The following video contains a statement from the Meteorological Service Jamaica today, Thursday, August 13, 2026.
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The following video contains a statement from the Meteorological Service Jamaica today, Thursday, August 13, 2026.
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The Government of Jamaica is condemning as disgraceful, unacceptable and inappropriate comments made by Opposition Spokesman on Human Rights, Isat Buchanan, who publicly urged people in Coopers Pen, Trelawny, who were NOT affected by the demolition exercise carried out by a private developer, to pretend they were affected in order to benefit from taxpayer-funded houses.
Speaking on a TikTok Live on Wednesday, Buchanan could be heard urging people to scam the Government in order to benefit from resources which belong to the taxpayers of Jamaica.
Buchanan stated:
“So to the people of Trelawny who wake up and dem bull doze your house. The Prime Minister him haffi lift offa some house and him haffi give uno. All some a uno weh never up deh, uno take off one foot on the bed, bruk it off and carry it up there and say see wah left. Yeah. Chap di line pan dem cause any body inna dat deh place deh weh dem bulldoze you haffi get back a house out a government and it nah go be no trailer bet sehh a land uno get. Yeah.”
In response, State Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister, Senator Abka Fitz-Henley, said the Opposition Spokesman’s comments are repugnant and unacceptable sentiments emanating from a lawmaker.
Minister Fitz-Henley stated:
“For a member of the shadow cabinet to publicly advocate for people to perpetrate fraud, in order to benefit, without just cause, from resources which belong to the taxpayers of Jamaica is most disgraceful, unacceptable and unbecoming. It is unprincipled and Buchanan should introspect on his remarks and recognise the egregious nature of what he is advocating for.”
Minister Fitz-Henley says he does not expect Opposition Leader, Mark Golding, to hold Buchanan accountable for his irresponsible comments.
The State Minister concluded:
“The Opposition Spokesman’s comments are symptomatic of a mentality historically and currently promoted by the Opposition where they often appear to openly support law-breaking and disorder in society. This cannot be the way for lawmakers to conduct ourselves. We should not be promoting anarchy in society, dishonest conduct and certainly should resist any urge to encourage people to seek to obtain benefits via false pretences. However, the sentiments are consistent with the conduct of the Opposition and their promotion of indecency and unlawful conduct. Therefore, I am not expectant of the Opposition Leader holding his spokesman accountable for the wanton advocacy of scamming and violation of the law which Buchanan articulated.”
Audio
If this accusation is correct, then this is a very serious matter. Can Mr Isat Buchanan continue to be a lawyer? This should be a police matter, and he should resign his seat in parliament immediately if he is found guilty in a court of law or if he admits making such a statement!
It must be an offence for an MP to incite anyone to commit an illegal act. We need to hear from MP Isat Buchanan now! The nation needs a response. For ordinary citizens, this would be a serious offence.
Mr Buchanan could not have made that statement. I am not aware of him being under psychiatric care! Could the statement be AI-generated?
Remember to have your prostate checked out by the doctor, or you might see your maker earlier than he had planned.
Please add your comments at the bottom of the blog.
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Another earthquake offshore El Salvador, a few minutes ago!
Do you notice the number of significant earth tremors in this part of the world? We have been warned. I know some of us cannot do much to protect ourselves. My concern is the illegally constructed buildings, which cannot withstand an earthquake measuring over 7.0.
I have been suggesting that we should have trained first-aid responders in the various communities. When was the last time your church, your office, or your school had an earthquake drill?
How can ODPM take charge of the airways to give national directions? How can emergency vehicles have free access to all roads when traffic is at a standstill?
May the good Lord help us.
Remember to have your prostate checked out by the doctor, or you might see your maker earlier than he had planned.
Please add your comments at the bottom of the blog.
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Keep abreast of the news and information in the world. Bark Di Trute, a Jamaican blog, is packed with accurate information. Click the following link and get information at your fingertips. WhatsApp link is: https://chat.whatsapp.com/C9bkP96JIN2JgHiuktY3Jj
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Without your support, Bark Di Trute could fail to bark one day. Send your ideas, stories, and news by WhatsApp at (876) 816-5261.
You can view the blog on 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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Contributed
Jamaica is having a fertility crisis, but not the kind people think of. The problem isn’t that Jamaicans don’t want children. It’s that they can’t afford them.
The fertility rate in Jamaica is 1.3 children per woman, according to the United Nations Population Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) 2025 report. That’s far below the replacement rate of 2.1 needed to keep our population stable.
Our population already shrank in 2024 and 2025, when more people are murdered by the state and criminals combined. More than the net population growth birth rate.
Economists should warn the people that fewer births = fewer workers = more pressure on pensions, health, and economic growth.
So what do we do? More speeches won’t work. We need to deal with that. Let's Go:
The first 3 children get:
Why 3? Because 2.1 just keeps us flat. 3 gives us growth.
We pair this with a Jamaican sperm and egg bank (we do not have that yet). That, combined with fertility centres like Hugh Wynter's at UHWI, means couples don’t have to spend US$10k to go overseas.
With better integration of support systems within health centers islandwide, enabling people to have the families/children they want.
This isn’t about telling people how to live. It’s about making it possible to live here and build Jamaica.
Boosting our population takes money, marketing, healthy information, and strategy. Let’s stop importing workers and start investing in Jamaicans.
Young men and women cut smoking and live, eat, exercise, and drink healthy.
Ease off the SPECIAL, RUM AND BOOM, and other ALCOHOL; those kill sperm and eggs, not build them.
Michael Spence
Michael Spence is a graduate of Cornwall College and the University of the West Indies. He is a trained teacher, a sociologist, and a writer for Bark Di Trute.
Micspen2@hotmail.com
Remember to have your prostate checked out by the doctor, or you might see your maker earlier than he had planned.
Please add your comments at the bottom of the blog.
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Keep abreast of the news and information in the world. Bark Di Trute, a Jamaican blog, is packed with accurate information. Click the following link and get information at your fingertips. WhatsApp link is: https://chat.whatsapp.com/C9bkP96JIN2JgHiuktY3Jj
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Without your support, Bark Di Trute could fail to bark one day. Send your ideas, stories, and news by WhatsApp at (876) 816-5261.
You can view the blog on 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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Michael Spence
Thanks for the feedback you have put in the comment section of the blog. Many people benefit from these comments. Agencies also benefit from the information. From the feedback, there were thunderstorms in Kingston. Black River had no rain. There was rain in Portmore and heavy rain in Spanish Town.
We now have Invest 92 and Invest 94 in the Atlantic Ocean. The following is a report from the National Hurricane Centre:
What is an Invest?An Invest is an area of disturbed weather that is under investigation for its potential to develop into a tropical depression or tropical storm.
Invest 92Central Tropical Atlantic: An area of showers and thunderstorms associated with a tropical wave is located about 950 miles west-southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands.
Environmental conditions are forecast to be conducive for development during the next couple of days, and a tropical depression will likely form while the system moves westward to west-northwestward across the central tropical Atlantic.
Invest 94Eastern Tropical Atlantic: A tropical wave located several hundred miles south of the Cabo Verde Islands is producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms.
Environmental conditions are forecast to be generally conducive for some development of this system during the next several days while it moves westward or west-northwestward across the eastern and central tropical Atlantic.
The rains have started. Oh yes it’s a thunderstorm in some areas.
Please say in the comments section of the blog if rain is in your area. Identify the area.
Invest 92L will likely develop into a hurricane.
Invest 92L is currently located in the central Atlantic Ocean. The system has a 70% chance of developing into a tropical depression or tropical storm in the next 2 days, and an 80% chance in the next 7 days.Central Tropical Atlantic: Showers and thunderstorms continue to show signs of organization in association with a tropical wave located around 800 miles southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands.Environmental conditions are forecast to be conducive for development during the next few days, and a tropical depression will likely form within a couple of days while the system moves westward to west-northwestward across the central tropical Atlantic.
We hope that it only brings rain with no flooding for the Caribbean and specifically Jamaica.
Today is another hot day, so make sure to wear a broad-rimmed hat and carry water. All the weather sites are predicting thunderstorms in the afternoon, so remember to walk with your umbrellas.
This is how some Jamaicans spend big bucks to enjoy themselves.
What is the nation's policy on squatting, and what action will be taken to deal with this challenge? It is one of the remnants of slavery? When action is taken to remove squatters from the land, all the politicians and wannabe politicians turn up for a camera opportunity.
First, we should have a registry of all squatters in Jamaica and their locations. They should be made to pay towards a squatter's development fund in cash or kind.
Squatters should be encouraged not to have any more children until they have legally obtained a spot for their homes. Squatters should not erect permanent buildings on captured lands.
Areas should be allocated for all squatters where they can be located. Each area should have a project lead from the Ministry of Housing. They would be responsible for organizing squatters to get building plans and working together to build their homes.
It should be a major offence for any squatter who fails to work with the project lead. The lead should listen to the squatters, but the project team's position is final.
We have two challenges. First, the people need to have a place to live, and landowners must be able to purchase land without fear that the land will be captured. The news media should not come across as if they are defending the practice of capturing.
The government can start by purchasing land across the island to relocate squatters.
The capturing of land has to stop, and this is a matter the government has to take up as a special project to assist those who need housing.
I understand that some people who have received houses from Food for the Poor now find themselves in the middle of disputes with their relatives over the land. Very sad indeed. We are fighting over dead lef and wi soon dead lef di dead lef!
Remember to have your prostate checked out by the doctor, or you might see your maker earlier than he had planned.
Please add your comments at the bottom of the blog.
______________________
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| Click Here. |
Keep abreast of the news and information in the world. Bark Di Trute, a Jamaican blog, is packed with accurate information. Click the following link and get information at your fingertips. WhatsApp link is: https://chat.whatsapp.com/C9bkP96JIN2JgHiuktY3Jj
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Without your support, Bark Di Trute could fail to bark one day. 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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Queensborough, an area in Kingston, has not had water since about 2225 on Monday, August 10. Bark Di Trute received information that there is a break in the pipeline on Queensborough Drive.
I wonder how much water is being lost at these broken mains. Expect to be without water until tomorrow night.