OK, I fibbed, We’re going to catch-up now.
During the last VISS, there was some discussion amongst attendees about the number and variety of medieval/renaissance WMA/HEMA ‘salles’ that were being established of late. It is a reality of a business that it exists to fill a niche … and that there is a market out there that demands your product or services. It should be interesting to see, and perchance a bit bittersweet, to see who amongst Us is still standing in a few years after the recent public fascination with cinema swordplay and archery takes another of its historical, roller coaster dips.
No Namby-pamby Guard of the Lady here
LOS ANGELES TIMES (California) 28 March 13 Speak softly and carry a big sword (Liam Gowing)
With a concentration on Fiore Dei Liberi’s Flos Duellatorum (1410), Christian Vivo and the non-profit Academy of Arms is starting its third month of instruction on English Broadsword, German Longsword and Italian Longsword.
So far, his classes are small, but he’s sufficiently enchanted the journalist enough that we believe that ‘word of mouth’ about this unique initiative will spread quickly.
That said, there are a variety of rapier and small sword aficionados that should drop by Mr. Gowing’s office to explain the martial utility of “namby-pamby instruments used by the glove-smacking, satisfaction-demanding dandies of the 18th century”.
Snippits
CHINA DAILY (Beijing) 28 March 13 Putting war to rest (Raymond Zhou)
(Of King’s Wu’s Tiger Hill ‘tomb’): It is rumored that as many as 3,000 swords were buried with him.
Plus, this week’s best reason for not bringing your sword to the local for a cold one after the day’s classes.
SHELBY NEWS (Indiana) 26 March 13 Family hands down Civil War sword through generations (Luann Mason)
“Knowing your ancestry and heritage molds who you are, … If you don't know where you've been, how ya going to know where you're going?”
KHALEEJ TIMES (Dubai, United Arab Emirates) 27 March 13 Khalifa receives camel race golden swords
FUSE (New York, New York) 30 March 13 Ed Sheeran Almost Stabbed Taylor Swift With 'Lord of the Rings' Sword (Araceli Cruz)
“Caution, some items may have shifted …”
Quote of the Week
THE SUN (London, UK) 28 March 13 “You won’t know where Jon’s loyalties lie” -
The heart-throb, 26, tells us what’s coming up for brooding hero Jon Snow and why people are hooked on the epic fantasy series (Ben Betteridge)
How much training do you have to do to prepare for the sword fights and action scenes?
You have to eat a lot of food and train every day – it’s tough and you’re tired all the time.
There aren’t many jobs where you can throw a sword about all day, but I get to do one of them.