[meteorite-list] Professor Colin Pillinger lecture - Stones from the sky: A heaven-sent opportunity to talk about science

From: Martin Goff <msgmeteorites_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:03:02 +0000
Message-ID: <CAKEL=tDGv1V8Ukza8C7upZpTh=P7Q=oiXLWrk0KE0nn=86HcbA_at_mail.gmail.com>

Good point Graham, although in relation to Topham i think the
dictionary definition below probably doesnt fit:

"an unprincipled, dishonorable person; villain."

Topham was known as a purveyor of the truth and as a magistrate that
description doesnt really fit so perhaps i mis used the term
'scoundrel' Maybe lovable rogue is a better term?

Cheers

Martin

On 10 February 2012 11:50, Graham Ensor <graham.ensor at gmail.com> wrote:
> And of course these days there are no scoundrels about in the
> meteorite world at all ;-)
>
> Graham
>
> On Fri, Feb 10, 2012 at 11:32 AM, Martin Goff <msgmeteorites at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Hi Doug,
>>
>> He was certainly not all starchy white in reputation and was
>> definitely a bit of scoundrel at times, in a very British way of
>> course.
>>
>> You wrote
>>
>> "Anyways, he was definitely one of the most colorful characters of
>> early meteorite enlightenment, and as a publicist actuallydeserves in
>> my opinion even more credit than he gets"
>>
>> You also wrote
>>
>> "Wonder what Prof. Pillinger thinks of this?"
>>
>> Well, i know that Professor Pillinger is currently researching a book
>> all about Edward Topham so we will have to wait and see what his
>> conclusions are! :-)
>>
>>
>> Cheers
>>
>> Martin
>>
>> On 10 February 2012 11:22, MexicoDoug <mexicodoug at aim.com> wrote:
>>> "Edward Topham was not a Sir"
>>>
>>> Hi Martin,
>>>
>>> Thanks for the kind reply; Someone else also said he was a Sir, I'm trying
>>> to remember. ?Maybe there really is more to the story. ?But, even if he were
>>> to have been knighted, wasn't George a bit too mad by that time, or are
>>> there others who have that power I wonder...
>>>
>>> Topham didn't even earn his title of "Major", he was just a captain, and
>>> upon retirement I think the policy was just to bump Captains up to Majors so
>>> they got bigger pensions. ?The newspaper he founded, as far as I can tell,
>>> was the very first widely circulated tabloid newspaper in the world
>>> (coincidently named 'The Globe'). ?However, he got into all kinds of legal
>>> troubles just before the meteorite fell and had to close it down, since he
>>> apparently has offended a well-respected recently dead man. ?If I recall, he
>>> pulled through the episode by the skin of his teeth and set some common law
>>> presicents in England saying a dead man's estate can't sue for libel.
>>>
>>> While he may have been respected in certain circles, I think he just sponged
>>> off Mrs. Wells during fair weather, made a business out of her with benefits
>>> (after this blew over she became a nun) and then as her superstar status
>>> began to wane, let her rot in jail and took her children away from her for
>>> himself. ?I'm sure it was a bit more complicated than that (she had a
>>> brother or brother in law who was a scoundrel), but still, IMO he was just a
>>> fancy-pants socialite. ?I really don't mean to offend since we like to give
>>> as much respect as we can to those great men and women in the history of
>>> meteorites, but the respect he got was probably more like a straight Perez
>>> Hilton of today (and many people live for that stuff in the USA!). ?So I
>>> think it is worthwhile mentioning.
>>>
>>> When you think about the circumstances of the exhibition of the meteorite,
>>> it sort of fits together in my opinion, but I'm sure there are alternate
>>> interpretations out there that make him a hero instead of one of the King's
>>> yes-men ;-)
>>>
>>> Anyways, he was definitely one of the most colorful characters of early
>>> meteorite enlightenment, and as a publicist actuallydeserves in my opinion
>>> even more credit than he gets. ?Wonder what Prof. Pillinger thinks of this?
>>>
>>> Kindest wsihes
>>> Doug
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Martin Goff
>> www.msg-meteorites.co.uk
>> IMCA #3387
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-- 
Martin Goff
www.msg-meteorites.co.uk
IMCA #3387

Received on Fri 10 Feb 2012 07:03:02 AM PST