Possible panda pregnancy
Competition to win a family pass to the Scottish Seabird Centre
Send us a postcard!
Edinburgh Secret Society
Evenings at the Book Festival
Ssshhh. Don’t tell too many people but our panda may well be pregnant. But we don’t know yet. So here we are yet again in the middle of the summer about a month before any panda cub would be born, and we simply don’t know. That is the nature of panda news.
Iain Valentine, Director of Giant Pandas for the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, said:- “It is still way too early to make any definitive predictions. Tests do indicate that Tian Tian has conceived, but not that she is pregnant. Pandas practice delayed implantation, so at this stage the embryo is still in diapause or rest, so technically pregnancy has not happened yet.
“There are many more significant developments still to take place. Timings are all approximate, but we have just seen a secondary rise in progesterone in early July, so if all still remains on track, in 20 to 30 days pregnancy will commence. After this, if successful, Tian Tian would give birth roughly around late August. As you can see, there is a long way to go yet, so we would urge everyone not to get too excited at this early stage.
“Tian Tian is in great health; very relaxed, at a great weight and eating well and keepers and scientists continue to monitor her.”
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We have a great competition running at the moment. Our Scottish Seabird Centre competition will allow the winners to have a family pass worth £25 each to take the family on a day out.
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Have you had your summer break or are you about to go?
We would love you to share your holiday views with us on EdinburghReportage by sending us a virtual postcard from your holiday destination.
You can access the EdinburghReportage site here and upload photos or video. You can also write us a little piece telling us what you liked about your holiday spot this year.
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The Edinburgh Secret Society is putting on two shows in Edinburgh on 15 and 16 July 2014. These are so secret that you have to be on the mailing list to be told about them in the first place but you are promised something strange, informative and entertaining. Then you have to be super quick to get tickets which go on sale this Friday 11 July 2014 at 10am.
Click this link to find out more about the shows and how to get a ticket.
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Jura Unbound, the late evening entertainment strand at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, promises to be a mischievous mix of storytelling, comedy, music and whisky as an astonishing array of Scottish and international writers, artists and performers unleash their indefatigable energy and creativity on the stage of the Book Festival’s Guardian Spiegeltent.
Roland Gulliver, Associate Director of the Edinburgh International Book Festival, said: “Jura Unbound is a magical thing. Quietly created from dreams and schemes, ideas and frivolous fancies, it gives our audience the opportunity to discover the makers of some truly magnificent stories and music. This year the Book Festival is saying to people ‘Let’s Talk’. For Jura Unbound we’re saying Let’s shout! Let’s sing! Let’s dance!”
Opening the programme on Sunday 10 August is Glasgow’s Empire Café with a scintillating evening of poetry and prose plus live music from Stanley Odd. Scottish publisher Canongate presents Lost and Found, a heady night of exploring when, how and why we need to escape. Reel Festivals return with Syria Speaks, a showcase of Syrian writing and music that celebrates the cultural richness the country has to offer, and Spoken Word takes centre stage with Nasty Little Press and Page Match promising poetry that packs a punch.
Andy Miller will be on hand to help revitalise literary lives in Read Y’self Fitter, while The Bookshop Band will craft miniature musical masterpieces inspired by a startling array of writing and live literature duo, Rally & Broad, present a special Ampersand edition of their cross-artform cabaret.
Vic Galloway hosts authors and musicians from some of Scotland’s finest independent publishers and record labels; Neu! Reekie! stretch their virile new limbs – Neu! Reekie! Publishing and Neu! Reekie! Records; Jim Lambie joins in with the latest edition of his iconic Glasgow-based Poetry Club and Olaf Furniss presents a special Jura Unbound edition of Born To Be Wide featuring music business impresario Simon Napier-Bell who once managed Wham! James Yorkston hosts the Edinburgh launch of his new album, The Cellardyke Recording and Wassailing Society, assisted by album contributors KT Tunstall and The Pictish Trail.
From further afield, author and musician Willy Vlautin explores masculinity and modern life in North America; Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature celebrates its 10th anniversary with an evening of words and music from Krakow, the seventh city to earn City of Literature status; and world-renowned psychic Laars Head, the comic creation of author E.O. Higgins, will grace the velvet roof and mirrored walls of the Guardian Spiegeltent.
Jura Unbound evenings are free and unticketed and take place every evening from 10 – 25 August from 9pm to 11.00pm in the Guardian Spiegeltent in Charlotte Square Gardens. Guests will receive a free dram of single malt whisky courtesy of sponsors Jura. Find the full Jura Unbound line-up at www.edbookfest.co.uk.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
