• OPINION

  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.

• OPINION

  If it's 'early doors' there's plenty of time

  News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 11/06/2023

  » A Thai reader asked recently the meaning of the expression "early doors" which he had heard used frequently in English football commentaries. It has become quite a familiar observation in sport to indicate a game is still at an early stage. It also creeps into everyday language although perhaps in the more common form of "early days".

• OPINION

  Cops are queuing up for inactive posts

  News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 05/02/2023

  » It has been quite an entertaining week although admittedly not everyone involved will see the funny side. An Air Force officer says he is happy he was caught after snatching a necklace at a gold shop because he wanted to get away from his wife and a prison cell would do nicely. A rather bizarre motive, but he got his wish. Apparently a lengthy spell in the slammer beats a daily nagging.

• OPINION

  It is what it is … whatever it might be

  News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 29/05/2022

  » An expression which is increasingly heard these days on television and in political comment is the rather cryptic "it is what it is". Not exactly an illuminating observation, and it prompts the question, "But, what is it?" Apparently it means a certain situation that cannot be changed however much you want and carries an element of resignation.

• OPINION

  Don't think twice, Bob -- it's all right

  News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 23/10/2016

  » Everyone has an opinion on Bob Dylan being the first songwriter to win the Nobel prize for literature. The organisers explained Dylan was bestowed the honour "as a great poet". At the time of writing, he has yet to respond, a poet unusually lost for words.

• OPINION

  There have probably been better years

  Oped, Roger Crutchley, Published on 27/12/2015

  » Well, we've just about scraped through 2015, although there have been a few dicey moments. Most of us will be happy to see the back of the Year of the Sheep, or was it the Goat? I never did quite work that out. It is customary at this time to look back on the past 12 months, although there are some events you might prefer to forget. If nothing else it serves as a reminder that Thailand will always be Truly Amazing.

• OPINION

  Taking a dip in Hua Hin a long time ago

  Roger Crutchley, Published on 14/04/2024

  » It is not often I can remember what I was doing five days ago let alone 55 years, but a moth-eaten diary confirms that on April 14, 1969 I was in the Thai resort town of Hua Hin. A brief explanation is necessary.

• OPINION

  Sleeping on the job at 36,000 feet

  Roger Crutchley, Published on 24/03/2024

  » There was a rather bizarre story which emerged recently of an Indonesian domestic flight on which for half an hour both pilots were fast asleep at the same time.

• OPINION

  A painful ride with a certified horn honker

  Roger Crutchley, Published on 04/02/2024

  » Despite the frustration of sitting in endless jams, I've always felt Bangkok motorists display remarkable restraint when it comes to using horns. Unlike many cities in the world it is rare to hear a chorus of angry car klaxons. Things are admittedly a bit different on the provincial highways with buses and trucks not averse to giving a blast on their air horns with the clear message "Get out of the way."

• OPINION

  A curious place to find 'Lady Liberty'

  Roger Crutchley, Published on 09/07/2023

  » A headline which caught my eye in last Sunday's Post was "Highway 12 to economic heaven" with a report concerning the rich potential of this route which stretches west to east from Tak on the Myanmar border to Mukdahan, just this side of the Mekong River from Laos.

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