It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Shoe tossing. (Discuss)

Shoes and boots are the most rigid and heavy articles of clothing most people commonly wear; shoe flinging, using shoes as an improvised projectile or weapon, is a constituent of a number of folk sports and practices. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Shoe flinging. ... Womens shoes on display in a shop window, July 2005 A shoe is an item of footwear. ... Boots is the name of at least five different albums and singles: Boots by Nancy Sinatra (1966) Boots by Mighty Gabby (1984) Boots by Condemned Eighty Four (2001) Boots by KMFDM (2002) Boots by Noe Venable (2003) It is also the name of a large chain of chemists in the... A projectile is any object sent through space by the application of a force. ... The bayonet, still used in war as both knife and spearpoint. ... Folklore is the body of verbal expressive culture, including tales, legends, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs current among a particular population, comprising the oral tradition of that culture, subculture, or group. ...

Sabotage

The practice of sabotage takes its name from a French word sabot, meaning a wooden shoe; the original saboteurs threw their wooden shoes into the cogs of machinery to break it during the Industrial Revolution in France. Compare Luddite. Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening an enemy through subversion, obstruction, disruption, and/or destruction. ... The Wooden Shoe The Wooden Shoe, sometimes referred to simply as The Shoe, is a bookstore in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ... Spur gears found on a piece of farm equipment. ... The Industrial Revolution was the major technological, socioeconomic and cultural change in the late 18th and early 19th century resulting from the replacement of an economy based on manual labour to one dominated by industry and machine manufacture. ... The Luddites were a social movement of English workers in the early 1800s who protested – often by destroying textile machines – against the changes produced by the Industrial Revolution that they felt threatened their jobs. ...

In the Semitic world: a gesture of contempt

In the Arab world, shoe flinging is a gesture of extreme disrespect. A notable occurrence of this gesture happened in Baghdad, Iraq in 2003. When U.S. forces pulled down a giant statue of Saddam Hussein during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, many Iraqi detractors of Hussein threw their shoes at the fallen statue. The Arabs (Arabic: عرب Ê»arab) are a large and heterogenous ethnic group found throughout the Middle East and North Africa, originating in the Arabian Peninsula of southwest Asia. ... Location of Baghdad within Iraq Baghdad (Arabic: , from Persian بغداد , meaning given by angels) is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Province. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Motto: E pluribus unum (1789 to 1956) (Latin: Out of Many, One) In God We Trust (1956 to present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at federal level; English de facto Government  â€¢ President  â€¢ Vice President Federal republic George... Wikinews has news related to this article: Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti, (Arabic ), born April 28, 1937 , was President of Iraq from 1979 until his removal and capture after the 2003 invasion of Iraq. ... Combatants United States, United Kingdom, Australia, other nations Iraq Commanders Tommy Franks Saddam Hussein Strength 300. ...

This may be an ancient gesture from the Middle East; Psalm 60:8, speaking of some of the traditional enemies of Judah, says that "Moab is my washpot; over Edom will I cast out my shoe. . ." (KJV) Military signalmen use hand and body gestures to direct flight operations aboard aircraft carriers. ... Psalms (Tehilim תהילים, in Hebrew) is a book of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, and of the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. ... The Kingdom of Judah (Hebrew מַלְכוּת יְהוּדָה, Standard Hebrew Malḫut YÉ™huda, Tiberian Hebrew Malḵûṯ YÉ™hûḏāh) in the times of the Hebrew Bible, was the nation formed from the territories of the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin after the Kingdom of Israel was divided, and was named after... Moab (מוֹאָב, Standard Hebrew Moʾav, Tiberian Hebrew Môʾāḇ Greek Μωάβ; Assyrian Muaba, Maba, Maab; Egyptian Muab) is the historical name for a mountainous strip of land in modern-day Jordan running along the eastern shore of the Dead Sea. ... Edom (אֱדוֹם, Standard Hebrew Edom, Tiberian Hebrew ʾĔḏôm, Assyrian Udumi, Syriac ܐܕܘܡ), a Hebrew word meaning red, is a name given to Esau in the Hebrew Bible, as well as to the nation that purportedly traced their ancestry to him. ... The King James Version (KJV) is an English translation of the Holy Bible, commissioned for the benefit of the Church of England at the behest of King James I of England. ...

Shoes hung from overhead wires (Shoefiti)

Shoe flinging or Shoefiti is the American and Canadian practice of throwing shoes whose shoelaces have been tied together so that they hang from overhead wires such as power lines or telephone cables. The shoes are tied together by their laces, and the assembly is apparently then thrown at the wires as a sort of bolas. This practice plays a widespread, though mysterious, role in adolescent folklore in the United States. Shoe flinging has also been reported in Australia. Shoelaces are thin cords fitted to shoes to prevent the shoe from slipping off by accident. ... A wire is a single, usually cylindrical, elongated strand of drawn metal. ... This article is on a political subject, specifically a conservative blog in the United States. ... The telephone or phone (Greek: tele = far away and phone = voice) is a telecommunications device which is used to transmit and receive sound (most commonly voice and speech) across distance. ... Gaucho Bolas Bolas (from Spanish bola, ball, also known as boleadoras) are a throwing weapon made of weights on the ends of interconnected cords, designed to capture animals by entangling their legs. ... A separate article is about the punk band called The Adolescents. ... Folklore is the body of verbal expressive culture, including tales, legends, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs current among a particular population, comprising the oral tradition of that culture, subculture, or group. ...

Shoe flinging occurs throughout the United States, in rural as well as in urban areas. Usually, the shoes flung at the wires are sneakers; elsewhere, especially in rural areas, many different varieties of shoes, including leather shoes and boots, also are thrown. Sneakers Sneakers are footwear of flexible material, typically featuring a sole made of rubber. ... Modern leather-working tools Leather is a material created through the tanning of hides, pelts and skins of animals, primarily cows. ... A pair of classic black leather Dr. Martens. ...

A number of sinister explanations have been proposed as to why this is done. Some say that shoes hanging from the wires advertise a local crack house where crack cocaine is used and sold. Others claim that the shoes so thrown commemorate a gang-related murder, or the death of a gang member, or as a way of marking gang turf. A newsletter[1] (PDF) from the mayor of Los Angeles, California reports that "[m]any Los Angeles residents fear that these shoes indicate sites at which drugs are sold or worse yet, gang turf," and that city and utility employees had launched a program to remove them. These explanations have the ring of urban legend to them, especially since the practice also occurs along relatively remote stretches of rural highways that are unlikely scenes for gang murders or crack houses. Cocaine is a crystalline alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. ... A gang is a group of individuals who share a common identity and, in current usage, engage in illegal activities. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Nickname: City of Angels Motto: Official website: http://www. ... Urban legends are a kind of folklore consisting of stories often thought to be factual by those circulating them (see rumor). ...

Other, less sinister explanations also have been ventured. Some claim that shoes are flung to commemorate the end of a school year, or a forthcoming marriage as part of a rite of passage. It has been suggested that the custom may have originated with members of the military, who are said to have thrown military boots, often painted orange or some other conspicuous color, at overhead wires as a part of a rite of passage upon completing basic training or on leaving the service. Others claim that the shoes are stolen from other people and tossed over the wires as a sort of bullying, or as a practical joke played on drunkards. Others simply say that shoe flinging is a way to get rid of shoes that are no longer wanted, are uncomfortable, or don't fit. It may also be another manifestation of the human instinct to leave their mark on, and decorate, their surroundings. American high school students in a school A school is most commonly a place designated for learning. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards and appeal to a wider international audience, this article may require cleanup. ... A rite of passage is a ritual that marks a change in a persons social or sexual status. ... U.S. Army recruits learn about bayonet fighting skills in an infantry Basic Combat Training at Fort Benning, Georgia. ... A bully is an individual who tends to torment others, either through verbal harassment and/or physical assaults, or through more subtle methods of coercion. ... A popular practical joke is to completely block someones doorway while they are in the room. ... Drunkenness, in its most common usage, is the state of being intoxicated with alcohol (i. ... Territorial Marking is typified by the use of urine by dogs and other similar species. ...

In the motion picture Wag the Dog, a spin doctor flings shoes into trees as a part of a campaign to call attention to a fictional war hero named Sergeant William Schumann, who was given the nickname "The Old Shoe." In another motion picture, Like Mike, a character is struck by lightning in an attempt to retrieve shoes from a power line, and acquires superpowers as a result. This is an unlikely dénouement. For other uses see film (disambiguation) Film refers to the celluliod media on which movies are printed Film — also called movies, the cinema, the silver screen, moving pictures, photoplays, picture shows, flicks, or motion pictures, — is a field that encompasses motion pictures as an art form or as part of... Wag the Dog (1997) is a film starring Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro and Anne Heche about a Washington spin doctor (De Niro) who distracts the electorate from a presidential sex scandal by hiring a Hollywood producer (Hoffman) to create a fake war. ... In public relations, spin is a usually pejorative term signifying a heavily biased portrayal in ones own favor of an event or situation that is designed to bring about the most positive result possible. ... This list of notable war heroes does not make judgements about what constitutes true heroism, but rather acknowledges the fact that the term is normally used to designate anyone serving a miltary role in time of hostilities, who is treated as an outstanding example of honorable service by their chain... A nickname is a short, clever, cute, derogatory, or otherwise substitute name for a person or things real name (for example, Tom is short for Thomas). ... Like Mike is a 2002 movie, directed by John Schultz and starring Lil Bow Wow, Sandra Prosper, Morris Chesnut and Jonathan Lipnicki. ... Lightning over Pentagon City in Arlington County, Virginia Lightning is a powerful natural electrostatic discharge produced during a thunderstorm. ... A map showing the nations and political entities discussed within this article. ...

In fact, shoe flinging is unwise and may cause utility outages. Attempting to retrieve shoes from overhead wires is dangerous and runs a risk of electrocution. The term electrocution can mean either: death by electric shock, usually by accident or deliberate execution by electric shock, in an electric chair See also: Capital punishment (death penalty) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

In some neighborhoods, shoes tied together and hanging from power lines or tree branches signify that someone has died. The shoes belong to the dead person. The reason they are hanging, legend has it, is that when the dead person's spirit returns, it will walk that high above the ground, that much closer to heaven.

References

• The Straight Dope on shoe flinging.
• The Secret Language of Sneakers at snopes.com.
• Why do people throw their old shoes onto overhead wires? Attests and attempts to explain the custom in Australia.
• Hung Shoes, attests and attempts to explain the custom in Canada.
• Pacific Gas and Electric Company warns of the dangers of trying to retrieve them.
• Shoefiti, a blog devoted to the practice.

The factual accuracy of this article is disputed. ... The Urban Legends Reference Pages (also known as snopes. ...

Competitive Boot Throwing

Boot throwing has been a competitive sport in New Zealand, for many years although not one that is taken very seriously. Gum Boots or Wellington Boots are the heavy rubber boots worn by most farm workers and many other outdoor workers. A competition to see who can throw a gumboot the furthest is a feature of many Agricultural Field Days in the rural communities. The town of Taihape in the central North Island is particularly identified with this sport; they claim to be the Gum Boot Throwing Capital of New Zealand. They hold an annual competition in the main street and award a Golden Gumboot as the trophy. See Wellie wanging. I would like to take this opportunity to apologize for my fault and current addiction to vandalizing your horrid encyclopedia. ... North Island The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, the other being the South Island. ... Wellie wanging, or wellie throwing, is a freestyle sport that originated in Britain, most likely in the county of Yorkshire. ...

Since 2003 the sport has been practiced competitively in Eastern Europe. The 2004 World Championship Competition was won by Germany who is hosting the 2005 Competition at Döbeln. Apparantly teams are also expected from Sweden, Estonia and Russia. 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Pre-1989 division between the West (grey) and Eastern Bloc (orange) superimposed on current national boundaries: Russia (dark orange), other countries of the former USSR (medium orange) and other former communist regimes (light orange). ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Döbeln is a town in Saxony, capital of the district Döbeln and is located at both banks of the river Freiberger Mulde. Döbelnss population peaked at 31,037 in 1950 and had fallen to just about 21,816 inhabitants by 2003. ...

Shoe japes of the United Kingdom

Perhaps due to a relative dearth in overhead cables in comparison to the US, lone shoes are most often to be found on the tops of bus shelters where they can be viewed from the top floor of the passing double decker bus. The suspicion has to be that they are tossed there by a school bully at the expense of a smaller classmate. A typical bus stop in Singapore. ... First London AEC Routemaster, RML 2473 (JJD 473D), on route 7 approaching Ladbroke Grove tube station in April 2002. ... American high school students in a school A school is most commonly a place designated for learning. ... A bully is an individual who tends to torment others, either through verbal harassment and/or physical assaults, or through more subtle methods of coercion. ...

A children's game

Shoe Flinging is an obscure game played on swings by children of all ages. The idea is simple: whilst swinging you simply launch one of your shoes from your feet. The person whose shoe goes furthest wins. It can undertake many variations, flinging your shoes backwards for example, or flinging both shoes at the same time. Shoe Flinging is a widespread phenomenon throughout the world. A female child A child (plural: children) is a young human. ...