The OSCARS 2008 Host

Jon Stewart has been set to host the 80th Academy Awards® telecast. This will mark Stewart's second stint as Oscar host.
"Jon was a terrific host for the 78th Awards," said producer Gil Cates. "He is smart, quick, funny, loves movies and is a great guy. What else could one ask for?"
Stewart has been host and executive producer of Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, winner of four consecutive Emmy® Awards for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series, since 1999. The show has also been bestowed with two Peabody Awards. In 2004 Stewart and the writers of The Daily Show also authored "America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction," which was awarded the Thurber Prize for American Humor and was a staple on The New York Times best seller list for 46 consecutive weeks.
"I'm thrilled to be asked to host the Academy Awards for the second time because, as they say, the third time's a charm," said Stewart.
Stewart has appeared in more than a dozen motion pictures. His television credits include a one-hour HBO comedy special, Jon Stewart: Unleavened, a recurring role as himself on HBO's series-within-a-series, The Larry Sanders Show, as well as an upcoming appearance on The Simpsons. Stewart hosted the Grammy Awards in 2001 and 2002.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2007 will be presented on Sunday, February 24, 2008, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network.

Bill Gates Video:LOL :)

THIS VIDEO MAKES BILL GATES LOOK COOLER THAN STEVE JOBS


p.s.
A VERY NEAT WEBSITE ABOUT IT INDUSTRY IN CANADA
CHECK IT OUT!

RUSSIA CELEBRATES FATHERLAND DEFENDER DAY /FEBRUARY,23

Men’s Day/Army Day
February 23d all Russians mark Fatherland Defender’s Day. This is indeed a nation-wide holiday which personifies recognition of the Russian armed forces’ great services to the country and the people
Festivities are in full swing , Russia's soldiers are being honoured as the nation celebrates Defender of the Fatherland Day. Originally, the annual holiday acknowledged the country's gratitude to the men who fought and died in the country's service. Now it honours all males of all ages, from the elderly to young boys.
The holiday was established in the Soviet times to honour the army. After the break-up of the Soviet Union it was given its current name.Russian President Vladimir Putin has laid a wreath at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Kremlin. The ceremony was attended by other top officials. Russia's presidential candidates have also been marking the Defender of the Fatherland Day, using the opportunity to communicate with potential voters.The First Deputy Prime Minister, Dmitry Medvedev, visited the renowned military unit, the Taman division, which has been operating since WW2. The presidential hopeful paid tribute to the soldiers who died during an anti-terrorist operation in the Chechen republic. Medvedev singled out two priorities for the military: new equipment and the wefare of servicemen. He said it's necessary to raise their salary and help them with accommodation.The leader of the Communist Party Gennady Zyuganov addressed his supporters at a rally in the centre of Moscow. More than 1,000 people showed up. Zyuganov told those present that the election campaign is not fair. He stressed once again that all the presidential candidates should take part in televised debates for the vote to be truly fair.Supporters of the Liberal Democratic Party also rallied in the centre of Moscow. Their leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky pointed out that a candidate from his party had never won a presidential election and that he knows how to significantly improve the standard of living in Russia.


It is our tribute of respect to all the generations of Russian soldiers
from the ancient times till nowadays to those who defeated courageously
our motherland from invaders. On this day all the masculine representatives
from boys to old men receive congratulations and presents and the military men greet each other.
Women have a happy opportunity to say the warmest
and the sweetest words to their lovers and to please them with sings of attention.

THE WORLD'S LARGEST SNOW GLOBE IS HERE!

Latest addition : the Snow Globe that has been created as a promotional tool for Ontario Travel. The World’s largest snow globe!!!! Standing over two stories tall and 20 feet indiameter!
From ice skating to ice wine and spa retreats to outdooractivities, the globe highlights some of the exciting experiences and is a marketing genius that turns its winter scene to life. After a great success in attracting attention from the media and public, Ontario Snow Globe is now February 22-24, 2008 - IceFest in Toronto’s Bloor-Yorkville area!!!!

Bloor-Yorkville Icefest 2008

Snow globes, ice sculptures, and an ice bar...sound like an arctic paradise? Even if you're sick of slipping on the white stuff, you're still invited to Bloor-Yorkville's IceFest Festival this weekend—and you don't even have to get your feet wet!

OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE ICEFEST 2008

IceFest ent-ice-s with enough of the cold stuff to carve out a ship—and that's 25,000 pounds!

By donating five bucks to the Heart & Stroke Foundation, you buy yourself a pose by the giant vessel in the Underwater Kingdom of Ice, which also features King Neptune and a "lovely mermaid" (not endorsed by Disney).

It's free to watch the ice carvers pick, chisel, and chainsaw their creations in Saturday's competition, and feel free to support your favourite in the running for the People's Choice Award. Prize packages will be awarded to a few lucky voters.
But if ice sculptures give you the chills, spring for some chilled ice wine at the Santé lounge and Ice Bar, as a preview for their upcoming International Wine Festival this May.
The festivities kicked off this Thursday, February 21 with IceNite, a mingler in the top-floor ballroom of Yorkville's Sutton Place Hotel. It showcased a "Yorkville Chic" silent auction, with proceeds going to the Yonge-Bay-Bloor Business Association.
If you'd rather make your Yorkville purchases the old-fashioned way,

IceFest encourages you to shop, and support the Heart & Stroke Foundation with your generous purchases . And with such a good cause, you'd feel guilty not to spend generously. After all, the event is sponsored by Holt Renfrew.
Bloor-Yorkville icefest 2008presented by:Bloor-Yorkville BIA
Starts: February 21, 2008 5.00 PM Ends: February 24, 2008 05:00 PM
Cost: Free

Come out to the cold at a cool winter festival including an ice carving competition, underwater kingdom, shop with heart and the Ontario Tourism Snow Globe 2008.
For more information contact:Phone: 416-928-3553
Address:Throughout the Bloor-Yorkville BIA including Village of Yorkville Park, (Bellair St. & Cumberland St.)
TTC: Bloor-Yonge Suway Station, Bay Subway Station.
http://bloor-yorkville.com/

MORE PHOTOS HERE

Family Day in ONTARIO : 1st Time

Family Day in February

It’s official.

Ontario now has a public holiday in February called "Family Day,"

the third Monday of that month, and will be observed as a statutory holiday.

This year, Family Day occured on Monday, February 18.

My Family had a President's Day on that date.

So close and so far at the same time. Toronto-New York.

For now. AAAArrhhhh!!!

February 15th — CANADA'S FLAG DAY

Now you too can make your voice heard by demanding to have a national holiday declared by the government.

This Canada Flag Day holiday proposition is an “all-party” project, designed for all patriotic Canadian constituents and their MP‘s, whatever their political affiliation.
Now you can make your voice heard. Tell your Member of Parliament to support MP Peggy Nash’s Private Member’s Bill to declare February 15, Canada Flag Day, a national holiday across Canada by emailing your MP , requesting their support for passage of this Bill:
I want you to vote for Peggy Nash’s Private Member’s Bill to declare February 15, Canada Flag Day, a national holiday.

SIGN THE PETITION NOW!

When is National Flag of Canada Day?

Most Canadians don’t know; most people don’t talk about it, they don’t think about it and they don’t fly the flag.

Flag Day is Feb. 15 and is overshadowed by Valentine’s Day.

It’s cold and snowy and people don’t want to be outside on a ladder putting up a flag.

Until 1965 Canada didn’t have its own flag. In 1964 Lester Pearson, the prime minister and winner of the 1957 Nobel Peace prize, decided to introduce a new flag as a means of promoting national unity and pride. He wanted it to be “distinctive and unmistakably Canadian”.

Go on-line at http://www.talkaboutcanada.ca/ more about Canada.

"Gorodok Comedy" : THE FILM PRODUCTION IN PROCESS LOL!!!!!!

На съемках худ. фильма

Save Windows XP! The clock is ticking...

Microsoft will end OEM and
shrink-wrapped sales of Windows XP on June 30, 2008,
forcing users to shift to Vista. Don't let that happen!

SIGN THE PETITION TODAY! SAVE WINDOWS XP!

Millions of us have grown comfortable with XP and
don't see a need to change to Vista.
It's like having a comfortable apartment that you've enjoyed coming home to for years, only to get an eviction notice.
That's exactly the conclusion people have come to with Vista.
For most of us, there's really no reason to move to it --
yet we don't have a choice.
When that strong desire to stick with XP became obvious in spring 2007,
major computer makers such as Dell and Hewlett-Packard quietly reintroduced new XP-based systems (but just to business customers, so as not to offend Microsoft). Come June 30, however, even that option goes away.

So what to do?
Let Microsoft decide where your personal and enterprise software "lives"?
Or send a loud and clear message that you don't want to move?

We're going for the loud-and-clear option.
Join us, and tell Microsoft that you want to keep XP available indefinitely.
Not for another six months or a year but indefinitely.

And ask your friends and colleagues to join in, too.
Just point them to SaveXP.com for a quick link to this page. And if you'd like to publish the countdown animation on your Web site to help promote this petition, e-mail INFOWORLD'S Executive Editor galen_gruman@infoworld.com for the code snippet.

Writers Confirm End of Strike: HOLLYWOOD.COM

Hollywood writers are going back to work after voting to end the three-month-long strike that has crippled the entertainment industry.

A deal was reached last week between the major media companies and the Writers Guild of America--whose members have been staging walkouts since November 2007 in an ongoing dispute over additional pay.

And now the union members have confirmed the strike's end by voting in favor of the deal, which will give writers a larger share of royalties received through Internet broadcasts of their work.

Ballots took place in New York and Los Angeles and the back-to-work order was approved by 92.5% of the 3,775 WGA members--with writers heading back to their employers immediately.

The news also guarantees that the Oscars ceremony will definitely go ahead on Feb. 24.

WGA spokesman Patric Verrone confirmed the news: "The strike is over. Our members have voted. Writers can go back to work."

The strike is said to have cost Los Angeles' film and TV industry at least $650 million in lost wages, with the wider economy losing over $1 billion.

TV shows were the hardest hit, with production coming to a standstill on programs including House, Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives.

Studio executives say it will take at least two months for new TV shows to emerge.

VALENTINE'S DAY 2008: THE GUIDE

IT'S ALL ABOUT PASSION, DESIRE and which is the most important: LOVE !!!
HOW DID YOU SPEND YOURS V'DAY?

HERE'S THE CHECKLIST FOR YOU:

http://toronto.com/guide/valentines

BUT DON'T FORGET:
LOVE IS THE EVERLASTING PROCESS, CHERISH IT, KEEP THE FIRE ON!

KISSES, MUAH!

CLICKZ.COM : A 24 HOUR LIVE WEDDING EVENT ON YAHOO !

The following review is covering an amazing article from the CLICKZ.COM website :

http://clickz.com/showPage.html?page=3628389

Dr. Pepper is promoting a “luxurious indulgence” of its new Diet Cherry Chocolate Diet flavor, and decided that nothing says luxury like a Las Vegas wedding on Valentine’s Day.
The beverage company is teaming up with Web portal Yahoo to move into the Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel on February 14 and perform weddings and vow renewals for pre-registered couples while it will be streamed live over the Internet.
Couples can register at http://valentinesinvegas.yahoo.com for a ceremony in one of three chapels Dr. Pepper will set up in the Hard Rock for the day: An “Elvis-centric” venue, a traditional white wedding chapel and a third described only as “indulgent.”

Dr. Pepper paired up with Yahoo for the promotion because of the Internet content and execution skills the Web portal could provide, said brand manager Terry Hockens. Yahoo’s e-mail and instant messaging applications are some of the most heavily used programs on the Web, especially among the young-adult (18-24) market that Dr. Pepper wanted to reach.

Yahoo has also been able to bring in tech features to the Las Vegas promotion, such as the integration of its Flickr photo-sharing platform and customizable e-cards to propose, invite friends or simply RSVP to Dr. Pepper for the occasion. Yahoo is also providing content from its entertainment channels to the ValentinesinVegas.com Web site.
“Basically, we bring people who are going to consume their product, and we do it in a way that’s relevant for the promotion,” said Brian Zeug, consumer packaged goods category development officer at Yahoo “Whether it’s through a media campaign to drive people to this program through Yahoo Mail and search marketing, or actually through hosting the site itself within Yahoo, we can bring the people and then make the experience a bit more sticky, to encourage people to spend time with the promotion and then pass it along to friends.”
Yahoo will also provide a buzz marketing team to help Dr. Pepper offer product samples during the day-long reception at the Hard Rock Hotel.

But the party won't end February, 14 ! The soda company bought Yahoo's front page for February 15, the day after Valentine's Day, which is a great promotional move again, to
hook people's attention to the event , product and the search engine itself!
Awesome!

Facebook launches Spanish version of website

Facebook on Thursday unveiled a Spanish version of its hot social-networking website and promised French and German language editions by spring.
A software application made freely available lets people opt for Spanish instructions, alerts, news feeds and other information provided by Facebook as part of the user interface.
"The beauty of the system is that it can extend to every language possible," Facebook vice president of strategy and operations Matt Cohler told AFP.
Facebook users have always been able to post profiles, messages or other content in their native languages, but the framework for the website was only in English.
The Spanish version of Facebook is available in countries where that is the native language.
French and German versions of the website are being tested in "private beta" modes and should be rolled out by the end of March, according to Cohler.
"We are really excited," Cohler said. "We are starting to see the results and they're great ... the translations are getting done really quickly and accurately."
Facebook says 1.4 million of its 64 million users are in France and it hopes a French version of the website will cause that number to multiply.
Leading social-networking website MySpace launched a Spanish version nearly a year ago and is localized to languages in 25 territories. A version of MySpace tailored for India is in a public test phase.
Fox-owned MySpace reports that its online community has 110 million active users.
California-based Facebook put the Spanish translation application in its free software gallery so users can add it to their accounts as they wish and refine the program if they have the skills.
Facebook users can critique each others translations, resulting in a communal effort to improve the software and build an accurate dictionary of terms in Spanish.
"We let users participate in translation; it is the same approach as wiki driven and open source," Cohler said, referring to web pages that people are free to modify and public software people can modify.
"We are doing it this way because we will get a more meaningful application of our user interface than if we did some top-down implementation of a translation service provider."
Facebook users have amassed more than 300,000 words and tenses in the Spanish translation application.
Cohler stressed that Facebook is striving to maintain a single website that people can customize to different languages.
"What we don't intend to do is launch different sites for different countries," Cohler said. "We think we have a universal product. On the other hand, we believe in personalization."
Facebook had approximately nine million users when it shifted from exclusive to open membership in September of 2006.
Its rapid growth is credited in part to letting users freely customize profile pages with mini software applications.
MySpace on Tuesday adopted the same tactic, opening its platform so software developers can craft hip, entertaining, or helpful programs for profile pages. MySpace plans to unveil a free software application gallery next month.
"MySpace has stepped up," Clayton Stark, vice president of engineering at Internet start-up Flock, told AFP while demonstrating an application tailored for MySpace. "I'm impressed."

"Gung Hey Fat Choy"! HAPPY and PROSPEROUS YEAR OF THE RAT!

A Chinese proverb states that all creations are reborn on New Year’s day. The Chinese New Year is a celebration of change ... out with the old and in with the new!
The Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year because it is based on a combination of lunar and solar movements. The year 4706 starts February 7, 2008.
The YEAR OF THE RAT!
The events that occurred during New Year’s Day may impact your life for the rest of the year. Be careful in your actions. Be selective with what you eat. Greet people who will bring you joy. To ensure a prosperous and healthy year, you should enhance and stimulate positive energy flow at home, at your business and at work.
Everything associated with the New Year's Day should represent good fortune. To single people, good fortune may mean love and romance. Good fortune may mean good grades to students, children for families, jobs for the unemployed and health for the sick.
To help you find your fortune in the new year, we have put together the following Chinese New Year traditions and customs. You may also want to consult our "symbols" section as a quick reference.
BEFORE NEW YEAR's EVE
The celebration actually starts on New Year's Eve with the reunion dinner. By New Year’s Eve, you should have done the following:
Clean the entire home to get rid of all the things that are associated with the old year.
Put away all brooms and brushes.
Pay all your debts.
Resolve differences with family members, friends, neighbors and business associates.
Buy the following:
- red money envelopes
- oranges and/or tangerines
- circular candy tray
- flowers (especially plum blossom, peach blossom, water lily)
- a new set of clothes and shoes for children, preferably something red or orange.
Get new dollar bills from the bank. Insert the new dollar bills into the red envelopes. Now the red envelope is called a lee see or lucky money envelope.
(note: Very few modern families follow all the "cleaning" traditions.)
ON NEW YEAR’s EVE:
Get together with close family members (not including married daughters and their families) for the "reunion" dinner.
Pay respect to ancestors and household gods. Acknowledge the presence of ancestors because they are responsible for the fortunes of future generations.
Open every door and window in your home at midnight to let go of the old year.

ON NEW YEAR’s DAY:
Decorate your home with symbols of good fortune. Here are some suggestions:
- Colors: Bright red (happiness); gold/orange (wealth & happiness).
- Fruits: Oranges and tangerines (good health & long life); tangerines with leaves intact (long lasting relationships; fruitful and multiply as in having children); persimmons (happiness and wealth).
- Circular candy tray (candy for sweet and circular for togetherness).
- Flowers: If flowers bloom on New Year’s Day, it will be a prosperous year.
- Red banners or couplets with New Year wishes and symbols of good fortune in gold.
Here are some suggestions for food:
- Jai - a combination of food that represents good fortune. Jai comprises of ginkgo nut, black moss, dried bean curd, bamboo shoots, vermicelli and scallion.
- Fish and chicken represent prosperity. Always present the fish and chicken as a whole. Do not cut them in pieces. The head, tail and feet (for chicken) must be presented to symbolize completeness.
- Noodles represent longevity. Again, they should not be cut.
- Desserts include oranges, Chinese New Year cake (ni gao) and prosperous cakes (they look like golden nuggets).

DO’s & DON'Ts on NEW YEAR’s DAY:
- Greet others with "Gung Hey Fat Choy" which means "Wishing You Prosperity and Wealth".
- Give two lee see’s to each child. Because happiness comes in two’s, do not just give one. This is your way of passing good luck to the next generation. Business owners also give lee see’s to employees and associates.
- Wear brand new clothes - preferably in red. Children should wear new clothes and new shoes.
- Don’t wash your hair.
- Don’t sweep the floor.
- Don’t greet people who are in mourning.
- Don’t drop your chopsticks.
- Don’t say the number ‘four’ (Chinese homonym for death) or mention death.
- Don’t borrow or lend money.
As you prepare for this important holiday, think of the changes you want to make in your life ... perhaps spend more time with your family, reduce your credit card debts or pursue a new interest. Gung Hey Fat Choy ... and Happy New Year!

SUPERBOWL COMMERCIAL: LOL!!!!

An all-chocolate room was unveiled in Manhattan on Tuesday - a pre-Valentine's Day creation complete with furniture and artwork made of the sweet stuff. "It's the perfect bit of sin," said Ali Larter, star of TV's "Heroes," of the Godiva chocolate "pearls" that are her private daily indulgence.
Here, they were dripping off the chandeliers above the dining table, which was a sea of stars, truffles and crescents - all chocolate, of course, under glass.
Larter is the celebrity face hired by the Belgian chocolatier for its annual Valentine's Day promotion contest. This year, anyone who buys the winning box of chocolates - for US$23 and up - may win the chocolate room. It is to be recreated in a suite of Manhattan's Bryant Park Hotel for a pampered getaway weekend for two in May.
The winning box - sold only in North America - will contain a note informing the buyer of his or her good luck.
While no doubt a shameless commercial promotion - created by Los Angeles designer Larry Abel - the demo chocolate room set up on the sixth floor of an East Village building packed a tasteful, artsy punch.
Hanging in the "living room" was a painting built entirely of multicoloured chocolate pieces inspired by Gustav Klimt's painting "The Kiss." Above the dining table was a "canvas" dripping with brown and white chocolate - a takeoff on Jackson Pollock's signature "drip" paintings.
And instead of words, books opened to a mound of chocolates.
You could actually sit on the plush sofa, which was chocolate-graced only on its sides, and the walls are made of chocolate.
There were a couple of "dont's" in the room: lighting the fireplace (with its chocolate logs and mantle) and the candles (all chocolate).
In addition, sinking into the easy chairs was discouraged - unless you wanted to rise with a chocolate-covered derriere.

Cool Gadgets You'll Want in Your Car

Your car is your mobile castle these days--and so deserves to be appropriately outfitted
with the latest gadgets. And there's no shortage of gear for doing that.

At the recent Consumer Electronics Show, equipment makers of all stripes were on hand to show off their latest and greatest for making your car into something far more than a mode of transportation. The newest global positioning satellite systems, for instance, let you talk your way to a destination without ever taking your hands off the wheel. Other gadgets aim to help you buff up your ride's status symbol. Still others cater directly to the kid-toting crowd.

Start with the fun stuff. Bazooka, Earthquake, Titanium Power and Magnadyne--these aren't exactly weapons but companies with sound systems that will make the ground shake and put a dent in your eardrums. We were overwhelmed by the JackHammer SuperWoofer from MTX Audio. There's nothing lightweight about this subwoofer. It weighs in at 369 pounds. It incorporates magnets powerful enough to wipe out the data on credit cards that come within 25 feet (over 7 metres). This is the ultimate, "competitive" sound system.

Frequent nighttime drivers might appreciate the Flir PathFindIR thermal imaging camera, which can spot animals and pedestrians up to 2,000 feet (600 metres) away--much sooner than you can eyeball them. This is no toy system; military and police vehicles have tried out this technology. It's also priced accordingly.

You can get lost evaluating all the GPS systems available these days. Happily most are priced within the budget of typical consumers. At the recent Consumer Electronics Show, the Magellan Maestro Elite was the only on-board system that lets you use Google Local search to look up locations. Garmin's nüvi 880 features speech recognition so that you can talk to your direction system, rather than touching a screen to figure out where to go next.

Microsoft and Ford Motor have created Sync, an "in-car connectivity system" that first debuted last year but will become more widespread in 2008. The latest Sync is designed to generate vehicle diagnostic reports and automatically call 911 if an air bag goes off in an accident. And here's the cool part: Sync also lets motorists call up songs on their iPods and other MP3 players via voice commands. Ford plans to make Sync available in most of its high-end vehicles by the end of the year, but it can be purchased separately, too.

There are other ways to make gadgets work in your car even if they weren't exactly built that way. Add Scosche's BlueLife DIY Bluetooth Receiver into a car that isn't equipped with Bluetooth and your cell phone and music devices will get channeled through the car speakers.

Sirius and Ford together have developed a "Travel Link" navigation system, which the carmaker will roll out during 2008. The subscription service features an in-dash screen that provides live information about local gas prices, traffic conditions, sports scores and local movie listings. Included in the hardware for Travel Link, although technically separate from the service, is a 10-gigabyte voice-command "jukebox" that can hold up to 2,400 songs and display complete track information and album cover art thanks to technology provided by Gracenote.

Then there's Azentek's multimedia PC--the Atlas CPC-1200, designed explicitly for cars. It uses an Intel Core Duo processor and can do anything you need--run Microsoft Vista, play high-definition radio, run a GPS system.

If that seems too elaborate, there are ways to amuse your children in the car for a more modest price. Sirius Satellite Radio has launched an automotive satellite TV service. Only three channels so far--but they are the ones that most kids want to see: Nickelodeon, the Disney Channel and a special mobile edition of the Cartoon Network. It's available in some Chrysler models now, and more broadly available in the second quarter of this year.

Your car will never be the same.

Groundhog Wiarton Willie Predicts Early Spring

It looks like we might soon say goodbye to the snow and welcome spring,
if you believe a rodent. It's Groundhog Day and Wiarton Willie,
the country's most famous weather prognosticating furry friend,
failed to see his shadow when roused from his slumber Saturday morning.
Folklore has it that if a groundhog sees his shadow on Groundhog Day, he'll flee to his burrow, heralding six more weeks of winter. If he doesn't, it means an early spring.
The origins of the tradition aren't clear, but it's likely related to the fact that
Groundhog Day falls midway between the start of winter and the beginning of spring.
An early spring was also predicted by Canada's other famous groundhog, Nova Scotia's Shubenacadie Sam. But Pennsylvania's Punxsutawney Phil disagreed. He saw his shadow.

It's become a tradition and a tourist event for over a century.
Groundhog Day is an unofficial holiday that everyone knows is absurd,
and yet can't stop observing.
So why does a furry animal that looks like an overstuffed rodent hold
such sway every February 2nd? The answer lies shrouded in the shadows of history (and if the groundhog sees that shadow, does that mean we'll have six more weeks of history?)
Most experts suggest the tradition began when German settlers brought their tradition of Candelmas to North America in the 1700s.
Feb. 2nd is supposed to be the mid-point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. According to legend, if the weather was good on that day, the rest of the winter would be stormy and cold.
If not, the coldest season of the year would be over soon and farmers could start to think about planting their crops.
Eventually a hedgehog - not the more traditional creature used today - was added, and the story of seeing his shadow began.