Yet Another Blog About Shoe Throwing

Hey Silverhorner....notice there is no "s" as in "silverhorners" pural? That's because I cannot imagine having any more than one poor wayward reader left after neglecting my tales of life at Silverhorn Lodge for so long. So if you have left me and Marcello I guess I don't blame you....although if you have left me....um...how can you be reading this.....?

Well I guess it's lucky for President Bush that his encounter with flying shoes happened in Iraq and not New Zealand. If it had, we might be telling an entirely different story. For those of you who have just been released from a hostage incident, or from hiding in a hole in the desert waiting for the apocolypse, I am referring to the incident this week when an Iraqi journalist threw his shoe at Presidente Bush during a press conference in Iraq.

Bush was answering reporter's questions in his usual amicable, thought provoking way, with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Kamel al-Maliki when a journalist stood up, shouted something that the pres didn't probably understand, then threw his shoes at President Bush.

According to a reporter on the scene, who I believe might be a baseball commentator, "the first shoe went right on the mark but curved a little to the right, just missing the president's cheek, which would have resulted in a walk, had he not ducked. The second one, thrown with less vigor and more desperation went high into the outfield, well over the president's head."

It seems the shoe pitcher had lost his pitching arm for the second throw.

President Bush later told reporters that he did not feel the incident was a "big deal" and that it "did not represent the Iraqi media as a whole." In fact he laughed about it, saying the shoe was a size 10.

Spin doctors from Iraq, already worried that it might not be a good idea to piss off the prez, even if he is on his last legs so to speak, tried to put a...well...a positive spin on it suggesting the shoes were a gift to the President and the presenter just got nervous and dropped them....Bush seemed to believe their story, he smiled and said it was no big deal. Not for him maybe, but I bet it isn't all that good for the shoe thrower...number one he got caught, number two....wait for it....he missed.

Now I suppose you are wondering why it was better this happened in Iraq and not New Zealand. Well that's because boot throwing or wellie wanging, is a competitive sport in New Zealand, and it's taken quite seriously. The enthusiasts throw heavy rubber boots during the Agricultural Field Days in rural areas. In fact, the town of Taihape claims to be the Boot Throwing Capital of New Zealand.

Each year an annual competition is held and the winner walks away with the Golden Gumboot Trophy.

New Zealand is not the only place with a penchant for throwing boots, it's been a sport in Eastern Europe for several years, there are actually world championships....

Had the shoe thrower in Iraq known about this, perhaps he could have used his boot throwing skills for good rather than evil....then again....maybe he did....
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By the way, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome our first real official follower here at Silverhorn Lodge, the very lovely Kate Di Lallo who has signed on as our first follower. Glad to have you Kate!
Kate has three blogs of her own, busy girl, one of which I wish I had thought of for a title it's called, Welcome Back To The Show What a great blog title....and I had to settle for Silverhorn Mountain....duh...what wuz I thinking....anyway be sure to check out Kate's profile and her blogs. Tell her I sent ya!