Sunday, September 28, 2014

Groundhog goof

In one of the most ridiculous holidays on the American calendar, a groundhog is used to prognosticate the likelihood of 6 more weeks of winter, based on whether the animal emerges to see his shadow or not. The Groundhog Day ceremonies across the country often feature local celebrities. On February 2, 2012, that honor fell on Mayor Bill di Blasio of New York City. A groundhog named "Chuck" was provided by the Staten Island Zoo, but managed to break free of the mayor's grasp and hit the ground. Now there are tongue-in-cheek accusations of a cover-up, since it has only just now been revealed that the groundhog had died of internal injuries a week after the event. Not only that, "Chuck" was actually "Charlotte." The New Yorker magazine has published an open letter to Mayor di Blasio from the groundhogs, who are claiming solidarity in their struggle to have "their" day abolished for their own safety. They write, "When we do decide to go outside, it is because we hope, in our infinite marmot naïveté, that the mayor has, for once, decided to put an end to the practice of thrusting us into the air and precariously dangling us, like some sort of politicized Michael Jackson baby."

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