Greed and boredom...sounds like the reason why young people get into trouble..."Hey, this is cool, let's total this guy's house/car!!".

People who don't grow out of this phase rightfully wind up in prison.

The guy in the picture looks like Lewis Black

Congrats,

Great writing, reporting, critiquing. I learned a lot, and got sucked in 'til the end, waiting to find out what happend to Mann. Also loved the mention of Condi Rice kissing the cannibal's ass. Typical US policy. Fascinating stuff. Kudos.

Todd

SF

I know, I was wondering if I was the only one. I had to do a double take, at first I swore it was Lewis Black

Fernando Poo is in EQ, you know. fnord

this is too many pages can't you get to the point before i get bored?

this is why, and i didn't read the article, that rich people need to pay their fair share of taxes. no one should have this much money to spend on whatever they want. the "world" belongs to all of us and "we" should decide how it's resources should be spent. not some "savant" who knows something and nothing at the same time, able to accrue vast wealth because of a peculiarity. as long as we allow it, and i didn't read the article, shit like what ever probably happened in this article and i didn't read it, will probably continue to happen. it's not people with too much time on their hands, it's people with too much money on their hands

Ahem: "the scion of a British brewery dynasty who had managed to parlay their wealth into class"

It's either 'scion - his wealth' or 'dynasty which'.

Choose one.

Please. Where have all the proofreaders gone? Don't editors any longer actually read the material they publish?

maybe john roach is the editor

Isn't Fernando Poo part of Equatorial Guinea? Actual spelling Fernandoo Po, though... also Bioco.

In fourteen hundred and seventy two...

Way to go Laura.

"rich white men"?!!

Classism, racism and sexism in one pejorative phrase.

You have no right and no cause to disparage men by using the word "men" as a code word for something unseemly. Nor do you have that right to disparage the "white" races, or "rich" people, to the same end, to make your point.

Either the point stands on its own or it fails. You did not need to take this particular road to persuasion.

I look forward, as always, to your next article.

dh

Every American copy editor who ever got their hands on my stuff would have changed "dynasty which" to "dynasty that" ...

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, and sometimes "rich white men" are just that rich, white men. If the people in the story where Asian, women or transvesities then the adjectives used would be different. As for "Classism" wasn't the ringleaders of this coup motivated by some feeling of entitlement?

I remember the 60 Minutes interview with Executive Outcome - didn't they change their name? Are there pictures of Condi with the cannibal?

Good story. Thanks.

Well, Vincent, in case you have not noticed, the more common this idomatic verbage has become over the past 35 years, the more arrogant the speakers of it have become. Many do it out of habit now, not even giving it a passing thought, where it might once have caused them to wince and reconsider. The more arrogant they have become and the larger their numbers grow, the more common and commonly offensive the content and context of the usage has become.

Because this has become so common, some people, now, don't even realize they are being slapped; still others realize it but are willing to forgive it for the effort to achieve a "greater goal."

Perhaps you have not reached your limit yet and think you are embarked on some "noble" cause; oddly though, you do not seem to realize that the very people for whom you prefer to offer apologies, are showing open contempt toward you.

We are individuals and you are certainly welcome to kiss the hand that slaps your face, if you like that kind of interaction. Personally, I see that as a self-deprecating behavior.

It is not okay for anyone to assainate the character of larger groups to make a point, regardless of how fashionable or in vogue it has become.

We all know that "rich white men" is code speak, Vincent; methinks thou protesteth too much.

The point is not whether they actually are "rich white men;" the point is whether it is appropriate to associate a negative and destructive act with an entire group of otherwise innocent people (three groups in this case), who had nothing to do with the act, as opposed to narrowing it to the criminals involved; further, whether doing so in order to take advantage of a potential opportunity to hammer home offensive, racist, sexist, classist politispeak in the public domain is a responsible, reasonable or acceptable form of communication.

The apparent difference between you and me is this: prejudice is not okay with me, even if it is a friend or someone I respect doing the speaking. You seem to be okay with the direct association of negative code speak with offensive and negative situations and the broad painting of innocent people into a context that has nothing to do with them, which further ingrains a prejudice into our culture...even if that prejudice is aimed against you.

Though, perhaps I assume too much. Perhaps it is not aimed at you at all, and there is some other explaination for your apology?

I expect better of myself and of other people.

dh

I'd take either.

You seem to have missed the point that the writer couldn't decide between two subordinate phrases and so chose the least correct of her alternatives.

BTW: I'm actually rather proud of the fact that I'm the reason your local Safeway has a line labeled '20 items and fewer' instead of '20 items or less'.

Punctilious? No shit.

The opposition leader who was supposed to become the new presidente after the coup (Severo Moto) has another fascinating story. Last year, his party denounced his disappearance. Twenty days later, Mr. Moto held a press conference... in Croatia. He blamed the Spanish government of trying to kill him. The goverment denied any involvement in all that crazy business and decided to put him out of the country. Two problems: Moto enjoys political asylum in Spain and the courts did not allow the government to proceed, and six countries, contacted by Spain, rejected the idea of givim Moto asylum.

And a correction about Fernando Macías. He couldn't run away after being toppled, although he tried to do it. He was arrested, prosecuted and executed by the new government led by Obiang.