Edinburgh Festival

Ragged Talks in the Edinburgh Festival

Free talks are being put on in Out of the Blue Drillhall, Dalmeny Street (EH6 8RG), all through the month of August. This is a chance to listen to people and their passions in a friendly informal talk at lunchtimes (1245 – 1345). Brought together in conjunction with Leith on the Fringe, these events are brought to you by the not-for-profit Ragged project:



3rd August: Alex Dunedin
Social Capital – Fancy words for working together

A talk about what inclusive Social Capital means and what it's practical benefits are in community, education, economic and arts terms.


4th August: Brian Chrystal
Lets Talk About Population Baby!

What is it going to be like when we have a harvest failure and an extra 200 mega cities worth of people to feed.


5th August: Mike McInnes
The Anorexic Brain: Why Obese Westerners are Starving

The Paradox of Modern Metabolic Impairments is that of the Anorexic Brain/Obese (Orexic) Body


6th August: Dr Denise Borland
The Singer’s Psyche: a psychological approach to vocal performance

Aimed at creative artists and those who support them, teachers, ENT, producers, managers, agents within the popular music field.


7th August: Patrick D. Whelan
A Short History of Skiing in Scotland

Through sharing resources and expertise find out how we can come together to make free skiing happen


9th August: Maggie Kang
Business Opportunities between UK and China

Given the tremendous changes in our world it is crucial to let our students and young professionals of British, Chinese, and all nationalities to get working together in the UK to understand each other

10th August: Mike McInnes
The Nocturnal Fast, Cerebral Energy and the Honey/Insulin/Melatonin (HYMN) Cycle.

This talk will explain the pathway activated by the HYMN Cycle, a cycle that optimally forward provisions cerebral energy, promotes quality sleep and recovery physiology


11th August: Tom Muirhead
A critical look at latest Census taken in Scotland on the 27th of March, 2011

Highlights some of the dangers inherent in taking and storing vast amounts of highly personal data


12th August: Tom Muirhead
Human Rights Protections in a European Union

The history of the European Union and Human Rights


14th August: Tom Muirhead
Right to a Fair Trial Part 1 – ‘The Painted Bird’

Explains why the wearing of wigs and gowns by judges and other officers of the court introduces apparent bias into all legal proceedings


16th August: Adam Smyth
The Mcdonaldization of society, the Slow movement and the Industrial food system?

Slow Food is a manifestation of the Slow philosophy in a real life context. It fights for food to
be good, clean and fair


18th August: David Greig
The Poetry of W.S. Graham - Knocking from the other side of the page

WS Graham was a self taught poet from Greenock who left Scotland in his twenties to live in Cornwall where he spent the rest of his life.


19th August: Kevin Williamson
Robert Burns: Shortbread Tin Icon, or Radical Subversive?

Few Scots know much about the radical subversive aspect to Burns’ life and work. Nor indeed the times he lived through


21st August: Mike McInnes
The Consciousness of the Long Distance Runner: The Exercise Theory of Relativity

This talk will focus on the optimal ways for fuelling cerebral energy during exercise and during recovery


23rd August: Gypsy Charms (Dr. Sarah Vernon)
‘Striptease in Scotland: Tits, Tassles and Ten Pound Notes’

I finished my fieldwork in 2008, and at the time there were no long term-fieldwork studies conducted in the UK. My research is Scotland’s first long-term participant observation study.


25th August: Bob Redwater
Memoirs of an Edinburgh Poacher

I have written an honest account of my life as a hunter, which includes my criminal conviction for poaching on the Laird's land.


26th August: Jatin Puri
Music in India – Music in me

Indian music has always gathered interest in the rest of world, from classical music to Bollywood to Punjabi Bhangra. It is a very lucrative career to be in as well.


28th August: Emily Dodd
Banana Me Beautiful

Award winning author Emily currently lives and works in Edinburgh where tells stories, delivers Environmental Education, makes podcasts and films and writes for BBC Scotland (Cbeebies).

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Dont forget to see the full listings for Ragged Music, Theatre and Arts on the website

www.ragged-online.co.uk