Even without Napster music will go on

by MichaelA Kazanjian

a&e editor

Napster's reign may finally come to end. The popular musicsharing site was ordered on Monday, March 5 to start weeding out any copyrighted materials from its database. After months of court proceedings and appeals, the Recording Industry Association of America found part of the victory, that they were seeking for. A court order stated that the major record labels must provide Napster with lists of songs that they do not want put on the server. Hilary Rosen, president of the RIAA, said the company would comply with the court's order. "We intend to provide the notifications prescribed by the court expeditiously, and look for- ward to the end of Napster's infringing activity."

Already Napster users are looking for ways around this order by misspelling the titles of songs and the names of the artists in hopes of keeping the songs on the site alive. Napster users have already done this in order to post songs by Metallica who headed the crusade to bring Napster down. Napster, however, is allowed to be host to materials not copyrighted and to artists who appear on small independent labels. It is unclear as of now if users will have to pay a monthly access fee to download songs.

With Napster's fate looming, college students in dorms across America have begun frantically searching the Internet for a Napster alternative. Sharing MP3 files goes back before Napster' s time, the only difference was that there was much more pointing, clicking and searching going on before one could find their song of choice. But just like any other good idea out there, Napster has many clones. Some of these clones are far scarier to the entertainment industry than Napster could ever be.

Gnutella.com is a file-sharing site that offers everything from current radio hits to this weekend's movie box-office sensation. Freenet.com offers the same type of service but in a very disguised way, which makes it a bit clumsy to search, in order to avoid any legal issues for as long as they can. The Motion Picture Association of America has yet to make a statement about movie swapping on the web because it is not yet a major threat to the industry. These types of mega movie downloads are also not very accessible for the average user. A 40GB hard drive, for instance, can only hold up to 10 feature length films, and the download times, even on the college-equipped Tl lines, can take several hours. Sticking to songs only, Napigator provides access to millions of songs and runs on very similar lines to Napster. Audiogalaxy.com also offers songs from Rebop to the Jackson Five.

Copyright laws are not the same across the globe. !Mesh.com is a Napster-like program that you must download first before sharing files but the main server is in [srael where copyright laws are very lenient. Expect many more programs coming from outside the U.S. very soon.

Optimism still remains for Napster fans who are pleading for the site to remain online sticking to their claim that Napster opens consumer's ears to music that would otherwise go unheard, therefore creating more sales for record labels. The recording industry releases about 37,000 albums year, most of which go unheard on airwaves and in homes across America and Napster gives these artists a chance to be heard.

For now, the estimated 12 million Napster users will have to find a way to survive and rest assure that it won't be long until something else takes its place.

Buried Treasures: Books that touch the heart and cause a laugh

by Renee DI Pietro

time it takes to get into the book.

assistant features editor

''More Letters from a Nut" by Ted L. Nancy

He writes to Sara Lee Cakes to inform them that he found someone who doesn't like Sara Lee, which goes against the Sara Lee slogan "nobody doesn't like Sara Lee." He writes to Coca-Cola introducing his beverage kiet doke, asking if it will interfere with their beverage, diet coke. He writes to the Ritz Carlton reservation desk addressing his problem of eating the bedding while he travels. The letters are laugh out loud hysterical.

Ted Nancy is a citizen of Thousand Oaks, California, and writes silly letters to corporations, government offices, correctional facilities, celebrities and more. More Letters from a Nut is the second collection of Nancy letters.

It is rare you will read one of his letters and say, "wow, I've always felt that way too," but it is a guarantee that that you will be greatly entertained in the short amount of

"The Four Agreements"

Don Miguel Ruiz by

On the inside cover of many books there is a description of the book's life-changing qualities and how you will never be the same after Welcometo one of those books without the self-proclamation all over the cover. Don Miguel Ruiz, the author, is far more than a writer, he is a teacher of Toltec wisdom and of life's simplest lessons. By the end of the book, the spiritual road traveled will have you loaded with the complete amount of puzzle pieces to piece together a transformation of your life into freedom, true happiness and love. He teaches us how to heal our emotional wounds The cover of "The Four Agreements• by Don Miguel Ruiz. and to avoid being hurt again. His enlightening lessons include being impeccable with your word, not taking anything personally, not making assumptions, and to always do our best. Toltec knowledge is not a religion but it does embrace the spirit and describe a way of life that many are amazed by. After Ellen DeGeneres read this book, she told Oprah, and then Oprah told the world and now I tell you because not everyone gets a chance to hear Oprah's word

"The lliustrated Alchemist"

by Paulo Coelho

Following your intuition and your dreams in learned in this magical fable. Beautifully illustrated by the artist Moebius, a widely acclaimed

The Mr. and Ms. CabriniPageantIs back

Thurs., March 22, 9:30 in the Grace Hall Atrium

$2 per person to benefit the senior class creator of western. science fiction and fantasy art, this mystical story becomes encouraged to a variety audience. The maincharacter, Santiago, is an Andalusian shepherd boy who has a recurring dream of a young child leading him away from his sheep to the Egyptian Pyramids to find a worldly treasure. Though Santiago is uncomfortablewith asking a gypsy to interpret his dream, he decides it would be interesting and stops on him way to the market. He sits through her interpretation and is told that he must go to the Pyramids to search for a treasure. From his home, Spain, Santiago embarks on his path to fulfill his personal legend.

We begin to meet a melting pot of characters through Santiago and sit back in awe as Santiago links the omens set before him. Just as he step by step learns the language of the world, how to listeii to his heart and how to follow his dream, we also move right along with him learning.

During these years, confusion pops up frequently for students on what path to take or to follow, this boot helpsteach you to listen to what you 1mlywant.