Blog Posts for Ellen R. Sheeley

On Tenterhooks. . .The Samoan Earthquake and Tsunami

Ellen R. Sheeley — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 20:55:13 -0700

I tuned into the evening news tonight, only to learn that earlier today there was an 8.0 to 8.3 earthquake in Samoa lasting several minutes, followed by a tsunami. Apparently, there have been deaths, but, as I write, the numbers are unknown. One account I read said there was a water surge of over two feet in Apia, the capital of the independent (i.e., non American) side. None of this is ...

What Are You Reading Right Now?

Ellen R. Sheeley — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 13:26:49 -0700

Is it safe to assume that most of us here in the RedRoom are avid readers? I am and have been for as long as I can remember.As a professional marketer, I thought it might be interesting to capture a snapshot of our collective reading habits by conducting an informal, statistically-flawed survey asking, What are you reading right now? If you care to add a critique, all the better. If this is ...

Eid Mubarak!

Ellen R. Sheeley — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 11:31:56 -0700

Today is the first day of Eid al-Fitr in Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and other Muslim countries where the new moon has been sighted, marking the beginning of the lunar month of Shawwal and the end of the holy month of Ramadan.Last year I blogged about how the holiday is celebrated, but there are also some more personal accounts here.Eid Mubarak (English translation: happy ...

Virginity Is Overrated

Ellen R. Sheeley — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 17:53:51 -0700

In some countries, women are killed for not being virgins. In a May 2005 paper entitled, "The Economic Advancement of Women in Jordan: A Country Gender Assessment," the World Bank reported that 95% of the women killed in Jordan in 1997 for alleged violations of family honor were later found to be innocent of immoral behavior. In other words, they were still virgins, even though ...

Payment for Acknowledgments: Resourceful or Cringe Inducing?

Ellen R. Sheeley — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 12:47:41 -0700

In my almost-daily Web surfing of assorted Middle East news sites and blogs, I stumbled upon a blog by a reader-funded foreign correspondent named Michael J. Totten. I neither know nor know of him, but apparently he's written articles that have been published in The Jerusalem Post, LA Weekly, The New York Daily News, The Wall Street Journal, and other mainstream periodicals.According to Mr. ...

My Esteemed Colleague, Edward M. Kennedy

Ellen R. Sheeley — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:31:49 -0700

In the summer of 1975, when I was 18, the Hon. Tennyson Guyer, Republican, 4th District of Ohio, appointed me his L.B.J. Summer Intern to the 94th United States Congress. In fact, he appointed me for the first time the prior summer, but when one of his staffers rang to interview me for a press release announcing the appointment, he realized that, although I had graduated from high school, I was ...

Ramadan Kareem!

Ellen R. Sheeley — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 16:06:48 -0700

Just want to say a quick but heartfelt, "Ramadan kareem!" to my Muslim readers. For those who may not be familiar with this pillar of Islam, my blog of last year offers a brief explanation. It's the first day of Ramadan in Jordan and, since the holy month commences in accordance with the lunar calendar, I'm not sure whether it's begun yet in Algeria or India or other countries ...

Adult Bullying: On the Rise?

Ellen R. Sheeley — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 19:55:46 -0700

Yesterday my friend Inca and I spent some time together running errands. We were chatting about this and that when she turned to me and asked, "So what did you make of Hillary's response to that Congolese student?" (See also this article if you missed the news story.) "Inappropriate. Unbecoming. Embarrassing." said I, without skipping a beat. "I thought it ...

A Public Service Announcement for Anyone Trying to Understand the Google Settlement

Ellen R. Sheeley — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 18:20:22 -0700

The Financial Times recently published a thoughtful analysis of the Google Books project. Click here to read "Books: A Plan to Scan," by Richard Waters.Is there anyone out there who really understands the implications of this, or are we just going to have to plow ahead and see what happens?

A Middle East Primer

Ellen R. Sheeley — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:12:27 -0700

One of my favorite magazines is The Economist. In its July 23, 2009 issue, it published an interesting leader/editorial and a special report on the Arab world entitled Waking from Its Sleep. The latter is a follow up to a similar report published almost 20 years ago entitled When History Passes By.If anyone is interested in gaining a quick understanding of the region but lacks the time and ...