As a guy who likes to stay informed on breaking news I am a frequent visitor to Google Trends, a site I've mentioned it in this space before; it's like a record chart of songs bubbling under the Hot 100.
Don't misunderstand. These aren't the most common searches for that hour. Those are almost always the usual suspects, Britney Spears, Hannah Montana, Jessica Alba, etc. No, this is a constantly updated web page of the Google searches with most new upward action.
I clicked on over yesterday around noon and was surprised, perhaps naively, that Groundhog Day was still as popular as is was. Seven of the top ten search terms related to the holiday.
1. "groundhog day 2008"
2. "punxutawney phil"
3. "did the groundhog see his shadow"
4. "puxatony phil"
5. "ground hog"
6. "punksatony phil"
8. "groundhog phil"
other mentions on the list included
15. "punxsutawney pa"
33. "groundhog video"
38. "groundhog results"
48. "groundhog prediction"
51. "groundhog news"
68. "gobblers knob"
In case you are wondering which is which, search #15 is the correct spelling of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania where the Groundhog Day event takes place each February 2d.
Every year I keep expecting it to be the last for this charade. To me, it's like the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon, something that transfixed America at one time but is now barely hanging on thanks to a few old people. Once they die, is this a tradition that young people are really going to continue? Pulling a rodent out of a box and and using it as a cover to be wrong more often than not in trying to predict the weather? No please.
P.S. By the way, Phil did see his shadow which means you should take the Giants and the points.
Maybe they ought to bring Phil out at the telethon. If he doesn't croak when Jerry sings
there will be twelve more months without a cure. If Jerry dies first make Phil the new host, can't be any worse.
Posted by: Geo | February 03, 2008 at 05:52 AM
Frankly, I long for the day when, before the media of the world, the well-dressed man pulls out the groundhog, who suddenly goes all Rabbit of Caerbannog on their top-hatted asses-- blood spraying, body-parts flying, cameras being tossed into the air still filming as the pap. are taken down during the carnage.... *happy sigh*
Posted by: Cynthia | February 03, 2008 at 08:27 AM
I couldn't believe it either that 30K people showed up for that event.
This year the Milwaukee Groundhog Club almost had to cancel their 100th-anniversary celebration as a result of the death of their groundhog, Walnut. Fortunately, another area wildlife group had a groundhog to loan and the show went on.
Posted by: Mary | February 03, 2008 at 09:29 AM
The popularity of that movie will sustain this tradition for a long while.
Posted by: Vic Rattler | February 03, 2008 at 09:32 AM
Why do people want to see simple traditions go away. As an old person I hope some traditions like Ground Day, which are harmless fun, will continue. Maybe if parents spent more time with their kids embracing traditions, the world as we are now living in would return to a better place. As to the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon, I am not a fan of Mr. Lewis but I applaud the work he has done for Muscular Dystrophy and hope that the youth of today, who will be having children of their own that could be affected by this debilitating disease, will learn there are some traditions that need to continue.
Posted by: wag | February 03, 2008 at 02:22 PM
Hey, thanks for the advice, I took the Giants and really cleaned up. Guess that giant rat is good for something after all! Though I have to admit that I find it hard to believe that a man who plans his vacations around going to see the world's largest fill-in-the-blank (knowing full well that he will, in fact, be going to see the world's largest concrete representation of fill-in-the-blank) would have the audacity to pooh-pooh anybody's silly little traditions. You are truly a strange, strange man.
Posted by: Pib | February 04, 2008 at 12:03 AM