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International Red Cross: do videogames violate the Hague Convention?
I'm serious. From its Daily Bulletin:
"While the Movement works vigorously to promote international humanitarian law (IHL) worldwide, there is also an audience of approximately 600 million gamers who may be virtually violating IHL. Exactly how video games influence individuals is a hotly debated topic, but for the first time, Movement partners discussed our role and responsibility to take action against violations of IHL in video games. In a side event, participants were asked: “what should we do, and what is the most effective method?” While National Societies shared their experiences and opinions, there is clearly no simple answer"
Hat tip to reader Counsel Dew....
Yes, there is. Go away. One more reason my spare cash goes to the Salvation Army rather than the Red Cross. (The first reason dates back to my father's experience during WWII. Yes, we hold grudges.
UPDATE: Dad's experience came after his father died while he was serving. Red Cross had promoted a program that supposedly covered getting a serviceman home for a parent's funeral. He applied, and found requirement after requirement -- assign your tiny salary to us, do this and that, fill in more forms, etc.. Finally the company gambler/loanshark said this was all BS and loaned him the money with no interest. Dad said it was a heck of a situation when the company loanshark is more helpful than a major charity!
I read in William Manchester's recollections of war in the Pacific that he was angry at the RC, too, since they would collect cigarettes donated by civilians for servicemen, and then charge the servicemen full price for them.
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Wow. Funny hearing this stuff from WWII.
My Grandfather was in WWI. And his complaint with the Red Cross was that they charged for coffee and donuts from their vans. I actually don't remember the name of the other organization, but it was probably the Salvation Army even back then, gave out coffee and donuts for free.
But that said ... if only the Red Cross was available, he was danged glad to see them even if it did cost a few pennies.
Good to know about the RC. Those were stories I hadn't heard.
My family holds grudges like that just the same. There is no excuse for it and the pain of it never really leaves.
As a Vietnam era vet I was also surprised that the USO refused coffee to servicemen traveling through airports if they didn't have the correct change. No donations for USO from me.
I had donated every year to United Way while in the Navy. I had a son just as I was being discharged. My son needed speech therapy due to a hearing deficiency. I am white and was literally told that my son was the wrong color (race) to receive any help from United Way.
I was a RC volunteer prior to and during Katrina, after seeing how they operated I resigned as soon as the Katrina operation shutdown. I will never work for, with or donate to the RC ever again. Since then all of my donations go to the Salvation Army.
I once donated $100 to the Red Cross for Katrina victim assistance. They "mistakenly" double charged the card and refused to work from their end to rectify the situation. We will make absolutely no more donations of any kind to the American Red Cross under any circumstances short of being forcibly drained of blood by government agents.
Did your father's experience have anything to do with having to _pay_ for his coffee from the Red Cross? My father, a WWII Navy veteran, disliked the Red Cross for that reason, and preferred Salvation Army instead.