• OPINION

  The monk, the Kama Sutra and the 8.29

  News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 23/07/2017

  » In PostScript two weeks ago I alluded to having a brief encounter with Smirnoff vodka during a visit to Moscow in 1977. Alert readers quickly pointed out that Smirnoff was only produced in the West at that time and the vodka I indulged in was most likely Stolichnaya, better known as "Stoli". I stand corrected, but whatever the name of the brand, it still gave me a horrendous headache.

• OPINION

  Which street is the Gettysburg Address?

  News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 30/10/2016

  » Most Americans are aware of the Gettysburg Address, one of the most famous speeches ever given in American history, delivered by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 at the height of the civil war.

• 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

  It can't be worse than last year, can it?

  Oped, Roger Crutchley, Published on 01/01/2023

  » Well, here we are on the very first day of a brand new year. There has to be something auspicious about that. A good day to purchase lottery tickets with a few number ones perhaps?

• OPINION

  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".

• OPINION

  From the doghouse to the White House

  News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 24/01/2021

  » When President Barack Obama first took office in 2008, the BBC observed that he would be inheriting "the in-box from Hell" -- and they were not far off the mark. However, Mr Obama's in-tray was rather like a goody-bag compared to what lies in store for President Joe Biden. You wouldn't wish this in-tray on anybody.

• OPINION

  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.

• OPINION

  Experiencing the 'Self-Isolation Blues'

  News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 22/03/2020

  » I had been hoping not to mention THE VIRUS this week, but it is impossible to escape from it as it has become so overwhelming. The saturation coverage on international TV channels is enough to make you ill, even if you were feeling fine. It's almost like all those dreadful dystopian films we've been subjected to in recent years have come to be a grim reality

• OPINION

  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.

• OPINION

  If lost for words, you can try a bit of Latin

  News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 13/10/2019

  » In the sometimes entertaining, but often mind-numbing, impeachment debate in the US, something we have been repeatedly hearing lately is the Latin expression "quid pro quo", signifying a favour given in return for something of equal value. Dropping a few Latin words has always been popular amongst politicians, possibly because they think it makes them sound smarter than us ignorant hoi polloi.

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