Actor Travis Raisler, 27, portraying "Mozzie Mosquito" greets a visitor at the Third Street Promenade during Nothing But Nets 50 bed net exhibit on Thursday, November 20, 2008. The exhibits purpose is to bring awareness to the dangers of malaria. Nothing But Nets is a charitable organization, supported by the United Nations Foundation, which aims to prevent African children from dying of malaria by purchasing, distributing and teaching the proper use of mosquito bed nets. While the UN Foundation has been working with the UN to fight malaria for years, it was a column that Rick Reilly wrote about malaria in Sports Illustrated, challenging each of his readers to donate at least $10 for the purchase of an anti-malaria bed nets -- and the incredible response from thousands of Americans across the country -- that led to the creation the Nothing But Nets campaign.

Santa Monica College Eco Action Club members (left to right) Mike Paulus, 18, Anthony Passantino, 20, and Sareet Alkalay, 20, toss an organic salad during the Third Annual Feast at SMC on Thursday, November 20, 2008. (Center) SMC students, Nicole Chan, 19, (left) and Mayuri Bhandari, 17, eat a slice of California Vegan pizza. The free feast was presented by the Santa Monica College Associated Students and the Eco Action Club. The organic and locally grown food was provided by Farmer’s Market vendors and local businesses. The event featured great speakers, a live brass band, prizes, and information on sustainable agriculture & nutrition. About 400 students were fed during the free organic feast.

(top) Artist Anthony Schmitt, 51, builds his 12th Annual 'Edgemar Holiday Tree' on Wednesday, November 19, 2008. This years art sculpture/instalation is titled, "The Thank You Tree." It is 36 feet tall, (three feet higher than last years holiday tree) and is constructed from 86 shopping carts (three more than last year). No scaffolding was needed to erect the sculpture, it served as its own scaffolding. Schmitt uses shopping carts because they are a symbol both of adundance and of those less fortunate. (above) Assistant, Eron Nelson, 34, hands Schmitt a shopping cart.

(top) Santa Monica College dance student, Mayuri Bhandari, 17, and her classmates perform the 'Bollywood' during the 9th Annual SMC International Festival on Tuesday, November 18, 2008. The festival featured international food, music, art and dancing. SMC is home to nearly 3,000 international students from more than 100 countries around the world. (center) Folklorico de SMC performs during the  festival on Tuesday.

Santa Monica College Theatre Arts Professor, Dr. Janie Jones, directs her students while rehearsing "Life Upon The Wicked Stage" at the SMC Studio Stage on Monday, November 17, 2008, in preparation for their upcoming Musical Theatre Workshop, "How We Got Where We Are ."The musical theatre workshop is a revue of numbers from a wide range of musicals that have been influenced by genres ranging from opera to vaudeville and from film to comic strips."We will be performing a wide range of numbers with an eye on the roots of the modern American musical," said Janie Jones, director. "Over the years, musicals have been influenced by opera and operetta, vaudeville, films, novels, comic strips, cartoon films, women's theater and more." Jones noted that the influence of opera - specifically, Puccini's "La Bohème" - is seen in "Rent," while vaudeville was a source material for "Thoroughly Modern Millie." Films, novels, comic strips, cartoon films and more were adapted for such musicals as "Spamalot," "Jekyll and Hyde," "The Wizard of Oz," "Wicked," "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown," "The Little Mermaid" and "Aladdin." Current trends have been influenced by theater of diversity ("Avenue Q"), women's theater ("A. . . My Name is Alice"), and more, she said."All in all, the show should be a lot of fun," Jones said. The music director is Gary Gray and the pianist is Leigh Anne Gillespie. The cast is made up of 15 students. The SMC Musical Theatre Workshop performances are scheduled at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 5 and 6, and at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 7 in the Theatre Arts Studio Stage, located on the SMC main campus at 1900 Pico Blvd. Tickets are $10.

Visitors to the Third Street Promenade check out the new 25- foot Christmas tree on Saturday, November 15, 2008.

Josh Ojeda, 21, (left) and Josh Hooks, 23, from West Coast Cares, scout the Third Street Promenade looking for homeless to help on Thursday, October 6, 2008. WCC provides homeless with the life-coaching, resources and information they need to breakthrough barriers and to get them off the streets by linking them to family, friends and services in their places of origin. WCC provides a free one-way bus pass for the homeless to reunite them with their family and friends anywhere in the nation.

Santa Monica Firefighter, Johnny Maccini, buys rice to cook dinner for his fellow firefighters in station 2 on Wednesday, November 12, 2008, at Albertsons Grocery store. Maccini will prepare a classic fire department recipe, Caribbean Pork Cutlets with black beansand rice accompanied with a tomato and onion salad and tortillas. Each day a different firefighter must grocery shop and prepare lunch and dinner for the station's firefighters. The chef of the day collects $15..00 in the morning from his fellow firefighters to purchase the groceries for the two meals. While some firefighter/chefs are better cooks than others, Maccini says, "I haven't received any complains about my cooking...yet!"