When we arrived in California years ago, we had never seen a motorway or freeway before, except on television. The Dublin to Naas dual carriageway was the closest thing we had to an Irish highway at the time.

I was terrified of them and tried my best to stay clear of them. I was successful at first, but that quickly ended when I accidentally drove up an on-ramp. There was nothing to do but go with the flow and then we were on the freeway! I had a death grip on the steering wheel and was bent over it. I was sweating! I stayed in the slow lane and kept driving. We knew we had to drive out on an off-ramp as soon as we could or we would end up in San Francisco.

Finally, I managed to escape the freeway at a place called ‘Pacific Palisades’. You may recognize the name because it is now a household name around the world.

In those early days we thought we were in Heaven on Earth. The weather was perfect every day and there was a culture of convenience. Unfortunately, it was short-lived, and our honeymoon came to an abrupt end one day when there was an earthquake. We had the TV on and the news reporter quickly ducked under the news desk. Our building was rocking back and forth but it remained intact. You would think the shaking would never stop, but eventually it did.

It rained a lot during our first winter living in Los Angeles, resulting in landslides and mudslides and the destruction of several homes.

Although there had been some significant damage from wildfires in our early days in California, things got worse over time. Wildfires are more frequent and dangerous today than ever before. Global warming probably has something to do with it. We lived on the edge of the woods for many years, completely unaware of the dangers of fire. We bought a house by the ocean twenty-five years ago so that we could be closer to our workplaces, and we are there still. We didn’t realize at the time that there was a big advantage to that – wildfires are rare here, because the mountains are not close to us. There was a terrible wildfire in this county (San Diego) in 2003, and many of my colleagues lost their homes in that wildfire – the ‘Cedar Fire’. My son and I had to drive by that wildfire on our way home from a road trip. It was terrifying to be so close to flames that touched the sky itself. The air was hot and there was a strong smell of burning. We could also hear the roar of the fire. When you see and hear a fire that big and so close, you have a new understanding of the danger, scale and scope of a fire. That understanding stays with you forever.

No doubt, you saw the fires in Pacific Palisades and Altadena on TV, and you heard all the news about it. The fires are tearing apart and destroying everything in their path, small, medium or large, and those suburbs are right in the way. Between Pacific Palisades and Altadena, more than 12,000 buildings have burned to the ground so far. At least 25 people have died so far. It is a terrible disaster that has affected many families, and it will be very difficult for them for many years to come.

There are two main reasons for these terrible fires. First of all, we have been suffering from a drought for the past 8 months. Therefore, all the vegetation is very dry. Secondly, the dry desert winds (‘Santa Anas’) have been blowing in their wake for the past week, at high speeds of up to 160 km per hour. In such climatic conditions, it only takes one spark to ignite a fire and that is exactly what happened in these cases.

It is always difficult to deal with disasters of this magnitude as they occur, and although the fire crew was on the scene quite quickly, and although firefighting aircraft were dropping relentlessly, various problems soon became apparent. The fire crew does not have sufficient resources, due to the fact that its budget allocation has been cut year after year. In addition, some of the fire hydrants further up the mountains dried up, so that water was not available to firefighters at a critical time. The residential water system is not designed to cope with such demands being placed on it. Many investigations will be conducted to discuss and understand these issues to see what we can do to improve matters.

There are currently 8 fires burning in the region, and thousands of firefighters are working hard to put them out. Firefighters have come from all over to help – from California, other states in the United States, Canada and Mexico. FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) is on the ground providing care, advice and financial assistance to victims of the disaster. Hundreds of police (LAPD) and National Guardsmen are patrolling the area, preventing crime.

It is a very difficult time for those who have lost family members or friends. It is not easy for those who are now homeless, especially those who were burned out of their homes. Almost 100,000 people are currently under evacuation orders, and it is very difficult for them to find shelter. It will take a long time to clean up, and many years to rebuild.

But the reality is that Southern California is under constant threat from natural disasters, including earthquakes. The landslides, floods, and mudslides are likely to get worse over time. This will increase the challenges we face and make it more dangerous to live here. While it is Heaven on Earth most of the time, it is Hell on Earth at other times!

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“There are decades when nothing happens; and there are weeks when decades happen.” - Vladimir Lenin, founder of the Communist Party of Russia.

There was an abrupt end to the civil war that had been going on in Syria since 2011 - the Arab Spring, a time of demonstrations and protests in the Arab world, including Syria. Dictator Bashar al-Assad stood firm at the time. He had a strong army and with the help of Lebanon (and especially Hezbollah forces), Russia and Iran, he brutally suppressed the uprising. It is reported that more than half a million Syrians were killed and millions were driven from their homes during the war, and that six million have become refugees in other countries as a result.

He did not win against the rebels this time. Why?

Ebbing Alliances!

This time, everything was different. The rebel forces cut through the country like a knife through butter, and the official army barely put up any resistance. The largest group among the rebels is “Hayat Tahrir al-Sham” (HTS), an Islamist militant group led by Abu Mohammad al-Jolani. Although these groups have existed since the beginning of the war, they recognized weaknesses in President Bashar al-Assad, and especially in a couple of important countries that were allied with him – Russia and Iran. HTS seized that historic opportunity, and they succeeded brilliantly. But why did Russia and Iran not do anything this time?

Russia

The world saw where the ugly dictator Bashar al-Assad went when the traitor returned. He did what any terrorist would do and fled as soon as he could. And where did he go but to Moscow, where he is safe, under the protection of the president – Vladimir Putin. They will be able to sympathize with each other about what happened in Syria. The huge losses were not only for al-Assad, but for Putin as well. As former Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said: “Putin threw Bashar al-Assad under the bus, so that he could prolong his war in Ukraine. He is short of resources, and he is not as strong as he makes himself out to be!” Even Donald Trump had a few words to say, saying: “Because Russia is so tied up in Ukraine, and because they have lost more than 600,000 soldiers there, they have not had the ability to stop the march through Syria, a country that they have defended for years.”

There is no doubt that the victory of the rebel forces over the al-Assad regime revealed that what Putin has going on outside Russia is only posturing.

Iran

In recent months, Iran has been unable to thwart Israeli operations. Hamas’s political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed in Tehran. Israel has attacked about 20 military targets in Iran. After a military campaign against them, Hamas and Hezbollah have been badly beaten by Israel, and their military power has been reduced. Iran has been supporting Hamas and Hezbollah because they fight on their behalf. Iran and Hezbollah have been using Syria to transport weapons and supplies to Lebanon. They no longer have that option, and so the Axis of Resistance (Iran, Syria up until now, Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis from Yemen and a few other groups in Iraq) is so badly beaten that you would think it is dead. We'll see.

Syria

What is the future of Syria itself? HTS is seeking to install a transitional government, with Mohammed al-Bashir as its leader. He was previously the leader of HTS's territories in the north-west of the country. The leader and HTS will face many difficulties in achieving stability for the country.

The country is home to various ethnic groups, including: Arabs, Kurds, Turks, Assyrians, Armenians, Circassians, Druze, Alawites, Yazidis and Palestinian refugees. There are also people of various faiths, including: Muslims (both Sunni and Shia), Alawites, Christians, Yazidis, Druze and Jews.

The country's economy is in poor condition as a result of the civil war. The economy has been shrinking for more than 13 years - currently one-sixth of its pre-war size.

More than half of the country’s population has been displaced, and an estimated 16.7 million people are in need of assistance. Some 6.3 million are refugees or asylum seekers, and many are now seeking to return home.

Syria is a strategic country in the Middle East, bordered by Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel and Lebanon to the southwest. The country will be able to exert a major influence on the balance of power in the Middle East, and many other countries will undoubtedly have a vested interest in Syria as a result.

A Steadying Hand?

So far, I have only seen a couple of countries involved in Syria – the United States and Israel. But instead of providing aid to the country, they have been heavily bombing military targets there. What kind of aid is that? Such behavior does not send the right message to Syria, or even to the wider world.  

But Syria can be supported through their difficulties. The countries that have imposed sanctions on Syria should ease them soon, and pledge funding to rebuild its infrastructure. The country is also in a humanitarian crisis, and humanitarian aid is urgently needed. It would also be appropriate for the United Nations to introduce a peacekeeping force as an interim measure, until a lasting recovery and political stability can be seen in the country.

While it is encouraging that the Assad regime has been overthrown, this is not over yet, and Syria is currently a fragile state. Let us hope that this is not the calm before the storm, but it is too early to tell.

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Donald Trump carried the day. The Republicans took control of the Senate. The Republicans will also keep control of the House of Representatives. That is the reality of politics on the ground in the United States of America (USA) after the latest election. This did not happen by accident, either. No doubt, that is an eye opener for the Democratic Party.

Divining Rod

Why did Kamala Harris lose the election? Well, many people suspected that the same administration would just continue with their same policies, and they were not happy with the administration and their policies. President Biden's satisfaction rating was at 36% before he pulled out of the presidential race, and that's a terrible rating. On the TV show 'The View', Kamala Harris was asked if she would change any decision made by Biden as president during his term. She thought for a moment, and answered: "Nothing occurs to me, and I was involved in the most important decisions." With that answer, she tied herself directly to President Biden and his policies. People came to the conclusion that there would be no significant change with Harris as president. But the majority of the country's people were unhappy with Biden, and they desperately needed changes. So, they saw that they had no other choice but to put Trump in office, whether they liked the man or not. But why were so many people unhappy with Biden and his administration? Well, as it turns out, Trump has a divining rod, and he is able to identify the groups of people who suffer the most from major problems. Then, he speaks directly to them, saying that he will solve their problems as president. What are the problems and who is affected by them?

Eggs, Coffee, Milk…

There was a strategist named James Carville who worked for Bill Clinton as part of his presidential campaign. He was asked about the most important messages for the campaign to focus on. He had three messages, but one spread rapidly, and that message is still in use. "It's the economy, stupid!" Carville said. People were not happy with the economy at the time, and therefore, the Clinton campaign should focus on the economy, and their plan to improve it. That plan was a great success at that time and Clinton won the presidency.

Trump was also able to focus on the economy, and get his message across in a simple way, aimed at those who were struggling financially. He shared an information graphic on his social media ('Truth Social'), claiming that many items were much more expensive now with Kamala Harris as vice president, than when Trump was president. He mentioned salmon, coffee, potatoes, cheese, milk, ham and eggs, and the increase in price from when Biden came in as president. While the details are debatable, his message was very clear – it's harder to put food on the table now with Biden and Harris in charge. That message had a great impact on people in the country who were struggling and who were living from hand to mouth.

The Working Class/Gen Z

Before 1992 and the presidency of Bill Clinton, the Democratic Party was the party of the working class. But Clinton moved his party towards the right wing and big business, and things have continued that way ever since. With that, they lost members of the working class, bit by bit. Often, these people were conflicted and were swing voters. Things got worse for them during the Biden period, when prices increased significantly, so that they were barely able to survive. They blamed Biden and his party and cast their votes for the Republicans.

Young people of Gen Z (18-27 years old), regardless of their class, had the same problem, as they wanted to achieve their independence, but were unable to do so, due to the cost of living. Many of them were voting for the first time.

The Republicans asked people the question: "Are things better for you now than four years ago?" For a large portion of the working class and for Gen Z, things are no better, and they are suffering because of it. According to them, instead of helping them, the Democrats were ignoring them. The Democrats weren't even talking or listening to them. Why would they cast votes for the Democrats, then? And did not do so.

Trump spoke with Joe Rogan on his podcast "The Joe Rogan Experience" for three hours. It's the most popular podcast in the United States with audiences over the age of thirteen. Trump was able to spread his message among the struggling people, blaming Biden and Harris, and saying that he would help them as president. There are many other examples of Republicans reaching out to the working class and Gen Z (for example on Hasan Piker's YouTube show) and saying that they knew the Democrats were ignoring them, but that the Republicans would help them so that things would be better for them from now on.

Lesson

Without a doubt, the Democrats took their eye off the ball. They were doing data analytics instead of focusing on the people of the country. They were not in contact with the ordinary people of the country and therefore did not understand what they desperately needed from them. It is time for the Democratic Party to do some soul-searching, in order to create a new inclusive approach that will tackle, on an urgent and practical basis, the biggest current problems facing the people of the country. To understand what is troubling them, the Party needs to reach out to them and then listen to what they are saying. It will be hard to earn their trust, and it will take time, but there is no other way for the Democrats to resurrect themselves.  

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There's no doubt in the world that Hanrahan’s Outlook is ingrained in us here in the United States of America, as no matter what aspect of the media you view, you can be sure that it won't be long before you hear this battle cry or a similar one being sung by someone from the Republican Party, issuing a dire warning about what will happen if Trump/Vance does not win the presidential election...

 “We’ll all be ruined (said Hanrahan),

Before the year is out.”

Talk about a negative attitude!

As everyone knows, the United States of America (USA) is stuffed to the gills with misinformation at the moment and if we want to escape the swamp of mud we are trapped in, we have no other choice but come to our senses, at there is no strength without unity. Don't our politicians need to tell the honest truth, and reveal their plans for how to improve things in the country? But, instead, members of the Republican Party are working hard, not to disprove and defeat negative myths and misinformation, but to invent and spread them! Every chance that Donald Trump and his colleagues get, they share a negative attitude about the Joe Biden Legislature and about the Democratic Party as loudly as possible.

"We will all be ruined if we vote for Kamala Harris in the upcoming presidential election. We'd better go a different route altogether, if we want to get out of this slush hole we're stuck in at the moment with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris."

Now, we all understand that Donald Trump, JD Vance and members of their Party need to promote themselves and to blame the other side. But they throw ugly personal insults at Harris and Walz all the time. They also say things that are not true against them. And neither Trump nor Vance admit that Trump lost the last presidential election. And they don't have a plan in the least, either.

Here's a sample of a few things Donald Trump has been saying recently while campaigning:

Dogs and Geese

In the presidential debate between Trump and Harris, Trump said, with 67 million people watching: "In Springfield they are eating dogs," referring to the Ohio city where many legal immigrants from Haiti live. “They are eating the cats. They are eating … the pets of the people who live there. And this is what is happening in our country, and it is a great shame." Some time later, he was asked a question during an interview on Fox TV asking why he would not admit that such a thing was not taking place. “I don't know if that's true or not. What about the geese? What happened then? They are all missing.”

FEMA

The federal emergency management agency (FEMA) is responsible for providing disaster relief to communities affected by catastrophic disasters (tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes and the like). After Hurricane Helene, FEMA workers were on the scene quickly, doing everything they could to help those badly hit by the hurricane. But Trump repeatedly said that FEMA had no money to help the victims. "They spent a lot of money bringing in illegal immigrants... They have no money for people who live here," said Trump. "They have spent the money on the illegal immigrants."

Shoplifters

Speaking at a recent rally in Pennsylvania, former president Trump said the key to preventing crimes like shoplifting is to allow the police to beat the thieves. "If you had one really violent day...a rough hour, and I mean really rough, the news would spread and it would be over immediately."

The enemy within

What Trump has to say about the citizens of his own country is cause for great concern. This is what he said on 'Fox News' recently. “We have some bad guys. We have some radical left wing lunatics. I think that would be very easy to handle with the National Guard, or if necessary, the military" And he said in another interview “We have a lot of bad people, but when you look at Shifty Schiff and some of the others, yes, they are, to me, the enemies within. I think Nancy Pelosi is an enemy within.”

Conclusion

After reading the above (and they are just a few examples!), isn't it hard to believe that Trump has any chance of winning the presidential election? But if the polls are accurate, Trump and Harris are neck and neck so the outcome is unpredictable. Unbelievable!

Trump's former chief of staff, John F. Kelly, said that Trump is a fascist, according to the definition of the word, and would rule as a dictator if allowed, and that he had no understanding of the Constitution or the concept of the rule of law.

In my opinion, I agree with Trump on the enemy within – but I'm not talking about Adam Schiff or Nancy Pelosi, but about Trump himself. Trump is the enemy within. But it is not necessary to use the National Guard or the military to defeat him. Fortunately, we are able to do so peacefully and legally – at the ballot box. The voters in the decisive states - Pennsylvania, Michigan, Nevada, Wisconsin and North Carolina - have a special duty. I urge the people of those states to think deeply before casting their votes - not only for themselves, but for everyone in the country, and for the future of the country. Trump has already shown his hand, and said what he would do as president from now on. With Trump as president, there is a good chance that we may no longer have a democratic country. Putting Trump in office is an irreversible change – don't do it!

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