I am still getting used to my Mac after using PCs for years.  After switching from Microsoft Outlook to Apple iCal and Address Book for my appointment calendar and addresses I thought I had gotten over the differences. And I was thrilled because I could use iSync to put my calendar events and phone book onto my cell phone wirelessly.

But then iCal went crazy on me.  I put in appointments, and they disappeared.  And one day iCal changed the times on about half my appointments to an hour later.  Now, if it were all my appointments I would have thought I set daylight savings wrong.  But it was only some of them.  And I am pretty sure it didn't change the times on the calendars of all the people I had appointments with, so they still thought I was coming an hour earlier! 

I wasn't as thrilled any more.

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Lansing's Advice Column

Email your questions to IMO at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Dear IMO,

A friend of mine and his 7 year old son came over for dinner last Sunday. He and I have been friends since 2nd grade, and I consider him to be like a brother. He recently separated from his wife and is now in the midst of a divorce. Here is my concern: he is very critical of his son. During our day together, he constantly corrected and spoke down to his son. At one point, the little boy began to cry. My husband and I have two sons, and from time to time, they need some correction, but this was way over the top. I think my friend has a lot of anger and should seek some counseling. How do I approach this without offending him?

Thanks,
Heide

Lansing Girl Scouts created a display and activity about Italy for the annual Girl Scouts Thinking Day when scouts think about scouting being around the world.  This year's was held on March 12, the 96th anniversary of Girl Scouts in the USA.


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With major cutbacks in the school budget, one of the casualties projected was the summer music lessons that band and orchestra teachers have offered their students for years.  But a chance conversation resurrected the program, and lessons will be available this summer.  "Gail Hughes has been one of our long-standing chaperones in our ski program," says Lansing Recreation Director Steve Colt.  "During one of the Monday night ski trips we were talking about the summer program, because she leads our band camp.  She mentioned to me that with all the budget cutbacks at school there was a high likelihood that the summer music lessons would be scrapped."

A Lansing Middle School student recently won highest honors in this year's WordMasters Challenge, a national language arts competition entered by over 230,000 students annually, which consists of three separate meets held at intervals during the school year.

Competing in the difficult Blue Division of the Challenge, fifth grader Kathryn Miller earned a perfect score in the year's second meet, held in February. In the entire country only 96 fifth graders earned perfect scores. Fifth graders William Lewis and Elena Gupta also achieved outstanding results in the school's second meet. At the seventh grade level, Lucy Rogers also achieved outstanding results in the year's second meet. The students were coached in preparation for the Challenge by Cathy Moseley.

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Lansing's Advice Column

Email your questions to IMO at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Dear IMO,

I'm a bit confused about Easter this year. It seems earlier than I ever remember it. Just how do they calculate the date for Easter?

Sincerely,
Katie

Dear Katie,

If you are celebrating Easter according to the Gregorian Calendar than your Easter is very early, March 23, but if you are celebrating Pascha (the Eastern Orthodox term for the feast) according to the Julian Calendar than the date is April 27. It's rather complicated, and this could turn into a full seminar on Church History. For the sake of brevity, permit me to condense 2,000 years of history into a few paragraphs.

Pet of the Week Hi there my name is Cappuccino! I am a spayed female tortoiseshell cat. I am five years old and need someone to take me into their home and make me part of their family. If you're interested please come and visit me at the SPCA.

Visit the SPCA Web Page

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Maundy Thursday is the feast on the Thursday before Easter commemorating the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles.  This year a group at Lansing United Methodist Church is reenacting the fateful supper in Methodist Pastor Ernest K. Emurian's play 'Lord Is It I?'  "He took Leonardo da Vinci's picture of the Last Supper and he created the play so that the set is the upper room as da Vinci painted it," explains director Judy Hinderliter.  "Then you have the table in the front of the set, and the disciples sit in the poses as da Vinci painted them.  They're all frozen in their position, and after Jesus says 'One of you will betray me,' each one in turn reflects on, 'Is it I, Lord.'"

Hinderliter first saw the play at her daughter's Maryland church, where it has become an annual tradition.  Her son-in-law has played Peter in that production for ten years.  "I was just touched by the power of the play," she says.  "I was determined that when I retired that I'd never give up theater, and I would do that here."

Hi there my name is Leland! I am a male black and white cat. I need a great home with wonderful owners to take care of me. So please come and visit me at the SPCA.

Visit the SPCA Web Page

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Excitement was in the air at the Sciencenter Saturday as Director of Education Rae Ostman announced the winners of the museum's Cosmic Contest.  More than 1,300 children from Kindergarten through 5th grade submitted original artwork or essays on earth and space sciences.  Lansing Elementary School's Kindergarten class was among the winners with a clever project in which children created their own constellations.  And Lansing first grader Ashley Stanbro won for her drawing and brief story about coral reefs.

"Cosmic Contest built on our previously successful Science Minutes writing contest," says Rae Ostman, Sciencenter Director of Education. "With NASA/NY Space Grant Consortium at Cornell University contributing funds, the Sciencenter has provided a science writing contest to local children every year since 2000."

You might say that Saturday say about $40,000 worth of people at a luncheon at Lansing United Methodist Church.  That's because the Lansing Lions Club hosted the region's Melvin Jones Fellows recognition luncheon there.  "It's a recognition ceremony of people who have received the Melvyn Jones award," says Vice District Governor Noni Krom.  "Clubs donates $1000 to nominate a recipient.  At one cabinet meeting each year, usually the third one, we do recognize Melvin Jones fellows."

The fellowship was created in 1973 to provide funding for the Lions Club International Foundation (LCIF), which provides funding for people in need around the world.    Today 70% of LCIF's funding comes from clubs nominating Melvin Jones fellows.   "It's a form of recognition that was developed by the Lions Club International Foundation as a way for clubs and individuals to raise money for LCIF for disaster relief, grants for eye care centers both in the United States and around the world," said current District Governor Robert E. Jensen.  "Because of the dedicated efforts of a lot of the Melvin Jones fellows in this room and elsewhere around the world LCIF has achieved a rather formidable reputation as a great service organization."

Pet of the WeekHi there my name is Tristin! I am a handsome gray cat. I need a great home with great people (or a great person) to take care of me. Please, come and visit me at the SPCA.

Visit the SPCA Web Page

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