Groundhog Day Research Articles

Groundhog Day is Not a Good Model for Corpus Dispersion

ABSTRACT This study argues that corpus analysis has yet to incorporate probabilistic reasoning into the measurement of dispersion. This proposal continues a recent observation that some commonly used dispersion measures were impaired by an extreme sensitivity to the random noise characterizing any real-world data set. This article will show that this could have been avoided if (a) the underlying metaphor for ‘corpus dispersion’ had been more carefully considered and (b) the measures had been derived from an appropriate probability mass distribution. The text then proposes a computationally efficient dispersion measure developed from a Poisson model of an unbiased word dispersion. Unlike several current measures, this measure is shown to give a score that is meaningful at all word frequencies while being more sensitive to real dispersional bias and less sensitive to noise.

Endless Rondo or “Variations on a Theme of Phil Connors”? Musical Form, Function, and Leitmotivic Design in Groundhog Day

Abstract This article addresses music's influence on the dramatic and formal discourse in the film Groundhog Day. Suggesting that the film's ludic and narrative traits are further exhibited through its combination of both musical rondo and variation form, I address Groundhog Day through the lens of musical form, discussing its effect on Phil's transformational experience of time as Chronos to time as Kairos, which ultimately helps him break the time loop. I then demonstrate music's multiple diegetic and nondiegetic functions within the film: (1) as musical commentary; (2) as a conduit between God and Phil; and (3) as leitmotif through composer George Fenton's subtle manipulation of the Eighteenth Variation of Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. I conclude with a semiotic reading of the film's banquet scene, demonstrating how music's diegetic and nondiegetic interaction with the film and its form elevates the discourse surrounding Phil and the film's musico-cinematic form to a higher degree of dignity.

Trauma

The October 2024 Trauma Roundup360 looks at: Early versus delayed weightbearing following operatively treated ankle fracture (WAX): a non-inferiority, multicentre, randomized controlled trial; The effect of early weightbearing and later weightbearing rehabilitation interventions on outcomes after ankle fracture surgery; Is intramedullary nailing of femoral diaphyseal fractures in the lateral decubitus position as safe and effective as on a traction table?; Periprosthetic fractures of the hip: Back to the Future, Groundhog Day, and horses for courses; Two big bones, one big decision: when to fix bilateral femur fractures; Comparison of ankle fracture fixation using intramedullary fibular nailing versus plate fixation; Unclassified acetabular fractures: do they really exist?

Escaping ‘Groundhog Day’: the transformative possibilities of reconceptualising audit

The statutory company audit can be a puzzling phenomenon. While heralded as a public interested function, its resulting audit reports are only addressed to the members of the audited company. Audit may be widely acknowledged as a social construction, but it has remained conceptually static, with a recycling of reform proposals and a resulting, persistent audit expectations gap. Recent responses to this state of affairs, however, have included calls for a ‘dynamic repair’ of audit and an official proposal by the Brydon review for the UK government to give legislative backing to a significantly expanded purpose for audit. This paper further advances such proposals by illuminating the transformative possibilities of conceptualising audit as an innovation ecosystem in its own right and classifying auditors as ecosystem engineers. Collectively, such a conceptual reconfiguration can serve to enhance both the social purposefulness of audit and its public interested sense of professionalism by freeing audit from the constraints of excessive standardisation and promoting its inherent, functional diversity.

The COVID-19 Lived Experience Through the Eyes of Nursing and Social Work Students.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of nursing and social work students who were taking courses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Focus group discussions gave students a chance to express the pandemic's effects on their education and life. Methods: A hermeneutic phenomenological approach using Van Manen's Four Lifeworld Existentials guided this study. Using an open-ended format, interviews were conducted in 6 small groups ranging from 2 to 9 individuals, in person or via Zoom. The study was conducted from May to August 2022 in a university setting with 23 participants. Results: Ten existential themes emerged: Being Behind, Groundhog Day, Trying to Keep Up, Loss of Community, Fear of COVID, Being Alone, What is Self-Care?, Is This Career Right for Me?, What is Healthy?, and Access to Counseling. Conclusions: Participants indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted educational delivery, limiting learning opportunities and increasing feelings of isolation, stress, and anxiety. Implications for Education and the Future Workforce: Projected health-care workforce shortages may be exacerbated by students departing from the health-care professions as a result of increased burnout. Resilience training while in school is necessary to help promote coping, self-care strategies, and retention in the health-care professions.

Anatomy of a Song

Anatomy of a Song

MEDIATORS OF SPATIO-TEMPORAL TRANSITIONS IN CINEMA: AN ATTEMPT AT CLASSIFICATION

The cinema of the 21st century has reached such technical heights that it can show any world on the screen, no matter how incredible the chronotope turns out to be. The science fi ction genre, in demand at all times, is now supplemented with elements of mysticism, horror, detective story, drama, etc., and these plots are often built on all kinds of movements with the help of some kind of intermediary. This can be either a special time machine of various confi gurations designed for such movements (a car or other man-made device), or home artifacts and loci, whose transition possibilities are discovered by the characters by chance: a diary, a mirror, a clock, a window, plumbing (“Hot Tub Time Machine”, “The Butterfl y effect”, “Time lapse”, “Window to Paris”, “Save Pushkin”, “Samyy Novyy god!”), etc. The portal can be a natural object (a cave in the TV series “Dark”, a lake in “Black Hunters”), urban: a tunnel, an abandoned room (“Enter Nowhere”) or a completely exotic item that works only individually (“The Jacket”), or there may be familiar locations through which transitions to alternative realities are possible under certain conditions. Sometimes it’s not an object that becomes such a portal, but a person’s state: a dream (“Inception”, “Alibi”, “RRRrrrr!!!”) or death (“Boss Level”, “Russian Doll”, “Before I Fall”, “ARQ” ). In the fi rst case, the character fi nds himself either in a different continuum within the dream, or is transported only in time or only in space, waking up in someone else’s body in the name of good causes - preventing an explosion (“Source Code”), catching a serial killer (“The Dark Side of the Moon” ), etc. In the second case, the plot is usually cyclical, the viewer is waiting for the character to get out of this “Groundhog Day”.

No Exit: Death Drive, Dystopia, and the Long Winter of the American Dream in Harold Ramis’s The Ice Harvest

ABSTRACT This article examines Harold Ramis’s 2005 noir comedy The Ice Harvest as the critically dystopian counter-panel to his beloved 1993 film Groundhog Day, a film frequently discussed within the paradigm of utopia. While starkly different in genre, tone, and reception, the two films comprise a dialectical dyad that registers the historical transition from the utopian cultural effervescence of the early 1990s to the tragic foreclosure of imaginative horizons and the dystopian transformation of economic, political, and social landscapes in the new millennium. In The Ice Harvest, the author argues, this is achieved through a strategic reactivation of film noir as a variant of the critical dystopia.

“Without [surfing], it’s kind of like Groundhog Day, but the … Twilight Zone version”: a phenomenological study of surfers’ experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT The COVID-19 pandemic altered life and leisure activities for much of the world. Lockdowns were meant to keep people safe but prevented them from doing leisure activities important for wellbeing. Surfing was banned in many coastal communities. Surfers rely on surfing for their physical, mental, and social wellbeing. The purpose of this longitudinal phenomenological study was to explore surfers’ experiences of the pandemic using virtual interviews and photo journaling over seven months. The international sample included 29 surfers. The results demonstrated that participants had different experiences depending on their location. While some could not surf for a while, others could surf but still had to change their surfing process. As restrictions relaxed, surfing became a safe activity to keep participants sane, physically healthy, and socially connected. Surfing and the ocean were even used to protest injustice. The findings reveal the importance of expanding access to surfing and the coast.

If I See You Again Tomorrow by Robbie Couch (review)

Reviewed by: If I See You Again Tomorrow by Robbie Couch Aaren Tucker Couch, Robbie If I See You Again Tomorrow. Simon, 2023 [336p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781534497498 $19.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9781534497511 $10.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R* Gr. 8-12 Clark has been stuck in September 19th for 309 days before he finally tells his therapist the truth: he's lonely. Partly it's due to his parents' divorce, partly due to his best friend moving to another state, but mostly it's due to the September 19th time loop itself, of which only Clark is aware. Clark's confession, however, prompts the first deviation in 309 consecutive days when his therapist gives him four tips to beating loneliness, the first of which is to make a new friend. Making a new friend in a time loop seems impossible until day 310, when a boy whom Clark has never seen before in all the previous September 19ths shows up in his trig class, and the two end up spending a whirlwind afternoon together. Beau doesn't appear again on day 311, though, and Clark wonders if Beau could be stuck in the time loop as well, and if so, perhaps together they can finally learn how to escape. The time loop mechanic has the potential to be repetitive, but Couch makes the excellent decision to begin [End Page 253] the narrative right at the moment that things in Clark's Groundhog Day begin to change. The story is structured around a series of deviations and mysteries; as each mystery is solved, a new one springs up, spurring the plot onward and making the novel compulsively readable. In addition to excellent structure and pacing, Couch also provides a compelling, endearing narrator in Clark as a teen struggling to see beyond the end of his nose in his increasingly narrowing world for which the time loop is only partly to blame. In order to escape, Clark has to grow up and seize upon the rare opportunity the universe has granted him: a chance to do better. Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Groundhog Gets It Wrong by Jess Townes

Reviewed by: Groundhog Gets It Wrong by Jess Townes Kara Forde Townes, Jess Groundhog Gets It Wrong; illus. by Nicole Miles. Dial, 2023 [40p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780593326152 $18.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780593326169 $10.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R 3-7yrs Coming from a long line of lauded meteorologists, Groundhog is unconcerned about taking over the family profession and making his debut prediction about the end of the winter season this February. Encouraged by sage advice and well-wishes from those who came before him, Groundhog wakes up early on the big day and can’t find his shadow anywhere, and so makes the formal proclamation to the gleeful crowd of townspeople that winter is officially over. With plans for a spring carnival in place, there’s no chance he could be mistaken, right? Townes provides a witty take on the bizarre tradition of Groundhog Day, enhanced by a well-paced plot that humorously relies on the tension caused by Groundhog’s unearned authority. The saturated colors and multi-paneled page layouts of Miles’ digital illustrations highlight the action and humorous moments, and auxiliary sound effects and speech bubbles will support a spirited storytime rendition. Following a funny spread depicting his chaotic vocational crisis, Groundhog’s eventual dedication to the careful study of meteorology adds a layer of depth to the story, as it reinforces the value of science and diligent inquiry over blind faith. Closing papers include a brief background of the history and tradition of Groundhog Day, plus information about Punxsutawney Phil’s (low) rate of accuracy and lack of meteorology training. [End Page 165] Copyright © 2022 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

ENHANCING STUDENTS’ SPEAKING SKILLS BY USING DIGITAL STORYTELLING IN TEACHING ENGLISH LANGUAGE AT THE UNIVERSITY

The article is dedicated to the method of digital storytelling in teaching the English language to higher education establishments, in particular enhancing students’ speaking ability which is seen as an interaction and social and situation-based activity. The significance of speaking of learners of English as a second (foreign) language is out of doubt whereas it becomes the dominant tool for communication. Therefore, the necessity to teach students to use language as a communicative means rather than to inform them about the language leads educators to implementation of modern teaching methods. Storytelling as a teaching method has been confidently placed within English teachers’ work for the last two decades and recommended as quite effective and handy which assists to reduce students’ psychological barriers to speaking such as anxiety to perform in public and lack of motivation. It is noticed in the article that several constant and traditional story plots (elementary, butterfly effect or groundhog day, Cinderella syndrome, quest, etc.) are well-known and easily recognizable so teachers can use them to create a comfortable learning environment aimed to support learners’ speaking skills and, as such, focused mostly on their development. The fact that storytelling has great potential while digital storytelling integrates the traditional art of oral storytelling with the technology available in the twenty-first-century classroom is highlighted in the article. This facilitates the process of information perception by young people with clip thinking because the visualization attracts their attention and forms interest in one or another topic or discipline in general. Digital storytelling is mentioned as the practice of combining narrative with digital content, including images, sound, and video to create a digital story using online platforms or appropriate software. Digital storytelling might be incorporated in higher education both working offline and during distance or blended learning, either to introduce new material, encourage conversation, and make abstract or conceptual topics easier to understand. Key words: digital storytelling, method, speaking skills, higher education.

Immortality, the Good Life and Romantic Love in Groundhog Day and Only Lovers Left Alive

Groundhog Day (Harold Ramis, 1993) and Only Lovers Left Alive (Jim Jarmusch, 2013) are fantasy films that use the device of practical immortality in order to raise important philosophical questions about what constitutes a good life and to explore the nature of romantic love. Groundhog Day provides fairly conventional answers about how to live a good life by focusing on issues of spiritual redemption, selflessness, and developing one’s human potential. In contrast, Lovers provides a dark portrayal of a civilization on the brink of extinction but offers a glimmer of hope for the future. The lifestyle and values of married vampires Adam and Eve represent an alternative vision of the core values needed to sustain a better world: greater reliance on human imagination, maintaining a sense of wonder and curiosity about the world, creating and appreciating works of art and living in harmony with the natural world. Both films also offer a perspective on the importance of romantic love in living a good life. Although these perspectives often diverge from one another, they do overlap in some interesting ways. The style of film criticism used in this paper is inspired by the film philosophy of Stanley Cavell.

Groundhog day for inclusive education

Those who work in education strive to create more inclusive environments in school but are often stymied in their efforts by challenges coming from many and varied directions. Politicians, for example, exhort us to be more inclusive but create conditions that encourage separation and exclusion, and inclusive education's history in special education means that the default response of the system around special education is to diagnose, treat and manage separately. That legacy continues to have its effects. Looking both at the history of the management of ‘special needs’ and at the continuing rise in numbers of marginalised, separated and excluded youngsters, we suggest that some fundamental shifts are necessary in the way that we think about and research into difficulty at school if we are to move beyond Groundhog Day.

Sleep apnea and atrial fibrillation: the spell of Groundhog Day.

Sleep apnea and atrial fibrillation: the spell of Groundhog Day.

Groundhog Day: research without old data and old references.

The use of older data and references is becoming increasingly disfavored for publication. A myopic focus on newer research risks losing sight of important research questions already addressed by now-invisible older studies. This creates a 'Groundhog Day' effect as illustrated by the 1993 movie of this name in which the protagonist has to relive the same day (Groundhog Day) over and over and over within a world with no memory of it. This article examines the consequences of the recent preference for newer data and references in current publication practices and is intended to stimulate new consideration of the utility of selected older data and references for the advancement of scientific knowledge. Examples from the literature are used to exemplify the value of older data and older references. To illustrate the recency of references published in original medical research articles in a selected sample of recent academic medical journals, original research articles were examined in recent issues in selected psychiatry, medicine, and surgery journals. The literature examined reflected this article's initial assertion that journals are emphasizing the publication of research with newer data and more recent references. The current valuation of newer data above older data fails to appreciate the fact that new data eventually become old, and that old data were once new. The bias demonstrated in arbitrary policies pertaining to older data and older references can be addressed by instituting comparable treatment of older and newer data and references.

The Groundhog Day stock market anomaly

This paper discovers a distinct calendar anomaly on the US stock market associated with the Groundhog Day prognostication tradition across 1928–2021. There are significant positive abnormal returns around the “prediction” of an early spring, while buy-and-hold returns around the “prediction” of a long winter are 2.78% lower. The results are robust in subsamples, to a set of placebo tests for international stock indices, and cannot be explained by January effect, the “halloween Indicator”, turn-of-the-month effect, or other seasonalities. The findings imply major and persistent irrational optimism of US investors revolving around Groundhog Day early spring prognostications.

Mercantilism's Groundhog day: The US-China trade war and US energy exports to Northeast Asia

We use detailed quarterly data on US energy exports to examine the impacts of the US-China trade dispute on US energy-related commodity exports. Largely due to the shale revolution, the energy-related US current account balance has been reduced to close to zero, down from accounting for about half of the trade deficit in 2008. This is despite evidence that tariffs on imported energy-related commodities, such as solar panels, did not appear to negatively impact US imports. We estimate a regression of non-energy net exports dependent on gross domestic product, the exchange rate, and past non-energy trade deficit. We argue that the trade war led to a number of distortions that reshaped the US balance of trade in energy-related commodities. The risks of a protracted US-China trade war include slower economic growth, which is compounded by the risks associated with the aftermath of COVID-19.

Experiencing Time like Groundhog Day? Uncovering the Morality of Temporal Orders in End-of-Life Care

Morality is key to the origin of peoples’ temporal orientations, as moral values can be traced back to the origins of process (kairos) and linear (chronos) time. Yet, despite the call to explore th...

The potential dangers of not understanding COVID-19 public health restrictions in dementia: \u201cIt\u2019s a groundhog day \u2013 every single day she does not understand why she can\u2019t go out for a walk\u201d

BackgroundSudden public health restrictions can be difficult to comprehend for people with cognitive deficits. However, these are even more important for them to adhere to due to their increased levels of vulnerability, particularly to COVID-19. With a lack of previous evidence, we explored the understanding and changes in adherence to COVID-19 public health restrictions over time in people living with dementia (PLWD).MethodsUnpaid carers and PLWD were interviewed over the phone in April 2020, shortly after the nationwide UK lockdown, with a proportion followed up from 24th June to 10th July. Participants were recruited via social care and third sector organisations across the UK, and via social media.FindingsA total of 70 interviews (50 baseline, 20 follow-up) were completed with unpaid carers and PLWD. Five themes emerged: Confusion and limited comprehension; Frustration and burden; Putting oneself in danger; Adherence to restrictions in wider society; (Un) changed perceptions. Most carers reported limited to no understanding of the public health measures in PLWD, causing distress and frustration for both the carer and the PLWD. Due to the lack of understanding, some PLWD put themselves in dangerous situations without adhering to the restrictions. PLWD with cognitive capacity who participated understood the measures and adhered to these.DiscussionIn light of the new second wave of the pandemic, public health measures need to be simpler for PLWD to avoid unwilful non-adherence. Society also needs to be more adaptive to the needs of people with cognitive disabilities more widely, as blanket rules cause distress to the lives of those affected by dementia.