“Largest peacetime movement of Americans since the Civil War”

I just heard Brian Williams describe the California evacuations as “Largest peacetime movement of Americans since the Civil War”.  They are reporting that 950,000 people (350,000 homes) have been evacuated.  Amazingly, there have only been two fatalities.
Fires in southern California are, of course, a fact of life.  It’s a fire-prone ecosystem.  Decades of fire suppression [...]

Poor showing for fall colours

Warmer weather has been blamed for less than impressive Fall foliage in New England. According to Dave Gram, writing in the Buffalo News:
Forested hillsides usually riotous with reds, oranges and yellows have shown their colors only grudgingly in recent years, with many trees going straight from the dull green of late summer to the [...]