Fireworks on tee vee
 

Once again, on the tee vee stuff. I just now saw the first Annual Display of Mannequins Blown Up By Officials on TV.

This display, always aired just before July 4, is intended to demonstrate to the young, innocent viewer what dangers exist in the use of firecrackers by showing how well a wooden doll blows up while holding one.

Of course, it must have exactly the opposite effect, as the reaction that even I get is... "cool!"

This year the Annual Display was low-budget. Some local fire department guy blew up a melon. This was even cooler than the mannequin, and was also exciting, with the knowledge that these old hicks were certainly having a grand old time blowing up fruit and certanly weren't the sort of Professionals that all fireworks should be Left In The Hands Of.

Now it's probably not a good idea for the masses to be firing off burning projectiles. Especially not in drought condition areas.

But not because some wooden mannequin got its arm taken out. Dammit, that's just good clean fun.

I know a guy that works for Southwest Research (one of those unassuming, government subsidized outfits that nobody really understands). He works in the fire "testing" unit. He pretty much just burns shit all day. They find anything and everything, burn it, and collect data. Other than that, I don't know what he does. Sounds like a pretty cool job. I think I'd show up to work with a smile on my face every day.