Comedian to perform Tuesday for Union Board event at 7 p.m.

Union Board will present comedian Johnny Walker at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Student Center, Main Floor.

Walker, a Los Angeles native, is a regular comic at the Hollywood Improv comedy club.

He is also a National Association for Campus Activities favorite, traveling across the country entertaining college campuses.

Walker's shows contain a mixture of parody songs, stand-up and improvisation.

The comic performance is free for all students with a valid Tech ID.

For more information, contact Stephen Bell, the Union Board president and a senior biology major, at 257-4237 or visit the Union Board Web site at http://www.unionboard.com.

Co-ed tennis tournament open to students; $5 donation requested

The Association of Catholic Tech Students will hold a co-ed tennis tournament at 2 p.m. April 21-24 at the Ruston High School tennis courts on the corner of James St. and West Mississippi.

Any Tech student wanting to participate in the tennis open can register at the Catholic Student Center, located at 600 Thornton St.

Students participating should bring their own tennis racquet.

Tennis balls will be provided by ACTS.

A donation of $5 can be made at the tennis open.

Any donation made will go towards ACTS to help fund their summer trip to Germany.

For more information, contact Marcos Gonzales, the president of ACTS and a senior graphic design major, at 464-6761 or by email at marcos@acts-latech.com

Free self-assessment workshop to provide career counseling

Counseling Services will host a two-day Career Decision Making Workshop from 4 to 7 p.m. April 19-20 in Keeny Hall, Room 310.

These workshops will be offered again April 25-26 at the same time and place to enrolled students, free of charge.

The workshops will be led by licensed professional counselors.

This may serve as an opportunity for self-assessment in the areas of skills and abilities, work interest, temperament and work-related values.

Also, assistance in compiling a list of occupational options and access to current career information to assess options will be offered.

The workshop will also explore majors offered at Tech.

For more information, contact Linda D. Griffin, the director of counseling services, at 257-2488.

Winning works from art show on display in Visual Art galleries

Tech's Student Art Show is showing from now until April 27 in the Visual Arts Center, located across from A.E. Phillips Laboratory School and next to M.S. Carroll Natatorium.

Students from areas in the school of art, such as communication design, photography and studio, had artwork judged from faculty and a guest judge, artist Suzanne Prudhomme.

Winning works are displayed in the Tech and E.J. Bellocq galleries, located adjacent each other.

The galleries are open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and admission is free for everyone.

For more information, contact Mary Louise Carter, an assistant professor of art and the gallery director, at 257-3909.

Eta Kappa to host cookout after The Big Event; open to public

The Eta Kappa Chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity will host a cookout Saturday. The social will be held following the group's participation in The Big Event at 2:06 p.m.

The Big Event is an annual volunteer effort open to all individuals and organizations interested in helping members of the community.

The cookout is the closing activity of the festivities held during Alpha Week. It will be in the Student Government Association Blue Field, and there will be barbecued chicken and pork, and drinks provided.

Admission to this event is free and the general public is welcomed to participate.

For more information, contact Christopher Thomas, a junior accounting major and president of Alpha Phi Alpha, at 257-2247.

Fraternity to sponsor step show with $750 award to best team

As part of Alpha Week Spring 2005, the Eta Kappa chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. will sponsor the AlphaGeddon Step Show, 7:06 p.m. Friday in Thomas Assembly Center.

Any and all step teams from surrounding communities are welcome to attend.

The purpose of this event is to promote community involvement and to promote the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity.

An award of $750 will be awarded to the best overall team.

$500 will be awarded to the best male and female step teams.

This event is free and is open to the general public.

For more information, contact Marcus Laing, a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and a senior architecture major, at 512-6782.

Proceeds of Phi Mu golf tourney to aid Children's Miracle Network

Alpha Lambda Chapter of Phi Mu will hold a golf tournament April 29 to benefit the Children's Miracle Network.

The tournament will be held at Calvert's Crossing, located at 515 Hodge Watson Rd., in Calhoun, La.

The entry fee is $80; $65 for Tech students with a valid ID. The fee covers green fee, tee and lunch for the participants.

Those interested should call the Phi Mu Lodge to obtain an application. To return the applications, simply return them to the lodge or mail them to Alpha Lambda Chapter Phi Mu, P.O. Box 3094, Ruston, LA 71272.

Deadline for entry is April 20.

For more information about playing or becoming a sponsor, contact Nicole Power, a senior accounting major, at 255-6350.

Students with 2.5 GPA eligible for Student Advancement Team

Applications for the Student Advancement Team are due April 25 in the Marbury Alumni Center.

The S.A.T. provides a link between the alumni and current student body at Tech. To be considered for the positions, a student must be enrolled full-time with a minimum GPA of 2.5.

Selection will be based on the applicant's speaking ability, campus involvement and ability to work as a team member.

Those interested can get applications in the Alumni Center.

Interviews will be April 26-27.

For more information, call Ryan Richard, the coordinator of alumni programs, at 255-7950.

This item originally appeared in the April 14, 2005 issue of The Tech Talk.

WHO sends U.S., Canada order to destroy samples of flu virus

Laboratories in the United States and Canada have been ordered by the World Health Organization to destroy samples of a flu virus used for testing the ability to identify viruses.

According to CNN.com, a Canadian lab identified the virus as the "Asian-flu" strain that caused the 1957 pandemic. In that year, and the following, the virus killed more than one million people, 70,000 of those being in the United States. The order to destroy the vials came was issued because of the possible, but unlikely, risk the virus could start a global infection. Anyone born after 1968, the last year a vaccine was administered for the virus, would not be immune to it.

A spokesman for the Center for Disease Control said there is little risk for public threat, and future samples will be limited to those with current vaccinations available.

Karzai planning formal request for continued U.S. presence

President Hamid Karzai is planning to request a continued U.S. presence in Afghanistan.

According to Foxnews.com, Karzai is preparing a formal request for a long-term security partnership for President Bush. The partnership could possibly include a permanent U.S. military presence.

Karzai said, in a news conference, he had spoken with many of his citizens about the "strategic" relationship to help avoid foreign interference and military conflicts.

Karzai said he previously discussed the matter with President Bush and is now planning to formalize the request, but did not clarify when. U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfield said this was a matter for President Bush to decide.

Spears confirms speculations; now pregnant with first child

After months of tabloid speculation, pop star Britney Spears announced Tuesday she is pregnant with her first child.

According to CNN.com, Spears made announced the good news in a post to fans on her official Web site.

"The time has finally come to share our wonderful news that we are expecting our first child together. There were reports that I was in the hospital this weekend. Kevin and I just want everyone to know that all is well. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. Love Britney and Kevin," the posting said.

Spears, who married Kevin Federline in a secret ceremony last September, posted on her Web site in October that she "could not wait to start a family." The child will be Spears' first and Federline's third. No other details were available.

FDA votes 5-4 against ban lift for silicone breast implantation

The Food and Drug Administration voted 5-4 against lifting the ban on silicone-gel breast implants. Tuesday, federal health advisers rejected a manufacturer's request to bring the implants back to the U.S. market because of continuing question concerning safety and durability.

Inamed. Corp. argued today's implants are more safe than those offered thirteen years ago. The FDA was not convinced, however, and said the company did not provide enough evidence for the durability of the implants, or the health risks of breaks or leaks.

FDA advisers stressed the implants are not meant to "last a lifetime," but insisted women need to know the odds of them lasting ten years.

According to MSNBC.com, Dr. Barbara Manno of Louisiana State University said women have a choice, but ultimately opposed lifting the ban because patients were tracked only three to four years after the implants. Manno was concerned that older implants get, the more likely they are to rupture.

Georgia high school rewards snitches for drug, gun info

Using proceeds from its soda and snack sales, Model High School in Georgia plans to pay up to $100 for information about thefts and drug or gun possession on campus.

"It's not that we feel there are any problems here," said Principal Glenn White. "It's a proactive move for getting information that will help deter any sort of illegal activity."

According to CNN.com, under the new policy, a student would receive $10 for information about a theft on campus, $25 or $50 for information about drug possession, and $100 for information about gun possession or other serious felonies.

Volcanic activity causes flight of Sumatra Island residents

Residents of Sumatra Island, Indonesia, have been evacuated due to imminent volcanic activity within nearby Mount Talang.

According to CNN.com, a string of recent earthquakes has sparked heightened rumbling of the mountain, causing billows of ash and flashes of fire to spew from its peak.

Local officials said 26,000 people had been evacuated from the slopes and areas around the 9,825-ft. volcano, adding that number was likely to rise.

Scientists have warned of increased seismic activity in Indonesia as the plates that make up the earth's crust realign following the magnitude nine earthquakes in December that triggered massive tsunami waves across the Indian Ocean.

Whale found in Delaware River; causes temporary sensation

The citizens of Trenton, N.J., massed with cameras in tow Wednesday as the city stopped to watch a whale in the river.

The beluga whale, approximately 10-12 feet long, was first spotted downstream from the "Trenton Makes The World Takes" bridge.

An onlooker said there were four news helicopters over the river, the trained stopped on the trestle and people lined the river. He then said it was like "the city has gone mad," and the people might rename the bridge for the whale.

The whale, which had to swim past the city of Philadelphia to reach Trenton, is the second whale to find itself in the Delaware River. The first, in 1995, was named Waldo the Wrong Way Right Whale.

Enthusiasts approve proposal to legalize wild cat hunting

Outdoor enthusiasts approved a proposal 6,830 to 5,201 at Monday's spring hearings of the Wisconsin Conservation Congress, a citizens' advisory group, to legalize wild cat hunting.

According to CNN.com, the proposal would allow licensed hunters to kill free-roaming cats, including any domestic cat that is not under the owner's direct control or any cat without a collar.

The results from the hearing will get forwarded to the Natural Resources Board for its consideration. The measure will have to pass legislature and be signed by Gov. Jim Doyle.

South Dakota and Minnesota are upper Mid-western states that allow wild cats to be shot.