Swtz03 - "International" RED CROSS - Hdqtr, Geneva, Switzerland

The International Red Cross was the hope of Henry Dunant,  a Geneva citizen

It's scope has for many decades reached globally to multiple countries

Private stories are told by people who appear in the darkness
This Burundi gal tells about the mass murder and attempts to escape to Rwanda and Tanzania

Personal items found are documented and categorized to provide information needed in the future

Areas of Involvement  ..  (above,  left to right) :
    
Battlefield  ..  wounded and dying    
Mass humanitarian  ..  Displacement  
Safety ..  of volunteer Aid Workers      
Hospital  &  Care Centers     
Cultural and Civilian  ..  Protection     
Nuclear Plants  and other  potential accident  or  disaster spots
Safe  ..  Drinking Water   and   Food  ..  to prevent starvation

Helping Family Members Identify and Find each other

Public Access to   . .   6 Million  . .  Record Cards   (!)

Putting a human face to skeletal bones and ashes

Missing Children  are documented:   kidnapped  .  separated by war  .  flood  .  or whatever

Entrance  . .  to the International Red Cross Headquarters, Geneva Switzerland





Just to prove WE were here !

We are impressed with the "personal" aspect of both 
physical care   and   record keeping.  
Treatment  ..  goes to  "beating hearts" . . no one  is a "number"






Dunant's hope of having a  .  SINGLE  .  UNIVERSALLY  recognized  SYMBOL
over the years has expanded only slightly
The  RED CROSS   is recognized globally
The  RED CRESCENT  is  used throughout the muslim world
The  RED  CRYSTAL  for portions of the world not identifying with cross or crescent




Red Cross Symbol  is the "REVERSE" of the  Swiss Flag  with a  .. "white" cross  on a  .. " red"  field





The United Nations has  loop-holed  that 
the only 2  "square"  flags  in the world
are  officially  okayed  as long as they  don't exceed the size
of the rest  . .   of the  . .  world flags.

Dunant died at age 82 in Heiden
(N.E. Switzerland above  . .  Lake Constance)
. . born in Geneva
(S.W. Switzerland above  . .  Lake Geneva - Lac Lèman)

   In  1901  he was awarded the  FIRST - ever  . .  NOBEL  PEACE  PRIZE

He wanted no funeral

He donated enough money to a local hospital to make sure there would always be one empty bed ready for a needy person.

In more recent years the 2nd highest peak in Switzerland has been named after Dunant

(near the Matterhorn and the northern Italian border)

That interesting story was just one small puzzle piece of our first day's visit in Geneva.

More to come.

The  SUN  is shining and we've removed a couple layers.    Skies are BLUE.

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Swtz02 - Geneva

. .    GENEVA    . .

We  begin  in  Switzerland's   #2   City
   ( Zurich  is  #1 in  Population )

. .   located  at  the  southern  end   of   Europe's  largest  lake  . .  "Lac  Leman" -  ( Lake  Geneva )

. .   birthplace    . .   of   . .   "www"  . .   the  World  Wide  Web  !

. .   40%  of  the  population  here  are  employees  of  international  companies

. .   so  this  french - speaking   area  of   Switzerland  shares  space  with 

multi - lingual  tongues  who  find   common ground   speaking   . .   english

"Geneva's"   peculiar projection  . .  juts  westward  . .  into  France's   east  side
↘︎      .      .      .

Geneva  is   . .   Surrounded   on  the   West  .  South  .  East   sides   by   . .   FRANCE  
Swiss  travel  here  moves  north  along  . .  Lac Leman  -  ( Lake  Geneva ) 







International  Organizations   ( north  end  of  Geneva's  central  core )   offer  public  TOURS
We'll  spend  our  time  between   . .  the  World  Health  Organization   ( north  central  core )
and  . .  St. Peter's  Cathedral  . .  across  the  Rhone River   ( south  central  core )







( Stand  in  these  shoes  for  a  few  minutes ) :
⇣
At  24  years  old  . .   you  are  . .   Founder  of   the  Geneva   YMCA
after  spending  about  6  yrs   volunteering   with  .  young  people  .   prisoners  .   orphans
. .  while  also  working  in  . .   retail  trading   &   banking
At  age  27  . .   you  meet  in  Paris  to   . .   "Internationalize"   the   YMCA

Your  impressive  bank  work  . .  results  in  your  . .   transfer  to  Algeria
( conquered  by   . .  France  . .  30  yrs  earlier )
In  your  late  20s  . .   you  also  open  your  own  Algerian   corn  mills   and   marble  queries
Your  career  suffers  because  you  spend  your  resources  on  . .    humanitarian   endeavors

You  return  to  Europe

Bankrupted  . .  you  are  expelled  from  your  hometown  Geneva

At  age  31 . .   you  are  . .   appalled   seeing   thousands   of  horrifying  . .   casualties
at  the  . .   Solferino  battlefield   . .  ( east  of  Milan,  Italy )
you  gather  anyone  you  can  find  to  . .  "do  something"  to  help  these  . .  wounded  and  dying
You  go  to  Paris   . .    spend  3  yrs   writing   your  . .   devastating  . .   memories

_____

At  age  34 - 35   . .   you   present   . .   a   list   of   . .

____________________

 P r o p o s a l s :
____________________

↓

➤     In   every  country  . .   set  up  
Volunteer  Groups   to    care  for   . .   war - time  "casualties"
★      ( this   leads  to  . .  National  Societies    in  . .   183  countries  ! )

↓

➤     Get   countries   to  . .   agree  to  
protect   . .   First  Aid   volunteers    and  . .   wounded  . .  on  the   battlefield
★     ( this  leads  to   Geneva  Conventions   agreed to - signed by  . .  192  countries ! )  

↓

➤     adopt   . .  a  . .   " Symbol " 

  
"simple"

identifiable    -    from     . .   " f a r    a w a y "

" universally "  recognizable     -     known   to   . .   " everyone "

identical  -   for   . .    "friend"   .    &    .   "foe"

backed   by   . .   " law "

indicating   . .   " respect  for "   . .   medical  &   first  aid   Volunteers   &   war  Victims 
★     (  this  leads  to  a   positive   example  of  the   . .  " Power - of - ONE " )

    

An  impressive  story   . .   NEXT   BLOG   . .   Let's  go  take  a  Tour

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Swtz01 - Switzerland

Setting  the  Stage   . .

  For  comparison  ..  Switzerland  is  ..  3 times the size of ..  Los  Angeles 'County'

On  the  European  Map  . .  Switzerland  . .  is  "findably"   ➤   . .  SMALL





Switzerland 
is surrounded    by  countries   that   historically   have  . .  plunged    "devastatingly"

into  . .

Marxism   .   Naziism   .   Socialism   .   Communism   .   Fascism
Monarchy   .   Patriarchy   .   Dictatorships


_____


➤     So  . .   it's  understandable  . .    ➤   . .   "WHY  ?!"    . .
( for  centuries )
. .  the    Swiss     have  . .  fiercely  defended . .  their    . . 🙏  . .  coveted

" INDEPENDENCE "


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( ↓  . .  shown  below )   26   "self - governed"  Cantons    

( like  "states" )  . .    each   have
  
their  own   . .  Constitution   . .  and   their  own   . .  separate  Laws

and   their  own    . .    School  Systems


A  century  ago    . .
    they  also  had   . . 

their  own   . .   Army      and      their  own   . .   Money


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To   further   avoid    "monopoly"   . .   the   Country   has   a

7 -  Member   Executive   Council
a   "Collective"   Head - of - State
( rather  than  a  "President" )

Each   year   . .   from   those   7   . .    ONE   is   elected   to   serve   12   months
as   . .   "first - among - equals"



 



Switzerland's   WEST  -  side   speaks   . .  French

Its   NORTH  -  speaks   . .  German

Its   SOUTH  -  speaks   . .   Italian

( and  its   S.E.  region  -  speaks  . .  RHAETO  -  ( Romantsch  =  Latin  roots )
From  the  Romantsch    (Latin )  . .   comes  . . 




"Confoederatio   Helvetica"

is  the   "Official"  . .   Name   of  the  Country
    ( CH ) 
 . .    (  to  settle  the  argument  )    . .




 . .  otherwise   known   as :

Confederation   SUISSE   . .   in    . .    French  Cantons

Confederazione   SVIZZERA   . .   in    . .    Italian  Cantons

Eidgenossenschaft  . .  in  . .  German    ( there's   1   in   every   crowd,    isn't   there  ?! )

Confederaziun    SVIZRA  . .  in  . .   Romantsch  areas

Confoederatio    Helvetica   . .  in  . .   ( original  "official" )  Latin



▶︎    ( and  to  make  life  even  more  interesting )  . .   ENGLISH   . .   is  gradually
replacing    "regional"    speech



______________________________________________________________________

Since  the  "web"   was   born   in  Switzerland . .

  "Helvetica"
  
 is  used  as  the  name  of  a  popular   FONT   . .   ▶︎   in  computer  script

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Switzerland   . .    is  a   . .    Federal  Republic


" FEDERAL "
"dual"   =    Authority   and   Control
( governed  by   separate   powers )
. .  both . .  "Central"   . .  and . .   "Regional"   ( State - like  Cantons )


" REPUBLIC "
=    A   nation   state
where  . . " SUPREME  POWER  . .  is  held  . .   by  the . .   PEOPLE "
and    ( from  bottom  UP   ↑  )    "their"  . .    "ELECTED"  . .   "REPRESENTATIVES"



( . .  opposite  of   ..   monarchy   ..   where  "power"  is  ..  "INHERITED"
and    TOP   ⇣   down 
..   with  .. 
 NO   "Representation"   by   the  . .   "PEOPLE " . . ) 


_________________________________________________________________


42 %    of  the  population  is  ..    CATHOLIC
35 %     is  ..    PROTESTANT


_________________________________________________________________



We'll  be  using  the    "SWISS  FRANC"     here   . .   not  the  Euro
( Franc  value  is    + / -    the  U.S.  dollar  in  recent  months  -  We'll  consider  it  . .  a  ' wash ')







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We  might  be  ( autumn )  "picnicking"  and  "dieting" . .  in  this  country.      It's  pricey.
One  bit  of  good  news  is  that  . .  hotel   prices . .   include   . .   free  pass  
on  all   transportation   within  that   (each)   city   . .    
No  Hotel  =  No  Pass
Mountain   lifts  .  Cog  trains  .  Gondolas  .  Funiculars  . Cable cars
  . .   are   not   part  of  the  deal

It's  time  to  get  acquainted  with    Geneva   . .   Let's  Go  !

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"On The Road Again". . Sept - Nov 2017

Rusty  and  Wrinkles  are  hitting  the  road  again  . .  to  . .  3  Countries  . .  Autumn  2017

✦   First  . .   to  this  country  in  . .  RED

✦    Next  . .   to  this  place  in  . .   big  BLUE

✦   And  finally  . .   to  . .   (?)
  



WHERE   . .  are  they  going ?


Blogs  from  their   1st   location  will  likely  be  published  on  or  near  . .   September  20
and  then . .  maybe  about  every  other  day  until  mid  November


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COUNTRY   # 1

uses  . .  3  Official  Languages . .  ( plus  2  others )
◼︎   and  prints  . .  MONEY . .  TRAIN  SCHEDULES  . .  ROAD  SIGNS . .  in  all  3  languages
Their  Currency  is  not   the  EURO


. .   It's  the  ONLY  country   in  the  world   where . .
◼︎    "highways"  can  be  converted  quickly  to  . .   airport  "R U N W A Y S"


. .    It's  the  ONLY  country   in  the  world   capable  of  fitting  . .
 ◼︎    100%  of  its  population  into  . .  protective  . . "BUNKERS"
. .   a  nat'l  Building  CODE  . .  ➤  "requirement"


◼︎    It  has  one  of  the  largest  . .    ARMIES    ( "per capita")   . .   on  earth


◼︎    and  it  has  the  longest   ( and  most  expensive ) . .  T U N N E L    in  the  world
. .  ( 4 + miles . .  "longer "  than  . .  the  English  Channel )


◼︎     Zwingli  .  Erasmus  .  Calvin   are   big  names  here  . .  associated  with  "Reformation"

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CITY   # 1
 
    ◼︎    is  located  at  the  . .   south  end  of  . .  the  Continent's  . .  largest  lake
This  city  is   ONLY   . .    ➤     6 +  miles  square  . .


◼︎    Houses  the  "Headquarters"  of  . .  2  Dozen +   "International"  Organizations


◼︎    and  . .  is  the     ➤    birthplace  . .  of  the   World  Wide  Web  ( www )




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Hmmm !          Verrry    ( roll that   rrr )   . .   "In - Terrr - Es - Ting"  ! 
Look  . .   👀 . .  for  more  . .   soon.

Search  this  internet  site   . .   to  follow  their  trail:

   rustyandwrinkles.blogspot.com


( Notice )  . .  ➤   the   upper  right   hand   corner  . . ( at  the  beginning  of  each  blog )
has  a   . .   ➤  Blog   Archive
that  lets  you  access   . .   previous   . .  travel  itineraries  . .

( 2014  . . autumn  . .   Morocco / Spain )
( 2015  . .  spring  . .  South  Africa / Botswana / Namibia / Victoria Falls  & more )
(  2015  . .  autumn  . .  Germany / Poland / Hungary / Austria / Czech Republic )

plus  . .   new   . .  blogs  as  soon  as  they  are  published 



( Notice )  . .   ➤   at   the  very  bottom   of   each   blog  post   . .  
( below   . .   the   Comments  Box )
the   Option   to  go   . . 
◀︎   Older  Post   ( one  Post  backwards )   . .   or   . .  ( one  Post  forward )    Newer  Post   ▶︎



We'll   be   back   soon


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