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Ripperologist magazine
Unregistered guest
| | Posted on Monday, March 07, 2005 - 1:27 pm: | 
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THE RIP IS COMING…THE RIP IS COMING…
From the frozen wastes of Antarctica to the treeless tundras of Siberia, from the steamy jungles of Ecuador to the barren expanses of the Kalahari, from the halls of Montezuma to the caves of Malabar, Ripperologist subscribers, their faces alight with jubilation, whisper the good news to one another:
The Rip is coming! The Rip is coming!
Within a few days, armies of special messengers – including your neighbourhood postman – will deliver issue 58 of Ripperologist, chock-full with Ripper-related articles, features, news, reviews (and one cartoon) to the brave and the valiant, the happy few, the band of brothers and sisters: our glorious, never well-enough praised subscribers. Are you one of them? When Ripperologist arrives, to be read with equal joy at the palaces of the rich and the log cabins of the poor, will you be leafing through your copy along with your fellow Ripperati or will you be drowning your sorrows with a pint of lager down the pub or a bourbon on the rocks at O’Malley’s in Third Avenue?
And what a treat is in store! As usual, the new issue of Ripperologist brings a mix of the old and the new, the time-honoured and the trail-blazing: two new Ripper authors make their debut in its pages alongside well-remembered contributors who return for an encore. Subscribers will enjoy a methodical assessment of one of the top Ripper suspects, Kosminski, by Robert House of Boston, Massachusetts, USA; a informative examination of Mitre Square’s lighting arrangements by Neill Bell of Leicester, UK, magnificently illustrated by Jane Coram; a revealing re-evaluation of Pedachenko against a backdrop featuring Rasputin and the British Secret Service on the loose in wartime Russia, by Stepan Poberowski of St Petersburg, Russia; and an enlightening exploration of the mystical underside of Victorian Britain by Spiro Dimolianis of Sydney, Australia. In addition, Ripperologist # 58 includes the universally acclaimed Press Trawl by Chris Scott, Ripper Conference News by Claudia Aliffe, On the Crimebeat by Wilf Gregg, Abberline Junior by Glenn, The Last Word by Christopher Michael-DiGrazia, Letters & Comments by our readers (including celebrated critic Thomas C Wescott), In Brief, I Beg To Report, Reviews and a (comparatively) short Editorial by Eduardo Zinna. We were thinking of including a few recipes, but ran out of space.
Well, are you a subscriber yet? And if you are not, what are you going to do about it? Why, oh why, instead of going down the pub, moseying along to O’Malley’s or – perish the thought – ambling to the Milk Bar in Pocahontas Drive, don’t you just subscribe to the Rip and live happily ever after?
Because if you don’t subscribe now, you won’t be getting issue 58 of Ripperologist.
A subscription for one year (six issues) will set you back £ 24, € 36 or $ 60. Peanuts. We like money, whether in the form of cheques in pounds sterling, PayPal or any other method you can come up with. If you want to give us your money badly enough, we’ll find a way of getting it, don’t you worry. Subscribe online at www.ripperologist.info, write to us at PO Box 735, Maidstone, Kent ME17 1JF, UK or email us at contact@ripperologist.info. After you’ve done that, you may go down the pub or to O’Malley’s. Or wherever you like. It’s fine with us.
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Mary Poppins
Unregistered guest
| | Posted on Monday, March 07, 2005 - 2:07 pm: |
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Hello everybody,
Ripperologist # 58 sounds just supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
Mary |
Jennifer D. Pegg
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Jdpegg
Post Number: 2021
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, March 13, 2005 - 5:53 am: |
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I just wonder did i wake up in the real world this morning?
"People don't notice us, they never see,Under their noses a Womble may be"
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Thomas C. Wescott
Inspector
Username: Tom_wescott
Post Number: 324
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Monday, March 21, 2005 - 5:42 pm: |
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Hello all,
This does sound awesome. Any magazine that refers to me as 'celebrated' automatically sounds awesome. I haven't been online much lately due to the latest in a never-ending string of problems with my comp. However, I'll be popping in from time to time. I noticed here that on 3/7 (or 7/3 to the Brits) it says Rip will be coming out in a few days. It's now 2 weeks later and I haven't received it. Did I miss something or is it on its way?
Yours truly,
Tom Wescott |
Christopher T George
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Chrisg
Post Number: 1360
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Monday, March 21, 2005 - 5:57 pm: |
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Hi Tom
My understanding from Adam is that the magazine is going to the printers today (Monday, March 21).
Also Tom, note the post that I made today on the "London Truth Letter, 1889" wondering if the letter might be from our old friend Roslyn D'Onston.
All my best
Chris
(Message edited by ChrisG on March 21, 2005)
Christopher T. George
North American Editor
Ripperologist
http://www.ripperologist.info
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Monty
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Monty
Post Number: 1593
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 12, 2005 - 6:11 am: |
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Folks,
Just read Rob Houses article in this issue.
Fantastic Rob. Really enjoyed it.
Monty
I'm funny how, I mean funny, like I'm a clown? I amuse you. I make you laugh? I'm here to f**kin' amuse you? Whattya you mean funny? Funny how? How am I funny?
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Alan Sharp
Chief Inspector
Username: Ash
Post Number: 812
Registered: 9-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 13, 2005 - 2:54 am: |
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I concur. One of those articles that make the magazines so worth buying. Excellent background material to put Kosminski into context and a very persuasive argument.
Yours, of course, was rubbish Monty! 
(actually it was very good, congrats)
"I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me" - Hunter S. Thompson (1939-2005)
Visit my website - http://www.ashbooks.co.uk/
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Monty
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Monty
Post Number: 1596
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 13, 2005 - 4:02 am: |
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Alan,
Actually, compared with Robs, it was indeed rubbish.
I am sitting waiting for the Wescott panning as I type.
Thank fu..heavens that his computer is up the spout !!!!
Monty
I'm funny how, I mean funny, like I'm a clown? I amuse you. I make you laugh? I'm here to f**kin' amuse you? Whattya you mean funny? Funny how? How am I funny?
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Monty
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Monty
Post Number: 1597
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 13, 2005 - 5:03 am: |
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Guys,
Im posting here the original excellent artwork Jane Coram did for my article in the March 05 edition of Ripperologist.
I thought it would be nice to show her pictures in colour.
View from Eddowes murder site across to st James Passage and the door Watkins went to in order to gain Morris's assistance.
The corner where Watkins found Eddowes body
A view of the lamp at the entrance to Church passage.
Many thanks to Jane and her talent.
Monty
I'm funny how, I mean funny, like I'm a clown? I amuse you. I make you laugh? I'm here to f**kin' amuse you? Whattya you mean funny? Funny how? How am I funny?
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Jennifer D. Pegg
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Jdpegg
Post Number: 2099
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 13, 2005 - 8:57 am: |
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Hi,
thanks Monty, it is good to see jane's pics as she intended in colour.
Jenni
"All you need is positivity"
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Howard Brown
Inspector
Username: Howard
Post Number: 322
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 13, 2005 - 7:16 pm: |
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Mr. House's article was worth the cost of this issue...simple as that.
Mr. Dimolianis' article was better than I had thought it was going to be,having read most of the material prior to its appearance in Rip 58...Lets hope we hear more from this gentleman in the future...Great debut article Spiro !!!
Mr. Poberowski's article with its information on this Oswald Rayner,the S.I.S. operative, was very enlightening. Just one more thing one learns from the apparently expanding palate of Ripper studies...there's still a lot of information out there.
....and then there's this Neil Bell guy's article. Thank goodness the supremely talented Jane Coram saved the article with her five star artwork. She's so good at her job,she could paint me and make me look good. Thats a task.
But seriously,Neil Bell's article is very,very good. In fact,he unwittingly has helped me out with an idea I have about the night of the Double Event...so keep writing,Monty. I'll be watching over your shoulder. |
Jane Coram
Inspector
Username: Jcoram
Post Number: 393
Registered: 1-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 13, 2005 - 7:57 pm: |
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HI All,
Thanks for putting those up Monty. If anyone wants to know how dark it was in Mitre Square that night you can see from those pics that it was bl***y dark!
I must say I did enjoy the mag very much indeed, the articles were all excellent and being a morbid little soul I did love the post mortem photo of Rasputin which for some reason I hadn't seen before...........
Really a very good read.............and thank you for the kind comments about my work.....I did have a few cold sweats getting those pics right as Neil will tell you.
Actually as they are up on the site now, if anyone would like to see them slightly lighter, so they can see the layout of the place, if Stephen doesn't mind I will put them up on the crime scene reconstruction thread. The pics above are the most accurate lighting wise, but it is a bit like looking at a black cat in coal cellar. hee hee
And Howie I will paint you any time, what colour would you like me to paint you?
Love to all,
Jane
xxxxxx |
Howard Brown
Inspector
Username: Howard
Post Number: 324
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 13, 2005 - 8:14 pm: |
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Yoy ! I'm gonna be an immortal,as well as an infernal..
Umm...Color Me Badd [ which is Monty's favorite musical band,seriously ] would be nice.
Thats a nice offer Jane. I'll have to get up the nerve to send you a photo without me holding up a card with law enforcement info on it and not standing in front of a height scale. This may take a while.
Anyway....I haven't even had the chance to read Chris Scott's stuff or Mr. Gregg's...or the book reviews...Its a really large issue.
Mr. House went to a lot of effort on his story. There's a guy at work who checked it out on his lunch hour and was sold on the Aaron The K idea. Great work,Mr. House. |
Natalie Severn
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Severn
Post Number: 1769
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, April 14, 2005 - 5:44 pm: |
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First,I really enjoyed both the articles mentioned above.Both Robert and Monty extended my understanding of this baffling case through detailed information together with pertinent observation and all of it presented in a clear readable format.Thanks to you both.
Jane"s art work came truly into its own here too.
I have seen some similar ingenious computerised illustration work in one or two quality children"s books during the last five years but I have frankly never seen such technique used to such superb effect as Jane manages to bring off for us in these JtR murder sites.The perfect subject matter too for such a medium which transmuted through Jane"s talent and expertise is capeable of creating an effect that is at once so sinister and full of immanent danger while able to convey such astonishing photographic type realism !
Once again,Thanks to all
Natalie
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Robert W. House
Inspector
Username: Robhouse
Post Number: 229
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, April 14, 2005 - 10:36 pm: |
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Hey guys,
Thanks for the kind remarks on my article. It's great to get feedback and hear that people enjoyed it. I still haven't got my copy of the issue yet... I think they are shipping it to the states on one of those cattle boats that Arbie LaBruckman worked on!
I am looking forward to reading your article Monty.
Rob |
Jennifer D. Pegg
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Jdpegg
Post Number: 2114
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Friday, April 15, 2005 - 10:17 am: |
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Hi Rob,
your article was really enjoyable.
In fact i think issue was one of the best for a while all in all (which is great for the purposes of being distracted from what you're supposed to be doing!!)
Jenni
"All you need is positivity"
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Stephen P. Ryder
Board Administrator
Username: Admin
Post Number: 3225
Registered: 10-1997
| | Posted on Thursday, April 21, 2005 - 10:22 am: |
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The cover art, table of contents and sample article "Aaron Kosminski Reconsidered" by Robert House are now available online at:
http://casebook.org/ripper_media/book_reviews/periodicals/ripperologist.2005-03.html
Stephen P. Ryder, Exec. Editor
Casebook: Jack the Ripper
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Thomas C. Wescott
Inspector
Username: Tom_wescott
Post Number: 325
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Friday, April 22, 2005 - 2:18 am: |
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REVIEW: ISSUE #58, MARCH (yeah, right, I got mine like a week ago), 2005
COVER: A very atmospheric portrait from an old newspaper of a nervous guy walking who, for whatever reason, we forever associate with Kosminksi. The Macnaughten Memoranda plays in the back ground. Another great job from Adam Wood.
CONTENTS: They took my suggestion and changed ‘Quote of the Month’ to ‘Quotes of the Month’ (plural), since it is, in fact, a bi-monthly magazine, and 6 months of the year had previously remained ‘quoteless’. But I point it out and they fix it. Such power I wield. First I demand they print more Jack. They did. Then I demand double quotes. They do that too. Let’s see if it works a third time…Tom says print a clear photo of Ally Reinecke. I wanna see what she looks like, but so far, no dice. I’ll have a pic of Abberline before I see one of her…Okay, folks, let’s see if they deliver.
EDITORIAL: WHAT’S IN A NAME? By Eduardo Zinna – Looks like the boys are playing hot potato with the editorials. This issue European Editor Mr. Zinna generously tosses in his tuppence without even the promise of a knee-trembler in return. He talks about names; how Adam (of ‘garden of Eden’ fame, who, like Madonna, needs no last name) invented them and we’ve since come to rely on them. He then makes the following comment, “When we name a publication ‘Ripperologist’ – or when we pick up a copy of it – we assume that it will bear some relationship to the evil deeds of the elusive, wraithlike character that walked the gaslit streets of London in the days of yore…” Another lesson in the dangers of assumption. Reading this was almost like Déjà vu for me, as I said the same damn thing for two years, every time an issue of Ripperologist appeared in my box, up until about 2 or 3 issues ago when they actually started covering the Ripper again. Reading this you’d think those years of issues never happened. Is there like an amnesia epidemic going on at Rip headquarters? I don’t know, let’s keep looking at this issue and maybe we’ll find out.
AARON KOSMINSKI RECONSIDERED By Robert House – House wins ‘Best pic of the issue’ award. He’s peering over his shoulder with a pen in his ear, lookin’ all wiley. Comin’ atcha Dudley Moore-style, kinda like the little guy from ‘The Avengers’. You could almost picture Robert House spending many a sleepless night in smokey bars saving drunk prostitutes from imminent danger…no wait, that’s Chris Miles…No, House strikes me more as the type of guy who’d get his arse kicked at a Cloak and Dagger meeting…hold on, no, that’s Paul Begg…I guess I just can’t put a finger on this House fellow. One thing I’m SURE of though is that he’d never submit the same article to two competing mags at the same time. Never. Anyway, on with the article. It’s about Kosminski. House agrees with Begg, as do I, that Aaron is probably Anderson’s ‘Polish Jew’ and Swanson’s ‘Kosminski’. He pulls out that old chestnut of ‘profiling’ to show us that Aaron is Ripper material. That is SOOOO 1994. Come on, Crime Scene Investigation is the in-thing, baby! Unfortunately, he’s basing this profile on research conducted post-1970, half of which wouldn’t be applicable to a Victorian serial killer. He says Aaron moved around a lot, and that is a trait common among serial killers. HELLO! EVERY IMMIGRANT IN ENGLAND MOVED AROUND A LOT. THEY MOVED TO ANOTHER COUNTRY, DIDN’T THEY? House writes really well, and it’s clear there’s some serious talent here. But he’s building a house (pardon the pun) out of cards. The article is 13 pages long, but would be more like 5 pages if every ‘possible’, ‘maybe’, ‘presuming’, ‘likely’, ‘assuming that’, and ‘it is not a stretch to imagine’, were taken out. In other words, he’s building a theory on a lot of guesswork without much of a foundation in fact. Once the reader catches on, an otherwise readable article becomes quite trudging. I’d like to see more from House, because he’s a good writer with a good mind; I just didn’t find this piece at all convincing.
JACK BY GASLIGHT? By Neil Bell – An article I very much looked forward to, as the Mitre Square murder is one of my favorite peripheral mysteries of the case. Bell certainly did not let me down in the way of his research, shedding much light (again, pun intended) on the circumstances Jack and other key players in the square that night would have found themselves in, in regards to their ability (or lack of) to see. Where Bell begins hitting the crack pipe is during his conclusion, where he concludes that Jack had absolutely no skills and there was sufficient light for him to see by – after telling us that a) the nearest gas lamp was 64 feet away from the murder spot, b) said lamp would provide illumination similar to that of a refrigerator light, and c) due to cloud cover the moon wouldn’t have been much help. WTF?! He also concludes that Jack did not use a match or carry a lantern of any kind. So how did he see and perform all those mutilations without any skill? Did he order a pair of those glasses advertised in the back of comic books? Anyway, conclusion aside, the article is great, and will probably find itself quoted in many books, articles, and message board posts in the future. I would also like to draw special attention to the amazing illustrations provided by Jane Coram. The reproduction of them in the article do not do them justice.
PEDACHENKO REVISITED By Stepan Poberowski – No, I didn’t misspell his first name. It’s really Stepan. Not Stephen, or something. Ever seen the composite of the Zodiac killer? Imagine him smiling and you’ve got Stepan Poberowski. No kidding. Kinda freaky. But then, it says he’s from St. Petersburg, which I think is in Virginia, so it’s all good. This is like the second or third..I think third…article Stepan has done investigating all the claims and circumstances surrounding the theory of William LeQeuex. Thankfully, Stepan does not endorse the absurd theory, and his research and presentation is always impeccable. Personally, I find his work quite valuable and hope it’s ongoing. That makes two (three, if your name’s Robert House) valuable contributions in a row this ish. Not bad at all. Let’s keep reading. Oh yeah, and the picture of Tsar Nicholas II on page 22 looks a lot like Jeremy Beadle, who, in turn, occasionally resembles Tim Curry, who, in turn, looks a LOT like that illustration of Tumblety on the cover of last issue (sans mustache).
JACK THE NECROMANCER AND THE VICTORIAN OCCULT REVIVAL By Spiro Dimolianis – I can see why Eduardo chose ‘What’s In A Name?’ as the title of his editorial; he was setting us up for the fact that most of the contributors in this issue have weird names. Typing them is starting to give me a headache similar to the kind you get when you read a Stan Russo article. You know what I’m talking about. Anyway, if you think Spiro’s name’s weird, check out his pic. Looks like it was scanned from one of those post office (Poste office for Caz and Omlor) ‘WANTED’ posters. But I’m sure he’s an awesome guy. I like this article. I liked it the first time I read it: two months ago at Casebook Jr., and I like it now. His article is great, and I’m not just saying that because D’Onston’s my favorite suspect. Alright, I probably am, but we Ripperologists have to pretend we’re unbiased at all times, so I’m going to say that’s not why I like it. It’s a very well researched piece and I hope those who find the idea of a black magician wielding a knife in 1888 London to be ridiculous read this article and pause for thought. A rather creepy note is added in the acknowledgements when he writes: “Oh, and thanks to ‘Jack the Ripper’, whoever you are, for making life so much more interesting and bringing attention to the plight of the victims and unfortunates of the East End.” Yeah, thank God some warped loser gutted Annie Chapman like a pig in the back of a stranger’s house; otherwise no one would have known she was short her doss money, and I’d be reviewing Kerrang! right now. Good perspective, Spiro. Morbid much?
MRS MALCOLM’S STORY By Paul Begg – For like the third time Begg is raping his book ‘The Facts’, expounding on some of his speculations. His ‘Was Chapman Drunk?’ was great, but this one is a little further of left field. He has Stride posing as Mrs Malcolm’s sister, repeatedly, to get money for her. I suppose it’s not impossible, but likely? I think not. I hope he next expounds on his suggestion (again, proposed in ‘The Facts’) that the identity of Schwartz’s Man #2 (or, for the X-Files inclined, ‘Pipeman’) was known to police shortly after Stride’s murder; a suggestion that flies in the face of every official document relating to the matter. This one dropped my jaw when I read it in the book, and I’d enjoy an article explaining the thought processes behind it…illustrated with photos of Ally Reinecke, of course.
PRESS TRAWL By Chris Scott – I’m getting tired of talking about how great Scott’s ‘Press Trawl’ is, since everybody knows it’s awesome. In this issue we get Brodie, Sadler, the coroners, and more. And that same photo of Chris where it looks like someone was just talking about his mother. Ever seen ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’? You know how the vamps’ brow and everything gets all scary when they vamp out? Well, that’s what’s going on in this pic. At least the guys with the funny names look happy in their photos.
I BEG TO REPORT: We start off with some sad news, for Rip readers, that is: Coral Kelly has quit the mag ‘due to a conflict of interests’. Must be why there’s no ‘token chick article’ in this issue. She will most definitely be missed by us subscribers for her efforts in getting the mag to us, taking our subscriptions, and missed by ALL readers for her excellent contributions to the magazine. I hear she’s now heading up the Whitechapel Society (formerly the Cloak & Dagger Club) and will be running their members’ newsletter. I have to say, working for both Paul Begg AND the C&D would DEFINITELY be a conflict of interest. In other news is the Baltimore Ripper Conference in 2006, the BTK capture, and some other fluff.
LETTERS AND COMMENTS: Howard Brown gets all excited over the Liz Stride documentary coming out, then Robert Charles Linford suggests that Paul Begg, Chris George, Howard Brown, and Dan Norder, are all the same person, because of their staches. If Begg and Norder are the same person, then the Norder half will soon be opening a can off whoop-arse on the Begg half very soon (see reviews). Matthew Guilford (a.k.a. Horseflesh from last issue’s letter column) does an about face on his assertion that Ripper Notes is superior to Ripperologist. Having been called out by the editors he changes his mind and writes, “I happen to think that both Ripperologist and Ripper Notes are two of the finest independent publications on any subject anywhere”. So, now that his real name is known, Ripperologist ceases to suck and becomes one of the two best independent publications in the world. Expect to see an article by Guilford in the next issue. After this they run my Casebook (I don’t post it to jtrforums as they claim) review of issue #57, but cut all the funny stuff out, making me look like a total idiot. But I’m a sucker for seeing my name in print, so it’s all good, even if I think it’s a little weird that a magazine continuously publishes reviews of itself. But hey, keep it up! Judy Janes then writes, “I received my very first issue of Ripperologist this week and I couldn’t be happier”. She doesn’t know how wrong she is. If she’d read the issue with my groundbreaking D’Onston article, she would have found a state of Nirvana that would have forever after been her ‘happy place’. But the last issue was pretty good, too.
ON THE CRIMEBEAT with Wilf Gregg – Poor little guy, he’s still sad. Just look at that pic. I hope someone adopts him soon. I guess there were no boxing books coming out, so Gregg had to review crime books. One is called ‘The Ultimate Price: The Unlawful Killing of British Police Officers 1700-2000’. What a great title. Of course, this will be followed by a book called ‘The Lawful Killing of British Police Officers 2001-Present’, whereby every citizen was given a license to kill anyone wearing blue. Gregg likes the book.
REVIEWS: Okay, here’s where it gets REALLY good. But before we get to the Ripper Notes review, Begg (in a review written during the ‘sober hours’) raves over Alan Sharp’s book, ‘London Correspondence’. And rightfully so. If you don’t buy this book, you deserve every David Radka post you come across on the Casebook. However, I must also concur with Mr. Begg that Sharp (writing for an Irish audience) assumes certain Ireland vs England knowledge on the part of the reader, making some sections difficult to follow. But a minor quibble over all. Buy it. Or else…Radka. Begg also reviews the movie ‘Ripper 2: Letter From Within’, which I hear is pretty crappy. The title certainly is. Then there’s a couple more book reviews, nothing of much consequence. So, now, let’s back track to the long-arse review of the most recent issue of Ripper Notes, which, THANK GOD, I did not contribute to, thus escaping the psychologically damaging prose of Mr. Begg. The praise he’s been showering upon Dan Norder over the last few months for his first two issues as editor of RN are now - like Coral Kelly and Eduardo Zinna’s memory of the last two years of Ripperologist - nowhere to be found. The review, apparently written in the hour following ‘Happy Hour’, states, diplomatically enough, that RN #21 is “…a good read; on occasion, a very good read. It’s just not as good as prior issues.” Okay, fair enough. Had he stopped there Begg might still be on Norder’s Christmas list, not on his death list. But the review just gets plain strange from there. Regarding the article by Alan Sharp, which relates to the research found in his (praised by Begg) book, Begg writes, “Alan Sharp’s take on the London Police as seen by the Irish Press is excellent, but hardly new, sandwiched as it is between his article on this subject in Ripperologist 51, in January 2004, and his recently published book, London Correspondence…” Ummm…okay…and Spiro Dom3$%@#$#’s article, published 2 months ago at Jtrforums and appearing in THIS issue of Ripperologist WAS new? That’s kind of the pot calling the kettle African-American, isn’t it? Was Norder supposed to say, “Gee, Mr. Sharp, even though you’re the author of a Ripper book JUST NOW coming out, and you’re stirring a lot of discussion, and you’re offering a related piece that includes research not used in your book, I don’t think it’s wise to publish your article, because a year ago you published an article in Ripperologist and some of my readers may remember it.” Yeah, okay. Begg then compares Wolf Vanderlinden’s new ‘From the Newspaper Morgue’ column to Chris Scott’s ‘Press Trawl’. While the comparison is obvious, Begg fails to point out that Wolf follows his press clippings with research and commentary. Scott does not. He then points out that this piece does not fit in with Norder’s ‘theme’ for the issue, which is press coverage, though I think it’s clear that Norder intends his themes to be more or less ‘recurring’ throughout the issue, and not the be all end all. He mentions Stewart Evans’ Lees article, but offers no opinion. The next part is quite interesting. Begg writes, “We note that the contents page bends the truth a bit in describing Lees as ‘the psychic who caught the Ripper’. Thankfully, a caption attached to his photograph, ‘R J Lees, the star of a long-running myth about the Jack the Ripper case’, is more accurate and more in tune with Evan’s essay.” First of all, giving this much space to a perceived error, while offering no commentary on the essay in question, is nitpicky at best. It’s also mistaken. The contents page blurb reads ‘The LEGEND of the psychic who caught the Ripper”. For whatever reason, Begg chose to ignore the ‘legend’ part. Is there not a legend that Lees led the police to the Ripper’s door? Yes there is! Is that stating, or even inferring, that Lees did such a thing? Not at all! Therefore, no mistake.
The next attack….er, critique…is of Norder’s decision to include ‘When the People Were in Terror’, a very long series of essays by Norman Hastings, not published since it’s run in a newspaper back in the 30’s. Begg feels the articles are of no merit and offer no distinction, and then goes on to speak for Nick (‘Man Who Hunted JTR’) Connell, by writing, “Even Nicholas Connell, who rediscovered them a few years ago, didn’t think too highly of them at the time and doesn’t seem to have changed his opinion since…he found them interesting but not of any great value except to bibliophiles.” Say what? I assume that by ‘bibliophile’ he means in regards to collectors of Ripper material, since Hastings never published these articles in book form. Wouldn’t the subscribers of a specialty magazine such as RN be described as such? I thought the publication of it was a great idea, because I, for one, like having this stuff, and in its entirety instead of little snippets fed to me by someone else with his own, often differing, sense of what is and is not important information. I thought it was a brave move on Norder’s part. Did it solve the case? No. Nor did Rob House’s 13 pages, or my D’Onston article (which Norder trashed, by the way, so why am I defending him here?). But something in Hasting’s work might be of value to some researcher somewhere someday. And anyway, it was a good, nostalgic, read, that served, if nothing else, to enlighten the modern Ripperphile on how the Ripper case was perceived, researched, and written about, 75 years ago. Is there not merit in that? And check out how many commas I used in that sentence!
Keep reading, folks, it gets stranger. Begg then brings up the change in the magazine’s tagline from ‘The American Journal for Ripper Studies’ to the ‘International Journal for Ripper Studies’, and muses that this change “reflects the realities of a magazine most of whose contributors hail from outside the USA. That’s not the strange part, this is... “We admit to viewing this change in direction with some regret. A magazine that proclaimed itself unabashedly American in outlook presented for Ripperologist a more attractive challenge than a magazine that shares the same subject, the same writers and the same approach. Next thing we know, the new, International Ripper Notes will start publishing articles on the East End of London, the Victorian Era and the Pearly Kings.” In other words, Norder’s ripping off (as always, pun intended) Ripperologist and will continue to do so in a more conspicuous way. I doubt that. First of all, the change of ONE WORD on the cover in no way changes the scope, outlook, or subject matter of the magazine. Norder never had the intention of having only American contributors. He did that as a theme for ONE ISSUE. As for the ‘same writers’, I believe I noted how, a couple issues back, Ripperologist relied greatly on previous Ripper Notes writers to bring the Jack back into focus in IT’S new Ripper-heavy approach. Anything wrong with that? Not if a good issue comes out of it, and it did. It’s all about pleasing your readers. And when was RN ‘unabashedly American’. Norder didn’t put George Washington on his first cover, he put Andy Aliffe! And why does this change of one word make RN a less attractive challenge? I guess I’m just too daft…too stupid…too American…to get it.
Now that the issue has been effectively trashed, Begg turns to Norder himself. He first mentions the praise Norder received not only for rescuing Ripper Notes after the departure of much-loved CMD as editor, but for the facelift and ultra-high quality of his first two issues. Here comes the b*tch-slap… “Unfortunately, universal praise seems not to be enough for Norder, who has taken to trumpeting his own accomplishments on every possible occasion. That is, of course, his privilege. We understand his eagerness to become numero uno (they should, since they put ‘The #1 Publication’ on everything bearing their name –TW) and, in that context, may excuse his repeated reaffirmation of the superior quality of his product and his constant claim that his magazine registers highest in the Ripper scale. But fiddling with facts and figures is a no-no. Norder claims, for example, that RN offers its subscribers ‘more in just four issues’ than Ripperologist in six. His calculations do not stand up to the test.” Begg then goes on to compare page size and quantiy between the two mags, while overlooking such things as word count and the fact that Rip has more illustrations. But I don’t think amount of content was all Norder meant. He may also have been referring to ‘Ripper content’, which for years has been heavier in RN than Rip. Begg can be forgiven for not noticing this, given the amnesia epidemic sweeping through Rip headquarters and robbing them of their memory prior to 3 issues ago. Rip’s definitely on the upswing, but this Norder bashing is an ugly scar on an otherwise quality issue. One can’t help but feel that the Rip editors are guilty of what they’re accusing Norder of, and that is letting their accomplishments go to their head. Remember the Nick Warren/Ripperana bashing from the last issue? While that was certainly long in coming and well-deserved, why did it appear at that time, AFTER Rip made the move to reaffirm itself not only as the leading Ripper magazine, but the BEST? And what of all the ‘universal praise’ heaped on Norder (an American) as of late? That MUST have had some impact on the guys editing Norder’s competition. It would on me. Perhaps that stirred some feelings that skewed Begg’s perception of what Norder was actually going for in this issue? Begg spends a paragraph examining the raised price of RN, determining that it actually now costs MORE than Rip. That’s the answer! The ‘trumpeting’ that Norder was doing was simply to remind his readership of the value of his magazine and to justify the new price increase. How could he NOT do that without a favorable comparison to the competition? As a case in point, let’s look at the next to last paragraph in Begg’s review: “…While apparently Ripper Notes aspires to be a book-like collection of essays on a given theme, Ripperologist only wants to be a journal offering a variety of articles by the best informed writers in the field. Ripperologist offers good reading, variety (already said that-TW) and more pages (????-TW) – and costs less. And if what you want is to be up-to-date with news and reviews, six issues a year will keep you better informed than four.” Yeah, then you’re only two months behind everyone with a freaking computer instead of three. Ha ha. For the latest breaking news, people go to this site, also ran by one of those damned Yanks. People read the mags for the essays and commentary and educated reviews. But I digress. Wasn’t Begg just ‘trumpeting’? Yes. And is there anything wrong with him thinking or expressing the thought that his mag is the best? Not at all. I’d WANT him to think so. Who wants an editor who hates their own product (Ripperana subscribers say ‘Aye’)? Anyway, I know I sound like I’m getting ugly at Paul Begg for getting up in Dan Norder’s grill and goin’ ignorant, but I’m not mad at Paul. Just confused. I’ll concede that Norder’s dry expression of confidence borders on cockiness occasionally. But geez. Chill out. If you’re upset, just wait for the next Ripperana and take it out in your review. No one will think worse of you. But this review just came off as petty and defensive. And you forgot to call Dan out on his bad judgement in reviewing my D’Onston article! And meanwhile, Dan’s been making friends over at jtrforums. Poor guy. If he was a crappier editor more people would probably like him. But I hope my review – which was longer than the review it was reviewing – has been an adequate rebuttal. Moving on…
THE LAST WORD By Christopher-Michael DiGrazia – who recently DID return my e-mails (!!!!) and is no doubt still enjoying my copy of Jean Overton-Fuller’s ‘Sickert and the Ripper Crimes’. Here he uses his usual one page to entertain and enlighten on the subject of ‘weather’. Always a joy to read his work, and I hope (following their procurement and publication of a clear photo of Ally Reinecke) the editors of Rip will work dutifully to convince CMD to write a much longer commentary on the Ripper, or toothpaste, or whatever. I just like his writing.
Man, it’s late and I’ve WAY overstayed my welcome. It’s been fun, and I hope I haven’t upset anyone. If you DON’T work for Rip and you actually read this whole review, you deserve an award. I’m out like Dan Norder’s sense of Ripperological comradarie…
Yours truly,
Tom Wescott
P.S. Can you say ‘ass’ on here without getting in trouble, cuz ‘arse’ just looks stupid. I guess we’ll find out.
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Jennifer D. Pegg
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Jdpegg
Post Number: 2162
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Friday, April 22, 2005 - 4:38 am: |
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Hi Tom,
found your review interesting, wonder if the Rip will print any of that in May, 'chick' (well i'll just leave it at that)
and i wouldn't want to comment in anyway on your review of the reviews (review of reviews that a Stead mag right?)
a**e theres nothing wrong with that word!
Ask Ricky Tomlinson, or better yet, don't.
Jenni
"All you need is positivity"
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Thomas C. Wescott
Inspector
Username: Tom_wescott
Post Number: 327
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Friday, April 22, 2005 - 6:20 pm: |
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Jenni and all,
I mentioned their token chick of the month in my last review (you'll notice they rarely have more than one chick article per ish, though now that I've pointed that out, there'll probably be two or three next issue or the one after that. Ha ha), and only because it's true, and they ran my review (edited) in this issue. Whether they run this review or not, who can say. And yep, The Review of Reviews was indeed a Stead mag, well done! I haven't the slightest clue who Ricky Tomlinson is, so you needn't worry about me asking him anything.
Apparently everyone and their grandma disagrees with me regarding Robert House's article. I thought it had less to offer than the two articles following it (though certainly not less skill, House is a good writer), but everyone else thinks it's the shiznit. Rip even chose it as their online offering for the issue. It must be the profiling aspect that has people all giddy. I wonder what they'd think if they knew that the world's leading profiler, the guy who started it all, John Douglas, thinks that Manson had no intention of anyone getting murderer and that Tex Watson took control; that Lee Harvey Oswald was Kennedy's lone assassin; that the magic bullet theory is the correct one; and that profiling found its footing with the conviction of Wayne Williams for the Atlanta child murders, though there's every reason to think that, at the very least Williams was not a lone killer, and that at the most he killed NO ONE. Having said that, profiling can be very useful to investigators when in the right hands. But someone who hasn't studied Victorian crimes or times would not have such hands. Profiling is good to use in an argument for a suspect to a small extent, but it shouldn't be THE argument. Anyway, I feel good knowing that everyone else loved House's piece. I thought the latest issue, overall, was very strong. Obviously I take issue with Rip's treatment of Dan Norder, and that most of that SHOULD have been said in a private e-mail to Dan Norder and not publicly in a magazine people are paying to read. I've said the same in defense of Begg when Nick Warren rags on him in Ripperana. I didn't expect Begg to turn around and do the exact same thing (though, in fairness, Begg at least READS the mags/books he's reviewing before he trashes them).
Yours truly,
Tom Wescott |
Ally
Chief Inspector
Username: Ally
Post Number: 886
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Friday, April 22, 2005 - 8:57 pm: |
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Tom, darling, an excellent offering overall.
As far as pictures of yours truly, you'll just have to come to RipCon06 and meet me in the flesh. After all, considering that I don't happen to recall your toothsome visage pasted in Ripperologist--and you even being published there--it's hardly a fair request. So sorry, Goldilocks but it's the tat for tit system here.
Ciao
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Howard Brown
Inspector
Username: Howard
Post Number: 335
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Friday, April 22, 2005 - 9:29 pm: |
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If Tommy shows his "tat" will you show...um..forget that...
Thompson...as in Machine Gun from the O.K. State...:
Where Bell begins hitting the crack pipe is during his conclusion, where he concludes that Jack had absolutely no skills and there was sufficient light for him to see by –
Bell will be hitting the crack pipe when I get through with him in due time,my homie,in due time....
You know me,O.P.P....I'm about as much a Kosminski-ite as I am a Royalist... Rob House's article is a tribute to those who are persuaded by the concept Aaron the K was da man...it was a damned good read.
Glad you got that computer working bubs....great review.
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Jennifer D. Pegg
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Jdpegg
Post Number: 2192
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, April 23, 2005 - 4:43 am: |
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Hi Tom,
yes i know you did it bugged me then too!
Ricky Tomlinson is basically someone famous for saying arse!
Jenni
"All you need is positivity"
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Thomas C. Wescott
Inspector
Username: Tom_wescott
Post Number: 330
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, April 23, 2005 - 2:21 pm: |
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You can get famous by saying arse? Well, maybe I'll use it MORE then. Ha ha.
Howard,
Dude, you're killing my action..AND stealing my punchlines! Ally asked me to meet her, used the words 'flesh' and 'tit', and there you are jumping in the middle. You blocker!
I notice that NOBODY is touching my review this time around, certainly staying clear of the Norder/Begg issue. I don't know why. I think people are afraid they'll piss Begg or Norder off by expressing their opinion. That's ridiculous. I've disagreed with Paul Begg many a time and still on occassion enjoy wonderful e-mail correspondences with him. Same with many other people. One of the things both editors enjoy about publishing is the discussion and controversy that occassion occurs around the material they put out. My advise to all who waste their time reading my reviews (okay, maybe it's not a TOTAL waste) is, instead of e-mailing me to tell me how much you agree with me, or how deep and at what angle I can stick it, should post that here for all to see.
This is a good time for Ripperology. A great time, actually. Books like Alan Sharp's are coming out that have completely new angles. New blood like Chris Scott is on the scene putting out very focused, wonderfully researched stuff, Ripperologist appears to be heading into its best era ever (I hope my criticisms don't overshadow the fact that I feel the last 3 issues are among the best they've ever done, and I commend them for that achievement), Ripper Notes is kicking arse (cha-ching!)and taking subscriptions, and Stephen Ryder just made 20 bucks off me for my purchase of the 2005 Casebook DVD-R. Oh yeah, and my Ripper book will be out shortly following the release of Whittington-Egan's 'Quest for JTR', which gives me plenty of time to get it together.
Yours truly,
Tom Wescott
P.S. I haven't even bothered to read the thread, but it looks like a lot of people are discussing whether or not Eddowes was a cop. I hope I'm reading that wrong. |
Ally
Chief Inspector
Username: Ally
Post Number: 888
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, April 23, 2005 - 3:02 pm: |
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Hey I totally agree with you Tom. The RN bashing was petty, over the top, and childish. Surely though you don't need our approval and agreement to know you were right?
But the reason most people won't agree publicly is that they know that the nasty can come come swiftly if you go up against certain quarters (my quarter included), especially if one has publishing power (mine unfortunately not). I mean let's face it, you are talking about how Begg thoroughly trashed Norder, just for publishing a magazine in competition. Now most people who aren't authors or editors wouldn't rate such treatment in the pages of Rip, but there are other ways.
The world of Ripperology is nasty, cut-throat and vicious. How apt, no?
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Kelly Robinson
Inspector
Username: Kelly
Post Number: 153
Registered: 2-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, April 23, 2005 - 5:19 pm: |
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Hey Tom,
Let me say that I absolutely love your reviews, and I usually laugh out loud once or twice at least. I always try not get personal here, but I have to say something about the "token chick" thing. Please bear with me, and I know I risk being the curmudgeon for all time now.
I'm particularly bothered by the suggestion that Rip will probably have two articles by women now that you've mentioned it, particularly because I'm working on a submission. I sincerely hope that if Ripperologist ever chose to print something of mine it would be because they liked it. I have to admit, your comment certainly makes me want to wait awhile to submit, so it doesn't look like I'm fulfilling some sort of quota.
It's also insulting to the women who have worked hard on their articles. I'm sure you meant it tongue in cheek; I SWEAR I have a sense of humor, but I'm a little nauseous over this one.
Just venting,
-K
"The past isn't over. It isn't even past."
William Faulkner
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Thomas C. Wescott
Inspector
Username: Tom_wescott
Post Number: 333
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, April 24, 2005 - 11:33 pm: |
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Ally,
Well, to be fair, according to you Rip has always been cruel and mean and petty, particularly towards Melvin Harris, and I, for one, never saw it. I cheered when Begg finally tore into Warren and Ripperana recently. I just thought he was a bit harsh on Norder; not to mention he criticized him for things that weren't even true. And the issue was pretty damn good, I must say, so that added salt to the wound. I often read the reviews, news, and letters, before I tear into the articles. So, that kinda soured it a bit for me. And then Wilf Gregg's picture got me real down. Thankfully, Rob House's wiley self was there to pick me up with his 'pen-in-the-ear' hijinx. The review against Norder seemed personal, not professional. I think that's what I'm trying to say. Perhaps I'm wrong though.
Kelly,
What's your article on? Don't NOT submit it just cuz I make some dumb remark in a review. 95% of Ripperologists are male. Fact. What does that mean? 95% of the articles written in these mags will be by men. I don't actually think for a second that Begg and Co. have any sort of quota. If three great articles come in at once by women, they'll get published in the same issue. If none come in, none will be published. This has all happened before. Granted, virtually all Ripper books written by women are crap - they have agendas and tend to support the 'romantic' suspects. The same could be said for Ripper books written by Americans (anyone read 'Prince Jack'?). But, the magazines have seen some wonderful contributions by the fairer sex; you might have noticed in the last review that I raved over Jane Coram and Coral Kelly's work. If you submit a good article, I'll rave over it as well. If you submit a cute picture to go along with it, that'll help.
Yours truly,
Tom Wescott |
Ally
Chief Inspector
Username: Ally
Post Number: 894
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Monday, April 25, 2005 - 7:12 pm: |
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Well honey dear, when does someone tear into another someone in a blistering attack when it's not personal? People rarely do it to pure strangers. Well I do sometimes but only when they are completely daft. Harsh is in the eye of the beholder. And how one feels about the person on the receiving end of the harsh generally influences an observers perception of the behavior.
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D. Radka
Unregistered guest
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 27, 2005 - 1:29 pm: |
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Mr. Wescott wrote:
"If you don’t buy this book, you deserve every David Radka post you come across on the Casebook...Buy it. Or else…Radka."
>>Perhaps you'd like to offer a substative critique of my work, Mr. Wescott. Do you feel up to that? Otherwise, you do nothing other than what Mr. Norder does--you point your reader elsewhere, where you claim justification of your position is surely to be found.
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Jennifer D. Pegg
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Jdpegg
Post Number: 2249
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 27, 2005 - 3:37 pm: |
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Tom,
do we assume you did buy the book?
in which case...
Hi David!
Jenni
"It's time to give a damn, Let's work together come on"
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Howard Brown
Inspector
Username: Howard
Post Number: 346
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 27, 2005 - 11:03 pm: |
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Moving right along....
I almost forgot to mention how rewarding it was to read Alan Sharp's book....London Correspondence. The critique of his book in Rip 58, makes mention of the hope that further research into the areas my friend and Renaissance Man, Alan Sharp, has touched on,will be perused.
Very decent critique of this book. |
Kelly Robinson
Inspector
Username: Kelly
Post Number: 154
Registered: 2-2004
| | Posted on Friday, April 29, 2005 - 8:57 am: |
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Hi Tom,
Sorry I posted and ran, but my workplace moved this week (ever tried to move a bookstore? I don't recommend it!). Thanks for the reply. Again, I knew you were joking, but I thought that if it's even possibly the truth, it needs to be known, and if it's not it needs to be clarified. Thanks for clarifying. Let's not speak of it again.
-K
"The past isn't over. It isn't even past."
William Faulkner
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Matt
Unregistered guest
| | Posted on Thursday, April 28, 2005 - 4:56 am: |
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Tom I know your review is supposed to be light-hearted and flippant, but I must take issue with you about you comments about me and my so-called ‘about face’. I think your memory must be on the blink, I happily stepped down from my opinion that Ripperologist wasn’t all it could be way back on the ‘Ripperologist Issue 57’ thread on these very boards. I have the occasional ‘about faces’ especially as I learn more about the subject matter in hand, you should try it some time, learning and growing and all that its good for the soul.
I’ll happily admit that Ripperologist is better than I first supposed, or perhaps it has merely improved, as I still happen to think a couple of the issues last year were truly dire, unfortunately the first two I received hence my opinions at that time.
However, let me clear something up for you I still don’t think it is better than Ripper Notes. I’m sure I didn’t mean to give that impression. In fact I am sure I said nothing of the sort to give that impression, It almost hurts to say it, being British and preferring the American publication just doesn’t seem right but the content of RN is still superior to Ripperologist. The issue in hand, 58 is superb the best yet, if every issue were this good then I can feel another about face coming on.
Flip flopping all the way
Matt
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D. Radka
Unregistered guest
| | Posted on Thursday, April 28, 2005 - 6:38 pm: |
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It is hard to imagine that the childish harangue imposed above could be accomplished by anyone other than someone totally or almost totally without the awareness of those feelings implicit in normal adult interaction and living. I imagine Mr. Begg, after dining on his boeff Wellington, donning a silk kimono, and striding with confidence into his study, and pouring out a snifter of fine brandy, finding his computer soiled by this ill-chosen verbiage. I can only wish his postprandial serenity will not be too upset by it.
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Ally
Chief Inspector
Username: Ally
Post Number: 899
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Friday, April 29, 2005 - 2:26 pm: |
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First of all David,
You spend entirely too much time imagining Begg in his lounging clothes. Second of all, Begg has dished out harsh criticisms of other people in the past and will in the future, so I am quite sure that he is grown-up enough to take the same treatment as he has dealt.
And third, whose posts are you referring to with your "childish harangue comment"? One should be clear about the person to whom one is replying when one posts often and annoyingly without registering. If it was mine, bite me. If it was Tom's, why so late with the Begg defense? I mean you just sat there for over a week before you caught on that we were saying Begg pulled a naughty and felt prompted to reply? You didn't mention it in your previous posts...so what gives?
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Howard Brown
Inspector
Username: Howard
Post Number: 348
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Friday, April 29, 2005 - 11:31 pm: |
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"I notice that NOBODY is touching my review this time around, certainly staying clear of the Norder/Begg issue. I don't know why."- T.W.
I'd tend to think [and hope] that these two people would iron out whatever differences they had on their own without any elaboration from other parties. You have the chutzpah,Tom,to mention it....thats a given...thats why I admire you.
But lets let them settle it. There's way too much bickering everywhere anyway..Both magazines serve a greater purpose...to inform and perpetuate Ripper studies. I like them equally and enjoy each one's style and hope the only "battle" they have is in their respective attempts to cover new ground or old ground in a new way.
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A Wood
Unregistered guest
| | Posted on Friday, April 29, 2005 - 5:32 pm: |
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"I imagine Mr. Begg, after dining on his boeff Wellington, donning a silk kimono, and striding with confidence into his study, and pouring out a snifter of fine brandy, finding his computer soiled by this ill-chosen verbiage."
So that's what the boss does while Eduardo, Chris and myself slave over the Rip's newsdesk, in filthy rags, nibbling on the leftovers... on second thoughts, if he's in a silk kimono I'd rather he stayed in his study...
Adam
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Thomas C. Wescott
Inspector
Username: Tom_wescott
Post Number: 334
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, April 30, 2005 - 7:11 pm: |
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David Radka pictures Paul Begg striding (and with confidence, mind you) in a silk kimono. Ally says Paul "pulled a naughty". This thread is going to Smutsville and fast. Let's see if we can't get it back on track. I just got done looking at a photo of Wilf Gregg, so there's little chance I'll be horny for some time, thus guaranteeing a smut-free post to be enjoyed by the whole family.
Howard and all. I think that's the problem. That nobody ever speaks up with their opinions. It's one thing if Begg and Norder are having issues, but if I'm paying to read about them, then I have a right to comment, particularly if I feel one or the other is being treated unfairly. Just as I've always complained of the treatment Begg receives in Ripperana (which borders on obsession). Had I at all thought Norder was being untruthful or unfair to Begg or Ripperologist in his last issue, I would have spoken up, but I didn't get that impression at all. Nor did I ever get the impression that Ripperologist bashed Melvin Harris, though Ally did. Sometimes it's just about perspective, and there's nothing wrong with voicing that perspective. Occassionally, it will evoke a nonsensical response from David Radka, but that's the chance we take and the price we pay for living in a free country (or a semi-free country, for those not in America). My last review had Kelly Robinson both laughing out loud and getting sick to her stomach. It pissed off Matt a.k.a. Horseflesh a.k.a. John Kerry. It brought David Radka to the defensive, taking advantage of the situation to get me to talk about his 'work'. Let's just say his work evoked the same reaction in me that my review did in Kelly Robinson. But I'll give him a substative critique in a moment. Right now, I'm babbling. What I'm saying is that it gratifies me that so many people read Ripperologist and Ripper Notes. The three subscribers Ripperana still has gratifies me as well. I'd like to see more discussion here about the contents of these magazines (except Ripperana, since their subscribers don't have computers), and enjoy the opportunity to stir discussion, and maybe a little controversy over them. Thankfully, Casebook.org is a site in which one can do that and not worry about getting all his posts deleted or, heaven forbid, banned, by being a bit controversial or outspoken. Having said that, I STILL say that if you don't subscribe to Ripper Notes (www.rippernotes.com) or Ripperologist (www.ripperologist.info), you deserve the same fate as those who won't purchase Alan Sharp's book (and, yes, Jennifer, I did buy it), and that is...RADKA. Speaking of which...
MY SUBSTATIVE CRITIQUE OF RADKA'S "WORK"
* It sucks
* He's out of his damn-blasted mind
* It's pretentious at best
* He hit upon a couple of things that, to my knowledge, no other Ripperologist, other than myself, has noticed. I'm not bringing these up here because they're in my book, which I'm writing very slowly. But it pisses me off that Radka noticed these things too, because now it means I'm not special...or maybe it means I'm a genius like Radka...or insane...or both.
* Mr. Radka's theory is a casebook study of self-reflection.
There you go.
Yours truly,
Tom Wescott |
Jennifer D. Pegg
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Jdpegg
Post Number: 2305
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, May 01, 2005 - 9:05 am: |
|
hi Tom,
then what did you do to deserve that Radka post?
Anyway,
Cheers
Jenni
ps hurry up with the book already! |
Maria Giordano
Inspector
Username: Mariag
Post Number: 376
Registered: 4-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, May 01, 2005 - 9:46 am: |
|
Ally,
After reading your post to Radka, I think I'd like a picture of you myself! 
Mags
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Maria Giordano
Inspector
Username: Mariag
Post Number: 378
Registered: 4-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, May 01, 2005 - 9:58 am: |
|
Tom, I regret to inform you that your critique of Radka fails to cite specific quotations and appears to have no epistomological center.
Pull yourself together,man!
Mags
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Ally
Chief Inspector
Username: Ally
Post Number: 910
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, May 01, 2005 - 5:17 pm: |
|
Hey there Maria,
Going to any of the conferences? 
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Matt
Unregistered guest
| | Posted on Sunday, May 01, 2005 - 3:48 pm: |
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Uh.. Tom you didn’t piss me off! In fact the deepest emotion I felt was mild disinterest. I just wanted to point something out to you that you had gotten wrong. No one likes to be misquoted, simple as that. |
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