Rethinking Your New Year’s Eve Outfit

Posted on by Julianne Ouellet

What NOT to Wear NYE

What are your plans for New Year’s Eve? If you’re a Bostonian, you might be considering going into town for First Night.  For those who do not know, First Night Boston festivities include a ‘Celebrate Boston’ parade, live musical performances, intricate and detailed ice sculptures by renowned artists and a “dramatic” fireworks show at the stroke of midnight over Boston Harbor.  It’s a fun-filled day/night for the over one million attendees, both young and old alike.

 

As the clock approaches the midnight hour on December 31st; the fireworks team will be in position to put on an amazing fireworks display.  The pyrotechnic experts might need to choose their wardrobe wisely.   Did you know that static electricity in synthetic clothing can ignite fireworks?   A static discharge from the clothing in proximity to the fireworks can create the spark that causes ignition.   Most fabrics will burn, especially synthetic clothing materials such as nylon, acrylic, and polyester.  These materials in particular are good at building a static charge and holding onto that static charge – which can result in a sparking.   Think of what happens while walking across the carpet and touching the door knob in the middle of the winter.  We don’t want to start the New Year out with this kind of a bang & have people plunging into the Boston Harbor to douse the flames, do we?   We want the fireworks team to stay out of danger and the Bostonian’s to enjoy a safe and wonderful evening.   When static issues arise in Electronics, Industrial and Life Science applications, please consider Static Clean as your solutions provider.    May you all have a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

 2015 New Years Fireworks Display

Enjoy the Gargill’s family video of the 2015 First Night Festivities:

Sources:

http://www.boston-discovery-guide.com/first-night-boston.html

http://www.cityofpasadena.net/Fire/Flammable_Fabrics/

http://www.physics.org/facts/toast-static.asp

“A Protest Song Becomes a Christmas Standard”

Posted on by Jim Patterson

Happy Christmas (War is Over)

And so this is Christmas and what have you done. Another year over and a new one just begun. A very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Let’s hope it’s a good one, without any fear.

John Lennon wrote the above lyrics to the song Happy Christmas (War is Over) as a means of elaborating the themes of social unity and peaceful change, enacted through personal accountability. Lennon spent two years protesting in peaceful activism against the Vietnam War.   The timing of its release put it in a bad spot for climbing the record charts.   DJ’s saw it as a Christmas song and after Christmas, it didn’t deserve air play, so it only reached 36 on the US charts.   However, the song did catch on and some of the earliest cover versions were performed by Andy Williams, Neil Diamond, Carly Simon, Diana Ross, Celine Dion, REO Speedwagon and Vanessa Carlton.  Now it is truly a Christmas standard.

Give Peace a Chance

Today, the song is as pertinent as it was when John Lennon penned the lyrics, especially when he said, let’s hope it’s a good one without any fear.

The world is definitely less safe today than it was towards the end of the Vietnam War.   The threat of global terrorism was not even on the radar screen back then. Since September 11th, 2001, America and the world were finally feeling good about travel and the fears seem to have subsided. With the recent terrorist attacks in Paris, France and San Bernardino, California, the world is again steeped in fear, which has affected peoples travel plans and commerce, which is the fuel for many economies.   If 200 countries can come together to develop a strategy to address global warming, then it only seems logical that these same countries can work together to solve the global threat from Isis, Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations that want to destroy our way of life.

At this special time of year that is all about peace, prosperity, love and hope, the team at Static Clean International wishes and prays for the joy and happiness of what it means to be family, friends, and good citizens of the world.