County grand jury seeking new applicants The San Diego County Grand Jury is seeking applicants with sound judgment and dedication. Applications are now being accepted to make up the 19-member body that will serve from July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010. Applications are available by telephone at (619) 450-7272 or from the San Diego Superior Court’s website at www.sdcourts.-ca.gov or the Grand Jury’s website at www.sdcounty.ca.gov/grandjury. Jurors will work four days a week and roughly six hours a day weighing in on investigations of citizen complaints and on traditional watchdog functions over government agencies. All jurors will receive a small stipend per day, gas mileage and parking downtown. Candidates must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years of age, have sufficient knowledge of the English language and have lived in the country for one year prior to selection. Candidates are required to pass a criminal background check. Those candidates who successfully meet the application criteria are encouraged to apply. Application forms must be received by Jan. 16, 2009. Qualified candidates will be nominated for a random drawing scheduled for June 5, 2009. Great American Smokeout begins today Extinguish that smoking habit starting today, Nov. 20, during the 32nd Great American Smokeout. If smokers are not prepared to quit immediately, they can at least make a plan to. Started nationwide in 1976, the Smokeout is about inspiring and encouraging smokers to quit for one day. Today, 44 percent of the 45 million Americans who smoke have tried to quit for at least one day in the past year. The Great American Smokeout, organized by the American Cancer Society (ACS), is a chance to make a long-term plan to commit to quitting. Those who participate will receive free information on how to increase a smoker’s chances of successfully quitting. The ACS will provide other free resources such as tips and tools for support networks of potential quitters. For more information, call (800) 227-2345 or visit www.cancer.org. PostalAnnex launches food drive to aid hungry Throw cans at hunger this holiday season to help families in need. San Diego PostalAnnex locations are teaming up with the St. Vincent DePaul Food Drive by becoming food drop-off locations. Each PostalAnnex will be collecting nonperishable and canned food items from Nov. 15 to 28 for families in need. Drop-off sites include: La Jolla: • 7514 Girard Ave., Suite 1 • 8677 Villa La Jolla Drive • 8895 Towne Centre Drive • 3368 “F” Governor Drive Pacific Beach: • 1666 Garnet Ave. Point Loma: • 2907 Shelter Island Drive, Suite 105 For store hours and directions call (619) 563-4800 or toll free (800) 456-1525, or visit www.postalannex.com. St. Vincent DePaul serves up to 1.7 million meals a year to San Diego’s homeless population and is accepting donations of all kinds. For more information visit www.neighbor.org. Morgenstern to speak on wanderlust treasures Felicia Morgenstern will be the featured speaker at a free demonstration and discussion on “upcycling” wanderlust treasures. The event will take place Sunday, Dec. 7 at 5 p.m. at Hostelling International, Point Loma, 3790 Udall St. Morgenstern wears the hats of artist, author and adventurer, combining those three facets into her demonstration. She will bring those global treasures and keepsakes that all wanderers find in forgotten markets and from local artisans and present how she has refashioned them into striking, eco-friendly jewelry and mixed-art media. After Morgenstern’s presentation, a discussion will follow covering how to revamp and add new life to those foreign treasures that might have fallen out of collectors’ peripheries. The workshop is open to the public, but RSVPs are encouraged. To register for the workshop or for more information, call (619) 338-9981 ext. 14 or e-mail [email protected]. New Americans Museum to feature new exhibit The New Americans Museum at Liberty Station will be presenting a unique exhibition chronicling the Jewish experience in the United States. “From Haven to Home: 350 Years of Jewish Life in America” will be shown in the New Americans Museum Annex, located at 2863 Historic Decatur Road, NTC Landing at Liberty Station. The exhibit will run from Dec. 5, 2008 through Mar. 1, 2009. “From Haven to Home” presents a captivating opportunity to recount the American portion of Jewish history, covering the journey from persecution to participation, beginning with the original 23 refugees who landed in 1654 to today’s growing and vibrant population. Admission is free to the museum, which is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. There is plenty of free parking. For more information call (619) 255-8908 or visit www.newamericansmusuem.org. PLNU solar project earns 2008 Orchid Award Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU) was honored last week with an Orchid Award for Sustainable Design. Each year, the San Diego Architectural Foundation hands out “orchids” and “onions” for what it views as the best and worst designs respectively. This year’s orchid award is PLNU’s first. It was PLNU’s 310-kilowatt solar panel system from SPG Solar that earned the university the award. The system provides about 80 percent of peak energy for four major buildings, including a residence hall and the gymnasium, and helps to reduce carbon dioxide emissions significantly. University officials estimate more than 50 percent of the buildings’ annual electricity costs will be offset by clean, solar power. PLNU was able to finance the system through a power purchase agreement provided by Solar Power Partners, Inc. (SPP). Under the agreement, SPP will own the solar system for 20 years and sell the clean energy generated by the system to PLNU at a cost below present utility rates. PLNU has no upfront capital costs for the system and enjoys fixed electricity rates for 20 years, according to university officials. The solar panel installation, which initiated partly from a student research project, is the latest step in a series of efforts to make the PLNU campus more sustainable, starting with the establishment of a comprehensive single-stream recycling and food composting program in 2003.