Dancing shoes: Burn baby burn

On the couch of Jimmy Kimmel Live Tuesday night, the former contestant DJ Mike Catherwood briefly talked about being the first elimination of the Dancing with the Stars season. Catherwood was in good spirits over the decision and thanked people who were part of his time on the show.

PowerCat Tokyo Auction

Tomas Rosicky (Arsenal) is the team captain of the Czech national football team. He has put his football boots up for auction to raise money for Charity Czech Republic in order to give aid of Japan. The auction of the football boots, PowerCat Tokyo that have Japanese motives on them will start on Monday morning on the aukro.cz Czech auction website and it will last one week.

Dame Helen, Queen of Chic

Dame Helen Mirren is known as The Queen of chic and is renowned for her love of sexy shoes - the higher, the better. Recently at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre the regal actress and her strappy stilettos left their impression on the walk of fame. The 65-year-old chose to immortalise her Ferragamo footwear in concrete alongside her handprint and signature. ‘Best laid schemes,’ the actress’s bracelet slipped off as she placed her hands in the cement. Ever the pro, Dame Helen had some fun with the slip-up, making sure the unclasped bangle was part of her imprint.

Shoeless at No 10

Seems informality is taking hold within the courts of power in British society. Steve "Gollum" Hilton is the Director of Strategy to the British Prime Minister, and is seen regularly in No 10 Downing Street in a T-shirt, jeans and red trainers. It is reported he recently greeted a visiting group of suited entrepreneurs wearing a white T-shirt and socks but no shoes. Andrew Mitchell is the Government's Secretary of State for International Development, and he too was snapped last week welcoming the members of an Action Against Aids charity in stockinged feet. Perhaps Hilton and Mitchell have been watching too much, “ Home and Away”?

longest beutiful model fall maria lafuente runway

Moses Lanham - the backwards feet man

Moses Lanham can turn his feet 120 degrees behind him. Known as ‘Mr Elastic’ and ‘The backwards feet man,’ he intends to walk 20 meters with his feet turned backwards to get into the Guinness Book of Records. Moses has hypermobility (double jointed-ness), a condition where joints can stretch beyond their normal range of motion. Seems he was born with extra tissue and cartilage in his joints which has made his hips, knees and ankles especially elastic. Despite their look his flexible feet cause him no pain. As a student he would frequently walk backwards for a prank and sometimes wore his clothes backwards to match the direction of his feet.

The Choreography of Walking

‘The Choreography of Walking,’ is an exhibition by Ghislaine Howard inspired by the work of the University of Salford’s podiatry department. The Eccles artist has become fascinated with the human endevour of walking: from charting the first hesitant steps of her children, to watching the determination and courage of her mother refusing to accept the debilitating progress of Parkinson’s disease. Central to the exhibition of drawings and paintings is the time Ghislaine spent in the University’s podiatry department, looking at the extraordinary choreographies of walking. In particular Ghislaine was inspired by the work in the gait and human performance laboratory, where computer generated images and video footage are used to analyse every aspect of each individual patient’s walk.

The artist is known for her ground-breaking exhibition ‘A Shared Experience’, at Manchester City Art Gallery, which concerned pregnancy and birth, and for her fourteen ‘Stations of the Cross / The Captive Figure’ works, which have toured cathedrals throughout Britain.

The Choreography of Walking, Chapman Gallery, Salford, 30 March - 30 April. Entrance is free.

Shoes To The Rescue Part 2

Shoes To The Rescue

Michele Miller is the school principal of Jackson Elementary School in El Dorado Hills, Sacramento . The lady loves shoes and is selling 285 pairs of her shoes online with proceeds benefiting the Rescue Union School district. She is asking for a donation of $1,000 a pair to help save the jobs of 17 teachers, three vice principals, library technicians and others. She hopes the proceeds will go to help close a district budget gap of up to $2.2 million. Volunteers are uploading photos of the size 7-7½ high-tops, cowboy boots, leopard-print rain boots, sandals, platforms and high heels to a website. Michelle has not yet received any orders for her shoes but is taking donations from those who want to help.The website accepts tax-deductible donations through PayPal, which funnels the money to a district account set up for the eight-week fundraiser. Any money collected is designated specifically to help preserve at-risk jobs in the Rescue Union School District. Miller said she will pay for shipping herself, but might ask a local mail centre to pitch in if orders take off.

The Symposium of the Training Shoe : Northampton

Students of fashion, photography and sociology and kick’s enthusiasts can learn all about the artistic, social, cultural, historical and industrial significance of the training shoe at an unusual symposium being held at the Guildhall, Northampton. Symposium speakers will include V&A curator of contemporary programs Ligaya Salazar who will be in conversation with sneaker connoisseur Kish Kash, and Thomas Turner of Birkbeck College talking about the social and cultural significance of sports shoes through the nineteenth and twentieth century and eminent researchers from the University of Sheffield exploring how trainers made the transition to the street and how wearing them can change people's identities. The event is part of Northampton Borough Council museums spring program which aims to inform, entertain and educate. The Symposium of the Training Shoe takes place at The Guildhall on Saturday 2 April from 10am to 4.30pm and will be followed by a private viewing of the Sneaker Peak exhibition currently showing at Northampton Museum and Art Gallery.


Tickets for the event cost £7.50 for students, £20 for others, and include lunch, the private viewing and evening refreshments.

For more information about the symposium or to reserve a place contact the museum on 01604 837632/838111

New shoe scanners: You can leave your shoes on

Ever since would-be shoe bomber Richard Reid tried to blow up a transatlantic flight in December of 2001 with explosives concealed in his shoes, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) made airline passengers remove their shoes for X-raying. TSA now want to improve the process with a special shoe scanner that does not necessitate removal of shoes. TSA announced this week that it’s accepting proposals for a “shoe scanner” device. Designers can now submit proposals for the scanners.

For those with vaginas

Watch out I can see you coming?

According to a new study trained sexologists can know the history of a woman's vaginal orgasm just by observing the way she walks. The study, led by Stuart Brody of the University of the West of Scotland in collaboration with colleagues in Belgium was carried out on 16 female Belgian university students. The participants completed a questionnaire on their sexual behaviour and were then videotaped from a distance while walking in a public place. The videotapes were then rated by two professors of sexology and two research assistants trained in the functional-sexological approach to sexology, who were had no idea about the women's orgasmic history. It was found that the appropriately trained sexologists could correctly infer vaginal orgasm through watching the way the women walked over 80 percent of the time. Also, on further analysis, it was discovered that the sum of stride length and vertebral rotation was greater for the vaginally orgasmic women.

"This could reflect the free, unblocked energetic flow from the legs through the pelvis to the spine," noted the authors.

Out of many plausible explanations for the results, once could be that a woman''s anatomical features may predispose her to greater or lesser tendency to experience vaginal orgasm.

"Blocked pelvic muscles, which might be associated with psychosexual impairments, could both impair vaginal orgasmic response and gait," said Brody,

Besides, vaginally orgasmic women may feel more confident about their sexuality, which might be reflected in their gait.

"Such confidence might also be related to the relationship(s) that a woman has had, given the finding that specifically penile-vaginal orgasm is associated with indices of better relationship quality," stated the authors.

This study has linked vaginal orgasm to better mental health. The study provides some support for assumptions of a link between muscle blocks and sexual function, according to the authors. The authors concluded that it might support the idea of incorporating training in movement, breathing and muscle patterns into the treatment of sexual dysfunction. The study is published in the latest issue of The Journal of Sexual Medicine, the official journal of the International Society for Sexual Medicine and the International Society for the Study of Women''s Sexual Health.

Keds®, unveiled the new "How Do You Do?" (HDYD) road trip tour

Keds®, unveiled the new "How Do You Do?" (HDYD) road trip tour to lauch the new Keds "Road Trip" collection.The tour features a Keds mobile shoe box that will do a cross-country journey to college campuses across the United States aiming to inspire students to create, collaborate and contribute within their local communities. The goal of the tour is to encourage campus communities to 'do what they do' and incorporate Keds into their lifestyles. The giant interactive Keds shoe box opens up to bring the "How Do You Do?" experience to life. Keds has partnered with two students at each participating campus to generate excitement and build buzz around each HDYD event. Local artists, bands, models, and charities will all be participating to give each tour stop a local feeling and show how Keds inspires each city and college it visits. Local bands and DJs will perform at each tour stop to add to the experience and celebrate the local flavor of each How Do You Do? location.

Attendees will have the ability to express what inspires them about their city on a pair of Keds via two freestanding touch screens. The kiosks will also promote the nationwide Keds How Do You Do Your City? shoe design contest, running March 1 – May 31, 2011. The winner will receive $1,000, as well as a $5,000 donation to a local arts-based charity of their choice. Students can step inside the Keds shoe box to get a glimpse into how Keds is creating, collaborating and contributing at each tour stop. The inside right wall of the shoe box will feature two 50-inch touch screen maps that also show video of local artists and charity partners, as well as select retailers who sell Keds in each city. The opposing wall will showcase a video of all stops along the US tour and a gallery of all 30 city-inspired shoes that have been created for the "How Do You Do?" campus tour. The floor of the shoe box will tell the brand's almost 100 year history of American style, complemented by a ceiling shoe gallery that will artistically showcase a multitude of the iconic Keds Champion silhouette.

The Keds How Do You Do? print ad campaign features three Keds Collective artists from around the country and showcases how they "do what they do" in and with their Keds. All print ads direct consumers to learn more about the artists and the "How Do You Do?" college tour at www.keds.com/hdyd.

Japanese Earthquake Donations to Soles4Souls®

Soles4Souls Inc., is inviting people to assist the victims of the Japanese earthquake. Individuals, retailers and manufacturers can support Soles4Souls' relief efforts. For more information on how to get involved and donate to the victims in Southeast Asia, visit www.giveshoes.org. Individuals can also text the word SHOES to 20222 to donate $5 to Soles4Souls' relief efforts.


Soles4Souls® collects, recycles and reuses shoes from warehouses of footwear companies and closets from individuals. They distribute usable shoes to people in need around the world. Since 2005, Soles4Souls has given away over 13 million pairs of new and gently worn shoes (currently distributing one pair every 7 seconds). The shoes have been distributed in 125 countries, including Haiti, Kenya, Nepal and the United States.

The history of high heels

Why are Chinese tourists flocking to Somerset?

Click here to find out.

Red Pump Project

An emPower networking event and breakfast is scheduled at the House of Blues on Sunset Boulevard on March 10. In an effort to raise awareness of the impact HIV/AIDS has on women and girls, those who attend are encouraged to wear their favourite red pumps (or any other red shoe) to join the Red Pump Project. According to womenshealth.gov, HIV/AIDS affects nearly 280,000 women in the United States with the numbers growing. Research shows that when compared to men, women face more challenges than their male counterparts due to a gap in access and care.

Foot molester puts his hands up

Michael Fells, 28, is possibly the first known serial foot molester. He convinced women that he was taking some massage and reflexology courses and needed subjects to practice on. Fells would then tell these women, who ranged from 30 to 50-years-old, that he needed to put a blanket over them as part of the process. Despite the blanket and foot calluses, many were able to recognize that Fells was incorporating his penis as a massage tool. However, most of his victims didn’t come forward until after he was arrested. He never threatened them or used violence, and many thought the crime too absurd or embarrassing to report. Fells eventually called the police to save himself from two of his accusers’ boyfriends. Police found him cowering under a porch. If convicted, this will be the second time Fells serves time for molesting women’s feet.

Leather car

The Kang Shoe company in China have built a shoe shaped electric car. The shell is 3m long and approx 1m high and is made entirely of real leather, (i.e. the hide of five bulls). The bodywork was made in the same way as a normal shoe but on a much bigger scale. The car battery is located beneath the driver's seat. The vehicle carries two people a distance of 400km at speeds of up to 30km/h on a single charge of the battery. At the launch workers queued up for the chance to drive the car at a demonstration outside the company's headquarters in Wenzhou in eastern China's Zhejiang Province. Plans are afoot (love it) to make 40 other cars for stores around the country.

Heel warning: Conditions apply

Conditions do apply here and there is definatley no direct corelation between heel height and arthritis. Independent studies have shown lateral rotation at the knee is significantly less when wearing a higher heel that in flat heels. Condemnation of wearing high heels is not new and dates to at least the 18th century. All medical claims however that heel height causes ailments from miscarriage to spinal arthritis have been shown to be factuous. Most definately people prone to arthritis would be better advised to wear footwear appropriate to their physical activities and is confortable (the only variable that matters) then that is as much as can be done.

More recently studies have shown pelvic compensation takes place during pregnancy which prevents spinal damage. Some believe the same adjustment occurs when when women are wearing high heels. This natural compensation prevents the body form lasting harm, in the vast majority of cases.

Severed limb and finders keepers: I don't think so.

A former fire-fighter and paramedic with the St Lucie County Fire District in Fort Pierce, Florida, admitted taking the severed foot from the scene of a serious car accident. The victim has subsequently filed a lawsuit alleging the actions were outrageous and beyond the bounds of decency.” The fire-fighter found the foot an hour after the victim was taken to hospital and decided to use it to help train her body-recovery dog. Subsequent to discovery of her action, the former district's firefighter of the year left her post. At the recent trial she pled guilty to a charge of second-degree petit theft and was sentenced to six months' probation.

The Shoe Fairy (from Sesamie Street)

Sesame Street: Neil Patrick Harris as the Shoe Fairy - watch more funny videos

Geeks in sneaks

At one time romantics wore their heart on their sleeve, but today geeks may wear their heart (or their favourite social network medium) on their sneakers. http://www.geeksneakers.com/ offers various types of Nike air Jordan shoes designs, everything from Mario to Bob Marley on custom kicks. Now the latest endeavour of shoe designer Brass Monki is bringing the best of the Internet to customers’ shoes. Adidas also about to release their own line of Facebook and Twitter-inspired sneakers.

Nike Dunk – High Heels

Nike Dunk High Heels have transformed the basic basketball shoe into a sub cultural icon.

Flamenco Dance

Over the counter (OTC) shoe inserts fail to impress?

According to the American Podiatric Medical Association almost 90 percent of women experience pain from wearing shoes. Many seek the assistance of shoe inserts to alleviate pain. A new consumer report has investigated the efficacy of the more commonly used over the counter shoe inserts and found them wanting. The Consumer Reports ShopSmart tested 14 women wearing heels between two-and-a-half-inch and four inch heels. Randomly fitted with OTC shoe inserts each subject walked the equivalent of five and a half miles. The subjects completed a questionnaire and the results confirmed few of the inserts made the feet feel more comfortable. Almost all of the subjects thought the insoles were not worth the money. Consumer Reports ShopSmart found most women wore shoes smaller than their foot size which may account why shoe inserts offered little relief.

Purple kicks for sale: Bieber's shoes on eBay

Social media’s prodige, Justin Bieber has donated an old pair of purple Nikes (size 71/2) runners to his former High School, Stratford Northwestern Secondary School in Ontario, Canada so they can sell the autographed kicks. The proceeds will go to build a new broadcasting and communications studio for the pupils. The young crooner has worn the shoes and there is a bit of gravel in the treads. The shoes are auctioned separately on eBay. The right show became available on Monday and the other shoe will be auctioned at a later date. Closing date for the right shoe is March 11. Bieber previously donated some of his freshly coiffed hair to the Ellen DeGeneres show. When it was auctioned on eBay the iten sold for over $40K. The monies raised goes to the Gentle Barn, an animal rescue farm in California.