Items of weirdness

[Bran]

1) Found a book online called "Basic Foil Fencing" by Charles Simonian.

The cover shows two fencers. One is fencing with an epee and wearing a sabre mask.

2) This is kind of gruesome but I happened upon "Mirin Dajo - The Extreme Human Pincushion".

This man was impaled by a foil - "In 1947, at the Corso Theatre in Zurich, Mirin Dajo allow an assistant to plunge a fencing foil right through his body. The foil appeared to have pierced several vital organs and yet, the fakir remained relatively unharmed."

About a third of the way down in this link.

Click at your own peril.

[erooMynohtnA]

1) Found a book online called "Basic Foil Fencing" by Charles Simonian.

The cover shows two fencers. One is fencing with an epee and wearing a sabre mask.

One is equipped for current FIE foil rules, and the other is next year's FIE foil fencer.

[commiemermaid]

It looks like the guy in the not-sabre mask has his arm coming around the back of his head and over his opposite shoulder for the touch.

*blink*

I wish MY arm would do that...

[KD5MDK]

You see that from time to time in infighting. Unless they're being passed, it's often troublesome. Lots of fencers do it after reversing their shoulders but don't get their off-weapon arm out of the way.

[lefty_monster]

It looks like the guy in the not-sabre mask has his arm coming around the back of his head and over his opposite shoulder for the touch.

*blink*

I wish MY arm would do that...

I know a guy who does that to me ALL THE TIME. It's not physically impossible for humans, just MOST humans.

[Goldgar]

It looks like the guy in the not-sabre mask has his arm coming around the back of his head and over his opposite shoulder for the touch.

*blink*

I wish MY arm would do that...

If you're put together like most people, it will if you work at it long enough.

[commiemermaid]

Not with an epee in my hand and a mask on my head, it won't! Anyway, you know nothing of my shoulder issues. One of these days the muscle's just going to snap and I'll have to learn to fence lefty. :P

[Zilverzmurfen]

Found a book online called "Basic Foil Fencing" by Charles Simonian.

The cover shows two fencers. One is fencing with an epee and wearing a sabre mask.

Yeah, I remember we laughed about that book cover a couple of years ago. Clearly the author wants to flirt with all weapons. Except foil -- which the book is supposed to be about.

[swordwench]

Am I the only one who was annoyed by the Mastercard commercial broadcast a few days ago during the ALCS series? One of the "priceless" ads, wherein a woman pays $97 for a fencing foil?

And the foil is in fact an epee... and she's fencing electric, but isn't wearing a lame and possibly not even a bodycord? Laughable.

http://www.splendad.com/ads/show/154...avorite-Things

Yes, I stopped the DVR right there and replayed it a few times to complain - loudly. My spouse insisted I was the only one out there who would notice the discrepancies, or even care. He doesn't know fencers.

[mrbiggs]

Am I the only one who was annoyed by the Mastercard commercial broadcast a few days ago during the ALCS series? One of the "priceless" ads, wherein a woman pays $97 for a fencing foil?

And the foil is in fact an epee... and she's fencing electric, but isn't wearing a lame and possibly not even a bodycord? Laughable.

http://www.splendad.com/ads/show/154...avorite-Things

Yes, I stopped the DVR right there and replayed it a few times to complain - loudly. My spouse insisted I was the only one out there who would notice the discrepancies, or even care. He doesn't know fencers.

I saw the last half a second of fencing on the TV and had my usual reaction ("fencing!?"). Watching the whole thing, I don't think it's too bad. I've seen worse. "Foil" is the most well-known term for a weapon, so I'm not too surprised they used it when she's clearly fencing epee. And you can hear the buzzer, so they at least tried to simulate electric fencing a little bit.

[lefty_monster]

Am I the only one who was annoyed by the Mastercard commercial broadcast a few days ago during the ALCS series? One of the "priceless" ads, wherein a woman pays $97 for a fencing foil?

And the foil is in fact an epee... and she's fencing electric, but isn't wearing a lame and possibly not even a bodycord? Laughable.

http://www.splendad.com/ads/show/154...avorite-Things

Yes, I stopped the DVR right there and replayed it a few times to complain - loudly. My spouse insisted I was the only one out there who would notice the discrepancies, or even care. He doesn't know fencers.

I haven't seen it. Is it on the internet anywhere? I tried youtube and google video.

[parrythis]

One is fencing with an epee

Actually, they both have epees. Click on the image and enlarge it.

I don't think I'll buy this book.

[Zilverzmurfen]

"Foil" is the most well-known term for a weapon...

I would think the generic term 'sword' would be more known than foil.

I haven't seen it. Is it on the internet anywhere? I tried youtube and google video.

Try following the link S'wench posted: http://www.splendad.com/ads/show/154...avorite-Things

(At least I had it work properly.)

[swordwench]

I would think the generic term 'sword' would be more known than foil.

My mother was/is a crossword puzzle addict, and I still remember her showing me the "four-letter word for 'French sword'" that appeared frequently in the puzzles. Epee - *that* was my introduction to fencing.

Foil was just something we used in cooking.

[Wafath]

I don't think I'll buy this book.

I have no opinion of the book, but as the saying goes, you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. The authors often have little to no say (or even negative influence) in the cover-art, to the point that it appears to be a running joke among writers. Yes, it is a bad marketing decision. It doesn't mean the book sucks.

W