the buzz log
Boom or Bust, The Fireworks Show Must Go On
Ready to celebrate the Fourth, old-school style?
First, declare war on Britain (ok, you can Tweet it if you prefer). Get some people to sign on, set a bonfire on the lawn, burn some King George III effigies, and stock up on rum, applejack, and salted meat.
If it's a bit too late to get the applejack on short notice, a fireworks compromise will do. The recession has forced cities and sponsors to cut back on the pyrotechnics this year, but sellers actually believe sales will boom thanks to backyard celebrations.
If that's the case, here is what you need to know...and some things you don't, but it's interesting anyway...and stay safe:
- Check your area for rules. Some places crackdown on some types of sizzers, if not all. The American Pyrotechnics Association site has a good roundup of laws by state (but in PDF documents).
- Leave pets, from Fido to Black Beauty, indoors (or stalls) so they don't freak out during the ruckus, advises LiveScience. Tying them up may not work: They could go into a frenzy and choke themselves. Some critters may have to be sedated.
- Your kids asking why fireworks go kablooey? Tell them to read this article that runs down the ingredients. The Orange County Register explains the why behind all the colors.
- Ecofriendly fireworks exist, but they're pricy and hard to get.
- Yahoo! Food lists the best sites for a picnic show.
Filed under: Holidays, Fourth of July, Fireworks
The Fourth on Fire... Maybe
Of all the politicians to put a damper on fireworks, who knew it'd be Arnold?
Governor Schwarzenegger, as Californians say with a straight face, recently pled with residents to abstain from pyrotechnics because of wildfires plaguing the Golden State.
Maybe that'll dissuade a few do-it-yourselfers who have been looking online for ways to fire up the Fourth. Besides checking out brands like “phantom” and “tnt," people have been pondering "how to make fireworks," "how to transport fireworks," "fireworks laws" and, whew, "fireworks safety". (Feeling indestructible? Watch the Consumer Product Safety Commission re-enact fireworks accidents by abusing fruit and decapitating mannequins.)
For those who prefer to leave the sky show to the professionals, “july 4th fireworks” queries have climbed 116% in the past 7 days. Californians may want to catch a flight to Motor City, which puts on the most popular spectacle in the U.S. of A: Searches for “detroit fireworks 2008” have skyrocketed 483%, surpassing online enthusiasm for Chicago’s “navy pier fireworks.”
Filed under: Fourth of July, Fire, Fireworks, California
Give Us the Works
Monday, check on your stock portfolio. Tuesday, see how Paris is adjusting to civilian life. Wednesday, shoot off fireworks.
July 4 falls on a hump day this year. Has this constrained the spirit of independence among working stiffs angling for a long weekend? Maybe not: Look-ups for "fourth of july" in the past six months have been about a third higher than during the same period in 2006. It could be a mix of people doing advance vacation planning, and others figuring out how to pack their celebrations into a single day in the middle of the week.
We can always rely upon fireworks—or can we? City bans may be putting a damper on "fireworks" searches, which are a third lower than last year. Then again, if we add up surreptitious buzz for individual purveyors and "firework stores," interest skyrockets. Call us old-fashioned, but the DIY queries on "how to make homemade fireworks" make us run for the garden hose. Fortunately, a lot more prefer their pyrotechics from pros like these.
Filed under: Fourth of July, 4th of July, Fireworks
top movers
| Rank | Subject | 1-Day Move |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Countries With Negative Population Growth | Breakout! |
| 2 | Kal Penn | Breakout! |
| 3 | Maine Election Results | Breakout! |
| 4 | Virginia Election Results | Breakout! |
| 5 | Claude Levi-Strauss | Breakout! |
| 6 | Madeleine Mccann | 11147% |
| 7 | 21 Gun Salute | 8855% |
| 8 | Morena Baccarin | 8048% |
| 9 | 2009 Election Results | 3472% |
| 10 | Warren Buffett | 1982% |
top leaders
| Rank | Subject | Move | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NFL | +24 | 278 |
| 2 | Morena Baccarin | +246 | 249 |
| 3 | Carrie Underwood | +135 | 158 |
| 4 | +4 | 152 | |
| 5 | World Series | +42 | 137 |
| 6 | Dancing With the Stars | +95 | 134 |
| 7 | Hulu | +8 | 132 |
| 8 | Drudge Report | +23 | 125 |
what's the buzz?
A subject's buzz score is the percentage of Yahoo! users searching for that subject on a given day, multiplied by a constant to make the number easier to read. Weekly leaders are the subjects with the greatest average buzz score for a given week.
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