I will be reminiscing about my years in the antique and collectible business later, but some of my notes revealed an event long ago, a story that should uplift those who think they are trapped.
We are working 2 stores in Manhattan and one of the partners apologetically mentions that an unwanted visitor will appear.....someones brothers uncles long lost aunts....you know the drill....
and hes down on his luck....you know the drill.....and can we help out anyway we can by giving him odd jobs ,whatever. The guy looks rough.
that's the impression.
I think i read him to be someone who has learned just recently the advantages of a complete
360 degree change of lifestyle and he is dead serious about the change. If you have been given a second chance this may be the look you have.
Anyway, theres not much for him here as he doesn't hang around very much. But he was interested in taking advantage of the biggest celebration I've ever seen, the 200th
anniversary of the United States. the bicentennial was to be celebrated across the nation with emphasis in major seaports where the most distinguished and historical tall masted sailing ships
from the world over (operation sail) were to partake in the events. The show stealer's were
3 and 4 masted majestic sailboats, the survivors of bygone years when nations ruled primarily
on the high seas. These ships even today are used in training naval cadets by their respective
countries and serving on one qualifies you for a career. The royal yacht Britannia was there and i was able to see her on her last voyage with the queen of England in Mexico in the late 80's.
So hes kind of late to merchandise decals-t-shirts and related souvenirs, mind you millions
of people will be in and around battery park and adjoining areas to see the event. if i remember
correctly street traffic was closed from 14Th,and down. He didn't have the money anyway to buy and sell. A week before the event, he comes in the store with curtains and sheets that he bought. The linen is sailboat motif and the majority are prints of the actual ships that will be present.For example, a single bed sheet had repetitious images of sailboats that provided 60 cutouts for making "official" patches. Someone lent him a sewing machine and by cutting out
and sewing to a felt backing he was amassing hundreds of patches. In 24 hours he sold everyone of them and made about $2500, that's like $6000 today's dollars. Because it wasn't so well known,
the DAR pomorza, a polish ship, he didn't have that many patches but the polish community was buying them up, he told me he could have sold another 100 or so. Entrepreneurs abound in big cities and making decals, patches and souvenirs to hawk at specific events is not new but cutting up linen that you paid $40 for and making $2500 in a day is creative. What was really creative was his goal--under normal circumstances to save that amount in that time and place would take 6 mos. to 2 years. I've seen it done but the $ was spent very quickly. this guy said he was going to start a new life somewhere and i hope he did. A friend of mine showed up in a city
with less than a dollar after a divorce and in 6 years had a major co. under his belt.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Sunday, May 23, 2010
ressurect the dead
I'm having drinks with an elderly Swiss couple, but the tropical beach scene is marred by the lifeguards removing a dead man who drowned and/or heart attack. In their heavily accented
English she tells her husband, you should have brought the pills, yes i might have saved him,
and he explained (they were doctors) that they use a pill that revives dead people. Ok, im game
lets hear it i said-yes we are serious certain death episodes warrant this pill-its like a switch, we put it under the tongue and if it was a heart attack and he his dead no but if he drowned maybe.
or was it the other way around? we use it a few times a year and revive people. Its not a miracle
there are many medical ways and means around the world unheard of by the others and vice -versa, we are still in the infant stages concerning true accumulation of knowledge. For example have you heard of the foehn? I was familiar with the term used to describe the sudden cold winds that would fly at great speeds down Swiss mountains into the heated valleys. the sudden change of temperature would wreak havoc on people, even creating a temporary mental illness.
He stated they use common elements to bring patients back to par. I guessed and was correct!
A Vermont country doctor who lived in similar terrain used apple cider vinegar and honey to correct p.h. and acid levels who discovered it cured many other ailments and disorders.
Also this part of Europe gave us Bach and hanneman(homeopathic flowers) and i mentioned
how a retired American in Mexico was going to have much of his ears cut off due to sun cancer
and a homeopathic doctor said lets try this before they cut you, he swabbed one ear as a control
and lost the other ear as the doctor had plain disappeared from town.The other ear was fine till
he died years later. These doctors know the German lady doctor in Canada who claims a lot of cancers are a result of flukes that propagate in the body weakened by alcohol and are cured by a secret walnut extract. More on this later.
English she tells her husband, you should have brought the pills, yes i might have saved him,
and he explained (they were doctors) that they use a pill that revives dead people. Ok, im game
lets hear it i said-yes we are serious certain death episodes warrant this pill-its like a switch, we put it under the tongue and if it was a heart attack and he his dead no but if he drowned maybe.
or was it the other way around? we use it a few times a year and revive people. Its not a miracle
there are many medical ways and means around the world unheard of by the others and vice -versa, we are still in the infant stages concerning true accumulation of knowledge. For example have you heard of the foehn? I was familiar with the term used to describe the sudden cold winds that would fly at great speeds down Swiss mountains into the heated valleys. the sudden change of temperature would wreak havoc on people, even creating a temporary mental illness.
He stated they use common elements to bring patients back to par. I guessed and was correct!
A Vermont country doctor who lived in similar terrain used apple cider vinegar and honey to correct p.h. and acid levels who discovered it cured many other ailments and disorders.
Also this part of Europe gave us Bach and hanneman(homeopathic flowers) and i mentioned
how a retired American in Mexico was going to have much of his ears cut off due to sun cancer
and a homeopathic doctor said lets try this before they cut you, he swabbed one ear as a control
and lost the other ear as the doctor had plain disappeared from town.The other ear was fine till
he died years later. These doctors know the German lady doctor in Canada who claims a lot of cancers are a result of flukes that propagate in the body weakened by alcohol and are cured by a secret walnut extract. More on this later.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Strange flight
The flight to a foreign country is ahead of schedule by 10 min. and i held the plane up by being on time! The lady at the ramp is waiting for me as the counter desk had called that i was on my way-hurry youre late! im not late i said as i glanced at my watch. As this is a rare occurence, i was spoiling the early departure and in the cabin the stewardress scowled as she rudely pointed to a seat, smoking or not smoking? smoking i said, sit here for now so we can take off! everyone in the plane was staring at me as she dutifully "put" me in my place. The general atmosphere was me against everyone. I guess they had been talking about me while the airplane idled on the tarmac-pinng----booonng-folks as you know we take pride in always being on or before schedule and the captain and crew apologize as the last passenger is very late and we have been informed the schmuck is on his way. This i gathered must have taken place, otherwise there is no other explanation for the all the passengers craning to see this most inconsiderate person come aboard with his shopping bags. She sat me next to a couple who resented me sitting next to them. As soon as the no smoking sign went out i lit a cigarrete and the guy went ballistic--whats wrong with you? you cant smoke here, this is non- smoking waving his hand to dismiss the toxic
smoke that would kill him any minute now. As i extinguished the butt sheepishly i offered that maybe he had heard the lady say this was a smoking section and i apologized. Because he had yelled loudly the lady came running up and denied she messed up ,which she did. Im sure she meant to move me after take off but neglected to mention it. But now, being on a roll with the
"bad" passenger she could capitalize on not having to be cordial to me or even apologize. And having the whole cabin staring up front at the unruly passenger who, besides delaying the flight
and possibly the whole U.S. air flight plan is haranguing an innocent passenger! I never said that, she stated, and you cant smoke here. She would have an uncomfortable time trying to sell me off to someone else in another chair and i was going to submit to her with the approval of the whole plane. I did'nt start this but i will end it right now and shut up.(win-win/ win-lose/lose-lose -i had to pick.
You know at the movies, how a dominant tries to take possesion of the center arm rest with his elbow? The meek give it up to those more assertive. He was now doing this, and proud of himself. He had decided now that i could be pushed around.
Sodas--cocktails? yes! i'll have a rum and coke please. As she handed me the drink bozo looked at me in the eyes, this was the only time in 2 hours he would look at me---youre also a drunk!
Im that type of person who shouldnt drink when upset. The alcohol was not the correct prescription for my condition. So i asked for another one.
Im not a fighter, so all thoughts were of a pent up anger, and i knew my infantile revenge fantasies would dissipate with the alcohol fumes.
As you can surmise, none of this Stephen king horror film nightmare could have been planned
and must be chalked up to the dynamics of convoluted human intereactions.
Pinng---booongg- ladies and gentlemen we are approaching the airport--seat belts and trays
up. She said it twice as the passengers were not complying fast enough as she did her rounds.
Much to my delight smartypants has elected to leave his tray down--not to disobey the authorities but to mess with me as i would have to move it myself, or quite possibly to pin me in
once on the ground and i would have to ask him and his tray to get out--a confrontation!!
The lady couldnt believe it as she came by again searching for truants-- Sir! you must bring your
tray to an upright position it is against f.a.a. regulations!! she looked at me like maybe my rebel ways were contagious and now my opponent had contracted whatever was wrong with me.
He pretended to go trhough the motions and as she left, he kept it down......big mistake....
PUT YOUR TRAY UP WHATS WRONG WITH YOU--YOURE ENDANGERING MY LIFE
WHATS GOING ON HERE?? she unbuckled and ran up and ripped him a new one. The tables have been turned and i had every right to serve back the same plate of popular thought to her -him and the sheeple on the plane who foolishly contributed to this scenario. He was angry,embarrased and befuddled as to how he had gotten himself into this predicament.
Passengers gave me sweeping looks of disdain and contempt while pitying the hapless and innocent seatmate of mine. Everybody stayed clear of me, the troublemaker as we made our way down the stairs and walked under the hot sun to stand in lines to clear immigration and customs. He made a concerted effort to be immediatly behind me at all times, rudely cutting off people to keep track of me. He was already asking workers for someone of authority to report me or whatever he believed would rescue him from his own follies.
Before this trip, on my way out of this foreign country, i had made friends with the top command
of customs and immigration. I had made their acquaintance because like most countries of limited means, they take anything they can get their hands on, legally or not. I had told them that it was rude and impolite of me to ignore their customs and laws and graciously thanked them for letting me go with a warning and was thankful i only had half my belongings confiscated.
However this was a common occurence and i was tiring of telling recipients what i had shopped
for them and im on my way back-only to have little of what i claimed i had brought, paid for or as a gift. Maybe your wife would rather have channel no.5 rather than old spice cologne i explained and i would be more than happy to receive your shopping list at no cost to you!
That way my peolple and your people get exactly what they want. The main reason for my trips was to bring hard contracts for sales. If you have an agreement you can bring foreign contracts
but you cant have the agreement without the contracts-catch-22--all this ends if you give me $$. Allowing them to confiscate desirable goods the contracts made good their escape. On this particular pleasant trip i was bringing talking dolls with expensive batteries installed, not local baterries
with a 20 min. lifespan, and the rage then was a plush dog with a zipper in the belly that held many tiny plush puppies. These were gifts for the daughters of local chieftains, plus bonus gifts
of the most wanted and unobtainable in this country. Shithead has finally gotten the attention of
someone and here comes these guys with guns and outlandish eupalettes straight for me---
the faces of delight and glee that the passengers displayed is difficult to describe. Horror stricken
faces replaced the happy mask as they shook my hand and politely relieved me of the shopping bags and brought me to the commanders who hugged me like they do in foreign countries. Since it was one the daughters birthdays they checked the batteries right there and then, the customs line paralyzed as the unzippered pups fell to the floor, being hastily picked up by guards bending over with their machine guns strapped to their backs. They give me a large box they had recently confiscated from a friend and didnt like the contents. I peered inside and ordered it to my holdings, we all hugged again and was being offered a ride. It is now obvious to my air companions that they have inadvertently stumbled on as witnesses to an international web of
criminal smugglers involving top echelons who in their brazen contempt of any law are doing it openly in the airport in front of international travellers-besides they have machine guns-. I can
only guess where their imaginations led them with the puppies and dolls. Not one to let opportunities go wasted and to be sure my treatment on the plane has not gone unnoticed in case they have forgotten, i mention to the commander who is holding dolls under his arms(containing uranium tablets:)? that the open tarmac in the sun is too hot for the passengers
and point to my new friend-incredibly like oil on water-like ghosts who move but dont walk
like dandeloins leaving the stalk he is now alone as the group has left the target rich environment. He went grey not white, standing alone, i really thought he was going to have a heart attack and regretted my action but was amazed how the incompetent stewardress tried to shrink out of sight behind her crew and they too abandoned her as they wafted away. Amazing!
the guilty have been pointed out without a word. Now it is apparent most of them heard her say smoking and i was never in the wrong. I will bet big bucks that my new friend and possibly others never made it to their hotel -checked in to another- and left the next day on another wonderful flight.
smoke that would kill him any minute now. As i extinguished the butt sheepishly i offered that maybe he had heard the lady say this was a smoking section and i apologized. Because he had yelled loudly the lady came running up and denied she messed up ,which she did. Im sure she meant to move me after take off but neglected to mention it. But now, being on a roll with the
"bad" passenger she could capitalize on not having to be cordial to me or even apologize. And having the whole cabin staring up front at the unruly passenger who, besides delaying the flight
and possibly the whole U.S. air flight plan is haranguing an innocent passenger! I never said that, she stated, and you cant smoke here. She would have an uncomfortable time trying to sell me off to someone else in another chair and i was going to submit to her with the approval of the whole plane. I did'nt start this but i will end it right now and shut up.(win-win/ win-lose/lose-lose -i had to pick.
You know at the movies, how a dominant tries to take possesion of the center arm rest with his elbow? The meek give it up to those more assertive. He was now doing this, and proud of himself. He had decided now that i could be pushed around.
Sodas--cocktails? yes! i'll have a rum and coke please. As she handed me the drink bozo looked at me in the eyes, this was the only time in 2 hours he would look at me---youre also a drunk!
Im that type of person who shouldnt drink when upset. The alcohol was not the correct prescription for my condition. So i asked for another one.
Im not a fighter, so all thoughts were of a pent up anger, and i knew my infantile revenge fantasies would dissipate with the alcohol fumes.
As you can surmise, none of this Stephen king horror film nightmare could have been planned
and must be chalked up to the dynamics of convoluted human intereactions.
Pinng---booongg- ladies and gentlemen we are approaching the airport--seat belts and trays
up. She said it twice as the passengers were not complying fast enough as she did her rounds.
Much to my delight smartypants has elected to leave his tray down--not to disobey the authorities but to mess with me as i would have to move it myself, or quite possibly to pin me in
once on the ground and i would have to ask him and his tray to get out--a confrontation!!
The lady couldnt believe it as she came by again searching for truants-- Sir! you must bring your
tray to an upright position it is against f.a.a. regulations!! she looked at me like maybe my rebel ways were contagious and now my opponent had contracted whatever was wrong with me.
He pretended to go trhough the motions and as she left, he kept it down......big mistake....
PUT YOUR TRAY UP WHATS WRONG WITH YOU--YOURE ENDANGERING MY LIFE
WHATS GOING ON HERE?? she unbuckled and ran up and ripped him a new one. The tables have been turned and i had every right to serve back the same plate of popular thought to her -him and the sheeple on the plane who foolishly contributed to this scenario. He was angry,embarrased and befuddled as to how he had gotten himself into this predicament.
Passengers gave me sweeping looks of disdain and contempt while pitying the hapless and innocent seatmate of mine. Everybody stayed clear of me, the troublemaker as we made our way down the stairs and walked under the hot sun to stand in lines to clear immigration and customs. He made a concerted effort to be immediatly behind me at all times, rudely cutting off people to keep track of me. He was already asking workers for someone of authority to report me or whatever he believed would rescue him from his own follies.
Before this trip, on my way out of this foreign country, i had made friends with the top command
of customs and immigration. I had made their acquaintance because like most countries of limited means, they take anything they can get their hands on, legally or not. I had told them that it was rude and impolite of me to ignore their customs and laws and graciously thanked them for letting me go with a warning and was thankful i only had half my belongings confiscated.
However this was a common occurence and i was tiring of telling recipients what i had shopped
for them and im on my way back-only to have little of what i claimed i had brought, paid for or as a gift. Maybe your wife would rather have channel no.5 rather than old spice cologne i explained and i would be more than happy to receive your shopping list at no cost to you!
That way my peolple and your people get exactly what they want. The main reason for my trips was to bring hard contracts for sales. If you have an agreement you can bring foreign contracts
but you cant have the agreement without the contracts-catch-22--all this ends if you give me $$. Allowing them to confiscate desirable goods the contracts made good their escape. On this particular pleasant trip i was bringing talking dolls with expensive batteries installed, not local baterries
with a 20 min. lifespan, and the rage then was a plush dog with a zipper in the belly that held many tiny plush puppies. These were gifts for the daughters of local chieftains, plus bonus gifts
of the most wanted and unobtainable in this country. Shithead has finally gotten the attention of
someone and here comes these guys with guns and outlandish eupalettes straight for me---
the faces of delight and glee that the passengers displayed is difficult to describe. Horror stricken
faces replaced the happy mask as they shook my hand and politely relieved me of the shopping bags and brought me to the commanders who hugged me like they do in foreign countries. Since it was one the daughters birthdays they checked the batteries right there and then, the customs line paralyzed as the unzippered pups fell to the floor, being hastily picked up by guards bending over with their machine guns strapped to their backs. They give me a large box they had recently confiscated from a friend and didnt like the contents. I peered inside and ordered it to my holdings, we all hugged again and was being offered a ride. It is now obvious to my air companions that they have inadvertently stumbled on as witnesses to an international web of
criminal smugglers involving top echelons who in their brazen contempt of any law are doing it openly in the airport in front of international travellers-besides they have machine guns-. I can
only guess where their imaginations led them with the puppies and dolls. Not one to let opportunities go wasted and to be sure my treatment on the plane has not gone unnoticed in case they have forgotten, i mention to the commander who is holding dolls under his arms(containing uranium tablets:)? that the open tarmac in the sun is too hot for the passengers
and point to my new friend-incredibly like oil on water-like ghosts who move but dont walk
like dandeloins leaving the stalk he is now alone as the group has left the target rich environment. He went grey not white, standing alone, i really thought he was going to have a heart attack and regretted my action but was amazed how the incompetent stewardress tried to shrink out of sight behind her crew and they too abandoned her as they wafted away. Amazing!
the guilty have been pointed out without a word. Now it is apparent most of them heard her say smoking and i was never in the wrong. I will bet big bucks that my new friend and possibly others never made it to their hotel -checked in to another- and left the next day on another wonderful flight.
Friday, May 21, 2010
are you sure?? wanna bet? be careful!
Some examples of how we perceive our surroundings.
We admire a starry night, yet some of those stars don't exist. They disappeared long ago, but the light that represents them took a million years to get here. scientifically you are admiring something that doesn't exist.
The wide spectrum bands of sound waves and light waves are not available to you in their
entirety. This becomes crucial in understanding many unexplained phenomena. To understand
it better, make a cross with two rulers with a circle in the middle, say 4 inches. This circle
represents the limits of your hearing and perceived visual ability all under the waves known
hertz-x-rays-gamma etc. You cant see and hear all. Other life forms can, and they in turn
have restrictions also.
Not too long ago, we wondered why elephants could meet at a precise point when to begin with
they were 15 miles away. Now we know they communicate on a wave length we cant hear.
In ww2 color blind people were immediately placed as forward observers and in artillery
units because they could "see" (classified) things we cant.
It was discovered during the development of television systems that young female lab assistants
could hear frequencies from aluminium rods nobody else could, as a result the early remotes
were very heavy as they contained thick rods of aluminium. Our female ancestors had a keen sense of hearing beyond that of males and had early warning systems built in ,males did not.
Think of all the crime stories--honey wake up i heard something! unfortunately this ability
in no way favors unfaithful husbands--she can hear what you say on the phone 3 rooms away.
This ability fades past childbearing age.
Flowers are pretty but insects dont see what we see. they see a spectrum close to x-rays
and in this fashion are attracted to reverse images.
I've seen dog races where the inside dog, on a corner lunges full right and wipes out the run order often with dogs crashing and falling down. Bettors tossing their totes lamenting their bad luck. I will spare you the training method but involves the dog whistle only they can hear.
The dog hearing that whistle does what he was conditioned to do -lunge full right. Since
the box they are assigned is raffled this event only works from box 1-2-3 and thats when the con goes down. If you didn't understand this-here it is--the dog hears things you don't.
So what? we knew most of this-big deal- big deal? i know people who make money in one month you wont make in your life- feel better now?- what you see is not what you get and vice versa.
Im not sure they do it anymore but in the old days predator cat grease would make you a small
fortune. A fast breaking horse would have big cat (mtn lion-cougar) grease smeared on its rump,
out and running it would be more difficult for a jockey on a horse behind him to goad his horse to run towards a cougar!! he can smell it you cant. If you don't frequent race tracks don't worry
There are things you cant hear or see that 100% Make you and 95% of the worlds population
SLEEPWALKERS. You are unaware of many things that affect your life you cant see or hear and feel. In the year 1901 track crowds were angry at the sight of huge needles laying on the grounds of a new york racetrack, jockeys in the hidden curve would turbo-charge with a needle
jab pure cocaine, they were doing it for years and got sloppy. Tons of money was lost because
we couldnt SEE how he could lose, it was unHEARD of, so i know how you FEEL. more to come
We admire a starry night, yet some of those stars don't exist. They disappeared long ago, but the light that represents them took a million years to get here. scientifically you are admiring something that doesn't exist.
The wide spectrum bands of sound waves and light waves are not available to you in their
entirety. This becomes crucial in understanding many unexplained phenomena. To understand
it better, make a cross with two rulers with a circle in the middle, say 4 inches. This circle
represents the limits of your hearing and perceived visual ability all under the waves known
hertz-x-rays-gamma etc. You cant see and hear all. Other life forms can, and they in turn
have restrictions also.
Not too long ago, we wondered why elephants could meet at a precise point when to begin with
they were 15 miles away. Now we know they communicate on a wave length we cant hear.
In ww2 color blind people were immediately placed as forward observers and in artillery
units because they could "see" (classified) things we cant.
It was discovered during the development of television systems that young female lab assistants
could hear frequencies from aluminium rods nobody else could, as a result the early remotes
were very heavy as they contained thick rods of aluminium. Our female ancestors had a keen sense of hearing beyond that of males and had early warning systems built in ,males did not.
Think of all the crime stories--honey wake up i heard something! unfortunately this ability
in no way favors unfaithful husbands--she can hear what you say on the phone 3 rooms away.
This ability fades past childbearing age.
Flowers are pretty but insects dont see what we see. they see a spectrum close to x-rays
and in this fashion are attracted to reverse images.
I've seen dog races where the inside dog, on a corner lunges full right and wipes out the run order often with dogs crashing and falling down. Bettors tossing their totes lamenting their bad luck. I will spare you the training method but involves the dog whistle only they can hear.
The dog hearing that whistle does what he was conditioned to do -lunge full right. Since
the box they are assigned is raffled this event only works from box 1-2-3 and thats when the con goes down. If you didn't understand this-here it is--the dog hears things you don't.
So what? we knew most of this-big deal- big deal? i know people who make money in one month you wont make in your life- feel better now?- what you see is not what you get and vice versa.
Im not sure they do it anymore but in the old days predator cat grease would make you a small
fortune. A fast breaking horse would have big cat (mtn lion-cougar) grease smeared on its rump,
out and running it would be more difficult for a jockey on a horse behind him to goad his horse to run towards a cougar!! he can smell it you cant. If you don't frequent race tracks don't worry
There are things you cant hear or see that 100% Make you and 95% of the worlds population
SLEEPWALKERS. You are unaware of many things that affect your life you cant see or hear and feel. In the year 1901 track crowds were angry at the sight of huge needles laying on the grounds of a new york racetrack, jockeys in the hidden curve would turbo-charge with a needle
jab pure cocaine, they were doing it for years and got sloppy. Tons of money was lost because
we couldnt SEE how he could lose, it was unHEARD of, so i know how you FEEL. more to come
Thursday, May 20, 2010
observations
I've done a lot of things and talked to a lot of people. For 25 years i was in sales running up t0
50 clients a day. when you talk to 5 clients a week its not the same, sales techniques are perfected much quicker and you cant practice when it counts. Besides my observations i have
those of 250 more with similar experiences, and yes a million people can be wrong, but we make a living by what we know works. There are exceptions of course but foundations are not built on
if, come, maybe-----and its all cyclical as well. When a client forks over 10,000---there is trust involved, and i have some rather amazing observations from them too.
50 clients a day. when you talk to 5 clients a week its not the same, sales techniques are perfected much quicker and you cant practice when it counts. Besides my observations i have
those of 250 more with similar experiences, and yes a million people can be wrong, but we make a living by what we know works. There are exceptions of course but foundations are not built on
if, come, maybe-----and its all cyclical as well. When a client forks over 10,000---there is trust involved, and i have some rather amazing observations from them too.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Arminius
Arminius was a Cherusci, one of the many Germanic tribes that existed in that land in A.D. 9.His victory over the Roman empire in the battle of the Teutoburg forest was unparalleled.
Rome had suffered worse defeats before, but the consequences of this reversal were to have
an effect far in the future in continental Europe. As a youth he had been taken hostage and lived in Rome where he was trained in the military and was elevated to horseman. When the Romans
sought to create a province in germania they placed in charge an experienced province administrator- Publius Varus. Arminius was an advisor for him, but secretly was consolidating
other tribes who had been life enemies with the Cherusci, to revolt against the Romans due to the poor treatment they received under their rule. Arminius staged a revolt in some far remote area
where Varus sent three legions and auxiliary local troops plus three squadrons of cavalry not to mention the assorted followers-cooks-wife's-tradesmen that follow large armies. This army had a total of around 25,000 people. Varus was not an experienced military leader and probably complacent as much of Europe was under roman rule. Letting his guard down he let Arminius
lead him into unfamiliar territory in a large forest as much of Europe was at that time.
Roman legions were unbeatable in the open fields but could not deploy their magnificent maneuvers in constricted areas like the one they were being lured into now. The long thin
road that meandered thru the forest stretched the army up to 10 miles in length. It was muddy as well, where the Romans could not march in battle formation. Varus neglected to send advanced scouts also, probably because Arminius's father in law who opposed his marriage tried to warn Varus but was dismissed as a personal feud, and why bother- who would attack 3 legions anyway? Arminius left under the guise to drum up more support. A torrential rain storm
made the passing even worse as ambushes were sprung on the weakest links where maneuvers
were hampered, compounded by the camp followers who intermingled in the roman formations adding to the confusion. The ferocious attacks in close quarters did not allow the Romans to deploy and use weapons of all sorts that involved projectiles that normally were accurate and deadly even at great distances-but not in the forest, in the rain, in the mud, with camp followers
running amok. The rain wet and made useless the animal sinews used in bows and assorted wind- up projectile machines. The armor was waterlogged and heavy-arrows penetrating easily
the soggy protections. Over 3 days of fighting in the rain under these conditions, had the legions
setting up night camps with unsuccessful breakouts that would lead them to further ambushes
one after another. In one case the land configuration had the legions coming up to a difficult
to scale trench only to be rained on by arrows from behind the cover of a man-made wall.
Who knows if Arminius had planned the rain season into the well sprung trap. In many historical
battles the weather was used to advantage. The Germanic army now pounced on the disintegrating roman legions, those that broke out or attacked were swallowed up in the forest
harboring the fierce pagans. The prescribed manner in which roman officers were to admit defeat was to fall on their own swords, pommel facing the ground ,the point in the body. Most officers did just that, a few cowards surrendered. The rest died fighting, Varus committed suicide,
the second in command Numonius Vala rode off with his cavalry abandoning the remaining legions and they too perished once they broke out. 20,000 killed and about 5000 escaped, some in battle order most fleeing in disarray. Pagan rituals called for beheading of the defeated and
for sacrificial purposes of the cooking alive the officers, their leftover bones as offerings.
The few who escaped regrouped in favorable terrain and were able make good their escape about a month later.
This loss represented about 12% of the total legion roster. Even when annihilated a legion was resurrected with its original i.d. number and associated standards(battle emblems and flags.) which had a pseudo religious power and were always kept in altars when not in battle.
Because legion xvii, legion xviii and legion xix had lost their standards to the enemy, these
legions were discontinued, this being a first in legion history!
Arminius tried to make an ally out of his most powerful Germanic neighbor with the severed
head of Varus as an offering, but the head was forwarded for burial in Rome to in order to remain neutral.
5 years later an avenging roman army of 70,000 strong moved into the area. Severed heads
were still nailed to trees and the bones of 20,000 were in heaps scattered about in areas where
rituals deemed they offer themselves to the pagan deities. Over the years, the standards were recovered in different military operations. Thusnelda, Arminius's wife was captured as well. Forty years later the last standard was recovered along with roman prisoners who had been held prisoner by different germanic tribes. After the reconquest was complete, the roman empire restricted itself west of the Rhine, rivers being so important to city establishments
and military as well as geographic matters. As a result of this, Rome romanized most of Europe
ignoring germania and thus being left out of the "fold". Christianity also took much longer to take hold here and because of this it took Germany much longer to go along with the modern world. Some scholars even suggest the Franco-Prussian war, WWI1 and WW2 might not have happened
had Germany "Settled" their differences with their neighbors much sooner. Because of their isolation they were left out of the roman trade scheme. Martin Luther called Arminius "Hermann the German" in a way to describe pagan deference to new ways. Most European city states were established long before Germany did. Be that as it may, in the 1600's renewed interest in Arminius as a cultural heroic icon helped solidify nationalism in the growing new country of Germany. Recently festivals and holidays that glorify Arminius are somewhat muted lately
with political overtones.
One scholarly camp views Arminius as a traitor who took advantage of his roman upbringing
and education to treacherously lure Varus into a killing field. Another camp sees him as a liberator of the downtrodden defending the homeland. In any event when news of the disaster
reached Emperor Augustus he butted his head against the palace wall repeatedly yelling
Varus-give me back my legions!
19Th century nationalism in Germany used the Teutoburger Wald battle as a unifying element to consolidate the divided states against the Napoleonic and Austro-Hungarian forces whom they regarded as foreign invaders who shared no common values with them.The historical and archaeological findings have documented the battle sites and are most fascinating in their detail.
Ben Franklin
"DEMOCRACY IS TWO WOLVES AND A LAMB VOTING WHAT TO HAVE FOR LUNCH,
LIBERTY IS A WELL ARMED LAMB CONTESTING THE VOTE"
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