Sunday October 18th

Hello All,
UPDATE: Some of my more dedicated readers may remember my May 8th Daily Routine posting. If you haven't memorized them all by now, I wrote about the island nation of the Maldives, the threat posed to them by rising sea levels, and the future of their country. The Maldives has the lowest average land height of any country in the world and as sea levels continue to rise the future prospects for their country look bleak. The Maldives' Prime Minister, Mohammed Nasheed, has pledged to become the first carbon neutral country and has also been looking for territory to relocate the country to.

According to an article in yesterday's New York Times, the government held an UNDERWATER meeting and signing of a document which calls on all nations to reduce their carbon emissions. Now many readers may recall that I proposed that the Maldives build the world's first underwater colony. Well if yesterday's meeting wasn't a step in that direction, I don't know what is, and I think I deserve both a Pulitzer Prize in Specialized Reporting for breaking the story here five months ago and a Nobel Peace Prize for my suggestion of an underwater colony. I heard those are pretty easy to get these days. But there are other pressing matters at hand. October is flying by and an even more important month is approaching (November). Not only does November contain Thanksgiving, my third favorite holiday next to Flag Day and International Talk Like a Pirate Day (Sept. 19th), but this year November has so much more. And that brings us to today's Daily Topic: MOUSTACHES
Unfortunately, I missed this year's World Beard and Moustache Championships in Alaska, which was held back in May. This bi-annual facial hair festival attracts the best in all categories of beards and moustaches. Fortunately, I have over 500 days to prepare for the 2011 competition in Norway.

But this November has been officially designated "Movember," a chance to promote your illustrious 'stache for a good cause. Originally the brain child of a few drunk Aussies in 2003, Movember was established as a way to raise awareness for men's health. This year, the Movember movement has partnered with the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the Lance Armstrong Foundation to focus specifically on raising awareness and money for Prostate and Testicular Cancer research.

And how exactly does one raise money during Movember? By having people sponsor their moustache team of course. So without further ado, I would like to announce the entry of TEAM STACHETASTIC into the upcoming Movember festivities. And I would like to make two appeals:

First, if anyone would like to join Team Stachetastic, please contact me. You would be required to do two things: 1) on November 1st shave clean and let the stachetasticness begin. 2) spread the word of Team Stachetastic and have as many people donate money as possible. All proceeds will be split between the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Our team website will keep track of our team and individual earnings.

Second, if you are either incapable or unwilling to grow a moustache, donate some money to the cause by visiting Team Stachetastic's page. It's for a good cause and I promise to keep uploading pictures of my moustache progress, however pathetic it may be.

_ROF_

Daily Reading: Held By the Taliban: Seven Months, 10 Days in Captivity (MUST READ)

Daily Food: Apple Pie

Daily Activity: Baking

Daily Song: Mysterious Ways - U2

Daily Attire: Vineyard Vines Belt

Daily News Everyone Should Care About: By Air and Ground, Pakistani Soldiers Penetrate Heartland

Daily News No One Should Care About: "Balloon Boy" Drama Was Staged

Daily Life Goal: Achieve Stachetasticness

Daily Complaint: Mammoth Mountain's New College Student Pass

Daily Drink: Newman's Own Lemonade

Daily Television: Family Guy

Daily Movie: The Hangover

Wednesday October 14th

Readers,
The Daily Routine is back. Due to a rigorous work schedule, four midterms, a weekend in San Francisco, and a weekend of non-H1N1 flu, I have had regrettably little free time for penning my usual loquacious and eloquent posts. And while I do have one midterm remaining (Time and Time Travel), I felt that it was my duty as a responsible procrastinator to bring you an update. I have been meaning to write on this topic for a while, because it is one that deeply upsets me. So without further ado, here is our Daily Topic: THE LIBRARY WITHOUT BOOKS



I have been dreading for a long while the advent of the paperless age. This past summer I first saw the Kindle, the electronic book, in person and something inside of me died. I watched in horror as the press of a button turned a page and new words flickered across the screen.

To me, this is blasphemous. I can't imagine reading a novel off of a screen. I can't imagine not turning paper pages or being able to fold down corners of pages with quotes I wish to remember. Is paper doomed to be rendered obsolete? Is this our future?



Cushing Academy certainly thinks so. This year, the Massachusetts prep school discarded some 20,000 volumes and announced that their library was becoming digital. In addition to purchasing several Kindles, the school is encouraging their students to pursue research and reading online.

When I heard this news, I was thunderstruck. What possible motivation could Cushing have for such a stunt? Could their students be suffering a disproportionate amount of paper cuts? Could their library be so structurally unsound that it couldn't handle the weight of all those volumes? Could they be that desperate for applicants that they needed such publicity?

The sad truth is that Cushing's administration truly believes that the future is digital. As their hollow shell of library is converted into a tech-friendly study center, Cushing bids good-bye to history. But what does the future hold?

While many library books may be outdated, almost all of them contain information or concepts that can be useful to students conducting research. And it's free. While the internet holds incalculable amounts of information, many scholarly articles and sources have limited access or require payment. Many high schools do provide students with access to databases to read such archived articles, but content from published books is difficult to find for free on the internet. By completely eliminating books, Cushing is severely limiting opportunities for its students to conduct research and learning.

While many signs point to a decline in paper newspapers and books, I can only hope that this case is not an indication of things to come. Fortunately, I do not think that most schools are delusional as Cushing. There is value in books and there is an element of mystique and charm that comes with the turning of a paper page. It is something that has survived since ancient times and it would be a shame to lose.
-ROF

Daily Food: PB&J

Daily Activity: Studying, in a Library Filled With Books

Daily Song: Ghosts n' Stuff - Deadmau5

Daily Attire: Rain Gear

Daily News Everyone Should Care About: Dow Ends Above 10,000, First Time in Over a Year

Daily News No One Should Care About: Teen Facing Felony Rap for Throwing "Deadly Missile"...Burrito

Daily Life Goal: Never EVER Own a Kindle

Daily Complaint: Demise of Paper

Daily Drink: Gatorade

Daily Television: Modern Family

Daily Movie: Charlie Wilson's War