Follow-up to classroom questions on culture, current events, and

Q: Five is for Hamsa; what is the story behind this symbol?
A: In a google search of images (for example http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&um=1&hl=en&q=hamsa++%22evil+eye%22+blessing+OR+fatima) you can pick up some lovely images of jewelry for sale.
Add your favorite image searches for hamsa:

When you look around at the webpages for Hamsa, you'll find some musical groups and a human rights group for journalists that have decided to use this venerated name.

From a Sept lecture:

Q: How many wives did the late King Hussein (of blessed memory or peace be upon him) of Jordan have?
A: According to his official web-site, the King had four wives.


http://www.kinghussein.gov.jo/biography.html

"King Hussein married Queen Noor on June 15, 1978. They have two sons -Hamzah and Hashem- and two daughters -Iman and Raiyah. His Majesty is also survived by three sons -Abdullah, Faisal and Ali- and five daughters -Alia, Zein, Aisha, Haya and Abeer- from three previous marriages. Toward the end of his life, King Hussein became the proud grandfather of a growing number of grandchildren."

Here's the intro to his official biography:
"King Hussein bin Talal (1935-1999)

"His Majesty King Hussein bin Talal, the father of modern Jordan, will always be remembered as a leader who guided his country through strife and turmoil to become an oasis of peace, stability and moderation in the Middle East. Among Jordanians, his memory is cherished as the inspiration for Jordan's climate of openness, tolerance and compassion. Known to his people as Al-Malik Al-Insan ("The Humane King"), King Hussein established a legacy which promises to guide Jordan for many years to come.

"At the time of his passing on February 7, 1999, His Majesty was the longest serving executive head of state in the world. Of great significance to Muslims throughout the world, the late King Hussein was also the forty-second generation direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad.

"...King Hussein’s formal accession to the throne [was] on May 2, 1953, when he assumed his constitutional powers after reaching the age of eighteen, according to the Islamic calendar.

This story of King Hussein's shiva call during the Clinton era is Michelle's favorite. It is also reported in Sept 2001 Middle East Review of International Affairs Here's a more stable link, but you have to be patient enough to load the pdf file: http://meria.idc.ac.il/journal/2001/issue3/scham-lucas.pdf
"The king, meanwhile, in a moment etched indelibly in virtually every Israeli memory, came to Israel to visit the homes of the dead children, during the seven-day Jewish mourning ceremony known as the shiva. According to tradition, mourners sit on the floors or on low stools to express their grief. Accompanied by television cameras, the king visited each home that would have him, sitting on the floor with the mourners. Israelis were touched by the human gesture of sharing their grief, which they had never before seen from an Arab leader." (from p. 12, "NORMALIZATION" AND "ANTI-NORMALIZATION" IN JORDAN: THE PUBLIC DEBATE By Paul L. Scham and Russell E. Lucas)





Q: What is the name of the Christian Science Monitor journalist who was formerly in Iraq?
A: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jill_Carroll

recent articles about her ordeal: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22Jill+Caroll%22+iraq+2007
On assignment in N. Africa in 2007: http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0412/p06s01-wome.html

Meanwhile, Scott has agreed to helm "The Invisible World" for Paramount, based on a treatment by Ignatius that was scripted by Dana Stevens. That pic covers the abduction of a female journalist in Iraq. Could this be related?