Many people know very little about genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Here's a scary thought: GMOs are becoming so prevalent that some people are consuming them in every meal.
Insert a shudder here.
On Saturday, May 25, locals will gather at Marshall Park to protest Monsanto, an agricultural company that controls more than half of the global seed industry and is known for genetically modifying soybeans and other seeds. The March Against Monsanto is the first event of this significance to bring awareness to GMOs. Charlotte is one of more than 250 cities worldwide participating in the march.
Editor's note: In this series, local author David Aaron Moore answers reader-submitted questions about unusual, noteworthy or historic people, places and things in Charlotte. Submit inquires to davidaaronmoore@.gmail.com.
I was born at the old Mercy Hospital - now CMC-Mercy - in Charlotte's Elizabeth neighborhood back in the 1960s. The hospital has changed so much in recent years it's barely recognizable, but I still feel a connection to the site. Do you know much about its history? - Nancy Mills O'Brien, Charlotte

Program books ready and posters lining the shop windows, Spoleto Festival USA begins its annual 17-day siege of Charleston today - heaped up as high as ever with events sure to challenge and excite performing arts gluttons from around the globe. The most prestigious and substantial arts festival in the Western Hemisphere comes at us for the first time in 37 seasons without its kingpin venue, Gaillard Auditorium.
Not to worry, Dock Street Theatre and Sottile Theatre will take up the slack for theater and opera, while a new hall, the TD Arena at the College of Charleston, will enter the rotation, freshly outfitted for concert and dance presentations. Through torrential rains and torrid heat, we've been covering Spoleto for the past 20 years, as charmed by the city and its cuisine as we've been by the performers.
Of course, the global convergence on Charleston is about the artists as much as it is about the tourists. Whether it's jazz, opera, theater, classical music, or dance, the international variety of the fare is as impressive as the artistry. There is more of a pop flavoring to the concert lineup these days - perhaps because that music has achieved classic status after 37 years! - and sufferings of ticketholders have been greatly alleviated with the renovation of the quaint Dock Street venue. Now the workhorse of the festival is air-conditioned!
We'll be down in Charleston, sampling about 25 of the 160 performances, keeping you posted on the CLog. Here are the highlights:
Theater
New twists on the classics will be grabbing the most attention. A new take on Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream moves into Dock Street for the duration of the festival (May 24-June 9), presented by the Bristol Old Vic in cahoots with the Handspring Puppet Company. Maybe you want to see War Horse here in Charlotte to be convinced - but the same artistic team, Vic's Tom Morris and Handspring's Basil Jones and Adrian Kohler, are behind this US premiere.
Late in the festival, the legendary Steven Berkoff directs his own new adaptation of Sophocles' Oedipus (June 4-8) at Memminger Auditorium. He'll be in town for an interview with Martha Teichner two days before opening night - and acting the role of Creon. Even later comes the pioneering Intergalactic Nemesis (June 5-9) a two-part graphic novel epic presented by three live actors voicing dozens of characters, a Foley artist creating live sound effects, and more than 1,250 comic book images projected on a two-story-high screen.
Of the two one-man shows, Bullet Catch (June 5-9) seems to be the most intriguing, with Rob Drummond chronicling the history of the most notorious - and lethal - trick in the magician's art. At the other extreme, Compagnie XY brings back the family-friendly circus tradition to Spoleto with Le Grand C (May 22-June 1) at Memminger.
Inspired by the recent turmoil over immigration reform, Charlotte-area Latino artists are banding together to "raise awareness about immigrants and the undocumented community."
This Saturday, OBRA Collective hosts a one-night-only art show and poetry reading focused on immigration reform. The event will also feature drinks, antojitos (Mexican appetizers) and desserts from Take the Cake Bake Shop.

OBRA, the art advocacy group behind the show, stands for "Observe, Bridge, Respond, Art." Essentially, the collective uses art to highlight issues that immigrants, both undocumented and legal, face on a day-to-day basis. Through the works, they hope to initiate conversations and bridge gaps between members of the Charlotte community.
As of now, the group currently has works on display at the Latin American Coalition on Central Avenue. OBRA is open to any artist interested in social activist art related to immigrants in the U.S.
Free admission. May 25, 7 p.m.-10 p.m. 300 W. Morehead St. For more information, visit http://obracollective.wordpress.com.
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, May 24, 2013 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
* Proof at Carolina Actor's Studio Theatre

* Anna Egge at McGlohon Theater
* Seryn at Visulite Theatre
* Gatsby Gala at Sullivan's Steakhouse
* Outlaw Showdown at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, May 23, 2013 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
* Charlie Murphy at The Comedy Zone

* Food Lion Speed Street Festival Uptown
* Ida Kohlmeyer exhibit at Jerald Melberg Gallery
* Lights. Camera. NASCAR exhibit at NASCAR Hall of Fame
* Shiprocked at Snug Harbor