Explosions Up Close: Huge fireworks show lights up 4th of July eve

What would it be like to stand right next to a team of pyrotechnicians as they blow up a gigantic hoard of high explosives? See what it feels like to burn $400,000 in 45 minutes in this spectacular July 4th celebration, performed one day early by one of the most renowned fireworks display organizations in the country. We were right next to the team of more than two dozen pro pyrotechnicians as they lit up over 10,000 bombs over Milwaukee last night.

Jeff Bartolotta was the composer of last night’s extravaganza, more of a fiery and explosive ballet in three acts than a mere fireworks display. To choreograph his creations, Bartolotta uses a software package especially created for pyrotechnics called ShowSim Pro, where each one of the blazing paints that will color his pitch-black nighttime palette can be laid out on a timeline and then graphically simulated in 3D.

Bartolotta’s performance unfolded in three segments, each with its own astonishing finale. Bartolotta likes to tease his crowd of 500,000 people here at the Lake Michigan lakefront in downtown Milwaukee, making newcomers think the party’s over after about 20 minutes, when in reality, it’s just begun. After one rousing finale with a thunderous fusillade of all kinds of fiery confections, he pauses just long enough for people to start getting up to leave. Then with a boom, he’s off to the second act. He’s honed his style down to an artform.

While Bartolotta is delighted with his PC software that plans his shows, he’s not keen on using computerized ignition for such a huge performance as this. Instead, he has two trusty switch panels that have served him well over the three decades-plus that he’s been bringing his own style of thunder and lightning all across the country. Many of the groups of mortars are electronically ignited with firing panels, while many of the explosives are hand-lit by a seasoned team of shooters equipped with flares, getting the job done with impressive efficiency.

A radio linked him with the two other firing locations — one on top of Wisconsin’s tallest building and another on a barge floating in the Milwaukee Bay, while a fourth location was manned by the bank president who hired him, shooting an additional group of fireworks as well. The result of all this meticulous planning and enormous firepower was the largest and most impressive conflagration we’ve ever experienced. Donning hard hats and fire jackets, we got right in there with the shooters, placing our cameras where no man in his right mind has gone before. Take a look at the video and gallery below for proof that we lived to tell you about this unforgettable experience.

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NBA Draft Live Blog: Free Darko Is Here [NBA Draft Live Blog]

Well, after all THAT, Bethlehem Shoals has the enviable job of writing about actual sports right now. Well, not ACTUAL sports; the NBA Draft, anyway. After the jump, enjoy Shoals’ life blog of the entire first round, or at least most of the first round, of this year’s NBA Draft. Follow along, won’t you?

26. Spurs: George Hill. Hill’s from IUPI, which I thought was a news wire service.

D’Antoni is so real. The only person willing to say that, if you need a point guard to turn a team around, you can’t just assume that the third best one in the draft will do that. There’s drafting for need in rotation, then there’s drafting for need in a real, franchise-defining way. The latter is not to be taken lightly.

25. Rockets: Nicolas Batum. Okay, that’s nice. He was a projected lottery pick at one point. T-Mac won’t last forever. They could use some more athleticism.

Ugh. Undisclosed kidney issue for Arthur.

Okay, now that I’ve gotten over gushing about Ibaka, that was stupid of Presti. I just listed everyone still on the board. The Sonics need people who can play; Ibaka the polar opposite of that. He won’t even be in the NBA for years! It sure goes along with trying to keep the team bad. But really, CDR, Chalmers, Arthur, Greene couldn’t have helped?

As my colleague Chris Littmann put it “some contenders are about to load up.”

24. Sonics: Serge Ibaka. Okay, that’s fucking weird. Ibaka’s agent told teams not to take him first round, since he’s signing a huge contract in Spain. With a big buyout. Going in the second would mean he could come over earlier. But I guess the Sonics really wanted him. Full disclosure: He’s one of my favorites in this draft. Insane athlete, raw but resourceful, kind of like Tyrus Thomas if he understood the abstract principle of learning or problem-solving. Has been coached some.

So we’re at 24, and Arthur’s available, and CDR, and Chalmers (depends on if you think Westbrook is a PG). And Donte Greene. . .

23. Jazz: Kosta Koufos. Stu: “He is here in spirit because he is so big.”

22. Magic: Courtney Lee. A lot of people saw this one coming a mile away. He’s a guard, but he’s big. I don’t know if that means the Magic are committing to small + Howard or making an effort to beef up.

JVG is an honorary Jew, SVG an honorary Latino.

My bad. . . 21. Nets: Ryan Anderson

I spaced out for a second there trying to find some reaction whatsoever in the comments to this. I wonder if y’all are just reading the comments as their own live-blog. God damn interactive web publishing.

Okay, so about this leaving the green room: Doesn’t that show a lack of character? Weakness? Refusal to take it like a man? Is it less manly than crying in the green room?

WWDRD? WWMBD? WWBLD?

ESPN, you can thank me later for that brilliant draft promo campaign.

20. Bobcats: Alexis Ajinca. Color me absolutely shocked. I actually know something about Ajinca, or can at least say that I’ve interviewed him. He is physically ridiculous, and pretty darn skilled, but yeah, he’s not ready yet. I just can’t imagine Larry Brown likes this idea, or that Michael Jordan cares enough to think into the future and imagine what Ajinca might play like.

Larry Brown and Michael Jordan are going to make me a sandwich, because that’s the one thing happening right now that they couldn’t screw up. Actually, scratch that. “Larry Brown and Michael Jordan Making A Sandwich” is a Terry Riley short film.

That was really dumb, seeing as they need a point guard (Chalmers) and could use some more varied offense (Arthur).

19. Cavs: J.J. Hickson. Wait, I don’t understand. Is a motor an attitude thing, or a physical thing? Or both?

My thinking, as of right nowwhich is how LeBron thinks about this team, which is what mattersis that Hickson < Gooden < Boozer.

A TRADE: AND AGAIN I AM ALIVE That’s what I’m talking about. Pacers get Jack and Brandon Rush, Blazers get Bayless and Diogu.

Of course Rush’s reaction doesn’t change, they all say the same thing no matter what.

THE RUSHES: REUNITED. That’s a little tear for my eyes.

Not sure why the Pacers need Jack, when they got Ford. I guess they were more interested in backing up Ford than complementing him. Bayless still has to learn how to play the point, I guess, because he’s not taking minutes from Roy. But he’s certainly got more long-term potential than Jack, who is a poster child for draft pick ceiling.

Words of wisdom from Jackson. Words to live by: “Take a fresh piece of gum and enjoy it.”

18. Wi …

Seffner motorcyclist seriously injured in Sunday wreck

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A Seffner man was hospitalized in critical condition after his motorcycle was clipped by a car changing lanes on State Road 60 on Sunday, authorities said.

Jay Levingston, 51, was traveling west on State Road 60 west of N Oakwood Avenue in Brandon just before 9 p.m. when the back of his 2008 Yamaha V-Star was struck by a 2001 Mitsubishi Galant driven by 23-year-old Brandon Collar, according to a Florida Highway Patrol news release.

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Collar had just entered SR 60 from a private driveway and changed lanes twice, first into the right-center lane and again into the left-center lane, where he struck the motorcycle.

The impact ejected Levingston from the bike. He was taken to Tampa General Hospital, where his condition was not immediately available Monday morning. He was not wearing a helmet, the release shows.

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Collar and his passenger, 20-year-old Angela Collar, were not injured in the crash, according to the release. No charges have been filed.

Mike north

Casey Cora, Times staff writer

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National Zoo giant panda pregnancy update

Scientists at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo detected a secondary rise in urinary progestin levels in the Zoo’s female giant panda Mei Xiang (may-SHONG) earlier this month. The results from the test on Thursday, June 19 lead scientists to believe the hormone rise indicates that it would be mid- to late-July before Mei Xiang either gives birth to a cub or comes to the end of a pseudopregnancy, or false pregnancy, which is common in giant pandas.

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Republican National Convention Update 06/17/08

convention staff continues to prepare for the 45,000 people who discretion join together here in minneapolis-saint paul to nominate senator john mccain as our party’s nominee for the treatment of president of the synergistic states, and launch him on his disintegrate to the ashen house.since our last newsletter, the convention has received praise from media and bloggers from across the nation for our outreach to the blogosphere and our efforts to group the most tech-savvy convention in our party’s history.the convention’s 100-day-out milestone passed during reminder day weekend. to mark the event, i authored an op-ed in search the saint paul pioneer press in which the convention called on every american - republican, democrat, and self-sufficient - to, in the words of senator mccain, “serve a matter greater than one’s own self-incline.”as part of the call to answer for, we also launched a nationwide youtube contest where the prizewinner will attend the 2008 republican national tradition. more than 200,000 youtube users give birth to viewed the video call for entry where rick davis, senator mccain’s campaign manager, asked americans to send us a video of an american volunteer who is making a difference in their community.with less than three months to go, the excitement, and our stake, continues to prosper. this month, we named more than two dozen college students and recent graduates from across the nation to serve as convention interns. we contemplate our interns to work hard and learn much that will benefit their to be to come, and the future of the republican party.i look hasten to seeing you this september.genuinely, maria cino, convention president & ceo

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