Showing 1 - 10 of 17
Tea for two and a sandwich at the Palace
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 12/06/2022
» There seems to be a consensus in Britain that the best moment of the Jubilee was Paddington Bear taking afternoon tea with Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace.
Bookshelves behind the talking heads
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 05/07/2020
» One result of the coronavirus is that the majority of news interviews on television are coming from people's homes, whether they be professional broadcasters, celebrities or the general public. They tend to get a bit tedious after a while and it is easy to find yourself examining the backdrop. This is invariably a bookshelf or a couple of weird paintings that are often far more interesting than what the person is actually saying.
Shake hands on it… on second thoughts
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 15/03/2020
» I was at a recent gathering with friends in Bangkok where the customary handshakes were replaced by a variety of awkward fist bumps, elbow nudges, foot-shakes, waving of arms and other silly ways of saying "hello". But there were definitely no nose-to-nose greetings. Not shaking hands with your closest friends is probably the most noticeable example of how the Covid-19 crisis has affected everyday life. Even Britain's Queen Elizabeth has let it be known that she will not be shaking hands with anyone "for the foreseeable future".
2019 more a celebration of 1969
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 29/12/2019
» It is customary at this time of the year to take a look at some of the major happenings of the past 12 months. This past year has been rather unusual in that it marked a host of significant 50th anniversaries. In fact the year was almost as much about 1969 as 2019. So to kick things off, let's just recall a few of those events 50 years ago.
Of lords, ladies and gentlemen
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 22/09/2019
» Congratulations are in order to former Bangkok Post journalist Natalie Bennett who has been made a House of Lords peer and is now named Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle. Natalie, or rather Lady Bennett, who had been the leader of the Green Party for several years, was given this title in former prime minister Theresa May's resignation honours list last week.
You can't beat that old black magic
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 02/06/2019
» It is well-known that superstition is deeply ingrained in Thailand, from the poorest farmers to the richest businessmen, politicians and even prime ministers. If things go wrong, malevolent spirits often get the blame and the only way to solve the issue is to indulge in exotic ceremonies to appease them. It makes sense really -- in Thailand you won't get anywhere until you've got the ghosts and the supernatural on your side.
Possibly an uncanny case of hoof in mouth
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 21/10/2018
» The gentleman in the White House has run into self-inflicted flak over his indelicate use of the word "horseface" in describing the adult film actress he may or may not have dangled with. However, she came storming back with a tweet of her own, referring to him as "Tiny", which one suspects was not a compliment. These exchanges could become quite entertaining.
The message is definitely in the song
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 06/05/2018
» While having a chat with friends about those misheard song lyrics (mondegreens) that appeared recently in this column, the conversation got around to another intriguing realm of the musical world -- country & western songs. It almost has a language of its own.
On handling the gentlemen of the press
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 14/01/2018
» It is hardly a secret that the Thai prime minister is not exactly enamoured with the media. The press can admittedly at times be a pain in the posterior for those in power. It cannot be much fun having microphones shoved in your face after breakfast every morning by a scrum of journalists asking awkward questions about watches, submarines and elections.
From Lord Buckethead to 'Bus Pass Elvis'
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 18/06/2017
» One of the few entertaining aspects of the recent British election is the variety of characters that run for office, invariably representing parties with daft names. It serves as a reminder that politics doesn't have to be a total bore. These eccentrics were particularly noticeable in the constituencies in which the "big names" were running. It was enough for BBC television anchor David Dimbleby to sniff that the election "seems to attract every, Tom, Dick and Harry".