Sunday at the parade,  Dan asked my son what he wanted to do when he grows up.  My son said he didn’t know.  Well, it appears that has changed.

Yesterday at dinner, my son told me he wants to work at RTV-6.  Then my other son said he wants to work at RTV-6, too.  It was so adorable.  I think it always makes a parent feel special when their kids want to follow in their footsteps.  At the same time, I think you’d be hard-pressed to find a parent who doesn’t want his or her child to accomplish more than he or she did.

To be honest, I can’t help but wonder if there will be many television jobs when my children grow up.  Television news isn’t what it used to be.  Let’s face it.  If you want to find out what’s going on, you don’t have to wait until the 6 p.m. local news anymore.  You can go to your computer, your cellphone, or a 24 hour cable news station.  If local news disappeared, or if there were fewer local stations in the city, would you be disappointed?  Do you think local news competition is good, or would you be satisfied with just one or two local television stations?

Many of you might remember the days when bigger cities had several local newspapers.  Now, most cities only have one newspaper.  Local television news could be the next entity to downsize.

I will support my children in whatever they decide to do.  I just wonder what kind of choices they’ll have in 18 to 20 years.  It could interesting…. stay tuned.  

O-K.  I know my job is to report the news and not share my personal feelings.  However, I have to get something off my chest.

Everytime we run a story about Paris Hilton, I cringe.  I suppose the story has it’s place in the entertainment section, but I don’t consider Miss Hilton’s escapades worthy of national headlines.  What has this young lady actually done to deserve such coverage?  She’s a person who has a lot of money who’s made a lot of mistakes.  I certainly wouldn’t want her to serve as a role model for my daughter.

I think one reason I get frustrated is I think about all the positive things Paris could do with all of her money and connections.  For example, Barbara Walter’s daughter has opened a camp for troubled youth.  Oprah is a “ga-zillionaire”  and is constantly giving her money and time to help other people.  I think it would so refreshing if Miss Hilton would take her riches and actually try to help disadvantaged youth and try to make a positive difference in our world.  I have no doubt that she enjoys the bright lights and the headlines.  But lights eventually fade… and so does outer beauty.  I believe you’ll never find peace or true happiness if you spend all of your time catering to a celebrity status. 

Oh, well.  It’s just my opinion.  I have found, however, that as much as I love my job… I am most at peace when I’m with my family and/or helping others.  Once I hang up my microphone for good, I know it won’t be the end of the world.  I look forward to travelling more with my family as the kids get older.  I know that wonderful times are ahead… even if we never make it to Paris.

This is not your typical kind of contest. BestRestrooms.com is holding a contest for America’s best restroom!

The details of the five finalists are listed on the site. This includes a restaurant in none other than Flushing, Michigan. The Vermont Marble Museum has marble bathrooms. The Mix Lounge at the Mandalay Bay Casino in Las Vegas is a sweet mix of sleek black walls, breathtaking stall views, and some cool contemporary sinks.

The contest is sponsored by Cintas and runs through July 31st.

It was the weekend of the guinea pig in Peru! The second annual Festival of the Cuy was held on Sunday. People gathered in the streets of highland Churin to celebrate all things related to the furry rodents.

Yahoo.com reports this included contests for the biggest, the best dressed— and the tastiest guinea pig!

People from around the country came to eat the critter fried, grilled, and baked.
As for the winner of the biggest guinea pig contest- it weighed in at eight pounds!

Image: Associated Press

Dozens of online music broadcasters will go silent on today to protest a new set of royalty rates. Many smaller companies say these rates will put them out of business.

MTV, Live 365, Pandora, AccuRadio and several public internet radio stations will observe the day of silence. Stations are encouraging listeners to support a bill in Congress that would roll back the new rates.

The stoppage applies to Ad-supported music streams, not to paid subscription ones. The first payments are due on July 15.

The new royalties were decided in May by a panel of three copyright judges. They are paid to a group that distributes the payments to artists and recording labels.

For details on the protest visit SaveNetRadio.org.