Showing 1 - 10 of 10
Where there's Muck there's puffins
Oped, Roger Crutchley, Published on 30/11/2025
» Important news from Northern Ireland. For the first time in more than 25 years puffins have been spotted on the quaintly named Isle of Muck. The isle is a nature reserve on the Antrim coast and derives its unusual name from the adjacent town of Portmuck.
Taking a journey into the unknown
Roger Crutchley, Published on 13/07/2025
» According to newspaper reports Bulgaria will next year become the 21st country to adopt the euro. Admittedly it's hardly earth-shattering news and is possibly the first time Bulgaria has ever been mentioned in PostScript, let alone its currency, the "lev". But it reinforces my feeling that the European Union and the euro is partly responsible for taking the fun and romance out of travel.
Telling fortunes 'a nice little earner'
Roger Crutchley, Published on 26/05/2024
» A recent Thai news story concerned a man nabbed in an online fortune-telling scam. He would inform customers suffering from misfortune that their situation would dramatically improve if for a small fee he made a few prayers on his "direct line" to the deities in heaven.
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.
Sharing good times and hard times
Roger Crutchley, Published on 06/08/2023
» Earlier this week the Bangkok Post marked its 77th anniversary which is quite an achievement really considering what the country has experienced since the newspaper was established in 1946. Any paper that has displayed such longevity, surviving countless coups and assorted other upheavals deserves a nod of acknowledgement.
The Stones just keep rolling along
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 17/07/2022
» This past week marked the 60th anniversary of the Rolling Stones' first-ever gig which took place at the Marquee club in London. That makes me feel even more wrinkly than usual.
The 'best job in the world' takes its toll
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 10/07/2022
» I am no fan of politicians but occasionally politics creates some splendid theatre, although some might call it pantomime. This was the case in the British Houses of Parliament this past week as Prime Minister Boris Johnson attempted to hold on to what he called "the best job in the world".
When protesters wore duffel coats
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 25/10/2020
» There seem to be daily protests going on around the world at the moment for multifarious reasons and it got me thinking about the first street demonstrations I witnessed first-hand in England as a teenager back in the Stone Age.
The everlasting appeal of Mrs Peel
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 20/09/2020
» I was saddened to learn of the death of actress Dame Diana Rigg at 82, best known by people of my vintage for her role as Emma Peel, the dynamic comrade of dapper secret agent John Steed in the idiosyncratic BBC series The Avengers. Rigg only appeared in two seasons, 1965-67, but she certainly made her mark, displaying a winning combination of charm, fashion, sophistication and martial arts. She was particularly proficient at karate chops.
US president who loved the Big Mango
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 28/07/2019
» Last week it was the moon landing, today it's another 50th anniversary, US President Richard Nixon visiting Thailand. Just a week after congratulating the US astronauts on the lunar triumph, Mr and Mrs Nixon landed in Bangkok on July 28, 1969, on their way to embattled South Vietnam.