1VEWS
2 • T he C lackamas P rint
F ebruary 18, 2004
A Midwinter Night's Dream
CCC Celebrates benefits Campaign For the Arts
Prologue:
Studio Arts Building
Karlin Johnson
N ews E ditor
Clackamas Community College
Foundation presents “A Midwinter
Night’s Dream” on Saturday, Feb. 21.
The production will showcase
the arts and benefit Clackamas’
Campaign for the Arts in the style of
a progressive dinner.
The prologue allows guests to
check in and enjoy wine or other
beverages while viewing the student
art show.
Act I takes place in the Randall
Gymnasium foyer. Guests can halt
their hunger with delicious hors
d’oeuvres while bidding on art
pieces and other cultural packages.
Instrumental Jazz will be provided
by CCC music students.
The cast and crew of CCC
Theatre Department’s winter pro
duction will treat guests to a special
vignette from “The Odd Couple,”
to complete Act II in McLoughlin
Theatre.
Dessert is served during Act III
in the Randall Gym while guests are
able to purchase theatre seats and
listen to grand finale musical per
formances.
Tickets to “A Midwinter Night’s
Dream” ate $50 and available only in
advance. To make reservations, call
ext. 2402 no later than .this
Thursday, Feb. 21 at 4 p.m.
Act I:
Randall Gymnasium
Foyer
Act II:
McLoughlin Theatre
Act III:
Randall Gymnasium
Cast:
Student and
local professional artists
CCC choir
CCC instrumental
groups
CCC theatre depart
ment
JESSE LAMOND C lackamas P rint
Cast of “The Odd
Couple”
Student Jess Hartsock, Art Dept. Chair Dave Anderson and student Tyler Derry create back-
drops for CCC Celebrates. Hartsock and Derry are both Phi Theta Kappa honor students.
Gay couples win state-wide marriage struggle
Ben Maras
T he C lackamas P rint
Recently a judicial decision to
legalize same-sex marriage in the
state of Massachusetts was
passed 4-3, making it the fitst
state to allow gay marriage;
The ruling will not take effect
right away, instead giving the state
legislature six months to rewrite
the state’s marriage laws in order
to allow gays and lesbians to wed.
No other state currently allows a
marriage license to same-sex
partners.
The ruling came a week before
a constitution convention met to
consider proposing an amend-«
ment changing the definition ob
marriage in the state of
Massachusetts. If approved, it
must be ratified by both houses:
in two successive sessions, and
would the face voters no earlier!
than 2006.
“The people of Massachusetts
should not be excluded from a
decision as fundamental to our*
society as the definition of mar
riage,” said Gov. Mitt Romney.
“This issue is too important to
leave to a one-vote majority of
the [Supreme Judicial Court].”
Massachusetts, which has one
of the highest homosexual popu
lations in the United States
according tQ the last census, was
thrust to the front of the gay
civil-rights '' movfetdefdf\ in
November When the marriage
baa Was ruled as “unconstifn-
|||||
?:, This is the biggest win for ¿ay-
rights activists since 1999, when
Vermont ^Instituted J.Kenvil
unions,” supported by theMBov
Howard Dean. Civil unions pro
vide homosexual couples with
most of th«state civil
marriages, butriririe of the feder
al benefits, such as Social
Hjcurity.
igg
Opposition to th« legalization
offered
a compromise
of
Vermont-style civil unions, but
was rejected last Week by the leg
islation because “the proposed
law by its express terms forbids
same-sex couples entry into civil
marriage; it continues to relegate
same-sex couples to a different
status. ... The history of our
nation has demonstrated that
separate is seldom, if ever, between one man and one
Because San Francisco does
equal,” according to a press woman, and the legislature could not require a proof of residency
release.
“rationally conclude that it fur to be married, gay couples from
Supporters added that civil thers the legitimate state purpose across the country flocked to the
union is not enough, and only a of ensuring, promoting and sup city to be unified as a couple for
full strike-down of the gay-mar porting an optimal social struc only an $82 marriage application
riage ban would work because the ture for the bearing and raising of and a $13 application fee, some
Massachusetts constitution for children.”
thing which seemed like a small
bids the creation of second-class
The decision came only. a. day price to them, including the 825
citizens and nothing short of after Ohio Gov. Bob.Taft enacted couples who stood in in the rain
marriage truly treats the gay, les one of the most sweeping gay and cold on Thursday to be mar
bian, bisexual and transgender marriage bans in the history of tied.
community as equals.
San Francisco Mayor Gavin
the
United
States,. ' citing
“We declare that barring an Massachusetts as.Jfi«ftieason for Newsom has said that the mar
individual from the protections, the urgency .of :The. adopting of riages will continue until a court
benefits and obligations of civil such a policy. President Bush also stops th ein..
marriage solely because that per lias said he would oppose this
'.'’■^The bottom line is I took an
son would marry a person of the “deeply troubling” ruling at all. path of office and read that con
same
sex
violates
the costs.
stitution, and nowhere in there
In contrast; a California law did it say that I should discrimi
Massachusetts
constitution,”
wrote Chief Justice Margaret maker plans to attempt to follow nate,” Newsom said while on
Marshall after the ruling. “[The Massachusetts’ Jfead and legalize ; CNN’s “American Morning.”
opposition] failed to identify any gay marriage *.itl the state.
Thirty-six states have laws to
constitutionally adequate reason* California is currently one of pppose gay marriage. Oregon is
for denying civil marriage to only two states (the second being among the 10 (the other nine
same-sex couples.”
Alaska, and although not a state, being Wyoming, New Mexico,
Others, however, such as the District: ;of Columbia) .with Wisconsin, New York, New
Justice Robert Cordy, claim oth official state/district registries for Hampshire,
Road
Island,
erwise, saying that the marriage same-sex couples, ft„,/'
Connecticut, New Jersey and
In fact, last week in San Maryland) that lack laws banning
ban is not unconstitutional
because the state historically Francisco almost 2,500 gay cou or permitting same-sex marriage.
defines marriage as a union ples have wed since Thursday.
Drug companies conceal clangers in childrens'anti depressants
Shannon Armstead
T he C lackamas P rint
The warning in December by
British drug regulators against the
use of antidepressant drugs for
children under the age of 18 has
heightened U.S. concerns about
the relativity of their effective
ness, safety and fears of tfhat
pharmaceutical companies are
hiding.
The proposition for a ban
on drugs such as Zoloft,
Celexa and Lexapro came
about when parents and
campaigners, who were
upset with the increase in
prescriptions by general prac
titioners, voiced their apprehen
sion. Studies conducted by the
Medicines
and
Healthcare
Products Regulatory Agency
(MHPRA), also alerted concerned
citizens to the potential dangers
aggression towards others, had
been concealed, leaving doctors
and consumers in the dark as to
the dangers.
trials
of
INTERNET PHOTO
The issue has
depressed
children
come to the attention
held by
of the U.S. Federal
Drug Association and
several studies that find
a link between children’s
Vise of antidepressants and sui
cidal thoughts are now
being reviewed. In recent
years, studies have been
conducted on drugs
such as Paxil, Zoloft,
and Effexor.
“Across
all
these drugs, the rate of
drug compa
nies in thè children who become suicidal is
1990s.
They 2.5 times higher than on place
found details, of bos,” said Welsh psychiatrist
clinical trials showing David Healy.
Manufacturers of these and
the dangers of antidepressants;
the most serious, self-harm and other drugs have refused to dis
of these drugs when administered
to childrens
The MHPRA studied clinical
close the details of their own clin
ical trials because the companies
say they are trade secrets.
According to the Washington
Post, researchers familiar with the
unpublished data said the majori
ty of the secret trials show that
children taking the medicines did
not get any better than those tak
ing, placebos.
In the United States no antide
pressants besides Prozac have
been approved for treating child
hood depression, thus doctors
must rely on their own judgment
when prescribing other less famil
iar drugs.
For example, Paxil conducted
studies and found, that the drug
was ineffective arid .even caused
hostility, agitation and suicidal
thoughts and attempts. This
product, sold as Seroxat in
Europe, sent a warning that it
should not be prescribed.
However, no warning was given
in the United States on Paxil even
though the products are identical.
Drug Industry executives com
plain that if they start publishing
their negative data, it may be con
cluded that their drugs are inef
fective.
Pharmaceutical companies and
the psychiatrists associated with
them argue that the abandoning
of drugs for children would be
getting rid of a helpful medicine,
but it is questionable whether of
not drugs ever had a positive
effect on children.
Some say that antidepressant
drugs are not cures but are used to
mask a deeper problem in an indi
vidual. Others try therapies such as
counseling and natural medicines as
alternatives - to using antidepres
sants on children, which may essen
tially help treat depression rather
than termporarily hide it.