Dog On A Root

- jim Young "If we demand, or acquiesce to, a COVID-19 vaccine passport, what happens with other communicable diseases, such as measles? Will we continue to ignore whether people are vaccinated against these diseases the way we did pre-COVID-19, or will we require passports for all diseases that have a vaccine?" - Barry Glass I am fully vaccinated. And by “fully”, I mean I received my second vaccine more than the required time frame of 14 days ago. I am not bragging, it’s just a statement of fact that might surprise you in light of my position on the Vaccine Passport. I wish everyone would get the Covid-19 Vaccine. At the very least, it would make things simpler. But mostly I wish everyone would get the Covid-19 Vaccine for their own protection. I could give you all the reasons that I believe that, but I doubt it’s going to change anyone’s mind.  My name is jim Young. I am not a doctor, nor do I have any post-nominal letters to attach after my name that would afford me any...

- jim Young Well maybe not everywhere in Ontario, but apparently it is at Rogers Centre during the Blue Jays Baseball Games. With a seating capacity of 49,282 and attendance limited to 15,000 fans you would think physical distancing would not be a problem. That ratio works out to about 1 fan for every 3.3 seats which should allow everyone to be physically distanced by the required 2 metres for any given game. Pods of up to 4 people in the “physically distanced” seats are available to accommodate fans living in the same household so this should provide a little extra room just to be safe. However not ALL the seats at Rogers Center are being put to use.  One-third of the seating available for sale (100L and 200L outfield and bases) is allocated to the optional “physical distancing” seats.  The remaining two-thirds of the seats available for sale (100L and 200L infield and TD Clubhouse) are designated as “standard seating”.  The other sections are closed and remain empty. T...

-  jim Young How do you spell Canada with 3 letters?  You’ve got your C, eh? and your N, eh? &  and your D, eh? I’m Canadian, eh? Sorry.  When I say “sorry” , I’m not really apologizing for being Canadian. I am proud to be a Canadian. Damn proud! So why would I say “Sorry” ?  Canadians are known for being polite. (Sadly, not ALL Canadians are polite ALL the time, but overall it’s just one of the idiosyncrasies we’ve become known for.) So while it might seem that I am apologizing for being Canadian I am really just apologizing in case you are, for some unknown reason, offended that I am a Canadian.  Canadians politely apologize so much that most provinces have adopted an “apology legislation” which states that “an apology does not constitute an admission of fault or liability following an accident.” Just like, “I’m sorry that you may be offended that I am a Canadian” , when I say “Sorry” , following a fender bender, I am simply saying “I am sorry that ...

- jim Young “You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.” - Abraham Lincoln Two of my childhood heroes wore masks that they refused to take off in public. The Lone Ranger and Zorro wore masks in their fight to save lives. The Lone Ranger and Zorro Although I am no superhero, for over a year now, I too wore a mask in public to help save lives. But I’m ready to take it off now. 50% of Canadians have received their second dose of vaccines to protect themselves against Covid-19. 80% have received at least one dose and are partially protected from the virus. It stands to reason that the 30% difference have likely signed up and are in the process of getting their second dose. Or maybe they're not. That's up to them. But it’s estimated that the remaining 20% of Canadians may not get vaccinated - ever. Half of those are anti-vaxxers that will exercise their right not to be vaccinated. That’s their choice. The other half are either un...

- jim Young 20200719 “You say you want a revolution.  Well, you know we all want to change the world. You tell me that it's evolution. Well, you know we all want to change the world. You say you got a real solution.  Well, you know we'd all love to see the plan. You ask me for a contribution. Well, you know, we're doing what we can.”                               - Lennon/McCartney I think we have all pretty much adjusted to the idea that we will not be going back to “normal” but that a “new normal” awaits us once we have emerged through all stages required to reopen our communities following the coronavirus pandemic. What has many people anxious is not knowing what that “new normal” will be. Will face-masks in public become a permanent practice? Will the widespread use of hand-sanitizers that had been primarily reserved for hospitals and medical facilities become commonplace? Will social...

Update to My Our Marantz & Me We - jim Young If you read my column last February you will remember I was in the process of having my vintage Marantz Receiver Amp restored to working status. Shortly after my Marantz went in for repair the last time, we were hit with Covid-19 and the repair shop was closed due to its classification as a non-essential service. Audiophiles such as myself might tend to disagree with this classification but there you go. Regardless, we were pleased to receive a call from R&J Electronics in North Bay when they reopened that “our” Marantz was finally ready to Rock ‘n Roll once more. Thanks to the dedicated efforts of Randy in California at irebuildmarantz for tracking down the elusive parts and Sergio’s relentless repair expertise at R&J Electronics in North Bay, we are once again enjoying our tunes from Beethoven to the Beatles with the clarity and oomph that the artists intended their music to be heard. Of course, as always, apologies go out ...

- jim Young “I will gladly put my name to and accept responsibility for every piece of work I create, but I also expect to receive credit for everything I create as well.” - anon As a writer, I choose my words carefully. At least most of the time. Sometimes I’ll sit down after a couple of beers and start spewing forth anything that pops into my head. The words are not always so carefully chosen then. The end result might be a page or two full of garbage destined for the recycle bin but surprisingly, more often than not, the results are refreshingly rewarding even if they do require extensive editing and a more careful selection of words. Regardless of how I end up with an article that I feel is worthy of publishing here at the Great North Arrow, online at DogOnARoot.com, Quora or elsewhere, I proudly sign my name and take ownership of my words - good and bad, right or wrong. When I wrote in high school (mostly poetry) I used a series of pen names. While collecting poetry from other stu...