Neatorama |
- The Roma's Long Road to Equality
- Cthulhu Wacky Wobbler Bobble Head
- Biggest. Bear. Ever.
- Tiny Time Lord
- The Littlest Vader
- Miniature Versions of TV Shows
- Flowchart: What Job Should You Have in the Star Wars Universe?
- Simpsons Action Hero: The McBain Movie
- Sunrise over Liechtenstein
- Batman as an Oppressive Plutocrat Enforcing an Aristrocratic Social Order
- Swarovski's Crystal Museum
- Wirelessly-Connected Dominos Fall without Touching Each Other
- Oscar Nominee Posters in Lego
- Everything is a Remix Part Two: Movies
- The Art of Pianola
- The Continuing Adventures of Black Stormtrooper
- Scientist Finger Puppets and Magnets
- Burglar Has No Luck
- Shotguns vs. Footballs
- Nature Make a Computer Pun
- Groundhog Day or Hedgehog Day?
- Bert Amend and the One-Armed Musicians
- 7 Animals Humans Brought to Extinction
- BatWars
- The Oak Chapel of Allouville-Bellefosse
- REDD
- Super Friends Valentines Superpack
- Pixar's Zoetrope
- Global Village Construction Set
- Mal and Chad's Fill in the Bubble Frenzy 16
| The Roma's Long Road to Equality Posted: 03 Feb 2011 05:09 AM PST From Self-Segregation to Institutionalized Racism, Why Bulgaria’s “Gypsies” Have Struggled to Integrate
To the ill-informed, the word “gypsy” evokes images of tarot cards and nomads wandering on horses through grasslands. But the Roma people (as they’re properly called) have a complex culture that, even today, struggles to earn respect in Eastern Europe -particularly in Bulgaria. For more than a century, the Roma have sought basic human rights and equalities, but have gained little ground. Fortunately, change is on the horizon. With Bulgaria’s recent admission into the European Union, the Roma finally find themselves on a hopeful path. ROMA AROUND THE WORLD To understand the Roma, it’s best to start with the basics. Long ago, Europeans saw the Roma’s dark skin and assumed they’d come from Egypt -hence the name “gypsy”. In reality, the word is a misnomer. The Roma actually come from the Indian subcontinent, and they slowly migrated toward Europe early in the second millennia CE. Today’s pockets of Roma are scattered all over the world. Not only do they constitute the the largest ethnic minority in Europe, they also rank as the fastest-growing ethnic group in many countries around the world. Because the Roma have such a wide diaspora, it’s difficult to define their culture and traditions in any certain terms. They do have their own language, called Romani (closely related to Punjabi and other Indian languages), though countless dialects exist. Influenced by whatever society surrounds it, each Roma community is different from the next. One common value, however, is the importance of the extended family. Beyond simply “sticking together,” most enclaves practice long-held Romani social behaviors based on purity laws, called marime. For instance, many Roma feel virginity is essential in unmarried girls. Furthermore, parts of the human body (particularly genitalia) are considered impure, so clothing must always be worn to cover the lower half of the body -and these clothes must even be washed separately. As a result, tradition Romani woman are easy to identify, based on the long skirts they wear to cover their lower halves and the head scarfs they use to cover their hair. Notoriously suspect to outsiders, many Roma also fear their children could be made impure by outside influences. All in all, the Roma provide an interesting cultural case study because, while they’re extremely good at settling into a nation, they struggle to assimilate into a society. The Roma are isolationists -a community with a rich past but without any real sense of a homeland. The result has been a kind of ongoing identity crisis for them. And in Bulgaria, it’s made them particularly vulnerable to hardship. THE GREAT DIVIDE Today, Bulgaria has one of the highest concentrations of Roma in the world. Official government tallies place the Romani population at approximately 370,000, although other researchers say that figure is closer to 750,000. Whatever the exact number, there is a very defined -and very unpleasant- cultural, social, and economic divide between the Roma and the rest of Bulgarian society. As in most of Eastern Europe, the Roma in Bulgaria tend to live in ghettos and rundown squatter communities, well-separated from the majority population. With unemployment estimates as high as 80 percent, the Roma are blamed for one out of every four crimes. Only 12 percent seek higher education, while 18 percent are fully illiterate. In addition, they have limited access to insurance and other social benefits. And while there is one elected political party devoted to addressing Romani problems and concerns, it wields very little power. Even more distressing, however, is the Bulgarian educational system, which has been tremendously unfair to its Roma students.
The inequality in the Bulgarian school system goes back to the fall of Communism in 1989, when Roma children were given two options- attend a “gypsy school,” populated exclusively by Roma, or attend a school for children with mental handicaps. Both were problematic, as the first served to further segregate the Roma from other Bulgarians, while the second herded smart, healthy Romani children into special-needs facilities. The schools were eventually desegregated in 2003, but that hasn’t completely remedied the problem. There are still 5-year-old Roma kids attending the first grade, and many who can’t speak or write anything that isn’t in Romani. TWO SIDES TO THE COIN To be fair, not all of the blame for Bulgaria’s “Roma problem” should fall on racism or discrimination. The Roma protect their culture fiercely, and that sometimes deters them from learning the Bulgarian language or from getting mainstream jobs. Consequently, many Roma can be found begging on the streets, which leaves most Bulgarians feeling pestered. All of this has led to a national sense of resentment toward the Roma, which can be detected from the language. “You gypped me” is a common pejorative phrase there, just as “gypsy’s work” is slang for a job not well done. And no matter what, Bulgarians probably won’t stop referring to the unpopped kernels at the bottom of the popcorn bag as “gypsies.” Simeon Blagoev, Roma Affairs expert at Bulgaria’s Ministry of Culture (and a Rom himself), explained the situation to the World Press Review in these words: “Historically, the Roma have failed to integrate well into the society, but now they must choose between assimilation and misery.” UNION-IZED Fortunately, the European Union (EU) seems to be providing light at the end of this bleak tunnel. For the pas few years, Bulgaria has vied earnestly for membership into the EU -mostly for the economic lift, but also for worldwide inclusion and respect. Before it could gain full membership, however, the country was forced to deal with its human rights “inconsistencies,” such as school segregation. So in 1999, the Bulgarian government drafted the “Framework Programme for Full Integration of the Roma in Bulgarian Society,” which finally acknowledged the need for the Roma to have the same rights and freedoms as all Bulgarians. On January 1, 2007, Bulgaria became the 26th member of the European Union. And in its brief time of influence, the EU seems to have advanced the cause of Roma equality. It’s encouraged Roma representation at all levels of government, and has shown approval for the formation of over 350 Roma associations (both governmental and non-governmental). The hope is that, eventually, all this effort will lead to more jobs and economic opportunities for Bulgaria’s most impoverished ethnic community. Any way you look at it, it’s a long road ahead. But the good news for all Roma is that the path is being paved. ________________________________
Don’t forget to feed your brain by subscribing to the magazine and visiting mental_floss‘ extremely entertaining website and blog today for more!  |
| Cthulhu Wacky Wobbler Bobble Head Posted: 02 Feb 2011 10:20 PM PST In his house in R’lyeh, dead Cthulhu waits … bobbing his head. If Valentine’s Day sweetness isn’t for your loved ones, then how about this: the Cthulhu Wacky Wobbler Bobble Head ($12.95) from the NeatoShop: Link More Cthulhu Items |
| Posted: 02 Feb 2011 09:29 PM PST “Hmm? Oh don’t mind me. You know us bears, we like to lay back and relax after we’ve had a nice Coke… a-Cola bottling plant.” Actually, the official biggest-ever bear hails from way back in the day, a time before soft drinks, CGI and NeutraSweet.
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| Posted: 02 Feb 2011 09:10 PM PST I seem to have a theme going on here. First the little Darth Vader from the upcoming Super Bowl Volkswagen ad, and now we have this teensy-weensie timey-wimey guy in a TARDIS his dad made for him.
Link -via Mateo and Me |
| Posted: 02 Feb 2011 07:53 PM PST Daaw look at him, he thinks he’s a Sith Lord! He can’t choke the dog with his mind – probably a good thing – but he does make for an awfully cute Super Bowl ad.
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| Miniature Versions of TV Shows Posted: 02 Feb 2011 06:35 PM PST The Belgian television channel Prime commissioned miniature sets for major American shows, including Mad Men, Lost, Deadwood, and Six Feet Under. It’s simple, but quite visually effective. Warning: the video at the link compiling them is NSFW. Link (Google Translate) via NotCot |
| Flowchart: What Job Should You Have in the Star Wars Universe? Posted: 02 Feb 2011 05:59 PM PST So you suddenly find yourself long, long ago in a galaxy far away. You’re going to need to earn some money, so it’s time to find a job. This flowchart by Andy Green and Bobby Bernethy will make some suggestions for careers that fit your personality. |
| Simpsons Action Hero: The McBain Movie Posted: 02 Feb 2011 05:20 PM PST Guess what, neighborino; you know those all-too-brief moments during The Simpsons in which we see marquee tough guy McBain getting his Ahnuld on? They’re Easter eggs. Parts of a whole.
Link -via CollegeHumor |
| Posted: 02 Feb 2011 05:16 PM PST Photographer David Kaplan took this mesmerizing image. It shows a cloudbank over the Rhine with Liechtenstein in the background. The Moon and Venus can be seen in the upper right corner. Click on the link to view a much larger image. |
| Batman as an Oppressive Plutocrat Enforcing an Aristrocratic Social Order Posted: 02 Feb 2011 04:13 PM PST
Do you agree with this reading? Link via Boing Boing | Padnick’s Blog | Image: DC Comics/Jim Lee |
| Posted: 02 Feb 2011 03:56 PM PST Swarovski, a manufacturer of glass crystal, has a museum and garden in Wattens, Austria. This enormous fountain stands in front of it. Think of the setting possibilities it offers to producers of science fiction shows! Official Website and Video via Super Punch | Photo: Michael Slonecker |
| Wirelessly-Connected Dominos Fall without Touching Each Other Posted: 02 Feb 2011 03:39 PM PST Japanese artist Jarashi Suki developed dominoes that trip each other even without physical contact. Each one has a number, 1-5, displayed with dots. You can change the number of a domino by shaking it. When domino 1 falls, it will then trip 2, which will then trip 3, and so on. The video shows creative ways that this system can be used to make domino chains that would be impossible with conventional dominoes. |
| Posted: 02 Feb 2011 03:03 PM PST Ten movies are in contention for the 2011 Oscar for Best Motion Picture. While we suppose they are all good films, there is no movie that can’t be improved by being rendered in Lego! An art collective by the name of Old Red Jalopy re-created the posters for all ten Best Picture nominees in Lego form. I love this poster for 127 Hours! See all ten posters at NextMovie. Link -Thanks, Andie! |
| Everything is a Remix Part Two: Movies Posted: 02 Feb 2011 02:51 PM PST Kirby Ferguson’s series Everything is a Remix started with a look at how songs are recycled from past tunes. This second installment is about movies, and how everything old is new again. Among other movies, you’ll see visual illustrations of the influences you read about in the article In The Beginning: Star Wars. Note: After the credits roll, another movie is analyzed, starting at the seven minute mark. Link -via Metafilter |
| Posted: 02 Feb 2011 02:17 PM PST This video demonstration was done at the Pianola Museum in Amsterdam. The pianola has been around since the turn of the nineteenth century. A paper roll is placed in a dual function piano and the keys and foot pedals are used to control the tempo. It’s an instrument that most people (even I) can play. |
| The Continuing Adventures of Black Stormtrooper Posted: 02 Feb 2011 01:36 PM PST Scrubs alumn Donald Faison loves Star Wars. Don’t we all? He also produces awesome stop-motion LEGO animation shorts. Don’t we all? Uh, no actually.
Link -via Donald “shundigga” Faison, whose original Black Stormtrooper short (Episode 1?) is also available for viewing on YouTube. |
| Scientist Finger Puppets and Magnets Posted: 02 Feb 2011 11:07 AM PST Adorn your refrigerator with these cute scientist finger puppets and magnets ($5.95) from the NeatoShop … or we’ll just have to ask Nikola Tesla (shown above) to experiment on his death ray with you! |
| Posted: 02 Feb 2011 10:23 AM PST
When the hapless intruder discovered the security camera, he tried to cover it, but too late: his various falls were caught on camera. He eventually escaped, but when his face was publicized, he turned himself in. Link (with video) -via Arbroath |
| Posted: 02 Feb 2011 10:19 AM PST |
| Posted: 02 Feb 2011 10:18 AM PST "Firefox has encountered an unexpected problem with windows." is the obvious comment at YouTube. -via The Daily What |
| Groundhog Day or Hedgehog Day? Posted: 02 Feb 2011 08:34 AM PST
So have we’ve been using the wrong animal all these years? Should we instead say “Happy Hedgehog Day”? Link (Image credit: Melissa Farlow/National Geographic) |
| Bert Amend and the One-Armed Musicians Posted: 02 Feb 2011 08:08 AM PST (image Robin Amend) When Bert Amend (right), a shake mill worker, lost his right arm in an accident at the turn of the century he didn’t let it interfere with his ability to play music. He formed a musical group of one-armed musicians who played a variety of instruments (including a couple of fancy Knutsens) altered by Amend with special attachments and devices to accommodate the special needs of the band members. The group travelled the Pacific Northwest Vaudeville circuit and were billed as “The Greatest Novelty Musical Act In Vaudeville”. Link Via Uncertain Times |
| 7 Animals Humans Brought to Extinction Posted: 02 Feb 2011 08:03 AM PST When you're a kid, you know the dinosaurs went extinct, but it seems weird that a creature alive today could suddenly be wiped off the earth tomorrow. I remember the first time I really realized what extinction meant when I went to the San Diego Zoo and saw a picture of the dodo bird on a sign talking about extinction. I was familiar with the bird from Alice and Wonderland and asked my mom if we could see it while we were at the zoo. When she explained to me that the bird didn't exist any more, my heart sank. Even today I am saddened whenever I learn about a species becoming extinct, but the worst part is when you know it was caused by human activity. Here are seven such animals that are no longer on earth thanks to mankind. ThylacineAlso known as the Tasmanian tiger, this carnivore wasn't related to dogs, tigers or hyenas, as many people believe. It was actually a marsupial, closer related to kangaroos and wallabies than any of those other animals. It was originally found in Australia and New Zealand, but its was essentially extinct in those areas long before Europeans discovered it. Even so, it thrived on the island of Tasmania until European settlers issued began fearing that the animals were eating their livestock. Like wolves, the Tasmanian tiger was often accused of slaughtering sheep in the fields. As a result, the Van Dieman's Land Company issued a bounty on the creature, offering one pound per adult and ten shillings for each pup. Scientists have still not been able to verify accusations of the animals eating livestock, but it would be too late to help the thylacines anyway, as the last known individual was captured in 1933 and died in a zoo in 1936. That's her in the video. Sadly, she died two months before the Tasmanian government enacted a law dedicated to protecting the animals. QuaggaWhile it looks like a strange cross between a horse and a zebra, a quagga was actually a subspecies of a typical plains zebra with a brown rear end and a striped head. It was once found in great numbers in southern Africa until Europeans started hunting the animals for their meat and their hides. It is believed that the last wild quagga was shot in the late 1870s. A number were sent to zoos before that point though and the last captive individual was killed in 1883. At the time, people still believed these were the same as other zebra species, the individuals just had different markings. It wasn't until after the subspecies was eradicated that people realized the animal had become extinct. Some historians have noted, the story is particularly sad because if the same thing happened in modern times, the breeding programs of zoos could help rebuild the population of the animal and release them back into the wild. Interestingly, because the animal was so closely related to other subspecies of zebra, South African researchers have attempted a selective breeding program to create a new stock of the animals. The third and forth generation animals created through this project do look similar to the extinct creatures, but scientists debate whether or not looks are enough to declare these animals quaggas. Steller’s Sea CowAs a slow-swimming marine mammal that never completely submerged itself and was loaded with blubber, the Steller's sea cow was doomed from the beginning. These massive herbivores were once abundant in the North Pacific, but aboriginal peoples hunted them until their population was limited to only the Commander Islands. Unfortunately for the sea cow, they were then discovered in 1751 by George Wilhelm Steller on an expedition led by Vitus Bering. The Stellar sea cows were over 25 feet long. They were slow swimmers who couldn't submerge themselves. There were only about 1,500 when Europeans first laid eyes on them and it wasn't long before those remaining were hunted down for food, pelts and blubber, which could be used in oil lamps. Within 27 years of Steller's discovery, the animals were extinct. DodoThe dodo is probably one of the only animals to be famous because it went extinct. In fact, the bird inspired two expressions related to its eradication, both "dead as a dodo" and "to go the way of the dodo" are commonly used 300 years after the birds disappeared. The dodo was related to pigeons and doves, but was flightless and much larger than either of these groups of birds. They weighed over forty pounds and stood more than three feet tall. They were native the island of Mauritius and first discovered by Dutch travelers in 1598. The birds weren't afraid of people, which made them easy targets for hunters, but the importation of dogs, cats, pigs, rats and crab-eating macaques is what really killed the species. Some of the animals brought diseases to the birds, others ate them, but the worst were the macaques, which ate the eggs of the dodos. Within one hundred years of their discovery, the bird was wiped off the earth. Interestingly, it wasn't until the 19th century that the general populace actually took notice of the animal's disappearance. Up until that time, many people believed that the animal was a myth, but then the first set of dodo bones were discovered in the Mauritian swamp. After the find, a schoolmaster named George Clarke wrote a report on the bird. The public soon gained interest and the bird quickly became a symbol for the human impact on animals. Great AukLike the dodo, the great auk was a large, flightless bird. In fact, they were close to the same height and weight, but the auk was a little smaller. While the auk might not have been too coordinated on land, it was an excellent swimmer and could even dive down to 3000 feet under the water, while holding its breath for up to fifteen minutes. As a black and white sea bird that was an excellent swimmer, the great auk seems to be related to penguins, but the two are not genetically similar. Interestingly though, the auk was responsible for the naming of the penguins. The Spanish and Portuguese called the auks pingüinos and the Welsh called it pengwyn, meaning "little wing." When European sailors discovered penguins, they thought they were related to auks and thus, gave them the same name. While auks were relatively widespread throughout the North Atlantic, spreading all the way from New England to Iceland to Norway to Spain, they only had a handful of nesting spots due to their demanding breeding needs. Their breeding areas had to be rocky and isolated with easy access to the ocean and a large population of their favorite fish had to be close by. All of these needs ended up leaving them with no more than 20 breeding colonies, even when they had a massive population. To make matters worse, they only laid one egg per year, so when their numbers did start to dwindle, it took a long while for them to increase their population. Despite these risks, the great auk was hunted by Native American cultures for over 100,000 years without any problems. The bird was more than just a food source, it was a status symbol. Archeologists even found one native buried with a cloak made from over 200 auk skins –he was certainly a revered member of the tribe while alive. While many other species were wiped out shortly after being discovered by European explorers, the great auk was used as a source of down feathers in Europe since at least the 8th century. Early explorers also used them as an easy source of food and bait since they often ran low on provisions. Even so, the bird managed to survive off of the European coasts until the mid-16th century. When these populations were wiped out, scientists realized the great auk was in danger and the bird became one of the first animals to receive legal protection in an attempt to prevent its extinction. Unfortunately, the fact that the bird was acknowledged to be rare garnered intense interest from museums and private collectors who wanted specimens for their collections. They offered high rewards to people who could bring them eggs or skins of the birds. Eggers would collect eggs from the nests, keeping those that were unfertilized and throwing away the rest. The last colony of auks was located on the island of Eldey off of Iceland. As soon as it was discovered, museums started hiring people to collect the birds from the colony. The last pair was found incubating an egg on July 3, 1844. The parents were strangled by two of the collectors and just to ensure there would never be another great auk, a third man made sure to stomp on their egg. Passenger PigeonWhen Europeans first arrived in America, the passenger pigeons were present in such great numbers that it was said to take several hours for a flock to fly overhead. The flocks were often more than a mile wide and 300 miles long and made up of more than two billion birds. The birds went from being one of the most abundant animals on earth in the 19th century to being completely extinct by the 20th century. The bird's population started to decrease as Europeans started chopping down forests to make way for civilization, but even this didn't thin their population too much. But by the 1800's, people realized they could feed their slaves and servants passenger pigeon for practically nothing. Whole boxcars of pigeons were shipped to the cities, where a pair of pigeons would go for two cents. If the passenger pigeons were like most other birds, they wouldn't have been so easy to wipe out. Unfortunately, they were incredibly social and could not breed unless they were in a communal breeding area, which would stretch hundreds of miles –each tree could contain up to one hundred nests. Some nesting sites were estimated to hold more than 100 million individuals. This meant that hunters could go to the nesting sites and wipe out the birds at record numbers. At one of the last major nesting sites, there was a five-month long hunt that would generally result in the deaths of about 50,000 birds per day. By the 1890s, it was obvious that the passenger pigeon was seriously endangered. The Michigan legislature enacted a law outlawing the killing of the birds within two miles of a nesting area, but authorities rarely enforced the rule. By this time, it was already too late anyway. The birds had to have massive nesting colonies in order to successfully breed and there were too few pigeons left. Some people even tried to help the population through captive breeding programs, but there were just too few birds to coax the animals into mating. The last passenger pigeon died in the Cincinnati Zoo in 1914. Tecopa PupfishIt might not be as exciting as a Tasmanian tiger, but the Tecopa Pupfish has an important role in the history of extinction, as it was the first animal to be officially declared extinct according to the Endangered Species Act of 1973. The Tecopa Pupfish was endemic only to the Tecoopa Hot Springs of the Mojave Desert. They were first discovered in 1942 and completely wiped out within a few decades after the hot springs were canalized into bath houses. It was officially delisted from the endangered species list in 1981. As an animal lover, this was a really hard article to write, but I do think it is important to learn from our history so we can help protect animals that are currently at risk. This is only a small sampling of the many animals that humans have brought to extinction, but with any luck, we can help stop that number from increasing in the future. |
| Posted: 02 Feb 2011 07:46 AM PST |
| The Oak Chapel of Allouville-Bellefosse Posted: 02 Feb 2011 07:43 AM PST In the French village of Allouville-Bellefosse, an oak tree stands. No one knows for sure how old the tree is, but it is considered the oldest tree in France -botanists estimate 800 years. A fire hollowed out the tree in the late 1600s, yet it survived and sprouted leaves afterward. The people of Allouville-Bellefosse considered it a miracle and built a chapel and a staircase inside! Read all about it and see more pictures at Kuriositas. Link |
| Posted: 02 Feb 2011 07:40 AM PST This may look like the story of Little Red Riding Hood, but this girl is unlike any Red Riding Hood you’ve seen before. Would this concept make a good full-length film? There’s also a video on how the wolves were created. -Thanks, Patrick A. Prejusa! |
| Super Friends Valentines Superpack Posted: 02 Feb 2011 07:37 AM PST Transport yourself back to grade school -to 30 years ago when this Super Friends Valentine package hit the stores. Pages from the 11 x 17″ book of valentines are scanned big so you can print, cut, and put these simple paper crafts together, such as putting wheels on Batgirl’s Batcycle. Pages and pages are available at Andertoons. Link -Thanks, Mark Anderson! |
| Posted: 02 Feb 2011 06:20 AM PST Zoetropes date back to the nineteenth century. Images revolve on the inside of a cylinder, and viewed through slits in its circumference, replicate motion. This amazing three dimensional version explains the basic premise of animation. |
| Global Village Construction Set Posted: 02 Feb 2011 05:47 AM PST Open Source Ecology is a network of farmers, engineers and supporters who have been building The Global Village Construction Set for a post-scarcity world. They have created forty different machines needed to create small self sufficient resilient communities able to live off their local resources. It is described as a life-size Lego set. They hope to have it ready for replication in two years.
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| Mal and Chad's Fill in the Bubble Frenzy 16 Posted: 02 Feb 2011 05:45 AM PST It’s time once again for the Fill in the Bubble Frenzy with boy genius Mal and his talking dog Chad! What should he be saying in this empty speech bubble? Tell us and you might win any t-shirt available in the NeatoShop -take a look around, pick one out and leave your t-shirt choice with your submission in the comments. If you don’t specify a t-shirt with your entry, you forfeit the prize. Enter as many times as you like (text only, please), but leave only one entry per comment. For inspiration, check out Mal and Chad's comic strip adventures by Stephen McCranie at malandchad.com. Have fun and good luck! |
(Image credit: Flickr user 
(Image credit: Flickr user 
The article above, written by Eric Furman, appeared in the 
Comics critic and editor Steven Padnick has an interesting read on the Batman narrative. Bruce Wayne, he argues, is hardly a hero of the oppressed, but a tyrant whose primary goal is to maintain a rigid class structure in Gotham City:
Do you ever have those days where everything goes wrong? That’s what happened to an unnamed 19-year-old burglar in Australia. His plan was to rob a bakery while it was closed for the night. You know what they say about the best-laid plans…
National Geographic News talks about Groundhog Day, Punxsutawney Phil, and the weather. They include a look at the origins of February 2nd forecasting, which began with the Roman Empire, when folks considered the weather on Candlemas to predict future weather.
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