How to set the default display to calendar and change date format in recurring appointments

I am trying to create a meeting workspace in sharepoint 2010. So far I got everything to work the way it should. I would like to know how to set the following 2 items.

1. When creating the site, I created a blank workspace and added the Calendar. Now when I open the site, it always show the empty page. I have to click on the Calendar link to display the calendar. Is there away to set the calendar to display by default?

2. When I create recurring appointments, I see the date at the left side, but the format id set to dd/Mm/yyyy. How do I change it to MMM-dd-yyyy

Any help is greatly appreciated.

donsls