Noble Nobel winner
Prof. Muhammad Yunus speaks to an SRO crowd Oct. 21 at UCSD’s Mandeville Auditorium.
Yunus was awarded the 2006 Nobel Prize in Economics for his work with the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, extending microcredit loans to poor people ” and especially women ” to lift them out of poverty.
Yunus invented the microcredit concept.

Halloween events planned for families
Several Halloween-themed events will take place this weekend and on Halloween, Oct. 31.
The Torrey Pines Elementary School Halloween Carnival scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 28 has been postponed to Sunday, Nov. 4. (Readers: because of last-minute cancellations due to the wildfires, please confirm dates and times.)
Tricks and treats around town:
“¢ Birch Aquarium will become “haunted” again this year, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings, Oct. 26-28. Games, spooky science exhibits, creepy maritime tales, trick-or-treating and a costume contest will all add to the fun, from 6-9 p.m. Tickets for the Haunted Birch Aquarium are $15, or $11 for aquarium members. The aquarium is located at 2300 Expedition Way. To register, call (858) 534-7336.
“¢ The La Jolla Rotary Club will once again host a Halloween Festival for the youngsters this Saturday, Oct. 27 at La Jolla Recreation Center, 615 Prospect St. Costume contests by age group, carnival games, a clown, Astro Jump and ponies will make for a festive afternoon, from 1-4 p.m. There will also be a bake sale. For information, call (858) 552-1658.
“¢ University City United Church’s annual Fall Festival is Saturday, Oct. 27 from 4 to 7 p.m. Attendees are asked to bring their own pumpkin to carve and a dish to share for the potluck dinner. There will also be a costume parade, games and crafts. The UC United Church is located at 2877 Governor Drive. For information, call (858) 453-3444.
“¢ One million pieces of candy ” that’s the total that the county’s Westfield shopping malls plan to distribute on Halloween, from 5 to 7 p.m. Families are asked to bring at least one nonperishable food item to the annual “Scare Away Hunger” event and trade it for treats and goodies. Attendees should bring their food items to the Shopping Concierge Center at Westfield UTC, 4545 La Jolla Village Drive. The food will be given to the San Diego Food Bank, which is helping fire evacuees. For information, visit www.westfield.com.
“¢ The First Baptist Church of San Diego will host its second annual “Treats in Trunks” event for preschool through sixth-graders on Halloween night, 6-8 p.m. The event features trick-or-treating, a cake walk with prizes, carnival games and an appearance by Bailey the horse. The church is located at 5055 Governor Drive. For information, call (858) 457-2064.

Writer will host college essay workshop
College application season is around the corner and students are searching for help.
To help high school seniors with the essay section of the application, writer Christie Ryan is holding a workshop on Sunday, Oct. 28 from 1 to 3 p.m. at La Jolla Riford Library, 7555 Draper Ave.
When students address college essay prompts, they often end up staring at a blank computer screen because there’s not much guidance in that area, Ryan said. In high school, students learn the structure of academic papers and write their application essays in a similar tone. But the essay is a student’s opportunity to give administrators what they can’t get from the application, noted Ryan.
“They have all the stats about you, but there’s no ‘you’ in it,” she explained. “The college essay is their opportunity to hear you in your own voice; it’s your piece of the puzzle.”
Ryan decided to offer individual and group tutorials for essay writing after her daughter, a graduate of The Bishop’s School, expressed frustration last year.
“My advice was to be authentic ” be yourself,” said Ryan, whose daughter was accepted to every college she applied to, including five Ivy League schools. “My role is to help students clarify what they want to write about, help them find ways to express it on paper and organize the process so they get it done in a stress-free, enjoyable and timely manner,” added Ryan.
The workshop on Sunday costs $45. For more information about individual and group sessions, call (858) 459-0280 or visit [email protected].