Showing 1 - 9 of 9
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.
A word that has me at sixes and sevens
Roger Crutchley, Published on 09/11/2025
» I try to keep up with the ever-evolving English language but after seeing the buzzwords provided by Dictionary.com this week I fear I am being left way behind.
Paper bags, patriotism and mushy peas
Roger Crutchley, Published on 10/08/2025
» One of the more thought-provoking stories of the week was an unnamed Thai hospital being fined after it was discovered private files on patients were being used to make paper bags for popular street snacks. Apparently some people at the business entrusted with destroying the files instead took them home and made paper bags out of them.
It was not exactly life in the fast lane
Roger Crutchley, Published on 24/11/2024
» It appears the bicycle lane launch on Sukhumvit 39 last Tuesday didn't get off to the most auspicious of starts. In fact it had to be hastily abandoned after one day. All it succeeded in doing was to create a massive traffic jam leading to gridlock on 17 major roads along with a communal sigh across the city.
Different strokes for different folks
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 21/05/2023
» It was a bit alarming to learn the Eurovision Song Contest is still going strong, having celebrated its 67th year in Liverpool last weekend. The event had already looked the worse for wear back in the 1960s, but somehow it just won't go away. In fact it's got bigger and more brassy than ever -- an uninhibited celebration of kitsch.
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.
A good time to 'keep calm and carry on'
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 23/10/2022
» There is definitely a "shifting the deckchairs on the Titanic" feel to the situation in Britain at the moment. If recent political events had been presented as a soap opera script it would have been rejected for being totally unbelievable.
French learn about their Aussie 'mates'
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 26/09/2021
» It is encouraging to learn that it is not just Thailand that gets into deep water involving contracts over submarines. France is most upset with Australia for pulling the plug on a nuclear submarine deal, resulting in various shades of not-so-diplomatic name-calling. Standing out was the rather poignant observation from the recalled French ambassador to Australia that "what makes me sad is that we thought we were mates but we were stabbed in the back".
Never underestimate the dog lovers' vote
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 15/11/2020
» It was Harry Truman who famously advised would-be presidents: "If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog." President Donald Trump did not heed that advice, becoming the first US president in well over a century not to have a pet of some sort in the White House.