There be snow in Baghdad

Snow fell on Baghdad for the first time in memory. Okay, so it melted before it hit the ground, but you know what I mean.

Although the white flakes quickly dissolved into gray puddles, they brought an emotion rarely expressed in this desert capital snarled by army checkpoints, divided by concrete walls and ravaged by sectarian killings - delight.

Morning temperatures uncharacteristically hovered around freezing, and Baghdad airport was closed because of poor visibility. Snow is common in the mountains of northern Iraq, but residents of the capital and surrounding areas could remember just hail.

"It's a sign of hope" indeed. So I wonder what they would say about "global warming." Oh wait, I found the answer.

"The more frequent occurrence of extreme events all over the world -- floods in Australia, heavy snowfall in the Middle East -- can also be signs of warming," he said.

But its always good to keep an open mind too, don't you think? Although some scientists say there will be major disasters in the year 2040, something like that. But then they aren't able to predict the forecast for tomorrow let alone 32 years from now. Oh well.....Global Warming is no doubt a debate for the brain on rain or lack thereof.

South America this year (2007) experienced one of its coldest winters in decades. In Buenos Aires, snow fell for the first time since the year 1918.

Johannesburg, South Africa, had the first significant snowfall in 26 years. Australia experienced the coldest June ever.

Last January, $1.42 billion worth of California produce was lost to a devastating five-day freeze.

On Dec. 4, in Seoul, Korea, the temperature was a record minus 5 degrees Celsius.

Makes for interesting conversation anyway.