I worked for one of the largest retail stores in North America for a couple of years. They had field supervisors who periodically visited the stores to assess their performance and grade them. Stores that followed the company policies and met or exceeded the various performance metrics such as safety and sales targets, as well as customer satisfaction, payroll and cleanliness goals were graded as GREEN stores. The stores at the other end of the scale or low-performing stores were graded YELLOW or RED depending on how badly they performed. Over time, stores which consistently received a red rating got a new management team or got closed down altogether.                       

 

I believe the same grading concept is applicable to relationships. Healthy relationships are what I call GREEN RELATIONSHIPS. They are the kind of relationship that can be described (in business terms) as a continuing concern, which means they are assumed to live on forever or at least have the capacity to do so due to their current health or strength. We all know what green relationships look like:

These are the characteristics of a green relationship, and that is what I want every relationship to be. It is the kind of relationship that makes it happily through marriage and beyond – till death. Green relationships are consistently at their best irrespective of the challenges they may face. They are steadily joyful.

                                                        

YELLOW RELATIONSHIPS are a mixed bag. They blow hot and cold. They are not necessarily bad, but they could be better, and both partners are usually aware of this fact. One day it feels like paradise, and the next day it feels like hell. One moment it feels like fun that never should end, and the next moment it feels like a tedious task that you wish you never signed up for. One moment you feel like you are in love, and the next moment you feel like you’d rather be alone. One moment you are arguing fiercely, and the next moment you’re happily riding on each other’s back at the beach. It is the kind of relationship that goes through a rollercoaster of blissful peaks and depressing doldrums. Yellow relationships usually just need a little breath of fresh air, and usually do very well after a good counseling or a peaceful pillow talk. It should be noted that Partners in a yellow relationship love each other, care for each other and are supportive of each other. But they are a little less understanding of each other, which tends to create problems for them.

This is the characteristic of a lot of relationships today. Partners in a yellow relationship don’t feel completely satisfied with their relationships, and yet can’t pinpoint exactly what is ailing it or whose fault it is, and tend to point fingers at each other, resulting in frequent petty arguments. Such partners often have a strong desire to better their relationship rather than end it, but they often don’t know how to compromise on a solution partly because they can’t compromise on what the problem is either, and also because they allow their entrenched beliefs and egos to dictate their behaviors in the relationship. Thus yellow relationships are essentially their own enemies. All they need to stay stronger and become green is to find out what behaviors or actions result in the blissful peaks both partners enjoy and desire, and do more of those behaviors or actions. In other words, these partners need to tap into the positive energy that characterizes the happy moments in the relationship and make it last. They need to focus more on what they have in common and concentrate more on doing what makes each other happy. They also need to put their egos aside and be more understanding and tolerant of each other. They need to compromise more, because that is a necessary remedy for partners in such a relationship. Without these necessary steps, yellow relationships stand the risk of turning red rather than green.

 

RED RELATIONSHIPS are what you can safely call bad relationships. They are relationships whose continuous existence is very much in question. They are (to borrow a business term) a going concern, which means that there is serious doubt that they will live on for long. Such relationships are usually characterized by frequent fights and arguments involving name-calling, physical threats and intimidation, property destruction and physical attacks. They involve less communication or more irresponsible communication such as insults, silent and overt raging, and offensive gestures intended to intimidate the other partner. Red relationships are also characterized by vindictiveness, selfish motives, and apathy. Partners usually feel depressed about such a relationship and see it more as an unpleasant chore than a pleasurable experience. But sometimes these partners find pleasure in the fights and arguments. There is no peace in a red relationship. Partners in such relationships are not happy and usually stay in the relationship for other reasons rather than being in love or wanting a more permanent relationship. The reason could be some material benefit they are getting or the fear of or uncertainty about what might happen to them if they opt out. These relationships, however, eventually die out when the partners begin to recognize the overbearing weight of trying to keep it afloat.

Though a red relationship could be rescued through counseling and other interventions, partners in such relationships are often more pessimistic about a long-term future together and less interested in such interventions.

Red relationships lack excitement and fun. Partners care less about each other and may resort to promiscuity or even start another relationship while they wait for its demise.

 

So what color is your relationship? Green, Yellow, or Red? Go Green!

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Complementary materials characterization systems deliver inter-related measurements that reflect the complexities of particulates and disperse systems, nanomaterials and macromolecules.

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Spectroscopic characterization of materials for quantum processing. Characterization of fluoride and oxide materials doped with selected Ln ions for purpose of photon down conversion and cascade emission

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Spectroscopic characterization of materials for quantum processing.

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Which is funnier: the script or the performer? This old question causes headaches among all HI performers as they search for a script. Do you look for something that is funny as you read it? Should you think about how it would be performed and see if the performance adds any humor? How does timing and characterization affect the funny? All of these questions weigh upon an HI performer. Drama can often be easy to determine whether or not it is a good piece to perform. Did it make you think and arouse the emotions? Yes? Then you have a selection. Humor can be more difficult because everyone’s definition of what is funny, tasteful, or poignant is all different. Thus, most HI performers find themselves looking for a piece that is funny on paper in the hopes that a funny script is the answer to success. Sorry. That philosophy is simply not true.

In the realm of comedy there are numerous ways to get a laugh and ranked well. A script should have built in funny lines, or situations, so as you read you can laugh at the script itself. This is comedy after all. Most often when a script is not amusing on paper it most likely will be less amusing to the audience. There are exceptions, but on the whole if a script has not caused you to even smile it should be tossed.

There are situations where the script itself is “cute” and causes mild laughter but you may be unsure if it is the riot you wish to bring to Forensics. In situations such as this it is good to imagine the performance. What can you do with timing, characterization, voices, popping, etc to bring this to life? Imagine possibilities and think about how the performance factor can turn an okay script into something amazing.

Remember, most scripts were created not to be read but to be performed. The performance factor may be huge. For instance, “Pirates of Penzance” is moderately funny on paper; live, and with capable performers, it can be one of the most delightful comedy, operas you can see.

And if you think that how well you rank is linked directly proportionally to how many chuckles you get you are wrong. There is more to ponder when you begin to perform in HI. Sure, people should laugh at your performance. That’s why you are doing comedy and not drama. However, laughter is not the only factor that is being judged. There are characterization, interpretation, popping, vocals, gestures, how clean your performance is, and more to consider when ranks are involved.

A factor you may not have considered is the substance of the piece. You could be the funniest performer in the round, but if your performance offers little substance you may not win over your judges. You want them to laugh, but you also want to touch their core and move them.

So back to the original question: which is funnier, the script or the performer? It all is a matter of the appropriate balance of both along with the detailing of external variables that affect an HI (interpretation, clean pops, vocals, etc). Every piece will be different based on the material and performer combination. Where one performer may excel another may fall. Know your abilities and style of humor and look for a piece that accentuates them. User discretion is advised.

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The PhD work will include characterization of ultrafast semiconductors materials using pump-and-probe optical techniques, the study of THz and microwaves CW generation through optical beating, and the spectroscopy of various materials …

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Polyaniline-NiO nanocomposites were prepared by employing interfacial polymerization using ammonium persulphate as an oxidizing agent. The formations of regular nanocomposite materials were studied by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) …

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Polyaniline-NiO nanocomposites were prepared by employing interfacial polymerization using ammonium persulphate as an oxidizing agent. The formations of regular nanocomposite materials were studied by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) …

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Interfacial segregations can lead to a dramatic change of materials properties, e.g. loss in ductility of iron, nickel or copper alloys. Until now, the characterization of top surface layers is generally processed with Auger Electron …

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