An act of God or a plagueof piracy?Read on to see why recording musician'sseek it out and recordcompanieswant to shut it down.

by Benjamin Lunn editor in chief

In the midst of national controversy, many colleges and universities across the country have banned Napster.com as well as other popular MP3 websites citing the drain on the networks as the reason. According to Eugene Lytle, Director of Leaming Research and Technology, Cabrini sees the problem, but has found another way of remedying it. Rather than banning sites and formats from the network, the college has decided to rebuild the network and increase the bandwidth to accommodate the increasing drain.

The MP3 music format was created over the course of 15 years by the Fraunhofer Institute to efficiently transmit audio files over a network. Essentially it takes an audio file and compresses into a smaller size so that it can easily be transferred.

Many of the more popular sites, such as Napster.com, are little more than a program that searches out for the selected MP3 files from all of the resources available. Unlike the popular MP3.com, Napster does not store any files on its own servers. Napster simply seeks out the songs that users want but also transforms the user's personal computer into a part of the Napster network. That is a very important point in relation to the controversy over copyright issues raised by the format.

Napster warns about the illegal copying and distribution of copyrighted music, but since it does not have anything on its network and simply connect to others, it claims to have no control of what passes thrdugh. Anyone with Internet access and a CD burner can create their own MP3's and distribute them for free all across the entire world, which is called piracy. That means lost money to the record companies and bands that rely on sales and royalties. Although on an individual scale the practice seems harmless, when looked at in the scale of the millions that can download these songs for free, the lost revenue can reach millions of dollars. That means major concerns on the part of record labels and their lawyers who are suing for royalties. The Recording Industry Association of America, representing over 95 percent of the country's artists are seeking $100,000 in damages for each copyrighted song distributed through Napster.

The view of MP3's and sites like Napster are not all negative. For many smaller bands seeking recognition, the versatility and wide appeal of MP3's seem like a godsend. According to Nick Reilly, a former student, MP3's have had a huge effect on his band, Sing Sing Prison. Their first single had an MP3 on a local Georgia station (99X) and was downloaded often. Eventually the station noticed and began playing the single on the programs, giving them that all valuable airplay. To a small band, the music format could give them a wide base of listeners that they would never be able to achieve normally, which will greatly increase their chances of "making it."

The concerns that most major colleges have concerning MP3's have a great deal less to do with piracy and more to do with space. Over recent years the Internet has become a vital tool for educational use as well as an integrated part of our lives. Unfortu- dents could not use the networks for their intended purpose - education - even if they wanted to.

In light of these problems, many colleges have decided to ban Napster.com and other MP3 sites from their networks in an effort to reduce the drain on the network. Many students have decided to ban together to save their beloved musical format. Indiana University senior Chad Paulson created a website devoted to saving Napster. At www.savenapster.com, visitors can sign a petition which as of March 8, 2000 had nearly 7,000 signatures.

Rather than ban the sites, Cabrini has opted for another, albeit more costly resolution. Cabrini has decided to take the summer to rebuild the network with more bandwidth, or space, for access.

In a debate with many facets to it, Reilly uses his rather unique outlook to hit the proverbial nail on the head. "They are a hindrance to signed acts because they lose royalties they'd normally get, but to unsigned acts, they're the lifeline to the world outside garage."

How the information in the search-results screen is shown. nately for most area colleges, the huge surge in the popularity of sites like Napste r have caught them unprepared to handle the situation. Many colleges find that about 20 percent of their network capacity is used by students downloading MP3's. Others, such as the Indiana University of Washington, had half of their capacity used up by students using Napster. Cabrini normally experiences a 40 percent usage of the network capacity, but it is now nearing 98 percent. With such huge drains on the networks, many stu-

by Chris Vesci assistant copy editor

A collage of students, faculty and others came out Sunday, March 12 to the Fine Arts Gallery for the opening of "It's a Small World After All," which showcased the latest creations by Lisa Learner, professor of fine arts at Cabrini College.

All of the paintings are oil on shellacked water color paper and were hand framed and matted by Learner's husband, Richard Wagner. The exhibits title comes from the size of the artist's paintings. Many are quite small compared to the other works Learner has done in the past.

Learner, who teaches painting, drawing and two-dimen- sional design, said this style seems "more intimate." Many of the scenes are of train stations or urban landscapes. Learner said she used to take the train frequently in and out of the city. She was very interested in conveying the people waiting for trains, as well as the juxtaposition of the old sta- tions with the modem trains of today.

Her favorite piece of her exhibit is called "Shadow Man." It depicts her father at the Wynnewood train station and has much to do with the theme of aging, she said.

Wagner explained that it is a very difficult process to frame his wife's works. The framing is very "high quality." However, he does find the smaller canvases easier to work with than her previous paintings that were "4 by 6 feet." He also pointed out that the pieces featured in "It's a Small World After All" can be enclosed with glass. Wagner's favorite piece is titled "Backtrack."

He said of his wife, "She paints things that she knows. She doesn't paint landmarks, she prefers local scenes."

Senior Kate MacMenamin, who has had Leamer as a teacher, was pleased with the exhibit. "I like the light quality in the pictures. It looks like a perfect day." She noted that it "was nice to know the artist.'" Used to showing Leamer her own work, MacMenamin stated that seeing her teacher's work was an "awesome'' experience.

The will until April 6.

You see them crammedon the shelvesof localfood markets,each one promisinga flavorfulexperience.Loquitur went and tried out the most popularbrandsof drinkmixesand teas to see thosethat lived up to the promiseof a delishtreat for the taste buds and thosethat shouldbe poureddown the nearestdrain.

by Jessica Giordano staff writer

Boy, do I enjoy a good drink once and a while- non-alcoholic of course! That is why I was very happy to do a taste test involving different types of beverages that are available. There are so many brands on the market that it can be difficult to decide which to buy. By doing the research for this article, I have come to my own conclusions in regard to which brands of hot chocolate, hot tea, coffee and iced tea I will be more likely to purchase in the future. I hope that this might help you come to a decision as a consumer also.

Although our cold, dark nights are behind us (hopefully) for now, I could not resist trying out different types of hot chocolate. I chose to compare three popular mixes: Swiss Miss, Carnation and Hershey's "Dutch Chocolate."

Swiss Miss was definitely the worst of the three. It was not rich, creamy or full tasting at all. Its chocolatety smell was nonexistent and it tasted more like water than like hot chocolate. I think that this little blonde needs to study up on her cocoa making skills.

Carnation brand hot chocolate was a bit more satisfactory. It had a faint chocolate smell to it. Its overall taste was creamy and full compared to the Swiss Miss, but it tasted more like milk than like chocolate. Fellow input from a student on campus is that ,"Carnation with marshmallows is good."

The Hershey's was the best by far. It was rich, full and creamy tasting. Out of the three it had the best smell and it maintained a creamy surface longer than the rest. It also left a sweet, chocolate aftertaste that was very appealing. It costs a little more money than the rest, but believe me when I say it is well worth it.

Hot tea is something that many people start their day with. It is the choice beverage of older ladies who want to bond and talk with each other. I personally like tea better than coffee because it tends to wake me quicker and more fully. I compared three brands of regular caffineated tea: Lipton, Tetley and Red Rose.

Lipton came in last because, although it was strong, it had a slightly dirty taste. Tetley was somewhat better. It had a very fresh and clean taste. However, I liked the Red Rose the best because it was the strongest of the three and because it had a more natural, distinctive taste.

Many people are unable to start their day without it and some even consider it an addiction. I'm talking about coffee of course, and there are so many brands to choose from. It was interesting for me to compare different coffees, since I do not drink it normally. Despite this, I still came out with some strong opinions. I tried 7-ll's "Cafe' Select," Ireland and Starbucks. They were all regular brews, no fancy-girlie stuff.

The 7-11 coffee was absolutely abysmal. It possessed no redeeming qualities whatsoever. It was not strong, flavorful or smooth. It had this very distinctive, empty, weak and watery taste to it. As soon as I sipped it I wanted to demand my 92 cents back, but I had already gotten home. I don't know what "cafe" 7-11 "selected" this coffee from, but I think that those responsible should be arrested. I am not alone in this opinion. According to a Cabrini student, "7-11 coffee is crap. It always tastes burned."

Ireland coffee was the kind I bad at home, but it is also served in several area restaurants. It was a satisfactory cup of coffee. It was flavorful, smooth and significantly better than the 7-11 brew, but it was nothing to write home about.

I hate to say it, since some consider it an evil monopoly, but Starbucks was most definitely the best of the three. It was robust, flavorful, strong and distinctive. It went down very smoothly. It also left a pleasant aftertaste, not in the least bit yucky the way some coffees do. It is more expensive than the rest, but I think that it is worth it, since it is a better cup of coffee and since Starbucks bas this cool, studious ambiance going on.

The warm, sunny months are quickly approaching and so is our need for a nice, cool drink. Nothing could be better than some iced tea! I compared Nestea, Arizona and Snapple iced teas.

Nestea was pretty good. It had a very fresh, clean taste and it was refreshing. However, it was not very strong and it did not have much of a lemon taste to it. Other people seem to enjoy it though.

"I like Nestea because it doesn't leave that sweet film in your mouth," Sara said. "It has a good aftertaste, it is clean and refreshing."

Arizona iced tea came in second. It was strong, flavorful and had a decent lemon taste to it. However, it had this slightly dirty aftertaste that I was not too fond of. It is also a bit pricier because it is held in a bigger, fancier bottle. Snapple iced tea came in first because it had a very full and refreshing taste. It bas a strong lemon flavor, and it tasted much more natural than the rest, like real homemade iced tea.

I was very surprised that there would be such striking differences between brands. I used to think that everything was pretty much the same. I was wrong about that. Maybe this will help you next time you are buying a drink, or maybe you completely disagree with me. Either way, happy drinking!