Event:Big West Conference Multi-Event Championships; Sac State Open Where:Anteater Stadium – Irvine,Calif.; Hornet Stadium – Sacramento,Calif. When:Friday and Saturday,all day; Saturday at10:45a.m. Who to watch:Junior Anikia Jackson has competed in two heptathlons for the Aggies since transferring to UC Davis in the fall. She won both of them. The former junior college state champion in the heptathlon,Jackson is currently ranked fourth in the conference with her score of4,903,set while winning the UC Multi Meet in March. “My goal is to be at5,400at conference,” said Jackson. “The most critical event for me is the sprints and the high jump.Those are major high scoring events.Every second and every inch is crucial in the heptathlon.“

QUAD STAGE Mad Cow String Band Friday,6:30p.m. CEDAR STAGE Ginger Ninjas Friday,7:30p.m. Ben Lewis Saturday,6p.m. Ayla Nero Sunday,10a.m.

We’re approaching the final countdown,people:five weeks left in the quarter.That’s five more weeks of cushy, “it’s okay to be unemployed” college living,four more weeks of lecture and four more weeks of silly column mugs from yours truly. More importantly:Only five more weeks I have left to use the Activities and Recreation Center,better known as the ARC. The ARC has been sadly underutilized by me ever since I was a wee freshman.In fact,I didn’t visit the ARC until midway through my first year,when I arrived in jeans,sandals and mascara. (I was one ofthose girls,I know.) Since then,my visits have been few and far between.

As gorillas are slowly making their way onto the endangered species list,UC Davis is launching a new program to help curb the decline. In order to conserve the740mountain gorillas that exist today in the wild– primarily in the Virunga Mountains of central Africa– UC Davis‘ School of Veterinary Medicine’s Wildlife Health Center launched a “One Health” program onApr.23. The Mountain Gorilla One Health Program cares for gorillas in central Africa,as well as the human neighbors and other animals that reside in the same environment.

On Monday,the UC Davis women’s golf team patiently awaited the news on whether or not it would receive an at-large bid to compete in the NCAA Championships. Last season,UC Davisearned that same at-large bid,going on to have a magical run in the tournament and finish21st place in the country. It was the first year of Division I eligibility for theunrankedAggies,who were dubbed a “Cinderella” by then-head coach Kathy DeYoung.

A recent invention is threatening to become even more personal than Google.As The Independent reported,Wolfram Alpha promises access to a world designed uniquely to oneself:It“will understand questions and give specific,tailored answers in a way that the web has never managed before.“ Alpha,in other words,delivers what humans always sought:immediate,accurate answers.This erais an era of looping,endless mass production and mass consumption.Products proliferate and advertisements abound.For many,this can be jarring as it can be disorienting– too much is also too little.

In many cultures around the world, footwear not only serves functional purposes, but also as indicators of social class and economic status. “Stepping Out: Footwear Around the World,” an exhibition put on by UC Davis design students, features shoes from our very own design collection. The exhibit opens on Monday and will run until July 12. An opening reception will be held on May 17 at 1 p.m. at the museum, and guided tours will be given throughout the afternoon.

Teams:UC Davis vs.Cal State Northridge Records:Aggies,21-30 (5-13); Matadors,27-20 (7-11) Where:LaRue Field When:Saturday at noon and2p.m.; Sunday at noon Who to watch:The UC Davis pitching staff doesn’t have the second-best ERA in the Big West Conference for no reason. Freshman catcher Rachel Miller has been a mainstay behind the platethis season,starting in all of the Aggies‘ 51games. The Costa Mesa,Calif.native has thrown out12potential base-stealers while committing only five errors.She’s ranked second on the squad in doubles (eight) and first on theteam in sacrifice hits (seven).

On May19Californians will vote on the Lottery Modernization Act,better known as Prop1C. Proposition1C proposes changes to the California lottery system.It would allow the state to borrow$5billion from the lottery to balance the2009-2010state budget and allow future legislation to use the lottery as a resource for future deficits.Prop1C is expected to protect education funding.

Most of you have heard the old adage: “Using swear words shows that you have a poor vocabulary.” This is somewhat true– people with a poor vocabulary have to improvise with the smaller collection of words.When fueled with anger,their mind retrieves the most salient insults lying dormant in their mind.Taking note of their belligerent use of the language,you’ll find the same insulting phrases being parroted over and over again.

The Yolo County Animal Shelter is struggling against parvovirus,a highly contagious canine virus that has killed10dogs in the last month. The last case of the virus was onApr.21and shelter staff believe the outbreak is now under control,said Vicky Fletcher,Yolo County’s chief animal services officer. Parvovirus is a malicious disease that can result in bloody diarrhea,vomitingand a noticeably sick dog.Dogs may also display depression,lethargyand a loss of appetite.The disease may result in death due to dehydration.

It‘s always good to get an outsider‘s opinion,becausethey can tell you things you may not realize.Like when Oreo cookies make your teeth look disgustingly brown or when you‘re just plain acting like an idiot.We Americans are pretty set in our ways; in general,we like action films,barbecuingand watchingcelebrities get DUIs.Other people may see us as more of the obese,stupidly conservative,pornophobic Evangelist bible-hugger type.I guess we kind of deserve it– we are the country responsible for the production ofEurotrip.But hey,it‘s all about perspective.