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We welcome submissions for this section, but cannot guarantee inclusion. Send details to our offices at least ten days before publication. Edinburgh Life listings compiled by Maureen Ellis.
Thursday 6
Book events
Alan Bissett Waterstone's. 128 Princes Street. 226 2666. 6pm. Free. Bissett launches his acclaimed novel Boy Racers. Out Loud Athletic Arms. Angle Park Terrace. 337 3822. 7.30pm. £1. Monthly open mic night of poetry. prose and song run by the Phoenix Writers’ Group.
Talks
Sir William Allan’s Dog City Art Centre. 2 Market Street. 529 3993. 12.30pm. A talk by the Curator of Photography at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. Sara Stevenson.
Book events
Half Price Sale Fruittnarket Gallery. 45 Market Street. 225 2383. l 1am—6pm. For one week only all publications in the gallery will be half price. Ends Sat 15 Sep.
Festivals
Eastern European Beer Festival Caledonian Brewery. 42 Slateford Road. 623 8066. 5pm. £5. Sample beers from distant European parts with the usual cosmopolitan helping of music and food.
Spons
Edinburgh v Caerphilly Myreside. Myresidc Road. 346 5252. 7.30pm. £10 (£5). Celtic League rugby match.
1 Wednesday 12 3
Saturday 8
Conferences
Achieving Change Update ()flices. Beaverhall Road. 558 5200. 10am«4.30pm. £5—£10. Scottish Minister for Social Justice Jackie Baillie shares her views at this forum organised by lipilepsy Action Scotland.
Festivals
Eastern European Beer Festival Caledonian Brewery. 42 Slateford Road. 623 8066. Noon. £5. See Fri 7.
Spons
Livingston v Dundee United West Lothian Courier Stadium. Alderstone Road. Livingston. 01506 417000. 3pm. £17 (£10). This season‘s high fliers play host to Dundee United.
Hearts v Rangers Tynecastlc Stadium, Gorgie Road. 200 7201. 5.35pm. £l6—£19 (£8--£10). Rangers hope to lind more consistent form with their first trip through to the capital this season.
Other events Ancient Writing Royal Museum. 2
Chambers Street. 247 4219. 10am -6pm.
Permanent
edinburgh@list.co.uk
Free. Try out ancient forms of writing such
as using quills. hieroglyphs and runes.
Spons
East Lothian Sprint Triathlon Sports Centre. Grange Road. North Berwick. 01620 893454. 9am~noon. Free. Triathlon comprising a 400 metre swim. a nine ntile cycle and a two mile run for individuals and teams.
Other events
Special Opening Of The Georgian Rooms At Malleny Malleny House And Garden. Balerno. Midlothian. 449 2283. 2—5pm. Free. The Georgian wing of the house opens its doors to the public to coincide with European Heritage Day.
Pop Quiz Night The Haymarket Bar. 1 1 West Maitland Street. 228 2537. 8pm. Free. Weekly quiz night.
Tuesday 1 1 -
Talks
Objects From Captain Cook’s North American Voyages Royal Museum. 2 Chambers Street. 247 4219. 1pm. Free. A talk on these rare pieces given by Dale 1diens.
Book events
Liz Niven Writers‘ Museum. Lady Stair's House. Lady Stair‘s Close. 529 4901. 2pm. Free. A chance to meet the author of Finding A Focus For Poetry. Buddhism: Transform Your Life Waterstone‘s. 13—14 Princes Street. 556 3034. 6.30pm. Free. Buddhist master Kelsang 'l‘archin discusses Geshe Kelsang Gyasto‘s latest book before leading a group meditation session.
Stephen O’Brien Queen's Hall. Clerk Street. 668 2019. 7.30pm. £7— £8 (£5.50). An evening With the acclaimed clairvoyant and medium promoting his new book Visions ()f/lnolhvr World.
Conferences
Plants, People And Biotechnology lil(‘(‘. 150 Morrison Street. 473 2070. 7.30pm. Free. bttt ticketed. A public forum to discuss the practicalities and ethical issues surrounding the development of GM foods in light of population growth. The panel ofexperts will include representatives of The Consumers Association. lilm Farm (Organic) Research Centre. Henry Doubleday Research Association and the Scottish (‘rop Research Institute.
Talks
Ulrich Lehmann Fruitniarket Gallery.
45 Market Street. 225 2383. 7pm. £3
Craigmillar Castle Craigmillar Castle Road. 661
(£1.50). The cultural historian. whose book 'Iigorsprung.‘ Fashion And Modernity was recently published. will discuss the idea of a bear market arid its effects on art.
CONFERENCE
> VELO-CITY 2001 £100, Edinburgh, Mon 17 & Tue 18 Sep; SECC, Glasgow, Thu 20 & Fri 21 Sep.
Edinburgh life
Scotland’s history is littered with monumental inventions which have changed the face of the world. Where would JVC be without television, Pfizer without penicillin, America without golf? Fact is, that our inventions have been used and improved on over time and space, but we often lag behind in self-promotion and self-belief. The same can be said of cycling. Scots blacksmith Kirkpatrick MacMillan invented the first pedal bicycle in 1839, it wasn’t patented, and his design has been used the world over.
It seems fitting then, that the European Cyclists Federation has chosen Scotland for its 21 st international cycling conference, Vela-City 2001; a simultaneous home-coming and coming of age. Jointly hosted between Edinburgh and Glasgow, it will unite the two cities for five days at least in promoting cycling, developing strategies and evaluating change.
Five ‘tracks’ or themes have been set out: sustainable transport and planning; children and mobility; environment and land use; tourism and economy; and health and well being. More detailed sub-categories will be drawn out through discussions and workshops, in addition to statements from key figures including Transport minister Lord MacDonald and MSP
Sarah Boyack.
Edinburgh’s recent boom in the popularity of cycling can be attributed to the advancement of the cycling agenda in planning issues. Local cycling campaigning group Spokes have been instrumental in this process. Established in 1977, it now has over 1,000 members who actively campaign for better cycling facilities in the area and its efforts are clearly visible in our streets and parks.
The government wants to quadruple journeys made by bicycle by 2012 and is aiming to match our European counterparts in the popularity of cycling - in Copenhagen alone, 30% of journeys are made by bicycle. Around 500 international delegates are expected to descend on Edinburgh and Glasgow, and this conference should go some way to imagining new, safer, cleaner ways of reinventing two wheels. (Maureen Ellis)
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prostitutes and cannibals - Edinburgh's latest gruesome
attractions
aaaiafifi Camera Obscura Castlehill, Royal Mile. 226 3709. Mon—Fri 9.30am—6pm; Sat & Sun 10am—6pm. £4.76 (22.40—13.80); family ticket £14. Pick up a pedestrian in your hand at this attraction. which gives visitors a real-time. 360° image of the city.
4445. Daily 9.30am—6pm. $21.80 ($1.30); children 75p. For a real taste of history. take a drive out to this ramshackle old castle. which was the scene of much plotting during the reign of Mary. Queen of Scots. Edinburgh Dungeon
31 Market Street. 0870 8460 666. Daily 10am—6pm. £6.95 ($495—$695). Cruel methods of torture. pestilence—ridden streets. grave-robbers.
visitor attraction takes you on a spine-chilling t0ur of the deepest darkest chapters of
w"; 1%. Mary King’s Close...
Eat zinc 3 times a day i
0870 333 4 333
A CONRAN BAR & RESTAURANT
Scottish history.
Edinburgh Literary Pub Tour Meet at The Beehive Inn, 18—20 Grassmarket, 226 6665. Daily 7.30pm. $37 ($25). An excellent way to imbibe Culture by visiting the fav0urite watering holes of Scotland '3 literary heroes. including Sir Walter Scott. Robert Burns and lrvine Welsh. Edinburgh Zoo
Corstorphine Road. 334 9171. Daily 9am—6pm. 9.7 (£4425); famin ticket 220-22450. Widely accepted
as one of the finest zoos in Britain. there's plenty here to while away an afternoon. or even a whole day if you take your time.
Mary King’s Close Tours Meet at Mercat Cross (beside St Giles’ Cathedral), 557 6464. £5 (£4); children 533. Literally a trip to Edinburgh's underworld, Mary King's Close is part of a now subterranean network of streets. walled off in the middle ages during an outbreak of the plague.
6 Sop-20 Sop 2001 THE LIST 97
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