“Celebrate your country’s independence by blowing up a small piece of it” -Apu, The Simpsons

Tomorrow is the 4th of July, so if you’re heeding Apu’s words, make sure you’re not in Kentucky, because only coal companies are allowed blow up pieces of the Commonwealth. The Hoosier state, however, is a little more lax.

But the economy is too tight for many people to (almost literally) burn their money. As we reported on WFPL, about a fourth of all of the Chinese factories that made fireworks for the American market have closed. That, combined with last year’s jump in fuel prices has made firecrackers, bottle rockets and other finger-and-face-destroying toys nearly 30% more expensive than they were in 2007.

If you want a more peaceful view of fireworks, watch this video from last year.

I’m not sure how I got approval to use Disco Inferno like that.