Showing 1 - 10 of 11
The loveliness of a flying beetle
Roger Crutchley, Published on 20/07/2025
» The recent cricket match between England and India at Lord's was reportedly briefly delayed by a swarm of ladybirds which were bothering the players. It is believed to be the first recorded instance of "ladybirds stopped play". More importantly, swarm is not the correct term for these flying beetles. The collective noun for ladybirds (ladybugs for our American friends) is a "loveliness".
Those elusive influential persons
Roger Crutchley, Published on 29/10/2023
» Most intriguing news of the week is that according to a parliamentary House committee there are only 180 "influential people" in the kingdom and in 10 provinces there are none at all. For those unfamiliar with the term "influential person" in Thailand, it is usually interpreted as someone who is powerful enough not to worry about the "long arm of the law" and can go about their sometimes shady business without fear of arrest.
Life elsewhere will someday be possible
Gwynne Dyer, Published on 17/09/2023
» This week's real news is the discovery of life on another planet. As Cambridge University's Nikku Madhusudhan said in the first sentence of his report: "The search for habitable environments and biomarkers in exoplanetary atmospheres is the holy grail of exoplanet science." And he has probably found the Holy Grail.
Sea turtles struggling to survive
Oped, Assaf Levy, Published on 21/06/2023
» Guided by the Earth's magnetic field, these ancient explorers navigate vast oceanic distances and return to their birthplaces with astonishing precision! They spend their entire lives in seas where they breed, feed, and even sleep. Females are beaching only to lay eggs. Graceful and beautiful, with their streamlined bodies and flippers adapted for swimming, the existing seven species of sea turtles have been navigating the world's oceans for 200 million years. These seven species are leatherback turtle, green turtle, loggerhead turtle, hawksbill turtle, Kemp's ridley turtle, olive ridley turtle and flatback turtle.
It seemed a good idea at the time
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 27/11/2022
» The annual elephant festival in Surin attracted more than the usual attention last week after featuring an attempt to enter the hallowed Guinness Book of Records. Alas, the only record achieved was that hundreds of student "volunteers" roasted in the sun, exposed for hours to high temperatures reaching 39C.
Come on baby, let's do the Twist
Oped, Roger Crutchley, Published on 10/04/2022
» The other day I heard on the radio Chubby Checker bursting forth with his 1960 hit 'The Twist'. It's not the greatest of songs but it sparked fond memories because it launched a dance craze which proved a social life-saver for me and many other shy teenagers.
There have probably been better years
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 26/12/2021
» Well we've just about scraped through the Year of the Ox. It was a strange time, rather like living in a vacuum, not entirely sure what would happen next. Nothing could have been worse than 2020, but 2021 wasn't far off. At the start of the year there was hope that the cloud of Covid could be shaken off and we would all become happy folks in the Land of Smiles again, but it didn't quite work out that way -- it's the hope that kills you.
It could be fun, in a strange sort of way
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 10/01/2021
» A number of readers -- well, three -- have asked why last week's column did not contain the usual predictions for the coming year. My feeling at the time was that with the dark cloud of Covid-19 hovering over us it seemed a bit inappropriate to carry the usual frivolous PostScript predictions. However, I have had a change of heart and considering we are only 10 days into the New Year it is not too late to make silly forecasts.
Back plastic waste-reduction pledge with deeds
News, Laura James, Published on 19/03/2019
» Plastic pollution now litters the highest reaches of Mount Everest to the lowest depths of the ocean, with recent news documenting the prevalence of micro-plastic contamination in the Mariana Trench ecosystem. The news is a sobering reminder of the pervasive and systemic threat plastic pollution poses to the environment and the food chain.
One way to get into the swim of things
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 11/11/2018
» As a kid I would marvel at reports of someone swimming across the English Channel. Being a total wimp in water, I couldn't believe that anyone would want to swim the chilly 33 kilometres between England and France when you could hop aboard a ferry.