Breaking News? Changes At ODPEM Again?

Cmdr. Alvin Gayle and Richard Thompson

I have been advising several leaders in the country that hardly anything is confidential these days. For example, when I tried in a very clandestine way to find out what was happening at the UHWI (University Hospital of the West Indies), even retired persons were paranoid to say anything. Now everything is gone abroad.

Concealing information can cause more harm than good for a government, so those public servants who probably think that they are protecting the minister might be achieving the opposite. Constructive criticism can only help to make someone better. Remember that by closing the door to the press, this can hurt the country's international press freedom ranking.

I am not being specific, but my statements are not baseless. Let me get to the point.

I received a message from the United Kingdom stating that the former Acting Head of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), Richard Thompson, will be returning to his substantive post at the organization as the deputy head. Cmdr. Alvin Gayle will remain at the helm of ODPEM. I believe ODPEM will still remain at the Office of the Prime Minister.

Should I believe my informant, because he is probably making mischief, is a clairvoyant, or is an advisor to some top people? Could the return of Richard Thompson result in two bulls in a pen? Those who have ears to hear, let them hear. 

What yu no hear a yard, gone abroad.

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Join the Rotary Club of St. Andrew North as we proudly honour our Vocation Awardees—outstanding leaders who exemplify excellence, integrity, and service in their professions. 

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What's Happening - January 24, 2026

Night Noise Again!

While we put emphasis on the national economy, we need to pay far more attention to other things in Jamaica. Many of these things will not cost much to fix. For example, changes are required to ensure that our managers in the public and private sectors do what they are paid to do—they must manage creatively. 

The level of night noise across the country, for example, is at an unbearable level in some areas. Many citizens are of the opinion that police officers are paid to turn a blind eye to this problem. One elderly lady told me that she called the police about a loud noise in her area, and no action was taken. She called a second time only to hear a policeman saying in the background, "A wa ol' woman a call? mek di woman go a har bed."

The following are some of the challenges of loud noise:

Loud noise (typically above 85 dB) causes permanent, irreversible damage to the hair cells in the inner ear, leading to Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) and tinnitus. 

It also acts as a chronic stressor, triggering cardiovascular issues like high blood pressure, reduced sleep quality, and mental health struggles. 

(Information from Google.) 

More Reading:

Citizens complain about noise.

Lack of Respect For The Elderly 

An elderly person went to the NIS office on Ripon Road in Kingston and sent me this report.

Click the icon below to listen to the report:

Minister Pearnel Charles, please deal with the matter, which seems like a management issue.

Bandoolism Continues

If you get the message shown below, do not click on it. You could end up getting a virus, having data stolen from your device, or having data on your device wiped out.

Forms Online - Dis Is A Joke!

In some countries, when they say a form is online, it means that you can go to the website, enter all your information, and that goes into the organization's system. If you go to the bank, for example, to set up a bank account, someone takes the information from you and enters it into the system. They then print the form with the information, and you are asked to sign it.

In Jamaica, when they tell you the form is online, it means the digital copy of the form is online, and you will then have to print the form and enter your data on it. You then take this form to the organization and someone enters your data into the system. With this system, you are using the computer to do some of the work, but the system is not computerized.

Why Do We Do It?

If someone is giving an address to an audience, we should not interrupt the person in the middle of the address in order to make a correction. Slip a bit of paper under the speaker's podium to alert the speaker. I have seen a manager do this to a minister of government.

Why do we start meetings late and keep them for a long time?  I was told once that a meeting is a place where hours are lost and minutes taken. This is one example of time wasting in Jamaica.

Reducing Labour Costs

If we have more people working from home, can you imagine how much would be saved from transportation costs and the cost of lunch? Some jobs should be evaluated based on tasks completed rather than hours spent warming the seat at the workplace.

I have not heard much about the flexi-hours. How is it working in Jamaica?

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Creating a More Civilized Productive and Patriotic Jamaican.

Contributed

There has been a lot of quibbling and to-and-fro concerning education in Jamaica to the point where one becomes confused as to the education pathway.

At times, the ministers or party in power are blamed; other times, the teachers, the school boards, parents, deejays, talk shows, politics, sin, and even acts of God.

We need to start at the beginning. Where do we as a country want to go? 

Jamaica needs to decide on a pathway to enable the acquisition of skills and expertise needed, either through our own efforts or from foreign sources.

The first step is a national aim and objective for education, an approach I learned as a student at the then Moneague Teachers' College, now the Moneague College in St Ann.

The aim is to educate, and the objective is to enable Jamaica to achieve a particular goal. 

For many years Jamaica has not had a clearly articulated aim and objective for education that is known to every citizen and visitor to our shores.

During the period of slavery, the rulers could say the aim and objective for education could have been "to create a highly subservient, slavish, and productive workforce."

What could be the aims and objectives of education today, or over the 50 years of Independence, considering our current high crime rate, declining productivity, high levels of corruption, and unpatriotic and uncivilized behaviour patterns? Increased violent behaviour and also a general lack of consciousness and cooperation among us?

The aim and objective of education for Jamaica today, transcending all partisan political concerns, could simply be "To create a truly productive and patriotic Jamaican" as part of a new 2050 vision.

Michael Spence

micspen2@hotmail.com

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Vernon Derby Says Remove Traffic Ticket Cases From the Judicial System

Vernon Derby
Vice President of the Cross Roads Route Taxi Association.

Vernon Derby is no longer on the radio at this time, and he is looking forward to being back on air in the near future. He is now the vice president of the Cross Roads Route Taxi Association. Yesterday, he attended his first meeting with members of his executive at the Transport Authority's meeting held at Cardiff Hall Hotel in St. Ann.

He brought up a point about taking the traffic ticket system out of the judicial system, except when the ticket is being challenged. 

He suggested that the system work as follows:

1. When you are ticketed by a police officer, the ticket must be paid for within a month.
2. If the ticket is not paid for within a month, then penalties should be charged monthly.
3. If the offender still refuses to pay for the ticket after a year, then the offender should not be allowed to license a motor vehicle, purchase a vehicle, or transfer ownership of a vehicle. The offender would be barred from leaving the island and also from enjoying other benefits offered by the state. The offender's license would also be suspended for one year.

This would be beneficial to the judicial system since this workload would be removed from the system. This would result in more time to deal with other cases. It would also mean that those who have received tickets would not waste time, sometimes a whole day in court, dealing with traffic tickets. This would be a win-win for motorists and the state.

Minister Daryl Vaz, who has responsibility for Energy Information and Communications, saw some merit in the points made by Vernon Derby, and he has agreed to pursue the matter further. Minister Vaz was a guest speaker at the meeting of approximately 48 transport operations across the country.

Add a comment if you agree or disagree with the proposal.

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Remember that Bark Di Trute could fail to bark one day without your support. Send your ideas, stories, and news by WhatsApp at (876) 816-5261.

You can view the blog with your computer at https://vderby.blogspot.com, and you will be able to see the various links. For example, there is a link that takes you to the calendar to see what is happening on the weekend. You can even search the site for articles. There is also a weather link, which you can use to track hurricanes.

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The National Chorale of Jamaica Season Is Here Again

The Chapel at the University of the West Indies, Mona, will resound with the rich voice of renowned contralto Christine MacDonald when she appears as a featured soloist at the concert opening the National Chorale of Jamaica’s (NCOJ) 2026 season.

The recital, scheduled for Sunday, February 8, at 6:00 p.m., will take place under the distinguished patronage of The Most Hon. Sir Kenneth Hall, ON, GCMG, OJ, former Governor-General of Jamaica, and Lady Rheima Hall.

The concert’s central focus will be the rediscovery and celebration of the music of Black British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, with particular emphasis on his acclaimed cantata Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast, alongside other works inspired by themes of love.

The National Chorale of Jamaica (NCOJ) was founded in 1972 by the late Carl Jeffery Fairweather. The official launch concert was held in April 1972 at Devon House in Kingston. The main work performed was 'Christ Lag in Todesbanden,' BWV 4 by J.S. Bach. The Chorale had an accompanying Orchestra made up of local instrumentalists led by Dennis Brown, former principal of the Jamaica School of Music. The second half of the concert was a mixture of Madrigals, Italian canzonettas, show music, and negro spirituals, with accompanist Besta Burgher. The concert took place on the steps of the majestic Devon House, before an audience of approximately 1000 persons, seated on the lawns. 

The Mission of the Chorale

The Chorale's mission has always been 

• To bridge the gap in musical presentations in Jamaica by presenting programmes which include the widest variety of music which has found a place in the musical literature of the country over the years.  
• To promote the development of young musicians through their inclusion in concerts and by the provision of scholarships

Two Main Seasons 

The Chorale performs two main seasons annually. They are Summer Breeze and the November Season.

Note:

Enter to win discounted tickets, and you could end up getting your ticket for JAD1,000 less.

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