An Iraqi journalist who throw his shoes at President George W. Bush is now hoping to be elected as a lawmaker.

May 2, 2018 By administrator

Iraqi who threw shoe at Bush

An Iraqi journalist who made headlines worldwide after throwing his shoes at President George W. Bush is now hoping to be elected as a lawmaker.

Muntazer Zaidi, 39, told NBC News that he believed Iraqis are “tired of politics,” and pledged to imprison “thief politicians” if he wins a seat in the country’s parliament later this month.

“This is for the widows and orphans and all those killed in Iraq,” Zaidi added as he hurled his second shoe.

Bush deftly managed to dodge both of them.

“It was a size 10,” the president later joked.

The incident made Zaidi a cult hero in much of the Arab world, which had been growing increasingly frustrated with U.S. policy in the Middle East following Bush’s decision to invade Iraq.

Speaking by phone from Baghdad, Zaidi recounted that his time in jail was “very difficult,” alleging he was tortured and had his nose, teeth and foot broken.

After being released from prison, Zaidi spent time living in Lebanon and Switzerland before returning to Iraq about two months ago.

His policies include changing the country’s court system, supporting the rights of women, and preventing Iranian interference in Iraq.

“I will put the ‘thief politicians’ in jail,” he added.

Zaidi is not a member of any political party, but is part of an alliance that is supported by Shiite firebrand cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

Sadr formed the Mahdi Army in 2003 after the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime. The Shiite militia battled American troops after the U.S. invasion.

The Mahdi Army was also blamed for the mass killings of Sunni civilians in sectarian violence in Iraq that peaked in 2006 and 2007.

Georgia: Armenian youth takes to streets in Akhalkalaki in protest of shoe sale with Armenian crosses under them

March 1, 2017 By administrator

The photos are taken from Armen Avetisyan’s facebook page.

Today a group of active young protesters in Javakheti (Javakhk) organized a rally in the Liberty Square of Akhalkalaki, Georgia.

In a post on Facebook, Javakheti Armenian Armen Avetisyan noted that the protest was prompted by the shoes sold in the Akhalkalaki Town Fair several days ago. The shows had Armenian ornamental crossed depicted under them.

“The youth applied to the state authorities with the slogan “No Sacrilege” in Armenian, Georgian and Russian languages urging them to conduct an investigation and to reveal the country from which the shoes were imported in order to prevent the recurrence of such phenomena,” A. Avetisyan noted.

Japanese-inspired shoes that wrap around your feet

August 27, 2015 By administrator

Store bought shoes rarely fit perfectly, and bespoke options are too expensive for many. Italian shoe maker Vibram, more commonly known for its military footwear, has come up with a solution to this problem with its Furoshiki Shoes, according to boredpanda.com.

Furoshiki are a traditional Japanese wrapping cloth used for transporting goods and were first used in the Edo period to carry clothing while at the public baths. Furoshiki shoes, created by Japanese designer Masaya Hashimoto, have no laces and instead wrap around the foot–hence the name–fastening with velcro.

Vibram calls it the first ever “wrapping sole.” These novel shoes can be bought from the Japanese Vibram store for about $140 USD, and come in at least five colors.

Source: Panorama.am

Turkey’s laughing women now hurling shoes online

August 13, 2014 By administrator

A female opposition deputy’s fiery speech at Parliament has triggered a new social media protest in Turkey, with hundreds of women expressing anger at male dominance by sharing photos of their shoes and slippers, the Hurriyet Daily News reports.

“I swear to God, the devil in me tells me to take off my shoe and hurl it at you. But I look at my shoe and then I look at you and frankly, I say, it’s not worth it,” main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy Aylin Nazlıaka said at Parliament’s rostrum on Aug. 12, in response to verbal attacks from the male-dominated ranks of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

A Twitter campaign with the hasthag #geliyorterlik (“The slipper is coming”) was started on Aug. 13, triggering a flood of women sharing photos of their shoes and slippers in support of Nazlıaka.

“The slipper is coming” is a reference to the phrase used by many Turkish mothers to threaten their misbehaving children in a matronly way.

“This is a phrase that has been scaring me since I was a child,” wrote Twitter user @Trollololed.

Some who joined the campaign suggested that the heaviest shoes should be chosen to cause the greatest damage to male dominance in Turkey.

“This one is from a construction site. It has metal support inside,” @isinturkeli tweeted, while @blenderella said “My slipper is coming and it can hurt like a police baton.”

Along with a number of religious officials, Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç became one of the most popular targets of the slippers and shoes flying online.

“This one is coming for [president-elect Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan’s mouth and Arınç’s forehead,” @fusunckgl tweeted.

On July 28, Arınç had triggered the wildly popular #direnkahkaha laughter protest on social media, after suggesting that women should not laugh in public and should “know what is haram and not haram … She should not be inviting in her attitudes and will protect her chasteness.”

Several men also joined the latest protest. One of them, @uguryoldas, tweeted: “This is my mother’s guided slipper. It always targets the mouth. It is coming for those who insult women.”