SUPPLEMENTAL REPORT: A close-up view of 1 Russian Base in the "Circle Of iron" -----Bonavista, Newfoundland, Canada

Bonavista, Newfoundland----Home to one of the largest Russian bases 

in this hemisphere.

                      A view of  the town of Bonavista and its coastline----A scenic                                       location for a powerful military installation.

                                                       Boardwalk view of the town.
                Bonavista is a popular summer vacation destination, with good                                         restaurants, cheerful taverns and comfortable motels, although the                                  base itself  is strictly off-limits to non-Russians.

                  Local merchants, Bethany Bauer and Carol Hodge, say, "Our                                               store has fared well since the base was built. I think some 
                   of the base personnel like to send items back to families in Russia,                                     and that helps sales, for sure. Have we had any problems
                   with base personnel? I would have to say, nyet, to that."
                   "They do wear funny hats, though."

                                   

                                 Holly Tkachuk, co-owner of the Bonavista Tavern and Motel:
                                "We get no problems with anyone from the base, and they spend 
                                 quite a bit of money in the town, including right here. Occasionally,
                                 we get an intoxicated Russian sleeping in a snowbank, or swimming 
                                 out to an iceberg, but that's about it. 
                                 No fights, no brawls, very little impoliteness even. 
                                 It's all good, as far as I'm concerned.
                                 As long as I have plenty of Stoli on hand, I'm fine.
                                 But top quality Canadian whiskey still beats Vodka, in my opinion."           

                                                           Patrick Bernier, ship-owner:
                 "I think the base is good for the town, and maybe even international relations
                  as well. The Naval vessels steer clear of commercial ships, and we stay away 
                  from them, so that's no concern. Everybody seems to get along just fine here, 
                  and there's no disrespect, either way, that I have experienced. The Russians
                  don't like Canadian Bacon much, though, and I am a bit offended by that."

Russian Naval Officers, Victor Nemchinov and Vasily Malkin.

"No one is upset at all that we are here to preserve the strategic balance,

and maintain peace. It is a beautiful place, an important job,

and it is an honor to serve here", says Commander Malkin.

"The french fries they serve in town are the best anywhere.

I would die to defend them",

adds Nemchinov.

                                       Local fishermen, Larry Howe and Rick Turnbull.
                     Turnbull: "Everybody treats everybody else with respect, as far as I can see.
                      Heck, one time our motor conked out a few miles offcoast, and a Russian                              vessel noticed our problem, came right over and towed us back in. 
                      When we meet in town, we tend to talk hockey a lot."

Russian Technical officer, Alexei Maltsev:

"When I'm off-duty, I like to relax by just walking around the town. It has very attractive scenery here.  I'm from Siberia, so the weather they have seems very mild to me. 

I just wish there were more single women. But you can't have everything."

As close as you can get.

A photograph shows the outside edge of the bases's radar array (far right).

Rumors that the array was actually a Russian HAARP machine 

have never been confirmed.

Photographs of the base are forbidden by international agreement, 

so even taking this picture was risky, although there have been no repercussions.

2 Russian Officers (top and right) drink outside in a snowstorm with Canadians,

Mike Malone and Eddie Bourque. We like to do a lot of the same things, like drink, sing and follow hockey. Many of them speak English, which is good, 'cause I can't even say a sentence in Russian", says Bourque.

"But mainly, we just say, 'fill her up'."

                                                            Risky comrades?
                            Could Russian-Canadian compatibility pose a 
                     security problem for the US?  Only time will tell.

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CIRCLE OF IRON----Russian Military Bases Surround America as Tensions between the 2 Countries Heat Up

Symbol used for Russian base, with radar, 

artillery, airfield for bombers and fighters,

tanks and missile launch capability,

plus submarine and ship base, when located on a coast.

                                                             
                  Map showing how America is encircled by fully-equipped       
             Russian military bases-------A Russian "Circle Of Iron"

At least 29 massively-equipped Russian Military bases surround the United States, according to respected, but confidential sources (note: there are a few smaller installations and submarine bases not shown on this map).

So far, there has been no major violent conflict between Russia and America.
The Cold War famously ended in the late 80s-early 90s, after the fall of the Soviet Union, leading to a time of quiet between the 2 powers.

But with relations between the 2 countries declining lately, and harsh rhetoric on both sides, the number and projectible power of these Russian bases has become an area of great concern for US officials.

Safe enough?

Fortunately, the United States and NATO have a similar number 

of bases surrounding Russia as a counterbalance.

Should America offer to close-down some of the US/NATO bases around Russia in exchange for Russia's abandonment of similar bases surrounding The United States? This is a major question for the diplomatic corps and negotiators of both countries. Can this balance-of-terror be maintained safely?

Would a negotiated exchange of base-closings between the 2 nations boost chances for world peace, or would it be merely a symbolic move resulting in only cosmetic changes to the national security of the 2 countries, as well as 
the rest of the world?

As a new Cold War threatens to heat up, with recent events signalling instability, or even belligerence between the 2 sides, is negotiation possible, 
or even desirable?

Additionally, some non-military observers wonder--Are both countries now on-the-cusp of a new arms race for innovative, cutting-edge weapons costing trillions of dollars, and pushing social concerns such as healthcare, infrastructure renewal, education, housing and job-creation aside. This would naturally result, as massive resources would need to be siphoned-away from non-military concerns to feed a fierce new level of weaponized technological competition 
between Russia and America.

The leaders and citizens of both countries must address, and debate these questions openly, if world peace is to be maintained, even as anger and frustration rises within both nations.


                              US Army General Austin K. Shockley

    General Austin K. Shockley, of the US Army Forces Command, says the current balance-of-power is dangerously unstable.

"I don't know how Russia got so many bases built around our strategic perimeter. We are supposed to have something called The Monroe Doctrine, which forbids things like that. America was lucky to have had a President Monroe. Russia never had a President Monroe, so it's just not the same for them, with our bases over there on their perimeter. That's just normal. But with all those Soviet, er, excuse me, Russian bases out here in our faces, the situation is just not safe or stable, IMO. Our bases are safe and non-threatening;Theirs aren't. It's as simple as that."


The international community can only hope that intellect and understanding 
will triumph over emotion and the danger of knee-jerk reactions, in these 
perilous times.

The whole world is watching the 2 countries, because a bad result 
ultimately endangers, on a profound existential level, all inhabitants 
of this fragile planet.


Link:
A GARLIC SUPPLEMENTAL REPORT----THE BASE IN NEWFOUNDLAND----CLOSE-UP


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High School Teacher gets Death Penalty for Not Teaching To The Test

On June 21st, 2018, high school English teacher Hannah Elaine True will be strapped into a gurney at Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City Missouri and injected with a dose of  Pentobarbitol sufficient to stop her heart from beating. It is a heart, she claims, that will beat, until it stops, "for the real education of my students, and not some phony number that means nothing in the long run, except profit for test companies, and for the benefit of those 

who wish to privatize Public Education. 

I can go to my grave with peace in my heart".

Hannah True is escorted by officer to her trial, 

which ended in  her conviction, by a jury.

Ms True, who taught English at James Cash Penney High School in the town of Limbaugh, Missouri, has been convicted of the newly-established crime of willfully and repeatedly violating
school testing standards and norms, which is now a capital offense in the state of Missouri,
as well as some other states.

Reportedly, Ms. True expressed doubts about the efficacy of testing openly to her students, and deliberately taught curriculum of her own choosing that fell outside the parameters set for educators by State Law.
Additionally, she displayed materials in her room which cast aspersions on the value of achievement testing's usefullness in educating children, which, according to some sources, was the final straw that led to her receiving the death penalty for her violations.



                                The death chamber at Missouri State penitentiary,
                                           where Ms. True will meet her fate

                             
                          Members of the community from Limbaugh, Missouri, are          
                         informed of the indictment. 
                         The community generally was in support of the charges,
                         and were satisfied with the verdict.

Ms. True violated the testing mandates in direct defiance

of accountability guidelines imposed by the state.

Members of the school board were unsympathetic to Ms. True's position, and

unanimously felt her conviction and sentence were justified. "She got what she deserved", said board member Buford Rockness, top left.

                   
                  Hannah Elaine True, at her last press conference before being                                                                 incarcerated, pending her execution.

Ms. True found relatively little sympathy from local parents. "I heard she was a good teacher, but she just went off the rails and never came back. Everybody knows, test scores mean everything to  teaching and learning, and she was willing to just throw them out. 

I feel sorry for her, but the law's the law", said one local parent.

Jury members prepare to hear the case. Once the trial was over, deliberations took only 6 minutes before a guilty verdict was reached. After the trial, one jury member, who did not give their name, said, "We have got to set the highest standards for educating our kids that we can. This is really all for the kids in the final analysis. So I think the death penalty will send a signal to teachers that when they're in a classroom with our kids, they'd better teach-to-the-test, or else."

The Gold Standard and pinnacle of modern education:

The multiple-choice bubble-mark achievement test,

which True dared to defy.

---INCRIMINATING EVIDENCE---

This poster was hung on Ms. True's classroom wall, 

which was material proof of her defiance, 

and according to jurors, sealed her fate.

Presiding Judge, Rory Smacker, who said after the trial, 

"I believe justice was done in this case. 

Now a signal has been sent to all Missouri teachers, and they'd better hear it. 

Our childrens' futures are at stake. Protecting our kids should be our top priority.

Ms. True will die, so that test scores may live."

                                                                                                                               
                               
                                 US Education Secretary Betsy DeVos 
                                 weighed-in on the case:                                                                   
                                 "It was a wonderful verdict for all our children in school. 
                                 It tells educators, if you don't 
                                 follow proper guidelines when teaching our kids, 
                                 you will pay a high price."

Leland Austin Grey III, CEO of JJ Educational Testing Services 

and Outsourcing Corporation, 

was satisfied with the decision.

"This verdict really helps our kids. The kids are what this is all about.

Not money. No, not money at all."

                                 Stunned high school students hear the verdict.
                                One of Ms. True's former students, Gary Fairburn (right-center, below),
                                was outspoken in his reaction,
                               "Gosh, I know she broke the rules, but she was a good teacher.
                                Isn't the death penalty a little over-the-line?"

                           Hannah True, in happier times. She has remained defiant, nonetheless.
                          "It is a far, far better place I go to, then teaching classrooms of children that                                    multiple-choice bubble-tests are the main key to their learning,
                          which is a lie. I face my fate with a clear conscience, although I do hate needles."

                            Teachers across the country are coming to the sober                                                      realization that from now on, compliance is MANDATORY.

  

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Finally, Some Good Environmental News--A Species Saved From Extinction!

The Western Blacklegged Tick----Saved From The Brink!

 --Ixodes pacificus--

Going strong again, now, Thanks to a massive effort 

by scientists and Citizens' groups.

Fragile baby in peril

                                                                                                                                                                           

Just a few years ago, things looked bleak for the once-common

Western Blacklegged Tick.

As a consequence of varying forms of pollution in the environment, climate-change, and out-of-control development, the species had been diminishing for many years, until specimens were becoming disturbingly hard to find. 

A young Ixodes struggles to feed and survive, in a hostile world.

Scientists noticed this crisis as more and more hunters, outdoorsmen, hikers, campers and backpackers began lodging concern that this unique species, found only in the far western US, was no longer being sighted at all  in many areas where it was once unbiquitous.

Hunter/fisherman Leroy Bludebank testifies:

"I've been hiking, fishing and hunting in these forests [in the Sierra Nevada] since I was a kid. Back then, these little guys were all over the place. But things reached a point where I hadn't seen one in years. I figured it must be the end of an era. How sad is that?" 

        "So many things we grew up with out in nature are being lost forever. 

What can we do?"

Leroy Bludebank, outdoorsman

But soon, an alliance of outdoors enthusiasts, environmental groups 

and scientists began to focus on the problem.

It started with bake sales, school assemblies, local town meetings, and led to several major conferences of scientists at different western Universities. Finally, a program 

for restoration of the species was established.

University Scientists worked countless hours without pay 

to study the best solutions to the crisis.

Entymologists and biochemists worked together for a clearer understanding 

of the nutrient problems that have been identified 

as a key factor in the near-disappearance of this species.

Local Sierra Nevada community and environmental groups volunteered their time to provide thousands of hours of hard work out in the field to replenish 

the population of the tiny, threatened creatures.

The  Sierra Tick-Tockers----Just one of the many citizens groups that coalesced

in order to solve the problem

Volunteers were happy to sacrifice just a few drops of blood to help restore the vibrancy of the species. It was discovered that the critters re-gained health and strength better on the children's blood than the adults. Entire families contributed their fluids, but it was the kids who helped the most, after being informed the blood needed would be little more than most typical blood samples taken in an average physical exam.

The kids were glad to help out, and their contributions were considerable

Happy to give.

Andy Montez, 7, donates blood to feed young weakling

ticks in the Tick Rehab lab set up by organizers.

The Tick-Tockers  collect weak specimens for conditioning in the lab. 

Meanwhile, the few relatively strong individuals they can find, 

they nourish with their own bodily fluids 

to strengthen the tiny Arachnids. 

The little creatures are then left in the forest 

to fend for themselves.

After years of consolidated effort by many determined groups, The Western Blacklegged Tick is gaining in numbers again, and now seems out of danger of extinction.

If you ever have the pleasure to hike in the Sierra Nevada area of California next to western Nevada, you just might be lucky enough to see a Western Blacklegged Tick, when you discover one or more of the little wanderers has decided to accompany you on your hike, 

fishing trip or hunting day.

If you do, thank the citizens and scientist-volunteers who made it possible.

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In a world with many environmental challenges and problems, 

it is reassuring to know 

that there are some very real success stories out there.

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