tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72883686877011428882025-01-07T05:13:31.258-05:00lionelgayle.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04465912739659667129noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7288368687701142888.post-48163322087118472522022-08-01T04:03:00.002-04:002022-08-01T20:23:45.592-04:00

ON THE ROAD AGAIN By Lionel GayleThe above headline is not referring to Willie Nelson’s hit song. And I’m not trying to sing the line: “We deh pon street again,” from ‘Duppy Conqueror,’ by Bob Marley and the Wailers. But like all those revellers and masqueraders who strutted in the Grand Parade on Saturday (July 30, 2022), I too trod on the tarmac at Lake Shore Boulevard. Sorry, I can’t

lionelgayle.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04465912739659667129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7288368687701142888.post-75823920022526766612017-02-03T04:15:00.002-05:002017-05-01T15:42:32.575-04:00

WHERE IS GOD NOW? Part 1   By Lionel Gayle Does God really exist?  If your answer is “yes,” where is He or She now?  Who created Him or Her?  It’s not my style to holler, “God is dead,” or “There is no God.”  Nevertheless, I remain open-minded that science and technology could unearth evidence to prove or disprove, conclusively, whether God is a real entity.&

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Are we living in McLuhan's  'Global Village?' If a village, as defined by Dictionary.com, is “a small community or group of houses in a rural area,” then think of McLuhan's new world as one helluva village. By Lionel Gayle There are widespread discussions that the world is smaller, or is dwindling in size. While some of the arguments might sound plausible, there is no known

lionelgayle.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04465912739659667129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7288368687701142888.post-4628137566923250622013-08-02T02:35:00.000-04:002013-08-08T07:06:58.343-04:00

By Lionel Gayle I am fuming with disgust over “the brutal slaying” of 17-year-old Wayne Jones in Jamaica, merely because he was dressed in drag and, allegedly, seen partying with another male at a dance in the Parish of St. James. Could he have been my distant relative, or yours? Did he have many relatives and friends at home and in the Jamaican Diaspora? What role was he destined to play

lionelgayle.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04465912739659667129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7288368687701142888.post-85099259373719634332013-07-06T07:47:00.001-04:002022-08-09T12:41:41.076-04:00

By Lionel Gayle There is no hard evidence that strongman Samson had dreadlocks as portrayed by actor Nonso Anozie in the Downey-Burnett television series, The Bible, which aired on the History Channel in March 2013.   This is a three-lock hairstyle assuming that the third lock is  on the other side. Samson's

lionelgayle.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04465912739659667129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7288368687701142888.post-82585546256996599452012-09-11T02:39:00.001-04:002012-09-11T13:48:15.616-04:00

By Lionel Gayle SOMEHOW, I had expected the approach of Jamaica’s Golden Jubilee to conjure up an air of great expectations. But even after the official date, August 6, 2012, my spirit remains dormant. I’m finding it extremely difficult to visualize a likeness of Gabriel sounding his prophetic trumpet, thus heralding the dawning of a new Jamaica.   Vuvuzelas at Jamaica 50 Instead, I’m

lionelgayle.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04465912739659667129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7288368687701142888.post-19755218972876848712012-04-05T07:19:00.002-04:002012-04-07T00:11:19.799-04:00

By Lionel Gayle No group of workers should ever have “the right to strike,” unless the majority of citizens – those who suffer when the production and distribution of goods or services are interrupted – have the recourse to stop a strike in its tracks. I call that “equal rights and justice.” And since our most common system of government is based on “parliamentary democracy,” every “egalitarian

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By Lionel GayleIf you checked Wikipedia’s main page, and subsequent pages on its website, you’ll find a sub-head that says, “We’re not done yet.” This is a bit scary because when the organization blacked out its English Wikipedia for twenty-four hours on Wednesday, January 18, 2012, I was deprived of “a free and open Internet” service. The Wikipedia landing page that was visible during the

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By Lionel GayleWhen I first heard of a Patois Bible being published in Jamaica, I got the impression that the diction would be based on the Louisean Flair of the English patois spoken in Jamaica. That’s the style popularized by the late Hon. Louise Bennett-Coverley – Miss Lou, the Jamaican writer and folklorist whom the country had honoured as its Cultural Ambassador at Large. Louise

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By Lionel Gayle My Facebook landing page is like a well-traversed jungle or an active meeting place in a large city. At any given time, it provides accommodation for a plethora of information that reflects the heartbeat of a multi-cultural community. My Profile Image It’s the platform on which I connect with my friends daily and observe the antics of others as they express their feelings of

lionelgayle.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04465912739659667129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7288368687701142888.post-39252655635811915122011-11-20T06:33:00.002-05:002011-11-20T08:21:21.081-05:00

‘Commonwealth anti-gay conundrum’ continues from previous post By Lionel Gayle It is an open book that most governments of the Commonwealth believe there’s a direct link between sexual lifestyles and the proliferation of the deadly HIV/AIDS within their respective borders. And it’s an expensive exercise to medicate the afflicted. Presently, they rely on the Global Fund (to fight AIDS, TB and

lionelgayle.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04465912739659667129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7288368687701142888.post-7567036316358452552011-11-07T01:26:00.002-05:002011-11-07T11:21:37.453-05:00

By Lionel Gayle FORTY-FOUR years after the United Kingdom repealed its sodomy laws against “consensual homosexual acts in private,” former British colonies – now members of the prestigious Commonwealth of Nations – still prosecute citizens deemed guilty of homosexual activities. David Cameron And there’s no indication that these independent nations will repeal their buggery laws anytime soon.

lionelgayle.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04465912739659667129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7288368687701142888.post-68714387285737610972011-10-24T05:02:00.004-04:002011-10-25T05:56:52.847-04:00

By Lionel Gayle Occupy Toronto is the sobriquet for what seems to be a timeless occupation of a private space – a sort of tent-city enclave within Canada’s most bombastic metropolis. It’s from here that a group of belligerent demonstrators have been selecting targets of derision, ever since they kicked off their Toronto campaign on October 15, 2011. An Occupy Toronto protest at Nathan

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By Lionel Gayle It is part of the democratic process whenever a government – be it local, provincial or federal – demands a budget cut from one of its most vital services. Unfortunately, the public never hears of any plan to mitigate the effects of such mangling, and whether any “injured” department ever succeeded in delivering its mandated responsibilities effectively. Chief Bill Blair

lionelgayle.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04465912739659667129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7288368687701142888.post-20544107107077501152011-08-17T05:45:00.000-04:002011-08-17T05:45:49.480-04:00

By Lionel Gayle Amy Winehouse (Contributed) We live in a bloody topsy-turvy world, but I hoped young Amy Winehouse could’ve stayed around to gain some more experience. In so doing, she would’ve satisfied loved ones with her charming presence and fans with the continued expression of her artistic talent. We don’t know how she spent her final hours, but we now know that her unique voice is

lionelgayle.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04465912739659667129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7288368687701142888.post-76232634867705447932011-07-15T04:15:00.003-04:002011-07-15T05:06:47.548-04:00

By Lionel Gayle I count my first blog among the more than 156 million web logs said to be in existence since mid February 2011. With a Canadian traffic rank at 76,723 – reported by Alexa Internet, Inc. – it should be clear that my site, “Just Blogging,” at http://www.lionelgayle.com, is a very new online journal. In fact, I published my first post just about mid May 2011, and currently, Alexa

lionelgayle.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04465912739659667129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7288368687701142888.post-71735041561852218562011-06-16T23:26:00.000-04:002011-06-16T23:26:16.510-04:00

By Lionel Gayle Fathers deserve their big day too. Just like mothers – who are pampered to the hilt on Mother’s Day each year – dads should be encouraged to adapt that air of expectancy every time Father’s Day comes around. This year the highly commercialized Father’s Day is being observed on Sunday, June 19. It was inaugurated in West Virginia in 1908, mainly to celebrate fatherhood, and of

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By Lionel Gayle “This time I’m coming like Hurricane Hatty.” That’s a catchy line from teenager Jimmy Cliff’s song, “Hurricane Hatty,” a mere reference to the Category 5 Hurricane Hattie that crashed into British Honduras (now Belize) on Halloween 1961. Besides claiming over 300 lives, the powerful hurricane forced the Central American British colony to relocate its capital from Belize City

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By Lionel Gayle The above headline certainly reflects a kind of gender disparity. However, the clever defence lawyer who highlighted that female tendency in a Jamaican court many years ago wasn’t pitting a woman’s character against a man’s. His male client was before the court for the possession of ganja – more politely called marijuana or cannabis. As it turned out, the attorney allegedly

lionelgayle.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04465912739659667129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7288368687701142888.post-7051976281905048092011-06-01T23:46:00.000-04:002011-06-01T23:46:33.240-04:00

By Lionel Gayle It is no longer called Caribana, but don’t expect major changes when the world-renowned Caribbean festival kicks off its annual three-week run July 12. Even with a new name on its 44th anniversary, it remains North America’s grandest summer fete. But Scotiabank Caribbean Carnival Toronto (SCCT) is a helluva mouthful for the name of a merrymaking event. Still, that shouldn’t be a

lionelgayle.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04465912739659667129noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7288368687701142888.post-27428424442765467762011-05-28T04:55:00.000-04:002011-05-28T04:55:46.745-04:00

By Lionel Gayle As a thinking man, I don’t believe there is any evidence, scientific or historical, that the world will end – not even with simultaneous cataclysmic earthquakes in divers places, or with a planet-wide nuclear war. By the way, have you ever wondered why earthquakes are among God’s chosen arsenal of weapons for the annihilation of His own people? Allegedly, it’s part of Jesus’

lionelgayle.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04465912739659667129noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7288368687701142888.post-44674973709807877822011-05-24T23:23:00.001-04:002011-05-24T23:25:58.406-04:00

By Lionel Gayle The Scandinavian volcano that erupted last week got me worrying whether the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, also known as the Doomsday seed vault, was in any danger. So I checked up on my geography and found out that Grimsvotn, one of Iceland’s most active volcanoes, was miles away from Norway’s Doomsday seed-bank. In fact, the Global Seed Vault is on the Norwegian Spitsbergen

lionelgayle.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04465912739659667129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7288368687701142888.post-76229921056358194672011-05-20T16:04:00.000-04:002011-05-20T16:04:06.993-04:00

By Lionel Gayle After a week of Google pain with its Blogger confusion, I am glad to report that my blog (this site) seems to be working smoothly. Yet, it puzzles me to know that I can still launch it from the old address link which I was convinced had been deleted or removed from my Google account. In fact, that old link should’ve been more aligned with my first TLD (Top Level Domain), http://

lionelgayle.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04465912739659667129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7288368687701142888.post-61612307134447082872011-05-16T04:19:00.000-04:002011-06-03T01:30:56.991-04:00

By Lionel Gayle When the United States special-forces raided Osama bin Laden’s hide-out at Abbottabad, in north-west Pakistan, did they kill him, did they murder him, did they assassinate the man regarded as America’s most wanted terrorist mastermind behind the 9/11 atrocities? America and the rest of the world are referring to that daring act of May 2, 2011 as “the killing” of bin Laden. To

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