A PILE O’ PINES
Lance Greer of Green Gardens Nursery tosses a tannenbaum on the recycling pile at Kate Sessions Park, Soledad Road and Loring Street. Stripped-down trees can be recycled during daylight hours through Jan. 23 at several sites, including Swanson Pool at Standley Park, 3585 Governor Drive.

Electronics can be recycled Jan. 13
Del Sur will host a free electronics recycling event on Saturday, Jan. 13, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. for unwanted computers, monitors, televisions, cell phones and other electronic waste. The event will take place in Del Sur’s parking lot, 16010 Camino Del Sur in North County.
Due to the high lead and mercury content present in electronics, it has been illegal to dispose of them in the trash since 2001. Violations carry fines as high as $25,000 per item because the harmful chemicals, if left in a landfill, leach into the environment.
At the event, certificates of assured destruction will be issued. For more information, visit www.recyclesandiego.com or call (866) 525-6655.

Muslim scholar will speak on Iraq conflict
Dr. Vali Nasr, author of “The Shia Revival: How Conflicts Within Islam Will Shape the Future,” will speak about the Shia/Sunni conflict in Iraq and throughout the Middle East today, Jan. 11, at La Jolla Country Day School, 9480 Genesee Ave.
Nasr, who is also a professor and associate chair of research at the Department of National Security Affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., and is senior adjunct fellow on the Middle East at the Council on Foreign Relations, said he thinks it is important for the community to gain a better understanding of the issue.
“Students, by definition, are in the stage of life where they have to be educated on many things, and they should learn about complex issues, because the more information and knowledge we have as society, the better we are,” Nasr said by phone.
A longtime La Jolla resident and parent of two children who attend La Jolla schools, Nasr said he realizes how important it is to educate the community about issues in the Middle East.
In his book, Nasr discusses the ongoing conflict between the Shia and Sunni sects of Islam and the forces that have contributed to the enduring political and cultural battle between the groups in countries such as Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Pakistan, and in North Africa and the Palestinian territories.
The United States’ recent alliance with the Shia, along with the capture and execution of Saddam Hussein, has turned the tables from the dictator’s Sunni-led regime and given the Shia power in Iraq. The movement has also caused retaliation against the Shia from Sunni extremists, according to Nasr.
Nasr’s lecture at La Jolla Country Day School is at 6:45 p.m. Jan. 11. Admission is free.
“The Shia Revival: How Conflicts within Islam Will Shape the Future” is $25.95 and can be purchased at Amazon.com or by visiting the publisher’s Web site, www.wwnorton.com.

Band holds concert to help teen hurt in accident
Phillip Maslow, 18, of La Jolla, returned home a few days before Christmas after being hospitalized for nearly three months with critical injuries from an October motorcycle accident near Ardath Road in La Jolla.
The teenager celebrated his 18th birthday in the hospital, and friends and family have been under a lot of stress due to the accident, according to 22-year-old Tony Montemarano, Maslow’s best friend and lead singer of the band Mursic, which will hold a benefit concert for Maslow Saturday, Jan. 13, 8 p.m., at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center’s David and Dorothea Garfield Theatre, 4126 Executive Drive.
Tickets are $15 for floor and $20 for balcony seats, with all funds going toward Maslow’s medical bills, Montemarano said.
“This is what I felt I could do,” he said. “My brother and I sat down together and conjured up an idea to do a benefit show, and everyone has been helping and pitching in.”
Friends have helped build a stage for the show; others have donated lighting and sound equipment, and many people have offered to volunteer their time, the band said.
Maslow is currently receiving physical therapy and is in fair condition, according to Montemarano.
The band, which is based in San Diego, was founded by Montemarano in 2003 and is made up of seven members, including his brothers, Nick and Mike. Nick and another friend have formed an acoustic band that will open for the show, Montemarano said.
To purchase tickets, visit www.mursic.com or www.lfjcc.org. To hear Mursic’s live recordings, visit the band’s site, www.myspace.com/mursicmursic.

Blood Bank offers donors Chargers AFC T-shirts
The San Diego Blood Bank is giving away a new limited edition Chargers AFC West Championship T-shirt to all donors who give blood by Sunday, Jan. 14. In addition, anyone who donates blood by Jan. 12 will have the chance to win a pair of tickets to watch the Chargers in the AFC Division playoffs.
The San Diego Blood Bank also encourages donors to participate in the new Donor Different loyalty program, which allows members to have access to many benefits, such as the ability to check their total cholesterol as well as their blood pressure and pulse. As a bonus, members can also earn points for each donation, which can be redeemed from the bank’s new online store.
Anyone who is 17 years old, weighs at least 110 pounds and is in good health may donate blood. To make an appointment or for more information about the San Diego Blood Bank, call (800) 4MY-SDBB or visit www.sandiegobloodbank.org.

Indie comedy to kick off MCASD winter film series
A small circle of young adults searches for love, jobs and a sense of belonging in writer-director Andrew Bujalski’s low-budget indie film “Mutual Apreciation,” which will be screened at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 11, at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD), 700 Prospect St.
As part of the MCASD’s winter 2007 film series, six movies will be screened through March 22. The museum’s goal is to bring new and diverse work to a San Diego audience, according to Neil Kendricks, MCASD film curator.
“The film program tries to create a home for films that might not be screened elsewhere in San Diego,” Kendricks said. “Films like ‘Mutual Appreciation’ ” although it’s gotten wide critical acclaim and has played at the Sundance Film Festival ” often do not get a wide theatrical release.”
“Mutual Appreciation” will not be released in San Diego, so the Jan. 11 showing at MCASD may be residents’ only opportunity to view the movie on a big screen, Kendricks said.
General admission is $7; museum members, students and seniors pay $5. Tickets are available one hour prior to showtime at Sherwood Auditorium box office, 700 Prospect St. For more information about the series, contact the MCASD, (858) 454-3541. To learn more about “Mutual Appreciation,” visit www.mutualappreciation.com.

Hall of Fame nomination deadline extended
The San Diego County Women’s Hall of Fame has extended the deadline for submitting nominations to 5 p.m. Jan. 12.
Each year, five women are selected for induction into the Hall of Fame. Categories include trailblazer, empowerer, activist, cultural competent and historian.
Nomination applications are available on the Women’s History Museum Web site, www.wh
mec.org, or may be mailed, e-mailed or delivered to the San Diego Women’s Hall of Fame, c/o Women’s History Museum and Educational Center, Suite 107, 2323 Broadway, San Diego, CA 92102, or [email protected].