11 June 2010

Are our lives improved by a dearth of fireworks?

| johnboy
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The ABC’s got a po-faced story reminding us that not only can you not buy fireworks this year, but if you get caught with them you’re in big trouble:

Work Safety Commissioner Mark McCabe says the ban was implemented following a number of reviews.

“The ban was eventually considered necessary in the interests of public safety and animal welfare,” he said.

“If a retailer is caught selling fireworks, or any person is caught possessing, using or attempting to purchase fireworks this long weekend, they may be prosecuted and subject to serious penalties.”

When empire building aligns with arse-covering just watch the bureaucracy grow like topsy.

I think I might make a sparkler bomb.

(oh yes, double demerits too)

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Jenny Grogan10:06 pm 17 Jun 10

knuckles said :

djk said :

Not sure about everyone else’s lives, but mine certainly is improved by the death of fireworks. Queens Birthday was the worst four or so nights of the year for me, 2 dogs barking/howling for hours on end (despite being inside with the TV on full volume) is really not fun. Can only imagine what was happening to other animals who werent being looked after.

Well I have to put up with the neighbors dogs barking/howling most nights of the year. And its not fun either. My dogs never had a problem with fireworks. But then again, I have put time and effort into training my dogs so they are well behaved.

You have trained your dogs not to be afraid of fireworks??? I didn’t know the Dog-Whisperer lived in Canberra!

Woody Mann-Caruso10:01 am 15 Jun 10

There was an earth-shattering KABOOM somewhere near Fadden last night that set all the dogs off. But then so did the siren from what sounded like a police pursuit.

georgesgenitals9:34 am 15 Jun 10

How’s the serenity?

Davo111 said :

what a shame, as usual we have turned into a boring nanny state. Soon we will force school kids to wear helmets in the playground ‘just incase’ they fall over.

Such a useful and appropriate analogy. What about seat belts only in case you have an accident.

Surely the bogan element can ask a smart friend to come up with something better than that?

Thank you!!! First time ever, my dogs slept on their beds and with out being stressed over the Queens Birthday long weekend.

I herad not a bang.

what a shame, as usual we have turned into a boring nanny state. Soon we will force school kids to wear helmets in the playground ‘just incase’ they fall over.

geetee said :

Ummmm

Fireworks sometimes hurt people and annoy some people for about one week of the year

Dogs sometimes hurt people and annoy some people (as with my neighbour’s incessantly barking mutt) 52 weeks of the year

When will dogs be banned?

There are responsible pet owners and there are / were reponsible cracker users. As a PP said, the idiots have ruined it for everyone. If it was one weekend of the year, as a pet owner I would suck it up and deal with it or put the dogs in a concrete kennel out of town to ensure their safety, however, the weekends prior and following ensured not only a stressful long weekend, but a stressful June.

I too, miss the childhood days of rugging up in 10 layers, pot luck dinners, watching the dads lighting the crckers and having an all round good time. It is a shame our children will not enjoy that – but hey – there’s always skyfire.

neanderthalsis said :

Just remember kiddies, combustion plus containment equals explosion.

And before building a home made device, just think about how silly you will look on tuesday morning when you turn up to work with no eyebrows (or hands).

And thats why you get your mate to test it for you!

georgesgenitals said :

Spideydog said :

Personally I do miss not be able to let off a few ….. But there is certainly no where near the amount of idiots around destroying stuff.

Once again the actions of a minority ruined it for the majority.

I don’t really think it was ever about the animal welfare side of things that got fireworks banned, it was the property damage and the anti-social element that doomed them.

Sigh !!!!

Based on another current thread about drugs, it would seem that the anti-socials who wreck it for everyone would find a way to do it anyway, with or without the firecrackers.

Which is partly true.

True. LOL

Yes it is very quite to night! But wait I’m sure someone will let some off later on to night.

georgesgenitals6:27 pm 12 Jun 10

Spideydog said :

Personally I do miss not be able to let off a few ….. But there is certainly no where near the amount of idiots around destroying stuff.

Once again the actions of a minority ruined it for the majority.

I don’t really think it was ever about the animal welfare side of things that got fireworks banned, it was the property damage and the anti-social element that doomed them.

Sigh !!!!

Based on another current thread about drugs, it would seem that the anti-socials who wreck it for everyone would find a way to do it anyway, with or without the firecrackers.

Which is partly true.

Personally I do miss not be able to let off a few ….. But there is certainly no where near the amount of idiots around destroying stuff.

Once again the actions of a minority ruined it for the majority.

I don’t really think it was ever about the animal welfare side of things that got fireworks banned, it was the property damage and the anti-social element that doomed them.

Sigh !!!!

Wanon said :

With all these whingers and whiners complaining about how their dog is too stupid to not injure itself, it just makes me think fireworks should be allowed all year around. They wouldn’t hurt themselves if they were used to the noise of fire crackers.

Better to be known as a whinger or whiner than demonstrate my idiocy

With all these whingers and whiners complaining about how their dog is too stupid to not injure itself, it just makes me think fireworks should be allowed all year around. They wouldn’t hurt themselves if they were used to the noise of fire crackers.

Ummmm

Fireworks sometimes hurt people and annoy some people for about one week of the year

Dogs sometimes hurt people and annoy some people (as with my neighbour’s incessantly barking mutt) 52 weeks of the year

When will dogs be banned?

Wow, letter box sales are going to plummet in the ACT.

One said :

While watching the TV news Mr Stanhope said something along the lines that fireworks was killed off by anti-social elements in society.

?!?

For once he’s absolutely right; they were killed off by the Labor party.

god i miss the childhood days of the twenty dollar bag of mixed fireworks. and that wasn’t even in canberra. sigh!

Ah the peace and quiet is great

Well I had fun when I was a kid, but it really does affect the animals, my little dog justs thinks it’s fun to bark at the noise, but older dogs do become scared.

Pork Hunt said :

PS What government list….?

This one perhaps

My dogs dont bark at night, and if something upsets them and they do give a woof, I get up and tell them to shut it.

Now, imagine my surprise tonight when over Dunlop way all I can see is sparkles in the air, all I can hear is loud noises, and I find dog no. 2 stuck in the gate while dog no. 1 shudders a the back door.

Seriously, it is illegal now people, for good reason. Stop it.

While watching the TV news Mr Stanhope said something along the lines that fireworks was killed off by anti-social elements in society.

?!?

Postalgeek said :

Ah well, back to throwing aerosol cans into the bonfire.

One can also use a Stones Green Ginger Wine bottle in the bonfire. Just add about 50ml of a product commonly sold at service stations into an empty bottle and do the cap up half tight. Place upright in bonfire and stand back making sure all others do the same.

This is especially good fun if you have helped to empty to bottle of it’s previous contents with friends, in fact, the more empty bottles, the more fun….

Disclaimer: The author of this article recommends that you drink in moderation and do not try this at home.

PS What government list….?

Tetranitrate4:27 pm 11 Jun 10

djk said :

Not sure about everyone else’s lives, but mine certainly is improved by the death of fireworks. Queens Birthday was the worst four or so nights of the year for me, 2 dogs barking/howling for hours on end (despite being inside with the TV on full volume) is really not fun. Can only imagine what was happening to other animals who werent being looked after.

Dog owners complaining about loud noises at night is a truly blatant case of the pot calling the kettle black.

Postalgeek said :

And it’s about time thunder storms were banned in the ACT as well.

+100

And it’s about time thunder storms were banned in the ACT as well.

Ah well, back to throwing aerosol cans into the bonfire.

Link*. DOY!

I’d really like to follow your sparkler bomb list JB, but I am afraid of being put on a secret government list.

Hank said :

I heard lots going off last night in the Holt area

Probably gunshots, think nothing of it.

Hells_Bells742:18 pm 11 Jun 10

I’ve heard nothing.

I’ve been lucky here in the last few years, stops at 11pm but in the years and years before that it went on for a month or more, all hours, more at 3am than 9pm.

Wonderful.

I hope they nab the illegal van vendors if they exist, how stupid!

troll-sniffer2:18 pm 11 Jun 10

deye said :

Q: “Are our lives improved by a dearth of fireworks?”

A: “No”

A2: “Yes, definitely”

djk said :

Not sure about everyone else’s lives, but mine certainly is improved by the death of fireworks. Queens Birthday was the worst four or so nights of the year for me, 2 dogs barking/howling for hours on end (despite being inside with the TV on full volume) is really not fun. Can only imagine what was happening to other animals who werent being looked after.

Well I have to put up with the neighbors dogs barking/howling most nights of the year. And its not fun either. My dogs never had a problem with fireworks. But then again, I have put time and effort into training my dogs so they are well behaved.

DeadlySchnauzer said :

Good riddance to fire works. Spending a night at an animal emergency clinic on a queens birthday weekend forever changed my attitude towards them… truly horrific injuries with so many pets being brought in that they had to have a triage system going.

And before people spout any crap about responsible pet ownership, bring your pet inside etc,
a) fireworks end up getting set off at any time of day or night for a week before and a week after the long weekend.
b) many of the injuries I saw were from people who had done the right thing, only to have their pet panic and bolt into glass/metal protrusions/wire mesh etc. You would be amazed at the amount of damage a panicking animal can do to itself.

Unless you lock your pet in a padded room for 2 weeks its impossible to completely protect them from the noise.

hear hear.

Oh well,

i guess i’ll just have to stick to molotov coctails this year.

Q: “Are our lives improved by a dearth of fireworks?”

A: “No”

Hank said :

I heard lots going off last night in the Holt area

Must be over the other side of Holt from me. And my cat seemed more relaxed then normal last night. But maybe he’s used to things blowing up.

Good riddance to them. Last year around 2am firecrackers propelled my neighbours mail box over my 6 metre hedge and landed it on my driveway. I only rose about a metre. If the rest of OZ can do without them, so can we.

I’m sure there will be lots going off at the “Remember Mully” Bon Fire planned for this weekend right next to his final resting place on Canberra Avenue.

Now if the AFP ever wanted to set up a sting operation to catch alot of bogans and there illegal stockpile of fireworks, that’s what I’d publicise.
🙂

Holden Caulfield1:28 pm 11 Jun 10

For me, the short answer to the question in the title is yes.

However, I expect Hugh Lews is right, so the long answer is I probably won’t ever find out, haha.

I heard lots going off last night in the Holt area

Not sure about everyone else’s lives, but mine certainly is improved by the death of fireworks. Queens Birthday was the worst four or so nights of the year for me, 2 dogs barking/howling for hours on end (despite being inside with the TV on full volume) is really not fun. Can only imagine what was happening to other animals who werent being looked after.

Trust me, you will hear plenty of fireworks going off this weekend.

They are still being sold. Just out of vans not in shops in Fyshwick.

I’ll check back with you on Tuesday.

DeadlySchnauzer11:58 am 11 Jun 10

Good riddance to fire works. Spending a night at an animal emergency clinic on a queens birthday weekend forever changed my attitude towards them… truly horrific injuries with so many pets being brought in that they had to have a triage system going.

And before people spout any crap about responsible pet ownership, bring your pet inside etc,
a) fireworks end up getting set off at any time of day or night for a week before and a week after the long weekend.
b) many of the injuries I saw were from people who had done the right thing, only to have their pet panic and bolt into glass/metal protrusions/wire mesh etc. You would be amazed at the amount of damage a panicking animal can do to itself.

Unless you lock your pet in a padded room for 2 weeks its impossible to completely protect them from the noise.

neanderthalsis11:54 am 11 Jun 10

Just remember kiddies, combustion plus containment equals explosion.

And before building a home made device, just think about how silly you will look on tuesday morning when you turn up to work with no eyebrows (or hands).

I love a good sparkler bomb. It is the communal aspect of making them which makes home-made fireworks of whatever sort so much more pleasurable. I wonder if sales of matchboxes and rolls of packing tape will be high this weekend too?

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