Corrosion of the reinforcing steel may cause significant loss of strength of reinforced concrete structures. The study focuses on accelerating such corrosion and examining the degradation of (i) the compressive strength of concrete due to sodium sulfate in a wet atmosphere; and (ii) the flexural strength by a solution of sodium sulfate and sodium chloride. Three types of concrete were used and different beam specimens were reinforced by steel rebars of different diameters (6, 8 and 10mm), part of the beams being pre-cracked. The concrete with least strength allowed higher sulfate penetration along the entire process and the compressive strength increased slightly, possibly due to lower porosity of concrete after contamination. The results of the flexural tests showed decrease of strength in all cases. Pre-cracked beams exhibited smaller influence of porosity of concrete. Beams with 6mm rebars showed the largest loss of strength due to the contamination and corrosion process.
Acción externa acelerada de sulfatos y cloruros en el estudio de la corrosión del acero en tracción en el hormigón armado. La corrosión de la armadura de acero de refuerzo puede causar una disminución de la resistencia de las estructuras de hormigón armado. Este estudio se centra en la aceleración artificial de tal corrosión examinando la degradación (i) de la resistencia a compresión del hormigón debida al sulfato de sodio en medio húmedo; y (ii) de la resistencia a flexión causada por una solución de sulfato de sodio y cloruro de sodio. Se han utilizado tres clases de hormigón y vigas con refuerzo de diferentes diámetros (6, 8, 10 mm); algunas de las vigas fueron pre-fisuradas. El hormigón con menor resistencia permitió mayor penetración de los sulfatos y la resistencia a compresión aumentó, posiblemente debido a la menor porosidad después de la contaminación. Los ensayos de flexión mostraron que la resistencia decrecía en todos los casos. Las vigas pre-fisuradas mostraron menor influencia de la porosidad. Las vigas armadas con barras de 6 mm de diámetro tuvieron mayor pérdida de resistencia.
KEYWORDS: Steel; Concrete; Sulphate attack; Durability; Corrosion.
The main objective of this paper is the study of the feasibility of accelerating the corrosion of steel reinforcement due to contamination by sulfates.
The results generated by techniques that accelerate aging processes face the problem of their generalization to actual conditions, a question not addressed here due to its complexity. Such generalization requires simultaneous consideration of the several variables that can be differently accelerated and available techniques that e.g. use Arrhenius-like procedures (1) would require a specific separate treatment.
Some of the accompanying consequences of the accelerated process of steel corrosion on the whole of the reinforced concrete (RC) structures are also reported. The attack of RC structures by external sulfates is known, but scarcely studied. Sulfate ions or sulfur dioxide are harmful to RC structures and contribute to the reduction of their life-cycle (2, 3) and cases of sulfate attack of above ground structures in the United Kingdom and in the United States, including in some highway structures have been reported e.g. by Vittery and Pearson-Kirk in (4).
Sewage systems often present signs of superficial deterioration of concrete with dissolution of cement paste and the main deterioration located above the water level (5) in a process that involves sulfates. Figure 1 shows evident deterioration of concrete in a waste water treatment plant in Portugal a few years after its opening, a problem equally present in Canada (6) where degradation of the exterior walls was attributed to sulfur-rich water and soils. Another source of aggression by sulfates is the combustion of coals (especially lignites) and heavy fuel-oils that produces flue gases containing large amounts of sulfur dioxide (7, 8) that degrade the power plant stacks.
Figure 1. Aspects of concrete degradation. Waste treatment unit. Aveiro, Portugal.
The mechanism most used for explaining the degradation of the concrete when subjected to media rich in sulfate ions was proposed by Atkinson and Herne (3) and validated at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) (9). The method requires the determination of the diffusion coefficient of sulfate ions into concrete (2). De-icing salts are also a common cause of degradation by sodium chlorides and potassium acetate present in sulfate contaminated soils. Concrete under chemical attack of aqueous solutions of sulfates suffers changes in the microstructure and modifies the distribution of the pore sizes. The chemical reactions create products of larger volume than the original materials. Such expansions originate cracks, increase the permeability of concrete and cause loss of strength and mass with time.
The two main mechanisms of sulfate attack are: (i) reaction with monosulfate hydrate, calcium aluminate hydrate, and/or unhydrated tricalcium aluminate to produce ettringite; and (ii) reaction with calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) to produce calcium sulfate (gypsum – CaSO4) (10).
Similar phenomena to the above occur when RC is submitted to moist environments containing dioxide sulfur. The dioxide sulfur (SO2) reacts with water (H2O) and forms sulfuric acid (H2SO4) that ultimately reacts with several concrete compounds. Despite the multiplicity of the process and the formation of several compounds, the primary product of alkaline compounds decomposition by sulfuric acid is calcium sulfate (pH≈7.7) (11, 12). Ideal conditions for the corrosion onset of steel reinforcements are then established when the concrete cover becomes more permeable and less alkaline.
Chloride ions depassivate steel and corrosion rate becomes rather significant (13) when a threshold of the concentration is reached at the depth of steel bars. At low pH values, as for concrete damaged by sulfates or sulfuric acid, the corrosion initiation can take place at significant lower concentrations of oxygen and chlorides (14).
In a real environment the combined effect of sulfate and chloride has been found to be yet more damaging for the structural integrity of reinforced concrete and this conclusion bears the decision taken in the present study to switch, at a given time, from sulfates only contamination to a combination of sulfates and sodium chloride (15–18).
Noticing that there is no standard for the study of concrete contamination by sulfur dioxide, the work described hereafter followed partially ASTM G 87–02 meant to evaluate the resistance of organic coatings (19).
Standards available to evaluate concrete behavior when exposed to sulfate ions include ASTM C 452 (20) and ASTM C 1012 (21) but the former is not applicable to Portland cement. ASTM C 1012 defines the submission of concrete specimens to a solution of sodium sulfate, 50 g/l, for six months to measure the expansion of the specimens.
This brief review established that, in addition to damage caused by the late release of sulfate ions originating from contaminated sources of aggregates, external sulfate attack (ESA) is a source of concern and corrosion of steel (22) and the primary object of the present study is to simulate experimentally such corrosion within a short time frame by electrochemical acceleration of the process.
For the assessment of contamination by SO2, four beams 600x150x100 (mm) of reinforced concrete C1 (see Table 1) were built using cement type CEM II/A-L 32.5R (23), and four 8 mm steel rebars, with a 20 mm concrete cover. Cubes of the same concrete mix with side of 150mm were also made. The beams and four cubes were placed in a SO2 contamination chamber Damp Heat Chamber and subjected to an environment with 3.3% of SO2 in total volume of air (a 10 times percentage higher than the recorded average in this zone) at a temperature of 40 °C, without ventilation, for two consecutive terms of 1000 hours (h) each. The strength characterization was made by compression tests and taken as reference at the beginning of the contamination. The compressive strength was also evaluated after 1000h and 2000h of contamination.
At each of those stages of contamination, two beams were removed from the chamber and subjected to flexural strength tests. Samples of concrete powder were collected at depths of 20mm and 40mm, taken from small diameter drilled holes. The determination of sulfates percentage in the concrete, by weight, was made according to (24, 25) and the initial concentration of free sulfates in the beams was considered negligible.
Two sets of 15 beams, manufactured with a geometry defined by a square cross section with sides of 150mm and a length of 600mm, were subjected to accelerated contamination by sulfate and chloride ions. Each set corresponded to a different mix as characterized in Table 1 (concretes designated as C2 and C3), but both batches were made using the same cement type, as before. The introduction of 35% more fly ashes and 37.5% more cement, per cubic meter, in the mix of C3 versus that of C2, led to the reverse decrease of 20% of sand as customary in the industry of construction, leading to a concrete C3 with higher strength and lower porosity (7.7% vs. 10.6% as detailed below) than those found for C2.
Each beam was reinforced with 2 longitudinal rebars. The diameters differed from beam to beam as shown in Table 2 that refers only to the contaminated beams, 6 more having been built for control, two per each bar diameter. To further study the influence of cracking in the contamination process, some of the beams were pre-cracked before the beginning of the contamination protocol. This was achieved loading those beams with a concentrated force at mid-span that generated the cracking bending moment. For each concrete, and for each rebar size, five beams were cast (one reference beam not to be contaminated, two non-cracked and two pre-cracked to be subjected to contamination). The concrete cover clearance of the longitudinal reinforcement was 20mm.
Concrete cubes (150mm side) were also cast along with the beams and were used to assess the concrete strength. The results for the concrete compressive strength (fccm) at 28 days were 46.8MPa for C2, and 50.7 MPa for C3. The values for C2 and C3 were tested again after 850 days and the compressive strength found was higher, averaging, respectively, 64.3MPa and 70.5MPa.
The tensile strength properties of the reinforcement steel bars ϕ6, ϕ8 and ϕ10 were obtained from tensile tests and the values found for the yield strength (fy) were, respectively, 523 MPa, 550 MPa and 542 MPa. For the ultimate strength (ft), in the same order, 618 MPa, 697 MPa and 669 MPa.
The contamination by sulfate and chloride ions was started after concrete was cured for 28 days at 20 °C and 90% RH (23). A small acrylic container was installed having the bottom on the tensile side of the beam, as shown in Figure 2. Inside the container a thin sponge was positioned under a stainless steel mesh, and connected to a copper conductor. After assemblage, the container was partially filled with a solution of sodium sulfate and sodium chloride at 5% and 3% by weight, respectively.
Figure 2. View of the external container with stainless grid. A weight is placed over the grid to maintain pressure on sponge.
At mid-height and mid-length of each of the beams to be contaminated, a grid of A304 stainless steel was placed, connected to a copper wire linked to an external circuit, as sketched also in Figure 2. Both conductors were connected to a DC voltage source (Sorensen, XHR 40–25). A current density between 2 and 4mA/cm2 was applied between the stainless steel meshes to generate a constant electric field that accelerated contamination of the concrete by the ions contained in the solution. The contamination process was conducted during a 9 week period on the beams cast with the concrete mix of smaller strength (C2) and 12 weeks for the beams made with the stronger concrete (C3). The reason for the different times adopted was the difference of porosity between C2 and C3. Every 3 or 4 weeks, concrete powder samples were obtained by drilling 10mm to 20mm deep into the beams, the distances bring measured from the top surfaces. The determination of the sulfates percentage in the concrete powder followed (24, 25).
The level of alteration on the concrete microstructure and any eventual formation of major mineralogical phases were studied via X-ray diffraction analysis and mercury intrusion porosimetry performed both in plain and contaminated concrete.
For easier reference and interpretation, the results associated with SO2 contamination in wet atmosphere, in a climatic chamber, are reported separately from those corresponding to the attack on a restricted area of the outer surface of beams by a solution of chloride and sulfate.
The amounts of sulfate present in the samples obtained at depths of 20mm and 40mm, after 1000h of contamination in the SO2 chamber, were respectively 0.58% and 0.40%. At 2000h the values changed to 1.20% and 0.64%. The SO2 beams contamination is expressed by: percentage.
Despite the 2000 h of contamination, the percentage of sulfates found in the concrete is very small. This small contamination values achieved in the cubes, only 1.2% (maximum value), shows how the natural process of contamination can be slow for a concrete of good composition.
The 28 days average compressive strength of the reference concrete cubes, i.e. those without contamination (C1), was 29.3MPa. The cubes subjected to 1000h of SO2 contamination showed a mean strength of 32.0MPa, whereas at 2000h the value was 31.0MPa, i.e. it remained approximately constant. The failure of the reference samples, unlike the case of the contaminated samples, was accompanied by the projection of numerous debris, evidencing that the contaminated samples became less brittle. It is suggested that crystals, resulting from the reaction between the cementitious materials and SO2, partially filled concrete pores, and their continued formation and growth induced internal stresses and cracking. Expectable decrease of strength ensued as the contamination proceeded. The surfaces of contaminated cubes also showed a yellowish color due to chemical alteration as previously described in the literature (27).
The contamination in the SO2 chamber proved to be insufficient to cause significant effects in the flexural behavior. This was perhaps because the sulfate contamination occurred only on the surface as a result of the short time of actual aging due to technical limitations of the chamber which did not allow sustained application of higher rates of contamination. In addition, these initial concrete specimens were conceived essentially to verify the effectiveness of the process to accelerate the corrosion of the steel and the diameter of the reinforcement bars versus the geometry of the beams was not representative of what would be required for them as structural members, i.e. the reinforcement was excessive. Despite that, flexural tests were performed after contamination and the results obtained in two beams subjected to 1000h and 2000h of contamination, respectively, were compared. The values obtained indicated higher failure load after 2000h (39 versus 32 kN), a fact difficult to interpret since the compressive strength of concrete, as previously seen, was not altered.
The contamination of the beams increased over time and could be observed on the lateral faces of the beams. Figure 3 shows, as a representative case, the central part of a lateral face of one beam reinforced with 10mm rebars and cast with concrete C3. The parameters chosen to characterize the effects of the penetration of sulfate ions into the beams are examined below.
Figure 3. Salts deposited on the lateral surface of the beam after 3 days (a), 40 days (b) and 84 days (c) of contamination. Concrete C3 and 10 mm rebars.
The electric resistance of the wires, connections and steel mesh was considered negligible when compared to the electric resistance of the concrete electrolyte and the electric resistance of some specimens produced by possible electrode reactions in the presence of oxygen. This electric resistance was calculated according to the first law of Ohm, R=U/I, where U is the electric potential and I is the current intensity in the circuit. Figure 4 illustrates representative cases of the electrical resistance evolution during the time of contamination of the beams.
Figure 4. Representative electrical resistance evolution during beams contamination (6mm).
The total porosities calculated by Hg intrusion and the corresponding pores size distribution are shown in Figure 5. As expected, concrete C2 is considerably more porous than C3. This difference was reflected in the overall concrete electrical resistance and had implications on the beams contamination through differential ionic current flows. Despite the different porosities, the pore size distribution in each mortar is quite similar.
Figure 5. Pore size distributions of concrete mortar before (ref.) and after contamination.
Along the process of contamination the beams cast with C3 concrete showed consistently higher electrical resistance values than those of the beams cast with C2, despite the influence on the ion transport process of the electric field applied, i.e. the initial concrete porosity controled the ionic current flow, see Figure 4.
In general, as the contamination process advanced the electrical resistance of the system tended to increase. This might be due to the production of substances from the electrodes reaction in the presence of oxygen, and to the reaction of sulfate ions with the tricalcium aluminate (3CaO.Al2O3) present in the cement. Reaction of the sulfate ions with tri-calcium aluminate, first, formed calcium sulfo-aluminates and then ettringite, and the resulting new crystals partially filled the pores, further reducing the solution uptake and explaining the increase of the electrical resistivity in the beams, as previously found by Cunha (26).
The larger electric resistance of concrete caused by the decrease of porosity, also decreased the diffusion or mass transport process. However, the speed of the corrosive process was no longer controlled by diffusion but by the presence of free chloride ions near the rebar. This change in the corrosive mechanism can explain the corrosion detected in the rebar.
After a few weeks of contamination, the beams showed oxides leaching at mid-level of the lateral faces. The accumulation of corrosion products, salt crystallization and weakness due to the introduction of the mesh created parallel cracks in the zone of the mesh. The mesh and ensuing parallel cracks, though located at the region of lowest stresses, required careful attention when changes of mechanical strength were analyzed.
Concrete-mesh adhesion was deteriorated by the presence of corrosion products between the mesh and the steel bars. This loss of adhesion between the mesh and the concrete did not occur in non-pre-cracked beams.
The chemical and microstructural damage of concrete due to multiple deterioration mechanisms associated with the combined action of sulfate and chloride involves numerous chemical phenomena and resultant products. Such complexity required thorough analyses and, despite not being a central target of this research, an effort was placed to identify major chemical/microstructural changes caused by the contamination protocol. In order to measure the changes on the microstructure, small pieces of the cement matrix were obtained both from the reference and contaminated concrete beams (non-cracked). Both concrete mortars evidenced a negligible change in porosity due to the contamination, especially C3. However, through the pore size distributions, it was possible to detect important differences in the microstructures after the contamination. Generically, the volume of pores with diameters below 0.025µm (25nm) decreased, whereas, the volume of pores with diameters ranging between 0.025µm and 0.200µm increased. The likely cause is that crystallized salts and/or reaction products between the contaminants and the cement components remained in the system. Another reason is the appearance of micro-cracks due to salts crystallization. Both contributed to significant modifications on the concrete microstructure that affected the transport phenomena.
To investigate the eventual development of new mineral forms during the contamination, the cement paste was also analysed by x-ray diffraction, Figure 6. In all cases, for both concrete types and in pre-cracked and non-cracked beams, gypsum and halite were identified. The major peaks identified in all samples corresponded to quartz and calcite whose presence is attributed to the concrete aggregates (limestone and siliceous sand). In all the contaminated specimens, additional peaks appeared that were attributed to gypsum and halite. These new mineral forms are a consequence of concrete contamination by sulfates and chlorides, respectively. While the occurrence of halite did not indicate any reaction between the cement components, the presence of gypsum confirmed chemical reactions between sulfates and cement alkaline compounds. It was not possible to identify ettringite and thaumasite, probably because the contamination did not last long enough to allow the generation of significant quantities.
Figure 6. X-ray diffraction patterns of concrete mortar C2 (a) and C3 (b), before (ref.) and after contamination.
Several studies (28, 29) have indicated that chloride ions diffuse much faster than sulfate ions into hardened cement paste. Oberholster reported that the diffusion of chloride ions in concrete is generally 10 to 100 times faster than that of sulfate ions (28). It was thought reasonable to accept that the same happened when applying a constant electric field to push these ions into the concrete.
The presence of sulfate ions in the chloride solution did not influence the initiation time of the chloride-induced reinforcement corrosion, but the rate of corrosion increased with increasing sulfate concentration. That occurred because the tricalcium aluminate in the concrete also binds to sulfate ions, and because the amount of free chloride also intensified the corrosive process.
Accordingly the fast corroding process verified in the rebars is attributed to the high concentration of free chloride ions carried by the applied electric field, and not to the presence of sulfate ions.
Figure 7 displays the evolution in time of the quantity of sulfates in the concrete. The data represent the mean values of the gain of mass of sulfates found for each type of beam.
Figure 7. Sulfate amount for as-built and pre-cracked concrete beams along contamination, concrete C2 (a) and concrete C3 (b).
At the end of the contamination process of the specimens C2 and C3, for 9 and 12 weeks, respectively, the results obtained varied between 0.04g and 0.06g sulfate per 5g of concrete. That matches the percentages of sulfate contamination between 0.8% and 1.2% found in the concrete mass.
Dispersion of the observed results was expected due to the heterogeneity of concrete, reflected in the contents of powder samples taken at different horizontal plane locations and depths. Nonetheless, some conclusions can be advanced from the mean values found.
- The quantity of sulfates found in the specimens varied with the concrete mix. Concrete C2, the one with smaller strength, allowed higher sulfate penetration all along since the beginning of contamination.
- In non-pre-cracked beams the porosity had a more important role in the diffusion of the sulfates.
- In pre-cracked beams the relative importance of the type of concrete and its porosity were lower both in terms of penetration and total uptake of the solution.
- Tensile strength of the 10mm reinforcing steel bars removed from the corresponding beams after after having submitted these beams to the same type of loading as those reinforced with 6mm and 8mm rebars. The option for the tensile tests was due to the fact that hypercritical reinforcement and short span of those beams did not allow comparative analysis of the results by engineering beam theory.
Figure 8 summarizes the data obtained from the flexural tests in the beams reinforced with 6 mm rebars, where “Ref” designates the reference beam without contamination, and PC and NPC refer to the pre-cracked and non-pre-cracked specimens, respectively. The results evidenced the detrimental effects of corrosion caused by the contamination, showing a decrease of the maximum strength of approximately 27% for concrete C2 and 22% for concrete C3, due to the contamination. It is noticed that the mix for concrete C3 had, compared with C2, more cement, more fly ashes and more pozzolith 540 and less water that led to lower porosity and explain the smaller influence of contamination.
Figure 8. Experimental results from the flexural tests for the 6mm rebars beams, concrete C2 (a) and concrete C3 (b).
The differences observed between the strength of specimens PC and NPC were small, though for concrete C3, the pre-cracked beams showed a slightly lower strength than the non-pre-cracked beams. This is attributed to the additional penetration of sulfate caused by the pre-cracks.
Signs of corrosion products around the rebars and salt crusts were seen after the flexural tests on the beam surface opposite to the face directly contaminated in one of the pre-cracked beams with 6 mm rebars.
Figure 9 shows the results from the bending tests performed on the beams with 8 mm rebars. For concrete type C2 the beams subjected to contamination showed a decrease of maximum strength of about 9% and 5%, for the PC and NPC specimens, respectively. A similar behavior was observed in the beams made of concrete C3, but with a more accentuated decrease of strength, 18% and 13%, when compared to the values found for the reference beam.
Figure 9. Experimental results from the flexural tests for the 8mm rebars beams, concrete C2 (a) and concrete C3 (b).
The corrosion of the rebars occured more heterogeneously in the pre-cracked beams. Corrosion was also detected where the cracks intersected the rebars. In the NPC beams corrosion was more homogeneous along the rebars due to the absence of the pre-cracks as preferential paths. On average, the decrease of strength was smaller than that observed in the beams with 6mm rebars, since the 6mm rebars had a higher specific surface, and were thus more susceptible to corrosion.
Figure 10 presents the results obtained from the tensile tests performed on the rebars extracted from the contaminated beams, after carefully removing the surrounding concrete. To be used as reference values, three coupons from the steel samples had not been subjected to the contamination processes and the average results for their tests are also shown in Figure 10 and identified as “Ref”. The decrease of strength between the reference and the contaminated specimens was small, varying between 2% and 6%.
Figure 10. Experimental results from the tensile tests of 10 mm rebars (C2 and C3).
It can be observed that the contamination protocol was also efficient for the 10mm rebars, but in order to get more visible results the contamination process should be longer.
- An accelerated contamination of reinforced concrete elements with sulfates was successfully applied. The study showed the feasibility of using an electrochemical procedure, associated with a protocol that implemented direct contact of the contaminant solution on the beams, as an effective way to accelerate the corrosion of the steel reinforcement.
Ways of establishing temporal correspondence of these tests with real cases remain a challenge for future work.
- The use of a contamination chamber of SO2 creating an atmosphere with 3.3% volume of SO2 and high humidity presented experimental limitations hard to overcome.
i) The contamination in the climatic chamber showed small upwards change of concrete compressive strength, after 1000h and 2000h of exposure.
- The ingress of sulfates and chlorides led to depassivation of rebars and severe corrosion.
- Cracking played important part in the corrosion process.
- In the beams reinforced with 6mm rebars the largest decrease of strength was observed, due to the contamination and ensuing corrosion process. This observation can be explained by the fact that the 6mm rebars have a higher specific surface, thus being more susceptible to corrosion.
On average the decrease of strength varied between 22% to 27% for the specimens reinforced with 6 mm rebars, 5% to 18% for the 8mm, and 2% to 6% for the 10mm.
Although the electrochemical procedure, associated with the direct contact of the contaminant solution with the beams, proved to be a viable and effective means to accelerate corrosion of reinforced concrete structures, studies that include a longer period of the contamination are needed, in order to cause higher levels of corrosion, especially for larger diameter bars and bigger concrete cover.
The authors are grateful to Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia for partial financing of the work under Project PTDC/ECM/100538/2008.
4. Vittery, J. P., Pearson-Kirk, D., (2008). Sulfate Induced Deterioration of Above Ground Components of Highway Structures, Structural Faults + Repair, 12th International Conference.
5. Fernandes, I., Pericão, M., Hagelia, P., Noronha, F., Ribeiro, M. A., and J. Maia (2009). Identification of Acid Attack on Concrete of a Sewage System. 12th Euroseminar on Microscopy Applied to Building Materials, Dortmund, Germany.
6. Iggy, I.P., B.A.Sc., E.I.T. (2005) “Sulfur attack on concrete tanks – A problem in the on-site wastewater industry that needs to be addressed”. Ontario Onsite Wastewater Association Newsletter 6.
9. Pommersheim, J. M. Clifton J. R. (1994) Expansion of Cementitous Materials Exposed to Sulfate Solutions. Materials Research Symposium Proceedings 333, 363–368.
10. Monteiro P., Roesler J., Kurtis K., Harvey J. (2000) - Accelerated Test for Measuring Sulfate Resistance of Hydraulic Cements for Caltrans LLPRS Program. Report. Pavement Research Center, Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California, Berkeley. p.46.
12. Okun D.A, Wang L.K., Shammas N.K. (2010) Water Supply and Distribution and Wastewater Collection. John Wiley and Sons.
20. ASTM C 452 Standard (2010). Test Method for Potential Expansion of Portland Cement Mortars Exposed to Sulfate (ASTM Philadelphia, P.A.).
21. ASTM C 1012 Standard (2012). Test Method for Length Change of Hydraulic Cement Mortar Exposed to a Sulfate Solution. (ASTM Philadelphia, PA).
23. ASTM C-150 Standard Specification for Portland Cement (2007) (ASTM Philadelphia, PA).
26. Cunha, M.P.T. (2011), Desenvolvimento e avaliação de um sistema de monitorização da corrosão electroquímica no betão armado. Ph.D. Thesis. Universidade de Aveiro (in Portuguese).
28. Obserholster, R. E., Pore Structure, Permeability and Diffusivity of Hardened Cement Paste and Concrete in Relation to Durability: Status and Prospects, Proceedings, 8th International Congress on the Chemistry of Cement, Rio Janeiro, Brazil, Sub-Theme 4.1, September 1986, 323–335.
29. Stratful, R. F., (1964) Effect on Reinforced Concrete in Sodium Chloride and Sodium Sulfate Environments Materials Protection. 3(12), pp. 74–80.


Which Mad Men star pops placenta pills?
Celebrities are often known for trying out-there diets and strange beauty treatments. But perhaps the most noteworthy recent news is that January Jones, who plays Betty Draper on Mad Men, admitted that she's taking placenta pills to keep her energy levels up post-pregnancy during the filming of the show's new season.
"I have a great doula who makes sure I’m eating well, with vitamins and teas, and with placenta capsulation," she said during a Mad Men press junket. Of course, this begs the question – why on earth would any woman want to eat the placenta of her first child?
The benefits of eating a placenta (which is referred to as placentophagy), supposedly involve restoring hormone levels after a pregnancy and reducing one's risk of postpartum depression. Believers also point out that humans are the only mammals who don't engage in the practice (aside from those in the water). Having said that, the reasons why animals eat the placenta of their young may rest solely on the circumstances of their environment.
Usually, mammals eat the afterbirth in an effort to keep their nests clean, get rid of smells that might attract predators, replenish the nutrition lost during pregnancy, acquire the hormones in the placenta and because they're just really hungry after labor.
For those interested, it turns out that many doulas – professionals hired to give physical and emotional support to mothers during a pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period are becoming trained in dehydrating one's placenta and encapsulating it into pills for mothers to consume after birth. However, seeing as there's no scientific research about the benefits of placentophagy in humans, you might want to do a little more research before you sign up for this growing trend.
Of course, if you have a strong stomach and are willing to try it out, feel free to fire up the grill!


Goal: Use LANforge and a managed ethernet switch to create 48 unique WAN emulations.
In this example, LANforge is paired with a managed ethernet switch to create 48 unique WAN emulations. Each of the 48 ports on the ethernet switch can be connected to an end-user device such as a PC or networked gaming console to provide 48 independent emulated links each with their own set of network impairments. Please see the CT970-48 product description for more details.
NOTE: If you are attempting to run this test scenario, you will need a LANforge license key that enables the correct number of WanLinks. Please contact us at support@candelatech.com for assistance.
Download the CT970-48 configuration to your LANforge system. We have provided the LANforge database and managed switch configuration for this example to simplify the setup.
You can download all of the CT970-48 configuration files to your /home/lanforge/DB/CT970-48 directory.
NOTE: This LANforge database uses eth0 as the Management port and eth2 as the VLAN trunk port. If you need to modify these, please contact us at support@candelatech.com for assistance.
NOTE: The managed switch referenced in this example is a Netgear FSM7352SNA ProSafe 48-port 10/100 L3 Managed Switch.
Save your existing database, then load the new database into your LANforge system.
On the Status tab, under the Test Configuration Database Name field, type in a name for your existing configuration, then select the Save button.
Select CT970-48 from the Test Configuration Database List box.
Select the Load button and acknowledge the confirmation pop-up message.
After LANforge is finished loading the new database, open Netsmith to view the 48 WanLinks and modify if necessary.
On the Status tab, under Resource 1, select the Netsmith button.
If any changes are made to Netsmith, then select the Apply button to commit the changes to the LANforge server.
When the 48port-sw-config.txt is loaded into the Netgear FSM7352SNA switch, port 52 on the switch is configured as the VLAN trunk which will connect to LANforge port eth2.
Each switch port and VLAN correspond to a WanLink in LANforge. Here, incoming traffic on switch port 1 is tagged for VLAN 101 and sent out switch port 52 to LANforge eth2 then on to WanLink VRWL-1.1.0 via endpoints eth2.101 and rdd1.101.
Connect LANforge port eth2 to the FSM7352SNA switch, port 52 which is trunking vlans 101 - 148 to the LANforge system.
Here, each WanLink can be modified to have its own unique impairment profile so that each end-device has a different upstream connection.
Alternatively, a group of WanLinks can be modified together using the Batch Modify on the WanLinks tab in the main LANforge GUI. Highlight the group of WanLinks that you want to modify, then select Batch Modify to modify the highlighted set of WanLinks.
The Batch Modifier will apply changes to the group of highlighted WanLinks.
PC1 - switch port 1 - vlan 101 - switch port 52 - LANforge port eth2 - WanLink VRWL-1.1.0 - Virtual Router R0 - vlan 102 - WanLink VRWL-1.1.1 - LANforge port eth2 - switch port 52 - switch port 2 - PC2.
The end-devices used here are LANforge-FIRE interfaces on a separate system. Each interface has its own MAC and IP address and will generate traffic to and receive traffic from the switch port it is connected to.
The impairment settings on each WanLink will only apply to traffic that is sent or received from the switch port that it is associated with via the VLAN used with that WanLink. For example, WanLinks VRWL-1.1.0 and VRWL-1.1.1 are both set to have a total of 100ms of delay, so PC1 would see a 200ms round-trip delay when sending or receiving traffic to PC2.
The total latency of WanLinks VRWL-1.1.0 and VRWL-1.1.1 is 100ms.
Each end of the connection experiences 100ms of delay which gives a total round-trip delay of 200ms.


1) Place a large pot on medium-high heat and add the onion dice, garlic and clarified butter.
2) Sauté the lot of them, stirring occasionally to keep things from sticking, for 4-5 mins until the onions turn translucent.
3) Once that’s done, sift in the flour and add the brown butter.
4) As soon as the butter has melted, grab a wooden spoon and slowly stir the mixture for 2-3 mins.
5) Deglaze the pot with the wine and port and, after making sure nothing’s sticking to the bottom, allow the liquids to bubble up.
6) Stir in the stock of your choice along with the skimmed milk, turn the heat down to medium-low and allow the soup to simmer away for 10 mins.
8) Once the time’s up, turn the heat to high for a couple of blinks, allow the liquid to bubble up before taking the pot off the heat.
9) Transfer the proto-soup into the jug of your blender or a stick-blender friendly container and give it a good whizz.
10) Strain the soup through a sieve back into the pot.
11) Generously season it with pepper and nutmeg – hold back on he salt until the cheese has made its way in. At this point you could take a break in case you’re preparing this a bit earlier in the day.
12) Once dinnertime draws near, heat the soup on medium heat and stir in the crème and freshly grated cheese in batches – stir each addition until it’s completely dissolved before adding the next.
13) Allow the soup to thicken up a bit into creamy deliciousness – add a bit of stock if gets too thick for your liking down the line.
2) Adjust the consistency to your liking with cold water, lemon juice or more oil.
1) Place a wide pan on medium heat, pop in the butter, shallot dice and sage ribbons and allow them to sweat until the onions turn translucent and tender.
2) Add the chopped up dried blueberries, give everything a snazzy swirl and leave them to their own devices in the heat for for 1-2 mins.
3) Add the grated cheese to a large mixing bowl.
4) Transfer the contents of your pan into the same mixing bowl and add the milk, bread dice/-crumbs, thyme leaves, salt and pepper.
5) Crack in the eggs on the tail of the spices and stir the lot with a wooden spoon until everything is well combined.
7) Line a large plate or tray with a sheet of non-stick paper or baking parchment and place it in easy reach.
8) Bring a large pot of lightly salted water up to a gentle simmer.
9) Lightly wet your hands with a bit of water and roll the mixture up into 12-16 dumplings.
10) Try to keep the fresh berries on the inside by nudging them into the soft’ish balls while molding the dough closed around them. This will prevent the berries from bursting in the hot water, taking chunks of the dumplings along with them.
11) Place the dumplings on the tray as you go and pop it into the fridge for the next 2-3 mins.
12) Turn the heat beneath your pot to low once the water is simmering away and add the dumplings – do this in batches if your pot isn’t large enough to hold all of them with a comfortable personal space for each dumpling.
13) Leave them to enjoy their swim for 12 mins – just check up on them from time to time to make sure none are sticking to the bottom or sides of the pot or to each other.
14) While you’re on checkup duty anyways, make sure the water doesn’t bubble up, the dumplings will fall apart if they’re being bounced around by boiling water.
15) Take them out of the water with a slotted spoon and place them on a cooling rack or something like it to drip and cool off.
2) Once everything is ready, ladle the soup into warmed bowls, add a few drops of the pesto and top them off with the dumplings, toasted pinenuts and a couple of stray blueberries!


Children need to be given many opportunities to practice making different types of patterns.
Before children are able to make patterns, they need to be able to sort objects by one attribute (color shape or size). The first stage of patterning is pattern copying. The child will simply copy a pattern that has been chosen for her.
When a child has completed her pattern, I have her "read" it back to me to give her extra practice beginning on the left and ending on the right. This is an important habit for children to form.
The second stage of patterning is adding on to an already created pattern. A pattern must have at least two or three pattern cycles completed for a student new to patterning to be able to see and add on to the pattern. This is where worksheets often fail.
A worksheet has RED YELLOW RED... What comes next?
Is the pattern "RED YELLOW RED YELLOW RED YELLOW"?
Or is it "RED/YELLOW/RED RED/YELLOW/RED"?
The third stage of patterning is creating a new pattern. These children are working in pairs to create their own patterns.
Children learn valuable social skills by working together.
When a child has to help explain something, like patterning, to another child, it helps cement knowledge and understanding for both children.
It's great for the children to be able to work on their fine motor skills and patterning by making these necklaces with dyed pasta.
Stringing pony beads onto pipe cleaners is an easy way to make pattern bracelets. The best part is - the beads don't fall off!!
These pattern snakes were REALLY hard to make, but worth it! First we glued our strips of paper together.
Next I taught them how to tie a knot to connect the body segments.
We made a huge mess, but we usually do when we try something new.
The only "rule" for this art project was that the children draw at least two different types of flowers.
Notice each child's pencil grip! I am a stickler for holding a writing utensil properly, even for the very young. It is better to form good habits now than try to break bad habits later! Children need to learn and practice the proper grip for any fine motor activity.
There are five stages to children's drawing/writing - random scribbles, controlled scribbles, lines and patterns, pictures of objects and people, and letter and word practice.
All of our drawings were very different and that was one of the main goals of this project.
One of the best ways to talk to kids about their art is to tell them what you see.
"I see green and yellow and a LOT of red in your picture."
"I can see you are painting the center of your flower pink."
"I see a very TALL flower and some short flowers in your picture."
It is more important for a child to know that we see his picture than to hear that we like his picture.
One of the most important lessons I've learned through teaching preschool is to have everything set up beforehand.
For this art project we made large dots on the paper with our paintbrushes and then used a milk jug lid to swirl the paint around.
This is PROCESS oriented art because we are more interested in the process of doing the project than the outcome. Process art is important in preschool because it gives children time to make their own discoveries.
Today in class we read my favorite story by Dr Seuss, Sneetches.
During story, each of the children had a silver star they could choose to wear and we had a guest appearance by "Sylvester McMonkey McBean".
In the story, the Sneetches have marshmallow toasts on the beaches, so we had s'more bites for snack.
In the afternoon, they were still excited about the zoo they built yesterday, so they built another one. When block play and building are encouraged in different ways and areas of the room, children who usually don't engage in block play will become excited about it. Block play helps children build their own understanding of mathematical concepts like measurement, balance, and spatial skills.
Doctor Seuss's Birthday: Day Two!
Yesterday, in small group, we read One Fish, Two Fish. Then we did some fish-y math activities.
We did some addition problems with goldfish crackers.
And we graphed. We LOVE graphs in preschool! Here's why: Graphs are compound activities. We can use this one activity to cover many mathematical standards. When we graph we are classifying, counting and comparing. Since preschool attention spans can be short, this is a great way to cover a lot of ground!
We had "One Fish, Two Fish jello" for snack.
We also read If I ran the Zoo by Dr Seuss; during art the children were given materials to create a picture of their zoo.
Later in the afternoon the children made a "Zoo Fair".
During dramatic play children are building their imagination and social skills. They are learning to work together by sharing limited resources and space. They develop language skills by explaining what they are doing.
They were encouraged to build cages and choose what kind of animals would be in their zoo.
They made signs for the cages.
Yet another successful day in Pre-K.


1. Where will this tile be placed?
3. How often will this tile be used?
Glass tiles are a common choice for bathrooms and kitchens today because they're easily recycled and come in a wide variety of colors and finishes. mosaic tiles — usually shaped in rectangles, squares, or "pennies" — have become increasingly popular. These glossy mosaic tiles work well on this bathroom floor because they're easy to clean and provide traction during your post-shower dry down. Remember that a glossy floor tile isn't the same as a glossy wall tile — before buying, explain to an in-store expert where your tile will be installed. Floor tile has to be safe to walk on, so you want to make sure that the texture and strength of the tile is correct.
A no-slip grip and incredible strength make porcelain a common flooring choice. It's an extremely durable and water-resistant material that can even be used outside.
Ceramic tile is a good fit in bathrooms or other moisture-rich environments. It's easy to clean and install, it's waterproof, sturdy, and is a great value for the price. Designers also like ceramic tile because its surface is ideal for paint or decal ornamentation.
When it comes to durability, natural stone is the crème de la crème. It has a completely natural beauty, and since no two stones are exactly alike, a natural pattern will emerge on tiled floors or walls. Pay attention to maintenance requirements when choosing stone. Some stones need to be sealed, otherwise they'll stay porous and can become stained or even crumble. A smooth stone works well for Kitchen clean-ups, but a textured stone floor will help prevent slips on a bathroom floor.
Consider shape and size. This is particularly important if you're planning to install the tile yourself. Larger tiles have a distinctive look and are easier to fit and place than smaller tiles. If you're using ceramic tile, check that all the edges are straight; this will make grouting much easier. Also make sure that all of your tiles are the same size — the manufacturing process can result in variations up to 1/4 of an inch.
Square and rectangular tilesare also much easier to place than those with an irregular shape. These porcelain tiles with mirror inlays are absolutely stunning — but if this is a look you're going for, it's a good idea to call in a professional.
• Ceramic tile ranges from $2-$20 per square foot.
• natural stone ranges from $7-$20 per square foot.
• Glass tile ranges from $7-$30 per square foot.
• Porcelain tile ranges from $3-$25 per square foot.
It's important to choose a floor tile that can stand up to the daily wear and tear of your household. Scuffs, spilled foods, cleaning supplies, dog scratches, etc. should all be taken into account. Make sure to choose a tile that is specifically formulated for floor use. This natural stone tile shower is a great example, since it has a high COF (coefficient of friction) to keep it from being too slippery. You'll definitely want to do this when choosing a tile for your bathroom floor. Something with a slight raised pattern or texture will increase friction, even when wet.
If doing an entire stone or porcelain floor isn't quite your style, consider doing what this family did, and create a kitchen. This part of the kitchen floor will probably be used the most by the family, and this tough and long-lasting stone won't suffer the same damage as hardwood in this area would.
If you're feeling resigned to a practical, durable tile to protect your kitchen from kids and your golden retriever, take heart. The backsplash is one area where you can get really creative. This is an area that doesn't take direct traffic, so you can be more free with materials and design ideas. You still want to make sure that your backsplash can still take a few hits — as it'll still have to withstand splashes of hot water, oil, grease and cleaning materials. These colorful ceramic tiles are a great fit for a backsplash behind a stove: they can withstand the heat and are easy to wipe off.


AP - MTV's high-definition network is quietly moving out of a studio on Vail Mountain and into new headquarters in New York.
AP - Two fraternity boys from a South Carolina university want to make lawsuit against "Borat" over their drunken appearance in the hit movie.
AP - Having starred in several TV series and films about samurais, Ken Watanabe understands sacrifice, honor and fierce battles to the death. So playing a Japanese general in a film about the bloody Battle of Iwo Jima may seem like a seamless transition.
AP - The day after the Dallas Opera kicks off its 50th season, its musicians will vote Saturday on a new contract that includes better wages but reduces the size of the orchestra.
Reuters - During the past 25 years, Dave Gahan, Andy "Fletch" Fletcher and Martin Gore have personified -- defined -- electronica around the globe, with the occasional dip into arena rock.
AP - Tony Bennett left a little of his heart in Hollywood after an emotional 80th birthday bash thrown by movie and music stars spanning three generations — from Paul Newman to Kelly Clarkson.


To consumers: Take 3-9 capsules daily before meals.
The ratio of I: 3 capsules = 1 teaspoon.
Ingredients in 1 capsule: 500 mg of pure coconut oil.


Given enough time, all roofs will need to be replaced, but how do you decide if you need a roof repair or replacement? Clearly, replacing your roof is a bigger, more costly job, but sometimes a repair is just not enough. Essentially, whether you repair or replace your roof is mostly a matter of timing. You certainly don’t want to wait until your roof is in shambles before you replace it, but you also want to get the most out of your existing roof.
Indeed, though a new roof may cost you thousands of dollars, water damage to your home and property can also be extremely costly, so you need to determine whether the condition of your roof is suitable for another year. This means you need to be aware of the early signs of roof leaks and when repairs are the most sensible option, especially in regards to your budget. Finally, you’ll want to discuss your options with an experienced professional roofer.
The condition of your current roof is the single largest factor that should influence your decision about whether to get a roof repair or replacement. Ideally, you want to check the condition of your roof on a yearly basis so you can look for signs of damage and determine the extent of the damage. Cracked caulk, rust spots on flashing, damaged shingles, or damage around roofing fixtures may indicate the need for replacement. In addition, there are even internal signs that your roof may need replacement. Dark areas on ceilings, peeling paint in your home or on the underside of roof overhangs, wet spots or water stains on your walls, fireplace, or venting are all signs that your roof is not providing adequate protection.
Similarly, the age of your roof is an important indicator of its quality. On average, a asphalt roof will last around 20 or 30 years, especially if it has been properly maintained. If you know your roof is getting old, and you’re seeing signs of leaks, it may be time for a replacement.
Minor leaks in your roof can likely be repaired. If your roof is relatively new, you should check to see whether it is still covered by a manufacturer or labour warranty. The cost of repairing a roof is considerably less than replacement, so you also need to consider your financial situation when deciding whether to repair or replace. Ultimately, you should discuss your options with a qualified roofing professional. S/he will be able to tell you if there are more serious structural problems that make replacement the sensible choice. Still, unless there is significant, widespread damage, if your budget cannot accommodate a new roof, repairs may extend the life of your roof long enough for you to finance a replacement.


Virginia: Mommy, what were all those people from Google doing here last night?
Mommy: We had a little celebration for my 5-year anniversary working for Google.
Virginia: Wow, I was 3 years old when you began there. Do you still like working there?
Mommy: Yes, I do honey. I love it! We wouldn't be able to have this place here in Tuscany or our island near Hawaii if I didn't.
Mommy: It's true. Daddy wouldn't be able to fly up to the North Pole and refurbish all his ski resorts either if I didn't work there. He needs to do that more than ever now since that's the only place on earth where there's fresh powder.
Virginia: You mean, if you didn't work at Google he wouldn't be able to give the little kids who live up there rides in his jet?
Mommy: That's right. I wouldn't be able to give your friends here in Italy rides in my jet either. We wouldn't own WPP or anything else if I didn't work for Google.
Virginia: Did Mr. Sorrell come to the Christmas party last night?
Mommy: That's Sir Sorrell, dear. You know how he keeps reminding you about that. No, sweetheart. He said he didn't feel okay so he stayed home. But I think it was because I renamed one of the companies he used to own. You know, the one he sold us last year.
Mommy: That's right. I have a surprise for you!
Mommy: I just renamed it, J-W-Me!
Virginia: Wow, but Mommy that was MY idea!
Mommy: I know, I renamed it for you, Honey. It was such a great idea!
Virginia: Thanks, Mommy! I'm so excited!
Mommy: I am too! Now you can show everyone who still works there how to make digital video commercials that you like, instead of the ones they're making now. You said you thought they needed help, so now you can help them!
Virginia: But they won't listen to me. I'm only 8 years old.
Mommy: Oh yes they will! I told Sir Martin myself that he has to take a meeting with you at least once a week. I've gotten it all taken care of.
Virginia: That's so cool. I can't wait to tell my class. Can I let my friends too?
Virginia: But won't Mr. Sorrell, er, I mean Sir Sorrell be mad at me if I do that?
Mommy: He might at first but he works for us now so he'll have to get used to it.
Virginia: He's so moody. How come he works for Google anyway? Didn't he used to own all the companies Google owns now?
Mommy: That's right, Virginia. But all his clients said they didn't want to work with WPP anymore. They wanted to work with us.
Virginia: But why are they still using WPP?
Mommy: Because it seemed easier for us to buy WPP versus moving all of that business over to us like their clients wanted to do. So now everybody is happy.
Virginia: Why did you do that?
Mommy: It was just easier than getting all the lawyers involved to have their clients move their account over from WPP to Google! We thought we would save everybody time by just buying WPP!
Virginia: What are you going to do to keep the lawyers busy?
Mommy: We don't know yet. Do you have any ideas?
Virginia: You should make them buy the New York Times.
Virginia: So Google will make them put comics in it.
Mommy: Hmmm... that's a good idea, Honey. Why don't you write a note to Santa and ask him to do that while I make a call, okay?
Virginia: Okay, Mommy. Wow... I own an ad agency now. Just like that guy on Mommy & Daddy's favorite program, MAD MEN.


Seriously, who in life yearns to be so blatantly ordinary?
People try so hard to mask their own kind of weird because they hunger for acceptance. What's truly sad about this is that they yearn for other people's acceptance more than their own by trying to fit into a mold that's clearly not for them. When I ask people, "what's so wrong about not being like the rest?", no one can really give me a straight answer. Most of them brush me off by saying, "just because." I have never once thought that each and every human was meant to be same, because really, where's the fun in that?
I am weird because I have an unladylike and boisterous laugh.
I am weird because I was never attracted to the idea of being a cheerleader.
I am weird because I would spend my lunch breaks in the library instead of the cafeteria.
Luckily, my family has never been one to agree. I inherited my father's laugh, and my mother's uncanny inability to dance, and just then, my sister turned me into a bookworm. They all encourage each other to foster whatever weirdness is there, because it is precisely that weirdness that makes you distinguished from the rest.
Oftentimes, my mom would say, "If your choices don't hurt anyone, then there'snothing wrong with them."
True story: My section adviser called up my mother once to tell her that she did not like the way my bangs were cut and that I should get rid of them.
At that time, I was young, and I had decided to cut my own bangs because the hairdresser never got it right. And honestly, I didn't think they looked that bad. My mother even said they looked nice. What was funnier to me was that I never knew teachers had a say in my hair choices.
Honestly speaking, the more people argued against my choices, the more I wanted to stick by them. It's not because I wanted to be a rebel, but because from a very early age, I was raised to to fight for what I want and for what I believe in. I think that if you constantly fluctuate between what you want and what society wants, you never really have a clear vision of who you are. The line between who you really want to be and what society wants you be to be becomes blurred. If I don't see anything wrong with my decisions, what did it matter to them? Not once did I conform to what my teachers and peers saw as "normal", unless, you know, I was about to get sanctioned.
I think that if you constantly fluctuate between what you want and what society wants, you never really have a clear vision of who you are. The line between who you really want to be and what society wants you be to be becomes blurred. If I don't see anything wrong with my decisions, what did it matter to them?
Years later, this "weirdness" got me into one of the country's top universities, landed me a spot in a batch of Candy Correspondents, and pushed me into making an online magazine for young and unrecognized talent. When people approach me and ask why I decided to give life to Rumination, I never really know what answer to give them except "because it felt right." Even though it has garnered a loyal following, there are still people who are not so fond of the idea. They tell me that it's just a waste of my time because I don't make money out of it and that I am wasting all my energy when I should be studying hard in school. Though funnily enough, my grades even got higher after I started Rumination. It had never felt like a burden to me because it was something I loved to do—I didn't think of it as work, but rather an escape from school.
I live life comfortably, and without any regrets because I'm not spending all my time thinking of ways I could earn acceptance and validation from society. I do what I what I think is right, entertaining and fun because I don't know how to do it any other way.
To this very day, I would still rather stay at home and play Harvest Moon than go out and party. Whenever I do end up going out, the thing I look forward to the most is the post-party McDonald's drive-thru. Not that I'm saying these preferences are weird, but it is because of choices like these that I am dubbed as killjoy, unusual, and strange. In reality, the only basis society has for being "weird" is when your preferences don't align with that of others'.
There is nothing society hates more than something it cannot understand. That's why our mouths are so loose with spewing out labels such as weirdo, freak, or misfit.
We are all weird, so to speak—we just have different brands of weird.
When in doubt, think of it this way: when people try to force you into this mold that clearly doesn't fit, it is not them who get hurt, it's you.
If being "weird" means not sharing the same preferences and interests with the majority, then I'll live. I don't know about you but I would much rather be called weird than generic. There is no greater insult than being thought of as common and replaceable. No one is ever fascinated with what is normal because people remember the eccentric. Now, when someone calls me "weird", I smile because I know I'm doing me right.
Had I not stuck with my brand of weirdness, I wouldn't not be where I am now—with a solid set of friends who are just as weird as me, interesting career opportunities. Things are different now, but in a good way. For one, I'm no longer sporting bangs.
What makes me a certified Candy girl is my desire and eagerness to present myself as me, but better.


In the wake of the housing market collapse and related financial market crisis in the U.S., policymakers intervened aggressively in financial markets but only weakly in housing markets. Why did officials pursue this lopsided policy approach, which exacerbated wealth inequality in the U.S.? My dissertation uses this empirical puzzle to explore theoretical questions regarding how cultural meaning affects policymaking. I use computational text analysis and network analysis to compare the semantic structures of different government agencies’ discourses on crisis events and policies. This reveals different webs of meaning created by proponents of different policies. In a second part of the dissertation, I use event history analysis to analyze the foreclosure prevention policies passed by some U.S. states. I find that cultural meanings of crisis events affect whether states adopted policies independently of other factors such as economic conditions and political party control of state legislatures. In a final part of the dissertation, I examine how convergence or divergence of meaning affect the coordination of policy actions.
My dissertation, which is funded by an NSF Dissertation Research Improvement Grant, examines how job-seekers mobilize their personal networks for low-wage work in a context of high poverty, underemployment, and informality. Drawing upon in-depth qualitative interviews with 106 low-wage workers and job-seekers in León, Nicaragua's second-largest city, the dissertation presents four key findings: 1) The low-wage labor market represents a reputation game, due to the instability of employment and the importance of referrals for obtaining work; 2) many network ties, especially vertical ones, go un-mobilized by job-seekers; 3) job-seekers and their network members construct an idealized image of a worthy worker; 4) trust is a necessary but not sufficient condition for obtaining job referrals. This study contributes to existing research on job search an analysis of a low-wage labor market, and it contributes to network studies an analysis of the tie mobilization process. This project reflects my interest in the multidimensionality of social relationships and the consequences of this multidimensionality in economic life.
I study the effects of state participation in informal markets. Because informal actors routinely transgress legal norms, informal economies are often conceived as operating beyond the sphere of state regulation. However, informal actors interact with state authorities on a daily basis. Police officers or city officials can enforce norms if they choose to, and escaping or negotiating enforcement is a key part of conducting informal business. Through a case study of street vending in Brazil’s financial and industrial capital, São Paulo, I tease out the dynamics and consequences of state intervention both against peddlers (e.g., a mass-eviction campaign) and in their favor (e.g., a licensing program). I also analyze the impacts of the 2014 soccer World Cup, which created new opportunities but increased repression. More broadly, my dissertation shows that the state structures access to opportunities and resources for the urban poor even at the margins of the formal economy.


Paul Smith - Striped Cotton-blend Socks - Black These socks are knitted in Paul Smith 's iconic multicoloured stripes. Spun in Italy, they're made from a smooth and breathable cotton-blend and have lightly ribbed cuffs. - - Multicoloured cotton-blend - 80% cotton, 20% polyamide - Made in Italy- For Men.
Paul Smith - Striped Cotton-blend Socks - Multi These socks were almost monochrome, until they were given the special Paul Smith colour treatment. Knitted in England from a soft, lightweight cotton-blend, this black and white pair is finished with rainbow stripes around the top. They make a thoughtful gift for someone who wears suits to work. - - Multicoloured cotton-blend - 80% cotton, 20% polyamide - Machine wash - Made in England- For Men.
Paul Smith - Striped Cotton-blend Socks - Blue Sir Paul Smith never really intended for stripes to become his signature but, by popular demand, they've been a staple in his repertoire ever since his first men's collection. These Italian-made socks are cut from a soft cotton-blend and decorated with the rainbow pattern. Show them off with a pair of cropped trousers and polished leather brogues. - - Multicoloured cotton-blend - 80% cotton, 20% polyamide - Machine wash - Made in Italy- For Men.
Paul Smith - Striped Cotton-blend Socks - Black Paul Smith 's cotton-blend socks are patterned with black, grey and blue stripes, so they look particularly handsome with suiting in similar colours. They have ribbed cuffs to stop them falling down. - - Black, grey and tonal-blue cotton-blend - 80% cotton, 20% polyamide - Machine wash - Made in Italy- For Men.
Paul Smith - Mushroom Intarsia Socks - Mens - Green Paul Smith - Paul Smith's Dreamer collection was influenced by the psychedelic works of French illustrator, Edmund Dulac, and the multicoloured mushroom intarsia on these green socks is a playful nod. They're crafted in Italy from a blend of mercerised cotton - for a softer feel - and nylon and are finished with a white logo print on the sole.
Paul Smith - Striped Cotton Blend Socks - Mens - Navy Paul Smith - Multicoloured stripes such as the ones that appear on these navy socks are central to Paul Smith's signature aesthetic. They're crafted in Italy from a lightweight stretch blend of mercerised cotton - which makes for a softer feel - and detailed with a striped pattern in the label's signature palette.
Paul Smith - Striped Cotton Blend Socks - Mens - Black Paul Smith - Paul Smith's hallmark stripes appear in various guises throughout the label's collections, including these black, grey and blue socks. They're knitted from a breathable cotton blend and subtly printed with the white logo along the side.
Paul Smith - Artist Stripe Cotton Blend Socks - Mens - Multi Paul Smith - Made in Italy from a soft cotton blend, these Paul Smith statement socks feature the iconic Artist Stripe. Designed to add a pop of colour to everyday dressing, they have ribbed cuffs and the label's logo on the sole.
Paul Smith - Artist Stripe Cotton Blend Socks - Mens - Navy Paul Smith - Paul Smith's confident use of colour shines through these navy socks, which are accented with the label's bold 1960s-inspired Artist stripes. They're Italian-crafted from a comfortable cotton blend and discreetly printed with the label's logo in white.
Paul Smith - Striped Cotton Blend Socks - Mens - Multi Paul Smith - Crafted from space-dyed yarn, Paul Smith's vibrant socks are ideal for injecting a confident dose of colour into any outfit. They're made from a soft cotton blend in a tactile ribbed knit and enlivened with orange intarsia stripes. Note the white logo along the sole.
Paul Smith - Striped Cotton Blend Socks - Mens - Green Paul Smith - Paul Smith's green ribbed socks are enhanced with bold blue, yellow and grey stripes reminiscent of classic rugby styles. They're crafted from a mid-weight cotton blend and printed with the logo in white along the foot.
Paul Smith - Striped Cotton Blend Socks - Mens - Multi Paul Smith - Paul Smith's ribbed socks are knitted from rainbow-coloured yarn which will appear as a splash of impressionistic colour beneath your trouser cuffs. They're made from a stretch cotton blend and framed with green and blue intarsia stripes, then discreetly printed with the white logo along the sole.
Paul Smith - Zanzi Striped Cotton Blend Socks - Mens - Blue Paul Smith - Paul Smith's irreverent aesthetic is evidenced in these blue Zanzi socks which are knitted with multicoloured stripes. They're crafted in Italy with a bold red intarsia toe box and heel and are discreetly printed with the label's white logo along the sole.
Paul Smith - Zanzi Striped Cotton Blend Socks - Mens - Black Paul Smith - Bring a playful element to your daily edits with Paul Smith's black Zanzi socks. They're crafted from a soft cotton-blend patterned with the label's signature stripes and are finished with ribbed-knit cuffs for a secure fit.
Paul Smith - Mushroom Intarsia Socks - Mens - Navy Paul Smith - These navy socks are selected from Paul Smith's recent Dreamer collection, which is inspired by the surreal illustrations of French artist, Edmund Dulac. They're crafted in Italy from a soft mercerised-cotton blend with a multicoloured mushroom intarsia pattern and a white logo print on the sole.
Paul Smith - Fox Jacquard Cotton Blend Socks - Mens - Green Paul Smith - Paul Smith's penchant for playful patterns is captured by these green cotton-blend socks. They're crafted in Italy with jade-green jacquard fox motifs and have contrasting navy panels at the heel and toe, then are finished with a white printed logo on the base.
Paul Smith - Polka Dot Stretch Cotton Socks - Mens - Black Paul Smith - Paul Smith is renowned for his irreverent spirit, and these black polka-dot socks are an effortless way to tap the designer's colourful aesthetic. Crafted in England from stretch cotton, they have contrasting toe and heel panels and are finished with ribbed cuffs to keep them securely in place.
Paul Smith - Fox Jacquard Cotton Blend Socks - Mens - Black Paul Smith - The charming fox motifs that feature on these black cotton-blend socks represent Paul Smith's playful eye. They're crafted in Italy with jacquard motifs - note the subtle logo accents - and have a contrasting purple toe, then are finished with a printed logo on the base.
Paul Smith - Artist Stripe Socks - Mens - Black Paul Smith - Paul Smith's signature Artist stripe pattern is a recognisable motif which appears in vivid mismatched blocks of colour across the cuffs of these black cotton-blend socks. They're crafted in Italy and hallmarked with a white logo on the sole.
Paul Smith - Striped Cotton Blend Socks - Mens - Multi Paul Smith - Bold stripes are synonymous with British label Paul Smith, and these multicoloured socks will inject a confident dose of colour into your accessories collection. They're knitted in Italy from a comfortably soft cotton blend and discreetly printed with the small white logo at the sole.
Paul Smith - Rak Striped Cotton Blend Socks - Mens - Grey Paul Smith - Paul Smith's confident use of colour is exemplified in these grey cotton-blend Rak socks. Crafted in England, they're enlivened with bold blue, green and pink intarsia stripes that can be styled peeking out from brogues or trainers.
Paul Smith - Tiny Dot Cotton Blend Ankle Socks - Mens - Blue Paul Smith - Paul Smith's penchant for vibrant motifs is evident in these blue Tiny Dot ankle socks. They're crafted in Italy from a cotton blend that's accented with an array of pink, purple and beige polka dots. Note the designer's logo printed in white at the sole. Runs true to size.
Paul Smith - Polka Dot Patterned Socks - Mens - Black Paul Smith - These black trainer socks from Paul Smith are perfect for wearing with low-top trainers and boat shoes. They're made in Italy using a cotton-blend fabric and detailed with white and grey polka dots for a dose of the British label's playful charm.
Paul Smith - Colour Block Cotton Blend Socks - Mens - Green Paul Smith - Paul Smith's penchant for colourful expression is seen in these green cotton-blend socks. Made in Italy, they're accented with a kaleidoscopic palette of light blue, yellow, pink and purple. A small print including the designer's logo and the garment's provenance can be found on the outer insoles.
Paul Smith - Comp Stripe Cotton Blend Socks - Mens - Multi Paul Smith - Tap into Paul Smith's playful design sensibility with these grey Comp stripe socks. They're crafted in Italy with a fine-gauge, soft cotton-blend and feature horizontal bands of grey, green and blue and ribbed cuffs.
Paul Smith - Pin Dot Cotton Blend Socks - Mens - Navy Paul Smith - Incorporate Paul Smith's irreverent aesthetic into your everyday look with these navy pin-dot socks. They're crafted in Italy from a soft cotton blend that's knitted with small beige spots and finished with the house's logo printed in white. Fits true to size.
Paul Smith - Striped Cotton Blend Socks - Mens - Multi Paul Smith - The multi-hued intarsia stripes on Paul Smith's blue socks were originally designed by wrapping coloured thread around strips of cardboard. They're Italian-made from a breathable cotton blend with ribbed cuffs and discreetly printed with the small white logo along the sides.
Paul Smith - Pin Dot Cotton Blend Socks - Mens - Black Paul Smith - These black Paul Smith socks are an ideal accompaniment to the designer's signature suiting. They're crafted in Italy from lightweight cotton-blend jersey and feature a white pin-dot pattern with ribbed cuffs.
Paul Smith - Striped Cotton Blend Socks - Mens - Blue Paul Smith - Paul Smith's penchant for bold, playful design is encapsulated in these vibrant blue socks. They're crafted in England from a soft stretch cotton blend, and feature multicoloured horizontal stripes on the ribbed ankle and a rust-orange heel and toe.
Paul Smith - Grid Pattern Cotton Blend Socks - Mens - Navy Paul Smith - Paul Smith ensures its eccentric sensibilities are conveyed through the green, white and red grid pattern on these navy socks. Made in Italy, they are knitted from a soft cotton-blend and finished with mustard yellow trims at the toes and cuffs. They stretch to fit.
Paul Smith - Polka Dot Cotton Blend Socks - Mens - Blue Paul Smith - Tap into Paul Smith's colourful design universe with these Italian-made blue socks. They're crafted from a lustrous cotton-blend with a ribbed cuff and feature jacquard polka dot spots in shades of pink, yellow and purple.
Paul Smith - Chevron Cotton Blend Socks - Mens - Black Paul Smith - Paul Smith's accessories and sock ranges are always full of character as seen through this blue pair. They're knitted from a soft cotton-blend with a chevron pattern and bright neon green trims. They stretch to fit.
Paul Smith - Striped Polka-dot Stretch Cotton-blend Socks - Navy Paul Smith 's socks are ideal if the dress code is strict but you want to express a little personality. Spun in England from a soft stretch cotton-blend, they're patterned with stripes and polka-dots – two brand signatures. - - Multicoloured stretch cotton-blend - 80% cotton, 18% nylon, 2% spandex - Machine wash - Made in England- For Men.
Paul Smith - Polka-dot Stretch Cotton-blend Socks - Blue The best way to stand out in a sea of navy and grey suits is by having a fun pair of socks peeking out of your brogues or loafers. This Paul Smith pair is made from a light and breathable stretch cotton-blend patterned with polka-dots. Note the contrasting toe caps – one of the British brand's quirky finishing touches. - - Multicoloured stretch cotton-blend - 83% cotton, 15% nylon, 2% spandex - Machine wash - Made in England- For Men.
Paul Smith - Dinosaur-jacquard Stretch Cotton-blend Socks - Black The dinosaur pattern that's jacquard-knitted through Paul Smith 's socks is cheerful, and will be easy to spot in your drawer on early mornings. They've been made in Italy from an Egyptian cotton-blend with hints of stretch and have ribbed cuffs for a snug fit. - - Multicoloured stretch cotton-blend - 85% Egyptian cotton, 13% nylon, 2% elastane - Hand wash - Made in Italy- For Men.
Paul Smith - Striped Stretch Cotton-blend Socks - Green Colourful socks are a great way to add a touch – but not too much – of personality to formal outfits. This pair is knitted with a rendition of Paul Smith 's trademark stripes and have ribbed cuffs so they won't slip down. The stretchy cotton-blend is comfortable and breathable. - - Multicoloured stretch cotton-blend - 81% cotton, 17% nylon, 2% spandex - Machine wash - Made in England- For Men.
Paul Smith - Colour Block Ribbed Cotton Blend Socks - Mens - Burgundy Paul Smith - A considered way to incorporate colour into everyday looks, Paul Smith's burgundy socks are knitted from fine-gauge cotton blended with a touch of nylon for durability. They're made in Italy with a ribbed finish and accented with colour contrasts at the mustard heel and teal toe.
Paul Smith - Artist Striped Cotton Blend Socks - Mens - Burgundy Paul Smith - Vibrant stripes are intrinsic to Paul Smith's design aesthetic, and these burgundy Artist striped cotton-blend socks are an effortless way to adopt the look. They're made in Italy with ribbed-knit mismatched cuffs, then finished with a black heel counter and the label's logo printed on the sole.
Paul Smith - Artist Striped Cotton Blend Socks - Mens - Black Paul Smith - Colour-block stripes are spliced with Paul Smith's signature Artist pattern in these black socks. They're crafted in Italy from a soft mercerised cotton-blend with a ribbed knit cuff for a flexible and secure fit.
Paul Smith - Signature Stripe Cotton Blend Socks - Mens - Multi Paul Smith - The Signature stripe motif along Paul Smith's socks was originally based on the look of coloured thread wrapped around strips of cardboard. They're knitted from a comfortable cotton blend and contrasted with black intarsia cuff, heel and toe panels, then printed with the white logo on the sole.
Paul Smith - Colour Block Ribbed Cotton Blend Socks - Mens - Navy Paul Smith - Paul Smith's navy socks are knitted in Italy from a soft and warm cotton blend. They're accented with blue heels and purple toes for an irreverent finish before being finished with the designer's signature print at the sole.
Paul Smith - Signature Stripe Intarsia Socks - Mens - Burgundy Paul Smith - Paul Smith's storied Signature stripe motif - originally inspired by coloured thread wrapped around strips of cardboard - brings a touch of the house's whimsical flair to these burgundy socks. They're crafted from a soft cotton blend with an element of stretch and finished with ribbed cuffs and a white logo print on the sole.
Paul Smith - Colour Block Ribbed Cotton Blend Socks - Mens - Black Paul Smith - Paul Smith's black socks feature contrasting coloured toe and heel panels - a subtle nod to the British designer's graphic sensibility. They're Italian-crafted from a ribbed knit cotton-blend, then printed with the small white logo along the side.
Paul Smith - Colour Block No Show Cotton Blend Socks - Mens - Navy Paul Smith - Paul Smith's navy no-show socks are crafted from a soft cotton blend for breathable comfort. Made in Italy with blocks of vibrant cool-toned colours, they feature internal rubber grips for extra support and are hallmarked with the designer's logo in white. Stretches to fit.
Paul Smith - Striped No Show Cotton Blend Socks - Mens - Blue Paul Smith - Paul Smith's blue socks are an ideal foundation for ankle-bearing looks. They're crafted from a soft stretch cotton-blend jersey and feature multicoloured stripes - a hallmark of the designer. Stretches to fit.
Paul Smith - Striped No Show Cotton Blend Socks - Mens - Black Paul Smith - Paul Smith's black striped socks are an ideal choice for comfortable, exposed-ankle looks. Crafted with a low profile from a soft cotton blend, they feature a teal toe and have a hidden rubber grip at the heel to stop them rolling down while on the move. Stretches to fit.
Paul Smith - Tiny Dot Cotton Blend Ankle Socks - Mens - Black Paul Smith - Paul Smith's black Tiny Dot ankle socks are a testament to the British designer's graphic sensibilities. They're crafted in Italy from stretch cotton jersey and are simply accented with a white logo print on the sides.
Paul Smith - Bicycle Cotton Blend Jacquard Socks - Mens - Black Paul Smith - Incorporate Paul Smith's inimitable design perspective into your everyday looks with these black socks. They're knitted in Italy from a fine-gauge cotton blend and feature a colourful bicycle motif and ribbed cuffs.
Paul Smith - Colour Block Ribbed Cotton Blend Socks - Mens - Blue Paul Smith - Paul Smith's Italian-crafted blue socks showcase the designer's vibrant design perspective. Crafted from fine-knit cotton-blend jersey, they feature a pink heel cup and bright yellow toes with a wide ribbed finish. Stretches to fit.
Paul Smith - Colour Block Ribbed Cotton Blend Socks - Mens - Navy Paul Smith - Paul Smith applies his British charm to these blue socks that feature playful colour-blocked heel and toe panels in striking turquoise. Italian crafted from a cotton blend with a loop-back lining for premium comfort, they reach up the ankle with a ribbed finish to keep them in place. Stretches to fit.
Paul Smith - Floral Jacquard Cotton Blend Socks - Mens - Green Paul Smith - These green Paul Smith socks are patterned with a variety of colourful flowers - a motif that has influenced the British designer since the beginning of his career. They're crafted in Italy from a silky cotton blend and feature ribbed cuffs.
Paul Smith - Sports Stripe Stretch Cotton Socks - Mens - Light Pink Paul Smith - Look to Paul Smith for exquisitely crafted staples with a playful edge like these light pink Sports Stripe socks. Made in England from a soft stretch-cotton blend, they have darker-hued toe and heel panels and are finished with the house's signature racing stripes just below the cuffs. Fits true to size.
Paul Smith - Ribbed-knit Socks - Gray Just like a plain white tee, a pair of grey socks is something that every man needs – the colour suits brown and black shoes alike. Paul Smith 's cosy ribbed-knit pair is blended with touches of wool and cashmere for softness. - - Grey and black wool, viscose, polyamide and cashmere-blend - 42% wool, 26% viscose, 25% polyamide, 7% cashmere - Hand wash - Made in Italy- For Men.
Paul Smith - Argyle Cotton Blend Socks - Mens - Red Paul Smith - The argyle pattern of Paul Smith's blue, green and yellow socks reflect the label's penchant for bold design s. They're knitted in England from a midweight cotton-blend, featuring ribbed panels and the label's white printed logo. Fit true to size.
Paul Smith - Striped Mercerised Stretch Cotton-blend No-show Socks - Red Paul Smith 's invisible socks are striped, giving them the added benefit of looking rather smart when they're on show. They're made from a soft stretch cotton-blend that's mercerised for extra smoothness, and trimmed with elastic to prevent slipping. - - Multicoloured mercerised stretch cotton-blend - Elasticated toplines, designer emblems - 75% cotton, 22% polyamide, 3% elastane - Machine wash - Made in Italy- For Men.
Paul Smith - Striped Mercerised Stretch Cotton-blend No-show Socks - Blue Paul Smith 's socks are knitted from a stretch cotton-blend that's mercerised for smoothness and flexibility, and trimmed with elastic so they won't slip. Wear yours with loafers or boat shoes. - - Navy, tonal-blue and purple mercerised stretch cotton-blend - Elasticated toplines, designer emblems - 75% cotton, 22% polyamide, 3% elastane - Machine wash - Made in Italy- For Men.


Mercifully, the robot would not understand the pun in the title.
Dale: "Hi, I'm from Dale's Dead Bug. Are you the robot who called about the bug problem?"
3 //View: toward Dale as he enters the door. Dale is smiling.
Dale: "Don't mind if I do!"
4 //View: from inside. Robot has closed door. Dale looks back toward robot.
Dale: "Okay, okay, get off my back already!"


Have you ever tuned into a TED talk? Maybe you’ve even been lucky enough to actually attend one! No matter what you’re interested in, we can guarantee there’s a TED Talk out there that speaks to you.
#ICYMI, TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design. Each talk is given by an expert in one of those subjects…and beyond! We love tuning into a quick TED talk every now and then to gather some inspiration and new (and often, amazing) information. There are thousands of TED talks available, so it can seem difficult to find one that speaks to you. We’ve taken it upon ourselves to simplify the process for you! Check out our 5 favorite talks, featuring some amazing school AND career advice.
Context: Silicon Valley entrepreneur, author, and innovator, Nilofer Merchant emphasizes that sitting too much is a threat to human health. As a businesswoman, Merchant has made the resolution to take her colleagues on walks for business meetings instead of in a meeting room.
Main Point: People say if you can “talk the talk” you should be able to “walk the walk”, but Merchant says we should “Walk the Talk” by taking your meetings with you as you increase your physical activity without very much effort at all.
The Take Away: Next time you are going to meet some friends for a college club meeting or any group meeting, try doing the meeting on the move by taking a walk outside—it’s almost guaranteed that your meeting will have vastly different atmosphere than if you had your meeting sitting in some stuffy classroom inside.
Context: Career analyst and business management author, Dan Pink makes a lawyerly case for how everyone can better run their businesses. Pink has spent years researching the science of human motivation. Pink rethinks the idea of incentives to better encourage creativity.
Main Point: Contingent motivators like “If you do this, then you get that” can dull creativity and are found to be ineffective claims Pink. These type of motivators only work for simple clear goal problems, but for problems that require creative thinking, people should be motivated by intrinsic motivation that says “This is important to me the worker, I am learning from this, and I can be autonomous with this” instead of the simple carrot on a stick incentive. Too many businesses make their decisions based on assumptions that are not backed up by social science.
The Take Away: Everyone is dealing with complex problems that require creative thinking, which should be looked at as exciting challenges that can be solved only with thinking outside of the box. If you dream of starting your own business, consider this alternative approach to motivation.
Context: Social psychologist, professor, and researcher, Amy Cuddy delves into the complexities of body language and nonverbal communication and discusses how people can take back control of communicating by becoming conscious of their own body language.
Main Point: Human posture and body language effects how you are perceived by others and is a highly effective tool, if you can harness its control to being successful.
The Take Away: Stand up straight! Show confidence through your body language no matter how you might be feeling inside. Don’t let others make false judgements about you by not being conscious of your own body language.
Context: Former lawyer and writer, Susan Cain rethinks the societal norm that being an introvert is wrong and says instead that introverts often are capable of developing extraordinary talents and abilities and should instead be celebrated.
Main Point: Shy people too often make choices that may deny their own talents and creativity by choosing to go with the flow instead. People need to let go of the fear of not getting recognition or acceptance by other people and should focus on what they are doing rather than what others think.
The Take Away: Don’t ever feel ashamed of choosing what you want to do with your time regardless of what others think you should be doing. Do what you love, be social OR be introverted. Be YOU!
Context: Author and entrepreneur, Margaret Heffernan discusses history and statistical evidence that points toward the fact that disagreement is the essential for progress in the world.
Main Point: Fundamental change cannot happen without challenging the status quo with disagreement and questioning commonly held beliefs.
The Take Away: If the entire class raises their hand in favor of something and you think the opposite response is true, have the courage to raise your hand and stand up for what you believe in. Don’t let the common conflict avoidance complex control your decision to disagree that might very well reshape the way everyone thinking about something that is considered common knowledge.
Do you have a favorite TED talk? What get’s you inspired? Share ’em with us on Twitter or in the Comments below!