Lotro battle under the trees

A dying tree near Cressman, California, left, and a air tanker fighting a fire in Los Angeles County, right. An "unprecedented" die-off has killed at least 66 million trees in California since 2010 — including 26 million in just the last eight months — as extreme drought and bark beetle infestations grip the state.The survey released Wednesday by U.S. Forest Service officials said the 26 million newly-identified dead trees are located in California's southern Sierra Nevada mountains."Tree dies-offs of this magnitude are unprecedented and increase the risk of catastrophic wildfires that puts property and lives at risk," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement. California is currently in its fifth consecutive year of drought, with 100% of the state experiencing some level of abnormal dryness. Despite a wet winter in Northern California, much of Southern California is suffering from the most extreme level of drought.The Forest Service pointed to those … [Read more...] about Tens Of Millions Of Trees Just Died In California

REDDING, California — Nate La Russo was surfing with his kids last week when he got a call about a raging wildfire tearing through Shasta County, about 100 miles south of California's Oregon border. Soon after, he was in a rental car, joining thousands of other firefighters heading north to battle the latest blaze in another relentless fire season that has sapped the state’s emergency resources — including the men and women on the fires' front lines."I’m 600 miles away from home now," the 35-year-old fire captain from Oxnard, California, said Sunday. "We come with a blind commitment of being gone for two to three weeks for these things, but that’s becoming more and more frequent."Just seven months earlier, La Russo had been on the line of the Thomas fire — another devastating and unprecedented blaze that engulfed more than 280,000 acres in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties last winter, becoming the largest fire in state history. After burning for … [Read more...] about “It Beats You Up And Scars You”: What It’s Like To Battle California’s Catastrophic Wildfires

What We Know So Far Some of the most destructive wildfires in California's history are sweeping through the northern part of the state, destroying thousands of homes and businesses. The death toll for firestorm reached at least 42 on Wednesday, making it the deadliest spate of fires in state history. Dozens are still reported missing. Thousands of people remain affected by evacuation orders since the fires ignited overnight Oct. 9. At least 7,000 homes and businesses have been destroyed by the flames, with roughly 170,000 acres burned by multiple fires in Northern California. The Tubbs fire in Sonoma County set the record for most destructive in state history. States of emergency were declared for the hardest-hit counties, including Sonoma, Napa, Yuba, Butte, Lake, Mendocino, and Nevada, as well as Orange in Southern California. The wildfires are being fueled by years of drought, a growth spurt of now–tinder dry vegetation, and gusty winds. Updates Posted at Oct. 20, … [Read more...] about Northern California Wildfire Becomes The Most Destructive In State History

Hideo Kojima's farewell to Metal Gear Solid is a dream: the best ever stealth game, and the high point of a remarkable series. Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain is a dream game. It's the kind of game that, in 1987, the young designer of the 8-bit Metal Gear may have dreamed would one day be possible. It's the kind of game that players like me dream of: an enormous and deep and seemingly endless experience that's worth the investment and then some. It's the kind of game where every hand-polished element slots together into a head-spinningly ambitious structure and they combine into something you can only call visionary.Metal Gear Solid 5 transplants the stealth core of the series from linear environments into large open worlds, banking everything on great enemy AI and numerous moving parts that allow players freedom of approach in any given situation. The idea is not a completely new one to Metal Gear Solid. Since Metal Gear Solid 3, Kojima Productions has been … [Read more...] about Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain review

Story highlights Rodrigue Katembo endured death threats to save Africa's oldest national park Katembo protects Congo's last remaining mountain gorillas He's won a top environmental award for his bravery Every week CNN International's African Voices highlights Africa's most engaging personalities, exploring the lives and passions of people who rarely open themselves up to the camera. (CNN)He has been beaten, threatened and imprisoned. But the former child soldier and winner of this year's Goldman Environmental Prize says he will not stop until those wanting to destroy the Democratic Republic of Congo's protected wildlife "are held responsible for their actions." "Even if I or others are not able to (make this happen)," says Rodrigue Mugaruka Katembo, "then the future generations will have this information and will do it." Katembo who is 41, has been awarded the top environmental prize in recognition of the heroism he showed in preventing oil exploration inside Virunga -- … [Read more...] about Former child soldier wins prize for risking his life to protect Congo’s wildlife