It's that time again, yep, you know, producer's choice, Jacob, one bus, the pencils, fully
let it education talk educated educators, talking education or more specifically the educated
educators get to answer questions, potentially about education from producer Jacob, producer
Jacob shows all yours. I'll hand it off, man, Tim Johnny. I want to start things off with
a very important question. Did you see the Grammys last night and who has any thoughts about
those Grammys? Am I right? Hey, man, I love watching the Grammys. I'm, you know, when I stopped
watching the Grammys and I guess this means I'm old when I went, wait a minute, where's
you two? Well, Tim, then you missed the excellent Ozzy Osborne tribute. Okay. Warp Higgs sang
by Post Malone. It was pretty epic. It's slash playing guitar and Chad Smith on drums and
oh, they actually did that at the Ozzy tribute. I did see that when they did it for the
Ozzy tribute. And that was really good. Yeah. Yeah, that was cool. And then again, just a great
to see, you know, comedians, you know, like artists, whether they're, you know, musical artists or
whether they're actors and actresses, just the creative community, speaking really thoughtfully
to the political situation in the United States. And really great messages to be shared. I was,
you know, consistently blown away by artists, you know, sharing political views in such a thoughtful
way. And they did that last night ranging from the, you know, the pro, more protest leaning kind
of comments to the really, I think, generative, you know, lessons shared by especially like artist
bad bunny, you know, really emphasizing, you know, disagreements part of life. Let's really lean
into love and taking care of one another. And, you know, a lot of people reminding the general
public, hey, I was to an immigrant or my parents were our immigrants and really thinking about what
it means to be human and what art, what role art and artists play in reminding us of our humanity,
the good, the bad, the sad, the, you know, the exciting, the party music and the music that we
grieve to. It was just really, I think a powerful, you know, moment in message and a lot of people
rose to the occasion, you know, exercise their civic duty, you know, and I thought shared really
great messages for the viewing public. So, you know, I know everyone today is not happy about
that stuff. And, you know, Trevor, no, you know, as comedians do, I thought made some very thoughtful
pointy remarks about, you know, both Democrats and Republicans and that I do read in the headlines
today that Donald Trump did not find them amusing. But hey, remember humor is one of the historic
ways that we handled tense moments and that we speak truth to the situations going on. I
thought it was really tastefully done. So overall, you know, aside from all of the glitz and glamour
and, you know, the politics of who wins and who doesn't, a lot of it was a pretty powerful night
for probably all fans. And so, you know, just a reminder, music is, you know, the soundtrack of all
of our lives and artists and creative people pour a lot into that and they have a lot to teach us.
So, you know, it was a good night. Man, so there you go, Jacob, you wanted to know Johnny got
your answer. For two, two, producer, I take up the choice, chairman of the board.
You and I will have two choices. Chairman of the board, Jacob. Jacob chairman of the board.
I've got the board. It's spelled B-O-R-E-D.
We choose to go to the moon. Life's tough choices in.
No.
Folks, we were talking about the Grammys. We were talking about celebrities, influential people,
the elites, the culture makers coming out and speaking truth to power. But now we're going to
talk about something important. And that is this week, we celebrated Groundhog Day.
That's right. In the United States. And unfortunately, that rat think Punxitani Phil saw his shadow,
meaning we're doomed to have six more weeks of winter this year. Today, we're going to be engaging
in a barely coherent medley of Groundhog Day related questions. All right.
In order to assist me, I've invited two barely coherent guests back on their own show. Dr.
Tim Slecker, Dr. Johnny Lupinachi, thank you so much for being here. You know, Jacob.
Yeah, we're here for Jacob. We love, we love producer's choice. And I love having you guys here
because it gives me an opportunity to come up with very interesting questions for very interesting
people. And I think there's a synergy there that our listeners just really love and enjoy
engaging with, even if the questions are a little bit strange and based on Groundhog Day,
which is only tangentially related to education. But we'll see how I do it. Question number one,
for Dr. Tim Slecker, do you believe that Punxitani Phil can really tell if we're going to have six more
weeks of winter, if so why and if not, why not? Well, Jacob, being a Pennsylvania native and being
back in Pennsylvania and having been to a few live, you know, bringing Punxitani Phil out of his,
you know, slumber to forecast the weather. I believe deeply in the culture and the celebration
of Punxitani Phil as a forecaster of the best things to come as spring is on its way
and he has never been wrong, even when he's right, guaranteed after Groundhog Day, spring is coming.
So how about that, man, that dude always knows spring is on its way. It might be a little
bit more winter beforehand, but I have a feeling that they never really asked him the right question.
That's fair. You know, yeah, he's been kind of pigeonholed by the fact that people
want to know specifically is spring right around the corner or do we have six more weeks of winter?
Well, right around the corner has never been defined. And so the answer could be six more weeks of
winter and right around the corner. So how's the head for a little in-depth discussion of
Punxitani? And for all those other Groundhogs out there, you guys are frauds.
All right, Dr. Tim Slecker with a very tapping endorsement of Puxitani Phil's forecasting abilities.
Dr. Johnny Lubinachi, same question. Is this magic real or not? And why do you think so?
Well, Jacob, you know, I really like Tim's response because I mean, the Groundhog is right.
Like spring is coming. It's just a matter of how long it's going to take and probably finds
it quite amusing that at least once a year, he pokes his head up and there is a bunch of people
around. I would love to know his side of Groundhog's day. It's like to come out of that,
that, you know, that habitat is and there's all these people. And, uh, and, uh, you know,
the poke his head out and into the weather that he did seems to make an accurate move going back in.
So I like to say, I like to say that it doesn't have scientific consensus behind it.
But the tradition itself, as Tim noted, like he's been to these like folks, you know,
attend them every single year teaching on Groundhog's day, you know, we talked about Groundhog's day
and, and always in, in climates with pretty inclement winters. So it was always kind of like,
you had to read the room. Did the room seem to want more winter or, you know, was it ready for
spring and you kind of, you know, spun it whichever direction gave people the most energy that day.
But I love traditions, especially traditions that bring people together, whether it's in their
celebration or in their commiserating over, you know, longer winter, big fan of Groundhog's day.
I'm not sure if it's scientific consensus. I think it remains in the myth column for me.
But who doesn't like a good myth? So I'm a big fan. Well, Johnny, I'm glad we're sticking with you
because you're right on to question number two, man. Do you believe that cultural traditions
like Groundhog Day are valuable or do these antiquated traditions just prop up superstition
in anti-scientific thinking? That's a tough one, Jacob, especially in the climate we're in,
where, you know, scientific thought is challenged publicly all the time. I don't want to be like,
oh, yeah, you know, it's okay for us to just, you know, sometimes ignore science.
I actually think there is, you know, value to obviously traditions. And I think in the case of
this one, I'm going to say they, I'm a big fan of it and I'll get scientific for a moment because
I believe really strongly. And I don't have the facts on this related to Groundhog's day. But
we'd always talk about this in my classroom, especially when I was teaching upper level grades,
because it would come up like, come on, this is kind of, this is kind of hokey. Like that,
that Groundhog really can't tell whether or not it's winter or going to be winter longer or,
you know, spring is here. But, you know, I would always say, especially in my science class,
but environment has intelligence. And intelligence isn't just something that belongs only to us human
beings, right? And so there are a lot of signs like when leaves change color or, you know, when it's
about terrain and certain plants turn their leaves, you know, to shape in a form that catches water.
You know, there's a lot of environmental or ecological intelligence out there in the world. And yes,
although we've created a rather, I'm going to use a giant word, anthropomorphized. That's when you
assign human characteristics or assign human culture to an animal or a non-human. Well,
while we've anthropomorphized the Groundhog, I always say it's like, it's a fun tradition that
reminds us to listen to the environment, to pay attention to the more than human world and what
it's telling us. Certainly something the science community has been saying for decades, hey,
the world is telling us that we're not behaving in a way that supports life on this planet. We've
got to change how we behave. So I think there's a underlying larger message here that I'm a
fan of with Groundhogs Day. It's like, yes, it's, it's mythical. Yes, there isn't a ton of
scientific or any real scientific evidence to this. But I think there's like a good lesson in this
one where we're not entirely ignoring science. We're turning our attention to the natural world.
We're saying, hey, I'm a little bit more attuned or at least I'm reminded on Groundhogs Day that
animals, plants, you know, other species have intelligence. And what are they telling us?
How do we read the world we're living in? And then, you know, make decisions based on that.
I mean, it's a far leap like I'm saying that's a that's a pretty heavy lesson to embed in
something as fun and silly as Groundhogs Day. But hey, Groundhogs Day can be more than just a
reminder of a really good Bill Murray movie. I agree, Johnny. I agree. Though it is a pretty good
movie starring Bill Murray himself. Great movie. I thought Punxitani Phil was again
disappointing for me this year because he's, you know, he said there's going to be more winter.
And then did he really have to do a 15 minutes speech about Trump afterwards? I'm like, come on,
man, you know, there's a time and place for politics. Keep it out of the ceremony. But Tim, same
question to you, do you think all this this witchcraft with Punxitani Phil is holding us back as
a people or do you think these cultural traditions have a value unto themselves?
All right. First thing, statistics. Okay.
Meteorologists predicting weather one to three months out. Roughly 50%. Punxitani Phil over
100 plus years 40% accurate. Hmm. Hmm. Now. So he's worse than a coin flip.
He's worse than a coin flip predicting the weather. Yeah, it kind of goes back to my first
answer. It's really about the cultural tradition. He said, Punxitani Phil has been doing this since
1889. And knowing that, the other great thing is that he's probably the oldest living groundhog ever
since he's been, you know, at work for what 100 plus years. You would have to think so, yeah.
Yeah. I mean, so just on that fact there, he needs great kudos because, you know, once a year,
who wants to have to get up and do their job? It's a tough life. But it's a culture around that,
though. I mean, that the hats, you know, the funny hats, I think it is. It's kind of a, it's a you,
when I say uniquely American, I guarantee the Punxitani Phil itself is, quote, not uniquely American.
But there is this kind of weird thing where it's like Americans, groundhog day,
well, we're like, really, you look at that. But understanding that the idea of connections of
culture to, like Johnny said, the environment and then connections to our animal friends
and bringing those together to remind people of those relationships that all living things have
and all of those living things, the way we fare based on the environmental conditions. I think
it's a it's a nice thing to be able to have some fun, particularly when you're teaching,
with students to share, you know, the kind of silliness about it. But then, you know, an
opportunity to really take that moment to make those points about, you know, what is it in our
culture that for, you know, as long as back as we can, in fact, you know, a just read today in an
early American, probably around the year 600, somewhere down in South America, a new tomb opened up,
and the carving, you know, shows an owl, but then under the beak of the owl is a human. And so,
the connections between people, animals, and the places they are have always been something
a part of, you know, that human understanding that we have those connections. And so if Punxatoni
Phil continues to remind us even kind of with a little bit of silliness that, you know, living
things are connected. So how's that for a long and winding answer? My question for you, Tim,
is did the Mayan owl see its shadow when it came out of the cave? And will we have six more
wakes of winter? I think he saw the shadow of the human being under his beak. I'm not sure how that
plays in weather or winter forecasting. It's sort of lost in translation between cultures, you know,
we can't really tell what what their owl based weather traditions are. It's these things get
lost over the centuries. Tim, I'm going to keep it with you because I'm really interested in
your answer so far today. You've been really knocking out of the park. Question number three,
Tim, what have you seen so far in 2026 that makes you wonder if you're stuck waking up every day in
2025? Oh, boy, it can feel like 2025. Every day, if you turn on, you know, turn on the news.
Yeah, what has our current president put in truth social today? Oh my god, here we go again.
You know what? Even that quote that the whole idea of groundhog day as some way of viewing your life.
I think that that is potentially also an opportunity to say what are the things in anybody's life
that are, you know, repetitive and no, maybe even normal. But at what point do you start to have
that groundhog day feeling, which is kind of a feeling of unease? And are there things that you
have an opportunity as we move past groundhogs day and we're turning the corner towards, you know,
better weather at some point in the future. Can you also change up a little bit of about what you
do that? You know what? It is groundhogs day, but you don't have to check your email first thing
in the morning. You don't have to turn on CNN or Fox News first thing in the morning. You know,
you can choose to start the day by, you know, going out to your backyard, finding some small
critter, waking it up, holding it out to the public. Hey, all of this is, I think the, you know,
the kind of being trapped in that frame of mind, it really is. I think it's a good thing to
actually call yourself out and see that that might be happening and kind of figure out, you
know, what is it that you can do to change up? Because sadly, I'd say there are a lot of things
that boy, you know what? What is it? What is it saying? No matter how much things change, they
stay the same. Well, be that change that we all need to kind of push against the groundhog day,
groundhogs day phenomena that makes us all go, oh, not again.
Tim, I like that answer because you've created a whole new aspect of a holiday. We're going to add
to Groundhog Day, the movie based interpretation of saying, hey, you're waking up every day doing
the same thing. What can we change? I think that's something we could all learn from and
pass that along for the holiday next year. We'll get right on it.
Dr. Johnny Lupinacci, same question to you. I don't know if your answer will go in the same
direction, Tim's did, but what have you observed so far this year that makes you think, man,
am I waking up in 2025 again? Well, you know, Jacob, I think, wow, that's a,
I would, I want to have a really great answer. I'm still stuck in. You can go out to your backyard
and lift up a small critter and show it to the world response from Tim. I love that. No,
but Jacob, I feel like trying to be positive here. And I think that's the message that is deeper in
this is I feel like a lot of, this is just me being older and reflecting skin deep.
More often than not, I wouldn't have imagined that 2026, I'd be waking up to the things I'm waking
up to. And so I feel like I'm waking up to a lot of what I experienced in 2025. I feel like,
but I'm also waking up in the sense of like, wow, really in shock because if I wanted to have
gone to bed, say in, you know, 2006 and woken up in 2026, like a mini Van Winkle here, you know,
I would be just shocked that we are where we are as a as a community, specifically politically in
the moment that we're in, you know, like I don't want to get too heavy with it, but that's a
that's a big sentiment that's on my mind when you ask about waking up. And do I feel like I'm in 2025?
I mean, sometimes I wake up and I feel like I'm in a bad history lesson about 1930 something.
And so that's heavy, that's deep, and that's not as positive, but I want to put a positive spin
on it because I think that, you know, everything has it contributes something to forward momentum.
Like Tim said, springs coming, regardless of whether or not there's six more weeks of winter or
not, still spring happens after that. And that's my reminder too. I'm waking up feeling a lot like
it's 2025 all over again. We're at a dead stand still if not in a worse place. We're still,
you know, fighting with one another about, you know, distracting things. You know, schools haven't
necessarily gotten better. We're, you know, we've done nothing about gun laws, even though we have
continued school shootings, we have, you know, only increased violence against immigrants in our
communities. You know, and I just feel like, wow, man, I would have expected us to have been
further along. And the reminder is that all things pass, right? History's taught us this,
that we figure out a way together. We have the human capacity and the morality to move through
tough times together and to say, hey, we got to figure something out, you know, and I'll connect
it to Groundhog's day. So that by next Groundhog's day, we don't feel the same way about the way things
are, right? And that's my, my hope and take of it is like a wake up feeling like, whoa, not only
do I feel like we're in 2025, but I feel like I'm in a bad history lesson from the 1930s.
And only we can be the change in that. So rather than continue, what I felt was a big part of 2025,
like pointing fingers and being really vitriol about how we solve the problems and instead just
roll up our sleeves and figure out how to work together towards what supports our community,
towards the common good of, you know, a democracy, one that values human rights, one that cares about
community and strength. And that's, that's nonpartisan. That really belongs to the legacy and the
honor of being part of a democracy, not to any political party. So that's my hope is like,
just like spring, even though the Groundhog went back and it's home, we have six more weeks of winter.
Maybe we have a few more weeks per verbally. I'll say of, you know, the political climate we are
in, but it will change just like spring comes, democracy comes around and it strengthens. And so
I'm really going to lean towards that. Let's remember that even more dark days of winter, right?
Means that, hey, spring is coming. And then I'll quote Jacob, it reminds me of a quote from the
playwright Bertolt Breck, when the, when the kid in a place that, you know, asked his mom, will
there be singing in dark times? And she responds, yes, they'll be singing about the dark times.
So I'll tie that back to her, you know, post Grammys discussion and then Groundhog stay here
just because it's still winter. And it's cold out or just because democracy feels frozen.
Doesn't mean that it's not going to thaw. So let's sing about the freeze. Let's work together
towards the thaw. And let's get spring here, both the season and the strength of a vibrant
democracy. That was a good answer, Johnny. I like that. Wow. Wow.
You and Tim are real deep thinkers. I was thinking, you know, I don't know, the Grammys were good
this year, just like last year. I'm like, was is 2025. We're talking about here. But you guys
took in a much deeper, more introspective direction. And though Puxitani Phil saw three more years
of Trump, I would like to think that we're going to make it through just fine. Next question
comes from my little brother, Lincoln. And it's a spring related question. Lincoln writes,
dear Tim and Johnny, what are your favorite spring sports?
Oh, yeah. And I'm asking you, Johnny.
Oh, okay. Well, I love sports, all of them. Spring sports, I will have to say, I'm going to,
I'm going to say hockey is a winter sport, even though Wisconsin listeners and Minnesota listeners
and Michigan listeners, you are like, who you can hockey's a year round sports where we come
from, you know, and the Stanley Cup is spring and summer. So I like, I would say hockey is always
my number one. But technically on the books, I wouldn't consider it a spring sport. It's a winter
sport. And my favorite spring sport is sometimes a fall sport, depending on where you're listening from.
But where I grew up and played, it was a spring sport. And my favorite spring sport is lacrosse.
I love field lacrosse like the outdoor con because I know some of you listeners and colder parts
remember play box lacrosse and indoor lacrosse. But spring lacrosse, my favorite spring sport.
So you said, I can't do hockey. That's more of a winter thing. So I'll do the most hockey like
other sport I can find. Yeah, pretty much. And make that my favorite. Okay, pretty much,
pretty much. I appreciate your honesty on that one. It's hockey's spring time sibling.
There you go. You know, you got to, you got to play your spring lacrosse, too. It's a good way
to get outside and run around instead of skate everywhere. So even though it's most often in the
places listed and it's played on frozen ground. True to that. Dr. Tim Slecker. Same question to you
from my little brother, Lincoln. What is your favorite spring sport? My favorite spring spring sport,
Jacob, I got to tell you playing football and being a wrestler. My whole time is being an athlete
and hockey sometimes. My favorite spring sport was no sport. Well, it was because holy crap,
I can actually go home after school. I mean, I didn't, you know, you don't know what if you play
football and quote, you know, a winter sport, a fall on a winter sport. You don't go home after
school until like March, you know, and so the whole idea of like, hey, what are you doing after
school? Going to locker room, getting dressed, going to practice. But I will say this, Jacob,
just for a little bit of a curve ball. Well, you know, that's me. That's what I do.
Um, I think if I can get it up here at the right time,
spring turkey season in Pennsylvania. My favorite sport because actually that was as a guy
who really liked to hunt. But if you played football and wrestling and stuff like that, you couldn't
get to go hunting. And so when spring gobbler season came around, oh, you finally get to go
back out in the woods. So my favorite spring sport, Jacob, turkey hunting. I like that answer,
Tim. That was that, that's a classic Tim bomb. Totally out of there. But a great answer that
brings us back around to the real spirit of the spring, which is, uh, I believe a moment ago,
you were saying we should be good friends with our animals, our animal brothers out there in
the woods. And now we're nailing them with a crossbow from 75 yards away. But either way,
it's a good way to enjoy and appreciate the outdoors. Hey, we, we all got to eat. I agree,
and I'm going to come out there to Pennsylvania, get me a turkey leg off of you next time I have
a chance. But guys, we have wound up at the end of the producer's choice show as sad as it is.
But in case you're worried, we do have one last question. Let's go.
60 second question, Tim slacker, speaking of repeating the same things over and over again,
I feel like I've seen the match up in this year's big game before the Patriots and Seahawks are
meeting once again in the quote unquote big game, which we have to call it on the radio.
What do you think's going to win this big game? Wow, Jake, wait, the,
the Steelers aren't in it. I thought so too, but it turns out no, they lost the first game in
the playoffs in embarrassing fashion. My goodness, I mean, you know, it's far as I understood the
Steelers were in the Super Bowl every year. You know what, Jacob here. You know what, I'm going
to go with making a choice on my favorite place to visit. Love Seattle. Going with the Seahawks.
Let's go Hawks. Dr. Johnny, but not you same question. Who's going to win the big game?
Seahawks are Patriots. Oh, man, I'll keep it short and simple as much as I'm still, you know, sad
that the Lions didn't win. Then I was bummed that the Bills didn't win. Then I was even more bummed
that the Bears didn't go. It's like none of my teams that I was hopeful for, you know, God is
close as I would have liked, but I do live close to Seattle. I, I'm going to say I'm going to be
rooting for the Seahawks. Go Hawks this weekend. And I think they've got the edge. They're going to take
this, this Super Bowl and make a lot of people who are near, near by me here and watching,
think quite happy. So let's go Hawks. producers choice show producers choice for the win. I'm going to
say Seahawks 25 Patriots 21 in the Super Bowl. We'll see if I'm right next week. And with that
Tim, I give it to you. Well, now it's time for your moment of Zen.
I believe there are huge numbers of people in this country who would be willing to have radical
changes in our economic and social system in order to make it a more egalitarian society and do
away with homelessness and hunger and clean up the environment. But these people have no voice.
They have no way of expressing themselves. Elections give them no way of expressing themselves.
Hey there, pencil busters. This is producer Jacob and thank you for listening to the producer's
choice show. If you enjoyed this show, check out all the busted pencils programs starting out
Monday with home room, Wednesday with class and session. And of course, you can always find us
every Saturday across the civic media network for one hour of your favorite blue collar scholars,
Tim Johnny and Jacob, and keep Bustin Pencils.