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Jan 7, 2025 | 
charlestonmercury.com | Prioleau Alexander
By Prioleau Alexander Global finance and top-tier currency trading are not as far away from the quiet Horry County seat of Conway as you might think; this is where son of the South Scott K. H. Bessent was born in 1962. Just a stone’s throw from the Waccamaw River, his Huguenot blood flows through his early memories, heading to Little River where he grew up.
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Dec 4, 2024 | 
charlestonmercury.com | Prioleau Alexander
By Prioleau Alexander Just when I think the wretch has finished introducing me to his friends who are movers and shakers in the world, he surprises me again — this time by inviting me along for a two-hour visit with his friend, Ed McMullen. If you have ever run into Ed, you’ll have the same impression I did: A fine Southern gentleman who spoke with us about deer hunting before we even sat down.
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Oct 29, 2024 | 
charlestonmercury.com | Prioleau Alexander
By Prioleau Alexander The film The Russians are Coming! The Russians are Coming! was released in 1966 and in subsequent decades the phrase has come to be synonymous with Chicken Little’s mantra, “The sky is falling!” Even before the collapse of the Berlin Wall, the saying was used because everyone knew the Russians weren’t coming — they might exchange nukes with us, but they certainly weren’t coming to our shores.
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Jul 23, 2024 | 
charlestonmercury.com | Prioleau Alexander
By Prioleau Alexander Joe Biden is going out the same way he spent the past 50 years: as a man who cares about nothing other than himself. The Hail Mary Prayer of Obama’s globalists was that after forcing Biden out, he would say nice things about Harris without but not endorsing her. Why? Because Obama wanted an “open convention” allowing him and his team to pick a viable candidate.
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Mar 7, 2024 | 
charlestonmercury.com | Prioleau Alexander
The Francis Marion Hotel. IMAGE COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONSBy Prioleau AlexanderThe old saying, “They don’t build ‘em like they used to,” certainly seems to apply to Charleston’s regal Francis Marion Hotel, the stately landmark that just turned 100 years old. Although a century may not seem long within the context of the long history of our city, imagine the wear and tear that comes with over 5,000,000 guests — how many times has the grand staircase been climbed?
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Oct 19, 2023 | 
audible.com | Prioleau Alexander |Kristi Coulter |Jon Acuff |Tim Ferriss
What actually goes on behind the curtain of "being published?" How does it feel when you get your advance? Is it fun? Exciting? Does it involve riches, fame, and groupies? Inside They Don't Call It the Submission Process for Nothing, you'll discover what it's really like to finally bash down the seemingly impenetrable walls of the publishing industry and see your book in bookstores.
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Aug 2, 2023 | 
charlestonmercury.com | Prioleau Alexander
Editor’s note: After a few days of not hearing from our master of satire, Prioleau Alexander, we became concerned and staff member to his last known place of residence. We found his place ransacked — drawers pulled out, furniture overturned — it was obvious something serious had happened. There were odd maps and charts taped to the walls, and among the thousands of papers strewn about, we found this, dated recently. We are not sure if he wrote it or if someone signed his name to it.
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Apr 6, 2023 | 
charlestonmercury.com | Prioleau Alexander
By Prioleau AlexanderBack in the late 80s and early 90s, there were two popular South Carolina bands traveling up and down the East Coast, and both seemed bound for stardom. One was Hootie and the Blowfish, and the other was The Archetypes. Hootie got their break, but — as so often happens in rock and roll — the road wore down the members of The Archetypes, and they finally called it quits.
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Feb 4, 2023 | 
charlestonmercury.com | Prioleau Alexander
By Prioleau AlexanderEditor’s Note: For the February issue of the Mercury, we attempted to interview Jack Weatherford, a New York Times bestselling author of Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World; Indian Givers: How the Indians of the Americas Transformed the World; The Secret History of the Mongol Queens; Genghis Khan and the Quest for God; and The History of Money. As if that wasn’t impressive enough, his books have been published in more than 30 languages.
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Jan 16, 2023 | 
charlestonmercury.com | Prioleau Alexander
By Prioleau AlexanderWhen the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition came to town in 1983, it was a boutique affair, hosting 100 artists and welcoming 5,000 visitors. Oh, what a difference 40 years makes — today, it is Charleston’s largest festival, hosting approximately 500 artists, exhibitors and wildlife experts with 40,000 attendees annually. The estimated $50 million in economic impact every year is no drop in the bucket, either.
