Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Almanacs “Punxutawney Phil predicts 6 more weeks of winter, Pa. promoters ... - Cleveland Plain Dealer” plus 3 more

Almanacs “Punxutawney Phil predicts 6 more weeks of winter, Pa. promoters ... - Cleveland Plain Dealer” plus 3 more

Punxutawney Phil predicts 6 more weeks of winter, Pa. promoters ... - Cleveland Plain Dealer

Posted: 02 Feb 2010 06:35 AM PST

By Associated Press

February 02, 2010, 8:02AM

Groundhog_Day_2010.jpgGene J. Puskar, Associated PressPunxsutawney Phil, right, is held by Ben Hughes after emerging from his burrow on Gobblers Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa., to see his shadow and forecast six more weeks of winter weather Tuesday.
• Video: Punxutawney Phil makes his pick on Groundhog DayPUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. — The groundhog has spoken. And it's bad news.

Punxsutawney Phil has emerged to see his shadow before chilly revelers in Pennsylvania, meaning winter will last another six weeks.

German tradition holds that if a hibernating animal sees its shadow on Feb. 2 — the Christian holiday of Candlemas — winter will last another six weeks. If no shadow is seen, legend says spring will come early.

The Inner Circle of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club annually announces Phil's forecast at dawn on Gobbler's Knob, about 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.

Phil's announcement came before hundreds of onlookers who huddled in temperatures that hovered in the teens.

The Groundhog Club says that since 1887, Phil has predicted more winter weather by seeing his shadow nearly 100 times, but there are no records for nine years.

 

 

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Stocks rise modestly in early morning trading - Fresno Bee

Posted: 02 Feb 2010 06:42 AM PST

Stocks are trying to rally for a second straight day after a week and a half stretch that saw major indexes tumble over concerns about tightening regulations on the banking sector and the sustainability of a recovery.

The Senate is holding hearings Tuesday to discuss President Barack Obama's plan to overhaul the banking sector and restrict trading by the nation's biggest financial institutions.

In early morning trading, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 20.48, or 0.2 percent, to 10,206.01. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 2.30, or 0.2 percent, to 1,091.48, while Nasdaq composite index rose 1.22, or 0.1 percent, to 2,172.42.

Investors are turning their attention throughout this week to economic reports to determine if the growth seen late last year is continuing. The reports culminate with the January employment report to be released on Friday.

In the meantime, the National Association of Realtors is expected to say its index of pending home sales rose in December. Economists polled by Thomson Reuters predict the index rose to 97.1 in December from 96 in November.

The index, which measures sales contracts signed, is a key barometer of sales that will close in March and April. A collapse in the housing market helped push the country into recession, but like many other sectors it is now showing signs of a modest recovery.

The report is due out at 10 a.m. EST.

Homebuilder D.R. Horton Inc. posted its first profit since 2007 during its fiscal first quarter. Much of its $192 million profit during the October-December period came from a tax gain, but its revenue rose because of a 36 percent jump in home sales. Orders increased 45 percent.

In other earnings, candy maker Hershey's Co.'s earnings climbed 54 percent. The company said it would boost its dividend by about 7.5 percent.

UPS's fourth-quarter profit tripled thanks to a strong holiday shopping season and international business.

January auto and truck sales reports will also be released throughout the day.

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Cleveland Leader - Cleveland Leader

Posted: 02 Feb 2010 05:52 AM PST

Today is February 2nd, which means its groundhog day. Earlier this morning, two of the country's most famous groundhogs crawled out of their holes to let us know whether spring is just around the corner, or if we'll have another 6 more weeks of winter to endure. Punxsutawney Phil from Pennsylvania saw his shadow today, which according to tradition means it'll be a long winter. However, Buckeye Chuck from Ohio failed to see his shadow and predicts an early spring.

Phil and Chuck agreed in 2009, and in 2008 they disagreed. Perhaps their predictions can be interpreted by state - that Ohio will see an early spring, and Pennsylvania will continue to experience cold and snow. It's entirely possible seeing as how the eastern seaboard continues to get dumped on by the snow, while Ohio has fared a bit better.

The Old Farmers Almanac, another old tradition of determining how long and brutal the winter will be, is on Phil's side and has predicted a long, cold winter for much of the United States.

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NANCY'S ALMANAC - Omaha World-Herald

Posted: 02 Feb 2010 06:50 AM PST

We don't need to know whether or not Punxsutawney Phil, the Pennsylvania groundhog, sees his shadow today on Groundhog Day to have cause for celebration. After this rough winter, the back story on the pagan origins of Groundhog Day gives us something to smile about.

Groundhog Day appears to originate with the Celtic celebration of Imbolc, the halfway point between the onset of Winter and the beginning of Spring. By my calculation, this year Imbolc falls on Thursday.

According to folklore, on the day of Imbolc, the female diety of winter, Cailleach, decides whether she'll try to extend her reach with an ongoing litany of bitter days. Mortals divined her intent from the weather on this day. If the day is sunny, it means that she will be out gathering plenty of firewood for the exended cold that she is determined to force. If the day is cloudy, it's a sign that she's decided to sleep through Imbolc, and thus winter may end early.

According to American folklore, if the Pennsyvlania groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, sees his shadow today, there will be six more weeks of winter weather. If he does not, we'll have an early spring.

Omaha has its own Punxsutawney Phil: Fontenelle Ferd. Unlike Phil, who apparently hasn't aged, Ferd is mortal. The scruffy, aging rodent lives in retirement in Habitat Hollow, an indoor display at Fontenelle Forest Nature Center. Ferd will come out of retirement today for a special appearance during a program at the forest for toddlers.

What will Ferd see? It's anyone's guess: decreasing cloudiness is forecast for today?

How accurate has the American groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil been? Matching his forecast to the subsequent temperatures in March (but not precipitation records), for the years 1988 to 2005, Phil was right about 50 percent of the time according to data from the National Climatic Data Center. According to a Canadian study, Punxsutawney Phil is right about one-third of the time.

Whether Phil's right or wrong, there apparently is a lot of partying in Punxsutawyney, Pa. Phil even has his own microbrew. Given a choice between beer and cookies, I'll take cookies any day, so click here for the official recipe for Groundhog Cookies.


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