Dean McCleland, Author at The Casual Observer

Animals are always the Losers

By Dean McCleland in Current Affairs, Nature & Animals 2 June 2015 0 Comment

In human / animal interactions, animals will always be the losers. As the latest tragedy at the Lion Park illustrates – where an American tourist was killed by a lioness – whenever a human is injured or killed by a wild animal in spite of the human’s stupidity, the animal is killed. The term “put down” does not do justice to the callous act of retribution.

Fortunately in this case the animal will be spared its life. Instead it will be removed from the pride and kept in isolation. This measure is an injustice and violates its “animal rights.” Unlike leopards, lions are social animals and operate in clans. Being isolated from her clan is akin to being kept in solitary confinement for a human.

Main picture: Notice on entering the lion enclosure at the Lion Park. On the Talk Shows some have criticised the Park Management for the lack of a “prominent sign” which I dispute. Secondly I contend that such a sign is unnecessary as one is entering a lion enclosure in a nature reserve called The Lion Park. I have no doubt that as the victim was American, the Lion Park will be sued for vast sums for negligence in allowing the woman to open her window.

Be Wary of Lions

By Dean McCleland in Nature & Animals, Other Opinion Pieces 1 June 2015 0 Comment

Of course this maxim applies to other wild animals as well. Most at risk are foreign tourists who find certain animals such as lions cute and innocuous. That is as maybe but common sense must prevail. The inevitable happened today. An American tourist was driving through the Lion Park no more than 20kms from Joburg with their window open when the lion struck. In the contest between man and the lion, guess who wins. The woman passenger did not.

What is troubling for me is that there have been calls for this lion to be shot.

“Why?”

Famously Inaccurate Predictions

By Dean McCleland in Miscellaneous Topics 31 May 2015 0 Comment

Here is a list of 25 of the world’s worst predictions. Everybody is aware of some but certainly not all. In hindsight it is absurd that these predictions could have been made but that is the problem with predictions, the mind-shift required to incorporate the change is beyond most people’s ability. This inability pervades even the highly intelligent including Einstein.

Being a devotee of science and technology, I avidly read magazines such as Popular Science, the New Scientist and Scientific America during the 1970s. Perennially on the long term discoveries lists of 10 years or more were fibre optics together with fusion power. Whereas 50 years later fusion power is still on the long range list, overnight in the late 1970s, fibre optics migrated in one year from the long term to the already discovered list.

Mampara of the Week: Nathi Nhleko, South African Minister of Police

By Dean McCleland in Current Affairs, SA Heroes and Mamparas 30 May 2015 5 Comments

Does the Minister of Police take the South African public for idiots? Clearly he does. In attempting to justify the indefensible, he has clearly treated the rest of us as imbeciles.

Ultimately the sordid Nkandlagate saga will define Zuma’s legacy much like Watergate defined Tricky Dicky Nixon’s and Monica underscored Clinton’s term as president.

Mampara – Afrikaans for supreme idiot, an imbecile. Its onomatopoeic property especially when pronounced gutturally engenders it with more potency than the English idiot; hence my usage.

Let us recapitulate for those that have been in a coma for the past 5 years. Zuma’s personal homestead is located in the backwoods of KwaZulu Natal, a nondescript quintessential African village called Nkandla. This fact would have remained in obscurity and a footnote to history had it not been that this private residence required a security upgrade.

Main picture: The Nkandla “compound” from MyBroadband

Churchill’s WW1: From Humiliation to Redemption

By Dean McCleland in History, Military History 28 May 2015 2 Comments

Being born in Blenheim Castle, built by his ancestor the 1^st Duke of Wellington, the victor at Waterloo, would leave an indelible imprint on the impressionable youngster. He believed that he was born to greatness. Another streak also drove the red haired youth; a deep desire to impress his parents both of whom, due to their social commitments, neglected the youngster who craved their affection.

Churchill’s humiliation during WW1 was unquestionably the folly and slaughter at Gallipoli but what was his ultimate redemption and what did it take to overcome the stigma?

Main picture: Churchill’s favourite pasttime – painting which he only discovered later in life

Creative Graffiti

By Dean McCleland in Other Galleries 26 May 2015 0 Comment

Normally I find graffiti offensive. It despoils and defiles all manner of items from walls, electricity boxes to bus shelters. As these pictures illustrate, perhaps I should not be so rigid in my approach and thinking. I will make one admission albeit sotto voce. They are stunning but amongst the quantum of graffiti that I have ever seen, they must represent far less than a fraction of a percent of the images that I have seen.

In Celebration of Trees

By Dean McCleland in Miscellaneous Topics 26 May 2015 0 Comment

We all have a favourite tree even if it is not a conscious decision. For me gigantic shade trees are my ultimate favourite. Aside from these the one tree which has a special place in my soul is a syringa tree. As a callow youth, Sunday afternoon was the time to visit granny Mac in Albert Street Walmer. In the back yard next to a huge concrete underground water tank stood an enormous old syringa tree. From a young age, my goal was to climb along its sturdy boughs right to the top. Of course the higher one climbed the thinner the branches became and more they would sway.

Trees are a place in which and under which one can find solace and contentment and recharge one’s soul.

Around the World Challenge: 40 075kms in Official Races

By Dean McCleland in Running 24 May 2015 9 Comments

Having recently settled into portly late middle age – that sounds preferable to early old age – I still had one physical challenge outstanding in my life’s inbox to complete: run around the world. Perhaps lack of fitness would be too charitable a description of my physical condition. It was not only the slightly stout demeanour but also my back to consider. It had forced my withdrawal from the Paris Marathon in 2011. With 6000 kms still to run, it could even have prevented the achievement of my RTW Goal.

Climbing Mountain Everest was never seriously on my bucket list. Even if I had obtained sponsorship which was highly unlikely, there were the more serious factors such as lack of leave and an irascible wife to contend with. Aside from these considerations, it was utterly inconceivable in that as a South African I would not be able to obtain a visa to 80% of the world, Nepal being one of them, at that time in South Africa’s turbulent history.

Main picture: At the start of the Pick ‘n Pay 21km race on Sunday 5th February 2015 held at Saheti School together some some of the runners who would accompany me: Ken Swettenham, Laurie Shellard, Nigel Asprey, me, Myer Guinsberg, Mike Paxton, Amanda and Kurt Radzom. They had the heavy work to do: carry the banner for 21,1kms.

Living one’s Life as a Lie

By Dean McCleland in Current Affairs, Religion 22 May 2015 2 Comments

The essence of mankind is sex and sexuality. When one’s physical sex is at odds with one’s mental gender, the person suffers mental anguish. Usually at a young age, they become aware that they are different from their peers. Their desires range from the relatively benign such as cross-dressing to the more overt form where the desire for one’s own sex is overwhelming. To make matters worse, there are implacable societal pressures to conform to accepted gender and sexual roles. What does it mean to these people so conflicted and what should society do to alleviate this burden?

In a bygone era and even amongst modern religious people and conservative societies, non-heterosexual sex is regarded as a taboo, an abomination to be exorcised from society. This exorcism takes many forms from “aversion training” to the other extreme of the death penalty. Such extreme “treatment” is still considered necessary by many to rid society of a vile polluting influence.

Main picture: Bruce Jenner transitioning from male to female

Pawel Kuczynski: The Master of Illustration Satire

By Dean McCleland in Other Galleries 20 May 2015 1 Comment

At first sight these illustrations are akin to a cartoon of the unhumourous variety. Upon reflection they highlight not only social, cultural & political realities in a thought provoking manner but they also subtly convey his viewpoint on these ills through his unflattering illustrations of their consequences.

Born in Szczecin, Poland in 1976, Pawel graduated from the Fine Arts Academy in Poznan with specialisation in graphics.

Main picture: One of my favourites as it is probably as evocative as George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” in that it underlines the nature of mindlessly replacing one form of tyranny with another.

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