Caryle Murphy

Caryle Murphy is Saudi Arabia correspondent for GlobalPost. A long-time reporter for the Washington Post, Murphy has been a foreign correspondent in southern Africa and the Middle East. In...

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Caryle Murphy's Notebook:

January 12, 2009 06:16 ET

Too Beautiful to Eat

Okay, so some Saudis believe their faith is not compatible with celebrating their birthdays.

But others go all-out to celebrate. And if you want to see some birthday cakes that 'take the cake' for style, visit this Facebook gallery.



 

January 11, 2009 14:25 ET

Why I'm here

Living in Riyadh is not as glamorous as living in Paris. But for a journalist, it's far more fascinating. Saudi Arabia is key to two matters that have become central to U.S. foreign policy: oil and Islam. The kingdom is also in a period of change. Slow change, but still change. That all makes for interesting times.

After a rewarding career at the Washington Post, I decided to return to the Middle East. Saudi Arabia seemed like a good place to pitch my tent. (Sorry, there's no camel parked outside.) So here I am, making my way in the new frontier of online journalism.