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Olivia Barry's avatar

That's so true! And I'm always thinking about how much we could do with this money. No to fireworks, and yes to helping people in need. 💖

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Maria Anderson's avatar

As a former resident of Coral Gables, I found it sweet to see old, familiar vistas. I agree with you on the damage caused by fireworks and the conspicuous consumerism in the boat scene in Miami.

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Betty Carlson's avatar

That sounds crazy! I was aware of this for big occasions, but not as a frequent event.

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Jeanine Kitchel's avatar

Reta, Hawaii has huge displays too, but mostly on holidays, like New Years, July 4. You no doubt heard of the massive fireworks blast in Honolulu, killing 3. The display went on forever! I saw the YouTube video. CA does have it in line, it's against the law and they don't sell them there on the roads like they used to years ago. But still, if you're in CA on a holiday, there will be some sequestered firework displays happening. So true about the environment. Sad.

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R. S. Hampton, Thriller Author's avatar

I think its interesting that the cities just "do it" without any thought to the environment.

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Jeanine Kitchel's avatar

It is. I just don't think they can contain it though - as in HI, it's so prevalent and not enough officials to go round to every house. This coming year though w/ that horrible fire-blast on Honolulu, they may try to do something about it.

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R. S. Hampton, Thriller Author's avatar

We just need one to start…

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Michael Jensen's avatar

Similar here in Puerto Vallarta, though not as bad. A tourist ship sets off a few every night at 9, but there is usually a bigger display somewhere on the bay at least once a week.

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R. S. Hampton, Thriller Author's avatar

I think we all accept this as a fun thing without realizing the damage it causes. Of course, there are fireworks at the Disney theme parks every night. The more I think about it, the more instances I find.

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Jan 12
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R. S. Hampton, Thriller Author's avatar

I know from the post that it sounds like I don't like fireworks. The opposite is true. I absolutely love them. I investigated the environmental impacts after moving to Miami. The fireworks displays are shot from the middle of the bay next to my apartment. They are so close I feel like I'm in the middle of the explosions. The smoke lingers, and we watch the clouds slowly move over the city. With scheduled events in the city that impact us, I simply leave if I expect the sound level to be excessive (the Wodapalooza fitness event and the Ultra weekends, for example.) I moved to a noisy city. It is part of life here. But the impact on residents and the environment can't be overlooked. FYI -- We had three more fireworks events the week after I wrote this post.

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