It's Groundhog Day, and the eyes of the nation have turned to a small town in western Pennsylvania. And, just like last year, all anyone can talk about is Punxsutawney Phil! It is impossible to find a news story that is not about one furry prognosticator.
Well, almost impossible...
Once again, our Planet Money hosts find themselves trapped in the endless Groundhog Day news cycle, and their only way out is to discover an economics story from Groundhog Day itself interesting enough to appease the capricious Groundhog Gods!
So rise and shine campers (and don't forget your booties) as hosts Kenny Malone and Amanda Aronczyk scour the news of February 2nds past, to try to find the perfect story.
This episode was hosted by Kenny Malone and Amanda Aronczyk. It was produced by Sam Yellowhorse Kesler. It was edited by Keith Romer, and engineered by Valentina Rodríguez Sánchez. It was fact-checked by James Sneed. Our executive producer is Alex Goldmark.
Hovertext: Patreon subscribers pointed out numerous objections but I think if I work hard I can find technical reasons I'm right and my supporters are wrong.
HILLSBOROUGH, NC—Running over after they saw a man screaming at their children, a group of local parents reportedly stepped in Thursday to confront an overprotective parent who was overreacting to their kids pelting his son with rocks. “Classic helicopter parenting, going absolutely ballistic over every little rock…
Taylor Swift, who has not publicly endorsed anyone in the 2024 election, is facing attacks from Donald Trump supporters and far-right conspiracy theorists who fear she could sway the election in favor of Joe Biden. What do you think?
BENTONVILLE AR—Confirming the wild animals had been captured and airlifted from forests in Oregon and Montana, Walmart announced it had released wolves into hundreds of it stores this week to help manage shoplifter density. “Although the issue of retail theft is complex, we believe it’s nothing that a few apex…
Dear Mr. Driving Examiner in the Blue Ford Fiesta,
I’m Lily Brubaker’s dad. If you don’t remember, you failed her on her driving test yesterday, and I got really angry.
I’m sorry for jabbing my finger in your face like that. I shouldn’t have yelled at you or called your hat “dumb.” But I had no choice. Please let me explain.
When my daughter told me that you flunked her for “lurching” the car forward too quickly, I was so overwhelmed with relief, that I ran over to you to give you a big hug. But then I remembered that Lily was watching me, so I had to act like I was furious. Admittedly, I may have gone too far when I tossed your cowboy hat on the ground and stomped on it. (Sorry, didn’t realize it was made of straw and would crunch like that.)
You can’t imagine the stress I’ve been going through. It’s a well-known fact that a person’s brain isn’t fully developed until the age of twenty-five. I’ve been worried sick that Lily’s going to text or drive impaired and get in a crash. Teens have no impulse control, and that’s why I had to totally lose my shit on you.
While driving to the test, Lily looked at a pimple in the rearview mirror and nearly sideswiped a truck. You were the last line of defense between my kid and potential disaster, and you did your job. I will forever be grateful.
Don’t get me wrong, I know Lily’s going to be a safe, responsible driver. And then she won’t need me anymore to provide guidance, offer assurance, or scream “AHHHHHH!” And also, I’ll never see her again.
I don’t know if you have kids or not, but teenagers want nothing to do with their parents. So it’s been wonderful to spend so much time with her these past few months. Granted, she was required to be with me for forty hours of supervised driving time, but I’ll always treasure this time of enforced togetherness. We shared our favorite music, drove by our old house, and talked about all the great times we used to have together before she hit puberty and started ghosting me.
I used to be her best bud. We played Chutes and Ladders, went on bike rides, and painted our toenails pink. Frankly, I wasn’t prepared for her to grow up so quickly, or try driving with her eyes closed just to “see what it was like.”
I’ve tried to convince Lily that it’s going to take forty more hours of driving time to smooth out that little “lurching” problem, but she’s insisting on taking the test again in two weeks. That’s not enough time! We have so much more to talk about before she boots me out of my own car and completely stops talking to me.
I could suddenly have unfortunate “scheduling issues” that force me to keep pushing off the driving test. Or I could talk to a mechanic about making the gas pedal on my car a little more “sensitive” to the slightest touch.
You wouldn’t be open to a special “arrangement,” would you? I’ll buy you a real cowboy hat if you fail her again, which means I’ll probably have to yell at you and stomp on it again. Stetson makes an awesome one made out of buffalo-fur felt. It would look great on you. And it’s crushable!
Anyway, if you help me get more precious time with my kid, then I apologize in advance for slashing your tires. Yeah, I figure I’ll have to act even more enraged the second time, so I’ll throw in a set of Pirellis.
KEY WEST, FL—Locking eyes upon realizing they were both cut from the same cloth, local man with a cockatiel on his shoulder Alex Maser reportedly gave a knowing nod Thursday to resident Thomas Beltran, who sported an iguana on his shoulder. Several reports indicated that Maser, accompanied by his cockatiel Roxy,…
NEW YORK—Following his effort earlier this week to solicit thoughts from social media followers about their mental health, sources confirmed Thursday that fur had been falling off Elmo in clumps ever since the Sesame Street star asked Twitter users how they were doing. “Elmo make big mistake,” said the visibly shaking…
LONDON—Scuttling through passageways deep beneath Buckingham Palace, King Charles III reportedly fertilized a clutch of royal eggs Thursday. According to sources, Charles maneuvered through the damp, dark corridors on all four of his limbs, pausing occasionally to click together his fangs and eventually stopping…
Elon Musk announced that his company Neuralink implanted its first brain-computer interface into a human and that the patient is “recovering well,” the goal of the new wireless device being to link directly into an individual’s cerebral cortex, allowing them to control a computer by thinking. What do you think?
Hi everyone. Matt and I are excited to announce a three-year extension of our long-running relationship with Reliant, which will extend their exclusive sponsorship through 2026. As some of you may recall, they came on board a few months before Hurricane Harvey in 2017, and we’ve never looked back. Houston is Reliant’s hometown, their president Elizabeth Killinger and their employees are avid SCW supporters, and they totally get what we’re about. (She and I filmed a video you should check out). This is great news for readers as well, because Reliant could not be a better partner to keep Space City Weather powered up for years to come.
Here’s why:
Clean interface: Thanks to this sponsorship, we never have to run any intrusive advertising on this website. That means no autoplay video garbage. No pop-ups. No tracking. None of that nonsense. Instead, you’ll see tasteful branding on our pages and in our products, and the (very) occasional sponsor message that provides useful information on energy efficiency or new initiatives. Seriously, Reliant is an awesome, hands-off sponsor that lets us focus on what we do best.
No hype: Because of the nature of our agreement, we don’t feel pressured to chase clicks for the sake of chasing clicks. We are not getting paid for the traffic we generate. (Typically, online advertisers pay per impression on readers). This is why you sometimes see sensationalist content online. It sells. Anyway, we’re empowered to simply write what we think needs to be written, and nothing more. There will be some Mondays when we tell you to ignore the forecast for the rest of the week, and Reliant is fully supportive of that.
Cool stuff: Thanks to our sponsorship, we’ve been able to do some pretty cool stuff. A recent example that comes to mind is hosting a Fall Day celebration the last two years. Reliant has entirely underwritten these events and organized them for us. We’ve also done some great giveaways, including four full air conditioning systems, Houston Astros tickets and jerseys and more. All of this is in partnership with Reliant and their team is behind it all. It brings an element of fun to the awesome community we’ve built here.
Certainty: With a three-year agreement, we can continue to invest in Space City Weather, our app, and other initiatives. And we’re already making plans to do just that. We’re not going anywhere, and it’s great to have Reliant at our side.
So yeah, we’re pretty pumped to continue working with Reliant in the coming years.
Donald Trump was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize by Republican Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY), citing the Abraham Accords the former president helped sign while in office, making it the fourth time he has been nominated. What do you think?
FARGO, ND—Appearing baffled by the transparency of the fluid discharged from the machine, area man Luke Chambers was said to have looked on helplessly Wednesday as a soda fountain at a local Hardee’s began filling his 32-ounce cup with a cascade of clear liquid. “Wait, that’s not Pepsi—where’s did the Pepsi go?” said…
WASHINGTON—During a congressional hearing Wednesday aimed at holding tech companies accountable for children’s safety online, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg gave testimony in which he assured concerned parents that he was keeping a very close, personal eye on teen accounts. “I personally spend most days and nights in front…
CVS PHARMACY: JERRY, your prescription is ready. Please pick up within the next 24 hours. Don’t worry, we’ll be in touch with reminders.
- - -
CVS PHARMACY: Your medication is ready. Please pick up before TODAY at 10 MINUTES FROM NOW. On behalf of the whole team and our manager BIL YULGOVIAN, we look forward to seeing you.
- - -
CVS PHARMACY: Please pick up Rx. The staff WORKED HARD on it.
- - -
CVS PHARMACY: JERRY, we guess we have to SPELL IT OUT. Our manager BIL YULGOVIAN is a FRIGHTENING MYSTERIOUS MAN from UNDETERMINED EASTERN BLOC COUNTRY. Being managed by BIL YULGOVIAN is like working with a COEN BROTHERS’ VILLAIN. Worse still, this location is being heavily monitored by corporate because of a long history of UNCLAIMED PRESCRIPTIONS. Please pick up your meds or CVS will REVOKE OUR FRANCHISE RIGHTS and a NEWLY UNSHACKLED BIL YULGOVIAN will do GOD KNOWS WHAT.
- - -
CVS PHARMACY: JERRY, we have just heard from corporate that our location is shut down. We apologize for the inconvenience. This store is now under new ownership. Please stand by as we transfer your prescription to their system.
- - -
BIL’S PILLS: FUCKFACE, we are OFF THE GRID now. Pick up Rx or next text will be 12 GIGS of SURGERY PICTURES.
- - -
BIL’S PILLS: Please select which of following medications you would like us to tell your employer you purchase full shipping containers of:
SCROTUM REPAIR LOTION
UNCONTROLLABLE LAUGHTER PILLS FROM JOKER
POISON
- - -
BIL’S PILLS: Please select how you like us to contact your employer to disclose fictitious bulk purchases:
SINGING TELEGRAM
FLIERS DROPPED FROM AIRPLANE OVER BOSS’S FAVORITE GOLF COURSE
LAWSUIT
- - -
BIL’S PILLS: Your WIFE is HOT and your 2 SONS are BITCH. Would you like to PROTECT their HONOR? Come to our location to WRESTLE (and pick up prescription).
- - -
BIL’S PILLS: Since you have not picked up this order, we need to transfer it to long-term storage. Please select a location:
UP YOUR BUTT
AROUND THE CORNER
IN BREAKROOM ON YOUR HOT WIFE’S BIG SHRINE (WE BUILT HER A BIG BIG SHRINE)
- - -
BIL’S PILLS: We are going to coat your prescription in CARAMEL and HIDE IT AT NURSING HOME. Whatever happens is YOUR BAD.
- - -
BIL’S PILLS: We are region’s leading supplier of HORSE INSULIN. If you do not pick up your prescription, we are going to SHOOT all of HORSE INSULIN. We found GUN and we are going to SHOOT BULLETS at INSULIN and all DIABETIC HORSE will be SICK because of YOU.
- - -
BIL’S PILLS: FUCK! The GUN we got was TOY from TOY AISLE. We need REAL GUN but cannot BUY because we are ON A LIST. Do you know anyone with REAL-LIFE GUN?
YES
NO, BUT ASKING AROUND
- - -
BIL’S PILLS: We can’t stop thinking about your HOT WIFE wearing nothing but LONG-ASS CVS RECEIPT. Damn! We are very HORNED UP! Does this make you ANGER? Please come into the store and DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT such as OLYMPIC WRESTLE.
- - -
C.S.V. PHARMACIST: Hello JERRY, this CVS and not BIL YULGOVIAN. Everything is REGULAR again. You can come pick up your prescription now and we promise you are at zero risk of getting SHOT or KICKBOXED.
- - -
BIL’S PILLS2GO: FUCKFACE, since you will not come in, I am coming to DROP OFF PILLS and MAJOR DESTRUCTION OF ASS! I don’t have address. I am just driving around looking for house that gives off BITCH VIBES.
- - -
CVS SECRET SECURITY FORCE: JERRY, you can relax. We have apprehended Bil Yulgovian. He’s been arrested for violating Section 3.09.b of the CVS Code of Professional Conduct. He is currently being processed for lockup in our corporate penitentiary.
- - -
INMATE #9098 (CVS PENITENTIARY INMATE MESSAGING SYSTEM): FUCKACE, it BIL! If you tell CVS COPS they have wrong guy I will take back everything I said about BITCH SONS.
- - -
CVS PHARMACY CORPORATE SECURITY: JERRY, Bil has escaped by crawling vertically through the ventilation ducts. We were not aware of his extensive training in something called “war gymnastics.” We need to speak with you regarding your recent communications with him. Please call before TODAY at 10 MINUTES FROM NOW.
- - -
BIL’S CVS PHARMACY: FUCKFACE, me and CVS kiss and make up (PSY-OPS) and now we join together in historic corporate merger.
- - -
BIL’S CVS PHARMACY: OH BOY. Our records indicate we have been attempting to contact the WRONG PERSON. We want you to know that we are very sorry. However, we still think your 2 SONS are BITCH.
This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager.
A reader writes:
I have a somewhat low-stakes question that has been puzzling me lately. I’m wondering where the line is for interactions between me and my cat on Zoom calls. What is professional and what is not? My team is informal, with no dress code, and we sometimes show off our cats on video chats. My cat definitely visits me more than their cats, though, and climbs up on my shoulder expecting to be held, so is highly visible. Once up on my shoulder, she will sometimes give me a headbutt or two.
Here’s a list of behaviors, from most permissible to least permissible (in my opinion): where is the line?
* Is it okay if my cat jumps into my lap?
* Once my cat jumps on, should I remove her or can I let her remain?
* Is it okay if I am visibly holding my cat on my shoulder?
* What about petting her while she’s on my shoulder? Or petting her when she’s on my lap? Should I be concerned that this movement is visually distracting to others?
* What if she headbutts me? (My cat loves to do this, often)
* Can I occasionally kiss her on the head when she headbutts me? (This is the one I’m most sure the answer to will be “no”.)
I will note, this question is only for my immediate team; I have more reservations about interacting with my cat when I have a meeting with other teams at the company who I know less well. I have a feeling if I asked my manager, she would say she doesn’t mind (she has a relaxed management style) but I want to get a feeling of what you think the baseline is in general.
The cat in question is Babka, the black one with the piercing stare. The other cat, Momo, loves her heated blanket and stays there all day; she has appeared on a video call exactly once.
The three guiding principles:
1. Your cat should not be a distraction to other people in the meeting (or, if your team culture is one where pet distractions are welcome, should not be a distraction more often or for a longer time than other people’s pets are).
2. Your interaction with your cat shouldn’t make it look to other people like you aren’t engaged in the meeting.
3. You should calibrate your cat interaction to the level of interaction other people on the call have with their pets — and in particular, people who are perceived as competent and engaged. (In other words, don’t calibrate to the team slacker’s level.)
That means that a lot of the questions you’re asking will be team-specific, but if I had to give general, widely-applicable advice (assuming an office where pets on camera is a thing that happens):
* It’s okay if your cat is in your lap as long as you don’t shift your attention from the meeting to the cat, and as long as her presence there doesn’t prevent you from taking notes if you need to. (In most Zoom meetings, your lap probably won’t be visible anyway.)
* A cat on your shoulder is more distracting than a cat in your lap, and I would not keep her there during a meeting unless it’s an extremely occasional novelty (like annually, not weekly). However, a cat on your shoulder is also awesome.
* Petting a cat who’s on your shoulder or in your lap: Keep her mostly off your shoulder, but if she’s there, petting her will definitely be more of a distraction since that’s movement right by your face. In your lap, people probably won’t see it anyway; just be aware of what movements are showing on camera so those don’t distract people.
* An occasional headbutt is delightful but, yes, distracting. Try to keep it to occasional.
* Do not kiss your cat on the head during meetings. You may, however, do this immediately once you are off camera.
CALGARY – Just days after voting in a new mandate against single-use items, Calgary’s City Council has voted to scrap the entire bylaw immediately after the first time it was used. On Tuesday an overwhelming majority of Calgary City Council voted down the once-used bylaw, which the same majority voted in only weeks before. Councillor […]
WINDSOR — Crisis was averted over the weekend when local cashier Jennifer Pratt successfully convinced her mother that the ashtray in her living room is for guest use only. “Usually I’m meticulous about prepping for a visit from mom,” said Jennifer, who’s been a smoker for more than a decade. “I vacuumed, recycled all my […]
