It actually hailed today. Tiny droplets of ice fell from the sky and almost immediately melted into small pools of water as it hit the ground or whatever else it landed on.

Now, I've spent the last 23 year of my life in Southern California and have never witnessed snowfall or hail, although there were rare instances when it would happen for a few seconds. I've seen snow after it has fallen but not when it is actually falling. I have yet to make snow angels on fresh fluffs of ice powder.

I wonder if it's common in the Bay area. I'd like to catch it again.
Before I begin, I need to stand up and give this Iraqi journalist a big round of applause!

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The journalist, later identified as Muntadar al-Zeidi, had done what several million Americans have wanted to do (and much worse probably) to this president of ours.



al-Zeidi first yelled, "This is a gift from the Iraqis; this is the farewell kiss, you dog!" while throwing his first shoe at Bush. He followed it up with, "This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq!" Just a few weeks prior to this incident, Iraqis had gathered around Ferdous Square, the same place where the late Saddam Hussein's statue had been taken down, and threw shoes at an effigy of Bush.

Why shoes, you ask? In Iraqi culture, throwing a shoe at someone is supposedly the biggest insult. The shoe is always in contact with the ground and is dirty, and it means that the intended target is even lower than the dirty ground.

The only downside? al-Zeidi missed. He probably will not be able to get another job in journalism unless the company he works for also has a hatred for Bush.

Kudos to al-Zeidi.
"If you are as you have described yourself the king of the animals - it would be better for you to call yourself king of the beasts since you are the greatest of them all! - because you help them only so that they may presently be able to give you their young in order to gratify your palate, for the sake of which you have tried to make yourself a tomb for all the animals. Even more I might say if to speak the entire truth were permitted me.... Now does not nature produce enough simple vegetarian food for you to satisfy yourself?"