The Congo Civil War, or Congo Crisis, was a complex political tumult that began just days following Belgium’s granting of Congolese independence in 1960. Lasting four years, the associated violence claimed an estimated 100,000 lives including the nation’s first Prime Minister, Patrice Lumumba, and UN Secretary Dag Hammarskjöld, who was killed in a plane crash as he attempted to mediate the crisis. Escalating with the secession of the southernmost province of Katanga, the conflict concluded five years later with a united Congo emerging under the dictatorship of Joseph-Désiré Mobutu.
On June 30, 1960, Belgium negotiated post-colonial mining rights in declaring an independent Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Yet within days, soldiers of the Congolese army mutinied, demanding increased pay and the removal of white officers from their ranks. When Belgium intervened militarily, more soldiers rebelled. Many of these soldiers gravitated toward the radical nationalist Prime Minister Patrice Emery Lumumba.
Then, dominated by Belgian business interests, the mineral-rich Katanga province under the leadership of Moïse Kapenda Tshombe seceded from the DRC with Belgian support. Congolese President Joseph Kasavubu and Prime Minister Lumumba asked and received a peacekeeping force from the United Nations (UN).
The conflict also became the site of a dangerous Cold War “proxy” contest between western powers led by the United States and the Soviet Union-led Communist bloc. Under pressure from western nations and in exchange for UN support, President Kasavubu purged his government of radical elements including Prime Minister Lumumba. The ultra-nationalist Lumumba, though supported by the Congolese, was viewed by Western business leaders as an obstacle to their continued investments in Congolese diamond mines. Fearing Lumumba was secretly a Communist, the United States was particularly adamant about his removal from power.
Lumumba responded by firing Kasavubu as both leaders claimed control over the country, and Army Chief of Staff Joseph Mobutu in turn orchestrated a military coup d’état which ousted the two leaders. Mobutu’s government was supported by western governments. The Soviet Union and other Communist nations supported Lumumba who ultimately was killed by Katangan rebels.
With his chief rival removed, Mobutu pledged nominal support to President Kasavubu and the two led the successful effort to end the Katanga secession. UN forces eventually recaptured all of Katanga province. In 1964, a new rebellion began in the Eastern Congo when armed fighters (“Simbas”) began to spread across the region. Ironically, Moïse Tshombe, who had led the secessionist Katanga province, was made prime minister with the mandate to defeat these rebels and end other regional revolts. The Simbas were defeated in November 1964.
One year later, Mobutu seized power from President Kasavubu after having persuaded Western leaders that he was the most effective leader in the fight against communism. Kasavubu and Tshombe were exiled as Mobutu set up a one-party dictatorship, controlling the nation until 1997. Nonetheless, for the first time since independence, all of the country was ruled by one government.
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Up before noon today, about to exercise instead of putting it off until 3, hell yeah
Exercise is so ass. Why do you have to do so much work just to trick your body into making itself stronger. So fucking dumb, just be strong anyway you ass
And you can't just get really swole and call it a success, no, you have to maintain your gains or else woops. So fucking dumb, stupid idiot body
I need to get back to working out, I kind of just gave up for this month because I had to house and dog sit.
Have you tried benching the dog?
Do it dawg. I stopped exercising in December because depression, why bother etc. I'm back to rowing a mile and a half in 10 minutes, i'm a dynamo
Rowing is the official exercise of Hexbear. Some day we're going to row long-ship right up the Potomac and then things are gonna change around here.
What injuries are associated with rowing (if any) im disabled but it seems like a good exercise I can do indoors (heat intolerance among other things)
personally I am prone to developing lower back pain if I push myself but that might be because of bad rowing form, but this is also mitigated heavily by stretching the shit out of my hamstrings by putting my leg up on a table and stretching regularly
but yeah I greatly enjoy it because I can sit in my air conditioned apartment in front of a giant industrial 3000cfm fan
I'm afraid I don't know enough to answer that. If you have access you might try contacting a physical therapist to ask them if rowing would be appropriate for you. Notably, afaik it is a full body exercise - It engages your legs, core, and arms throughout the complete rowing motion. But afaik it's fairly low-impact. You're seated at all times, I believe the resistance is adjustable, you can go at your own pace. But, like I said, i don't know enough to make any definitive statements.
Rowing is fun
There was a user that was constantly rowing-posting in megathreads. They got banned :( I miss them.
if that user were here to read this I'm sure it would warm the cockles of their heart to know that they made such an impact on such a community with their enthusiasm
The caloric requirements to get you to being muscular would not have been an advantage for the OG primate in the jungle. So it's a fun perspective that, as far as what your body does anyway is concerned, you're benefitting from an infinite food glitch. Then you use what is essentially a romhack of nature to get transported to a room where you do do an infinite resistance glitch to each muscle group. That primate would look at you the same way you looked at Super Saiyan 8 fan art when you were little.
When I was younger I was into running. Eventually running bored me so I switched to weights. When weights didn't do it for me I got into BJJ. When I did BJJ for a few years I added muay thai. Then to keep it fresh I added mma and judo to the mix. As a result, I quite like exercise - all of it sometimes and I'd be up for anything that gets the blood pumping and the body moving. Hiking? Yoga? Rafting? Tennis? Whatever, I'm in.
All of this as a long winded way to say: why do you want muscles so much? If your motivation isn't that strong, maybe it's time to switch up and redefine what exercise means to you. Having a good relationship with exercise is really important for your mental health and quality of life. If you're not going to benefit spiritually or financially from big muscles, is it worth sacrificing that relationship?