Data Department
By David Fisher
Jack the Ripper Are these
the planetary positions for Jack the Ripper?
Sun 10 Gemini 11, Moon 28 Libra 46, Mercury 2 Gemini 39, Venus 23 Cancer 24, Mars 28 Capricorn 39, Jupiter 24 Cancer 06, Saturn 20 Leo 26, Uranus 8 Gemini 02, Neptune 29 Pisces 10, Pluto 8 Taurus 30
The identity of Jack the Ripper was the subject of Omnibus on 30th October 2002. Crime novelist Patricia Cornwell claims she has solved the mystery and that the case is now closed.
Of course, it isn't. Every two or three years a new book comes out claiming to be the last word on the subject, but most of the theories are easily demolished. Cornwell is convinced that Jack was the impressionist painter Walter Sickert. Sickert's name first cropped up in connection with the case back in the 1970's, so the theory is not even new. Furthermore, Cornwell has fallen into the trap which has engulfed previous writers on the subject: the msiguided notion that Jack has to be someone famous! In all probablity he was a nonentity whose name may not even have come tolight yet. Walter Sickert was undoubtedly obsessed with murders, as some of his paintings show, and from all accounts he was not a very pleasant person. But does that make him a murderer? I think not. Sickert was born in Munich, Germany of Danish parents on 31st May 1860. The planetary positions are calculated for noon GMT on that date.
Lonnie Donnegan, the King of Skiffle, died on 3rd November 2002. In the mid 1950's he sang and played with the Chris Barber Jazz Band but later formed hs own skiffle group and became the British music industry's first superstar with his gritty belnd of folk, jazz, gospel and blues. From 1958 onwards he had about thirty hits in the UK charts, including My Old Man's a Dustman, Cumberland Gap and Does Your Chewing Gim Lose its Flavour? By 1962 the hits had dried up but he continued to be a popular stage entertainer. He died while on tour yet again.
Anthony James Donnegan 29th April 1931, Glasgow (55N53, 4W15), 3:00 am BST (2:00 am GMT). Source: Paul Wright from birth certificate.
Film star Richard Harris died on 25th October 2002. His first great role was as the truculent rugby league player in This Sporting Life. He pleaded and pleaded for the part of King Arthur in the film version of Camelot and he sang his own songs in it. Many other roles followed, but he had also developed a reputation as a hard drinker and he joined Alcoholic's Anonymous. In more recent years, he appeared in Clint Eastwood's award winning film The Unforgiven and, shortly before his death was due to appear in the next Harry Potter film.
Richard Harris 1st October 1930, Limerick, Ireland (52N40, 8W38), 11:20 am GDT (10:20 GMT). Source: His astrologer Kathleen Johnson quotes him.
John Leslie (chart right) and Angus Deayton were both sacked from their jobs although, to be fair, Leslie had not been charged with anything by the police. Just as this piece was being written, however, the former presenter of Blue Peter and This Morning agreed to help the police with their enquiries into allegations of rape and indecent assault. Angus Deayton's position as host of Have I Got News For You, a show which lampoons public figures, had become untenable as Deayton himself became the target of his co presenters Paul Merton and Ian Hislop.
John Leslie (real name John Leslie Stott) 22nd February 1965, Edinburgh (55N57, 3W13), 0:30 am GMT. Source: Caroline Gerard from birth certificate.
Angus Deayton 6th January 1956, place and time not known. Source: TV Times Who's Who on Television (2000)
No TV programme has reinvented itself to such an extent as Emmerdale, which celebrated its thirtieth anniversary on 16th October 2002. It started life as Emmerdale Farm, acosy little daytime soap about life n the Yorkshire Dales, not dissimilar to radio's The Archer's. However, over the years viewing figures began to fall and in 1989 the word "Farm" was dropped fromthe title. Then at Christmas 1993 the village suffered a Locherbie-type disaster and many of the show's long running characters were axed. Since then there has been political corruption, lesbianism and murder; the show also has a new set which is situated on the estate of the Queen's cousin, Lord Harewood, between Leeds and Harrogate. (I live in a rural community much the same as Emmerdale's and I can tell you life is pretty uneventful.)
First transmission 16th October 1972,Leeds (53N50, 1W35), 1:30 pm BST (12:30 GMT). Ascendant 25 Sagittarius. Source: Teletext 16th October 2002.
And finally the data of two of our fnest golfers, Sam Torrance and Colin Montgomerie, who helped Europe beat the USA for the Ryder Cup in September 2002; Torrance was also team captain.
Samuel Robert Torrance 24th August 1953, Kilwinning, Scotland (55N39, 4W42), 9:35 am BST (8:35 GMT). Ascendant 4 Libra.
Colin Stuart Montgomerie 23rd June 1963, Glasgow (55N53, 4W15), 6:00 am BST (5:00 GMT). Ascendant 17 Cancer,
Sources: Caroline Gerard from birth certificates.
Home***World News by Jenni Dean Harte***Media Watch by Nick Campion***Comment - Phyllis Playter by Pauline Smith***Data Section by David Fisher***Musings of a Yorkshire Astrologer by David Fisher***Astrological Association 2002 Research Conference by Alice Ekrek***Faculty of Astrological Studies News by Sue Farebrother ***Submissions to Transit***AA Website