Television has come full circle for me. How's that you may ask? Let me explain.

Our old black and white TV only got two local stations with the rabbit ear antennae on top of the set. Channel 2 and Channel 7 were the only local offerings. On a good day we could get 5, 9 and 12 out of the nearest big city. Of course the picture was "snowy" and we had to keep fiddling with the vertical and horizontal roll knobs. Fortunately, most of you don't appreciate the hassle in dealing with vertical and horizontal picture roll.

Then the industry had a breakthrough. The newest technology of UHF transmission came into being and we were really excited to hear that channel 14 and 22 were available. Only one thing prevented us from getting the channels. We needed a combination vhf-uhf antenna. Just the rabbit ears wouldn't get the uhf stuff. Dad invested in the new antenna and pretty soon we were stoked with TV stations. We could watch 4 locals and 3 fuzzy ones, all in Black and White.

The next breakthrough was Color broadcasting. There wasn't anything better than watching Star Trek in color.

Jump ahead 40 years. I have tried both of our local cable providers. I was lured by the "bundling" promo only to find that soon after subscribing the rate was jacked up. Sure I could watch 150 different channels. For me, it was a vast and desolate wasteland. I had bought a new HD set, but to view HD by cable required a special box that was a monthly add-on. I was approaching $100 a month to watch my own TV.

So I made the big decision. I dumped the cable provider, bought my own HD rabbit ears and now receive FREE HD broadcasting. Did you notice the key word "FREE"? To my amazement and delight, Dothan offers three HD channels (4.1, 4.2, 4.3), WJHG has three channels (7.1, 7.2, 7.3), and a continuous weather channel (7.4), WMBB (13.1) is there with their own weather channel (13.2), and WFSU offers PBS and the Legislative channel (56.1 & 56.2); all free and in HD. It's a great picture.

I understand Fox (channel 28) is also broadcasting in HD but I haven't been able to get that one tuned in yet. Not to worry though. I can see 28, 34, 51 and all the other local channels in analog, until February ,09 when analog broadcasting is discontinued. By then I will probably invest in a better antenna and rotor (to aim the antenna maximizing signal strength).

So now you see how I have come full circle. Back to free, over-the-air television broadcasting with a superior picture. And you know what? I am less the couch potato. I get to see almost all I want to view, and what I can't see I don't miss. I'm healthier, and with the rising gas prices, $100 a month wealthier, and I think, a whole lot wiser.

Who needs cable anyway?

Images used by creative commons permission from *USB* and Pingnews.com

You live here right? You have opinions, and your opinions matter right? But do they actually matter if no one hears them? They matter to you, sure, but remaining silent has never changed the world or even a neighborhood. So, jump in to the airport vs. lifeguards conversation by commenting below or leaving your vote on the front page.

Last week we took a look at the issue of public safety in Bay County, particularly focused on beach safety and our lack of life guards. In reviewing the site, the article has provoked significant dialogue. Lo and behold the topic shows up this week on the front pages of the News Herald. Unfortunately we are hearing the same drivel that it can't be afforded. How about this "what if"? What if the hotels attached a $1 "beach fee" to every tourist checking in, and applied those dollars to paid lifeguards on our beaches. If we truly have 300,000 spring breakers alone, that could very nearly pay the cost of full-time life guards during peak season. Too many folks are spending their time objecting to the notion of providing improved safety on our beaches instead of exploring solutions. Unfortunately we place more value on preserving logger head turtle nests and hatchlings than we do on human beings. Go figure. I'll come back to this topic in the future to see if the ball is rolling.

But that's old news. This week I'd like to think about how we are short-changing our youth with regard to our failure to teach them the value of work and self-sufficiency.

When I was a kid, getting a work permit under the age of 16 was right of passage into adulthood. At age 12 I had a rural paper route. I pedaled my bike about 3 miles (round trip) delivering the Daily News to my 40 customers. That was a 7 day a week job, year-round through all kinds of weather. I bought my papers, delivered those papers to my customers, and collected from those customers on a weekly basis. Most of those customers were responsible to pay their bill and some were generous with a small tip. Unfortunately, with the job came a few customers that I had to hound for the $.60 a week to continue their paper delivery. I got stiffed a few times. For this effort I made about $6.00 a week. Not bad for a 12 year old. Minimum wage standards didn't apply to us kids, and that was good thing.

After about a year and a half, I sold my route and moved on to caddying at the nearest country club. I bought a three-speed English style bike to make my 5 mile one-way trip a little easier. From age 13 to 16 I went to the course almost every day. Starting with a single loop, I earned $3.00 including a $.50 tip. After a month or two, I graduated to carrying doubles and usually made $6.00 in the 4 hour period that it took to play 18 holes. That's $1.50 per hour when minimum wage was about a dollar an hour. Some days I was able to get out twice and bring home $12 for the day. In 1965 that was a good day for someone under 16 years old.

In today's world, we don't have the luxury of caddy's at most country clubs. A beginning caddy carrying a single bag could expect about $12 for 18 holes. That's $3 an hour and most kids expect to make the minimum wage. If they carry doubles, they could make as much as $6 and hour. Not bad for a kid.

There are other opportunities for young people to learn a decent work ethic. As a community, we're missing the boat in failing to provide that opportunity and as parents, we are too interested in giving our kids "allowances" instead of insisting they go out and learn how to earn their spending money.

Images by PingNews.com used by permission under creative commons.

$.25 for Gap Baseball Hat (with tags still on!)

Antique Mall

Stop by the Antique Mall in Downtown Panama City and step into the air conditioning! Browsing is FREE, and it is neat to see all the old junk for sale. If you see something you can't live without, put it down and go through the store again. No impulse buying or you'll blow your budget.

Panama City Marina

Spend a buck in the Dollar General Store on an ice cold soda or water. Down at the Marina, sit on a bench seat and relax for a few minutes...watching the boats go by can really be soothing and you may see a dolphin or two. Plus, soaking up some rays will not only give your skin some more color, but you'll get a nice dose of Vitamin D.

午餐 (Lunch)

The Panda Buffet has an All-you-can-eat Chinese/Japanese lunch for a great deal. Adding tea or soda can add on an extra dollar or two. Stick with ice water and lemon to $ave. Fresh Sushi, Mongolian Buffet and of course a fortune cookie for 5.95 plus $2.50 tax & tip. After filling our bellies it's time to check the cash flow.

$5.50 Breakfast

$1.00 Yard Sale Goodies

$0.00 Antique Mall

$1.00 Bottled Water

$8.50 Lunch

$16.00 TOTAL

With about $4 left over, I decided to stop by Movie Gallery on 23rd Street and rent a great movie for the night! Invite some friends over...Ask them to bring a pizza or two and you'll provide the sweet tea and entertainment!

$20 dollars and a day well spent...Frugalicious!