**spoiler alert** Am inceput anul cum nu se putea mai bine cu povestea primei mari expeditii de explorare a Antarcticii.
La 1898 baiietii astia, o adun**spoiler alert** Am inceput anul cum nu se putea mai bine cu povestea primei mari expeditii de explorare a Antarcticii.
La 1898 baiietii astia, o adunatura pestrita de belgieni, norvegieni , al nostru Emil Racovita si altii , pornesc spre Antarctica la bordul vasului Belgica, si ajung sa ramana blocati pe banchiza de gheata in iarna emisferei sudice trecand prin chinuri groaznice datorate lipsei de lumina , a lipsei de mancare proaspete, a fricii continue ca nava va fi spulberata de gheata.
Vedem efectele devastatoare ale scorbutului, insomniei , fricii , depresiei , nebuniei , singuratatii si disperarii asupra mintii umane atunci cand este prinsa un cusca. Suspansul este prezent in fiecare capitol, fie nava este in pericol sa fie spulberata , fie marinarii in pericol sa cada in apa antarcticii , fie cineva innebuneste si fuge in noapte....o casa de nebuni...asa este denumita corabia in timpul incastrarii sale in gheata.
Vedem si setea de aventura, ideile nebunesti care se dovedesc eroice in acele momente (ex: taierea a unui poligon de 1.7 km lungime de gheata si 100m latime spre a elibera vasul din gheata ) .
Expeditia compusa din 18 oameni, ii are ca protagonisti pe: - Adrian de Gerlache , taticul misiunii cel care incropeste prima expeditie internationala , si care bazandu-se pe valorile patriotice ale tinerei republici belgiene reuseste sa stranga fonduri pentru calatorie. In cinstea sa Stramtoarea dintre America de Sud si Antarctica ii poarta numele. - Amundsen - norvegianul legendar care in ultima decada a lui 1800 cocheta cu cucerirea polului Nord , se antrena in nordul Norvegiei innoptand in pesteri. Pentru el aceasta calatorie reprezinta "boot camp"-ul pentru un sir legendar de cuceriri printre care si Polul Sud - Cook - doctorul american fara de care expeditia s-ar fi transformat in tragedie. El este primul care studiaza efectele lipsei soarelui si a luminii pe perioade indelungate asupra omului , primul care intuieste terapia cu culori , cel care ii tine in viata pe ai sai , si tamaduieste lipsa vitaminei C care provoaca scorbut (din lipsa de alimente proaspete) dandu-le colegilor sai sa manance carne de pinguin si foca cruda, tot el face design-ul cortului de tip conic , cort cr va fi folosit ani mai tarziu de Amundsen in timpul calatoriei cuceririi Polului Sud. Il avem si pe Lecointe capitanul , Emil Racovita care descopera sute de noi specimene de paraziti, plancton , si care in numele stiintei omoara zeci de specimene de pinguini , le diseca si le impaiaza (specimene ce se gasesc si astazi la muzeul de zoologie in Belgia) si multi alti savanti.
Pe langa faptul ca misiunea a fost superb descrisa , am apreciat foarte mult faptul ca am fost iluminat cu privire la istoria finalului de secol XIX si prima decada a celui urmator. Anii 1890 si 1900 sa acum impresia unei forfote neintrerupte , a unei curse intense intre exploratori pentru a cuceri cele mai inalte varfuri , cele mai indepartate tinuturi , cele mai neospitaliere puncte de pe pamant , si populatii intregi care alimentau aceaste curse, cumparand-le revistele, finantand-le expeditiile si totul in numele patriei, a gloriei si a stiintei.
Spre deosebire de Arctica unde corporatiile petroliere au acaparat regiunea su nu exista cooperare intee natiuni , Antarctica datorita lui de Gerlache si a urmasilor sai a ramas un loc pasnic , un loc al cooperari intre natiuni.
**spoiler alert** This is one of the best action-adventure-war packed material i have ever read , and the crazy part is that its all there , its real **spoiler alert** This is one of the best action-adventure-war packed material i have ever read , and the crazy part is that its all there , its real , every bit happened as it was , coming from the reports of the participants (mostly SAS Rhodesian forces).
For the gamer readers, this is some real life Farcry (pc game saga). Highly trained exceptionally motivated operatives facing opponents orders of magnitude greater , deep behind enemy lines , a report full of sabotaging , assaults, antitracking , hunting.
Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) was founded by South African colonists in 1890 and flourished immensely in the span of not even 50 years.The country similar to South Africa prospered under white rule having build modern infrastructure , modern services and its people(including the blacks) living a decent and peaceful life.
Despite the fact that its soldiers proved themselves time and time again in special operations for Great Britain during WW1 , WW2 , Korea , the brits were some asshole backstsbbers.
Starting with the 60's The Brits wanted to get rid off their aura of colonialists and paddled forth to give all their former colonies independence. In the case of Rhodesia this obsession with cleaning out white rule proved one of their biggest mistakes for the time to come. They backed Robert Mugabe leader of revolutionary armies which in fact were terrorist organizations killing unarmed white farmers throughout the country (ZANU, ZANLU, ZIPRA).
British diplomats as well as high profile leaders, including Margaret Thatcher, just didn't care Mugabe's men were murdering innocent farmers and entire families , butchering small kids... All they saw was "white rule must go".
Therefore Rhodesians declared independence and started a long bush war which would last almost 14 years (1965-1979) against huge overwhelming odds against thousands and thousands of terrorists coming from most neuighbouring countries like Zambia, Mozambique, Botswana.
The west put embargoes on Rhodesians while the terorrists were heavy receivers of Soviet help in the help of weapons , training , food .
Depsite all this , Rhodesian SAS operators won every single fight using remarkable bushcraft , tracking , persistence , zeal , courage and ingeniunity. These men would carry tens of kgs of equipment in everything worse Africa can offer (heat, humidity, giant predators, snakes) and behind enemy lines operations , marching tens of kms daily sometimes without/or with scarce water and food , always heavilly outnumbered and outgunned , with militias on their rear trying to find and eliminate them.
Probably one of the most impressive battles was 150 SAS troops invading a 10000 strong terrorist camp and efeectively obliterating it.
Rhodesians won every battle and lost the war due to political incompetence of their superior political stuff which bended the knee to the brits...which endorsed Mugabe. Now the country having all whites deported or left is in shambles , basic services are nowhere in sight, another failed state.
A sad story in the end but a wonderful book ! I learned a quite alot about life in the Zambezi basin, history and geopolitics of Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia , a bit of Tanzania and quite alot about the portugesse rule as well as its downfall of Mozambique....more
Who would have thought reading about the history , antrophology and nature of pigs could be such a captivating lecture. This is a such a hollistic apprWho would have thought reading about the history , antrophology and nature of pigs could be such a captivating lecture. This is a such a hollistic approach on such a disregarded subject. This book will totally change the way you see pigs , pig meat and the relationship between pig and man....more
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