Los Angeles fires
The massive fires currently engulfing Los Angeles serve as a glaring indictment of global politics and its neglectful attitude toward climate change.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
Climate change has undeniably played a role in aggravating wildfire intensity and frequency. The areas destroyed by fires include some of the richest and swankiest in the world. Nature’s fury has reduced the areas to rubble and ashes in a matter of hours or days. The Los Angeles wildfire disaster has cast a shadow over preparations for the 2028 Olympics, raising questions over whether the city can deliver safe and successful Games.
The fires are extreme climate events like cyclones, typhoons, floods, droughts and other natural disasters that have hit the world more frequently in recent years, causing loss of lives and displacement of people. The cloudbursts and landslides take a heavy toll on lives and properties as the 2024 Wayanad landslides have proved. In fact, India’s vulnerabilities are massive due to its vastness and huge population. The fire incidents are a stark warning that the cost of inaction, whether on climate change and infrastructure is far greater than the investments required to mitigate future disasters. It is high time to act now.
Gregory Fernandes,
Mumbai
Dry grass & garbage:
Fiery combination
A private bus at Cunchelim, Mapusa, was reportedly completely gutted in a fire on Monday.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the fire might have sparked when dry grass in the vicinity caught fire which quickly spread to the parked vehicle. The flames spread rapidly due to windy conditions.
In another incident a Material Recovery Facility (MRF) shed at Honda in Sattari was destroyed in fire on Sunday burning all the material stored inside. This is the second such incident in the taluka in less than ten days. According to locals, garbage was not collected from the shed over the past six months leaving it full of waste. It must be said that garbage and dry grass can be a deadly combination as it can ignite a fire that, aided by the wind, can spread quickly.
In the past, fire erupted at the Sonsoddo garbage dump multiple times. Methane gas in garbage can cause fires because methane is highly flammable. Landfill generates methane gas when the microorganism in the ground decomposes the waste. Extreme heat can kill grass and low soil moisture levels makes grass easier to ignite. This can ignite nearby trees and vegetation leading to forest fires.
Common causes of grass blazes include carelessly discarded cigarettes or matches as well as rubbish left lying around. Broken glass bottles can start fires by magnifying the sun’s rays. The planet is warming to record-breaking levels. California has not seen significant rainfall for months.
Adelmo Fernandes,
Vasco
Restore police
force image
This has reference to the report ‘Harassed by senior, ignored by dept, constable found on the brink’ published in O Heraldo edition dated January 14, 2025).
This incident is certainly cause for concern and alarm bells must start ringing. It is distressing to note that the head constable has been driven to breaking point on account of alleged harassment and no avenues to have his concerns addressed.
The police force in general in the country does not seem to have a friendly and good image before the general public. The police are also human and it’s time the authorities understand the situation and take remedial measures. Certainly, there are honest, sincere, efficient personnel in the police force in the country. All steps must be taken to restore the image of the police force.
A happy and efficient police force would ensure a better society.
Melville X D’Souza,
Mumbai
Trump’s preference
There was high speculation about a possible invitation for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Donald Trump as the 47th President of the United States of America.
Trump has preferred not to invite Modi, but extend a special invitation to S Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister. It is a riddle why Trump has done so. This is more so, when he has extended invitations to other world leaders like the Chinese President Xi Jinping, Italy’s Georgia Meloni, Argentina’s Javier Milei and Hungary’s Viktor Orban and many others. Does it mean that, for Trump, Jaishankar is more important than Modi?
Tharcius S Fernando,
Chennai
Indian women
work selflessly
No salary, no increment, no annual bonus (in most of the cases no appreciation for hard/good work) still the women folk start their work at 5 am (in some cases earlier also) and end not earlier than 10 pm. In the case of working women, their work schedules are longer. Responsibilities at home are multifarious and practically everything concerns the family.
No casual leave or sick leave or even retirement or retirement benefits. The only promotions she is eligible for are change in the designation viz., from wife to mother to mother-in-law, to grandmother,
etc, with added responsibilities and work with no additional benefit except satisfaction of serving the daughter/son’s family.
Most Indian women do not have time to enjoy the stare/s or look/s of their husbands as pointed out by L&T boss.
Our Indian women work selflessly through the day (except the night sleep hours) and all the 365 days which is over 70/90 hours a week as urged by industry bosses Narayana Murthy and Subramaniam!
Gopalaswamy J Chennai
Being creative is imperative
Nothing can infuse a feel good factor better in a person than the “I am my own boss” realisation. To convert dreams into reality, honing one’s skills is essential. Youth is a talent, but a perishable one.
Power of youth is insurmountable; in addition to the obvious livelihood advantage, plugging the glaring unemployment rate is the power of self–empowerment.
Despite possessing abundant skills, a lot of young brains find themselves unemployed for reasons not too difficult to fathom. Learning and earning supplement each other well. One’s content can be copied; not one’s creativity. However, it is important for the youth to learn and earn at their behest. Education empowers youngsters by helping them make informed choices.
A United Nations (UN) study has revealed that one in five youngsters are “Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET)”, and many are women.
The UN has said that over 400 million new jobs need to be created to absorb nearly 70 million unemployed and another 40 million new entrants into the job market.
Significance of making supply meet demand should not be lost on government departments.
Ganapathi Bhat, Akola
10 years of St Jose
Vaz’s canonisation
On January 14, 2015, the canonisation of Padre Jose Vaz in Colombo, Sri Lanka, was attended by several Goan pilgrims. It has also to be remembered that St Jose Vaz died on January 16, which coincidentally was the Opinion Poll Day, the only referendum held in independent India, that probably through the blessings of St Jose Vaz, Goa became a separate entity and thus a separate state.
We are celebrating the 58th anniversary of the Opinion Poll this year. It should also be brought to mind that a resident of Sao Tome, Cipriano Jose Ciriaco da Rosa Monteiro, who with true devotion travelled to Sri Lanka to partake in the canonisation ceremony, passed away on January 13, 2015, an event that should be remembered.
This year too, 116 devout pilgrims have embarked on a spiritual journey to attend the 10th anniversary of the canonization of St Jose Vaz, a tour conducted by Zion Tours and Travels, Goa. They will represent Goa at a solemn ceremony on the feast day.
Elvidio Miranda, Panjim
