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| E-Briefing June 23, 2000 The State Fire Marshal's office in Ohio monitors fireworks
production and sales and reports it's a "booming business" in the
Buckeye State. There are 52 licensed facilities selling fireworks
in Ohio and nine facilities that manufacture fireworks. The best
known in Greater Cincinnati -- Rozzi's Famous Fireworks in
Loveland -- produces more than 100,000 aerial shells each year.
If you buy fireworks larger than the novelty size of sparklers
and noisemakers, you must sign an affidavit guaranteeing that you
will take the fireworks out-of-state. But that doesn't mean
you're home free if you limit your home displays to sparklers.
Some communities have local laws which ban all types of
fireworks. Secondly, small fireworks can still be extremely
dangerous. Sparklers burn at up to 1800 Fahrenheit, hot enough
to melt gold. contact: Ohio State Fire Marshal's office,
614-752-8925 Reynolds added that all children should wear sturdy footwear
when near a fireworks display. Matches and spent fireworks
should be disposed of in a pail of water, and a "charged" garden
hose should be in easy reach. "The hose should be ready to
operate. Know how far the line will reach. Add this to the
reach of the water stream, and you can determine the protected
areas. Be ready to quickly extinguish any fire." contact:
556-6583 "Neighbors whose property is damaged, or who are injured by
the fireworks, can sue for negligence and can also challenge you
for conducting an 'ultrahazardous activity' that leaves you
liable for major damages." In many towns and cities, firework
sizes are restricted by fire codes or local ordinances, so their
illegal use or storage increases your risk of a costly lawsuit.
"Leave the big shells to the pros," cautions the scholar and Army
veteran. "The downside of having a blast may cost you plenty."
contact: 513-556-0062 Changing enforcement patterns on fireworks laws would probably
take a mass public movement, along the lines of a "Million Mom
March," Lassiter says. "You can probably remember when drunk
driving was not seen as the scourge it is viewed as today, or
smoking. It would take that kind of effort to change the feeling
about fireworks." contact: 513-556-0096 However, the real breakthrough came when Marco Polo returned
from China with gunpowder during the late Middle Ages. That
allowed Italians to fine-tune their fireworks and supercharge
them to create high-flying aerial displays. "Just as we think of
pasta as quintessentially Italian even though the Chinese
actually developed it, Italians also developed the best early
fireworks based on Chinese discoveries," said Jensen. The Italian
fireworks tradition arrived in this country during the height of
immigration, and many top American fireworks firms have their
roots in Italian immigrant families.
European chemists played an important role too, purifying and
analyzing the elements and compounds which give fireworks their
brilliant colors. It turned out that each element gives off
a distinct color when burned. Strontium gives off a rousing red.
Copper is used to produce a glimmering green or a bedazzling
blue, and sodium shines through as a mellow yellow glow.
Jensen added that today, scientists use that same colorful
knowledge to identify the materials that make up distant planets
and stars. contact: 513-556-9308 Alexander added that July 4, 1776, was the day when the
Continental Congress approved the actual text of the Declaration
of Independence; however, the official document, ceremonially
written on parchment, took time to prepare and was not signed
until early August. Speaking of the Declaration of Independence,
Alexander noted, "It was written as a propaganda piece
addressed to the British public, to foreign powers, especially
France, that might aid the colonists, and to the American public.
A great many Americans did not favor independence."
Alexander said that, during the early days of the nation, the
4th of July was celebrated with public readings of the entire
Declaration of Independence. contact: 513-556-2137 The American Legion, the nation's largest veterans
organization with 2.8 million members, sent out a pre-holiday
reminder that the document which declared America's independence
also spelled death for many patriots. John Hancock's giant
signature may be remembered as a bit of bravado today, but it
also doubled the reward the British had on his head. "Gallows
humor" was only too real to this group. As the stout Benjamin
Harrison explained to a skinny colleague, "With me it will all be
over in a minute, but you, you will be dancing on air an hour
after I am gone." contact: Steve Thomas, American Legion
national headquarters, http://www.legion.org UC visiting professor of law Jim O'Reilly says the way in
which Congress has dealt with amusement park ride safety has been
up and down just like the hilly coasters. A 1981 decision by
Congress to eliminate federal safety controls on park rides came
after the Texas State Fair was challenged by the federal Consumer
Product Safety Commission (CPSC) over ride-related injuries. When
the fair lost its court battle, the Texas congressional
delegation amended the 1981 Consumer Product Safety Act to strip
the CPSC of its jurisdiction.
Since that time, each state has had the sole power to inspect
rides and study ride-related injuries. Some do this well and
others have one or two inspectors statewide, according to
O'Reilly. U.S. House Bill 3032 to reinstate federal controls on
ride safety was proposed after tragic accidents marred the 1999
summer season. "Most rides are quite safe because insurance
carriers for parks insist on safety measures," O'Reilly says.
"What we don't know is the dimension of the unreported accident
problem, or the degree to which newer designs are causing serious
health risks, since parks have no duty to tell the federal safety
officials about accidents or complaints." contact:
513-556-0062 When using charcoal and a liquid fire starter, use extreme
care. Soak the briquets with the starter. Then, close and
remove the container of fluid from the area before returning to
light the fire. "If you light the fire while still pouring
liquid, the fire may travel 'upstream' to the container, causing
a fiery explosion....Before grilling, examine how stable your
grill is. The higher the grill, the less stable it is....After
grilling, wet down the ashes. Stir. Wet down the ashes again.
Make sure all embers are completely extinguished. Never dispose
of the ashes in an indoor garbage can." Reynolds also recommends
discarding matches used for lighting grills in a pail of water,
and keeping a garden hose ready when grilling. contact:
513-556-6583 Eliminating breeding sites is the only long term solution.
"Mosquitoes need still, fresh water to breed," Kressel says.
"Even seemingly harmless sources of water, such as pet water
bowls, bird baths, planters, or old tires can serve as breeding
areas. Homeowners should eliminate them."
Other control measures for mosquitoes include: tight-fitting
screen doors and windows and installing nesting boxes for bats
and birds, which eat mosquitoes. Effective repellents for
mosquitoes include: Low doses of DEET, an effective repellent and
permethrin, a spray for clothing, tents, screens, or other
barriers. The treatment lasts for three months. contact:
513-558-4704 Wash with warm water and soap immediately after exposure to
poison ivy. Watch where your pets go or bathe them regularly with
warm water and shampoo. The resin sticks to their coat and
can rub off on you when you pet them. To treat poison ivy, ask
your pharmacist for over-the-counter medications that provide
itch relief. A poison ivy outbreak usually lasts 14 to 21
days. For severe outbreaks, see your doctor. They may prescribe
steroids creams, and antihistamines such as Benadryl to reduce
the itch and speed the healing process. Bathe in cool
water with oatmeal powder and apply cool compresses to the
blisters. Try not to scratch. It can lead to a bacterial
infection. contact: 513-558-4066 Smith says the rain shortage is currently a big problem for
the big corn growers out West. "The corn is ankle high in Iowa,
Kansas and Nebraska and without more rain, the farmers aren't
going to see their yield." The old knee high standard doesn't
always apply with the new strains of corn, continues Smith. Newer
varieties have a shorter growing cycle -- some can even be
planted in July.
Another garden gauge was to see a ripe tomato in the garden by
July 4th. "That was another trademark guideline in gardening
circles, but again it depends on the type of tomato and when it
was planted. So many people use the old favorites, the
indeterminate tomatoes that just keep growing and growing. Other
breeds have shorter cycles and may produce a tomato by the
4th, but the tomatoes will remain relatively small in size."
contact: 513-853-6821 Hofmann served in the U.S. Army from 1957-1963. As a little
boy in grade school, he remembers a country riding high on
patriotism at the end of World War II, and he remembers as a
young man being spit on by mobs of anti-war protesters. "That was
painful...being called names while my buddies were being killed
in Vietnam. We were patriotic and served for that reason. When we
were called, we never thought about dodging the draft."
Hofmann says the wave of patriotism that followed the Persian
Gulf War was a result of the war's support from the people, the
military and the government, unlike Vietnam, when there was
objection by the people and the government. Presently, Hofmann
says there are mixed feelings over the government's peacekeeping
missions overseas. "Is it really patriotic to get involved in
those conflicts and if you feel it is, what conflict are you
going to select? The conflict in Serbia has existed for at least
a thousand years. By sending troops, can the United States go in
there and solve those ingrained differences?" Brown also said the high-tech, Star Wars glitzed hyped so
heavily by the media during the Persian Gulf has played little
role in reviving support for the American military. "In the last
10 years, America has been involved in numerous minor wars around
the globe, such as in Bosnia and Kosovo. The troops are very
visible in the skirmishes. They are there to maintain the
peace. The bravery of the troops is still apparent." The
high-tech weaponry would be used if we had to go to a major war.
contact: via Steve Thomas, American Legion, http://www.legion.org "These ragged groups were a sad lot, indeed, compared to the
brilliant bands of the British and German forces -- complete with
flashy uniforms, flags, fine instruments, banners and all," says
Anderson. "Not to be outdone, Washington's staff of generals and
colonels (all wealthy colonial aristocrats) almost immediately
organized, at their own expense, small 'Bands of Musick' for the
American regiments." The bands performed at patriotic
celebrations, parties, weddings and funerals. Anderson's research
notes the musicians are not credited on any U.S. Army document,
nor were they funded by the taxpayers. contact: 513-556-9498
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