4A - THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
OPINION
FRIDAY,OCTOBER25,2002
TALKTOUS
Jay Krall
editor
864-4854 or jkrall@kansan.com
Brooke Hesler and Kyle Ramsey
managing editors
864-4854 or bheser@kansan.com and
kramsey@kansan.com
Laurel Burchfield
readers' representative
864-4810 or lbuchfield@kansan.com
Maggie Koerth and Amy Potter
opinion editors
864-4924 or opinion@kansan.com
Amber Agee business manager 864-4358 or advertising@kansan.com
Eric Kelting retail sales manager 864-4358 or advertising@kansan.com
Malcolm Gibson general manager and news adviser 864-7667 or mgibson@kansan.com
Matt Fisher sales and marketing adviser 864-7666 or mfisher@kansan.com
KANSAN EDITORIAL BOARD
Music companies invade privacy to stop file sharing
The war over copyrighted material on the Internet has raged for years, but it has taken an alarming new turn as the Recording Industry Association of America and other entertainment industry advocates ask for congressional support for what they call, "interdiction."
Some "interdictions," have passed like the ability to put fake files on peer to peer file-sharing applications like Morpheus or KaZaA.
But other, more sinister deterrents were suggested by the record industry, according to a Sept. 27 article on CNN.com ("Record labels seek OK for P2P Sabotage")
The record industry asked for permission to use worms or file-tracking programs so it could actually see where a Web surfers would go or what they would download.
Eventually, the music industry also wanted the ability to terminate services to any people that illegally transport files. In short, these acts constitute a thinly veiled attempt at technological subversion.
It is certain that trading copyrighted files is illegal, but such actions could easily invade personal privacy and clash against anti-hacking laws.
Worldwide music sales have dropped for the first time since the introduction of the compact disc, according to a report by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Many in the music industry blame the Internet for the drop, specifically file sharing programs
like the defunct Napster.
Newer companies like the aforementioned Morpheus or KaZaA rely on an international base or decentralized program structures to avoid being shut down.
These newer networks compounded the problems for the record labels, thus requiring them to take more extreme measures.
Such extreme measures could be baseless, according to a study from Jupiter Media Matrix, a high-tech business consultation company.
JMM denies the role of the Internet in music business's misfortune. The report contended that the decline was merely part of a cyclical course in the music market, and that most companies were looking for revenues from too few titles.
In fact, some of JM M's findings actually pointed toward the Internet having a positive impact on the music industry, by making those already apt to buy music even more so with the greater variety of choices.
The music industry is losing money and the artist's right to intellectual property is very important, but when companies stoop to technological sabotage and spying, then there is a problem.
Music should be supported whenever possible, but when the business begins to infringe on personal rights then, perhaps, it is the time for silence.
Patrick Cady for the Editorial Board
Call 864-0500
Free for All
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Have you ever noticed that Tootsie Rolls look like congealed poo?
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Just to let all KU students know, the little market inside the union is out of Swedish Fish. I repeat, they are out of Swedish Fish.
people who think they're the most open-minded are really the most close-minded. Alpha Chi rules.
I'm in a sorority, and I'm most definitely not tan. It's quite possible.
For those of you making negative comments about sorority girls, you know you don't have to mock everything mainstream. It's funny that sometimes the
people who think they're the most open-minded are really the most close-minded. Alpha Chi rules.
--especially uncomfortable topic
Now let me get this right. You can go mudding, bull riding, and listen to freestyle rapping all in one town in one night? You're kidding me! Wichita is heaven.
especially uncomfortable topic
The button on my boxer shorts disappeared. How annoying is that?
It's 1:08 in the morning. I'm sitting in my dorm room watching Beauty and the Beast. This is my college experience.
Dear Free for All: How do I break it to my dad that I don't think I'm going to make it in college? Sincerely, Very Depressed.
For the past two days there has been no hot water in Corbin. It wouldn't be so bad if when we got out of the showers it was warm, but no, there's no heat in our building either. So if you're wondering why I'm wearing my coat and scarf around my room, yeah, that's why.
especially uncomfortable topic
Do the gloves with the cut off fingers help the bus drivers turn the wheel?
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SACK'S VIEW
STARTAGUE
A DAY iN the LiFE
KANSAN REPORT CARD
Pass:
Steve Sack/Knight Ridder
GTA pay increase. Congratulations to GTAC on a job well done. It's about time somebody realized that happy workers produce quality product.
- Knocking on Bush's door. KU students are taking their pleas for peace to Washington D.C. this weekend. Everyone may not agree with their message, but they're taking it to the people who count and that's something we can all appreciate.
- Deals on wheels. Appearantly, living in a mobile home isn't such a bad idea after all. Makes us think twice about paying out the nose for a student ghetto slum.
Fail:
Open administration positions. Perhaps the University can't afford to hire replacements, but doesn't it seem like we would save more money with a director of Energy Savings then without one?
Giving Senate the run-around. Student Senate should realize that moving the location of their meetings every week confuses more people more than it helps. We don't like playing hide-and-seek with our elected officials.
Partisan party line. Does it strike anyone else as odd that government employees can't disseminate partisan election information but the President can call us up and tell us to vote Republican?
PERSPECTIVES
Fear and ignorance prevent normalcy of masturbation
Maggie Koorth/Kansan
E every day, people indulge themselves in activities for gratification.
Watching your favorite television show, playing video games, reading a book, acing a hard midterm, drinking a good margarita with the girls; these are just a few varieties of ways one can enjoy themselves.
GUEST COMMENTARY
Yet one indulgence is easily seen as unsuitable for society; masturbation.
Each of these examples can be considered acceptable in the eye of society.
Perhaps if one can conjure up a checklist of admissible societal characteristics, then one could understand why masturbation is such a taboo topic.
Marla Keown
ominton@kansan.com
Somehow, masturbation has fallen on the uncomfortable side.
Generally, society ranks behaviors on how threatening they are towards others.
Drinking into oblivion also sits on the side of uncomfortable, and may even become threatening when it comes to cases of drinking and driving.
Obviously, watching TV or drinking with friends are neither threatening or fearful things. But the degree of each behavior can fall into comfortable or uncomfortable conditions.
Letting a child watch a violent TV show can create detrimental results or at least cause great dispute.
Female masturbation is considered an
It is commonly known that men masturbate, and when discussed, it is hardly looked down upon. Yet for some reason female masturbation is thought of as unthinkable.
One reason for female masturbation's downcast is fear. Fear characterizes social deficiency.
There are several reasons why female masturbation is feared in our society.
The first is self-image. Every day people try to portray an ideal image of themselves. Most try to conform to the norm, finding it easier to be part of the masses than to be set as an outcast.
In our society, an ideal woman is not one who openly talks of their sexual escapades, including those with herself.
The second is confidence. Who are the people who raise their hands in class to answer questions? Those who are confident that their responses are correct.
Most females don't know how to
pleasure themselves, so why discuss the little known idea of masturbation.
The third reason is privacy. One's sexual self is thought to be a topic not fit for discussion.
The number of partners, sexual preferences, positions and masturbation are all subjects that have been looked down upon in social conversation.
Clearly, the only reason why masturbation is deemed unsuitable in our society is because people are afraid to talk about it and are ignorant of the facts.
Why allow such a transient thing as fear to dominate the concepts of social norm?
If children were in charge of a world like this, darkness would be outlawed.
Learn to understand what you fear and overcome it. Don't let the unknown control your happiness.
If you don't know how to play chess, learn: if you can't figure out how to make yourself orgasm try different "out of the norm" methods. Finally don't let masturbation be a "hush-hush" topic.
Talk about masturbation with a close friend and work your way up to a group of friends.
By overcoming one's personal fears, we can surmount society's fears and slowly change the idea of social norm.
Keown is a Topeka sophomore in journalism.
Enjoy what life hands you, don't stress over small things
For many weeks on my way down the hill after class,I've seen a well-organized team to a utility
small poster taped to a sitting hatch that reads "No matter how much you consume, you'll never be satisfied."
Layoffs are probably something we'll all be around at some point in our working careers, and it's irrelevant whether we're educated or dedicated or hardworking. Right now I know two engineers who are out of work, one for more than a year, and one lawyer who just snagged a job after
Lately anything that relates to money and the economy has turned my head because my workplace, a state-funded agency caught in the midst of the state's budget woes, has just gone through its first set of layoffs.
being unemployed for six months. She competed for that position with 250 other applicants.
The world outside academia's safe bets is a rough one, where CEOs pull down seven-figure salaries and regular people who invest so much in their careers are let go because it's cheaper to hire them on contract, part-time.
For the first time in my 27 years of working I'm seeing co-workers let go because of financial problems and it's scary. It's making us all reflect on how valuable our services really are to those on the wrungs above us. Faced with potentially losing our incomes yet living in a society that tells us successful people have power and lots of "stuff," we are left feeling unimportant and
GUEST COMMENTARY
Sue Novak opinion@kansan.com
unfulfilled.
It's hard to think about consuming and harder still to feel satisfied. We all want more, but the reality is sometimes we can barely hang on to what we have.
In the end, the fact remains that no one is irreplaceable, and that means we need to be pliable and willing to accept what
comes our way with grace and dignity.
One of the servers caught my eye. He was a young 20-something, unconcerned about his casual appearance, not sloppy but far from professional.
A few weeks ago, I was out on the road on business and stopped for lunch at a downtown restaurant.
Here was a carefree man who loved his life, enjoyed his work and the people he served and probably looked forward to a
What I realized was that his appearance was overshadowed by his electric energy, his ready smile, his customer-is-alwaysright attitude and the pure joy he felt for his job: mixing up chocolate malts and rushing out our blue-plate specials of meatloaf, scalloped potatoes and green beans.
20-mile bike ride when his workday was done.
He couldn't have earned that much—1 mean, those were killer scalloped potatoes but still . . .
He had it right. You could tell he had his priorities straight.
He obviously didn't need to consume much, and he was satisfied. It showed in his attitude.
We should all be him when we grow up. Our jobs in life should be enjoying what is right there before us.
It's just that desire to consume and be satisfied that keeps getting in our way.
Novak is a Lawrence non-traditional student.
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