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About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 18, 2004)
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.
