Dean McCleland, Author at The Casual Observer

The Ethereal Dream World of an Underwater Park

By Dean McCleland in Landscapes 29 December 2014 0 Comment

Imagine swimming underwater anywhere. What will one normally see? Sand and rocks. That is not so in the case of the Gruner See – the Green Lake – in Styria, Austria. During the winter, the lake is only 1–2 m deep and the surrounding area is used as a county park. However, during the spring, when the temperature rises and the snow melts, the basin of land below the mountains fills with water. The lake reaches its maximum depth of around 12m from mid-May to June. Beneath the water one can view grass and not sand and mud. Looking up, one can spot the tops of the trees under the water.

A truly surreal experience

Should the Right Wing Resurgence in Germany cause Disquiet?

By Dean McCleland in Current Affairs, Opinion Pieces 28 December 2014 2 Comments

It goes without saying that any right-wing resurgence in Germany is viewed with mistrust by the rest of the world and Europe in particular. An article in the local German news magazine Der Spiegel of 15^th December 2014, deals with this issue. What are the underlying causes of this resurgence and what is the prognosis? Finally are there any similarities with the rise of the NSDAP [Nazis in English] of the 1930’s?

Felix Menzel is no Hitler, at least not in the outward manifestations. Unlike Hitler he never uses virulent vitriolic rhetoric. Instead he engages one in an intellectual manner.

Menzel, now 29 years old, is the same age that Hitler was when the Armistice ending WW1 was declared & Hitler for the first time became actively involved in politics. In contrast Menzel has for the past 10 years been active in politics via a conservative right-wing magazine called the Blaue Narzisse, the Blue Daffodil whereas Hitler had not yet formulated a clear political direction and philosophy other than an inherent anti-Semitism.

Main photo: Recent PEGIDA demonstration in Desden. In English PEGIDA means “Patriotic Europeans against the Islamization of the West,”

Today’s Life To-Do List

By Dean McCleland in Inspirational, Other Opinion Pieces 26 December 2014 0 Comment

We all make To-Do Lists of chores that have to be performed but what about making a separate to-do list except that this list would comprise all of the emotional, life skills, moral and psychological aspects of one’s life. Don’t these aspects deserve to be focused on as well, instead of merely the material and physical aspects?

Main picture: One easily identifies obnoxious or inappropriate behaviour in others but overlooks it in oneself

What is the purpose of a to-do list? It reminds us not to forget about doing certain things during the day. One periodically retrieves the list and mentally ticks off what has already been accomplished. In my case, I will physically scratch off what I have completed. This provides me with a sense of achievement, of accomplishment and a mental boost by knowing what progress that I have made.

Got a Spare Six Months? Then Try This Hobby?

By Dean McCleland in Other Galleries 25 December 2014 0 Comment

Sergei Bobkov takes wood chips, soaks them in water for a few days, using a Red Cedar tree from Russia. Then he starts building his pieces which takes him about 6 months, 10-12 hours a day to finish.

He was offered a lot of money for 1 piece but won’t sell.

These exquisite peces are all made from wood chips

Main photograph: The finished product

Value Reducing Corporate M&As: Why no Consequences?

By Dean McCleland in Opinion Pieces, Other Opinion Pieces 24 December 2014 0 Comment

Anecdotal evidence suggests that 80% of all Corporate Mergers and Acquisitions do not achieve their objective and most actually result in a decline in the value of the Acquiring Company. Yet seldom if ever are there consequences for the proponents of the Acquisition. Why is there this strange state of affairs?

The latest victim of this malaise is that of Brian Joffe at Bidvest. It has now been admitted that Bidvest will have to write down its recent acquisition of Adcock Ingram by a huge R1 billion. How could somebody as astute as Brian Joffe have got the sums so wrong? What happened to the due diligence and possibly more importantly, the synergies and savings anticipated to be generated by the acquisition?

Idyllic Beaches

By Dean McCleland in Other Galleries 24 December 2014 2 Comments

What is your idea of an idyllic beach? Mine is solitude, being away from the maddening crowds with miles of glistening white sand underfoot and not a care in the world. Of course some palm trees casting some shade over our picnic spot would be the cherry on the top.

Beaches in China

By Dean McCleland in Landscapes 24 December 2014 0 Comment

Isn’t the whole idea of going to the beach is to have a relaxing time. Instead one has to contend with thousands of people? If you do go for a swim, would you even be missed if you did not surface again but more importantly, would you be able to find your umbrella again. It probably is no different from being at the crowded shopping mall – being jostled, no privacy and raucous – the very antithesis of a relaxing peaceful visit.

The Mampara of the Year: 2014

By Dean McCleland in Current Affairs, SA Heroes and Mamparas 23 December 2014 2 Comments

In South Africa at the moment, it is not difficult to pick a Mampara as we are spoilt for choice. Of course our beloved country is not the only one that has its prominent citizens involved in half-witted and mindless actions. In the forefront of these imbecilic actions, as if to be in the limelight albeit for 5 minutes, are mainly politicians or political appointees.

The candidates for this prestigious award are not only politicians as non-politicians have also tried exceptionally hard to clasp this award. The first such person who springs to mind is Steve Hofmeyer who should have stuck to music. Instead he ventured into the realms of politics which is known to dull one’s thought processes. In one such memorable comment and reverse logic so beloved of politicians, he claimed that the Blacks in South Africa were responsible for Apartheid!

The Profumo Affair: The Tale of Two Women

By Dean McCleland in Opinion Pieces, Other Opinion Pieces 22 December 2014 2 Comments

For those who remember the Profumo Affair which almost brought down the Conservative Government of Harold Macmillan, the pivotal role was played by a prostitute, the stunning Christine Keeler. However her flatmate, Mandy Rice-Davies, who was not quite as stunning, also rose to prominence due to her lifestyle which was intertwined with that of Keeler. What would happen to each woman after this potentially life changing event?

Background

The fate of John Profumo, the philandering Secretary of State for War in the Harold Macmillan Conservative Government is well known. After initially denying any personal impropriety with a prostitute, the stunning Christine Keeler, in 1961, he eventually resigned some two weeks later.

How did this brief affair become public knowledge two years after its termination and why did an extra-marital affair cause such anguish at the time?

Political Correctness in Extremis

By Dean McCleland in Current Affairs, Opinion Pieces 20 December 2014 0 Comment

The initial concept of Political Correctness was to preclude the use of gratuitous generalisations regarding races, religions, sexes and politics that contained a negative connotation. The use of these words is generally demeaning of that race or grouping and often unfairly categorises all members of such a group with the same degrading or humiliating appellation. With the principles now being extended into all facets of life, has the concept thwarted free speech or, as shown in the examples below, prevented the enjoyment of one’s own culture and way of life.

In tracking down feel-good stories for a blog, adjacent to one of these stories in the British Telegraph was an article on Town Councils in the UK which had banned the word Christmas as being too indicative of one religion and hence offensive to Muslims in their Communities. Their staffs were instructed to replace it with the words Happy Festive Season.

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