Thursday, December 4, 2008

The king who didn't speak

King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, lips sealed
It's like a dog-that-didn't-bark crime novel: When King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand failed to give his customary birthday speech he probably gained more publicity than he would have from the speech itself. "Yesterday, when I saw him, he looked OK," a spokeswoman said. "He could eat what we served him. But today he had a throat infection, so he could barely eat." (Which raises the question: Where was the royal food taster?)

Anyway, it's something to keep in mind when writing for the ear: Sometimes it's not what you say that they remember. It's what you don't say.

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