Showing 1 - 7 of 7
Singers who inspire the plant kingdom
Roger Crutchley, Published on 16/03/2025
» In last week's item about Thailand's talented Blackpink singer Lisa I failed to mention that Chiang Mai University researchers have named a newly discovered flower after her. It is of the custard apple variety and scientifically named Friesodielsia lalisae.
There ain't no mountain high enough
Roger Crutchley, Published on 28/01/2024
» In the final weeks of 2023 the old chestnut of introducing a cable car system on Phu Kradeung (Bell Mountain) national park resurfaced. It came as no surprise when a Bangkok Post headline concluded on the very last day of the year that the project "faces uncertainty".
The train robbery that gripped a nation
Roger Crutchley, Published on 20/08/2023
» Last week on television I watched the two-part series The Great Train Robbery, an intriguing account of the audacious heist that made headlines in Britain all those years ago. It slowly dawned on me that this month is the 60th anniversary of that extraordinary robbery which took place on August 8, 1963, on the Royal Mail train from Glasgow to London. Frightening how time flies.
It all began with a soapy TV 'moustache'
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 18/09/2022
» With Liz Truss becoming the 56th British prime minister, it got me thinking about how many PMs there have been in my lifetime. The answer is 16, going back to Clement Atlee, which is a bit scary. In fact, while I was still residing in the UK there were only six PMs.
Wagglers, winkers and grasshoppers
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 27/09/2020
» A half-hearted spring-cleaning session at home during the week came to a welcome halt when I unearthed a long-lost copy of Have Fun With Thai Proverbs collecting dust under a pile of disintegrating paperbacks. Written by Dr Duangtip Somnapan Surintatip, the book is a reminder that there is a common thread to proverbs around the world. As the title suggests, it can be fun putting long-standing expressions into a Thai context.
You can't beat a well-written excuse
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 18/03/2018
» Following last week's item concerning "wobbly spelling", I would like to thank an Australian reader for sharing his experiences when he was the sick leave clerk at a large railway workshop. He received all sorts of weird and wonderful spellings of illnesses from employees.
Time is on your side … if the watch is fast
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 28/01/2018
» Recent debate about fancy timepieces had me thinking about my first ever watch, which my dad bought when I was a kid. He was a stickler for punctuality and hated being late for anything. When he gave me the watch it came with sage-like advice. He told me to always set it a few minutes fast so I wouldn't be late, and to this day it has proved wise counsel. Of course it didn't stop me being late, but at least I was two or three minutes earlier in my lateness than I would otherwise have been, if that makes sense.