Neil Heywood, a Wanderer and Dreamer

choi

Contrast (1) and (2).

(1) Sharon LaFraniere and John F Burns, Briton’s Wanderings Led Him to Heart of a Chinese Scandal. New York Times, Apr 12, 2012 (front page).
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/1 ... s-neil-heywood.html

Note:
(a) The report says of Mr Heywood, "But he was a wanderer, too, and seemed drawn to the breezy, every-man-for-himself culture he found in the United States.'

(i) breezy (adj) "happy, confident and enthusiastic"
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/breezy_2
(ii) every man for himself; "something that you say which means that everyone in a particular situation is trying to do what is best for themselves and no one is trying to help anyone else  <It might be a civilized place to shop at other times but come the January sales, it's every man for himself.>"
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/ ... ery-man-for-himself

Both definitions are from Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus. Cambridge University Press.
(b) The report mentions "what friends describe as his tendency to a Walter Mitty-like embrace of a fantasy life."

Walter Mitty
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Mitty
(a fictional character in James Thurber's short story "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty", first published in the New Yorker on March 18, 1939, and in book form in My World and Welcome to It in 1942; Mitty is a meek, mild man with a vivid fantasy life: in a few dozen paragraphs he imagines himself a wartime pilot, an emergency-room surgeon, and a devil-may-care killer; The character's name has come into more general use to refer to an ineffectual dreamer, appearing in several dictionaries)

(c) Dulwich College
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dulwich_College
(an independent school for boys in Dulwich, southeast London; founded in 1619 by Edward Alleyn, a successful Elizabethan actor)

As I read the Wiki page, I realized this is not a real college (which students enter after completing high school), but actually boys from ages 6 to 18.
(d) diletante (n; Italian, from present participle of dilettare to delight, from Latin dilectare):
"a person having a superficial interest in an art or a branch of knowledge : Dabbler"
www.m-w.com

(2) Jeremy Page, Fearful Final Hours for Briton in China. Wall Street Journal, Apr 12, 2012.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB ... 37951998961744.html

Quote:

"The British businessman had been summoned on short notice to a meeting in Chongqing in early November with representatives of the family of Bo Xilai, the local Communist Party chief, according to an account by a friend whom Mr Heywood contacted at the time. * * * The new details about what drew Mr Heywood to Chongqing, how he spent some of his final hours, and his claim to possess the documents about the Bos' foreign business interests shed fresh light on his mysterious death in his hotel room.

"Given Mr Bo's political prominence and recent downfall, some experts on Chinese politics question whether an impartial investigation is likely.

"Mr Heywood's mother, Ann, declined to comment or identify the lawyer to whom Mr Heywood may have provided documents. Mr Heywood's accountant and several other friends said they had not heard him talk about a lawyer or leaving documents in Britain. Whether or not the documents Mr. Heywood claimed to have actually exist couldn't be determined.

"Friends say he played up the mysterious elements of his work in China.

"Neither British nor Chinese officials have disclosed the name of the hotel or the time when the body was discovered.


-----------------------------Separately
(1) Keith B Richburg, China’s Communist Leaders, Fearing Bo Xilai’s Following, Unite Over His Ouster. Washington Post, Apr 11, 2012.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wo ... QA98tFAT_story.html

Quote:

"But the staged show of unity and support seemed to belie official nervousness

Government censors moved quickly to ban Internet search terms related to Bo’s firing; his 'Chongqing model'; the arrest of his wife, Gu Kailai; and the mystery surrounding the death, now ruled a homicide, of expatriate British businessman Neil Heywood. Hundreds of thousands of comments, many supportive of Bo, were erased overnight from Chinese news Web sites.

"Speaking of Bo, Zhang [Lifan, a historian] said: 'Right now, a large number of people in China still support him, regarding him as the spiritual leader for the Maoists. Many people on the Internet still defend him.

"Many of Bo’s most prominent and normally outspoken 'new left' supporters were not answering their telephones Wednesday, and the few who did were reluctant to speak openly.

"The sense of unease was heightened by reports of an unrelated riot Tuesday night in Chongqing * * * Witnesses said tens of thousands of people turned out in the streets to protest the merger late last year of their economically struggling district, Wansheng, with the poorer district of Qijiang, battling police armed with electric batons and pepper spray. * * * The protesters were angry that some of their social welfare, health insurance and pension benefits had been reduced because of the merger with the other district. * * * 'Last night, the streets were packed with people,' said one woman, the owner of a hot-pot restaurant, who was reached by phone. She said the protesters chanted “We need to eat' and 'Return our Wansheng' before they were dispersed. 'I saw the police beat students, children and old people,' she said. 'Many people were injured.' On Wednesday, she said, the streets were empty because of a massive police presence. Most shops and restaurants, including hers, were closed. The restaurant owner said she had a 'good impression' of Bo, noting in particular his crackdown on gangsters.

"Zhang Hongliang, the professor, said Chongqing residents recognized Bo’s achievements in improving their welfare and the local economy. He 'did a great job as party secretary,' Zhang said. 'I still believe the Chongqing model is the correct way to save China.'  Zhang and others said it was Bo’s efforts to 'redivide the cake,' as Bo put it — seeking to ensure that China’s explosive development benefited the majority of citizens — that had unnerved party leaders in Beijing.

"On Wednesday in Chongqing, the manner of Bo’s firing from his remaining party posts and the sensational details involving his wife were greeted with surprise, even shock, including among those who opposed his policies.


(2) The Bo Xilai case | Shattering the Façade. Economist, Apr 14, 2012 (cover date; available 2 hours ago).
http://www.economist.com/node/21552575

Quote:

"Mr Bo’s opponents (presumably led by President Hu Jintao and the prime minister, Wen Jiabao) have shown unexpected strength by purging Mr Bo so thoroughly. But their battle is not over. Mr Bo was much loved by a 'new left' force in Chinese politics

"In a commentary on the Bo case, couched in old-time Leninist rhetoric, the party’s main mouthpiece, the People’s Daily, called on citizens to maintain a “high level of ideological unity” with the party and with Mr Hu. Mr Bo’s critics often accuse him of having tried to crush any who opposed him. Those who now have the upper hand in the struggle appear to be brooking no dissent either")

My comment:
(a) Quotation 2 is the last paragraph.
(b) There is no need to read the rest.

(3) Malcolm Moore, Demise of Bo Xilai Paves Way for Liu Yandong, China's Most Powerful Woman. Telegraph, Apr 12, 2012.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ ... powerful-woman.html