Who needs organised fireworks displays?

[Danik Drayton]

I'm sitting here looking out at the fireworks going off 100m away from the window. Im not going to pay to watch or buy my own so Im happy. God bless you people down the road!

[Dasquian Belargic]

:lol Same for me.

I think I'm watching four or five seperate displays right now, without getting cold :D

[Danik Drayton]

I never thought about the warmth factor. But now some fool is firing those ones that shake the house, right above me. I'll never be happy.

[Dasquian Belargic]

Last display I went to, I was freezing, and got hot ash in my eye :grumble

[Zatania Duvall]

Whats the occassion? O.o

[Dasquian Belargic]

Guy Fawkes Night / Bonfire Night :)

[Zatania Duvall]

No idea what that is. Never heard of it prolly cuz I come from a small town thats too boring for fireworks.

[Abagael Zellan]

But being outside for fireworks is the whole point! You get to snuggle under a blankie with someone lovable! :D

[Zatania Duvall]

True true. I loved watching the fireworks when I was with my lovey bunny. :p

Watching them from inside kinda feels lonely..

[Dasquian Belargic]

Originally posted by Zatania Duvall
No idea what that is. Never heard of it prolly cuz I come from a small town thats too boring for fireworks.

It's a British thing. Some guys tried to blow up Parliament ages ago, and we ended up with a day named after one of the minor conspirators, where we recreate what it might have looked like if someone had actually blown the building up - with fireworks. The bonfires are there so that we can burn the conspirators ;)

EDIT-

Here's (http://icnorthwales.icnetwork.co.uk/entertainment/events/page.cfm?objectid=11380225&method=full&siteid=50142) someone elses version of it/what it is/etc.

If he had done it today, look what would have happened (click here) (http://icnorthwales.icnetwork.co.uk/news/regionalnews/content_objectid=13591860_method=full_siteid=50142 _headline=-Plot-was-Guy-normous-name_page.html).

[Charley]

I'm suprised fireworks are legal in the UK, what with the government trying so very hard to make everything else illegal.

BTW, anyone hear about the school knife attack today? BAN THE KNIVES, AND BAN KILL BILL ALSO!

[Dasquian Belargic]

They brought in laws a couple of years ago about the age you can buy them at, and they "strongly discourage" the use of fireworks by people who could not considered "trained professionals", AFAIK.

[Charley]

:rolleyes, yes that'll do a lot of good.

[ReaperFett]

They're trying to stop under 18s possessing them. Mainly because under 18s are generally the problem, and I fully support it.

[Marcus Telcontar]

Yeah, cause those kids like to blow up letterboxes and do other explody things.....

....wait.....

Not just the kids like doing those things :D

[Charley]

Then do like they do in the States and outlaw cherry bombs. Your usual firework isn't going to do anything terrible.

[ReaperFett]

Really. So, the hole in the door of the people on the news's house was always there? It went through a window, into a cupboard. Another one I saw went straight through a roof and into a babies cot.

[Morgan Evanar]

What the hell do you guys make your windows/screens out of, toilet tissue?

[Charley]

Those silly japanese. O wai

[Marcus Telcontar]

Originally posted by Agent Charley
Then do like they do in the States and outlaw cherry bombs. Your usual firework isn't going to do anything terrible.

?!?!?!?!

I dont know what 'normal' fireworks are in the USA, but I'd dispute that. Anythign that explodes, flames, sparkles is an injury or damage risk if used irresonibly - or even used with a bit if cunning and intelligence.

Hell, the paddock out the back still has the scar from a sparkler bomb set off by some irresponisble loon.

:: insert whistle here ::

Ahem.

Fett's point is vaild however. Before the general ban of fireworks here, there were always stories of kids losing limbs or killing themselves. The most spectaclar was a 14 year old kid wondering what would happen if he dropped a catherine wheel into a petrol tank. And admittedly, there would be quite a few letterboxes still probably in one piece if I didnt get access to them when I was somewhat younger.

It would be fact to say I've lit off some pretty awesome explosions, the biggest quite legally at the Londonderry Health and Occupational test center where my father used to work. I like blowing things up - but in the end, I always made sure I and others wont get hurt. and even done some courses on proper explosives use and handling.

The same cant be said for other similar explody nut cases and I guess that's why fireworks SHOULD be controlled.

[Ryla Relvinian]

Well, yeah, except if you live right next door to this guy who, along with a few other neighbors, set off a quarter stick of dynamite down the block and in an empty field.

Oh yes and did I mention he's the former fire chief? :D

[Charley]

It must be one of those cultural things, then.

Yes, you occasionally have firework-related injuries in the states. You don't have people exploding themselves or anything. The things governments are willing to ban sometimes boggles my mind. Every day, I find myself becoming more and more libertarian.

[Figrin D'an]

I threw a 1 pound brick of elemental potassium into a pond once.

I think it killed several fish, but it was cool to watch.

[Charley]

^^^

I have ALWAYS wanted to do that!

[Mortaniuss]

Originally posted by Agent Charley
The things governments are willing to ban sometimes boggles my mind. Every day, I find myself becoming more and more libertarian. I pretty much made a similar decision about a year ago.

[Charley]

I guess people feel safer when somebody else tells them what to think and how to act.

[Ryla Relvinian]

I'd feel safer if all the morons who do stupid stuff and get it banned would just cut it out all ready. ;)

[Charley]

I swear, it'll get to a point where they'll ban stoves if somebody touches a hot range. It'll happen one day.

I fail to see how banning trivial things will cause people to become any less accident-prone or moronic.

If people can't pick up common sense, sometimes the best education they can get is when they screw up.

[Ryla Relvinian]

:)

Yep.

This reminds me: There is a candy that is called "Kinder Surprise" which can be sold everywhere in the world except the US (unless you can find it at an import store!) For those of you who haven't had one, it's a white chocolate/milk chocolate hollow egg with a little capsule with a toy inside, they're usually something with tiny parts that you have to assemble... anyway, they're not allowed in the US because somebody tried to eat the plastic parts and choked or something. How stupid... DEATH BY CANDYYYYYY! :P

[Charley]

That's where good parenting steps in. Oh wait, we're letting the TV and Internet do that job for us, these days.

No wonder people want to contract out the job of thinking. They're doing it for everything else.

My little sister burned herself every year on her birthday by playing with candles. She did this for three years. Between searing pain in the fingers and scolding from my parents, she got the message. We didn't need the government to ban those dangerous birthday candles.

[Ryla Relvinian]

Heh, my sister used to split her chin open because she ran around like a dork and didn't buckle her sandals.

And now... well, she's still a dork.

But you're right. :)

[ReaperFett]

Originally posted by Agent Charley
Yes, you occasionally have firework-related injuries in the states. You don't have people exploding themselves or anything. The things governments are willing to ban sometimes boggles my mind. Every day, I find myself becoming more and more libertarian.
Like you said, it must be a culture thing. It is a real problem over here, so don't give this "Oh, they ban everything" rubbish. Adults will still be able to buy fireworks, just not the under 18s. There's no reason the under 18s even need to buy them.

[Charley]

Sure there is. Because they like to shoot them on festive occasions. That's pretty simple.

I've bought fireworks since I was maybe 6 years old or so.

[ReaperFett]

They also like to shoot them weeks before at houses, cars and pets.

[Marcus Telcontar]

Originally posted by ReaperFett
They also like to shoot them weeks before at houses, cars and pets.

Crap on, not EVERY kid under 18 is an irresponsible idiot. Just a very small percentage and frankly, those type will find other ways to deface or destroy other people's property, because that is the mindset most of the time. So while I agree that fireworks can do damage, I do not agree that every person who has them is an irresposible idiot. Look, one of the motor mechs I know, he delights in firing mortar based fireworks. He is 39. ever seen one of these things fired? It's illegal for one, you need a fireworks / powderman licence to even think about having one. They also explode with a great deal of force. And he fires them in his garage! How he aint dead, I dotn know

I see no reason someone resposible should not have fireworks. It's only the idiots that should be de-possessed and more often than not, they do themselves damage.

[ReaperFett]

How are fireworks different from say, a car? We have age limits on driving.

[Charley]

The probability of killing yourself and/or others, and destroying property with a car is about a billion zillion times greater than with a bottle rocket. Perspective, plz.

[Dasquian Belargic]

Originally posted by Marcus Elessar
Crap on, not EVERY kid under 18 is an irresponsible idiot. Just a very small percentage

haha, reverse that for Newcastle. seriously. shoving bottle-rockets up cats behinds = :thumbup

[Ryla Relvinian]

"We license people to drive, yes, but not to live." :P

[Sai]

haha, reverse that for Newcastle. seriously. shoving bottle-rockets up cats behinds


o_0

[Marcus Telcontar]

Originally posted by ReaperFett
How are fireworks different from say, a car? We have age limits on driving.


For starters, there is a physical size and strength issue with driving cars. So, your point is nullified immediatly.

[Shanaria Fabool]

On Halloween this year up in Canada (Next to my house), we had a number of kids (12-20 years old) sent to hospital because they were running around the park trying to shoot each other with the fireworks, roman candles, cherry bombs, ect ..

[Rognan Dar]

Originally posted by Shanaria Fabool
On Halloween this year up in Canada (Next to my house), we had a number of kids (12-20 years old) sent to hospital because they were running around the park trying to shoot each other with the fireworks, roman candles, cherry bombs, ect ..

Sometimes I just dont understand people. How can they be that STUPID!? It goes against every bit of brians that they might have had. If I was there I would kick them all in the head for being dumb...

[Charley]

cherry bombs should be restricted. Those are true destructive explosives in every sense of the word.

But everything else is pretty benign. Roman candles, at worst, will give you a smarty 1st degree burn. I've been in crazy roman candle fights. If you're crazy enough to do it, its pretty fun. I'd let my kid do it, I'd just have to make sure he wore goggles or something.

[Master Yoghurt]

I dont know how it is in the US, but in Norway we have fires and accidents every year because of irresponsible use of fireworks. In most cases, there was alchohol or really young people involved. Rockets are generally the worst culprits causing the most fires, because they are viewed as 'harmless' and may have an unpredictable trajectory. Furthermore, as Dasq and Fett describes, we have these kids who think its great fun firing at people, pets and property. Often causing damage or injury to themselves or others.

While outright banning fireworks is going a bit far, I think certain usage/buying restrictions and rules for what kind of firework may be imported has a constructive role.

[AmazonBabe]

That does it... I'm gonna start my own country.

Now, all I have to do is get enough money to buy my own island...


Seriously, though, I really have to agree with what Ryla said: If moronic ppl would stop abusing the little things still left unbanned in life, then maybe we could enjoy them a while longer. (I'm paraphrasing, of course.)

[Droo]

Bottom line, fireworks are a real problem over here. The kids around here literally aim rockets at passers-by and fire, they fire tham at each other, they post them through letterboxes, they burn out people's homes with them and yes, shove them up cat's behinds. Under-eighteens should most definately not be in posession of them over here and that is undoubted, evidently our situation is far worse because otherwise we'd also be crying foul and upping the pro-freedom of fireworks banners.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

I blame English football hooligans. ;)

[Droo]

I blame the parents. I'd never allow for my children to become so undisciplined that they would go out and vandalize/terrorize society. With each year(Not only fireworks related now) I am becoming more and more convinced that we will have to eventually start screening couples and deem whether or not they are suitable to bear and raise offspring. Retarded parents make me want to rip my hair out!

[Charley]

In America, its guns, cars, and booze.

In England, its shivs, firecrackers, and booze.

I guess every culture has its silly, destructive excesses ;)

[ReaperFett]

I'm telling you Charley, don't mess with the UK, or we'll attack you in one of the prettiest massacres ever! ;)

[Charley]

So you'll come stumbling after me down Trafalgar Square, buggered on Bass Ale, with a switchblade in one hand, and a cherry bomb in the other.

Me, I'm swerving around in the A-Team van, blitzed on Jim Beam, and spraying with a Mac 10

I fail to see how I can lose in this :cool

[ReaperFett]

I don't drink you fool. Plus as I am British and you are Charley, I can defeat you using LOGIC! ;)

[Charley]

Never kid a kidder. You're Fett. I know you don't own any "logic".

[ReaperFett]

SUre I do. My mouse is LOGIteCh ;)

[Charley]

We need a fozzie smiley here...just for you.

[AmazonBabe]

We need a fozzie smiley here...just for you.

OMG! :lol I nearly spit my gatorade out!! :lol:lol

[Lilaena De'Ville]

>_<
Originally posted by AmazonBabe
OMG! :lol I nearly spit my gatorade out!! :lol:lol
I thought you said "grenade" not "gatorade"

[ReaperFett]

Wokka wokka?

[AmazonBabe]

Originally posted by Lilaena De'Ville
>_<
I thought you said "grenade" not "gatorade"

I think all this talk of exploding stuff has gone to your head. :p

[Danik Drayton]

Unless I've missed it being mentioned, over here in the UK (from what ive heard) there are plans to ban the really big fireworks, the ones that really go BOOM!

Knowing my luck, organised firework displays will be allowed them, meaning I'll have to go. Damm.