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February 28, 2007

OPINION
Titan Editorial
Providing insight, analysis and perspective since 1960

Illegal File Sharing Not as Bad as it Seems

BY GRACE J. LEE
Daily Titan Sta Writer
opinion@dailytitan.com

The Advocate
BY Robert

e Assasination

at Isnt

e Daily Titan welcomes letters to the editor.

Any feedback, positive or negative, is encouraged, as we strive to keep an open dialogue with our readership. e Daily Titan reserves the right to edit letters for length, grammar and spelling. Direct all comments, questions or concerns, along with your full name and major, to executive editor Adam Levy at alevy@dailytitan.com.

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Vice President Dick Cheney is by trying to sneak a man was apparently the target of strapped with explosives into an assassination attempt at U.S. a military base? A suicide least, according to the most bomber that, had the event reliable of sources: a Taliban been so meticulously planned out, would have had to been spokesman. e facts are as follows: there at least 15 hours earlier Cheney, downed by bad to know that he or she actually weather conditions, spent had a chance at our VP? Of course, that hasnt an unscheduled overnight in stopped news Bagram Air outlets from Force Base in exploiting Bagram, Afthe whole ghanistan. Not to make light situation. A suicide of the situation, but One asked bomber went if this was a on to at- a resurgent Taliban the tack the base would have been using sign that was Taliban the day after resurgent. Cheney was snipers. Not to delayed for a make light of night. the situation, To put it but a resursimply: the facts dont add up to assassina- gent Taliban would have been tion, attempted or otherwise. It using snipers. Only the desperseems more likely that Cheney ate would send an assassin into happened to be in the wrong a nest of armed soldiers. Only place at the wrong time. the hopelessly incompetent To hear Qari Yousef Ahmadi would sent that assassin on the say it a man who calls himself wrong day. a spokesman for the Taliban What we need to ask of our the Taliban had knowledge media is to critically analyze of Cheneys secret visit days in whom they listen to and whom advance and was specically they give airtime to. trying to target him. is kind of baseless specuDoesnt it strike anyone else lation may titillate readers and as odd that the best way to kill viewers, but it doesnt inform our governments No. 2 man them.

It was Napster that rst ushered in a new era of Internet downloading. Napster changed the way people used the internet, making it possible for people to download and listen to their favorite songs without having to buy the album at the record store. File sharing became the ultimate way for people to get free music, especially when only a couple songs were desired o an album. Napster opened a gateway to success for le sharing programs like Limewire, Kazaa and BearShare. While le sharing programs provide ample Internet services to its consumers, many people would argue that le sharing is stealing. So, where do you draw the line between sharing and stealing? Well lets say this: sharing benets others and stealing benets those who steal. Websters Dictionary denes piracy as the unauthorzed use of anothers production, invention, or conception especially in infringement of a copyright. Society sugarcoats the notion of piracy substituting the word le sharing perhaps to justify our stealing. When people download free music, saving money for themselves is the rst thing on their minds. eyre usually not thinking about the millions of dollars artists and record labels are losing. While this is the politically correct way to look at things,

much of the public still downloads music for free being fully aware that its wrong. But is downloading free music online the same thing as stealing a luxury car? Id say no. No, because le sharing essentially benets both the consumer and the artist. While downloading an entire album o the Internet may be wrong, downloading a couple songs o an album can benet both the consumer and the artist. When a good song is discovered on the radio, downloading the song online is benecial for the artist because from that one song, one more person may buy the actual album. While mainstream artists may suer a little from le sharing, for smaller bands le sharing is a good thing. Not all bands or singers get to be on MTV overnight or moonwalk to the Grammys. Smaller bands want to be recognized by the public and what better way to get publicity than online? With so much competition in the music industry nowadays, it is important for artists to utilize any available advantage. e Internet has transformed our world completely, and le sharing is a yet another aspect of that transition. It has allowed people to gain knowledge previously inaccessible. Who would have thought, even 10 years ago, that we would have access to an unlimited amount of information via technology? Piracy may be a crime on paper, but most people disregard the fact for the satisfaction of saving money on a couple songs. As long as our immediate desires are fullled, crime or no crime no one seems to feel guilty about le sharing or the more accurate term, piracy.

Moran

Milk and the Autism Gene

Got milk? I sure do. Lots and tastes and habits have become lots of it. I drink nearly two gal- ingrained. Here I am, nearly lons every day. And research has 30 years old. To make matters shown that milk can actually be worse, glutamates are also found one of the causes of Aspergers. in most types of processed foods Well, not just milk, but the en- and vaccines. So now, it seems zyme produced by it. the science that is meant to proI guess I am in a precarious vide sustenance and prevent dispredicament, but what can I do? ease is actually the cause of an I love milk. increase in autism, which has What is the so-called source of reached almost epidemic proall my angst? Well, a team of re- portions. searchers from UCLA have idene situation has become so tied 17 chrobad that the Los mosomes that Angeles County are the cause of Department of ... I love milk. Now Health Services autism. While this would be I have to deal with the has declared augood news, fact that the drink I tism one of the which it is, I do top ve health have some reser- love the most is aggra- risk now faced vations. e 17 vating or accentuating by the county. chromosomes my Aspergers. e diet belong to gene might have also band 17Q21. contributed to Scientists say the national these genes deal with gluta- average. According to a 2006 mates used as a neurotransmit- study by the Centers for Disease ter. Glutamate is the bodys most Control and Prevention, one widely used neurotransmitter. out of every 150 children in this Neurotransmitter just means country has an autistic disorder. chemical messenger. Glutamate Still, knowing all of this, I canis found in things like grain, soy, not seem to give up my milk. Its like asking a pyromaniac to give wheat, corn, rice and milk. And I love milk. Now I have up his dynamite. And just like to deal with the fact that the the pyromaniac and his dynadrink I love the most is aggravat- mite, I know that drinking milk ing or accentuating my Asperg- might be detrimental to myself, ers. Milk may have also caused but I wont give it up. As far as my addiction is conit as well. For several years experts have cerned, I will continue to indulge been suggesting that autistic chil- in that ice-cold glass of smooth, dren be put on a glutamine free rich whole milk until the cows diet. e diet alteration is rec- come home ... or until they proommended for children whose duce glutamate free milk.