Dean McCleland, Author at The Casual Observer

The Namib and Namibia: Vistas and Animals Galore

By Dean McCleland in Landscapes 13 December 2015 1 Comment

Namibia is a cruel, wild and unforgiving place. Most of the landmass comprises inhospitable desert and semi-desert. Despite this it is home to a full complement of wild animals. The most remarkable are the desert elephants. It even has the desert hyena which is forced to scavenge along the barren coast line. For such a huge country, it only comprises a population of 2 million people. Yet despite these scenes of desolation, its vistas are stunning.

Main picture: The Orange River somnambulantly winds its way through the arid Richtersveld
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A Peek into the Past

By Dean McCleland in Historical 10 December 2015 0 Comment

Some of these photographs are profound but most are mundane. Whatever they are, they afford us an opportunity to take a peek into the past. Each in their own way, offers but the merely glimpse into that past.
Main picture: 1924 – Friends in Ohio enjoy a ride in their new car

MTN’s Exorbitant Fine: Another Nigerian Scam or Good Governance

By Dean McCleland in Current Affairs 9 December 2015 0 Comment

My first reaction was incredulity. It must be a scam against a profitable company. Many people have voiced similar concerns. To say that I was dumbfounded would be an understatement. Knowing Nigeria’s reputation as the epicentre of scams such as the notorious 419 extortion racket, the imposition of a fine amounting USD 5.2 billion is out of all proportion to the crime committed. This nightmare scenario for MTN would not be out of character – morally and financially – for a bankrupt government.
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The English Language: Its Use, Abuse and Ultimate Fate

By Dean McCleland in Other Opinion Pieces 7 December 2015 1 Comment

Like everything else, language also changes. It is a constant process. Nevertheless it performs a utilitarian purpose in allowing one to communicate succinctly and comprehensibly with another person. This fact is even more crucial when one or both of the parties to a conversation are conversing in English as a second language. Why should we be concerned? What is the future of English? Continue reading

The 50th Anniversary of a Book that Profoundly Impacted Me

By Dean McCleland in Current Affairs 5 December 2015 1 Comment

Very few books, songs or photographs leave a profound impact upon anybody. Like bubble gum, most are enjoyed for a few moments and then spat out. Ironically I read this book about the devastating effects of racism whilst serving three months in the Army on the Zambian border. It was ironic for another reason too. Prior to reading this book, I was under the mistaken belief that the Jim Crow laws in the USA and Apartheid laws in South Africa benefitted my black brethren. Why did it have such a profound effect upon me?

Main picture: The modern equivalent of a 1960s issue: Blacks lives do matter
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What should one’s Heart Rate be?

By Dean McCleland in Current Affairs, Health 5 December 2015 1 Comment

In the McCleland household this is a contentious issue. Always was; always will be. This bone of contention raised its head some 20 years ago when I was training heavily in order to achieve my personal best [PB in runners-speak] over all distances up to and including a marathon. Anal would be too blasé an epithet to describe how I measured my runs: weather conditions, temperature, splits per kilometre, weight loss on the run & controversially from Janine’s perspective, my daily heart rate. Science has now come to my rescue and vindicated my standpoint. At the extreme, it also issues a warning when one’s resting pulse is too high. What does science now tell us?

Main picture: An X-ray of the heart with veins coloured blue and arteries red

Do your pets also hate the Vet?

By Dean McCleland in Nature & Animals, Other Opinion Pieces, Other Personal 3 December 2015 0 Comment

The McCleland household has the anomalous situation where my huge German Shepherd Dog terrorises the smaller pets in the house? In fact she derives considerable pleasure in having them cower in terror as she tramps them underfoot and pins them to the floor. But going to the vet is a different story. It brings into sharp focus her cowardly dispossession. Without even mentioning the word “Vet” just in case Layla’s English lessons are bearing fruit, she senses that the reason why she is being ushered into my BMW is because she is visiting her nemesis – the Vet. At that point she will disappear, tarnishing her image as a tough-as-nails take-it-in-her-stride guard dog.

Layla’s ruthless streak dissolves into a whimper.

What will the Next Diet Revolution be?

By Dean McCleland in Current Affairs, Health 29 November 2015 2 Comments

Even though the Banting or LCHF diet is in the spotlight due to the “trial” of Tim Noakes for advice given by him about the feeding of an infant, this is definitely not at the forefront of dietary research. I have only recently become aware of this research last week on the BBC Science Program on BBC Earth hosted by Dara ‘o Briain where scientists at the cutting edge of research are invited to discuss the latest breakthroughs in various fields. This interview dealt with the effects of our gut bacteria, one of which related to dieting. As if to endorse these findings, this week’s online edition on Time Magazine covers the same topic. [Note: The printed version did not carry this story as the two editions carry different articles]

Main picture: Is this still on your menu?
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Rhino Poaching: On the Horns of a Dilemma

By Dean McCleland in Current Affairs, Opinion Pieces 28 November 2015 0 Comment

Yesterday’s decision [Thursday 27^th November 2015] by Justice Francis Legodi to lift the six year moratorium on the internal sale of rhino horn in South Africa has placed me in a dilemma. I am totally conflicted. Tellingly the ban on the sale of rhino horn in terms of CITES has not produced the intended result. Instead the killing of rhinos for their horns has increased explosively. A growing chorus of dissension against this ban especially from legitimate rhino owners and breeders in South African has ultimately resulted in this court case. How can the rhino be saved from this scourge especially in the light of the fact that the cost of protecting the remaining animals is too prohibitive?

Some suggestions are considered

Main picture: For how much longer will this be seen?

Life is all about Priorities

By Dean McCleland in Opinion Pieces, Other Opinion Pieces 24 November 2015 0 Comment

This maxim is also a truism. Some objectives might be possible to achieve whereas others are merely a figment of somebody’s overactive imagination. Whatever it is, once one becomes fixated on that goal, life has a way of opening doors. In reality, one becomes “lucky” not in the sense that opportunities are presented to one but rather those that one seizes what to the average person is not an opportunity.

Firstly I will deal with some examples from my personal life; then I will present some more extreme examples which take the notion of an alternative lifestyle to a whole new level.

Main picture: Is this how you would like to spend the rest of your life? Either earn pots of money or, failing that, become a ski instructor

The Opinion Pieces are an eclectic bunch on current affairs & history often with a human interest aspect. The Movie/DVDs reviews are mainly on documentaries with a smattering of movie reviews.

Author: Dean McCleland