Tapestry

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WBHM Interviews

April 9, 2009...

• Leonardo da Vinci -- the original Renaissance Man
• What's in store for American orchestras -- a conversation with Henry Fogel
• Montevallo Main Street Players: Boy Gets Girl...
• Finding Coke that's Kosher for Passover
• The challenges of being a Jewish vegan

We begin with a man who needs no introduction--Leonardo da Vinci. Though he only lived to the age of 67, da Vinci created groundbreaking work in everything from painting to mathematics. His most famous creation, the Mona Lisa, sits behind protective glass--and an eternal swarm of tourists--at the Louvre in Paris. Closer to home, Birmingham's McWane Science Center offers some of da Vinci's creations up close and in motion. UAB President Emeritus Dr. Claude Bennett recently gave a lecture on da Vinci at the McWane Center. He also spoke with WBHM's Bradley George about the life and work of the original Renaissance Man.

Dr Claude Bennett interview...

Leonardo da Vinci: Machines in Motion is at the McWane Science Center until April 26th.

Nobody better understands the state of orchestras in the U.S. than Henry Fogel. As senior advisor to the League of American Orchestras, Fogel has visited at least 100 different American orchestras. He usually spends a day or two with each orchestra, meets with musicians, trustees, and staff, and almost always attends a concert. Fogel was recently in Birmingham to assess the Alabama Symphony Orchestra. He spoke with WBHM's Michael Krall...

Henry Fogel interview...

It's the classic case of boy likes girl...gone awry. Montevallo Main Street Players presents Boy Gets Girl; a chilling thriller about a once-charming beau who becomes obsessed with a successful woman. Reporter Nat Bonner has more on how one woman's sense of security unravels in the urban jungle.

Boy Gets Girl...

Boy Gets Girl opens next weekend at the Parnell Memorial Library Theatre in Montevallo.

Passover started this week and if you're an observant Jew, and a soda addict, you gotta jump through a couple of extra hoops to get your fix. Every Spring before Passover, Coca-Cola plants in Atlanta, New York, Chicago and other cities whip up a tiny batch of soda that's Kosher for Passover. The run lasts about two weeks and has been known to sell out in less than 24 hours. But why is this Coke different from all other Cokes? Laura Kwerel went down to West Rogers Park, in Chicago, to find out.

Passover Coke...

Blintzes, brisket, noodle kugel, chicken soup...being a vegan at a traditional Jewish meal isn't exactly a piece of cake. In this tantalizing tidbit, one Jewish vegan -- Rebecca Sheir -- kibitzes about how putting away the meat, eggs and dairy also meant putting the kibosh on thousands of years of culinary convention.

Being a Jewsih vegan...

One footnote to this story. Shortly after it was recorded, Rebecca Sheir moved to Alaska... whereupon she went from "veganism" to "pesco-veganism" to "flexitarianism," where she happily remains to this day.

Tapestry is produced by Tanya Ott, Michael Krall and Bradley George, with help this week from Nat Bonner and PRX, the public radio exchange. If you've got a story idea for Tapestry, drop us an e-mail. Next week on the program, how one woman -- and a soccer ball -- changed the lives of dozens of refugee children in the American South. I'm Greg Bass, and we'll see you next week.