Greetings from Petra on this “Canada Day” !
(time for a parade to get in practice for another on the 4th?)
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| Siq view |
Today Bruce & I performed a
foot patrol from the entrance to the High Place of Sacrifice (one of my roving
duty stations from Spring 2011) – it was great. I took plenty of photos “with
new eyes” and just posted many of them in an album on my Facebook page. There
was plenty to do and see: new graffiti, tour groups from Meme’s ancestral
homeland (Italia), a climbing guide named Khaled (aka: Car-tune)* and a
cultural anthropologist that recently finished her PhD. @ McMasters (Hamilton,
Ontario) working with Bedouin and Protected Area management at Wadi Rum
(friends with Nasser; unfortunately I failed to give her my card or get hers: c’est
la vie).
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| Looking down towards al-bint |
From the High Place of Sacrifice,
and its water harvesting features and altars, we took in the many vistas of
Wadi Al-Farasa, the Lower Basin, Royal Tombs and north to Um-Sayhoun. Still
stirs my blood (in a very good-n-peaceful way) to be there. We took the “back
route” down the hill past the Lion Fountain (disfigured long ago as it isn’t
acceptable for art to have human or animal form in Islam), Garden Temple, Roman
Soldier Tomb, the Triclinium, and the old road (Egypt to Rome) Obelisk to the Lower Basin.
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| Medical Clinic - Lower Basin |
It gave ample time to ponder about
the state of health care at home and elsewhere. I’ve noticed a lot of writing
re: same from home, including Senator Harry Reid saying: America is the only
country in the world where if you get sick you’ll have to file for bankruptcy.
Besides being volatile political rhetoric I find it ignorant and Euro-centric,
diminishing the fact that the majority of the world has limited health care
options. It is really primarily the “Western World” that expects what most of
the world doesn’t have, and guess what: many of them are going bankrupt and
will probably bleed-out in my son’s lifetime. I’m glad that residents in US
will have to purchase insurance, instead of going to emergency rooms (and their
high costs), but wonder about those living on-the-edge of homelessness or
already there and can’t afford health care insurance. What about them? Welcome
to the reality of the developing world.
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| Garden Temple |
During our trip to China, I recall
asking about health care in that “communist country” and was informed that the
constitution grants it, BUT you must purchase health insurance. Here in Jordan,
King Abdullah II has it as a Social Security program priority. However, that has
a long way to go reflected from what we saw when we had to get tested for AIDS
during our visa extension escapades. The
old adage of “you get what you pay for” comes to mind, and many folks of
significant means travel to USA for their medical care, while many of course
travel elsewhere (Mexico and India comes to mind). Complex and challenging
issues…
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| Old road obelisk - new shop |
It has been
noted that the World Health Organization rates our U.S. health system as 37th
in the world, below most other Western democracies (not sure of the rating
criteria, but know those of means and some doctors of considerable talent come
to USA when they can). Even my primary physician’s medical practice partner
came to Santa Fe from Amman, Jordan even though Jordan is reported (CIA
Factbook) to have a longer life expectancy (probably due to lack of many of the
stressers we have: come, have cup of tea with me)
*- for climbing guide info I recommend contacting Jehad (you
know, “the go to guy”) at
Hunt2132@yahoo.co.uk
