things i learned today

• One in three children is obese in the GCC region, according to this article.
• I can buy stroopwaffles online! Yay!!
• We're going to the Doha Debates next Wednesday, featuring former Iraqi Interim Prime Minister Dr. Ayad Allawi. I know I'm a big dork, but oh man am I excited!

Also, an article came out recently in the Guardian about Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser al-Missned, the second of the three wives of the Emir and an incredible advocate for women, education, culture, modernization and diplomacy in Qatar. The article ends with a quote from her about Qatar's ability to avoid terrorism: "If you want to counter extremism, you have to tackle the root cause. It's not an accident that this product is not selling in Qatar. Satisfaction is the ideal immunisation against terrorism." She portrayes Qatar in the exact way that many of the Qataris wish it were perceived abroad. Read the whole article here.