I The Behrend Beacon
RIAA starts crackdown program
NEW YORK: The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has increased its efforts to
reduce the effects of peer-to-peer music sharing on U.S. college campuses and is suing hundreds of
individual students for possible license infringements.
The new effort comes after several reports were released asserting that well over half of all college
students in the United States either swap music with their friends personally or use widely-available
file sharing software such as KaZaa and Limewire to do so. The end result that hundreds of thou
sands of students are listening to music they didn't pay for is not acceptable to the media giant, whose
album and singles sales have dropped over 23 percent in the last five years.
"We need to address this demographic," RIAA President Cary Sherman said. "Remember that the
habits that they form in college will stay with them for a lifetime."
The RLAA responded by sending letters to over 400 students warning them of imminent lawsuit and
instructions on how to settle the lawsuits out of court. Students who opt to settle out court would pay
a hefty fine and sign an official document agreeing not to send or accept unlicensed music ever again.
The association also sent similar letters to 13 colleges and universities in an effort to pressure educa
tional institutions to take a more proactive measures against such practices.
However, many students and opponents of the restrictive measures disagree with their implementa
tion, including those who feel that file sharing between friends helps to broaden an audience for
music, not harm it.
"I know students are active users," said Arizone State University student Sean Foley. "But the
record companies should be letting people use these services rather than ban them."
Web tracking companies report that over one billion music files may be swapped every month.
SPRING BREAK SCHOOL SPIRIT SALE
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depertexist
„
, ~
, , .
Source: CNN.com, Yahoo! News
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Taliban resurgence
KABUL, Afghanistan: A cop military commander for the strengthening Taliban forces in Afghanistan
has claimed that a large army has been assembled and continues to grow as they prepare for a spring
offensive.
Ina rare interview granted to Channel 4 News in the United Kingdom, Taliban military operations
director Mullah Dadullah claimed that hundreds of suicide bombers were prepared to kick off the
offensive and that coordination communications with Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden were regular
and productive.
"The Americans have sown a seed. They will reap the crop for quite a long time. We will get our
revenge on them, whether in Afghanistan or outside," Dadullah said in the interview. "The suicide
martyrs, those willing to blow themselves up, are countless."
International relations experts claim that indications in the war-torn country seem to support the
assertion that large events are on the horizon. U.S. presence in the country is down to its lowest point
yet, with only 16,000 troops in country with a similar number of NATO troops in support.
Meanwhile, the Taliban and Al-Qaeda are being funded by record-level drug exports that have
increased exponentially since the first U.S. invasion. Dadullah said that the Taliban and Al-Qaeda are
going to coordinate their efforts to maximize effectiveness.
"We exchange messages with each other to share plans. We actually meet very rarely, just for
important consultations. It's hard for anyone to meet bin Laden himself now, but we know he's still
alive," Dadullah said. "His comrades stand shoulder to shoulder with us. We also go to the battle
field together."
Taliban and Al-Qaeda attacks in Afghanistan increased over 400% from 2005 to 2006, and the
country now averages over four bombing attacks a day.
Behrend students plan to travel during
spring break continued from page 1
Amsterdam, Netherlands, which
he said he chose because, "It is
the ideal location for friends and
family to reunite and have a fun
time." During his stay, Audeh
arranged to visit night clubs,
check out some tourist spots, and
spend most days in the coffee
shops just relaxing.
Sophomore Sheri Kroskie is
flying to Myrtle Beach for her
getaway. "I'm super pumped to
get away from Behrend.
Basically anything is better than
Behrend's unbelievably freezing
weather," said Kroskie. It seems
that the one thing that students
are looking to escape is the cold
temperatures and unpredictable
weather. Eric Diluzio said, "I
can't wait. One week without bit
ter walks through iceberg
Behrend to get to and from
class." Diluzio won't have to
worry about his mittens and scarf
because he plans to fly to Florida
with his friends and enjoy a
handful of sunny days wisely. "I
am prepared to make every day
worth it. It wouldn't surprise me
to see twice as much snow here
when I get back," said Diluzio.
Danielle Brown, a Junior and
Communications and Media
Studies major here at Behrend, is
going all out for her spring break
trip as she is going to be splash
ing at Montego Bay, Jamaica.
Brown said booking an all-inclu
sive resort and choosing Jamaica
was easy as her one wish was to
go somewhere warm. With
Danielle's boyfriend as her vaca
tion buddy, she said she has no
worries. "While I'm there, I just
plan to relax on the beach and go
to a few nightclubs," said Brown.
However, spring break can be
Erie opens first casino continued from page 1
Any kind of drinks are served amidst the nonstop
noise and clouds of cigarette smoke until 2:00 a.m.
Telling what time it actually is could prove difficult
however. The facility does not have any clocks or
windows, therefore not giving the gamblers a
chance to have a glimpse of what time it is without
looking at their watches.
Presque Isle also plans to add entertainment to its
amenities. As with Mountaineer Race Track &
Gaming Resort in Chester, WV, Presque Isle would
like to bring concerts outdoors during the summer.
Presque Isle hopes to bring local and regional
bands to play indoors at the casino soon. In the
future, they hope to offer snow mobile races as
entertainment as well.
Presque Isle may want to attract as many people
to their casino as possible, but they aren't turning a
blind eye to those with a gambling problem. On
Presque Isle's website, they feature an advertise
ment for gambling hotline, 1-800-GAMBLER.
a dangerous time for come stu
dents. Vacationers need to use
common sense and know what
they are getting into. University
staff members said they are con
cerned some students are not
fully aware of the risks that come
with the freedom of spring break.
More money is spent on alco
holic drinks, raising the total cost
of trips significantly. High-risk
drinking during spring break can
also lead to negative conse
quences. As a student's blood
alcohol level increases to over
.12, 90% of them underestimate
their level of intoxication. This
is one of the biggest concerns
associated with spring break
partiers. At that level of impair
ment, students tend to make bad
decisions and do things that they
normally would not do. Try to
avoid shots and drinking games,
as both can lead to over drinking.
Besides, wouldn't you like to
remember what happened over
your spring break?
If you do choose to drink it is
always good to know how to
avoid hangovers. Everyone
knows the symptoms of a hang
over: headaches, vomiting, nau
sea, cotton mouth, and fatigue.
Most people do not know that a
hangover is a mild form of alco
hol withdrawal. Some tips to
steer clear of them are to not
drink so much or drink too much
too quickly on an empty stom
ach. Sip, don't gulp drinks, as
pacing yourself as you drink
throughout the night will help to
avoid a hangover as well. Men
should have one drink per hour
and women one per every 1.5
hours to avoid drinking too
much. Students need to remem-
The gambler or a friend of a gambler can call the
hotline to get help.
Test days were held at Presque Isle on Sat. and
Mon. where gamblers had the opportunity to play
and keep their winnings. However, during the two
test days, the house donated all of its winnings, a
sum that is totaling over $115,000, to the United
Way of Erie County.
Winners were not hard to come by on
Wednesday. A number of jackpots were handed
out; including one for $328 that Saxonburg resident
Tina Shideler won after just 15 minutes in the casi
no. The days big win came around 3:00 p.m. when
a gambler hit the jackpot for $lO,OOO. Although the
casino had many payouts during the day, Presque
Isle Downs & Casino managed to pull in $8.9 mil
lion on its opening day.
Friday, March 2, 2007
in progress
her alcohol dehydrates the body.
When sun and salt are added to
the skin on top of the alcoholic
beverage, it is just setting up the
body for dehydration. Be sure to
drink plenty of other non-alco
holic and non-caffeinated drinks
in-between to replace lost body
fluid.
Spring break parties can also
lead to unintended promiscuity.
Students risk contracting sexual
ly transmitted infections for the
thrill of a one-night stand. Any
small amount of alcohol can act
as a "social lubricant." It is rec
ommended to avoid the combi
nation of alcohol and sexual acts.
Freshman, Leah Shoemaker,
plans to be cautious during her
vacation. "Partying at school is
one thing; I know and trust
everyone around me. I will defi
nitely make myself more aware
of my surroundings during
break." Her exciting retreat
includes visiting some friends at
other college campuses and
shopping at Philadelphia's King
of Prussia Mall.
Having trouble trying to figure
out what to pack? Frequent trav
elers have a knack for knowing
what to pack. It's not a case of
"everything goes," but rather
start at your head and work down
to your toes. Don't forget the
extras either such as a camera
and sunglasses. However you
choose to spend your time off, be
sure you make the most of it.
Spring break memories carry
with you throughout your whole
college experience, so have fun,
relax, and be safe.