Canadian COVID-19 News

[Macblaze]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Yup, still a strong seller. Of course the true redneck beer was Beer beer. I recall discovering it when I moved to Calgary in the mid-1980s to go to UofC. It was the cheapest drunk available, so popular amongst the impoverished student crowd.




Apparently it was so cheap it was banned in Saskatchewan:

The generic beer that was too cheap for Saskatchewan

OMG... you just reminded me. In our university days, a slightly too-enthusiastic boozer friend of mine once hit the ALCB with a calculator. He exited with conclusive proof that Beer beer was was indeed the cheapest drunk available.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Macblaze

OMG... you just reminded me. In our university days, a slightly too-enthusiastic boozer friend of mine once hit the ALCB with a calculator. He exited with conclusive proof that Beer beer was was indeed the cheapest drunk available.

I think that was me . No lie... being a physics major, I did the calculation .

[Montanan]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Corona? Nah, not in Quebec. These would be more appreciated:

or

Mike, I would welcome trying such beer, if I ever go to Quebec. What is the phrase for ordering a beer in French? I took three years of French language class in junior high school in California, but I don't believe the teacher ever taught us how to request beers. In Quebec could I say: Dos cervezas, por favor, to the barkeeper? Why I ever chose to learn French when living in California be founds me to this day, obviously not thinking things through properly.

Here in western Montaña, one of the most popular beers is Moose Drool, brewed by the Big Sky Brewing Company in Missoula which is Montana's largest brewery. It is a very flavorful ands smooth, brown ale and the most popular of their brews. Don't let the name put you off. See image below:

A bit of interesting Moose Drool background.

Inside each bottle cap there is a short printed message, many are kind of a bit of trivia for which one asks of your fellow drinkers. I recall entering a conference room happy hour gathering at work and all my workmates were stumped as to one of the bottle caps and so they asked me since I kind of am like a walking Google database.

Inside the cap was written: 3-7-77

I instantly responded: "That is the Montana vigilante code." A well d'uh if you are from southwest Montana.

Okay, going way further off topic here:

3-7-77 was the symbol used by the Montana Vigilantes (Vigilance Committee) in Virginia City, Montana, USA in the 19th century. People who found the numbers '3-7-77' painted on their tent or cabin knew that they had better leave the area or expect to be on the receiving end of vigilantism.

The numbers are used on the shoulder patch of the Montana Highway Patrol, who claim they do not know the original meaning of the symbol, though the Association of Montana Troopers website says "Regardless of its meaning, however, 3-7-77 is emblematic of the first organized law enforcement in Montana. The Montana Highway Patrol, in adopting this early symbol, honors the first men in the Montana Territory who organized for the safety and welfare of the people. For that same reason, the Association of Montana Troopers has carried on that tradition by placing the legendary 3-7-77 on their patch as well. It has been suggested the numbers represent the date the Vigilante Oath was signed in Bannack Montana, the first seat of Justice in the state. You can visit the Masonic Temple in the now ghost town and see the Oath for yourself hanging on the wall. It is dated March 7, 1877. (3-7-77)"

The symbol also appears on the flight suits of. pilots of the Montana Air National Guard, and the Flight Patch of the Montana Army National Guard Medevac unit 1189th GSAB – Vigilantes.

The Vigilantes hung the first Sheriff of Bannock, Montana, Henry Plummer as he was the leader of the Road Agents that was robbing and killing upwards of 102 miners and travelers during the early Gold Rush. Over a course of approximately six weeks between December 1863 and February 1864, vigilante companies located, arrested and executed suspected members of the Plummer road agent gang in Bannack, Virginia City and Hellgate, Montana. Somewhere between 15 and 35 of the Road Agents were also hung in Bannock [the first territorial capitol and first gold town] and in Virginia City [the second territorial capitol and the second major gold town] thereby initiating the beginning of real law and order in Montana.

The origin of 3-7-77 is debated but its meaning is clear and is still conveyed on occasions when needed and with full intimidating implications. One of the meanings includes: The numbers represent the dimensions of a grave, 3 feet by 7 feet by 77 inches. I invoked the vigilante code to my neighbor within a few hours of having first moved to our new home with my family into Polson after my neighbor had shot my Basset Hound puppy; the neighbor had lived in his home for about 12 years, he moved out within the week. After I had returned from arranging emergency care for the puppy at the veterinarian, I contacted 911 and the police arrived to investigate my report of the shooting of my dog; one of the first things that the police asked was if I had actually witnessed the shooting, to which I calmly responded: "No. If I had seen my dog get shot, I would not have had need to ask for the police to respond when I called 911 Emergency Dispatch, I would have instead have requested the services of the Coroner, or perhaps of an ambulance and emergency medical techs to gather and convey the body of my neighbor." My matter of fact response kind of set the tone for all my many subsequent contacts with the Polson police department of which I became a friendly first name basis with most all the personnel. I still recall the widening of each of the Police officers eyes when I stated such response as they then knew I was literally brand new to the town and was deadly serious and very angry, foremost because of the trauma my two year old daughter experienced discovering her puppy bleeding out from two wounds and her being covered with spurting pulses from an arterial wound by having tried to stem the flow of blood with her tiny hands. Hearing her screams of anguish from our backyard chilled me to my soul. On first sight, I thought she was bleeding out, then I saw that she was pressing as hard as she could on the puppy's shoulder blade with squirts of blood rising through her fingers. Who in the hell shoots a basset hound puppy?

The police followed the blood trail from my dog's wounds out of my yard to near the approach of the porch of my neighbor and several kids told them that the man had shot the dog. I recall the Polson police telling me that they had a stern discussion with the man and had put "The fear of God" into my neighbor. I told the police that it was not God that my neighbor needed to fear and that there would be a reckoning of which they did not need to further become involved with. I traced out with my finger on the hood of their police car 3-7-77, then thanked them, and told them "I'll handle it from here." and they were good with that and departed with a knowing nod. One patted me on the back and quietly said that is also how he have chosen to handle it.

A bit of history to put such conveyance of the code messaging in context.

The original Vigilance Committee oath signed by its earliest members was:

"We the undersigned uniting ourselves in a party for the laudable purpos [sic] of arresting thievs [sic] & murderers & recovering stollen [sic] property do pledge ourselves upon our sacred honor each to all others & solemnly swear that we will reveal no secrets, violate no laws of right & never desert each other or our standard of justice so help us God as witness our hand and seal this 23 of December ad 1863."

Paris Pfouts was elected as the president of the committee which drafted and adopted a comprehensive set of by-laws establishing a formal structure and process. The by-laws established the position of president, an executive officer, an executive committee, a secretary, treasurer and positions of captains and lieutenants of companies.[17] The most relevant process contained in the by-laws was:

"It shall be the duty of members to attach themselves to some company and whenever any criminal act shall come to their knowledge to inform his Captain or Lieutenant of the same, when the officers so informed shall call together the members of his Company, (unless the Company has chosen a committee for such purpose) when they shall proceed to investigate the case, and elicit the facts and should the said company conclude that the person charged with any offense should be punished by the committee, the Captain or Lieutenant will first take steps to arrest the Criminal and then report same with proof to the Chief who will thereupon call a meeting of the Executive Committee and the judgement of such Executive Committee shall be final. The only punishment that shall be inflicted by this Committee is death."

— By-laws of Vigilance Committee of Alder Gulch (1863)

The vigilance committee started as a small secret institution in Virginia City, knowledge of it soon spread in the territory and membership grew. As a secret organization, exact accounts of membership vary, but many members became prominent in the history of the territory and state. Among those who were members include Wilbur Sanders (1st U.S. Senator from Montana (1890)), Sidney Edgerton (first Governor of Montana Territory (1864)), Nelson Story (famous for his 1866 cattle drive from Texas to Bozeman and prominent Bozeman merchant), John Bozeman (founder of Bozeman, Montana (1864) and the Bozeman Trail), Nathaniel P. Langford (first Yellowstone National Park superintendent (1872–1877)), James Stuart (brother of Granville Stuart, who would form the Stuarts' Stranglers in 1884), Tom Cover (one of the Alder Gulch prospectors who discovered the first gold there and alleged murderer of John Bozeman (1867)) and Thomas Dimsdale (editor of Montana's first newspaper, the Montana Post and author of The Vigilantes of Montana (1866).

And as Paul Harvey would often say: "So now you know the rest of the story. Good day."

My late father-in-law's dad was an Under Sheriff of Virginia City, Montana, where one can tour and see the ridge beams upon which the vigilantes hung persons in one of the old buildings and Boot Hill cemetery makes for an interest visitation. The vigilante gallows are still present and maintained by the State Park Department as part of their stewardship of the historical Ghost town of Bannock which was the first territorial capitol, albeit it has been a longtime since someone was really hung from them.

I perceive that as a Montanan, that naming a boat: "3-7-77", and then using as a Port of Call, "Alder Gulch, Montana" would make for an intriguing display on one's transom. Maybe I could place such on one of my boats for use on Flathead Lake. Most of the people at the marina would recognize it. Certain so would the Sheriff, and the SAR, and the fire department personnel whose powerful specialized patrol, rescue and fire boats are in the adjoining slips to my sailboat.

[Montanan]

Just saying.

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by Macblaze

OMG... you just reminded me. In our university days, a slightly too-enthusiastic boozer friend of mine once hit the ALCB with a calculator. He exited with conclusive proof that Beer beer was was indeed the cheapest drunk available.

On the other side of the price equation: I mainly drink craft beers now, because at CDN$3+ a can, I can't afford to overindulge.

Oh, and speaking of meese, every New Years' Day (when there isn't a pandemic) our club has the Commodore's Levee, where the beverage on offer is Moose Milk - chocolate ice cream, leftover eggnog, rum, whiskey, Baileys, acetone, WD40, Interlux #202 solvent (I'm going by taste; the actual formula is a closely-guarded secret.)

[Scorpius]

Originally Posted by redhead

I tried to find an earlier post but got lost in the 1600+ entries here. Perhaps the person who posted can guide me.

We're considering going for Alaska from Washington this summer. We are fully vaccinated US citizens in a US boat. We carry enough fuel, water and provisions to make the trip without landing.

Someone posted on this thread a while ago about friends of theirs who were allowed to do it, but had to present a routing plan to the Canadian authorities and then were OK'd to pass through Canadian waters.

If that poster's still here, can you point me toward it as a first step toward our own plans? I'd surely appreciate it. As much as I've enjoyed this thread I really don't want to read the who thing again. I tried a Google search and it turned up as many posts as this. Thanks again.

I posted some stuff along those lines- and I remember it was quite a topic for a while. At the time you had to check in with Canada Border Services (as always - although they closed a couple of their stations) and providing you were going to Alaska for good reason (and you might have a problem there if it's just a recreational trip) they would give you a permit.

My understanding was that you had to make every effort to go straight through without slowing down or diverting for sight-seeing, etc. You COULD stop for fuel and supplies but those stops were to be minimal and quick. I know that in Port McNeil out-of-province boaters were not allowed to leave their boats. You could stop for fuel and have groceries delivered from the nearby IGA but that was about it. No going ashore. I believe you were also allowed to anchor nights.

At first things were pretty lax but were significantly tightened up after local residents complained about US boats and people arriving in their communities and hanging around. I myself witnessed a large plastic palace come into Comox and everybody aboard debarked for the local pub. This was at a time when US Covid infections rates were FAR higher than ours and vaccines hadn't yet arrived. It was VERY concerning.

We were anchored in the Octopus Islands when the RCMP patrol boat Lindsey came through and checked every boat in the anchorage. Things were, and are, being taken very seriously.

At the moment we are restricted from travelling between health regions (a restriction that was not in place last summer). That means that if you are a mainland person you may not visit Vancouver Island or anywhere north of Desolation Sound. Vancouver Island people are restricted to Vancouver Island, etc. I don't know how this will affect the through-to-Alaska trips. I do however expect these restrictions to be lifted possibly by the end of May as our vaccination rates increase and the number of Covid cases drop - which they are already doing fairly dramatically.

I'd call Canada Border Services at one of the marine entry points (I would think Victoria would be good) and share your plans with them.

Good luck.

[GordMay]

Moose Milk is a Canadian Military tradition:
Although it’s hard to trace the actual origins and “correct” recipe, the lore goes something like this:
Some claim it was the Royal Canadian Navy who created it, others claim it was the Royal Canadian Air Force, but everyone agrees it is a Canadian Military creation.
The Navy may claim the “Moose is Loose” at every port and was once a toast prior to the party that occurs at port.
The Air Force may claim that during WWII a Commanding Officer ordered a Flight Sergeant to craft a beverage for the female guests at functions that weren’t beer or whiskey.
There was no version of the story from the Army, but they do partake.
The recipe itself varies widely depending on who you ask, every unit has their own version it would seem.
But it comes down to four basic ingredients: hard liquor [most often Rum], cream, eggs, and spice. The portions also vary from unit to unit.

[Scorpius]

Originally Posted by Lake-Effect

On the other side of the price equation: I mainly drink craft beers now, because at CDN$3+ a can, I can't afford to overindulge.

Oh, and speaking of meese, every New Years' Day (when there isn't a pandemic) our club has the Commodore's Levee, where the beverage on offer is Moose Milk - chocolate ice cream, leftover eggnog, rum, whiskey, Baileys, acetone, WD40, Interlux #202 solvent (I'm going by taste; the actual formula is a closely-guarded secret.)

Love it!

[deblen]

New Brunswick is giving out a 2-4 of MooseHead & six 2 x 4's for proof of vac.

[Macblaze]

Originally Posted by deblen

New Brunswick is giving out a 2-4 of MooseHead & six 2 x 4's for proof of vac.

Jeezus, at $10/stud that's better than gold!

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Montanan

Mike, I would welcome trying such beer, if I ever go to Quebec. What is the phrase for ordering a beer in French?

Easy: Bière froide s'il vous plaît

At which point the server will look at you with a mixture of sadness, understanding and appreciation for your honest effort, and then ask you in English: "So, you want a cold beer?"

[Montanan]

Ontario will extend its stay-at-home order for an additional two weeks to June 2, as COVID-19 cases finally begin to trend downwards in one of Canada's hardest hit provinces, Premier Doug Ford said on Thursday.

Hospitals in Canada's most populous province were close to being overwhelmed in the latest pandemic wave due to a surge in COVID-19 cases driven by more easily transmitted coronavirus variants and a reopening that many health experts said happened too soon.

Ford said that children ages 12 to 15 and their families will be able to book vaccine appointments as of May 31, although he did not say when schools in the province would return to in-person learning. https://www.yahoo.com/news/ontario-e...175057682.html

[Midnight Son]

For everyone wondering about the 3-4 month delay between jabs in some provinces.


https://www.theguardian.com/science/...roves-immunity


Best wishes all.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Midnight Son

For everyone wondering about the 3-4 month delay between jabs in some provinces.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/...roves-immunity

Best wishes all.

That is good news since we're running a mass population experiment here in Canada by delaying all second shots to beyond 12 weeks. I assume there are lots of graduate-level thesis in play looking at this forced research.

[Midnight Son]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

That is good news since we're running a mass population experiment here in Canada by delaying all second shots to beyond 12 weeks. I assume there are lots of graduate-level thesis in play looking at this forced research.

This will probably be covered in today's video by Dr. Campbell. I will post te link when I find out more.