of emotions on the medical drama.

Though she clearly embodies Jo, Luddington shared that she wouldnt mind playing this role on the medical drama if she had the chance.

In 2010, Luddington auditioned for the voice of Lara Croft in the legendary video gameTomb Raider. The Greys star recalled her elation upon getting the role.

When I got the call that I had gottenTomb Raider, I literally screamed. I was so excited, because growing up, she was really the only iconic female lead in a video game that I knew of, Luddington told PopSugar in 2018. So, I just remember thinking it was such an honor that I got to jump in the boots of Lara Croft.

While her video game persona and herGreys Anatomycharacter seem in sharp contrast to each other, Luddington sees some similarities.

RELATED: Why Greys Anatomys Camilla Luddington Says Her First Scene With Ellen Pompeo Was Legitimately Terrible

It was interesting to me that theres a lot of Jo Jo didnt grow up with her parents, so theres a lot of question about a lot of pain in her past, the William & Kate star shared. And, of course, Lara deals with the pain, and mourning, and loss of her own parents. So there is a similarity of them both being survivors in their own world.

The British actor is a self-proclaimed fan of Greys Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes, seeing her as a trailblazer for women.

Shonda has a way of keeping her audience on edge time and time again, Luddington said in 2016 interviewwith BUILD. She doesnt give in to what the audience wants and always it serves for a more captivating story line. Thats what I like about her. Shes just paving the way for females in the industry.

Though she has no intention of ditching her lab coat, Luddington confessed shed relish the opportunity to play a character from one of Rhimes other shows.

Scandals Olivia Pope. How could you not? she toldGood Housekeepingin 2015. On top of being this fabulous, powerful woman, the outfits are just opening my trailer door every day and seeing those fabulous coats and hats would make each morning a little bit better.

Playing a doctor on a medical drama can take its toll. Luddington revealed a side effect to being constantly subjected to health-related storylines.

I feel like a complete hypochondriac! Luddington told theChicago Tribunein April 2019. I feel like somethings probably wrong all the time. I didnt realize how many different ways there are to almost die,so I do feel like Im constantly living in a possible season finale of my own life.

Self-diagnosing aside, the Greys star thrives in her portrayal as Jo. Though when asked if there was a character she would want to trade places with, she had one in mind.

RELATED: This Greys Anatomy Star Reveals Her Worst Moment

I think I would want to play, she hesitated, maybe Bailey. She gets to boss everyone around. Thats kind of fun. I feel like as an intern were always taking crap and shes the one that dishes it out so it would be fun for that role reversal.

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Camilla Luddington Reveals the Character She'd Most Want To Switch Roles With on 'Grey's Anatomy' - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Anatomy

Origins and anatomy of the deep state – The Standard

August 22, 2020 medical

President Uhuru Kenyatta (C) his deputy William Ruto (L) and Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga during the launch of Building Bridges Initiative report at Bomas of Kenya in Nairobi on November 27, 2019. [Stafford Ondego]Recently the concept deep state has sauntered into our political lexicon with razzmatazz. To hear Deputy President William Ruto and his supporters frequent invocations of the deep state, you get the spooky feeling that there is a secret army of malcontents lurking deep within the bowels of government whose goal is to vehemently curtail his presidential ambitions.On the other hand, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga and his coterie are accusing Ruto of splitting hairs to find an excuse to reject the outcome of the 2022 presidential elections. They add that as DP he is, in fact, the embodiment of the deep state. Is Ruto chasing his own tail?The term deep state, derived from Turkishderin devlet, refers to a type of governance made up of networks of power operating independent of a state's political leadership in pursuit of their own agenda and goals.It arose in the 1990s as a way of describing a kind of shadow or parallel system of government in which unofficial or publicly unacknowledged individuals play important roles in defining and implementing state policy. Potential sources for deep state organisation include organs of state such as armed forces or public authorities (intelligence agencies, police, administrative agencies and government bureaucracy). In popular usage, the term carries an overwhelmingly negative context, although this does not reflect its scholarly understanding.

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Origins and anatomy of the deep state - The Standard

Anatomy

Anatomy Of A Riot – Outlook India

August 22, 2020 medical

A blasphemous FB post, police inaction, a truculent SDPI and rumours of Congress infighting...all lead up to Bangalore's worst street rioting in yearsBy Ajay Sukumaran

August 31, 2020

Ground ZeroRiot police patrol a street in the violence-hit area of Bangalore. Photograph by PTI

No sooner had the August 11 mob violence in east Bangalores Kaval Byrasandra locality been containedafter police firing which claimed three livesthan the politics kicked in. The Congress hadnt reacted immediately and when it did, the response was guarded. So, leaders from the ruling BJP lost no time in prodding the party over appeasementthe violence-hit localities have a sizeable Muslim population and the Congress has a strong presence there. In fact, Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy, whose house was ransacked and burnt down, had won the 2018 polls with the highest vote share in Karnataka.

So what had gone wrong? A Facebook post on Prophet Muhammed shared by Murthys nephew P. Naveen touched off the riotous scenes in which a mob attacked his house, vandalised two police stations and torched vehicles on the street. But various undercurrents in these localitiesseemingly linked to the municipal polls that are due this yearalso appear to fill the frame of what has been Bangalores worst street riotings in several years. Karnatakas home minister Basavaraj Bommai hinted as...

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Anatomy Of A Riot - Outlook India

Anatomy

Irish Greys Anatomy star Richard Flood admits he was lucky to land role as hed been in LA five days when h – The Irish Sun

August 22, 2020 medical

IRISH Grey's Anatomy star Richard Flood admitted that he was "lucky" to land the role in the hit series as he had only been in LA for five days when he got the good news.

Richard plays Dr. Cormac Hayes and he made his first appearance in the show last season.

He got the good news recently that he would become a series regular and he revealed how he first landed the role.

The actor spoke on Ireland AM with hosts Simon Delaney and Glenda Gilson about the show.

Richard explained that he had been working on Shameless in LA for a couple of months before he decided to go visit his wife in Rome.

He spent seven months in Rome before he decided to go back to LA to see if he could get any gigs while he was there.

The actor explained: "So I finished Shameless and I'd been away from my family for five or six months when I was doing that.

"I went back to Rome, my wife was shooting a TV show she's an actress as well a very good actress.

"She was shooting that for seven months or something and by the end of that seven months I was like, 'Alright I need to go to LA and do something because I'm starting to go a little bit crazy even though I'm in Rome'."

Richard then went on to say that he decided to hop on a flight to LA and just a couple days later he landed the role on Grey's.

The actor explained: " I literally got on a plane to come out and see what was happening, see what was around and this time the timing was just right.

"I got off the plane on Friday I think and on Wednesday I was cast in Grey's so I just got lucky this time."

Richard also spoke about his day of filming admitting that he was "thrown" when he first got to the set but he "got stuck in".

The Dublin native said: "It all happened very quickly when I got out to LA. I was walking on not really knowing what I was walking into.

"It's kind of hard to take in especially a show like Grey's which is so famous it's been on for so long.

"You get a bit thrown at first but then you just get in and then you just have to start and you better get on with it that's it."

Richard went on to speak about his first meeting with Ellen Pompeo who stars in and directs the hugely popular series.

He said that she was great the first day they met and she spoke to him for an hour before he had even got the job.

Speaking on the Virgin Media show about Ellen, Richard said: "She's been great since the first day I met her.

"When I was just really meeting about the role, they were telling me about it, we had a really good chat for about an hour before I was even cast in the show.

"So I felt like we got to know each other and I knew what she was looking for and I knew where she was coming from.

"It's her show, she's been there for so long."

"I knew what they were looking for and I was just happy to get stuck in."

Simon and Glenda then asked Richard what the show will be like when it comes back and how they plan to adhere to the Covid restrictions.

He said: "I think we're lucky because Grey's has been around for so long that it's such a well-oiled machine now.

"Everyone really knows what they're doing and have done for years.

"So in a way, it's easier for us to get back up and running as fast as we have.

"So what it's looking like is the actors we're certainly going to be tested three times a week every week whether we're shooting or not.

"There's going to be a lot of scripts already ready so that if there is the unfortunate situation where there are some positive tests we'll be able to shift whatever we're shooting."

He explained that there will be different storylines in every episode in case something happens to one of the actors.

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Richard said: "There'll be lots of storylines running at the same time we'll be able to shoot whatever we can in case there are some positive tests.

"We're going to be kept in different pods, hair and makeup are going to be very different, camera crew are going to be kept at a distance and they're going to be wearing PPE the whole time.

"We're lucky as well that we're a medical show that it makes sense for us to have masks and PPE."

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Irish Greys Anatomy star Richard Flood admits he was lucky to land role as hed been in LA five days when h - The Irish Sun

Anatomy

Irish actor Richard Flood reveals he was cast in Grey’s Anatomy just days after he landed in LA – Goss.ie

August 22, 2020 medical

Home Irish Showbiz Irish actor Richard Flood reveals he was cast in Greys Anatomy just...

The Dublin native has admitted he "got lucky"

Irish actor Richard Flood has revealed he was cast in Greys Anatomy just five days after he arrived in Los Angeles.

The 38-year-old landed the role ofDr. Cormac Hayes on the hit TV show last year, and hes since been made a series regular.

Speaking on Ireland AM, Richard said he had been living in Rome with his wife Gabriella for several months before he decided to return to LA.

Richard explained: My wife was shooting a TV show, shes an actress as well a very good actress. She was shooting that for seven months or something and by the end of that seven months I was like, Alright I need to go to LA and do something because Im starting to go a little bit crazy'

Richard said he hopped on a flight to LA, and just a couple days later he landed a role on Greys Anatomy.

I literally got on a plane to come out and see what was happening, see what was around and this time the timing was just right, he confessed.

I got off the plane on Friday I think and on Wednesday I was cast in Greys so I just got lucky this time.

Richard said he was immediately thrown into the deep end on his first day of shooting.

It all happened very quickly when I got out to LA. I was walking on not really knowing what I was walking into, he explained.

Its kind of hard to take in especially a show like Greys which is so famous its been on for so long. You get a bit thrown at first but then you just get in and then you just have to start and you better get on with it thats it.

Speaking about meeting the shows lead actress Ellen Pompeo, Richard said: Shes been great since the first day I met her.

When I was just really meeting about the role, they were telling me about it, we had a really good chat for about an hour before I was even cast in the show.

So I felt like we got to know each other and I knew what she was looking for and I knew where she was coming from. Its her show, shes been there for so long.

I knew what they were looking for and I was just happy to get stuck in, he added.

Originally posted here:
Irish actor Richard Flood reveals he was cast in Grey's Anatomy just days after he landed in LA - Goss.ie