Bark Di Trute, the blog for Jamaicans at home and abroad. Bark Di Trute welcomes your financial support and materials submitted for publication. Please add your comments to the blogs. Comments that are libellous, abusive, or nonsensical will be deleted. This blog is about sharing information, helping others, and lobbying for a better life for us all.
There was an earthquake a few minutes ago in Dominan Republic. Initial report indicate that some buildings have been damaged.
We are waiting on confirmation of this tremor.
M 4.2 Mb - 13 km SSW of Bayaguana, Dominican Republic
Earthquake
2026-09-27 10:07:08 (UTC)
18.647°N 69.699°W
98.093 km depth
It is being reported in the Dominican Republic that there were a few earthquakes today.
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| The Hon.Senator Tom Tavaris -Finson. |
Attorney-at-law and Government Senator Christian Tavares-Finson is cautioning against any substantial changes to the Firearms Act, which came into effect in November 2022.
Senator Tavares-Finson says that while, in principle, he is not opposed to a review of the Act, substantial changes to its provisions would be ill-advised.
Senator Tavares-Finson is also expressing his full support for the mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years under the Act, which pertains to the possession of an illegal firearm and the use of a firearm to commit a crime.
Senator Tavares-Finson commented:
“It is good to review all legislation from time to time, especially legislation that was recently passed. But I am of the view that the Firearms Act of 2022 has served as a deterrent for some individuals who would have otherwise been minded to commit crimes using a firearm. Data from the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and the Court Administration Division (CAD) both confirm a double-digit decline in gun crimes and serious gun-related cases placed before the Court subsequent to the passage of the Act in 2022. I am not of the view that this should be regarded as a mere coincidence.”
Senator Tavares-Finson says it would be advisable for the Government to stay the course in terms of maintaining the mandatory minimum punishment of 15 years for possession of an illegal firearm or the commission of a serious offence where a firearm is the weapon of choice.
Tavares-Finson concluded:
“We should not forget where we are coming from as an island where murders had consistently exceeded one thousand annually for over twenty consecutive years. The Andrew Holness-led administration has been able to effectively partner with the security forces and drastically reduce that number. Certainly, we have seen an over 55 percent reduction in murders when the tally in 2022 is compared with last year’s murder figures. Now is not the time to take our feet off the legislative pedal in terms of our policy posture.”
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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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What a day it was when, with the development of the Internet, the dunces among us began teaching the mature and informed Jamaicans. That is enough prophecy for the future of our beautiful island. Some of these people are con people.
You have several men who rant and rave about the political leaders daily on the Internet. They have no positive contribution to make to Jamaica. They trace and cuss the political leaders like a little schoolgirl. They take on the women in politics and describe every part of the female anatomy in the most indecent way. These guys don’t love women. Why not just go and settle with a man and keep quiet? The women are just as bad. You don't have children or a spouse to take care of?
Sometimes I am convinced that some of you have mental issues. If you have a woman and she is following these reprobates, then you must consider if you are relevant to your spouse. If you have a man and these are the reprobates he follows, then you are in a funny situation.
In Jamaica, you have some nasty and disgusting people who are on the Internet every day spitting out garbage and treating us like the Riverton City Dump. We need to shut them out. My God, they don’t have anything productive to do? Are these the people they call waste man and waste woman?
I remember the saying that all some of us need over our heads to make us one is a sheet of zinc.
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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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By Michael Spence
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| Michael Spence |
Jamaica is disgracefully cuddling murderers. Many are coordinating and ordering murders from behind bars in this Criminals' Murderous Paradise (CMP).
Are we aware that in 1962 there were 63 murders? What are we celebrating that in 2025 there were 673?
Has anyone ever assessed which administration was the most murderous and which was the least murderous?
The two least murderous administrations were Edward Seaga, followed by Michael Manley. The most murderous was allegedly led by P.J. Patterson at #1, followed by Andrew Holness.
If we want a holistic approach to reducing murders, the Seaga and Manley eras must be studied and lessons learned on how to make the country more prosperous and peaceful.
It should be noted that under Edward Seaga, the last hangings were in 1988—two brothers from Bethel Town in Southeast Westmoreland—for beating and chopping to death a man I knew only as "BUSTA", a quiet small farmer who was one of the best boxers in the area. BUSTA was never a troublemaker or a thief.
All accused murderers must be tried expeditiously and the guilty swiftly executed.
15 years for a toy water gun will not reduce murders, nor will sentences for a real gun. It is people who kill people, male or female, so execute the guilty.
These ridiculous sentences for a BOARD GUN are foolish. Is a strategy being built to ensure full occupancy for investors in a prosperous privatised prison system?
Now it costs taxpayers about US$15,000 or J$2.4 million per head per annum. A privatized system of PRISHOTELS will move to at least US$30,000 or J$4.8 million per man/woman per annum.
Now you understand why America would sublet prisoners to places like El Salvador or Jamaica at low rates. America's rates average about US$68,000 and can go as high as US$168,000.
The Prishotel Tourism Model (PTM) is being developed, so think about it: the Third Country Nationals (TCN) deportee model could be adapted to Third Country Prisoners (TCP) — a potentially good foreign exchange earner.
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
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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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The People's National Party (PNP) is calling on the Government to consult fully with the Church and civil society before bringing its proposed legislation governing nonprofit organisations to Parliament, amid serious concerns that provisions affecting the collection of tithes and offerings could expose church leaders to criminal liability.
The PNP shares the concerns raised by churches across the island, including reports that faith leaders were sidelined in discussions on the Charities Act. For generations, the Church has been among Jamaica's first responders, feeding the hungry, sheltering the vulnerable, running schools and restoring hope in communities. Any law that treats the faithful act of giving as a potential offence risks weakening that vital work.
“The Church is not the enemy of good governance. It is one of our strongest partners in nation-building,” said Dr Angela Brown Burke, MP, Opposition Spokesperson on Social Protection and Social Transformation. “Legislation of this magnitude must be shaped with the people it affects, not imposed upon them.”
The PNP notes that nonprofit organisations are already struggling under the burden of increased compliance requirements, with many small congregations and community groups lacking the staff, funds and technical support to meet existing obligations.
“We support transparency and accountability, and we recognise Jamaica's international obligations,” Dr Brown Burke added. “But the response must be proportionate and practical. We invite the Government to sit with the Opposition, the Jamaica Umbrella Group of Churches and civil society to review the specific details of this Bill before it reaches Parliament.”
The PNP stands ready to work constructively towards legislation that protects the integrity of our financial system while safeguarding freedom of worship and the Church's ability to serve.
Editor’s Note
Government should share all proposed legislation with the people of the country and not just select groups.
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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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