Numbers from World War I.

Today marks the 90th anniversary of World War I. I have not really read a whole lot about this war until today. Wikipedia has a really interesting article about the war. It is incredible how many soldiers gave their life for their respective sides. We should never forget what freedom costs.

Casualties and losses
US & ALLIES Military dead: 5,525,000 Military wounded: 12,831,500 Military missing: 4,121,000	THEM Military dead: 4,386,000 Military wounded: 8,388,000 Military missing: 3,629,000

South Ossetia? Very sad.

South Ossetia is a province of Georgia... a former Republic of the USSR. It is very sad to see civilians being targeted or at least not avoided by military operations. The thought of war raging on US soil is foreign and difficult to imagine. Reading the news and seeing people that are the collateral damage of opposing governments is frustrating. Most of the time the casualties are the people that really don't have anything to do with whatever the conflict is. In the case of South Ossetia, the people that live in the province want to succeed from Georgia. They are primarily Russian citizens and that is why Russia is getting involved. I can understand why Georgia is trying to take back control of the region... imagine one of the US states trying to succeed. Again, however, it is very difficult to see women, children, and the elderly being harmed by the fighting.

Guerilla Gardening... I would have never thought...

I found this article:
http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSL292187120080430?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0

It is interesting and makes sense to want to make vacant land look better. There are places all over Lynchburg that could use a touch of color and care. I guess it shouldn't be surprising that it is illegal to dig up someones property without their consent - but if your going to plant a nice shrub or flower I don't see what the big deal is.