SPQR
From the founding of Rome, up until the reforms of Marius in 104 BCE, the Roman military was a non professional army, made up of land owning citizens. The population was organized into five classes, with the Equestrian class forming the sixth class. The Equestrian class was composed of the wealthiest individuals, which allowed them to become cavalry because they could afford the upkeep of having horses. The rest of the land owning population fell into the five classes, based on wealth and served as infantry.
In 113 BCE, a roaming army of Germanic warriors crossed Rome’s border on the Danube. In 105 BCE they crushed an army of 80,000 legionaries at Arausio, after which the situation became critical. Gaius Marius had just finished the Jugurthine War against the Numidians and was elected consul in absentia during the year 105 BCE. Upon his return to Rome, he began to drastically alter the military in order to combat this new threat.
Until Marius’ reforms, there was a property requirement to join the citizen militia legions. This limited the number of legionaries, as they had to supply their own arms and armor and had to own property valued at 3,500 sesterces or more.
The most important reform implemented by Marius was to ignore this property requirement. He allowed the capite censi of Rome to join the legions. On top of and because of this, Marius arranged for the state to supply the legions with their arms and armor, offered poor recruits the chance to gain a professional soldier’s pay and the chance to gain loot and plunder on campaign. The masses, with little hope of gaining status in any other occupation, flocked to Marius’ new legions.
In contrast to the earlier Roman policy in which the citizen army would disband after a campaign, recruits were now enlisted for a term of 16 years. This created a standing Roman army for the first time and drastically increased its quality. On the other hand, the balanced cross-sectional army of the Roman people at war was destroyed in favor of an army made up mainly of the landless poor, the Proletarii. This would eventually have grave consequences for the republic, as the poor soldiers became loyal to their generals, rather than to the Roman state.
In the bazar.
Conquest
On September 28th in 1066 William the Conqueror invaded England
Claiming his right to the English throne, William, duke of Normandy, invaded England at Pevensey on Britain’s southeast coast. His subsequent defeat of King Harold II at the Battle of Hastings marked the beginning of a new era in British history.
William was the illegitimate son of Robert I, duke of Normandy, by his concubine Arlette, a tanner’s daughter from the town of Falaise. The duke, who had no other sons, designated William his heir, and with his death in 1035 William became duke of Normandy at age seven. Rebellions were epidemic during the early years of his reign, and on several occasions the young duke narrowly escaped death. Many of his advisers did not. By the time he was 20, William had become an able ruler and was backed by King Henry I of France. Henry later turned against him, but William survived the opposition and in 1063 expanded the borders of his duchy into the region of Maine.
In 1051, William is believed to have visited England and met with his cousin Edward the Confessor, the childless English king. According to Norman historians, Edward promised to make William his heir. On his deathbed, however, Edward granted the kingdom to Harold Godwine, head of the leading noble family in England and more powerful than the king himself.
In January 1066, King Edward died, and Harold Godwine was proclaimed King Harold II. William immediately disputed his claim. In addition, King Harald III Hardraade of Norway had designs on England, as did Tostig, brother of Harold. King Harold rallied his forces for an expected invasion by William, but Tostig launched a series of raids instead, forcing the king to leave the English Channel unprotected. In September, Tostig joined forces with King Harald III and invaded England from Scotland. On September 25, Harold met them at Stamford Bridge and defeated and killed them both. Three days later, William landed in England at Pevensey.
With approximately 7,000 troops and cavalry, William seized Pevensey and marched to Hastings, where he paused to organize his forces. On October 13, Harold arrived near Hastings with his army, and the next day William led his forces out to give battle. At the end of a bloody, all-day battle, King Harold II was killed–shot in the eye with an arrow, according to legend–and his forces were defeated. Other accounts suggest that he was hacked to death by his huscarl’s axes. (maybe both)
William then marched on London and received the city’s submission. On Christmas Day, 1066, William the Conqueror was crowned the first Norman king of England, in Westminster Abbey, and the Anglo-Saxon phase of English history came to an end. French became the language of the king’s court and gradually blended with the Anglo-Saxon tongue to give birth to modern English. William I proved an effective king of England, and the “Domesday Book,” a great census of the lands and people of England, was among his notable achievements. Upon the death of William I in 1087, his son, William Rufus, became William II, the second Norman king of England.
*
Mistaken Identity in Mexico
BRM reported on this as well, but since it tickled my funnybone, I had to mention it here on VM. (Good fortune on your travels, BRM) Followers of this blog know that for nearly a decade, I was involved to greater and lesser degrees with this sort of drama in Mexico.
Blundering drug cartel hitmen have reportedly murdered their own boss in a shocking case of mistaken identity.
The shootout took place at a private health clinic in Culiacán, Mexico, last Thursday night (September 28).
Sinaloa Cartel gunmen loyal to Los Chapitos – the sons of infamous drug lord Joaquín ‘El Chapo‘ Guzmán – are thought to have been at the hospital guarding another man who was receiving treatment.
Before you judge these guys too harshly, I was in Los Mochis, Culiacan, Sinaloa, in February 2016 when two narcos in a red Toyota Hi Lux pulled up next to me and two of my pipe hitters, looking to murder los Yanquis. The pair crawled into the back of the Hi Lux and dropped the gate in the back of the pick up, and pulled back a tarp to reveal a .50 Barrett. We had black passports and a letter of Marque from the Government of Mexico. Two double taps at 3 feet from M-4’s ended their ambitions and made a big old mess in the truck that somebody else must have cleaned up. High velocity headshots at point blank range, the heads swell like balloons and then splatter open like rotten melons. Given that the range to target (our Yukon) was about 20′, the Barrett was not the right weapon. We had to take photos of the carcasses for MEXGOV. I’ll look for them. (warning, graphic if I can find them) SEMAR came through that afternoon and claimed the kills as their own.
Narco gunmen are not known for training and tactics. The score that day was Yanquis Peligroso – 15 and Narcos – 0. It ended my field work in Mexico. Sometimes you just have to quit while you’re ahead.
This is how I grew up
Today it’s considered to be reflective of toxic masculinity. No wonder I don’t fit in among the woke.
Bar-tailed Godwit
Bar-tailed Godwit has broken its own record in 2022: a first-year bird (five months old!) has flown 13,560 km—just shy of the direct flight limit of a Boeing 787—from Alaska to Tasmania, seemingly non-stop, in just 11 days (average speed c.51 km/hr).
Identify the Aircraft
1
Yes, it’s easy. I thought that this was a cool photo. The airplane has beautiful lines, but was a disappointment to Russian Frontal Aviation because when they appeared over Ukraine, they were more often than not, shot down almost immedietly.
2
3
Memes-of-the-Day
Think about being judged by a jury of 12 licensed voters who were too inept to get out of jury duty…yeah.
Identify the Aircraft:
1. Sukhoi Su-34 Fullback
2. Dassault Rafale, without the refueling probe
3. Republic F-105 Thunderchief
That’s that.
2. The probe is there, just hard to see.
One site had a pic of Pelosi showing her bust line down around elbow level. It asked if she had lowered them to half-mast in honor of Feinstein’s passing.
That’s just nasty.
She is 83+, gravity supersedes measures to the contrary. The woman needs to fade away (because prison isn’t an option for elites).
Love it!
Marcus Aurelius: “When was the last time you were home?”
Maximus: “Two years, two hundred and sixty-four days, and this morning.”
16 years is a long time to be under the thumb, apathy creeps when normal folks decide they’d rather be home than in some foreign land standing in mud (hmm, sounds like Russians in Ukraine).
A dime is smaller than a nickel so has less value…right?
DiFi (cutesy name for a lousy person): Does her estate get Carbon Credits? No matter, these United States feel lighter in the past few days with another evil one not breathing our air.
Dad was integral to forming his boys character and skills, tailored individually to each personality. Outdoor pursuits were integral, yet also insisted we make our beds, clean up after ourselves, learn to cook the basics, and respect our mother.
It was a different time, PaulM. Some boys are still raised right, but I fear there are not enough.
Can’t spend the last 40 years kicking dads to the curb in easy divorce (some deserve it but statistically that equally works both ways, maybe even more for woman), then expect boys to learn manliness from [most] moms. God’s prescription – in general – is for a reason. I’ve known “guys” who spend way too much time “playing” video games (escaping reality), and use more shower product than some woman, which is fine…but to not know which end of a screwdriver to use is poor form, especially with YouTube. No excuse to not man up.
X2
Well, Bonjour to that, Willy.
The church of St Mary’s where I live is mentioned in the Domesday book as it dates back to Saxon times.
Great meme. Explains a lot. I once went to a car boot in the UK to sell off a load of stuff I didn’t want anymore. I sold some original Cadburys mugs as I used to work there. “Get your Cadbury’s mugs here!” I shouted. “30 pence each or 3 for a pound!” They all bought 3. Hey, ten pence is ten pence. Happy to make a profit on a pillock.
Very slick of you. Luckily no ExPat German engineer showed up otherwise he’d demand to know the exact weight of each one. (Best I can do to mimic a Clarkson snark)
Thanks to Top Gear I know what “caravan” means, but “Car boot”? “Pillock”? Might need to look those up.
(Cadbury’s…presume that was early on in the extensive resume’, did you offer to redesign the logo to be more fashion forward? Heh)
I just ate the chocolate, Paul. When I first worked there my first day was at a conference. There was chocolate everywhere. I started loading my pockets and bag with it all to take home. My boss tapped me on the shoulder and nabbed me tea leafing the goods and told me I’d be leaving with 12 outers of the finest Cadbury’s chocolate so I could relax!
A car boot is like your yard sale except we all gather together on a farmer’s field with our car boots full of crap. We even have ice cream vans and burger vans showing up to accommodate the crowds. Hungry work buying other people’s tat. They generally happen on a Sunday and have replaced outings to public executions.
Pillock is a term for a dumbass.
Do pickpockets work the crowds as in days of yore? (you know, cutpurses)
“There was chocolate everywhere.”
Good thing you’re not 300 lbs. I once had a patient who had a business that took him into a lot of corporate buildings. (I seem to recall he provided and took care of decorative plants, which meant at least weekly visits to water and trim the plants.) We had conversations about different corporate cultures that he saw (albeit through the lens of being “the plant guy”). Some places treated him as if he was subhuman trash — wouldn’t let him walk through the lobby during business hours, that sort of thing.) Others were polite. He said one of the nicest places was the headquarters of Cumberland Farms which is a chain of gas station/convenience stores. They all sell soft drinks and snacks, and at least some have sandwiches. He was always welcomed and treated in a friendly and respectful manner at CF. But he couldn’t get over how fat (morbidly obese in some cases) the people in the office were. “Oh, they had snack food everywhere in the whole building. The stuff they sell. You could take all you wanted, and it was free. It was really cool. For about a month. Then I thought, I’m going to end up like these guys if I keep eating all this. Also, I noticed that people would wait for the elevator instead of taking the stairs, even for one flight.”
Maybe there was a “hire by the pound” policy wherein they’d get more for their money by hiring a 400-pounder than a 150-pounder?
@Mike_C: That Laverne & Shirley episode immediately comes to mind.
@Jules: I did get the inference for those terms, and knew ‘boot’ was trunk, but now you’ve gone and added a few more..I do like ‘tat’.
As I expand the Old English terminology pretty soon this Colony Dweller might want to visit Old Blighty, even if to land at Heathrow rent a decent ‘sahloon’ then head North to find my MacDougall Scots-Irish clan and say hi…altho they’d probably look at me like I was some American pillock. Maybe buy some points if I wore a kilt and brought a case of Jameson.
Jules…A return to public executions would certainly have a substantial deterrent effect than the current “laxed system” for those wishing others harm. Could do those right before the Car Park, set the tone for would be grifters (aka “cutpurses”…thx LL, another new word).
Mike – Yeah, I soon went off it. Too much of a good thing and all that! However, that doesn’t seem to happen with bacon, curiously.
Larry – Always. Deviants abound.
Paul- Yes, you’re not wrong! At least a bit of a whipping in the stocks for starters. Those red bricks can come keen… You will learn much more in the field – I suggest a trip to Blighty.
Bacon is life-sustaining, Jules. And it’s okay to have bacon grease on your lips instead of lipgloss. People here on this blog understand.
Very interesting about your experience in Mexico. Give us more. What is your opinion of the movies Sicarrio. Where ever they filmed it reminds me of my time in the lower valley from El Paso down to Ft. Hancock and Sierra Blanca. Aaah, good times.
There’s been a lot of talk of those years on this blog. The Sicario movies were excellent. Taylor Sheridan did a good job researching and then writing them. They are movies, so they fall prey to commentary from the “I was there, and that’s not exactly how it went” crowd, but on the whole, they’re a lot like MAN ON FIRE (the late Tony Scott film – 2004), which gave me PTSD, it was so good.
I’ve reported here on the blog that they’re filming Sicario 3. I don’t know where it is in production, but Emilie Blunt returns to the screen. I enjoy Sheridan’s work, so I doubt this will disappoint.
Yesterday, some people came by the White Wolf Mine, where I live these days, and we had an in-depth discussion about the days in Culiacan and Sinaloa in general, including the mountains to the East.
I was there when the Archbishop of Morelia created Los Templarios Cabelleros from the failing La Familia Michoacan Cartel (with La Tuta and the rest in the mix). You can imagine the flap when the reports (IIRs) were cut, outlining how the Catholic Church had entered the drug business at an executive level. DCOS – “We can’t forward cables that will get into Congressional hands that indict the Catholic Church, LL, even if you provide incontrovertible and absolute proof.” Eventually, they showed a spine and sent it on, and there wasn’t a Congressional hearing.
Wow! Amazing LL. Seriously incredible. By comparison I’ve lead a rather sheltered life, not so much “suburban”, but certainly more white bread. (Can we still say that, or is it misappropriation these days?)
It’s a pejorative, and hence not only acceptable, but encouraged to apply to huwite ppl.
Good…you know me, don’t want to step on any toes (hahahaha). We did eat white Wonder Bread, which still makes the best PB&J sandwiches, especially if the Welch’s (or Smucker’s if you roll that way) grape jelly oozes thru by lunch period.
You should have pretended it was pumpernickel, rye, or whole wheat when you ate it. That would have been the woke thing to have done. Sourdough is identified with the Old West too closely – darned pioneers.
We didn’t look at color as kids, now the goofballs demand we do, including roads and weather.
Larry. No surprises about the Roman Catholic Church being in bed with the narcos. They, particularly the Jesuits, were in bed with the Communists in Southeast Asia during the 1950s and 1960s and in Central America in the 1970s and 1980s. The instance I mention in the book was the most benign dealing, amongst a number of dealings, we had with Catholic priests. Although I never had any dealings with them, I know a number of other teams did, the nuns were up to their ears in it too.
I’m not indicting a faith, but some of its leaders didn’t turn out to be the men they may have hoped they would turn out to be. (me being kind)
Mistaken Identity in Mexico-
When Cardinal Juan Jesús Posadas Ocampo was assassinated at the Guadalajara airport in 1993 it was rumored that El Chapo was one of the gunmen. Like father like son I guess. In my own personal experience I’ve found that most sicarios usually lack formal training and are using some sort of stimulant, “cocaine,” or “methamphetamine.”
Some yes, some no. I know “The Russian” personally. He worked for Amado Carillo and later for others. When I first met him (I’d been looking for “The Russian), I said, “You’re not a Russian, you’re Mexican.” He said, “They call me that because I looked like Dolf Lungren in the Rocky movie – who played Drago.” I said, “You’re about a foot too short.” He said, “Yeah, but the moniker stuck.” We became friends. Eventually, he retired. Occasionally, I’ll get a message from a third party asking how I am. I don’t think that he touched drugs, and I never saw him drink alcohol. He’s indeed an OG. Chino Anthrax was a button man on the other extreme and loved the product.
So not THIS Russian then.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Aiik_hIAOv8&pp=ygUVcHVuaXNoZXIgdGhlIHJ1c3NpYW4g
Contrary to appearances in this scene, this particular Russian recovered, changed his name to Francis, and found employment at The Red Circle nightclub.
No. Though I enjoyed watching the scene from Castle, enhanced by the tune from Rigoletto. What would Castle have done if his buddies weren’t making spaghetti?
The Red Circle… There was a club in Los Angeles called Russian Roulette. I think that’s where they got the idea for The Red Circle.
The “Russian.” Nice! What was the look when you brought his ego down a peg by saying he was a foot shorter than Dolf? Lol. Agreed on the 50/50. Most of the cooks I observed used some sort of drug to keep the product stirring. Didn’t help them when a . 308 round traveled through their teeth and out the back of their brain housing group at 2600 fps. 🤙
It wasn’t really an ego thing. He understood that he wasn’t a big guy. I met him later in his career when he ran around with Nacho Coronel in Guadalajara. We met in the Holiday Inn (there are two in Guad, this one across from A Carl’s Jr. hamburger joint). He was there with Ruben Velazquez, who has been a significant lieutenant to several heavy hitters from El Azul to Mayo. Ruben asked me to come over and look at documents that a narco lawyer was trying to sell him. The lawyer, known as El Diablo, counterfeited some documents poorly, one allegedly signed by “me.” As I explained why each document was false, El Diablo, the lawyer, shrank more, looking like a boiled shrimp. Not entirely sucking his thumb, but you get the vibe. He charged the narcos a lot of money for counterfeit documents. They ended up plucking one of his eyeballs out as a down payment for returning what they’d paid.
So the Russian was there, and we walked over to Carl’s and got a burger and a shake. I asked him about Amado Carillo, and we talked about the business. There was mutual respect. He stood about 5-9. I think that Lungren is about 6-5. He had a good sense of humor. I met him several times over the years to discuss things. He wasn’t an asset or a reporting agent. Just a guy you could talk things over with.
To give it a timeframe, I met Nacho Coronel maybe two weeks later, and he was murdered in his home a month later. So 2010 – maybe late June. I found Nacho to be a thoughtful guy. He suffered from acute diabetes when I met him and he wasn’t well.
Some heavy hitters indeed. Relationships like that are few and far between.
My role was not confrontational unless they had MANPADS. Then SEMAR grabbed them. Even then, MANPADS were a source of contention among narcos. You drop an airliner, and everyone will do a weapons-free on you and your friends. They were in business to make money. There were confrontational moments but they initiated them.
Most narcos were in the business, understanding that greasing the palms of the FBI in Mexico City, Border Protection and so forth was a cost of doing business. That world is constantly evolving – as the business environment evolves.
Gesh….this blows my “Mob Stories” to itty-bitty pieces!
A bird flying nonstop (apparently) from Alaska to Tasmania is very impressive. But I’m also impressed (and more than a bit disturbed*) that it’s possible to satellite-track a bird weighing probably under one pound via implanted transmitter.
* not THAT long ago I’d have been happy we had the capability. Now I think of how They can and will use it against the 99% of us that are merely subhuman cattle to Them.
Radio collar (not RFID which is only 1 meter)…because, you know, biologists are allowed to harass wildlife whereas you or I would get jailed and have all our worldly possessions confiscated.
Exactly my sentiment. How did we get from Wow what awesome technology to well shit that aint good in just a few decades?
We had our eyes closed….
Did you get to keep their Barrett, LL?
Seems only fair…
-Kle.
No, walked away from that one. They polygraphed on the “trail swag” and I didn’t keep that sort of thing but I did return with war trophies of a sort. Everyone does. No, not body parts.
I have to wonder what they were thinking, piddling around like that. What was it Tuco said? Something like when you have to shoot, shoot. Don’t talk.
I think Breaking Bad was more of a documentary than a fictional series.
Equalizer 3 just dropped, waiting to watch it because we refuse to rent for the ripoff price of $20 or purchase for five bucks more. In a month it’ll drop by half…I can wait.
Reacher S2 is delayed, again…need me some Saturday easy entertainment and the Hallmark movies are not exactly action packed. (heh)
I’ll watch Equalizer 3 when it hits one of the things I pay for – at no extra cost. As with you, I can wait.
I was thinking about Eli Wallach’s remark after shooting out of the bathtub in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly but I get the Breaking Bad reference too.
I used to live across the alley from a Saul Goodman-esque attorney. The string of clients coming and going from his office in the alley was a good incentive to keep something close to hand at all times. Which a guy should anyway.
Like living across the alley from a whorehouse.
Never watched the Equalizer series. Might have to try it out. I think it’s on Prime video. Just received, “The Orange County Bankruptcy,” in the mail. 👍
That’s certain to put you to sleep.
The original series with Edward Woodward was excellent. Beware the old grumpy guy who knows things.
The movies and the new show? Nah. I like the old school version the best.
Yep, I like “V1”, too. Got the whole set on DVD. My dad liked it, too. He was quite enamored of McCall’s Jaguar sedan.
Outdoor life. Being raised in a subsistence hunting clan, hunting and fishing was a chore not much elevated above milking cows. Granted, more fun than milking.
No narco stories but once had a punk pull a semi-auto on me during a test drive. Little shit still had the safety on! After taking his p.o.s. away and smacking him a few times with it, drove the 1/2 mile to a police station and turned him in.
Who knew auto sales was so eventful. Well done.
More common than many realize. Might make blog fodder.
Beat him like an unwanted step-child…
William the Bastard was The Dude. Imagine running for your life and hiding in a pig shed at the age of 14 while everyone, including lots of your ‘trusted’ advisors and family members are searching for you with a ‘Dead or Alive’ attitude. Could explain some of his serious badassness.
His mother also birthed Odo, Bishop of Bayeaux.
It’s weird. The Normanization of England, Wales, Ireland and Lowland Scotland allowed those areas to flourish and stabilize for the first time since Roman times, or ever. But talk to the normal Brit and it’s all “The Anglo-Saxons were sooo great, blah blah blah.” No, they weren’t. The Saxons brutally invaded the islands and committed atrocities that would make the average Dane cringe in horror. Remember, the Arthur mythos is partially centered on the fall of civilization in England due to the Saxon invasion. Arthur being, of course, a good Romano-Brit Christian fighting evil pagan jerkwads from… Germany. But the Normans, who brought peace, prosperity and growth, were the bad guys?
Well, what do you expect from a bunch of people schooled to believe that Macbeth was a bad guy and so was Richard III, that John was evil while Richard was good, and so much more.
Geez…am I late to the party or what….
I pretty much grew up the same way, but the fishing was different. We fished ponds, streams, and back/side waters. One of the reasons I love Fall so much is the memory of pheasant hunting. Wonderful crisp day, blue skies, harvested fields with some rows of corn always left standing, and the happy dogs out and ready to alert and flush for you. Wonderful days, and yes, I knew what was in the “coffee”. Helps keep you warm on the hunt!
Fall hunting season still stirs by blood even though all the family I hunted with are now dead and gone. Great memories. These days, I’d hunt helpless animals if I needed to eat.
But-
There is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it never care for anything else after that. (Hemingway)
MikeW understands this.
As I do, in the Army, I was an MP and on a squad that hunted AWOLS and deserters. Hunt trained men in SEREs and other evasion techniques that did not want to be caught and quite frequently armed.
Yes, beautiful lines.
Then there’s DiFi.
Dear Lord, Kyrie Eleison.