All posts by Keith Braithwaite

DISPATCHES FROM A QUARANTINE

In This Post:

  1. Cautious Optimism

  2. Critically Important That We Take COVID-19 Seriously, Act Accordingly!

  3. George R. R. Martin at Work During Pandemic!

  4. Things to do While in Quarantine

  5. A Light at the End of the Tunnel!

  1. Cautious Optimism   

As each day brings dire news of increases in the numbers of people infected by, or having succumbed to COVID-19 in Quebec, the rest of Canada, the neighbouring U.S., and overseas, local authorities seem cautiously optimistic about the developing situation. The “stay-at-home!” directive, “social distancing,” and the thorough and frequent hand-washing practice urged by public health officials in order to mitigate the rapid spread of the virus appear to be having the desired effect. We are told the coming few weeks will tell.

Our collective fingers are crossed!

However, we are cautioned that things will get worse before they get better. This trajectory is anticipated and should not cause undue alarm. It is vitally important that we all continue to follow stringently the public health guidelines outlined, even though it may seem at the outset that they are having no appreciable effect. Our collective action could, in the end, reduce by half the number of Canadians ultimately infected!

Should the virus spread through our population too quickly and widely, our health-care system is at risk of becoming overwhelmed by the sheer number of people who would be showing up at hospitals abruptly requiring treatment. Hospital beds and vital equipment like testing kits, respirators and protective face masks would suddenly be at a premium. Better that the number of sick persons expected in the weeks ahead be distributed in lesser numbers per day or week over a period of time, than in one massive grouping all at once certain to overload the system.

That’s why we’ve been asked to do our part by self-isolating, practicing social distancing—also referred to as “physical distancing,” that being the maintenance of a minimum two-metre separation between ourselves and others when we positively must go outside—and washing our hands often.

Our governments, for their part, are mobilizing resources, restricting unnecessary travel, implementing financial assistance programs for both employees and businesses affected by the curtailment of commerce—which is pretty much every business, and everyone!—updating the population with daily status reports, securing supplies of needed medical equipment, and tasking industry to ramp up manufacturing of same.

All fine and good, but!…

 

  1. Critically Important That We Take COVID-19 Seriously, Act Accordingly!

There are still too many instances of citizens ignoring the above-mentioned public health recommendations! Medical professionals and government officials continue to emphatically emphasize the gravity of the crisis, and remind us that we must all take the situation very seriously. Excepting for brief and focused excursions to buy groceries, medication, or other essential supplies, we absolutely have to all remain isolated in our homes in order to significantly slow the person-to-person transmission of this virus.

Even if you are exhibiting only mild symptoms, or none at all, you may be carrying the virus, and thus infecting others with whom you come in contact. Keep in mind that while you may well recover without need of treatment, some of those that you inadvertently infect may not! COVID-19 can and will result in acute illness for a sizable percentage of the population, and for some of these unfortunate folk, death! There is much about the behaviour of this coronavirus that we do not yet know, and every day seems to bring new and unsettling discoveries. So take note, younger cohort: you are not immune! There are more cases reported every day of young people contracting the disease and becoming dreadfully sick as a result, some of them fatally!

So let’s not be blasé about all this—follow the specified instructions! One of the lives you are helping to save just might be your own!

And anyway, if you venture outside your front door, where are you going to go, and what are you going to do? Everything is shut down! The restaurants, coffee shops, fast-food outlets, bars, movie theatres, and other entertainment venues are all closed. So are the museums, libraries, community centres, public parks and playgrounds, malls and large retail stores. Major and minor sporting events are all cancelled or indefinitely postponed. Industry has largely shut down, and most employers are instructing their people to either stay home or, if possible, work from home. Schools from kindergarten to university are all closed for the foreseeable future. Inter-provincial, and even inter-regional travel is now strongly discouraged. The aim of authorities is first, to deter people from venturing far from home and potentially spreading the virus around the province and country, and second, from gathering in large groups or small, and possibly contracting the virus or infecting others. Most recently, law enforcement has been authorized to intervene in cases of individuals skirting safety protocols.

 

  1. George R. R. Martin at Work During Pandemic!

Now on a more positive note, the Habs haven’t lost a game in almost three weeks, and fans of George R. R. Martin have fresh smiles on their faces. The author of the Song of Ice and Fire cycle is spending his time during this pandemic holed up in an isolated location at work on completing the long-awaited final book in the series, Winds of Winter. Yay! A Song of Ice and Fire was adapted for television as the popular, long-running HBO series Game of Thrones. Haven’t seen it? There’s a quarantine on; now’s your chance to binge the series!

 

 

  1. Things to do While in Quarantine

How are you passing the time in quarantine?

We imagine many of you have a queue of sci-fi television shows and movies as yet unwatched. Now is your opportunity to binge them. Same with that stack of unread genre books. Those of you who purchased bags and boxes of hardcovers and paperbacks back in November at the club’s used book sale will certainly have more than enough material to peruse.

Maybe you have a genre story idea rolling around in your head. If so, get to writing it! Make it a work of fanfic, or a conventional short story. We hope this quarantine doesn’t last so long as to allow enough time to pen a novel! When you’ve completed your story, submit it to Warp, the club’s fanzine.

If you’re looking for inspiration, try spinning a tale from one of the brief taglines/synopses immediately below, randomly selected. Your fellow MonSFFen came up with these during one of our sessions of BluF/SF, the parlour game we play on occasion at our meetings in which players try to bluff each other with fake summaries of actual published fantasy or science fiction stories:

  • Aliens threaten humanity with death, until they are made to understand love.

  • A Satanic couple take up competitive boxing!

  • Hikers are put upon by a Sasquatch!

  • The Bearded Lady has new competition at the freak show, which has just introduced androids!

  • A unicorn composes classical music!

  • Sulfur mining on the moons of Jupiter goes horribly wrong!

  • A walrus floats on radioactive waste in Miami Beach!

  • A sentient octopus wants to roller-skate!

  • British go-go dancers take over London!

  • Society invents a way to publish minds, but there are privacy concerns!

  • In a futuristic world, aliens charged with reading the minds of humans mysteriously begin committing suicide!

  • The last man on Earth dies of the flu!

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Or, you may wish to get started on that cool costume idea you recently came up with, or that scale-model spaceship kit you’ve been meaning to build. Or maybe get out your art supplies and render as a pen-and-ink drawing or full-colour painting that futuristic vision you’ve been picturing in your mind for a while, now. Maybe you’ll even scan your finished piece and submit it to Warp as potential cover art!

By all means, exercise your creativity while in isolation—good for you, keeps the mind sharp. And listen to your favourite sci-fi soundtracks or podcasts while you work.

In general, reach out to folk by telephone or online. Keep in touch with family and friends—also good for you. Drop the club an e-mail and let us know how you are doing, and what you are doing to pass the time. And keep well!

 

  1. A Light at the End of the Tunnel!

Finally, encouraging news comes out of Wuhan, the Chinese city that experienced the initial outbreak of the virus. Wuhan went into lock-down two months ago and is only now beginning to slowly return to some semblance of normalcy. Reports are that the city has not in the last five days reported any new cases of COVID-19! This is, perhaps, the light at the end of the tunnel for Wuhan, and the rest of world.

Further, the use of chloroquine, an existing drug used to treat malaria, has apparently shown some promise in application against the COVID-19 virus. Clinical trials are now underway to determine if this antimalarial could be an effective cure, but it’s too soon to draw any conclusions, so for now, we’ll just, again, cross our fingers.

 

SOCIAL DISTANCING!

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A SPECIAL COVID-19 EDITION OF IMPULSE IS HERE!

ATTENTION MonSFFA MEMBERS!

We are living in unprecedented times! The world has not been so shaken by a global public health crisis since the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918-’19.

Find here as a PDF file for viewing or download a special COVID-19 edition of MonSFFA’s news bulletin, Impulse.

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e-ImpulseSpring2020SpecialEditionPDF

This was not a planned edition, but circumstances have unfolded that prompted us to put this issue out. It deals with the ramifications for our club of the on-going COVID-19 pandemic. Please read it. And remember to wash your hands thoroughly and often with soap and water. And keep well.

(This special issue of Impulse can also be found on this Web site under the “Impulse” drop-down menu.)

MARCH 2020 e-IMPULSE NOW AVAILABLE!

ATTENTION MonSFFA MEMBERS!

The latest issue of Impulse, March 2020, has been released and is also available right here:

ImpulseMarch2020PDF

In addition, it’s archived on this Web site, along with previous issues, under the “Impulse” drop-down menu.

Here, for your quick perusal, are the details of the club’s upcoming March 7 meeting, as printed in this issue of the club news bulletin:

1:00PM-5:00PM, St-François Room (second floor), Hôtel Espresso, 1005 Guy St.

Meeting Theme: Costuming! With Costume-Con in Montreal this year, we encourage MonSFFen to bring in their best costumes and accessories (or photos thereof) for display!

PROGRAMME

1:00PM-2:30PM; Costuming Show-and-Tell No. 1:

Today is a good day to DIY! Moulding your own Klingon forehead prosthetic—see how it’s done!

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2:30PM-3:15PM; Costuming Show-and-Tell No. 2:

We welcome two talented costumers from among our ranks for a brief “show-and-tell” on some of the cool, award-winning genre costumes they have fashioned over the years!

3:15PM-3:30PM; Mid-Meeting Break:

Fund-raising raffle; brief discussion of club business, including proposal for an early (April) field trip

3:30PM-4:15PM; Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft!:

How likely is it that we will make contact with an advanced extraterrestrial civilization one day? Or have we already?

4:15PM-5:00PM; Workshop:

Learn how to paint plastic dollar-store toy “weapons” and paraphernalia to appear more realistic!

We’ll See You at the Meeting!

FEBRUARY 2020 e-IMPULSE NOW AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD!

Attention MonSFFA Members!

The February 2020 issue of Impulse, MonSFFA’s News Bulletin, is available for viewing or download right here!:

e-ImpulseFebruary2020PDF

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JANUARY 2020 IMPULSE IS HERE!

The January 2020 issue of MonSFFA’s News Bulletin, Impulse, is here! Just click below…

ImpulseJanuary2020PDF

Yes, it’s the astounding year 2020, and so far, we haven’t seen the dragon apocalypse predicted by Reign of Fire (2002), or the invasion-from-another-dimension of giant monsters that sees Jaeger “Gipsy Danger” defending Anchorage from an attack by category III Kaiju “Knifehead,” as depicted in Pacific Rim (2013), or even the alien threat that United Defense Force soldiers Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt battle over and over and over again in Edge of Tomorrow (2014)! Nope! None of that, to date. But it’s early in year, so who knows?

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In the meantime, at our January 11 meeting, MonSFFA’s looking at the peculiar popularity of Gilbert and Sullivan in sci-fi, and brainstorming programming ideas for the rest of the year!

Read all about it, and more, in the January 2020 issue of Impulse!

MonSFFA Christmas Raffle

Just a quick reminder, folks, that MonSFFA’s 2019 Christmas Party is set for this Saturday evening, December 7!

One of the features of our annual Christmas celebration is the club’s Christmas Raffle, which is a fund-raiser for MonSFFA. We’ll have a pile of gifts (prizes) on hand, enough for just about everyone present! So don’t forget to bring along a little extra cash with which to purchase raffle tickets!

Several club members have very kindly donated prize items to the raffle; anyone wishing to do so is most welcome to, and we thank them for their generosity. We ask that any such donation be gift-wrapped so that it may be added to the gifts under our Christmas tree!

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So we hope to see you all this Saturday evening, December 7! We’ll gather at 7:00PM at the Baton Rouge Steakhouse and Bar, 1050 rue de la Montagne (just south of the corner of René-Lévesque,  beside Centre Bell; closest Metro is Lucien-L’Allier).

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

December 2019 Impulse is Here!

The December 2019 e-Impulse has been distributed to the club’s membership via e-mail, and is available right here:

e-ImpulseDecember2019(Colour)PDF

The issue has also been archived on this Web site (Impulse page).

Included in this issue are the details of MonSFFA’s 2019 Christmas/Holiday Dinner/Party:

Saturday, December 7, 7:00PM, Downtown Montreal

BATON ROUGE STEAKHOUSE & BAR, 1050 rue de la Montagne

Just south of corner René-Lévesque,  beside Centre Bell (Lucien-L’Allier Metro)

  • MonSFFA Christmas Raffle!

  • Rewards Raffle for Volunteer Members!

  • And More!

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From Impulse, December 2019:

Mark Saturday, December 7 in your calendars (that’s this coming Saturday, folks!)! We will be gathering between 7:00PM-7:30PM for our traditional seasonal celebrations once again at the downtown Baton Rouge Steakhouse & Bar, located at 1050 de la Montagne (Mountain), just south of the corner of Boul. René-Lévesque, downtown—it’s beside the Bell Centre; nearest Metro station is Lucien-L’Allier.

Reservations have been made under the name “Cathy Palmer-Lister/ MonSFFA” and all of our usual “Christmas Party” features will take place—Volunteer-Members’ Rewards Raffle, MonSFFA Christmas Raffle, our decorated Christmas tree, etc. (Remember to bring a few extra dollars with you for our Christmas Raffle, a club fund-raiser!)

For those driving in, convenient indoor parking is available right next door! This parking garage is accessed from de la Montagne, just south of René-Lévesque, under the TD Bank branch located in the corner office tower there. The garage entrance is well indicated with signage. Regular street parking is also available in the area, however, note that vacant spots will likely be scarce (this is downtown Montreal on a Saturday night, after all!), so allow yourself plenty of extra time to find an available one.

All of that said, we take this opportunity to issue the following:

An invitation to all MonSFFen, their families and the club’s friends, to join us in celebration of the festive season! And our best wishes to all for a very Merry Christmas and a peaceful, healthy, and Happy New Year!

And lastly, in the spirit of the season, we encourage MonSFFen to donate to a local food bank or toy drive.

MonSFFA’s SUPER SCI-FI BOOK SALE is this WEEKEND!

Just a quick reminder that MonSFFA will be holding it’s latest SUPER SCI-FI BOOK SALE this coming weekend, on Saturday, November 9 (open to the public from Noon-4:00PM)!

Locale: Hotel Espresso, 1005 rue Guy, downtown (corner René Lévesque; Metro Lucien L’ Allier or Guy/Concordia), 2nd Floor, St-Francois Room.

Lots of great SF&F hard-cover and paperback books for sale at astounding DISCOUNTS! we recommend that you bring a few sturdy shopping bags with you to haul your purchases home! Spread the word and bring along a friend or two!

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For more information, view or download a PDF of our Book Sale Ad here:

BookSaleAd2019PDF

See You This Saturday at the SUPER SCI-FI BOOK SALE!

get ready for the invasion of the super sci-fi book sale from planet “X”!

Attention SF&F Readers:

Amazing Prices on Thousands of Amazing Stories by Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors from Asimov to Zelazny!

 We’ve got plenty of inventory left over from our previous sales, plus lots of fresh stock, and we’re clearing it all at our astonishingly low prices!

Piles of Paperbacks!  Boxes of Books! An Astounding Assortment Available!

Including… TRADE PAPERBACKS and HARDCOVERS! ANTHOLOGIES and SPECIALTY BOOKS! Plus a Selection of MAGAZINES and COMICS!

A Good Book Makes a Great Christmas Gift!

UNIMAGINABLE, UNBELIEVABLE, UNBEATABLE BARGAINS!

The Lowest  Prices In the Galaxy! The More you Buy, the More you Save!

Paperbacks: 50¢ each, 3 for $1.00, 7 for $2.00!

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Trade Paperbacks: $2.00 each

Hardcovers: $3.00 each

Big Bulk Bargain: $10.00 for a whole BIG box full of books!

Select Specialty Books: as marked

Magazines and Comics: 10¢ each

EVERYTHING!  MUST!  GO! Open to the Public! Spread the Word! Bring a Friend!

Stock Up Now for Your Holiday Reading!

Saturday, NOVEMBER 9, 2019, 1:00-4:00PM Hôtel Espresso (2nd Floor), 1005 rue Guy, corner Boul. René-Lévesque (Metro Guy/Concordia or Lucien L’Allier)

Sponsored by, and in support of MonSFFA, The Montreal Science Fiction and Fantasy Association