Letters

What's Next for Napster?

Your very informative article on Napster, the music-file-sharing program [TECHNOLOGY, Oct. 2], drove home one critical point: Napster sends a clear-cut message to the recording industry and also sends a strong edict to the artists themselves. Gone are the days when the consumer was forced to purchase a 15-song album only to end up stuck with 14 mediocre tracks and one stellar one. As people pick and choose music by the song and not the album, recording artists will certainly feel the pressure to provide the consumer with an all-around quality product. One good song out of 15 will no longer be sufficient. TOM ATKINS Sherman Oaks, Calif.

In spite of Napster founder Shawn Fanning's self-portrait as a poor, starving code renegade, the fact remains that his company is a well-financed corporate entity. If you take away the glamour of computer-era hype, what Fanning has done is not new: from the Tin Pan Alley days, businesspeople have sought to rip off artists for profit. But things have progressed. Song sharks used to be small-time hustlers; today they are glorified on the cover of TIME magazine. ERIC VINCENT Philadelphia

For the past 15 years, I've been trying to track down albums by relatively obscure 1980s bands to no avail. I'm generally met with blank stares or the usual "It's out of print." Napster technology has made it possible for me and thousands of others like me to finally have copies of this material. The record industry long ago declared these bands unprofitable; they stopped pressing their albums and did not release their work on CDs. Now the companies want to cry foul and claim we're stealing the music without paying for it. Hey, I would gladly shell out the $15 if the CD were for sale. I shed no tears for the recording industry. The way I see it, they've left us no alternative. ANDREA STILWELL Monona, Wis.

If I walked into a store, picked up a CD, put it in my pocket and walked out the door, I would be arrested. I don't understand why if I do the same thing on the Internet, there is any question about the legality of this act. If it is against the law in person, it should be against the law in cyberspace! SUZY MURPHY Cheyenne, Wyo.

Musicians and record companies are screaming over the theft of "intellectual property" when what they should be doing is asking themselves how they can better meet the demands of an ever fickle population of music lovers. JULIA L. LANE Canal Winchester, Ohio

Like many people our age, we have a large vinyl and tape collection, which, because of children, space, technology, etc., has been banished to the attic. Using Napster, we can once again listen to the music we already have on vinyl. We haven't downloaded anything we don't already own on vinyl or tape. Napster has saved us a lot of time and effort in switching to the new technology. MARSHALL AND KATHY LANDIS Baltimore, Md.

People seem to have lost sight of the bottom line: musicians incur costs to record CDs, and many people support families with less-than-glamorous jobs to put these albums out. You can't convince me that a college student who is able to download a whole CD for free on his computer is still going to run out and purchase that recording. Fanning is a punk who is making money off other people's labor. TRACY PASEMAN Issaquah, Wash.

Artists deserve to be paid when their paintings sell or are reproduced. Poets should be paid when their poems are published. Songwriters and musicians deserve to be paid when their songs are broadcast or when someone makes a profit as a result of a song. Whoever holds the copyright is owed money. SCOTT FOGDALL San Diego

Using Napster is like inviting 100,000 friends over for Monday Night Football--not what the network intended, but not illegal. How can sharing music in this way be an instance of copyright infringement if the songs are used for noncommercial purposes? Perhaps Napster will eliminate money-driven junk music and encourage truly creative individuals to write and perform great music, regardless of their compensation. The whining record companies and recording artists should learn to embrace the technology or get out of the way. ROGER KRAEMER Brea, Calif.

Close the Nevada Loophole

The piece by Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele "Throwing the Game" [BIG MONEY & POLITICS, Sept. 25] focused attention on a problem of growing concern to the collegiate athletic community. Gambling on amateur sporting events, including college games and the Olympics, is a serious problem. This report brought to light the tragic cases of young athletes whose careers have been ruined and whose actions have caused a cloud of scandal to hang over the colleges and universities they attended long after the incidents of game fixing and point shaving occurred. But even if there weren't scandals, we believe it is inappropriate to bet on college athletic competitions whether done legally in the casinos of Nevada or in any of the other 49 states where federal law currently prohibits it. Congress should act to close the Nevada loophole. Legal gambling on amateur sports fuels the larger, illegal gambling industry and makes it nearly impossible for us to address this growing problem. JAMES E. HANEY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR National Association of Basketball Coaches Overland Park, Kans. GRANT TEAFF, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR American Football Coaches Association Waco, Texas

In-Flight Homicide

Your report "Homicide In The Sky," on the unruly airline passenger who died from injuries inflicted by fellow flyers, almost got me off the ground [NATION, Oct. 2]. You seemed sympathetic to Jonathan Burton, a passenger who was acting like a crazed lunatic and who, if left unchecked, could have brought down a planeload of people. You looked critically at the brave passengers who apparently contributed to Burton's death while trying to subdue him. Was his death the result of vigilante justice? No. It was the result of people doing what they had to to save themselves and others. Shouldn't passengers be expected to react strongly when their lives are at stake at 17,000 ft.? EDWARD L. EICHELBERGER Spring, Texas

Most airplane seats are too small and the craft overcrowded. People reach their boiling point much faster when they are crammed together on a plane and have no control over their surroundings. I know our local shopping malls, fast-food spots and the like all have security guards around the clock. Even our little local grocery store has a sheriff moonlighting as a guard on weekend nights. Maybe the major airlines that transport millions of people each year should consider hiring people to protect those of us who use their services. JENNIFER BAILEY O'NEIL Cincinnati, Ohio

Safe at What Speed?

As I was driving to work today, I thought of your story "Is This Vehicle Safe?"--about the propensity of sport-utility vehicles to turn over [BUSINESS, Oct. 2]. I was being passed by scores of SUVs at speeds of up to 80 m.p.h., some even faster. Perhaps the question we should be asking is, "Are These Drivers Safe?" Certainly if the tread on a tire separates or there is a design flaw in an automobile, the manufacturers bear some responsibility if people are injured or killed. I think drivers also bear some responsibility if the manner in which they drive endangers themselves or others. suvs are not sports cars and should be driven with special care. That extra horsepower is not there to make you a race driver like Jeff Gordon. JOHN COTHRAN San Ramon, Calif.

Both Ford and Firestone may bear some blame for the crashes associated with their products. But what about the drivers? Both tread separation and rollover are more likely at high speeds. Remembering all the SUVs that have sailed past me as I drove the speed limit, I wonder how many of those tragic crashes occurred at illegal speeds. ROBERT EBERHART Port Matilda, Pa.

Beat the Devil

The rise in performing the rite of exorcism by the Roman Catholic Church may sound like a movie premise [RELIGION, Oct. 2], but the growth in the number of people who seem unable to distinguish reality from what they see in the movies and on television should be a cause for concern. Isn't it dubious to blame Satan for the lack of a moral anchor and an increased flirtation with paganism? Mightn't these be signs of growing scientific illiteracy and irrationalism? We humans should take responsibility for our actions and stop blaming God and Satan for our shortcomings and follies. History has demonstrated what happens to civilizations in which reason is replaced by irrationality. SAMUEL KOUNAVES Boston

The vast majority of Catholics find exorcism to be a laughable remnant of the Middle Ages. While all religions have certain tenets that require deep faith to accept, exorcism is not one of them. Stop the silly stories of levitation and demonic powers. Mental illness and personality disorders are real and should be dealt with as serious medical conditions. GEORGE GENUNG St. Louis, Mo.

Power Play in Peru

Re your report on political turmoil in Peru [WORLD, Oct. 2]: How simple it is for people, especially those sitting in comfortable offices in the U.S. or Europe, to accuse Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori of running a "brutal and authoritarian government." How easily Fujimori's critics forget the brutal years of 1987-92, when thousands of innocent people died at the hands of the guerrillas. Fortunately most Peruvians recognize what Fujimori has achieved. That is the reason he was elected for a third term. BERNARDO ALVAREZ Lima

Well Done, Mate!

Here in South Africa, we consider Australia our archrival in most things, particularly rugby union and cricket. For two weeks, I watched the Olympics spectacle on television [THE SUMMER OLYMPICS, Oct. 9], and now that they are over, I am eager to tell the Australians how proud I am of what they have done. CLIFF CARD Johannesburg

Olympics by the Numbers

There's no questioning the accomplishments of the three top medal-producing nations (the U.S., Russia and China) at the Games [THE SUMMER OLYMPICS, Oct. 9], but consider the massive populations those countries can draw on to produce top athletes. With just 19 million people, Australia won more than half as many medals as the U.S., whose 275 million population base dwarfs Australia's. On a per capita basis, the Olympic host nation didn't do badly at all in winning medals. JAMES KRAMER Toronto

Snoozing Through the Games

Perhaps the American people, knowing the results of the Olympic events before they were able to see them broadcast on TV, were happier [THE SUMMER OLYMPICS, Oct. 2]. Not having to watch in tense anticipation no doubt improved their mental health. Since Americans are accustomed to receiving news in real time, they might have learned that slowing things down is sometimes a good thing. Even so, they missed some real nail biters. SHINICHI MIYACHI Kyoto, Japan

Stay Away from Labels

Joel Stein's commentary on his experiences in Australia during the Games, "Canada with an Accent" [NOTEBOOK, Sept. 25], was the most insulting article I've ever read. The underlying prejudice and ignorance of this supposedly humorous piece were staggering. To categorize all Australians as "wussy suburban beach lovers" is as ignorant as it is tasteless. Perhaps the reason Stein decided to link Canadians and Australians is that we are both friendly and accepting peoples, characteristics Stein apparently lacks. Shame on Stein for writing such trash! And on TIME for printing it! DAWN VERHEYLEWEGEN Calgary, Alta.

The Petroleum Problem

In regard to the oil crisis, you missed the core issue [NATION, Oct. 2] We in the West live in a free-market economy, so the price of oil will be set by supply and demand. Any reduction of taxes on oil will just increase demand, and hence the price. If Western politicians do take steps to reduce the taxes on oil, then it will be a signal to OPEC that further increases can be applied to the price of oil. A number of well-known social and technological measures are available for reducing oil demand, but our governments lack the ability or will to use them. NEIL McCUBBIN Foster, Que.

The world lives on oil. It will remain the world's single most important source of energy for the foreseeable future. For the past few years the predictions of oil prices have been like weather forecasts--sometimes wrong and often seriously misleading. The supply of oil is limited. But if we manage our resources well, then our oil reserves should last for generations to come. AIJAZ SHAIKH Jamshoro, Pakistan

Stolen Lives

I feel compassion for the "Stolen Generation" of part-Aboriginal children who were removed from their families in Australia [WORLD, Oct. 2]. It was a tragedy that no one should experience. But it is time for the Aborigines to move on. Constant protests will eventually work against them. The key to a strong race is education, persistence and a lot of hard work. Many of us Asians went to Australia with empty pockets, and we suffered racism and unfair treatment. But through our sweat we became proud and respected citizens. I urge the Aborigines to do the same. Forget about the past; it is the future that counts. ANNA XU Hong Kong

Midnight Oil, Australia's most popular rock band for 20 years, has devoted many of its songs to the political plight of the Aboriginal people. And yet many white Australians claim they did not know until recently of the poor treatment and the political plight of the Aborigines. I lived in Australia for three years but left because of the extreme racial prejudice there. I still retain my Australian citizenship, but I went back to India. If you think South Africa is prejudiced, racist or xenophobic, think again! It pales in comparison with Australia. AMARJIT SINGH New Delhi

In everyone there is a tendency to discriminate against others that lies behind one's conscious feelings. Your report brought to mind the hurtful results of cruel policies toward minorities. The issue of the terrible treatment of the Aborigines is one not only for Australians but also for the rest of us. There are examples in the behavior of the Asian people in wartime and toward the Ainu, Hokkaido's distinctive people who have been supplanted by the Japanese. SHIRO MATSUMOTO Chiba, Japan

Auto Erotica

I don't think your writer Steve Lopez would think the concept of a drive-through strip joint was so funny if it was in his neighborhood [STEVE LOPEZ'S AMERICA, Oct. 2]! There are already two nude dance clubs in Salem Township. How many do you need in a community of 7,500 people? I can't believe the owner of the Climax Gentleman's Club believes he is in the "entertainment business." P.T. Barnum would turn over in his grave to have his name mentioned in connection with this article. LINDA FREY Apollo, Pa.

Vaccination Debate

Leon Jaroff's opinion piece attacking the antivaccine movement [SKEPTICAL EYE, Oct. 2] does a tremendous disservice to thinking parents everywhere. I am concerned enough to educate myself about vaccines and intelligent enough to realize that although there are benefits from immunizations, there are most definitely significant risks as well. Parents are the ones who are ultimately responsible for their child's welfare. They have a right to choose whether or not a potentially dangerous substance is injected into their child. LAURA W. KING Lewisville, Texas

We wanted to track the development of our son before we pumped him full of vaccines. He is now three years old, healthy and vaccinated. We recognize the importance of vaccinations. However, we do question whether it is wise to begin on two-day-old infants. DANIELLE GUYET-LUMBY New Providence, N.J.

Corrections

Our report on government approval of the sale of the abortion pill RU 486 [NATION, Oct. 9] included a reference to Dr. Lisa Tucker, who we said works at the Florida clinic where Dr. David Gunn was murdered in 1993. Dr. Tucker does not work at that clinic, and she does not perform abortions. Also, our chart showing the decline in abortions mistakenly included percentage signs. The abortion rate per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44 in the U.S. is 22.9 per 1,000, not 22.9%.