Announcement of NOT speaking at the World Bank main Preston Auditorium, 12-2 pm Tuesday March 18
UPDATE: Monday March 17, 2014 5:08pm World Bank responds (see end of this post) WARNING: the contents of this message are for private entertainment purposes only. Any unauthorized duplication of this message to score cheap points is strictly prohibited.
Email from World Bank, January 27:
I am writing to you in reference to a recent publication: "The Tyranny of Experts: Economists, Dictators, and the Forgotten Rights of the Poor" by William Easterly. As part of our high priority events, we'd like to invite the author for a book signing event…
The events program has hosted internationally renowned speakers including: Amartya Sen, Angus Deaton…Christy Turlington … as well as numerous Heads of States and Nobel Laureates.
Email from World Bank, February 5:
I am happy to confirm the event on March 18 from 12-2pm.
Could you please also send me a copy of the book, so we can provide it to a potential moderator.
Email from World Bank, February 6:
We are delighted and look forward to a great and exciting event on March 18. The event will be inside the main Preston auditorium (1818 H Street NW).
Would it also be possible to send me a galley of the book?
Email from World Bank, February 13:
Thank you very much for arranging the World Bank book event with Professor Easterly on "The Tyranny of Experts" for March 18, we very much appreciate it. We would like to convey our sincerest apologies though as we have inadvertently overbooked ourselves and have overlapping events that day. Given the large number of high-profile events our very small team is handling, we overlooked and provided you with this date prematurely. We will shortly come back to you with new dates so we may find a mutually suitable one.
February 27 In response to inquiry about rescheduling, World Bank emails back that they hope to work together again at some point in the future.
March 17 World Bank response: Asked to comment on this post last Friday, David Theis, Chief of Media Relations at the World Bank responded with this statement at 5pm, Monday March 17 (a snow day in DC):
"I have confirmed that we indeed had a double booking, so apologies for the scheduling mix-up. We would be more than happy to have you at the Bank and will be in touch to find a date. Sorry for the inconvenience."