Oddity Central

Oddity Central


Being a Bridesmaid in China Is So Dangerous That People Are Hiring Professionals

Posted: 31 Oct 2016 01:22 PM PDT

In the Western world, bridesmaids are also known as maids of honor, but in China, they are more like maids of dishonor. From drinking large quantities of alcohol on behalf of the bride to putting up with groping and other forms of harassment, bridesmaids often take part in traditional customs that most people would consider extremely vulgar. And as fewer women are willing to serve as bridesmaids for their friends and relatives, professional bridesmaid rental services are a booming business.

In medieval times, Chinese bridesmaids would dress up as the bride to act as decoys for rival clans and hooligans looking to kidnap her. As centuries past and legal protections for marriages were established, this particular role was no longer required, but maids of honor still retained their protective functions, and their ‘job’ remained as dangerous as ever. Even today, women who take on this responsibility are humiliated, physically or sexually harassed and some end up losing their lives in their attempt to best fulfill their tasks at a wedding. It sounds absurd that an honorary position at what is supposed to be a joyous celebration involve such risks, but in China, it is a harsh reality.

For example, it is customary for Chinese newlyweds to toast bottoms up to every wedding guest, and at big weddings that adds up to a lot of alcohol. In order to protect the honor of the bride, it falls on the bridesmaids to fend off drinking requests and in most cases drink on the bride’s behalf. This often results in alcohol poisoning, and in extreme cases, death. Just last month, it was reported that a 28-year-old maid of honor in Wenchang, Hainan province, lost her life after getting pressured into consuming a large amount of alcohol.

bridesmaids-china

Italian Doctor Creates Ice-Cream That Improves Sporting Performance

Posted: 31 Oct 2016 08:10 AM PDT

“Who says that health foods have to taste bad?” That’s the question that inspired Italian cardiologist Dr. Valerio Sanguigni to create a tasty ice-cream with proven health benefits, including improved sport performance in youth.

It’s a known medical fact that can help improve heart health and prevent certain diseases, with some studies even linking them to living a longer life. Staples of Italian cuisine, like olive oil, tomatoes and red wine have been credited for contributing to the longevity of the Italian population, whose number of centenarians has tripled in less than 15 years. But despite their documented benefits, Dr. Sanguini believed that many antioxidant-rich health foods lost a considerable share of their properties before reaching people’s tables. He decided to solve this problem using ice-cream.

antioxidant-gelato

Local Gang Cleans New Zealand Town of Drug Dealers

Posted: 31 Oct 2016 07:10 AM PDT

Tribal Huk, an ethnic gang from Ngaruawahia, a small town in New Zealand, took it upon themselves to rid their community of methamphetamine dealers, after seeing the local youth negatively affected by the synthetic drug. After giving offenders an ultimatum, the gang cleaned their town of meth dealers in just one weekend.

It all started on Thursday, October 13, when Jamie Pink, the notorious leader of the Tribal Huk gang gave methamphetamine dealers 24 hours to pack up and leave, during a local town meeting. He told attendees that his group had polled local children, and around 75% of them were affected in some way by methamphetamine, so they had decided it was time to take action.

“For a lot of years, the Huks have kept a lot of other gangs out of here in Ngaruawahia and we are always going to do that, but we haven’t kept their poison out of here. We are a bit sorry about that,” Pink said. “From this second on, without disrespecting, we know who they are – some of them are whanau (extended family), but they’ve got to go. They have 24 hours to stop. We ask nicely first, then they’ve got to go. We’ve got no choice. The kids are asking for it. They’ll be asked nicely the first time.”

tribal-huk-gang

Dornob | Design Ideas Daily

Dornob | Design Ideas Daily


Tiny House Villages: What the Mt. Hood Village in Portland and University Research Reveal About the Movement

Posted: 31 Oct 2016 02:00 PM PDT


The tiny house movement has gained many followers and enthusiasts around the world. Ecology, economy, convenience and energy conservation are only a start. Let's face it — they're just so cute! One could argue that a tiny house — officially any home of less than 1,000 sqare feet — is really just a glorified caravan, merely replacing metal with a "down-home" wooden and rural vibe. Read more…

5 Cool Ways to Mark the Halloween Season

Posted: 31 Oct 2016 05:00 AM PDT


Yes, it's Halloween! We see it as a good time to sneak a break from the crazy world and dodge fake cobwebs, duck as eggs are thrown and eat too much candy. You can even wear a clever disguise if you feel the urge to fool trick-or-treaters. As a nod to the orange day, we've gathered five cool Halloween-related items that may bring a smile to your chocolate-covered faces. Read more…

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12 Wonderful Ideas for Thanksgiving Toys to Get Your Kids

Posted: 30 Oct 2016 01:41 PM PDT

Dancing Thanksgiving Turkey

Like in every major holiday, a major part of Thanksgiving is getting toys for the kids. Here are some fine ideas to make the family children happy.

Whether it’s a funny turkey doll, a sweet and informative book, or a LEGO set, there are some terrific ideas for Thanksgiving toys that will keep your kids entertained for hours. All you have to do is scroll down, and find the one perfect for you:

Little People Thanksgiving Celebration – Pilgrims and Native Americans Toy

I’m not sure this is exactly how it went down all that years ago, but this Thanksgiving celebration toy is a nice little way of telling the story of the first Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Rubber Ducky Toy

The yellow rubber ducky you’ve known all your life, only in a Thanksgiving edition.

Little Turkey: Finger Puppet Book for Thanksgiving

A cute little story about Thanksgiving with finger puppets, making it a tale with something that resonates along with fun for the whole family.

Gobbles the Turkey – Beanie Baby Toy

Beanie Babies have a cool toy out of almost every animal in the kingdom, so of course there’s going to be a Thanksgiving Turkey Beanie Baby.

Gobbles the Turkey Plush Toy

According to GUND, the company who makes these, this is the world’s most huggable turkey since 1898.

Thanksgiving Seasonal Feast LEGO Set

The Thanksgiving feast LEGO set includes two minifigures, 153 LEGO pieces, and one tasty looking turkey, so you have to watch out your kids don’t try and eat it.

‘Tom Turkey’ Sticker Paper Doll

The ‘Tom Turkey’ Sticker Paper Doll is part of the Dover Little Activity Books series. You have 23 reusables stickers to dress up the turkey in a number of different things, including a pilgrim or native american.

Dancing Thanksgiving Turkey

This awesome little Thanksgiving turkey toy dances when it’s put in a sunny spot, flapping its wings and what not. Yes, we humans are so cruel that we don’t just eat turkeys on Thanksgiving, we make ’em dances for us before.

‘The First Thanksgiving’ Lift-the-Flap Book

‘The First Thanksgiving’ Lift-the-Flap book is a terrific way for parents to bond with their kids over the origin of Thanksgiving, with simple text and graphic illustrations to help introduce the holiday to the young family members.

LEGO Turkey for Thanksgiving

Sometimes, you just wanna build a big turkey for Thanksgiving. It’s simple, fun, and you can scare the babies with it. Too much fun in one package.

Gobble Gobble Mad Libs for Thanksgiving

Mad Libs features 21 hilarious stories about Thanksgiving, including 48 pages of fun which should keep the kids busy and entertained for hours.

‘Happy Thanksgiving, Biscuit’ Book

Of all the Thanksgiving stories out there for kids, this is the sweetest ones. And I’m not just saying it because I love dogs.

One cool thing you need to add to your shopping list on Thanksgiving is a special shirt for the holiday: It makes the dinner a lot funnier. And speaking of dinner, it leads me to food. Why not be creative and grill your Thanksgiving dinner?

This Blog Rules

This Blog Rules


The 8 Catchiest Songs That We Can’t Stop Humming

Posted: 31 Oct 2016 02:24 AM PDT

Do you ever have that random moment of boredom during the day when a song just randomly pops up in your head? Chances are the track is among the catchiest songs ever, so you're definitely not alone, don't worry. Whether we hate to hate them or love to hate them, some songs just won't stop […]

The post The 8 Catchiest Songs That We Can't Stop Humming appeared first on This Blog Rules | Why go elsewhere?.

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Walyou

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15 Best Gas Grills for the Perfect BBQ

Posted: 30 Oct 2016 08:55 AM PDT

15 Best Gas Grills for the Perfect BBQ

Winter, spring, summer or fall, it’s never not a good time to have a BBQ. And to have the perfect outdoor cooking event, you need the best gas grills out there, which we’re here to help you find.

 

You can always set on your own to find a good gas grill out of the endless options offered by Weber, Char-Broil and the others, but why make life difficult? Look at the list we’ve compiled for you, helping you make a better choice:

Char-Broil Classic 4-Burner Gas Grill

The Char-Broil 4-burner classic has a 40,000 BTU gas grill and a 10,000 BTU lidded side grill. It offers an overall 660 square inches of cooking space.

Blackstone 36-Inch Outdoor Cooking Gas Grill

The Blackstone Gas Grill has four individually controlled stainless steel burners, combining for a total of 60,000 BTUs.

Weber Spirit E210 Gas Grill

The Weber Spirit E210 Gas Grill has two stainless steel burners with a total of 26,500 BTUs and comes with a 450 square inch total cooking area.

Weber Q1000 Gas Grill

The Weber Q1000 Gas Grill is the perfect solution for those who are looking for something smaller, that’s easy enough to move around to someone’s else’s yard.

Weber Q1200 Gas Grill

What’s the difference between this and the previous one? The Weber Q1200 Gas Grill comes in 8 different colors (!!!) including fuchsia and orange, for those who want to get creative.

Weber Genesis E330 Gas Grill

Another terrific Weber product, the Genesis E330 Gas Grill comes with a 637 square inch cooking space, and includes a side burner and Sear Station burner.

Char-Broil Classic 300 2-Burner Gas Grill

The Char-Broil classic 300 gas grill comes with 30,000 BTU and 420 square inch of work space.

Dyna-Glo Smart Space Living 3-Burner Gas Grill

People usually go for Char-Broil and Weber grills, but the Dyna-Glo gas grill is fantastic as well, offering 36,000 BTU on its 3-burner version.

Volcano Camping Stove

The Volcano camping stove is a fantastic solution to grilling on trips into the wild. It’s a gas grill, but it also works on charcoal and wood and collapses into a very portable and comfortable size for your carry on purposes.

Bull Outlaw Drop-In Grill Head

This massive grill head has 60,000 BTU and 4 porcelain coated bar burners, with piezo igniters on each valve.

Weber Spirit S210 Natural Gas Grill

Another Weber gas grill, but what can you do, they are the best. The Spirit S210 gas grill works on natural gas only.

Lion Premium Grills Natural Gas Grill

A massive 830 square inches of cooking surface and 75,000 total BTUs, but like the previous one by Weber, this Lion Premium Grills Gas Grill works only on natural gas.

Better Homes & Gardens Gas Grill

The cool thing about this Better Homes & Gardens gas grill is it doesn’t just have 4 burners, it also comes with a side burner and another searing side burner.

Char-Broil TRU Infrared Patio Bistro 180 Gas Grill

A fantastic, small option from Char-Broil, as their Portable Gas Grill offers excellent cooking quality without taking up the space, or the issue of mobility. It weighs 22 lbs.

Camp Chef Flat Top Grill

The Camp Chef Flat Top Grill as a huge interchangeable top, 48,000 BTUs on four burners and 501 square inch of grilling surface.

Oddity Central

Oddity Central


Spanish Junkyard Owner Replaces Guard Dogs with Bullfighting Bulls

Posted: 28 Oct 2016 07:08 AM PDT

After falling victim to no less than seven break-ins last summer, the owner of a second hand auto parts business in Montserrat, Spain, has replaced his guard dogs with a pair of ‘toro bravos’, a Spanish breed of bull used in bullfighting, to roam the property and deter potential intruders.

Emilio Cervero told Spanish reporters that his troubles began earlier this year, when local authorities in the Valencian town of Montserrat built new roundabout next to his junkyard. He was expropriated of part of his property, and the provincial government sealed off his downsized land with a flimsy wire fence to replace the original concrete wall which featured barbed wire protection. Since then, he claims thieves have broken in seven times, by snipping a hole in the wall, luring the guard dogs out of the compound, and simply walking in to take what they needed.

Señor Cervero claims that the financial cost of the break-ins wasn’t considerable, as it turns out that most of the thieves were young people looking to steal a rear-view mirror or a tire for their cars, but the frequency with which the intrusions occurred had become an inconvenience. The fence had to be fixed every time, not to mention that the alarms were set off, bothering his neighbors. And since guard dogs were proving ineffective, he decided it was time for something more extreme.

guard-bulls

You Need to Fail a Breathalizer Test to Enter the World’s First Hangover Bar

Posted: 28 Oct 2016 06:13 AM PDT

Provided you can find your way to it after a wild night of alcohol-fueled partying, the world’s first hangover bar, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, promises to make that nasty next-day hangover a lot easier to deal with.

Only open from Friday to Sunday, between 10am and 6pm, Amsterdam’s Hangover Bar is decorated as a green oasis in the middle of the urban jungle, and offers a variety of ways to deal with hangovers. But in order to experience any of them, you first have to prove that your blood alcohol content is well above functional levels, by taking a breathalizer test. Failing one of these is usually a bad thing, but at the Hangover Bar it’s actually your ticket in.

hangover-bar-amsterdam6

Man Rescues Abandoned Pit Bull That Had Been Waiting Outside for His Owners for a Month

Posted: 28 Oct 2016 04:46 AM PDT

A lonely and confused pit bull that had been waiting near a pile of garbage in the street for a whole month, after his owners moved away and left him behind, was recently rescued by a kindhearted animal lover.

Photos of Boo, a beautiful black and white pit bull, sitting on top of an old mattress and old furniture abandoned in the street, first started circulating on social media last week, after a neighbor in Mount Clemens, Michigan, posted them online. The man had watched Boo’s family pack up their belongings and driving away, leaving the dog next to a bunch of other things they didn’t want anymore. He had been feeding him for over a week, and had contacted every dog rescue in the area, but no one was willing to help the poor animal.

boo-abandoned-pit-bull

Dornob | Design Ideas Daily

Dornob | Design Ideas Daily


The Woodsman’s Dream: Glamorous Modern Treehouse Redefines High Luxury

Posted: 28 Oct 2016 02:00 PM PDT


Tree houses were once seen as the domain of children, hastily slapped together from scrap wood as a fun place to play. But over the past few decades, craftspeople have seen the potential in these elevated structures, envisioning dreamy getaways high up in the treetops that rival the cozy fictional Endor dwellings of the Ewoks in Star Wars. Read more…

The Mate Electric Bike: A Comfortable, Affordable Ride

Posted: 28 Oct 2016 06:00 AM PDT


The Danish inventors behind the Mate e-bicycle have done everything for us except pedal. They've added a rechargeable battery, making it easy to climb hills and even cruise along at 20 miles an hour. They've made it foldable, so we can store it at work or in the trunk of our car. They've even added a computer to help monitor speed and remaining battery life, as well as options for recording personal settings. Read more…

STIG: Recycled Scrap Metal Creations Fresh From the Dump

Posted: 27 Oct 2016 02:00 PM PDT


Growing up in Leeds in the North of England, Bob Campbell had easy access to nearby Sheffield — also known as the Steel City. Industrial scrap metal and old mining parts were plentiful, abandoned after the collapse of the UK steel industry and the closure of coal mines in the 1980s. https://cdn.theguardian.tv/mainwebsite/2014/06/03/140603RushGlasto-16x9.mp4 After a brief flirtation with the fairground in Great Yarmouth, which he joined when he left school ("It sounded glamorous to me at the time!" he claimed), he took a course in welding at his local college. Read more…

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