Free Republic

When I was fourteen or so, I was listening to an American comedian and he said that “America is the only matriarchy in which women feel the need to complain about being oppressed.” At the time I knew clear nothing about America, or how it was different from Portugal, so the joke went absolutely wide of the mark. But over the years of living here, it keeps coming back to mind at all sorts of times. Look, I’m not saying that some women didn’t have a terrible time in the US, or that women weren’t discriminated against in the region...

Need recommendations for a good/great walking shoe.

A crocodile known locally as ‘Barrat’ emerges from the water of the lower Daintree River, Far North Queensland. Credit: Kevin Crook The wet season in tropical Australia begins with tension. Physical tension, caused by the friction of earth and clouds. Mental tension, caused by the heat, and the expectation of rain and relief. It is also an ecological tension, where every plant and animal is poised—genetically, physiologically—to grow, reap, sow and copulate within a few short months. We call it the build-up. The tension builds, and then it breaks. It was at the point of breaking when Val Plumwood,...

It’s hard to find someone who doesn’t love a good steal — but there are a few pieces that are worth splurging on. For some, it’s an iconic handbag, and for others, it could be a piece of jewelry that they’ve been saving up for. Somehow, for editors and influencers alike, the one thing they’ll always shell out for is a great pair of shoes. “When I invest in my wardrobe, shoes and bags are always my go-to,” says Kelsey Stiegman, a senior style editor at Seventeen. “I try to go for pieces that are either incredibly unique or timeless...

'I just thought that Philly was different,' said Steve Jamison, owner of Blue Sole Shoes. 'I thought we would respond in a different way.'PHILADELPHIA, P.A. — A men’s shoes and accessories store in Center City, Philadelphia was looted last summer during the Black Lives Matter riots. Owner Steve Jamison, a black man who started Blue Sole Shoes in 2007, did not see it coming. “I just thought that Philly was different,” he told me. “I thought we would respond in a different way.” Jamison was at home when people first broke into his store on May 31. His alarm company...

Police say a theft suspect in Idaho Falls fell through the ceiling tiles of a local restaurant Tuesday evening while running from officers. The Idaho Falls Police Department was looking for Jesse James Moore, 38, a suspect in two theft cases from earlier that day. The search was a rather unique one, allegedly involving children’s bicycles, stolen deli ham, and the suspect locking himself in a women’s bathroom in an attempt to escape into the ceiling of a Subway restaurant, according to an affidavit of probable cause. The search began earlier Tuesday when a woman called officers around 6 p.m....

Rapper Lil Nas X unveiled a limited edition of “satan shoes” that contain human blood and are limited to 666 pairs. The “Old Town Road” singer is expected to release the pair of shoes on March 29 as a collaboration with Nike. The shoes start at $1,018 and contain “60cc ink and 1 drop of human blood.” "Old Town Road" topped the Hot 100 for nineteen consecutive weeks in 2019, and now the singer Lil Nas X has just released a new song and video, MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name). The music video shows him dancing on a stripper...

The Chinese regime is taking on foreign apparel and footwear brands amid global fallout over its genocide against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang region. Undeterred by growing international condemnation over its human rights abuses, Beijing is pressing companies to reverse their position on Xinjiang by way of boycotts. The regime has dredged up past statements made by companies—some up to two years old—to distance themselves from sourcing materials from the northwestern Chinese region over potential forced labor abuses. It hopes to stoke nationalist fervor and encourage a nationwide boycott. The outrage from Beijing followed days after the...

For most of my younger years, I would wear socks and shoes from the time I got up (or out of the shower) to the time I went to bed. Even in bed, I would wear socks. Even in the heat of the summer. Bare feet were only for the shower and the beach. In 1990, I went to Hawaii for the first time. It was a bit of a culture shock. Everybody was in flip-flops or sandals. In fact, my first stop out of the airport was at an ABC store so that I could look more like the...

They have divided fashionistas and feminists for generations, but scientists now claim to have proof that high heels are sexy. Researchers recruited 52 female university students aged 18 to 24 and shot videos of them walking in flat shoes and in their own high heels, varying in height from 8cm to 10cm. Editing software was used to erase their feet so that only the women’s body movements could be assessed – and all had been instructed to wear similar dark, tight-fitting T-shirts, with jeans or leggings and have their hair tied back to ensure uniformity.

A report from The Washington Post raised some eyebrows as it praised Kamala Harris' "shoe choice" earlier in the week. Upon her visit to Milwaukee, Joe Biden's running mate was seen sporting, as the Post described, "black, low-rise Chuck Taylor All-Stars, the classic Converse shoe that has long been associated more closely with cultural cool than carefully managed high-profile candidacies." **SNIP** The piece on the California senator was mocked on social media. "This is so embarrassing. Imagine The Post doing this in 2008 with Palin, Bachmann in 2012, or in the future with Haley or Stefanik in 2024," NewsBusters managing...

Adidas AG said it is increasing the number of black employees and investing $20 million in black communities after some U.S. employees complained the company was profiting off black culture without doing enough to help them. The sportswear giant said a minimum of 30% of all new positions in the U.S. at Adidas and Reebok will be filled with black and Latino people and that it would finance 50 university scholarships for black students each year over five years.

LAIXI, China — The workers in standard-issue blue jackets stitch and glue and press together about 8 million pairs of Nikes each year at Qingdao Taekwang Shoes Co., a Nike supplier for more than 30 years and one of the American brand's largest factories. They churn out pair after pair of Shox, with their springy shock absorbers in the heels, and the signature Air Max, plus seven other lines of sports shoes. But hundreds of these workers did not choose to be here: They are ethnic Uighurs from China’s western Xinjiang region, sent here by local authorities in groups of...

Nike on Thursday announced Adapt Huarache shoes. They’re a redesign of the original Nike Huarache launched in 1991 and use FitAdapt self-lacing technology similar to the Nike Adapt BB shoes that were announced in January. The Adapt Huaraches work with the Apple Watch and Siri, so you can ask Siri to control a motor inside to lace or unlace the shoes. With support for Apple’s Siri shortcuts, users can talk to an Apple Watch or an iPhone and say a phrase like “Siri, release my shoes” to remove them. The Adapt Huaraches also support different presets for fit styles. You...

One of the most infamous sports apparel brands in American history appears to be nearing its sad end, as LaVar Ball’s ‘Big Baller Brand’ made news this week after someone spotted the company's previously high-priced merchandise being sold for several dollars at a local volleyball tournament. When you combine the comical clearance sale with the fact their official Twitter page hasn't tweeted since Match, and even worse, the website has also yielded a ‘website under construction’ banner on the homepage for the last several months, it’s painfully obvious that the ‘Billion Dollar Brand’ as LaVar Ball infamously tabbed it will...

Nike Nixes ‘Betsy Ross Flag’ Sneaker After Colin Kaepernick Intervenes. Kaepernick quit professional football with over $20 million in the bank (after winning only 3 games in 2 years). He turned down $14 million from the 49ers and instead has a $40 million contract with Nike. For someone who wears Fidel Castro tee shirts he is quite the capitalist! Nike is nixing plans to release a sneaker in celebration of July 4 after NFL star Colin Kaepernick spoke out against using the Revolutionary War era flag design. The company had planned to release the Air Max 1 USA for sale...

Why Were Medieval Europeans So Obsessed With Long, Pointy Shoes? Going to foolish lengths for fashion. by Sabrina ImblerMay 22, 2019 Why Were Medieval Europeans So Obsessed With Long, Pointy Shoes? 32,379 At a royal Parisian wedding the standard footwear was very pointy. Christophel Fine Art/UIG via Getty ImagesIn 1463, London outlawed the shoes of its fanciest men. These dapper lords had grown ridiculous in their dapperness, and had taken to ambling streets shod in long, carrot-shaped shoes that tapered to impish tips, some as long as five inches beyond the toe. These shoes were called “crakows” or “poulaines” (a...

According to the store's website, the shoe serves up "toast-ed leather, smashed avocado textured suede, red pepper flake collar lining." And, because branding is key, "the 'Saucamole' shout out on the heel." The shoes are geared towards men, with a size conversion chart available to women who want to get in on the action.

The owner of a sporting goods store in Colorado says his shop is going out of business after he stopped selling Nike products over the company's controversial campaign with Colin Kaepernick. Prime Time Sports, in Colorado Springs, is shuttering its doors after "21 mostly good years," owner Stephen Martin wrote on Facebook Monday. He advertised 40 percent off all merchandise, and thanked those who "offered help and support through the 'Honor The Flag' memorial wall and NIKE boycott."Martin said he can't afford to stay open anymore after he stopped selling Nike products, in protest after the sports brand featured Kaepernick,...

They’re still buzzing up in the Wine Country over House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi’s VIP ride — complete with flashing lights — to a swank St. Helena shoe boutique...“The big black SUV then darts out across both lanes of traffic with (red and blue lights) flashing in both front and rear windows,” Smith wrote. “It goes directly into the red zone/fire hydrant area” and stops in front of Footcandy — a shoe store frequented by the likes of Oprah Winfrey and Victoria Beckham, where a pair of shoes can set you back anywhere from $100 to more than $1,000...“As I...