December 11-17, 2013 2 www.lansingcitypulse.com City Pulse • December 11, 2013 HOLIDAY WISH LIST! ‘Tis the season to give to others or treat yourself! SUNDAY DECEMBER 22, 2013 3 PM Holiday Pops Celebrate the season with the Lansing Symphony’s Holiday Pops! Enjoy a festive afternoon of all your holiday favorites with Soprano Mara Bonde and the outstanding Arts Chorale of Greater Lansing. FRIDAY FEBRUARY 14, 2014 8 PM Lights, Camera…The Oscars! What better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than with the glitz and glam of the Oscars! This special pops concert features guest vocalists alongside your very own Lansing Symphony, performing songs and music from the beloved films that have won Academy Awards. SATU R DAY APRIL 12, 2014 8 PM Satisfaction – A Rolling Stones Tribute You are guaranteed to feel some satisfaction with this authentic touring show, dedicated to the “World’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band!” SUBSCRIBER NEW SUBSCRIBER POPS SERIES PRICING ZONE A $127 $95 All three concerts for as ZONE B $95 $71 low as $14 a concert! ZONE C $54 $41 NEW SUBSCRIBERS RECEIVE 25% OFF SINGLE TICKETS ALSO AVAILABLE! Visit LansingSymphony.org. For more information or to become a subscriber call 517.487.5001 Charlotte Performing Arts Center www.CPACpresents.com 517-541-5690 Saturday, Dec. 14, 2013 ~ 7:30pm THE $37 / $5 students VERVE pipe City Pulse • December 11, 2013 www.lansingcitypulse.com 3 TICKETSTICKETS MAKEMAKE GREATGREAT GIFTS!GIFTS! Take an enchanted journey A princess. A spell. And a kiss. with the family! Sail on Sinbad’s In the grand tradition of Russian ship, battle a dragon with the ballet, The Sleeping Beauty comes Prince, discover Aladdin’s lamp to life with lavish sets and costumes, with surprises hidden inside, with breathtaking music and much more! by Tchaikovsky. $15 Student & Youth Tickets! MOSCOW FESTIVAL BALLET: TICKETS JUST Sunday, January 12 at 1:30PM & 4PM $ TThursday,HE S JanuaryLEEPING 9 at 7:30PMBEAUTY Media Sponsor Generously sponsored by Brogan, Reed, Van Gorder & Associates/ Generously sponsored by Marketing Resource Group; Ohio National Financial Services; Granger; Jackson National Life Plante Moran, PLLC; and ProAssurance Casualty Company Insurance Company; and Mid-Michigan MRI. Theatre for the Heart and Mind Led by the legendary Yuri Temirkanov, one of the greatest Celebrating their 35th season, the ensemble returns for orchestras in the world performs Rachmaninoff’s a performance of power and passion, including Symphony No. 2 and Prokofiev’s Violin the award-winning piece, Concerto No. 2 with Vilde Frang. Ways To Behold, in a $15 Student & Youth Tickets! night of spectacular dance & theatre. “This isn’t just a figure of speech, just a fact: my jaw dropped.” –S.F. Classical Voice ST. PETERSBURG STUART PIMSLER PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA DANCE & THEATER Thursday, January 23 at 7:30PM Monday, February 24 at 7:30PM Media Sponsor Classics Series Sponsor Media Sponsor Generously sponsored by Accident Fund Holdings, Inc. WHARTONCENTER.COM • 1-800-WHARTON 4 www.lansingcitypulse.com City Pulse • December 11, 2013 VOL. 13 Feedback ISSUE 17 Editor’s note: Dozens of City Pulse read- The decorating job my 1 year old added (517) 371-5600 • Fax: (517) 999-6061 • 1905 E. Michigan Ave. • Lansing, MI 48912 • www.lansingcitypulse.com ers took to our website and social media to our tree looks better than this and she ADVERTISING INQUIRIES: (517) 999-6705 last week to weigh in on our featuring the added the pig from her farm yard animal PAGE CLASSIFIED AD INQUIRIES: (517) 999-5066 state Christmas tree as Eyesore of the Week. bath toys to our tree. or email [email protected] Most felt we hit the nail on the head, but — Kenny J. Hatch 6 EDITOR AND PUBLISHER • Berl Schwartz others think we should take our critical [email protected] • (517) 999-5061 opinions elsewhere. Here’s what they had Gone is the warm, nostalgic glow of tree EDITORIAL DIRECTOR • Mickey Hirten to say. lights from days gone by. It’s been replaced Miller: Laughable fee for FOIA policy request [email protected] • (517) 999-5067 with the disconcerting blare of LED. So and why HB 4001 makes sense MANAGING/NEWS EDITOR • Andy Balaskovitz In defense of the tree sad. [email protected] • (517) 999-5064 ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR • Allan I. Ross I hope the column this week was a joke! — Shawn Marie Hardy PAGE [email protected] • (517) 999-5068 Maybe Tim Holmes with his high-paying PRODUCTION MANAGER • Rachel Harper Hollywood clients can afford to spend 12 I love it more when hand hung lights. 8 [email protected] • (517) 999-5066 hours with 5 guys to decorate a 30-foot Does not take away the look of a Christmas CALENDAR EDITOR • Jonathan Griffith tree, but I am grateful that the city of Tree. Using the wrap, lights just disfigures [email protected] • (517) 999-5069 Lansing chose a more economical plan. a beauty of the tree. Lansing-area couple’s lifelong love of art carried STAFF WRITER • Lawrence Cosentino over to their kids, with interesting results Most of us view the tree from a distance, — Sue Brown [email protected] • (517) 999-5063 MARKETING/PROMOTIONS COORDINATOR/ and it looks just fine. In fact, it looks great PAGE SOCIAL MEDIA CONSULTANT • Rich Tupica and makes me smile! The need to contract the tree deco- [email protected] • (517) 999-6710 — Nancy Kelly, from lansingcity- rating out to professionals. That thing is ADVERTISING MANAGER • Denis Prisk pulse.com almost as garish as last year’s. 10 [email protected] • (517) 999-6704 — Matthew Rick ADVERTISING • Shelly Olson Perfection is over-rated, and un-attain- [email protected] • (517) 999-6705 Movie Review: “Philomena” — Judi Dench in an Steve Ledyard able. I like it. incredible true story about a mother’s love [email protected] • (517) 999-6707 — Matthew Taylor Solutions Contributors: Justin Bilicki, Daniel E. Bollman, Capital Since there seem to be so many all- COVER News Service, Bill Castanier, Mary C. Cusack, Tom knowing tree lighting critics around, why Helma, Laura Johnson, Terry Link, Andy McGlashen, Against the tree don’t we open this up for volunteers next ART Kyle Melinn, Shawn Parker, Stefanie Pohl, Dennis If they wanted to use these blankets year? Preston, Dylan Sowle, Paul Wozniak of lights..why bother killing a tree to hold — Tom Woodman Delivery drivers: Richard Bridenbaker, Dave Fisher, Ron Lupu, Brent Robison, Robert Wiche them up?Just build some kind of frame... JIM HARRISON by JOE BENGHAUSER Interns: Jordan Bradley, Alexandra Harakas, Carlee might actually look better and we get to If people don’t like it — next year have Henderson, Danielle Kwiatkowski, Zach Zweifler save a tree.Colors are “better’ this year but them decorate it. Editor & Publisher could we use someone NOT colorblind — Pat Johnson Berl next year and actually HAVE an Xmas CITY PULSE ON THE AIR Schwartz Architect Craig Borum, Organist Scott Smith, tree? 7 p.m. Wednesdays Shawn Dhanak, Get Covered America spokesman, — Barbara LeBouton West Have something to say about a local issue Scott Hagerstrom, director of Americans for Prosperity-Michigan, or an item that appeared in our pages? Holly Wilson of Consumers Mutual Insurance of Michigan and I watched them light the Rockefeller THIS WEEK Robin Schneider of the National Patients Rights Association Center tree last night, turned to my hus- Now you have two ways to sound off: band and said, ‘THAT’S how you light a 1.) Write a letter to the editor. tree!!” Am convinced they need to return • E-mail: [email protected] • Snail mail: City Pulse, 1905 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing, MI 48912 to hand-strung lights. • Fax: (517) 371-5800 — Cindy Stone 2.) Write a guest column: Contact Berl Schwartz for more information: [email protected] They may as well wrap lights around a or (517) 999-5061 giant condom. Just sayin’. (Please include your name, address and telephone number so we can — Gene Willacker reach you. Keep letters to 250 words or fewer. City Pulse reserves the right to edit letters and columns.) This week on lansingcitypulse.com … BREAKING RULES TO CHANGE RULES, DEC. 6: U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Detroit, visited Michigan State University last week to explain how he sided against fellow Democrats over filibuster vote: “This was a temporary victory for Democrats.” Speaking at a MSU College of Law lecture, Levin said Senate Democrats unleashed a debate about the means and ends of getting legislation passed. THIS WEEK FROM CAPITAL NEWS SERVICE, DEC. 6: Topics include bad long-term news for Michigan wetlands, the need for more “middle-skilled” workers, an increased need for healthy foods and more. READY TO WEAR, DEC. 5: When it opens in February, the newly renovated Knapp’s Building in downtown Lansing will be home to Michigan’s first fashion and design incubator. The incubator, called The Runway, opened its application process last week for its designer-in-residence program. A public meet-and-greet event is scheduled for Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. NOTES FROM NEIL, DEC. 5: In this week’s column, Neil Rajala recaps his favorite fiction books from 2013, including Jim Harrison’s latest collection of novellas, “Brown Dog,” and Jonathan Lethem’s latest on multiple generations of New York activists. Check out these stories and more only at lansingcitypulse.com City Pulse • December 11, 2013 www.lansingcitypulse.com 5 PULSE NEWS & OPINION Peter Dougherty, outreach coordina- who is also the secretary of the Moores LCC houses on way out tor for the Meta Peace Team (formerly Park Neighborhood Organization. “I’m In other demolition news, materi- Convent Michigan Peace Team), said his organi- not worried about it.” als inside three houses owned by Lansing zation worked in the convent for about Molnar said she was speaking indi- Community College downtown are up for three years before moving at the end of vidually and not on behalf of the neigh- salvage, though not as many as some pres- coming down last summer.