In the Name of God

By Dean McCleland in Current Affairs, Religion 0 Comment

The past week or two has witnessed a number of revolting episodes which belie the various religions’ credentials as loving humane institutions. Instead they erode confidence in religion’s ethics and cast further doubt on the role of religion as a moral ethical institution. What lamentable actions have again brought religions in disrepute?

The incident that first raised my ire occurred in Dubai last week when the father of a 20-year-old daughter watched as she drowned to death at a beach in Dubai.

What he did was to prevent the rescuers from doing their job to save his daughter’s life. When they attempted to go against his wishes, he became violent and restrained them physically. His actions kept them from getting to the young woman in time.

Main picture: (1). Rescue boats retrieving the body of drown 20 year old female in Dubai after father prevented rescuers from saving her. (2) Ahmed Burqibah, the Deputy Director of Dubai Police’s Search and Rescue Department

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Cape Town in all its Splendor

By Dean McCleland in Landscapes 0 Comment

Cape Town must easily rank as the most stunning city in South Africa. Some Vaalies condescencingly claim that if there was no mountain, Cape Town would be a fraction of itself. There is truth in this assertion but Cape Town is so much more that one mountain. Its historical heritage, its colourful people, especially the Cape Coloureds with their own enchanting vernacular add a surreal mix to the equation.

The hinterland also bears a mention. With its numerous wine farms first introduced to South Africa with the arrival of the French Hugenots in the 1700s, add another flavour to the various strains that is the Cape.

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Noakes Vindicated: BMJ Endorses LCHF Diets

By Dean McCleland in Health, Other Opinion Pieces 1 Comment

Change to deeply ingrained ideas is never like a switch. It meanders through the societal consciousness igniting controversy at it proceeds and gathers momentum. The Banting or LCHF diet is no different. From the mid-1970s when the eminent Dr Ancel Keyes convinced the US Department of Health that fats were injurious to one’s health, as fat correlated with cholesterol, the received wisdom has been that fats except in extreme moderation were to be avoided. Now scientific evidence is inexorably negating this flawed thinking.

The case of the elusive cure for ulcers is illustrative of all the prevailing forces that hobble the forces of change: these are the existing dogma, entrenched industries and supposed scientific evidence buttressing the existing ingrained ideas. This requires the abandonment of a set of well entrenched beliefs that conflict with the new ideas.

Main picture: The British Medical Journal now condones the consumption of fatty food except that the sales assistant must be sternly informed to hold the chips and the bun but to put a few dollops of cream on it.

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Life-like colourised photographs of WW2

By Dean McCleland in Historical, Military History 3 Comments

World War Two black and white photos that are researched and colorized in detail by Doug and other artists from the ‘Colourisehistory Group.’ This is an example of their work.

Main picture:

A Finnish Brewster Buffalo 239 fighter (BW-352) of (Squadron) Lentolaivue/24 at Selänpää airfield. 24th June 1941. (Source – SA-Kuva. Colorized by Tommi Rossi from Finland)

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Lions retreat before an indomitable foe

By Dean McCleland in Animals 0 Comment

Sometimes even the mighty lion is intimidated by another animal. In this case it was the pesky fly. Due to the recent rains in the Serengeti, the grass was an ideal breeding area for these annoying creatures. The pride of lions was literally forced to pocket their egos together with ferocious mein and retreat to the sanctuary of the tree.

As many as 15 lions can be seen in the tree with some of these animals precariously balanced in the branches. Way above the ground based flies, the pride of lions could resume their sophorific activities while whiling away the time during the heat of the day.

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A Notice From The Queen to the Citizens of The USA

By Dean McCleland in Jokes, Opinion Pieces 0 Comment

To the citizens of the United States of America from Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

In light of your failure to nominate competent candidates for President of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective immediately. (You should look up ‘revocation’ in the Oxford English Dictionary.)


Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will resume monarchical duties over all states, commonwealths, and territories (except North Dakota, which she does not fancy).

Your new Prime Minister, Theresa May will appoint a Governor for America without the need for further elections.

Congress and the Senate will be disbanded.

A questionnaire may be circulated next year to determine whether any of you noticed.

To aid in the transition to a British Crown dependency, the following rules are introduced with immediate effect:

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Consequence of Showmanship

By Dean McCleland in Current Affairs, Other Galleries 0 Comment

Of course the real reasons for this fatal crash will probably never be known but all the evidence points to the fact that an act of showmanship was the probable cause of this gruesome accident.

The proud owner of a new car was killed with three of his neighbours’ children when his car was sliced in half when he crashed while taking them for a drive to show off his new wheels.

The 39-year-old man’s 10-year-old son was also in hospital fighting for his life after the accident on a curve near the Dros restaurant in the Mpumalanga city of Middelburg.

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Ring side seats at a lion kill

By Dean McCleland in Animals 0 Comment

Thursday night was one of those nights when one despairs about South Africa. Before the 5km Randburg Harriers Time Trial, I listened to the action in the Houses of Parliament. Fortuitously it was question number six; the issue relating to Zuma and Nkandla. It was less a reasoned discourse than a puerile series of inane points of order. It was South Africa’s very own impromptu soap opera at work. If it were not so serious, it would be entertaining, but it is indicative of paralysis and lack of leadership that pervades South Africa in general and the ANC in particular.

Abject failure abounds. South Africa is trapped in a quagmire of corruption, ineptitude and kleptocracy with Zuma leading the pack. Zuma might not be well qualified, having only a standard three certificate, but he is extremely astute. The sum total of his response to the EFF as they fulminated against him having benefitted from the Nkandla upgrades, was to calmly state that the matter is in the hands of the Parliamentary Select Committee.

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Investing for Retirement: A Personal Odyssey

By Dean McCleland in Current Affairs, Financial Matters 2 Comments

For most of us in full time employment, the major source of pension income will be derived from one’s Employer’s Pension Fund. Together with some additional investments in one’s personal capacity this would previously have been sufficient to derive an adequate pension. This assumption is no longer valid for a number of reasons.

The genesis of this disconnect was the introduction of Defined Contribution Pension Funds some 20 years ago. Previously most employees contributed to what was known as a Defined Benefit Pension Fund. In terms of this arrangement, the retiree would be paid a pension calculated on the basis of 2% per every year employed times by the average salary over one’s last x years of employment. For most employees, this would equate to approximately 70% of their final salary. Combined with their private savings, this would ensure a pension of at least 80 to 90%, a fairly comfortable retirement without having to agonise over one’s financial situation.
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