Oddity Central

Oddity Central

The Polluting ‘Rolling Coal’ Trucks Purposefully Created to Anger Environmentalists

Posted: 10 Jul 2014 08:42 AM PDT

A group of 'manly men' from small-town America are performing outrageous acts to display their contempt for environmentalists. The rednecks, as they don't seem to mind addressing themselves, blatantly refuse to accept that climate change and global warming are real. So they're jacking up their diesel trucks to intentionally emit huge clouds of toxic smoke into the air.

Dubbed 'Rolling Coal', the polluting trend involves the reconfiguration of vehicles to produce higher amounts of diesel exhaust. These modified trucks force extra fuel into the engine and feature smoke stacks through which they release giant dark clouds of black smoke. Their goal is to spread the polluting fumes into the air, or at other cars, and they don't seem to mind spending thousands of dollars to do it.

While these modifications aren't exactly new, the trend appears to have gained more momentum in recent years. These truck enthusiasts have taken to the internet to openly express their dislike of hybrid vehicles and other environmental causes. A whole new subculture now exists online; they're getting together by the thousands on social networking websites, sharing photos and videos of their latest exploits.

rolling-coal

Quirky Paper Bag Speed Dating Craze Lets Personality Take Center Stage

Posted: 10 Jul 2014 05:00 AM PDT

While most people rely heavily on looks while speed dating, this new trend in London is forcing people to do the exact opposite – choose by personality. 'Paper Bag Speed Dating' doesn't allow you to see the face of the person you're talking with. It's basically a looks-free hookup party, where participants place a paper bag over their head. You still get to make quick decisions just like with regular speed dating, but the deciding factor is personality, not physical appearance.

Paper Bag Speed Dating is the brainchild of the people behind a new London-based dating app called LoveFlutter. They organised the event as a part of their #SayNoToShallow campaign. "Could you get a date using just your personality?" they asked, challenging people to attend their paper bag dating event. 30 women and 30 men signed up. They were given a paper bag each and were asked to personalize them using various designs – they could add quirky personal messages to serve as conversation starters. Later, they had to wear the bags on their heads. Some people did beautiful drawings, while others wrote stuff like "I used to be a spy," or "Does my head look big in this?" paper-bag-speed-dating

Stuck in Time – Meet the Man Who Lives Like It’s 1946

Posted: 10 Jul 2014 04:22 AM PDT

35-year-old Ben Sansum isn’t very impressed with high-tech gadgets, modern appliances or the internet. Instead, he prefers the old-world charm of the 1940s. So when he purchased a small four-room Victorian cottage in Godmanchester a few years ago, he worked very hard to transform it into the perfect period house. Now, he lives surrounded by furniture and appliances that are all from the forties or older, and even adopts a 1940s-style dress code.

Ben's strange interest in the forties began at the age of 12, when his Great Uncle Stan gave him a 1940s radio. "I guess I was always the funny boy at school that had this strange interest," he said. "Gradually, as I grew older, I loved the music and the fashion. I'm 35 now, my parents probably think I've grown out of it, but I will always live by this now. I know I will never grow out of it. I shall probably die living like this. But that's fine, because I'm ensuring that their way of life isn't forgotten."

"I couldn't live in a modern house now with modern interiors," Ben admitted. "I like this period, I like the community spirit. I don’t want to glorify the war, I like all the things that took people’s minds away from the war, the music and the fashions and the cars. Things were British-made and built to last.” And he's filled almost ever corner of his house with these old objects that look as good as new. Right from an Aga that heats a large white kettle, to the several tea tins and boxes of war time food stacked up on his shelves, everything in his house serves as a reminder of the good times. He makes his tea in a period kettle, and serves them in 1940s tea cups.

Ben-Sansum

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