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6 days ago | 
bangkokpost.com | Roger Crutchley
This past week there have been many moving ceremonies commemorating the 80th anniversary of VE Day (Victory in Europe) marking the end of the war in Europe. I was born shortly after the war (a "bundle for Britain") but this week's celebrations brought to mind wartime slogans and expressions that surfaced between 1939-45 and remained in use for years to come. Some of the slogans like "Britain Can Take It" were purely designed to keep up the spirits of the British public.
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1 week ago | 
bangkokpost.com | Roger Crutchley
I forgot to mention in PostScript last week that Sunday, April 27, was Morse Code Day which marks the birth of Samuel Morse, inventor of the famous communications code. The reason for my interest is that it brings fond memories of the late 1960s when I worked at Cable and Wireless (C&W) communications company in Holborn, central London.
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2 weeks ago | 
bangkokpost.com | Roger Crutchley
The most important news emerging from the recent Songkran activities is that Thailand finally has its own "RoboCop". The kingdom's first AI police robot was spotted on active duty in Nakhon Pathom province keeping an eagle eye on water-throwing activities. It has been given the name Pol Col Nakhon Pathom Plod Phai, which is admittedly bit of a mouthful but roughly translates as "Nakhon Pathom is safe". The robot is an impressive looking character and stands way taller than the average Thai cop.
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3 weeks ago | 
bangkokpost.com | Roger Crutchley
The feel-good story this week involves a most unlikely hero, a Thai policeman. It is not often that the local gendarmerie are the subject of uplifting news, but that was the case in the Northeastern province of Nakhon Phanom when an alert policeman rescued a woman from a swarm of attacking bees. The incident took place in the grounds of the famous temple of Wat Phra That Phanom in That Phanom district.
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3 weeks ago | 
bangkokpost.com | Roger Crutchley
The feel-good story this week involves a most unlikely hero, a Thai policeman. It is not often that the local gendarmerie are the subject of uplifting news, but that was the case in the Northeastern province of Nakhon Phanom when an alert policeman rescued a woman from a swarm of attacking bees. The incident took place in the grounds of the famous temple of Wat Phra That Phanom in That Phanom district.
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1 month ago | 
bangkokpost.com | Roger Crutchley
There has been quite a fallout from Mr Trump's Tariffs, from which even penguins and seals were not spared. So much for Happy Feet. As one American commentator observed with tongue firmly in cheek "the penguins have been ripping us off for years."How countries around the world are attempting to deal with this situation reminds me of the short-lived "I'm Backing Britain" campaign in 1968 when the UK economy was in a desperate state resulting in the pound being devalued.
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1 month ago | 
bangkokpost.com | Roger Crutchley
In the UK there is an organisation called the Plain English Campaign that strives to uphold standards in everyday spoken English. Some might say it is fighting a losing battle but they deserve a pat on the back for their efforts. Back in 2004 the campaign held a survey on the "most annoying clichés" prevalent at that time. Although it was two decades ago many of the clichés are still rampant today.
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1 month ago | 
bangkokpost.com | Roger Crutchley
No-confidence debates similar to that which took place in the Thai parliament earlier in the week have become something of a tradition in the kingdom, but I can’t recall any such motion ever being successful. Still, at least it gives the MPs an opportunity to share their words of wisdom with us hoi polloi. These debates tend to be rather dull although there was a brief taste of excitement some years ago when one MP called a leading politician a “toad”, which didn’t go down too well.
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1 month ago | 
bangkokpost.com | Roger Crutchley
News reports suggest the future of Voice of America (VOA) is seriously in doubt. I haven’t listened to VOA in five decades but there was a time I tuned in during my teenage years back in the Stone Age. It might seem strange for a spotty English kid to switch on VOA so I will attempt to explain. When I was about 14 I bought a transistor radio primarily to listen to the latest hit songs on Radio Luxembourg without disturbing my parents who preferred the BBC which broadcast very little pop music.
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2 months ago | 
bangkokpost.com | Roger Crutchley
In last week's item about Thailand's talented Blackpink singer Lisa I failed to mention that Chiang Mai University researchers have named a newly discovered flower after her. It is of the custard apple variety and scientifically named Friesodielsia lalisae. The researcher who discovered the flower in the southern border province of Narathiwat said she had been inspired by Lisa's music during a difficult time in her studies.
