Confessions of a Fireworks Man

Current Status of the Firefox Case

What's the current status of the Firefox case? 

Here's a synopsis from Tom Handel.  Thanks, Tom.

"In early December (2006), the Judge granted the Government's motion for summary
judgment and simultaneously denied the defense's motion for summary
judgment.  See this link.

What this means is that he found that there was no material dispute over the
facts of the case, and hence no need of a trial to determine who had done
what when.  He found that the CPSC does have the right to enforce the
Federal Hazardous Substances Act, and that a judicial injunction was the
appropriate "relief," as the government had requested.  The court instructed
the two parties (CPSC and Firefox, as represented by their respective
counsel) to attempt to negotiate mutually agreeable language for the
injunction.  The judge indicated that it was not his wish to see Firefox put
out of business.  He advised the litigants that it would be in their mutual
best interest to arrive successfully at an agreed wording for the
injunction.  If they were unable to come to an agreement on the wording of
an injunction, he would undertake to craft the injunction himself, and that
neither party would be happy with the result.

The litigants were unable to come to a compromise wording before the Court's
imposed deadline in January, and the Judge then ordered each side to prepare
a draft injunction and justification for his consideration to be submitted
to him by February 28th.  Both sides met this deadline.  The Court is now
considering these drafts and presumably working toward a compromise
injunction which the Court will - eventually - impose as the resolution of
the case.  There is no deadline for this activity (that I'm aware of), and
the court may ask for supplementary submissions, further testimony from
experts, or almost anything else it might want in the pursuit of this
process. 

That is where it stands as of today. 

Hope that helps.

Tom Handel
1st VP, PGII" (Pyrotechnics Guild International)

What do I think will happen?

Well, both sides predictably asked for what they wanted most.  The government wants very strict controls on what can be sold and very small quantities of each.  Firefox wants to be able to sell more items with no restrictions, and to be able to provide its customers with larger quantities than the government wants.  Firefox also submitted new information in support of its position.  I think the judge will give the government some of what it wants, and Firefox some of what it wants.  I believe that at the very least Firefox will have fewer restrictions on it than the government wants.  Just how unrestricted remains to be seen.  Stay tuned.  Watch this space.

Harry Gilliam
Chief Cook & Bottlewasher

Sky Lanterns Are Available at Skylighter

Skylighter just got its first shipment of Sky Lanterns in.  If you read about the beautiful Chinese Sky Lanterns in our blog in January, we just got our very first shipment of them.

If you don't know what Sky Lanterns are, click here to check out the Sky Lantern Festival videos on YouTube.

Of course, I will tell you to order them right away.  You know that.  But honestly, I really don't  care if you do or not.  I'm having too much fun lighting them every night myself.  Here are some pictures of the ones that Anne and I launched last night.  The damned things are addictive: I can't do just one; I gotta do ten at a time!

These are absolutely wonderful little gizmos, and I am positively high on them. I brought 15 of them back in my suitcase from Hong Kong to try out over here. Everyone who has seen them has gone ga-ga over 'em. Nobody doesn't like 'em!

Every time I tried to light one myself last night, Anne snatched the lighter away from me!  She wanted to do it!

A few things to know:

WHAT THEY DO 
- The "fuel" for the fire is cardboard square soaked in wax. You light it, the balloon fills with hot air, and up they go.
- They fly a mile or more up and God knows how far.
- They burn for about 4.5 minutes.
- Once the fire goes out, they drop to the ground.
- They are completely biodegradable.

CAUTIONS
- Launch them only in still air. If you have enough wind to make them difficult to lift off, don't let them go. The wind actually deflates the lanterns, and then there's not enough hot air in them to lift off.
- Only when they burn out will they drop. But if you launch them in a wind, they can be blown down or sideways and possibly start a fire. Don't launch them when the wind is blowing. Got it?
- The paper shell of the balloon is fire retardant. You can burn/char it, but it does not catch fire.
- They may be illegal some places. Check your fire code and fireworks laws to be sure they're legal in your area.
- Don't tie anything to them. They are finely balanced--almost anything adding weight to them will cause them not to lift off. 

WHEN & HOW TO USE
- Anytime, nighttime or daytime. This variety looks best at night, but you will undoubtedly want to see what they do in daytime, so you can follow them visually.
- Weddings: launch them after the wedding vows in an outdoor ceremony, or as the bride and groom exit the reception.
- Funerals: I want them used at mine. You probably will, too.  I am not kidding.  Think about the soft, glowing, fading light as your Sky Lantern goes slowly toward heaven.
- Fireworks events: as a daytime and nighttime feature.
- July 4th: start or finish your July 4th fireworks with Sky Lanterns.
- Parties: add them to give your outdoor party a very special quality your guests will not forget.
- Anyplace you want really quiet fire effects.
- When you need to create a swarm of UFOs in your neighborhood.
- For the pure fun of it. They are absolutely wonderful.
-Watch a video of a Sky Lantern being lit.

SHIPPING
- Anytime, anywhere on the planet. No restrictions, not a hazmat.  Regular shipping or overnight.  Domestic US or to any address in the world.

Watch for more from us on these. I will be running a photo and video contest for Best Sky Lanterns, so be sure and take pictures and videos of your's when you use them.

We only got 1500 of these in this first order. I expect we will run out before we get more. We will do our best to get another, bigger stash well before the Mighty Fourth, but one never knows, do one?

Our current Sky Lantern inventory is very limited. Order these right away! Click

NV5001, 10 Sky Lanterns $69.40

Or click here to order them one at a time 

NV5000, 1 Sky Lantern $9.79

Enjoy.  I think you will find, like I did, that these are safe, quiet, beautiful, and a lot of fun for everybody.

Now here's the question:  what is the best way for one person to launch 10 of them at a time?

Harry Gilliam
Chief Cook & Bottlewasher