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WILDLIFE CRISIS
NATURAL RECOVERY
BEAVER BASICS
BEAVER SCIENCE
BEAVER PROJECT SUPPORT
BEAVER MAP
A natural solution to human problems
"My experience with beaver waters is that the fish tend to be around the lodges. Wherever you have woody debris you have aquatic invertebrates – aka fish food. Beaver are very willing to do the work of fisheries trust employees for free!" Duncan Pepper, Fishinguide Scotland
The history of beavers in Britain
Beavers once roamed across our countryside, shaping the landscape and waterways, providing habitat for a huge abundance of fish, birds and insects.
Native to Britain – beavers once covered the northern hemisphere from North America to the Arctic Circle, including the whole of Britain.
Hunted to extinction – beaver glands contain salicylic acid from their willow diet, which was prized as a medicinal cure-all. A single gland could equal a year's wage for a mediaeval worker. Their fur is also extraordinarily soft and warm and in high demand for coats and hats.
Evolving alongside British wildlife – fish, insects, amphibians, mammals, birds, trees and plants evolved alongside beavers for millions of years. Many species rely on the habitats and food sources created in beaver wetlands.
Part of human history – beaver pools provided early people with places to hunt, fish to eat, furs to wear and plants to harvest.
Mainstream – the return of the beaver
Beaver Trust's first programme Mainstream is about making beavers a normal part of our waterscape once again. We encourage farmers, fisheries, foresters, landholders and communities to work together to restore river habitats using beavers.
Beaver wetlands bring benefits
Clean water – beaver dams and ponds filter out pollutants such as agricultural chemicals.
Capture carbon – beaver dams hold back silt that locks up carbon, while the huge amount of new plant growth also forms a carbon sink.
Reduce flooding – beaver dams and pool systems slow the speed of water flowing through the system and prevent flooding downstream.
Prevent drought – beaver ponds hold water for use in periods of drought.
Abundant nature – beaver ponds provide nurseries for invertebrates, fish and amphibians; while clearings fill with wild flowers, attracting insects and birds.
Natural water engineering
Beavers are often called "ecosystem engineers". Think of all the human-made structures that correspond to beaver technology: dams, weirs, locks, canals, even prehistoric houses. As we return to "natural engineering" to help us adapt to climate change, we can learn from these remarkable animals:
Approved by experts – beavers are such capable ecosystem engineers that they have been proposed as a tool for implementing the EU Water Framework Directive.
Natural solution – research by the Environment Agency suggests returning England's waterways to a good ecological condition could generate £21 billion in benefits over 37 years. Beavers could play a part in helping us to achieve this.
Huge cost savings – beavers know instinctively what to do and they are highly effective. It's up to us to work out how to live alongside them and make the most of what they can do.
Healthy rivers mean healthy people
Beaver landscapes are special places – they feel truly wild, bursting with birdsong, the buzzing of insects, new plant life and sunlight on water. This is good for nature and good for people too.
Good for our mental health – by immersing ourselves in the unique landscapes beavers create, we can reconnect with nature, and improve our own health and well-being.
Living alongside nature – we need to remember how to live better with nature if we are to farm, work and live sustainably in the future. Working with beavers can help us open our minds to a new way of collaborating with wildlife.
Learning as we go – by collaborating with scientists, we will be able to monitor the hydrological, ecological and sociological impacts of beavers. And we will share this with young people in schools and universities. Our work will be open source and accessible to all.
The science of beavers
We have gathered decades of scientific research from UK, continental Europe and North America to share with people interested in diving deeper into the world beavers.
From beaver biology, ecology and management to their effects on flooding, farming, pollution, carbon, fish and other wildlife, research has been done to help us understand beavers and their wetlands, and to inform how we can co-exist with them.
This list of resources is being constantly amended and updated so check back again soon for more information.
It is well known that beavers engineer ecosystems and in doing so have a range of impacts on ecology, hydrology and geomorphology of aquatic systems, and human society. Prof. Richard Brazier and colleagues from University of Exeter have recently published a very readable overview of these impacts and what they will mean for the future as beavers continue to expand their range throughout the northern hemisphere. Full details and access to the paper can be found in the Beavers and land and water section below.
THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
Beavers provide benefits through the ecosystem services (water purification, moderation of extreme events, habitat and biodiversity provision, nutrient cycling, greenhouse gas sequestration, recreational hunting and fishing, water supply, and non-consumptive recreation) they provide but quantifying and putting a common system of values on these services is no mean feat. It's a complex area and there are estimates for some services in some areas in the literature. However Stella Thompson and her colleagues have gone a step further and estimated the value of beaver benefits from across the Northern Hemisphere; their findings are presented in a paper recently published in Mammal Review (see Beavers, people and management below). The numbers are large, in terms of millions of USD, for each service from across the range of both North American and Eurasian beavers. Such schemes, but maybe based on estimates at local, regional and national scales, could greatly assist in offsetting the costs to landowners and others resulting from beaver impacts by the ecosystem benefits that beavers provide.
SOCIETAL IMPACTS OF BEAVERS
As well as their influence on the ecology, hydrology and geomorphology of rivers, lakes and wetlands, beavers can affect the activities of people who one way or another interact with these aquatics systems. This can lead to benefits such as increased biodiversity, reduced flooding and increased tourism but also to conflict situations which can be especially troubling when beavers move into new areas. With respect to the latter, early engagement with local stakeholders is crucial to minimise conflict escalation, particularly in connection with beaver reintroductions. Roger Auster and colleagues have recently published four papers on these topics based on the River Otter Beaver Trial in Devon, England. This includes a paper on contrasting perspectives about beavers within the angling community and how potential conflicts can be minimised. The go-to handbook for beaver management is by Dr Roisin Campbell-Palmer et al and is full of support for land and river managers based on decades of international experience. Details can be found in the Beavers, people and management section below.
BEAVER DAMAGE TO AGRICULTURAL CROPS
Beavers dams can have unacceptable impacts on farmland by blocking culverts and drains, flooding pasture and arable crops or waterlogging fence-lines and tracks. They may also have direct effects by consuming agricultural crops such as maize but an important question is how significant is this financially. A new paper by Mikulka and colleagues (2020) in an agricultural landscape in the Czech Republic explores this in detail. They quantified consumption for a range of different crops over a two-year period, taking into account beaver numbers, distance of crop from the beavers' burrow, the month of the growing season and the growth stage of the crops. Although the beavers used all the different crops as a food source at different times, the authors concluded, "From an economic point of view, beavers pose no serious problems to farmers as the numbers in open agricultural landscapes remain low. The total financial loss is extremely low, and it considered negligible in comparison to crop damage from other rodents or game species." The paper can be found in the Beavers, people and management section below.
SMOKEY THE BEAVER
A recent, topical paper on how beavers create wildfire refuge areas in USA has been published by Emily Fairfax and Andrew Whittle, and Ben Goldfarb has written a popular review of this important work in National Geographic. It is another example of the benefits of wetland habitats and rich riparian corridors created by beavers for both humans and wildlife. The full references to these articles can be found in the Beavers and land and water section below.
Beavers, people and management
Beaver Management Strategy Framework
Authors: River Otter Beaver Trial (ROBT) Management Group Year: 2019 Source: Devon Wildlife Trust
The five-year ROBT finished in March 2020. The Management Strategy Framework document was produced towards the end of 2019 to inform DEFRA on a future strategic management approach that should be adopted for the population of beavers found in the River Otter after the trial ended. The framework will also be of use for the management of beavers in other catchments.
Click here to download the report and appendices
Conflicts over wildlife conservation: Learning from the reintroduction of beavers in Scotland
Authors: Coz, D. M. & Young, J. C. Year: 2020 Source: People and Nature 2(2): 406-419.
This paper examines the social dimension of planned and unplanned beaver reintroductions in Scotland to understand the issue, the potential for, and impact of, conflict between groups or individuals with differing views on beavers and reintroductions.
Click here to view paper
The Eurasian Beaver Handbook: Ecology and Management of Castor fiber
Authors: Campbell-Palmer, R., Gow, D., Campbell, R., Dickinson, H., Girling, S., Gurnell, J., Halley, D., Jones, S., Lisle, S., Parker, H., Schwab, G. & Rosell, F. . Year: 2016 Source: Exeter: Pelagic Publishing, UK.
This compact handbook tells you all you need to know about the ecology and management options for beavers.
It can be purchased from NHBS
Ecosystem services provided by beavers Castor spp.
Authors: Thompson, S., Vehkaoja, M., Pellikka, J. & Nummi, P. Year: 2020 Source: Mammal Review n/a(n/a).
The authors have estimated the value of ecosystem services provided by beavers across the Northern Hemisphere. Services include: water purification, moderation of extreme events, habitat and biodiversity provision, nutrient cycling, greenhouse gas sequestration, recreational hunting and fishing, water supply, and non-consumptive recreation. Despite the many assumptions that have had to be made in the estimation process, the values are large. The study demonstrates how payments for ecosystem services can be quantified, and points the way forward as to how such value estimates can be used by wildlife and government organisations to offset losses due to beavers incurred by, for example, landowners and fisheries.
Click here to view the paper
Unravelling perceptions of Eurasian beaver reintroduction in Great Britain.
Authors: Auster, R., Puttock, A. & Brazier, R. P. Year: 2020 Source: Area 52: 364-375
The authors investigate the complex social dimensions of wildlife reintroductions and highlight the need to recognise the perceptions of society and how problems might be solved.
Improving engagement in managing reintroduction conflicts: learning from beaver reintroduction
Authors: Auster, R. E., Barr, S. W. & Brazier, R. E. Year: 2020 Source: Journal of Environmental Planning and Management
Based on interviews with people who reported conflicts with beavers in connection with the River Otter Beaver Trial in Devon (2015-2020), this paper considers how best to engage with these people to reduce conflict situations.
Click here to view this paper
Tourism in Reintroduction Projects: Exploring Social and Economic Benefits of Beaver in Local Settings
Authors: Auster, R. E., Barr, S. W. & Brazier, R. E. Year: 2020 Source: Journal for Nature Conservation 125920
One of the potential benefits of wildlife reintroduction projects is an increase in tourism with economic benefits to local businesses. The authors explore the many aspects of this with particular reference to the River Otter Beaver Trial In Devon (2015-2020).
European beaver (Castor fiber) in open agricultural landscapes: crop grazing and the potential for economic damage
Authors: Mikulka, O., Homolka, M., Drimaj, J. & Kamler, J. Year: 2020 Source: European Journal of Wildlife Research 66(6): 101.
This paper examines the financial impact of crop grazing by beavers in an agricultural landscape in the Czech Republic.
Alternative perspectives of the angling community on Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) reintroduction in the River Otter Beaver Trial
Authors: Auster, R.E., Barr, S. & Brazier, R. Year: 2020 Source: Journal of Environmental Planning and Management
This paper examines beaver-angler relationships and identifies three contrasting perspectives that exist amongst the angling community in the catchment of a trial beaver reintroduction on the River Otter in Devon. England. The paper goes on to discuss ways in which potential conflict can be minimised.
Beavers and wildlife
The impacts of beavers Castor spp. on biodiversity and the ecological basis for their reintroduction to Scotland, UK
Authors: Stringer, A.P. & Gaywood, M.J. Year: 2016 Source : Mammal Review: 46(4): 270-283.
This review investigates the mechanisms by which beavers act as ecosystem engineers, and discusses the possible impacts of beavers on the biodiversity of Scotland.
Rewilding wetlands: beaver as agents of within-habitat heterogeneity and the responses of contrasting biota
Authors: Wilby, N. J., Law, A., Levanoni, O., Foster, G. & Ecke, F. Year: 2018 Source : Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 373(1761)
Plants and beetles, as examples of different functional groups, were surveyed in beaver ponds and coexisting 'other' wetlands in Sweden. The results demonstrated that beavers should benefit aquatic biodiversity across different scales.
Qualitative and quantitative effects of reintroduced beavers on stream fish
Authors: Kemp, P. S., Worthington, T. A., Langford, T. E. L., Tree, A. R. J. & Gaywood, M. J. Year: 2012 Source: Fish and Fisheries 13(2): 158-181.
This paper presents a systematic review of the impacts of beaver dams on fish and fish habitat based on the literature and expert opinion.
Ecology and movement of juvenile salmonids in beaver-influenced and beaver-free tributaries in the Trøndelag province of Norway
Authors: Malison, Rachel L. & Halley, Duncan J. Year: 2020 Source: Ecology of Freshwater Fish n/a: n/a
This paper looks at how beaver dams affected habitat, food resources, growth and movement of juvenile Atlantic salmon and trout. The authors found that dams dams did not block the movement of juvenile salmonids or their ability to use upstream habitats. It appears that it is unlikely that dams negatively affect the juvenile stage of salmon or trout populations.
A review of the influence of beaver Castor fiber on amphibian assemblages in the floodplains of European temperate streams and rivers
Authors: Dalbeck, Lutz, Hachtel, Monika & Campbell-Palmer, Róisín Year: 2020 Source: The Herpetological Journal 30(3): 135-146.
Based on a literature review, the authors have assessed the effects of beaver dams on amphibians (19 species) in streams across Europe. One of their key findings is that beavers are particularly important for amphibians in headwater streams. These streams constitute more than two-thirds of water bodies in temperate European catchments. They propose that by creating habitat for endangered European amphibian species, beavers contribute to their long-term conservation.
Beaver dams are associated with enhanced amphibian diversity via lengthened hydroperiods and increased representation of slow-developing species
Authors: Romansic, J. M., Nelson, N. L., Moffett, K. B. & Piovia-Scott, J. Year: 2020 Source: Freshwater Biology
The authors looked at the relationship between beavers and pond-breeding amphibians, particularly slow developing species, at a site in Washington state in North America. Ponds behind dams were found to greatly benefit amphibians especially slow-developers and variable-rate developers, and could be particularly effective in the future as climate warming reduces water levels during the summer.
Beaver health and genetics
Reintroducing beavers Castor fiber to Britain: a disease risk analysis
Authors: Girling, S. J., Naylor, A., Fraser, M. & Campbell-Palmer, R. Year: 2019 Source: Mammal Review 49(4): 300-323.
This paper carries out a disease risk analysis, based on peer reviewed publications, for selection and health screening of Eurasian beavers prior to release into the wild in Britain.
Evidence of Leptospira species and their significance during reintroduction of Eurasian beavers (Castor fiber) to Great Britain
Authors: Girling, S. J., Goodman, G., Burr, P., Pizzi, R., Naylor, A., Cole, G., Brown, D., Fraser, M., Rosell, F. N., Schwab, G., Elliott, M. & Campbell-Palmer, R. Year: 2019 Source: Veterinary Record 185(15): 482
Beavers reintroduced to Britain were screened for Leptospira species. Levels of infection were found to be low and did not appear to cause significant morbidity or mortality.
Identifying source populations for the reintroduction of the Eurasian beaver, Castor fiber L. 1758, into Britain: evidence from ancient DNA
Authors: Marr, M. M., Brace, S., Schreve, D. C. & Barnes, I. Year: 2018 Source: Scientific Reports 8(1): 2708.
If the translocation of wild beavers to establish new populations is being considered, where are the most suitable source populations? This study uses DNA analysis and radiocarbon dating on the ancient British beaver population to help understand the most appropriate source populations for the reintroduction of beavers into Britain.
Click here to see the paper
Nuclear and mitochondrial genetic structure in the Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) – implications for future reintroductions.
Authors: Senn, H., Ogden, R., Frosch, C., Syrůčková, A., Campbell-Palmer, R., Munclinger, P., Durka, W., Kraus, R. H. S., Saveljev, A. P., Nowak, C., Stubbe, A., Stubbe, M., Michaux, J., Lavrov, V., Samiya, R., Ulevicius, A. & Rosell, F. Year: 2014 Source: Evolutionary Applications 7(6): 645-662.
This paper considers the genetics of beavers when selecting animals for reintroduction and the risks of low genetic diversity, inbreeding depression and outbreeding depression.
Beavers and land and water
Modelling Eurasian beaver foraging habitat and dam suitability, for predicting the location and number of dams throughout catchments in Great Britain
Authors: Graham, H. A., Puttock, A., Macfarlane, W. W., Wheaton, J. M., Gilbert, J. T., Campbell-Palmer, R., Elliott, M., Gaywood, M. J., Anderson, K. & Brazier, R. E Year: 2020 Source: European Journal of Wildlife Research 66(3): 42.
Models can be helpful for understanding the suitability of habitats for species and future changes in a population over time. Here the authors have developed models to predict the distribution of beaver foraging habitat and dams within European landscape to support reintroduction policy and management.
The role of Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) in the storage, emission and deposition of carbon in lakes and rivers of the River Ob flood plain, western Siberia
Authors: Cazzolla Gatti, R., Callaghan, T. V., Rozhkova-Timina, I., Dudko, A., Lim, A., Vorobyev, S. N., Kirpotin, S. N. & Pokrovsky, O. S. Year: 2018 Source: Science of The Total Environment 644: 1371-1379.
Nutrient recycling and carbon sequestration as a result of the activity of beavers are considered here i relation to river management and the conservation and management of beavers.
River Otter Beaver Trial: Science and Evidence Report.
Authors: Brazier, R., Elliot, M., Andison, E., Auster, R., Bridgewater, S., Burgess, P., Chant, J., Graham, H. A., Knott, E., Puttock, A., Sansum, P. & Vowles, A. Year: 2020 Source: Devon Wildlife Trust
The five year trial reintroduction of beavers to the River Otter in Devon started in 2015 and ends this year. A detailed research programme was carried out throughout the trial and this beautifully illustrated report summarises the findings.
The report can be read here
Managing for large wood and beaver dams in stream corridors
Authors: Wohl, E., Scott, D. N. & Yochum, S. E. Year: 2020 Source: Gen. Tech. Rep. 404. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station.
This is a comprehensive literature review concerning large wood in rivers and beaver dams. It discusses their costs and benefits and presents guidelines for identifying stream sections that maximize the potential environmental benefits associated with logjams and beaver dams, while minimizing possible hazards. Although the review primarily refers to North American beavers and landscapes, it includes extensive reference to work carried out in Britain, Europe and elsewhere.
The report can be downloaded here
Beaver: Nature's ecosystem engineers.
Authors: Brazier, R. E., Puttock, A., Graham, H. A., Auster, R. E., Davies, K. H. & Brown, C. M. L. Year: 2020
The engineering attributes of beavers and their impacts on ecology, hydrology and geomorphology of aquatics systems, and their relationship with human society, are reviewed, and what the future holds considered as beavers continue to establish themselves throughout the northern hemisphere.
Population and distribution of beavers
Population and distribution of beavers Castor fiber and Castor canadensis in Eurasia
Authors: Halley, D. J., Saveljev, A. P. & Rosell, F. Year: 2020 Source: Mammal Review n/a(n/a).
This timely paper reviews the current distribution of Eurasian beavers in Eurasia and the introduced North American beaver in Finland and north-west Russia. Beavers are continuing to colonise new areas, including densely population and low-lying areas across the region. The authors warm that beaver management strategies need to be in place in these landscapes before beaver densities increase to a point where negative impacts will occur.
Population of Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) in Europe
Author: Wróbel, M. Year: 2020 Source: Global Ecology and Conservation 23: e01046
The author updates information about the number of beavers in different European countries.
Books about beavers
The Eurasian Beaver By Roisin Campbell-Palmer et al. (2015)
Authors: Campbell-Palmer, R., Gow, D., Needham, R., Jones, S. & Rosell, F. Year 2015:
Publishers: Pelagic Publishing, Exeter, UK.
Beavers in Britain's Past by Bryony Coles (2006)
Author: Coles, B. Year: 2006
Publishers: Oxbow Books, Oxford UK.
Nature's Architect: The Beaver's Return to Our Wild Landscapes by Jim Crumley (2015)
Author: Crumley, J.. Year: 2015
Publishers: Saraband, Glasgow, UK.
Beavers (British Natural History Series) by Andrew Kitchener (2001)
Author: Kitchener, A. Year: 2001
Publishers: Whittet Books Ltd., Stowmarket, UK.
Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter by Ben Goldfarb (2019)
Author: Goldfarb, B. Year: 2019
Publishers: Chelsea Green Publishing Co., White River Junction USA.
Bringing Back the Beaver: The Story of One Man's Quest to Rewild Britain's Waterways by Derek Gow (2020)
Author: Gow, D. Year: 2020 Due out in Sepetember.
The Beaver: Its Life and Impact, Second Edition by Dietland Müller-Schwarz (2011)
Author: Müller-Schwarz, D. Year: 2011
Publishers: Cornell University Press, New York, USA.
© Copyright - Beaver Trust 2021. Registered Charity number 1185451 in England and Wales.
Registered Office: 61 Bridge Street, Kington, HR5 3DJ - Enfold Theme by Kriesi


Additional media of the WalkMouse in action.
WalkMouse pre-production presented with reduced speed at I/ITSEC in December 2013 using VBS2 (and keyboard emulation).
WalkMouse prototype showing relative mode with a commercial game and rotational sensor.


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Remembering to forget
Henry Fuseli, The Night-Hag Visiting Lapland Witches (Metropolitan Museum of Art)
'Towards morning I was possessed by a kind of nightmare; I felt the fiend's grasp in my neck and could not free myself from it; groans and cries rang in my ears. My father, who was watching over me, perceiving my restlessness, awoke me; the dashing waves were around, the cloudy sky above, the fiend was not here: a sense of security, a feeling that a truce was established between the present hour and the irresistible, disastrous future imparted to me a kind of calm forgetfulness of which the human mind is by its structure peculiarly susceptible.'[1]
A 'calm forgetfulness' (I lightly pass over that 'irresistible, disastrous future', on the fish-in-a-barrel principle) – in 1938-39, Henry Green was clear about the dangers of forgetting, of ageing and acceptance: 'As I write now a war, or the threat of war, while still threatening seems more remote; a change of wind and the boat is blown in, there is nothing to do but tie up and call it a day. That is the pity of sobering down to middle age, there must be a threat to one's skin to wake what is left of things remembered into things to die with. The crime is to forget.'[2]
Still, we know well enough the dangers, if not the crimes and misdemeanours, of selective remembering too. We've just passed the centenary of the end of the Great War Armistice and, as John Greening remarked recently in the TLS, 'After four years of remembering the First World War, remembrance itself is being commemorated.'[3] There has been a lot of attention rightly paid to personal stories, men surviving only in blurry photographs or in fragmentary family histories. Meanwhile, the arguments about what actually brought the war about, the competence of various military leaders, the emergence and maintenance of myths that drive nations into further wars or into disastrous political decisions, continue and will continue.
In John Le Carré's novel, A Most Wanted Man, Dr Abdullah remarks: '"That's one of the great problems of the modern world, you know. Forgetting. The victim never forgets. Ask an Irishman what the English did to him in 1920 and he'll tell you the day of the month and the time and the name of every man they killed. Ask an Iranian what the English did to him in 1953 and he'll tell you. His child will tell you. His grandchild will tell you. And when he has one, his great-grandchild will tell you too. But ask an Englishman—?" He flung up his hands in mock ignorance. "If he ever knew, he has forgotten."'[4]
'The victim never forgets.' Indeed. But who is the victim? In earlier catastrophes, from the Armenian genocide through Soviet purges to the Holocaust, the identity of the victims was not in doubt. But now? Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Nigeria, Somalia, Kashmir, Ukraine. Everyone claims victimhood. In some countries, angry white men claim that the only real victims are angry white men. The only inevitability is that innocent civilians, particularly women and children, will continue to bear the brunt of murderous violence and aggression.
And sometimes, the need to forget, at least for a while, is more urgent, more desperate, than the need to remember. 'Life', Balzac wrote, 'cannot go on without a great a deal of forgetting.'[5] Julia Blackburn remarks that, 'sometimes we need to remember things because only then can we forget',[6] while, in a similar vein, the critic Frank Kermode observed that, 'in the ordinary course of his written narrative, as of the interminable day-to-day account he gives himself of himself, the autobiographer will remember only in order to forget what he cannot bear to remember.'[7]
How easy is it to forget? Is it subject to the usual vagaries of the human mind and will – we unfailingly remember what we seek to forget while what we urgently need to remember falls immediately away? 'Of this, at least, I feel assured', Thomas De Quincey firmly asserted, 'that there is no such thing as forgetting possible to the mind; a thousand accidents may, and will interpose a veil between our present consciousness and the secret inscriptions on the mind; accidents of the same sort will also rend away this veil; but alike, whether veiled or unveiled, the inscription remains for ever; just as the stars seem to withdraw before the common light of day, whereas, in fact, we all know that it is the light which is drawn over them as a veil — and that they are waiting to be revealed, when the obscuring daylight shall have withdrawn.'[8]
Yes: you may think you've forgotten – but it's in there somewhere. . .
[1] Mary Shelley, Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus, in Three Gothic Novels, edited by Peter Fairclough (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1968), 455.
[2] Henry Green, Pack My Bag: A Self-Portrait (1940; The Hogarth Press, 1992), 50.
[3] John Greening, 'Pity War Distilled: Poetry and the act of remembering' (review of three recent books), Times Literary Supplement No. 6032 (9 November 2018), 9.
[4] John Le Carré, A Most Wanted Man (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 2009), 341.
[5] Honoré de Balzac, Cousin Bette, translated by Marion Ayton Crawford (London: Penguin Books, 2004), 442.
[6] Julia Blackburn, Thin Paths: Journeys In and Around an Italian Mountain Village (London: Jonathan Cape, 2011), 193.
[7] Frank Kermode, Not Entitled: A Memoir (London: Harper Collins, 1996), 156.
[8] Thomas De Quincey, Confessions of an English Opium Eater, edited by Alethea Hayter (Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1971), 104.
Author reconstructionarytalesPosted on November 27, 2018 November 26, 2018 Categories UncategorizedTags Literature, Memory
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Close finishes, near death experience at Canyon Mountain Crusher
Whitehorse's David Pharand overcame adversity to win his division of the inaugural Canyon Mountain Crusher. He prevailed despite tough trails, fierce competition, oh, and falling off a cliff.
tom Patrick
Aug. 25, 2014 12:49 p.m.
Whitehorse's David Pharand overcame adversity to win his division of the inaugural Canyon Mountain Crusher on Saturday.
He prevailed despite tough trails, fierce competition, oh, and falling off a cliff.
On the final stage of the enduro race, along the clay cliffs in Whitehorse, Pharand was bucked from his bike and went head-first over the edge.
Amazingly, he was not hurt. The fine clay made it feel like landing in baby powder, he said.
"I was coming along the ridge and it was beautiful and sunny, trail conditions were perfect – we couldn't have asked for a better course," said Pharand.
"The next thing I knew I was going head-first over the cliff, down towards downtown in a very fast, direct route."
Pharand's first thoughts in free-fall was to halt his descent before he picked up too much speed and tumbled all the way down to 7th Avenue through the Whitehorse Community Garden.
"The first thought was: stop as quickly as possible," said Pharand. "The folks in the communal gardens in that area work really hard, and I was really concerned about destroying raspberry bushes or any vegetables."
Pharand was one of 23 riders to take part in the enduro race, a type of race gaining popularity in North America in which sections of downhill are raced with non-timed transition sections in between.
Despite having to do a little rock climbing on the seventh stage, Pharand was the fastest male rider on B Course with a time of 56 minutes and eight seconds.
Paul Burbidge rode to second place at 57:46, ahead of Dan Bedard at 1:18:01.
"Today was just phenomenal," said Pharand, who is a coach for Boreal Mountain Biking. "The little bit of rain yesterday made for some of the best trail conditions you could ask for. It started off brisk
in the morning, which made great racing conditions. Once you get moving everything was fantastic.
"I had the best ride of my summer today … It was the most fun I've had on two wheels all year, for sure."
The enduro race featured three stages on Grey Mountain followed by four stages on the west side of the valley, including Mount McIntyre.
Strung end-to-end, the race sections were about 30 kilometres long. Racers rode roughly 55 kilometres through the day, with the transitions from stage to stage. They also tackled about 1,600 metres of climbing.
After all that, only 19 seconds separated the top three male riders on the tough A Course that began with Money Shot, a double black diamond run on Grey Mountain.
Michael Abbott slipped into first at 1:05:46, just 14 seconds ahead of second place's Massey Baker, who competed in mountain biking at the Canada Summer Games in Quebec a year ago. Ben
Gilbert was edged into third at 1:06:05.
"There was some good competition. I didn't think I had it, but I was pretty consistent all day and it worked out," said Abbott. "I just showed up to have fun and have a good ride with everyone, and it just worked out."
Martina Knopp, the only female rider on the A Course, finished with a time of 1:28:54.
"This is honestly my first real race, but I've been mountain biking since I was a kid – the past 15 years, at least," added Abbott. "This event seemed like a fun event so I decided to go for it."
It was a close one on the female B Course as well.
Kristen Magnusson placed first at 1:06:32, ahead of Kendra Murray (1:08:27) in second and Christine Kirk (1:17:16) in third.
Magnusson went on to win the women's Yukon mountain biking title the next day in the King of the Rocky Canyon championship.
"It's been a great weekend with the enduro yesterday and this today," said Magnusson on Sunday. "It was a pretty awesome weekend of mountain biking in Whitehorse, I'd say. I'm pretty sure we've covered a very significant portion of Whitehorse single-track in the last two days."
The Canyon Mountain Crusher, which takes its name from gold rush-era name for Grey Mountain, was the second of three events that make up the inaugural Yukon Dirt Rush.
The Dirt Rush opened with the two-day CarCranked Festival in Carcross the previous weekend, which also featured enduro races. It wrapped up with the King of the Rocky Canyon – the Yukon mountain bike championship – on Sunday.
"It went well considering it was a pretty crazy plan to try to put on a race that spans both sides of the Whitehorse valley, and all courses where it's point to point, not loops like a typical cross-country type race," said Canyon Mountain Crusher organizer Jonah Clark. "Everything, pretty much, went as planned…
"It was a good test of the idea – proof of concept – and we'll see how we can make it happen again next year and potentially grow it a little bit. There's talk of making a series of the two (weekends) in future years, attracting people from out of town and things like that."
See coverage of the King of the Rocky Canyon championships in Wednesday's Yukon News.
Contact Tom Patrick at tomp@yukon-news.com
Determined Yukoner switches events to make Canada 55+ Games
Golf club championships decided in playoff


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Sales have slid at Red Robin as restrictions increased in recent weeks, but reopenings are already on the rise.
The brand is positioning itself to deliver a better guest experience than it ever has.
January 2021 Danny Klein
Red Robin's 2018 call to eliminate bussers remains a cautionary tale. It was intended to save $8 million and soften labor pressure from rising wage rates across the country. Red Robin sliced two positions and added table-clearing duties to servers' plates. It then asked hosts to handle not just dine-in guests, but carryout orders as well.
By August, weekend walkways surged 85 percent, year-over-year. Total ticket times out of the kitchen lifted about a minute on average. So did wait times. Customers met bursting lobbies. Tables weren't cleaned efficiently and restaurants shed peak-hour business.
Red Robin quickly ignited a fix, putting staffing, especially at the general manager level, at the center of its comeback strategy.
Let's turn to 2021. Red Robin closed this past, COVID-19-shadowed year with 246 indoor dining rooms open at limited capacity, representing 57 percent of 431 currently open corporate units. Off-premises sales more than doubled versus 2019 levels. Pre-pandemic, business outside the four walls totaled 14 percent of Red Robin's sales. Today, it's over 40 percent.
And while CEO Paul Murphy believes these channels will remain elevated in a post-COVID-19 landscape, not just for Red Robin but for all restaurants, it isn't quite the big picture. "… memorable moments of connection—that's what the guest says the brand stands for," Murphy said Monday at the ICR Conference, held virtually this year. "That's why they use Red Robin. Basically, it's why we exist."
Red Robin's current playbook has four main chapters. One, the fact its structurally improved restaurant and enterprise level margins and expects 100 basis points of improvement during 2020. Secondly, the continued rollout of Donatos Pizza over the next two to three years. The product is currently in 79 restaurants and is expected to drive about $45,000 per restaurant in incremental gross margin by the second year. Red Robin plans to add 120 locations in 2021 and cover the full system by early 2023 (more on this later).
Next, the aforementioned off-premises expansion and where it eventually lands, which remains a tangible mystery. Although one thing appears certain: It will be higher than it was before. Something worth factoring, too, is Red Robin's menu reduction. The company pared options down more than a third—something that led to better execution and more than $2 million in annual savings.
And lastly, an "old is new" concept that refers back to the August 2018 lesson, which Red Robin hasn't lost sight of, even during an era defined by closed dining rooms.
At year's close, Red Robin recorded its highest guest satisfaction scores in company history, Murphy said. The culprit—a revamped service model Red Robin calls "Total Guest Experience," or TGX.
So despite all the delivery, virtual, and curbside trends blanketing foodservice of late, it's the dine-in future fueling Red Robin's optimism on the other side.
Red Robin introduced handheld technology that allows servers to spend more time roaming dining rooms and less on side tasks, like ringing up orders and delivering food. The server inputs orders at the table as they come in from the guest. Meanwhile, a "server partner" works in tandem. An example of this Red Robin frequently sees, Murphy said, is as a server dials in an order, the server partner gets drinks ready. And then, in some instances, drinks arrive before the full order is even given.
"It's something that we feel is really raising the level of hospitality and those moments of connection and friendliness at Red Robin," Murphy said. "And we're seeing it. We're definitely seeing it in our satisfaction scores. … I don't think that it's by any means an accident that as we introduced the TGX model, the new service model, as dining rooms were reopening, that was at the same time we saw our satisfaction scores growing across the Red Robin brand."
There's another unlock in play, too. Murphy believes the system will ultimately help Red Robin appreciate higher-margin alcohol sales. It will open the ability to get that second beer or glass of wine to the table before the food arrives. Naturally, the majority of Red Robin's alcohol is served at the table.
"The sooner that first drink gets there, and the person may have the ability to be two-thirds of the way through the drink, and that server is there and we have the ability to offer the second drink, we think we can influence over time the liquor percentage of the Red Robin brand," Murphy said.
Red Robin's guest scores have never been higher, the brand said.
TGX energizes Red Robin because of where the company was a couple of years ago, he added, referencing the busser dilemma. It delivers great service, but also speeds up table turns and makes sure dining rooms are spotless. Servers can table check frequently and upsell throughout. A far cry from scrambling just to get tables cleaned and try to seat impatient customers.
"Obviously I'm passionate about it. I'm excited about it because I think it addresses a lot of the issues that maybe had been with the brand and over the previous couple of years due to some earlier decisions," Murphy said. "We're addressing the needs of our guests and doing it in a way that actually makes it easier for our team members."
Going forward, Murphy mentioned Red Robin's milkshakes—one of the brand's staples. Today, they come from the bar. Red Robin is looking at potentially moving them to the beverage or service area to make drink times on the alcohol side faster, and then even move shakes to pre-sets with hand-scooped ice cream. Murphy called this a "win-win from a quality standpoint on the milkshake side and a win on being able to get the alcoholic beverages to the table faster out of the service side of the bar." Red Robin envisions this happening in 2021.
Like most restaurant chains, particularly those in full service, Red Robin's momentum stalled recently due to heightened dine-in and other restrictions. The brand was hit hard across key states, like California, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington.
But just in the first 11 days of January, Red Robin got 39 restaurants back on line. The disruption, however, is showing up in the company's performance.
Red Robin's net same-store sales dropped 28.9 percent in Q4 as off-premises business hiked 132 percent and comprised 43.9 percent of total F&B sales.
Company-owned restaurants
Period ended November 1
Same-store sales: –15.4 percent
Average net sales per restaurant: $42,509
Period ended November 29
Period ended December 27
Here's a look at how sales are trending at restaurants with open indoor dining rooms. It paints a clear picture of where the recovery lies, and why TGX's rollout and refinement provides potential for Red Robin:
Number of comparable company-owned restaurants: 362
Red Robin CFO Lynn Schweinfurth said at ICR the brand has 10 temporarily closed units that could potentially remain shuttered. But the chain completed lease negotiations for more than 75 percent of corporate units, resulting in 3–4 percent occupancy expense savings over remaining terms. Red Robin reduced G&A expenses by more than 10 percent, or about $10 million, as well. Implementing a new management labor structure added $14 million in annual savings.
Donatos has produced a significant lift at restaurants that feature it.
More on Donatos, prototypes, and the opportunity ahead
Two-thirds of Red Robin's sales today are coming from Gen X, millennials, and centennials (10–23 years of age). What this signals to Murphy is whitespace after the COVID storm clears.
These customers, he said, will turn to restaurants for socialization and connection once they can. While that sentiment is widely held by operators—the so-called "pent-up demand"—how it unfolds could be more nuanced than simply turning a red light green and giving people what they couldn't have before.
Murphy expects less capacity (fewer restaurants) following the shakeout. But there's a specific development that bodes well for Red Robin and casual dining as a whole. "Even pre-pandemic, you were starting to see the millennial families gravitate toward suburbs," he said. "You've been seeing a little bit more of a migration from urban to suburban. When you look at the landscape of casual diners, tend to be a bit more in the suburban areas than urban areas."
The result will be less saturation and a demographic moving in where casual dining restaurants are. A chance to serve new users and inspire loyal ones, Murphy said. Again, this dynamic favors TGX and guest-facing improvements. When Red Robin greets a new generation of potential loyal guests, it wants to be ready.
One thing that's going to be waiting is Donatos. The partnership between Red Robin and the 166-unit pizza chain began about two years ago with a phone call. Tests started at four Red Robins in the summer of 2019. On the heels of early success, Red Robin shared with investors in 2019 it planned to bring Donatos to 100 restaurants in 2020, then 150 each in 2021 and 2022. Yet COVID paused the process as Red Robin guarded capital. That changed in August. Before COVID, Red Robin had Donatos in 48 locations. It added 31 Seattle market units by November. And, as noted, 120 are planned for 2021.
Murphy says Donatos "really rounds out the menu for Red Robin." About two-thirds of sales have taken place via delivery and carryout.
"We believe it's a great product to help us remain strong and relevant in the off-premises business," he said.
Restaurants with Donatos are outperforming other locations by 500–700 basis points. "That's certainty a niece lift for any brand at the top line," Murphy said.
Schweinfurth expects the figure to level out at 400 basis points, "maybe more," in 2021. The $45,000 generated incrementally by Year 2 allows Red Robin to have a three-to- four-year payback. Capital investment is $145,000.
Interestingly, Murphy said, Donatos is not cannibalizing burger sales. Guests are actually ordering pizzas as an appetizer when they dine-in. Donatos CEO Tom Krouse echoed that earlier in the year, saying customers were trying 10-inch options before meals, or eating and added one to take home.
Murphy said Donatos helped Red Robin kitchens as well. It's the first position the company trains today because, "quite frankly, it's one of the easiest."
"I think people thought the addition of pizza was going to add complexity to the back of the house and the reality is it's actually simplified the order process," he said.
The product is cheaper from a food-cost perspective, but Red Robin does pay Donatos royalties. Those things offset, Schweinfurth said, in terms of what the company typically sees with costs.
Red Robin spends a bit to get the word out, and expects to do so in 2021 as the big rollout arrives. In the past, it's even included free pizza in delivery orders to raise awareness. But in a landscape bursting with virtual brands and cloud operations, Murphy called Donatos "a semi ghost brand," yet one that doesn't lack for branding or Red Robin alignment.
"There have been some doubters about pizza out there [for Red Robin]," Murphy said. "But the results speak for themselves. It's something that's influencing top line, bottom line. There's not a lot of things out there that give you the lift we're seeing from pizza."
Red Robin is also working on a prototype better served to meet its balancing business. Components to serve off-premises, while also keeping the focus on dine-in. This remains a work in progress, Murphy said, although one unit is planned to relocate with new features in 2021. Murphy thinks Red Robin could accelerate relocations in 2022 and 2023. The same is true of building new restaurants.
In the meantime, the company will continue to zero in on what it can control. It launched a new website in 2020 and has seen website traffic increase 20 percent. Messaging and advertising will further shift toward digital and social—where it's primarily lived in COVID quarters—and Red Robin will push resources toward segmentation and targeting.
"I think in some ways the silver lining of the pandemic is it really forced an extreme focus for brands and I think we did a good prioritizing the focus items to ensure that we would be one of the brands that could thrive as we get to the backside of 2021," Murphy said.
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Transcript: Jim Tomsula talks Devey, Lynch, more
Jim Tomsula talks Devey, Lynch, more
Aug 19, 2015 at 4:04 PM • --
Opening comments:
"Good afternoon. [DL Glenn] Dorsey with a muscle strain, [WR Bruce] Ellington and [LB Philip] Wheeler, that's all muscles, nothing that's driving us crazy with that. One that popped up this morning was [TE Derek] Carrier. I don't want to get explicit but he is not feeling well. I don't want to get into bodily functions or anything. So, I'm trying to stop any more detailed questions on his illness and if you make me go there I guess I will but I don't really want to. Anyways, and then we have [OL] Jordan Devey from New England and he's with us. He's passed his physical this morning so we will have him out there, offensive lineman, guard, tackle, all that. O-Line is where we're at there. Anyway, that's it there. Any questions?"
How about LB Michael Wilhoite? Did he have that MRI?
"Yeah, Michael, we've got great news. Again, don't want to mislead, but really good. He and [LB Nick] Bellore with yesterday's stuff was really good. So, we're going to let the doctors do their job and let us know when's the smart way to do things. What we want to be doing is trending up with guys going into the season rather than trending down and I think you saw a few more guys on the field yesterday. So, as we keep going and getting closer, the goal here as we keep getting closer to the first game you're seeing people on the field versus, people coming onto the field versus coming off of the field. So, and right now, obviously you can't always control that, but that's what we're trying to do."
Your new offensive lineman, will you guys play him at tackle or guard? What are you more interested in seeing him at?
"Both. I mean, we are looking at both. You've seen the stats on the guy, 6-7. A 6-7 guy, he's got the length, which obviously helps you at tackle. Which, now you see if he can bend and where he's at with the way we do things. [G/T Alex] Boone has obviously done a heck-of-a job of that, being a tall, long guy that can bend and you need to be able to do that if you're going to play the guard. We're going to go through our own process here with that."
Wilhoite and Bellore, is there a light at the end of the tunnel?
"Oh, yeah. Yeah."
Do you expect them to maybe be active sometime soon here?
"Yes, from me. Again, I don't want to say yes to you. I really don't push that because we've got the doctors in Stanford and the trainers and [vice president of football operations Jeff Ferguson] Fergy and the guys, [assistant athletic trainer Manny Rivera] Manny's in on it, I listen to what they say. The only thing that I have to say to them on that is I don't want something, if we can prevent something from being a lingering deal, then let's, let's go, let's take longer now to put a period at the end of that sentence. That's the only thing I say to it. But, all the rest of it I just listen to what they have to say."
LB Aaron Lynch was just here.
"Yeah, with the Spiderman shirt."
Yeah, it was cool. He shared with us he was, he's on a strict diet and he's lost at least 10 pounds. Does he, obviously, look better to you and at some point was there a concern like, "Hey buddy, you need to take off some lbs.?"
"Well, and again, something was said to me yesterday about that but I guess it was something talking about Aaron's weight. I've never made any point to Aaron's weight. And the reason I haven't is because of, Aaron had an injury. Aaron had to go through the whole process of rehabilitation and then getting back onto the field and doing those things. He's still in that. The injury is fine, he's great there. And, the extra time that we are taking right now is to get him back to lifting the weights and the running. In terms of weight on a scale, everybody had a weight, he showed up at weight. But, it's a different distribution when you're not allowed to lift. So, I am in no way, shape or form on Aaron Lynch's tail for any weight issues. I want to clear that up. There is, that's a work in progress and that's just the way that has to be and the weight lifting is going great, the conditioning is going great. And you saw him out there on the field yesterday moving around really well. So, I'm really happy that we've done it the way we're doing it. But, it's still a work in progress. We've got to get to the football shape. We all talk about that, you work out like crazy but you're not in football shape. So, that's where we're working there. But, I want to make it clear, I'm not on his tail about a weight problem. I don't know where that came from but that sure didn't come from me and it's not some guy that sat at home and just pigged out is what I'm saying. That's a guy that's going through a deal."
Is the expectation for him, the next step in his progression, to get more time at that base spot at the left outside linebacker?
"Yeah, he needs to get more time everywhere. That's a guy that came out of last season, you're excited about who that guy is, the way he was playing, the way he was developing and then we had a little bump in the road. We've addressed the bump in the road. We're in the process of coming back from the bump in the road and really happy about where that is and he just needs to, he's still a young player. We're still talking about that development stage and he needs work in everything. So, I mean you're always fighting that. Yeah, he needs work, let's get him out there, but do we want to get a set back? It's what you're balancing."
With NBC in Reno, we're doing something on QB Colin Kaepernick, went to Nevada and everything like that. You've been here the entire time that he's been here. What kind of progression have you seen from the first day you met Colin to today?
"I think Colin showed up here a workaholic. I mean, the guy just works. He brought that here. And just to watch it day-to-day and what he's done since he's been here and the way it's well documented. So, that, I'm real happy seeing Colin enjoy football, seeing the smile on his face at practice. I don't know that there's been drastic change in the guy, but I have just enjoyed him since he's been here."
Can you just talk about your taking over? We haven't had a chance to ask you this, but just kind of being where you're at in training camp and how do you feel being head coach and how do you feel things are going overall?
"I think, I feel really good about where we are. But again, there's where we are and where we have to get. We're not where we need to be. But, where we are and the approach that we're taking to get there and the way the guys are working and people doing the things together and the team, really happy with that. But, also have to finish that sentence with we're not where we need to be. So, really happy with that and Colin's a big part of that."
You referenced his enjoyment and his smile, did he ever lose that for a time period or has that been a constant with him?
"No, I think all of us, he's always been a guy, I mean when you see him in the weight room and he's working, he's a guy who enjoys working. No, I don't mean that it's just right now, just as he's gone, I think that's what they were getting at. Maybe I answered wrong. But, the four years that he's been here, when you see the guy working, when you see the guy in there with the football, there's a smile, there's a true happiness when the guy's in the weight room, when the guy's out on the field throwing balls and they're playing football together. You just see a, you see like a really good smile. I mean, you just know the guy who loves what he's doing, he loves the game, he loves the team thing. So, that's what I was referring to."
You mentioned a week or so ago that you sometimes have to be the traffic cop. Did you have to be the traffic cop yesterday over there on the sideline with DT Tank Carradine?
"I thought I was going to be a tow truck. Yeah, we handed out a couple citations yesterday. No, it was, no, it's the dog days of camp and it gets heated here and there. That's, you know, I mean, they're in the hotel together, they're everywhere together. That's why a lot of people break camp right about now. I'm trying to extend it a little bit further. It's just what I believe. I wouldn't make much of any of that."
What do you mean, break camp?
"Oh, you know, you'll start seeing teams here, I mean, I don't know this right now this year, but I've seen it in the past where right after that first preseason game, people move out of the hotel and go back to living. You know, we're keeping that going a little longer so the guys are around. I just like the idea they're up in the hotel together, they're just around each other, getting to know each other, talking about football all day and then having an hour or two in the evening to talk about something else and all of a sudden somebody likes a car or somebody likes, you know, just human stuff."
So that'll, camp basically goes through the Denver game now?
"Yes."
Is there any second thoughts now about having those joint practices?
"No, not at all. I can't tell you that I know [Denver Broncos head coach] coach [Gary] Kubiak like life-long buddies, but I've been around coach Kubiak enough to know the kind of person he is and I'm really excited about it. That whole thing I think that you're referring to, you know, I don't, I'm not concerned about that."
When you coached in Europe, players lived in the same hotel during the whole season. Did you feel there was a benefit to that?
"Yeah, well, that's part of where I, you're right on it. That's why I wanted to keep this a little bit longer just to see because you got to go through the, there's got to be a few arguments. There's got to be a few this and that. We've got to work it out, then we've got to get to the other side of it. And to me that pulls it together and that's my reference to traffic cop and things, I mean, mediator, I don't know what you, but hey, here you go, you're two grown men, sit down. Come on in, sit down, figure it out, let's go and get to the other side of that. And once you're on the other side of that, half of this thing is being able to disagree and still be able to walk out of a room. So, we've got to go through those exercises, in my opinion."
Speaking of Europe, you got to know Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett when you were in Europe fairly well.
Is he one of the head coaches in the NFL that you know the best and are you going to communicate before Sunday's game?
"Know the best? Yes, I've probably have spoken to more, but I've spoken to you a lot more than I've ever spoke to Jason Garrett. He's just a nice man. He's gone out of his way to come over and say hello. I met him over there. He was working on the broadcasting career and he was a guy that I, I just watched how he was working. He was in there watching a lot of film. That's where I got to know him, meet him and say hello. But, just a guy that I've just respected from afar the way he does things and the bit that I've met him, the kind of person that he seems to be to me, that's where I'm at there. I will obviously say hello and you know, [Houston Texans head coach Bill] O'Brien, coach O'Brien, same way. They're guys that I've seen and been followed and you hear about in the business and you just respect what they do and what they stand for."
What's been your evaluation of DB Jimmie Ward and Jimmie Ward's mindset and how you guys are balancing keeping him healthy and also possibly competing for that nickel role?
"Yeah, well, I'll tell you what. It was nice to see him yesterday, wasn't it? And that was a, what you saw in practice yesterday, those actions can tell you where his mindset is. Jimmie had a nice practice yesterday. He's running around, again, a lot of that stuff was just getting used to that shoe. Jimmie worked some at the start, he's working at the safety right now and we'll get him in that way. That's our plan."
You made it clear that you're a fan of QB Colin Kaepernick, but can you tell the disbelievers why you do believe in him?
"I just believe in the person. Believe in the person. I believe in the guy that shows up every day that works. I've been around him for four years. See the same guy every day for four years, guy busts his tail. I think he's extremely talented. I'm a big believer. As far as disbelievers, I don't really, I don't have anything to say there. I don't defend that. I don't get into those conversations. I state how I feel about the guy and stand by it."
* Transcript made available by the San Francisco 49ers
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Lovitura de stat de la 23 august 1944 (denumită și actul de la 23 august) a fost acțiunea prin care, la data de , regele Mihai I a decis demiterea și arestarea lui Ion Antonescu, prim-ministrul României și "Conducătorul Statului", a dispus încetarea imediată a colaborării României cu Puterile Axei și începerea tratativelor de armistițiu cu Aliații și de colaborare militară cu Uniunea Sovietică.

Numit de regele Carol al II-lea, prin decretul regal din , în funcția de prim-ministru al României și reconfirmat de Mihai I al României la , la  Antonescu a fost arestat de regele Mihai și demis prin decret regal. Acest act a pus capăt regimului instaurat prin puciul lui Ion Antonescu de la , în urma căruia acesta se auto-intitulase "conducător al statului" și își însușise puteri discreționare. Regimul Antonescu a fost o dictatură militară, s-a aliat puterilor Axei într-un război, finalmente, dezastruos pentru România, refuzând să se supună cererii regale din 1944 de semnare imediată a armistițiului cu Uniunea Sovietică, trecerea țării și Armatei române de partea Aliaților și încetarea războiului împotriva acestora.

În situația în care Armata Roșie invadase deja nord-estul României în luna martie 1944 (frontul oprindu-se pe linia Cernăuți-Botoșani-Iași-Chișinău-Tighina), desprinderea de puterile Axei și semnarea imediată a armistițiului cu Uniunea Sovietică devenise o necesitate urgentă și vitală, iar guvernul sovietic, fiind în tratative cu opoziția românească la Stockholm, prin intermediarul ambasadoarei Uniunii Sovietice, Alexandra Kollontai și al trimisului român Frederic Nanu, amenința România cu reluarea ofensivei în septembrie, în caz de menținere a țării printre Puterile Axei. Actul de la  a fost programat sub auspiciile regale de către o coaliție formată din partidele democratice interbelice (liberal, țărănist și social-democrat) și partidul comunist, aliate în Blocul Național Democrat), cu colaborarea unor ofițeri superiori ai armatei, precum generalii Constantin Sănătescu, Aurel Aldea, Ion Negulescu ș.a.

Imediat după demiterea și arestarea lui Ion Antonescu, România a ieșit din alianța cu Puterile Axei, a declarat încetarea unilaterală a războiului împotriva Aliaților și a declarat război Germaniei și Ungariei. Acordul de Armistițiu între guvernele Statelor Unite ale Americii, Regatului Unit și URSS-ului, pe de o parte, și guvernul României, pe de altă parte, a fost ulterior semnat la Moscova, pe , acord în care au fost stabilite modalitățile politice de guvernare a României, precum și plata de despăgubiri materiale către URSS în valoare de 300 milioane de dolari defalcate pe 6 ani, sub formă de bunuri. Alt rezultat al schimbării de alianță din  a fost revenirea Transilvaniei de Nord în granițele României, în timp ce Cadrilaterul retrocedat Bulgariei, precum și Basarabia și Bucovina de nord cedate Uniunii Sovietice, în 1940, rămâneau în posesia acestora. Schimbarea de alianță a României din  a accelerat înaintarea Aliaților (printre care se număra acum România) spre granițele Germaniei, armata română participând la operațiunile din 1944 contra Germaniei naziste pe teritoriul țării sale, precum și la cele de pe teritoriile Ungariei și Cehoslovaciei până la sfârșitul războiului.

Contextul

Generalul Ion Antonescu fusese învestit cu "puteri depline la conducerea statului român"  după ce, pe fondul dictaturii regale a lui Carol al II-lea, România fusese forțată, în 1940, prin presiunile diplomatice ale Uniunii Sovietice și Germaniei Naziste, care, cu un an în urmă, semnaseră pactul Ribbentrop-Molotov, să cedeze Transilvania de Nord Ungariei, Basarabia și Bucovina de Nord Uniunii Sovietice și Cadrilaterul Bulgariei. În ziua următoare după instaurarea guvernului Antonescu, regele fusese obligat să abdice în favoarea tânărului său fiu. Constituția fusese suspendată, parlamentul dizolvat  i o parte din puterile constituționale ale regelui au fost asumate de Ion Antonescu, care s-a autointitulat "Conducătorul Statului". Antonescu avea, astfel, puteri discreționare în fruntea guvernului, întărindu-și poziția după înăbușirea rebeliunii legionare. Guvernul antonescian a intrat, în iunie 1941, în război de partea Axei și împotriva URSS, cu scopul de a redobândi teritoriile anexate de aceasta, ceea ce a și realizat. După aceea, însă, în pofida protestelor partidelor istorice, Antonescu a continuat să avanseze pe teritoriul sovietic, la est de Râul Nistru, ocupând teritoriul dintre Nistru și Bug, pe care l-a folosit pentru a extermina dușmanii politici ai regimului, intelectualii și artiștii "nedoriți" sau socotiți "decadenți", sute de mii de evrei (unii fiind evrei români deportați, alții fiind evrei sovietici localnici) și câteva mii de romi.

După bătălia de la Stalingrad, însă, armata sovietică a început să avanseze și, în martie 1944, ajunsese pe teritoriul României. Din martie până în august 1944, Frontul de Est a fost stabilizat pe linia Chișinău–Iași–Târgu Frumos.

Evenimentele

Planurile

Partidele istorice, excluse de la putere, dar lăsate să funcționeze chiar în timpul dictaturii lui Antonescu, au menținut contacte cu Aliații și au purtat discuții cu aceștia, prin emisari trimiși de Iuliu Maniu la Ankara și la Cairo (de exemplu, Barbu Știrbei). În același timp, după bătălia de la Stalingrad, guvernul lui Antonescu a purtat și el unele negocieri cu Aleksandra Kollontai, reprezentanta sovietică la Stockholm, prin Frederic Nanu. În negocierile cu reprezentanții lui Maniu, Aliații, la cererea lui Stalin, puseseră condiția ca și comuniștii să fie implicați într-un eventual nou guvern.

La , în timp ce Ion Antonescu era în vizită oficială în Germania, regele Mihai l-a trimis pe generalul Constantin Sănătescu să îi sondeze pe militarii de pe lângă Ministerul de Război și Marele Stat Major despre care se credea că sunt opozanți ai lui Antonescu dacă erau dispuși să treacă la acțiune, însă rezultatul a fost dezamăgitor, a doua zi primind vizita unui general, care a argumentat că nu venise momentul unei lovituri de stat.

După câteva zile, a avut loc un prânz de lucru cu Antonescu, în cadrul căruia regele Mihai și-a dat seama că nu are rost să încerce să-l convingă pe șeful guvernului de oportunitatea schimbării orientării externe a țării. În contextul sosirii unui ultimatum de predare din partea Aliaților, regele le-a cerut liderilor politici să își asume responsabilitatea de a se pronunța pentru pace, caz în care el i-ar fi cerut public lui Antonescu demisia. Acest lucru însă nu s-a întâmplat, iar regele, deziluzionat, s-a convins că avea nevoie pentru schimbarea lui Antonescu de armată, care, în urma unui tur de sondare al lui Sănătescu din mai 1944, nu considera că venise momentul.

În august 1944, regele Mihai a sesizat un moment bun pentru lovitura de stat, întrucât Germania retrăsese divizia de tancuri Gross Deutschland de pe frontul românesc, în contextul în care armata sovietică se regrupa de câteva luni pe linia frontului și putea porni, în orice moment, un mare atac . Serviciile secrete și poliția secretă germană deveniseră suspicioase, iar regina mamă Elena a fost interogată de poliția secretă germană, fără a dezvălui că ar avea cunoștință de planurile fiului ei. Ca să slăbească suspiciunile, acesta a plecat, între 16-18 august, la o vânătoare, rămânând într-o așteptare discretă pentru următoarele două zile, la Sinaia.

În cursul zilei de 20 august, regelui i-a parvenit vestea că rușii lansaseră Operațiunea Iași-Chișinău, așa că a plecat la volanul mașinii Lincoln spre București, însoțit de secretarul Mircea Ionnițiu, de aghiotantul Emilian Ionescu și de generalul Gheorghe Mihail, consilierul său pe probleme militare. La Casa Nouă a avut o întâlnire a regelui cu liderii militari, care s-au pronunțat în favoarea loviturii; printre ei era și colonelul Dumitru Dămăceanu, comandantul garnizoanei București. La întâlnire au participat și Constantin Sănătescu, Ioan Mocsony-Stârcea, Grigore Niculescu-Buzești, Mircea Ionnițiu, generalii Gheorghe Mihail și Aurel Aldea. Dămăceanu a fost întrebat de cât timp avea nevoie pentru a strânge trupe pentru a ocupa puncte strategice din oraș și a răspuns că are nevoie de cinci zile, data loviturii fiind stabilită, în consecință, pentru 26 august.

În seara zilei de 21 august  a avut loc o întâlnire cu liderii politici (Iuliu Maniu, Constantin I. C. Brătianu (Dinu), Titel Petrescu și Lucrețiu Pătrășcanu), în care participanții s-au pus de acord asupra planului stabilit în seara anterioară. Regele i-a delegat pe Maniu și Pătrășcanu să formuleze lista de miniștri pentru noul guvern, până pe data de 23 august. În cursul întâlnirii, grupul reprezentanților politici a aprobat textul unei telegrame ce urma a fi trimisă Înaltului Comandament Aliat de la Cairo, condus de generalul britanic Maitland Wilson. Prin telegramă se cerea sprijinirea schimbării de regim prin bombardarea simultană a unităților germane din nordul Capitalei (la nord de Aeroportul Băneasa) și a centrelor feroviare aflate la granița cu Ungaria și Iugoslavia.  Mocsoni-Styrcea, care era funcționar la Ministerul Afacerilor Străine, s-a deplasat în aceeași seară la Snagov, la sediul ministerului, unde a petrecut noaptea criptând cele două telegrame ale complotiștilor pentru Ankara (pentru siguranță, transmiterea telegramelor către Aliați se făcea pe două căi, atât prin Ankara, cât și printr-un aparat de emisie-recepție deținut de Iuliu Maniu). În dimineața zilei de 22 august, înainte de a se întoarce la București, a hotărât să înoate în lac  și s-a întâlnit cu secretarul general al ministerului, Davidescu, care l-a informat că Antonescu se întorcea în seara zilei curente de pe front și avea să părăsească a doua zi Bucureștiul, ceea ce ar fi lichidat planurile loviturii. Fiind informat despre aceste lucruri, data a fost mutată, de urgență, de rege pe 23 august, fără a mai fi consultați liderii politici.

Arestarea lui Antonescu

În ziua de 23 august 1944, Ion Antonescu a dat instrucțiuni să se solicite regelui o audiență, la ora 16. Lui Mihai Antonescu i s-a acordat o audiență separată, la 15.30.
În discuția ce a urmat cu regele și care a durat peste o oră, Ion Antonescu a prezentat în detaliu situația de pe front și a spus că va încheia armistițiul doar cu consimțământul lui Hitler, însă a refuzat să accepte ieșirea din război, justificându-și refuzul prin "cuvântul de ofițer dat lui Adolf Hitler" că va merge alături de el până la capăt. Regele s-a văzut nevoit să folosească parola "Dacă lucrurile stau așa, atunci nu ne mai rămâne nimic de făcut!" pentru a chema pe colonelul Emilian Ionescu cu un grup de patru soldați  care i-au arestat pe mareșal și pe Mihai Antonescu. Ion Antonescu, împreună cu Mihai Antonescu au fost predați lui Emil Bodnăraș, șeful unui grup de muncitori înarmați, grup numit "Gărzile patriotice" care i-au transferat într-o casă conspirativă din București, în cartierul Vatra Luminoasă. Tot în casa din Vatra Luminoasă au fost duși și alți miniștri demiși: generalul Constantin Pantazi, ministrul Apărării, generalul Dumitru Popescu, ministrul de Interne, generalul Constantin Vasiliu, subsecretar de stat la Ministerul de Interne și colonelul Mircea Elefterescu, șeful Poliției București.  Eugen Cristescu, șeful Siguranței a fost arestat după alte câteva zile. La 31 august, după intrarea trupelor sovietice în București grupul de miniștri arestați a fost predat de către Bodnăraș generalului-locotenent Tevcenkov și generalului-maior Nikolai Burenin, comandantul trupelor sovietice din București, din ordinul generalului (mai târziu mareșal) Rodion Malinovski, comandantul forțelor sovietice din România.

La Palat, în după amiaza zilei de  au fost chemați și liderii partidelor democratice, Constantin I.C. Brătianu, Iuliu Maniu și Constantin Titel-Petrescu, precum și Lucrețiu Pătrășcanu, cel considerat a fi persoana de contact cu Partidul Comunist. Primii trei, însă, nu au fost de găsit (nu se așteptau ca evenimentele să fie înaintate cu trei zile). Astfel, primul care s-a prezentat la Palat a fost Pătrășcanu, după ce noul guvern fusese deja alcătuit din persoane de încredere ale regelui Mihai, în timp ce liderii politici primiseră în guvern titlul de miniștri fără portofoliu. Întrucât gărzile pregătite de rege și de Maniu nu erau nici ele disponibile rapid, singura miliție care să poată păzi pe cei arestați a fost cea a comuniștilor organizați de Emil Bodnăraș, fapt exploatat de propaganda comunistă ulterioară care și-a argumentat astfel pretenția exagerată că Partidul Comunist ar fi jucat rolul conducător în lovitura de stat.

Înainte de ora 20:00, regele a înregistrat un mesaj pentru țară ce avea să fie difuzat la radio la ora 22, în care a anunțat schimbarea guvernului și trecerea de partea Aliaților. Solidaritatea cu regele a fost generală, toți ofițerii importanți fiind de partea acestuia. După difuzarea mesajului la radio, au izbucnit demonstrații populare de entuziasm.

În anii 1980–1990 a ieșit la iveală un document despre care căpitanul Gheorghe Teodorescu din garda palatului regal, aflat la post în 23 august, susținea că ar fi fost scris de Ion Antonescu în acea zi imediat după ce a fost arestat. Antonescu a spus că nu s-a opus în principiu ieșirii din război, dar că a refuzat-o argumentând atât cu condițiile grele de armistițiu în raport cu Uniunea Sovietică (semnarea unui act politic de cedare a Basarabiei și Bucovinei de Nord, acceptarea ocupației sovietice, plata de despăgubiri nedefinite), cât și (cel mai important) cu refuzul său total de a întoarce armele împotriva Germaniei Naziste, refuz asumat drept principal argument și înțeles ca atare de ceilalți participanți. Documentul a fost publicat după Revoluția Română din 1989 în ziarul naționalist Românul, publicat de cercuri ce urmăreau reabilitarea lui Antonescu și a fost inclus în câteva antologii de documente de epocă și lucrări ale altor istorici naționaliști, necăpătând însă anvergura de a revizui în vreun fel viziunea specialiștilor asupra evenimentelor.

Operațiunile militare

În preajma orei 21:00, la Palat a sosit ambasadorul Germaniei, Manfred von Killinger, care părea să aibă informații precise despre evenimente. Ca să câștige timp, Regele a negat, spunându-i că Antonescu este liber. Forțele germane au lansat a doua zi un bombardament asupra Bucureștiului, distrugând o parte din Palatul Regal și, complet, Casa Nouă. Regele Mihai, însă, se refugiase, împreună cu regina-mamă, la Dobrița, în Oltenia.

Trupele de recruți români prezente în București au rezistat bombardamentelor și atacurilor germane (v. Podul Băneasa), cu sprijinul aviației americane, care a bombardat și ea pozițiile germane din zona Băneasa și Otopeni, dar și obiective românești (linii ferate și șosele susceptibile de a fi întrebuințate de Wehrmacht pentru evacuare).

Armata română a avut de luptat împotriva fostului aliat, Wehrmachtul. Până la 28 august au fost curățate de germani Capitala și împrejurimile, iar până la 31 august restul teritoriului; se estimează că au fost luați prizonieri un număr de  de militari germani. În acest timp, Armata Roșie începuse să avanseze pe teritoriul României (în zilele de 30-31 august au ajuns la București), socotindu-se încă în teritoriu inamic și comportându-se ca atare, bunăoară, confiscând armament, muniții și bunuri (atât publice, cât și particulare), mii de soldați și ofițeri români fiind luați prizonieri. Totuși, începând cu 23 august, teritoriul românesc a fost scutit de a fi teatru de război. Formal, armistițiul româno-sovietic a fost semnat la .

Consecințe

Conducerea României

După demiterea și arestarea lui Ion Antonescu, generalul Constantin Sănătescu a fost însărcinat cu formarea unui guvern cu reprezentanții partidelor democrate, cu unii politicieni comuniști și cu ofițeri ai armatei. Acest guvern a negociat armistițiul cu URSS, prin care s-a obligat să plătească despăgubiri de război, să admită pierderile teritoriale din est din 1940 și să acorde funcții mai importante comuniștilor. Armata sovietică a ocupat întreaga Românie, intrând, la 31 august, în București, dar, deși, la început, soldați și ofițeri români au fost luați prizonieri de aceasta, în cele din urmă s-a acceptat colaborarea armatei regale române în vederea înfrângerii Germaniei Naziste. Armata română a recucerit Transilvania de Nord și a continuat eliberând Ungaria (cu ocuparea Budapestei) și Cehoslovacia.

Somități militare, precum , șeful statului major imperial britanic, declară că prin lovitura de stat de la 23 august 1944, România a deschis armatei sovietice porțile Balcanilor și a contribuit la eliberarea acestei regiuni, scurtând războiul cu 6 luni și cruțând astfel sute de mii de vieți. Generalul Johannes Friessner, comandant atunci al grupului german de armate "Sud" deplora din partea sa aceleași fapte pe care le relatează însă ca fiind o "trădare" a angajamentelor României față de Reich. Apărătorii lui Ion Antonescu afirmă că dacă România ar mai fi rezistat și dacă regele Mihai ar fi așteptat ca mareșalul Antonescu să obțină armistițiul, aliații anglo-americani ar fi putut înainta mai adânc înspre răsăritul Europei, împiedicând astfel URSS să aibă preponderența în Europa. Dar această părere nu ține cont de faptul că în acel moment, a doua ofensivă Iași-Chișinău era în curs, invadarea integrală a României de către sovietici în câteva săptămâni fiind în toate cazurile ineluctabilă, fie ca țară dușmană beligerantă (precum Ungaria), fie ca dușman înfrânt cerând armistițiu (precum Bulgaria), fie ca țară aliată (precum Polonia), aceste țări fiind deopotrivă ocupate de URSS. La conferința "Tolstoi" de la Moscova din octombrie 1944, delimitarea zonelor de influență în Europa nu a ținut cont de atitudinea respectivelor țări (conferința de la Ialta fiind doar proclamarea oficială a acestei delimitări) și în orice circumstanțe, chiar dacă armatele apusene ar fi înaintat mai adânc spre răsărit, România nu ar fi intrat în raza lor de acțiune, fiind, dintre toate țările din Estul Europei, cea mai răsăriteană, prima cucerită și ocupată de sovietici.

Singura șansă pe care ar fi avut-o România, odată cu toată Europa de Est, să nu intre în zona de influență sovietică, era deja spulberată încă din iarna 1943, la conferința de la Teheran, unde Churchill s-a prezentat în poziție șubrezită și, pentru a păstra măcar Grecia în zona de influență britanică, a trebuit să renunțe la toate celelalte țări est-europene, deoarece, când italienii s-au retras din Dodecanez (toamna 1943), americanii au refuzat să-i ajute pe britanici să cucerească acest arhipelag egeean, astfel că britanicii au fost înfrânți de germani, pierzând posibilitatea de a mai debarca în Balcani. În pecetluirea sorții României și a vecinilor ei, un rol important l-a avut consilierul lui Roosevelt, pe nume . Bănuit agent de influență sovietic în relație cu agentul NKVD Ișhac Așmerov, Hopkins l-a convins pe Roosevelt să nu favorizeze în niciun fel acțiunile britanice în Balcani. Churchill nu a fost numai presat de americani, ci și dezinformat de "", agenți sovietici la fel de influenți ca și Hopkins, apropiați de conducerea serviciilor de spionaj britanice.

Soarta mareșalului Antonescu

Imediat după ce a fost arestat, mareșalul Antonescu a fost închis într-o încăpere-seif aflată la etajul I al Casei Noi, împreună cu alți colaboratori apropiați care fuseseră chemați în acest scop la Palat. Spre dimineață, după ce Regele părăsise Palatul pentru a se refugia în Oltenia, gărzile comuniste ale lui Emil Bodnăraș l-au preluat pe mareșal, fără încuvințarea noilor autorități, ducându-l într-o casă conspirativă a partidului din cartierul Vatra Luminoasă, casa amantei lui Bodnăraș. Mai târziu, pe 31 august, în ziua când armata sovietică a intrat în București, l-au predat generalului rus Burenin. Mareșalul a fost ținut prizonier în URSS pentru vreun an și jumătate, nefiind judecat în procesele de la Nürnberg. Ulterior, Antonescu a fost adus în România și judecat de Tribunalul Poporului din București, într-un proces de tip stalinist. Deși ar fi putut să ceară clemența regală, mareșalul a refuzat să semneze cererea de grațiere întocmită de avocatul său, cu scopul de a nu-l pune pe Suveran într-o situație politică fără ieșire (Regele ar fi fost acuzat de simpatii naziste dacă ar fi acordat grațierea sau de lipsă de patriotism dacă n-ar fi făcut-o). Mareșalul Antonescu a fost condamnat la moarte și executat la 1 iunie 1946, lângă închisoarea Jilava.

Apărătorii mareșalului Ion Antonescu susțin că soarta acestuia după război a fost nedreaptă în comparație cu soarta mareșalului finlandez Carl Mannerheim. Paralela cu Mannerheim nu ține însă cont de faptul că acesta din urmă a oprit ofensiva finlandeză alături de germani în Carelia, fără să încerce să cucerească nici măcar Murmanskul, în ciuda insistențelor naziștilor, și nici nu a ordonat vreodată armatei finlandeze să ucidă civili, pe când Antonescu trimisese armata română până la Stalingrad și a acuzat, fără a face deosebire între grupuri, o minoritate întreagă, sute de mii de civili (inclusiv copiii, femeile, bătrânii, credincioșii pașnici) că ar fi toți "comuniști și dușmani sau paraziți ai neamului", ordonând "curățirea terenului" prin masacrul de la Odesa și holocaustul în România (care au degradat grav și definitiv imaginea internațională a României). Istoricul și politologul american  consideră că nu cu Carl Mannerheim poate fi comparat Ion Antonescu, ci mai degrabă cu mareșalul Philippe Pétain care a condus regimul colaboraționist francez de la Vichy.

Regele Mihai

După 6 martie 1945, guvernele României au fost dominate de comuniști și impuse de Moscova cu ajutorul armatei sovietice. Regele Mihai nu s-a putut opune, fiind considerat de sovietici o piedică pentru planurile lor de instaurare a unui regim comunist. Astfel, deși Uniunea Sovietică și-a exprimat, printr-o telegramă, satisfacția față de evenimentele din România și l-a decorat pe rege cu Ordinul Victoriei (cea mai înaltă decorație militară sovietică), acesta a fost obligat, la , să abdice (printr-un act neconstituțional, smuls prin forță și șantaj) și să părăsească țara, declarată de comuniști republică populară.

Istoriografia

În perioada comunistă, denumirea actului de la  a suferit diferite transformări în propaganda oficială, acesta fiind, însă, permanent promovat ca o mare realizare comunistă. Insurecția armată din 23 august 1944 a devenit ziua națională a României în timpul dictaturii comuniste. Spre sfârșitul acestei perioade, la propunerea lui Nicolae Ceaușescu, titulatura s-a transformat în "Revoluția de Eliberare Socială și Națională, Antifascistă și Antiimperialistă".

Lovitura de stat a fost inițial privită cu puternică ostilitate de către comuniștii români refugiați la Moscova, care preferau ca trupele sovietice să intre în țară fără ca partidele democratice să aibă un rol în victoria împotriva fascismului. Relevantă în acest sens este mărturia lui Gheorghe Apostol: "Ana (Pauker) a făcut mare scandal când a sosit în țară: "De ce s-a realizat 23 august? Fără el, țara ar fi fost ocupată de trupele sovietice, s-ar fi instaurat dictatura proletariatului de la început, nu s-ar fi dat timp de respirație burgheziei!"" După fapt, însă, comuniștii au început să-și aroge toate meritele pentru reușita loviturii, începând chiar cu articolele din ziarele comuniste din . Istoria acestui eveniment a fost falsificată, astfel, de la început, rolul regelui Mihai și al partidelor istorice fiind minimalizat, evenimentul fiind prezentat ca fiind aproape exclusiv realizarea Partidului Comunist, care, în realitate, era la acea vreme o mișcare ce activa în ilegalitate, cu un număr redus de membri, al cărei principal merit a fost acela că a furnizat la momentul oportun o miliție care să-i păzească pe cei arestați.

Istoriografia occidentală, la rândul ei, a adoptat poziția oficială a O.N.U. care nu admitea pentru cel de-al Doilea Război Mondial decât patru învingători și co-beligeranți împotriva Germaniei Naziste, anume Marea Britanie, S.U.A., Uniunea Sovietică și Franța, deși existau și alte țări care luptaseră împotriva Axei (Polonia, Norvegia, Olanda, Belgia, Iugoslavia, Grecia), deși URSS fusese aliată cu Germania Nazistă până în vara 1941, și deși Franța oficială, cea a mareșalului Pétain, se luptase împotriva Aliaților, în timp ce Franța rebelă, cea a generalului De Gaulle, dispunea de mai puțini ostași decât armata română în septembrie 1944. Dată fiind această poziție oficială, România a semnat Tratatul de pace de la Paris din 1947 ca beligerant învins (ca și Italia, care trecuse de partea Aliaților cu un an înaintea României), regimul Antonescu fiind singurul luat în cont, iar contribuția de partea Aliaților nefiind considerată decât în dezbaterea statutului Transilvaniei de Nord, care, în final, a fost retrocedat României, mai ales că Ungaria, sub regimul lui Ferenc Szálasi, se luptase de partea Germaniei Naziste până la capăt.

După căderea regimului comunist, istoricii români au putut analiza necenzurat schimbarea de alianță a României din 23 august 1944, iar regele Mihai a acordat multor jurnaliști și istorici români interviuri care au apărut în presa și în publicistica din România, aducând o nouă lumină asupra evenimentelor de atunci. Forurile politice, însă, au scos ziua de 23 August nu numai din rolul de sărbătoare națională, ceea ce era firesc, dar și din rolul de comemorare oficială, și cum, simultan, s-au produs numeroase tentative de a îl reabilita pe Ion Antonescu, perceperea comunității internaționale a fost că România dorește să șteargă lupta de partea Aliaților din istoria sa și să revină la un naționalism fascizant. Ulterior, totuși, lucrările comisiilor istorice au relevat rolul schimbării de alianță a României din  în revenirea Transilvaniei de Nord în granițele României, iar presiunea diplomatică internațională a împiedicat reabilitarea solemnă a lui Ion Antonescu, dorită de partidele naționaliste. Ziua de aniversare a schimbării de alianță a României din 23 august și a intrării printre Aliați nu a redevenit însă comemorativă, deoarece mulți politicieni și alegători o înțeleg încă așa cum le-a fost predată la școală în perioada comunistă, anume ca o lovitură de stat care a inaugurat comunismul în România (în realitate, lovitura de stat comunistă propriu-zisă poate fi considerată impunerea guvernului Groza la , sau forțarea abdicării regelui Mihai la ).

Note

Bibliografie

Legături externe

  Acordul de Armistițiu între guvernele Statelor Unite ale Americii, Regatului Unit și URSS-ului, pe de o parte și Guvernul României, pe de altă parte, avalon.law.yale.edu
 Despre 23 august 1944, fără prejudecăți, 21 august 2004, Jurnalul Național
 23 august - Actul bordelului politic românesc, 23 august 2004, Jurnalul Național
 Discordiile interne ale opoziției după 23 august 1944 , 8 septembrie 2005, Mihai Pelin, Jurnalul Național
 Încâlceala istoriei, 25 octombrie 2005, Lavinia Betea, Jurnalul Național
 "Istoricii" și fuga lor din istorie - Realitatea, așa cum nu le convine unora dintre noi (1), 1 iunie 2006, Mihai Pelin, Jurnalul Național
 1939 - 1944: 23 august, Cronica unui dezastru , 23 august 2006, Cristina Diac, Florin Mihai, Jurnalul Național
 23 august 1944 – fapte și personaje, 24 august 2009, Lavinia Betea, Jurnalul Național

 Să ne amintim: 23 august 1944, 22 august 2010, Laurentiu Dologa, Ziare.com
 Cum au văzut germanii 23 august , 23 decembrie 2010, Claudiu Padurean, Mihai Rogai, România liberă
 O zi providențială: 23 AUGUST 1944 - Mica enciclopedie AS, Emanuel Badescu, Formula AS - anul 2011, numărul 983
 Actul de la 23 august 1944 în viziunea celui de-Al Treilea Reich , Lucian Dobrovicescu, 4 septembrie 2014, historia.ro
 Adevărul ascuns 71 de ani despre lovitura de stat din 23 august 1944. De ce a oprit Iuliu Maniu de la publicare un interviu istoric acordat de Corneliu Coposu Interviu acordat de Corneliu Coposu agenției Associated Press, la un an după evenimente, nepublicat la acea dată la rugămintea lui Maniu; la una din ultimele întrebări, Coposu dă o listă a participanților la conspirație din partea fiecărui partid important și din cadrul armatei, 23 august 2016, adevarul.ro

Vezi și
 România în al Doilea Război Mondial
 Armistițiul dintre Italia și forțele armate Aliate

1944 în România
Lovituri de stat
Politica internă în România în Al Doilea Război Mondial

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


A statement has been produced to help Unison branches organise for a rejection of the local government pay proposal.
The statement is reproduced below for you to read, along with a number of initial signatories. Reproduced underneath these are two model motions which have been passed in Manchester and Tower Hamlets for reference.
We believe that the decision taken by UNISON's NJC committee to suspend strike action on 14 October and consult on new "proposals" is a profound mistake that leaves Local Government workers facing further real cuts in pay and undermines the battle against government imposed pay restraint.
The proposal, of a 2.2% increase for most workers over two years with more for the very lowest paid, delivers no more than the 1% already offered for most workers in 2014/2015 and slightly less than 1.2% for 2015/16. It effectively accepts pay restraint not only this year but through the first year of the next government.
2.2% increase payable from 1/1/2015, covering pay years 2014/15 and 2015/2016.
The proposal fails to deliver the Living Wage for the lowest paid – and indeed in those authorities where it has already been achieved the lowest paid could get no increase at all.
Calling off the action just as health workers were set to strike as part of a coordinated week of action leading up to the TUC demonstration "Britain Needs a Pay Rise" on the basis of such a proposal, that the NJC committee themselves could not recommend to members, makes no sense.
We welcome the fact that Manchester branch has already circulated a motion calling for rejection which will be considered at their branch committee on Monday 13 October, and that other branches like Tower Hamlets have already agreed to campaign for rejection.
We call for regions and branches to exercise their democratic right to recommend and campaign for the rejection of the proposals and the reinstatement of industrial action, coordinated with other unions where possible, and to use the full resources at their disposal to do so.
This Branch Executive condemns the National decision to suspend the strike planned and organised for 14th October based on the employers latest pay proposals which do not come anywhere near to addressing our pay claim and are nowhere near to even covering the current inflation rate and that expected next year.
This Branch Executive agrees to raise our objections at Regional and National level to the last minute decision to call off the action agreed by members. If the proposals were agreed this would lock the union into taking no action on pay for at least another two years.
The National consultation on these pitiful and derisory proposals is due to commence on 20th October through individual Branch ballots.
This Branch agrees to use all Branch resources necessary to campaign amongst members to urge them to reject the proposals and to return to industrial action if necessary to secure a decent pay rise and to work with other Branches and Regions where possible to achieve a national rejection of the proposals.
This branch condemns the decision taken by UNISON's NJC committee to suspend strike action on 14 October and consult on new "proposals". We believe that this is a profound mistake that leaves Local Government workers facing further real cuts in pay and undermines the battle against government imposed pay restraint.
No back pay but unconsolidated payments of £100 for most workers, £150 for scp 8-10 and £325 for scp 5-7.
To recommend rejection of the proposals and reinstatement of industrial action, coordinated with other unions where possible.
I am Deputy Branch Secretary of Islington UNISON.
This is a good statement that provides the basis for a united response.
I'm a Union Rep and I think it is very important that our unions fight for decent pay. This proposal is truly terrible and should not even be considered.
Well….as a senior unit catering supervisor I believe that's scp17. £100 is not very much for this position even as a one of payment if that's what it is ,is not very much for this job concidering the amount of work is piled onto us, more and more: admin, extra pressure, hassel, not allowed to work any extra time because of staff shortages, having to pay tax on mileage claims related to the job, the amount of responsibility involved. I think its time a job revaluation was done again also for all catering supervisors.
This offer is less than the 1% for 2014/2015 and 1.2% 2015/2016 for everyone on point 11 and above. Why are we voting for less than we were offered before the strike?
Also everyone who leaves or has left service between April 2014 and January 2015 will get NO pay increase from April 2014 which affects lump sum payments and pension forever.