Calling
were to read Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper
Case Closed, in which author Patricia Comweli pro
vides substantial evidence that Jack the Ripper was
a disturbed artist by the name of Walter Sickert.
However, many theories have been written giving
equally adequate evidence on other members of
society at the time. The most popular theory of Jack
the Ripper was the queen’s surgeon, because every
one loved a good scandal in the royal family.
Surprisingly, Whitechapel is not publicized as the
killing grounds of Jack the Ripper. The people of the
area like to think of their home as normal.
“I can’t believe Whitechapel doesn’t commercial
ize on the Jack the Ripper murders,” said Michelle
Wolfgang, 25, criminal justice.
Sitting in a prison cell, visiting the room where rape
kits are used and experiencing the thick atmosphere
of sound proof walls of interrogation rooms is defi
nitely an experience. The students did this at the
Bulvaria Police Department and also received a per
sonalized tour of the control center where all of the
emergency calls come in. During the visit, a frantic
call came in about a lost child.
Highlights of the police department tour included
taking pictures inside the prison cells to scare their
poor parents and checking out the BMW police cars.
The trip to the police department was not all fun
and games. The students received a lecture about
privacy, surveillance and terrorism and England’s
laws regarding these issues, which proved to be very
similar to the U.S. A hot topic for them is CCTV,
where everyone entering certain public facilities
such as a mall gets a face scan for security purposes.
The issue is whether or not this violates human
rights.
During their free time, the students enjoyed visiting
London’s best museums, experiencing London the
ater, sightseeing, pub hopping and shopping.
The National Gallery, which sits on the beautifi.'l
Trafalgar Square, consists of priceless works of Da
Vinci, Michelangelo, Monet, Renoir, Degas and
many other artists. The British Museum displayed
the Rosetta Stone in their intriguing Egyptian exhi
bition.
Unfortunately, when the group visited Buckingham
Palace, the queen was not home.
Known as the world’s most famous
clock, Big Ben refers not to the clock
tower itself, but to the thirteen ton bell
hung within. It looks most spectacu
lar at night when the clock faces are
illuminated. You know when the par
liament is in session, because a light
shines above the clock face.
photos by Karen Plot)
Buckingham Palace was built for the Duke of Buckingham in 1703. It was not
until 1837 that Queen Victoria made Buckingham Palace the royal family’s princi
pal London residence. Unfortunately, for the group, the queen was not home.