Showing 1 - 10 of 21
Cornflakes, cats and grizzly bears
Roger Crutchley, Published on 08/03/2026
» Readers are no doubt aware that the official codename for the current US action in the Middle East is Operation Epic Fury which admittedly sounds more like the title of a martial arts B movie. It should not be confused with Operation Urgent Fury, the name given to the US invasion of Grenada back in 1983 during the Reagan administration. Israel incidentally has its own name for the current mission, Operation Roaring Lion.
Watch your step these stormy nights
Roger Crutchley, Published on 18/05/2025
» The rainstorms during the past week have been really refreshing. They've cooled things down a bit which is quite a relief after perspiring my way through April. I also appreciate the accompanying rolling thunder which provides a stirring theatrical soundtrack for the rain sloshing down. It's just another reminder of how powerful Mother Nature can be.
The lonely songbird in a gilded cage
Roger Crutchley, Published on 09/02/2025
» A few words on singer/actress Marianne Faithfull who died last week at the age of 78. I have followed her career with some interest because she lived in my home town of Reading in the early 1960s, attending St Joseph's Convent school.
A country full of Eastern promise
Roger Crutchley, Published on 30/06/2024
» Watching the current Euro football championships has served as a reminder that the official name of the country known to most of us as Turkey, is now Turkiye, pronounced "Turkiya". This name was approved by the UN in 2022. The change was believed to have been made partly to disassociate the country from the large bird of the same name and other negative interpretations of the word "turkey". You can understand why Turks could be irritated by silly newspaper football headlines such as "England roast Turkey".
Those acronyms can be bit of a pain
Roger Crutchley, Published on 19/05/2024
» One of my pet peeves with newspapers around the globe has always been the proliferation of acronyms, especially in headlines. Apart from the fact that no one really has the faintest idea what they stand for there's something about them that's just plain ugly.
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.
The dictionaries have a word for it
Roger Crutchley, Published on 26/11/2023
» It's that much-anticipated time when dictionary publishers come out with their "words of the year". In recent times such words have become increasingly depressing. You may recall last year Collins Dictionary went for "permacrisis" which has turned out to be uncomfortably accurate in light of world events over the ensuing 12 months.
Well, at least 2023 shouldn't be boring
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 15/01/2023
» We are only halfway through the first month of 2023 and on the local news front we have already been treated to enough controversies, allegations and head-scratching explanations to keep us going for the entire year. For comic relief there is even a hint of a sex scandal.
Those wonderful signs of the times
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 22/05/2022
» For many months there had been a large green road sign near the entrance to my local mall in eastern Bangkok which read "Entrace", the second "n" having gone missing in action. It was a minor thing and I was resigned to seeing it for years to come. However, I am pleased to report the rogue "n" has surprisingly been located and now the mall has a proper "Entrance" again. Congratulations to the eagle-eyed official who spotted the missing "n".
As long as it's a bit better than last year
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 02/01/2022
» It's that time of the year for columnists to suggest what could be in store for the next 12 months. However, things are so unpredictable at the moment even Nostradamus would struggle to come up with a half-decent forecast. Of course Thailand is not immune to the uncertainty although you wouldn't rule out occasional "misappropriation of funds" or to use the correct technical term, "cooking the books."