It isn't really called "Air Zaidi," but it is damn popular in Bangladesh, apparently. The "Zaidi shoe," a black and brown lace-up named after the guy who threw similar footwear at former President George W. Bush in 2008, is apparently all the rage in the city of Sylhet.
Sylhet, which as you know is in northeastern Bangladesh just a short drive from Fenchuganj, is a marvelous vacation spot where, according to Wikipedia, almost 15% of the city's restaurants are sufficiently hygienic to be fit for the public. The magic shoes will come in handy during the monsoon season, when Sylhet gets most of the thirteen feet of rainfall it averages every year.
"It's the latest fad in Sylhet - everyone wants to be wearing the Zaidi," a shoe-store owner with absolutely no motive to exaggerate told AFP News. "It looks like your average men's dress shoe but it's been sold for up to 2,200 taka (30 dollars) which is at the very top end of the market in Bangladesh." But with per capita GDP up to $1,500 a year, why not splurge?
The cost of the shoe may be explained by the fact that it is carefully weighted to stabilize it when thrown at world leaders. Probably.
The shoe-thrower himself, Muntader al-Zaidi, was sentenced to 18 months in jail for each shoe he flung at the president, but was released early for good behavior.
Link: AFP via Canada.com
