Showing 1-10 of 70 results
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Delicate art of being nasty and nice
Roger Crutchley, Published on 31/03/2024
» One word we have been subjected to almost on a daily basis recently is "diplomacy" as politicians grapple with the world's woes without much success. A dictionary definition of diplomacy is "tact or skill in dealing with people". Unfortunately it is more complex than that as the world is in such a mess. Perhaps Ambrose Bierce was nearer the mark in his Devil's Dictionary when he described diplomacy as "the patriotic art of lying for one's country".
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Leaping lizards on a Sunday afternoon
Roger Crutchley, Published on 10/03/2024
» Last Sunday I was sitting on the garden porch of my Bangkok abode grappling with the crossword and watching the birds hopping around the garden. My wife, who was away in Chaiyaphum, had just called and I had reassured her that everything was fine and very tranquil... a perfect Sunday afternoon.
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Take this tea tale with a pinch of salt
Roger Crutchley, Published on 18/02/2024
» Last month a US scientist caused bit of a stir in Britain when she suggested adding a pinch of salt was the secret to a perfect cup of tea. Not surprisingly this bold assertion from someone across the pond did not go down too well with the traditional tea-drinking English public. In some cases the reaction almost reached "boiling point".
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Can't beat a good hometown name
Roger Crutchley, Published on 11/02/2024
» There was a brief US news item last week concerning Groundhog Day, an annual ceremony in Pennsylvania in which a large but docile rodent emerges from its burrow and predicts the weather for the coming year. No need for professional forecasters. It is celebrated in a small Pennsylvania town with the magnificent name of Punxsutawney.
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Taste of inflation from a reliable sauce
Roger Crutchley, Published on 03/12/2023
» I am not sure where Bangkok stands in the list of most expensive cities released by the Economist this week. Singapore and Zurich top the table but judging from recent visits to the supermarket, Bangkok must be racing up the inflation charts.
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A medley of moonlight, stars and pines
Roger Crutchley, Published on 24/09/2023
» The answer to a crossword clue I recently tackled was "Vermont" which immediately triggered memories of the beautiful 1950's song Moonlight in Vermont. When I first heard the tune as a kid it created such an alluring image of moon rays amid sycamore trees I dug out the atlas to find out where Vermont was actually located. It even looked nice on the map, tucked up in the right-hand corner of the US.
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Britain braces for invasion of bed bugs
Roger Crutchley, Published on 22/10/2023
» One English expression my wife often comes up with is "Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite". It sounds particularly comforting in her Thai accent, although occasionally she gets in a bit of a tangle with the three "b" words at the end which can be a bit tricky if spoken quickly.
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Audience of one is better than none
Roger Crutchley, Published on 13/08/2023
» There was a story from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival last week concerning English actress Georgie Grier whose one-woman show Sunsets attracted a grand audience of one. A tweet with pictures of a tearful Grier after the show prompted considerable sympathy and the following night she found herself performing to a near full-house which she joked felt the equivalent of "Wembley".
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Possibly the worst job in the world?
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 01/11/2020
» On the day Americans went to the polls four years ago the Miami Herald ran what must have been its shortest-ever editorial which simply read: "Her, Not Him, Enough Said". In light of what ensued, it must have been tempting to blame the proof-readers and come out the next day with: "Correction: Him Not Her."
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Going bananas over the 'Day-O' song
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 07/05/2023
» The recent death of the gifted Jamaican-American singer Harry Belafonte at the age of 96 inevitably sparked memories of when his biggest hit "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)" swept the globe, including Britain.
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