Dean McCleland, Author at The Casual Observer

South Africa on “The Road to Nowhere”

By Dean McCleland in Current Affairs 11 February 2016 0 Comment

The ANC could compliment the citizens of South Africa for their forbearance if it was “The Long and Winding Road.” In that case we could at least enjoy the scenery of the journey but just for good measure we are being taken along known treacherous paths where wisdom cautions one not to tread – the proverbial Road to Nowhere. It is a sad indictment that wisdom and sanity has not prevailed. This is the path to perdition. That is why am I so profoundly despondent about South Africa’s future?

Main picture: The Road to Perdition, the theme of this blog. Like the movie starring Tom Hanks, South Africa’s future is murky & full of foreboding.

My Rocket Scientist Brother and the Remotely Controlled Gun

By Dean McCleland in McClelands, Other Personal 8 February 2016 2 Comments

Blaine might have been an Engineer but he has always been a designer at heart. Who wouldn’t want to be? But it requires a special temperament, a conflation of technical understanding and practical ability. Blaine possessed both in abundance. Probably because this was a tiny project, it would have been more satisfying than most as every decision was his instead of being split between a multitude of other engineers.

Main picture: US riverine naval boat of the type that was captured by Iran

The Fourth Industrial Revolution: Peer to Peer Transactions

By Dean McCleland in Current Affairs 6 February 2016 0 Comment

Davos has brought the concept of the Fourth Industrial Revolution to the forefront of the imagination. Already society is on the cusp of the revolution but the anticipation of the merging of various technologies such as 3D printing, artificial intelligence, sensor technology et al will enable this revolution. One aspect of this will be peer to peer transactions becoming the norm. What does this mean and how will it affect everybody?

Only this aspect will be the subject of this blog.

Main picture: Airbnb now operates in Cuba

Jesus: Separating the Man from the Myths

By Dean McCleland in History, Religion 3 February 2016 0 Comment

In the annals of history Jesus is undoubtedly the most revered and well-known man. In spite of having four biographies written about him in the form of the first four Gospels of the New Testament, he remains an enigma. The cause of this consternation is that the four Gospels do not form a seamless whole. For the pious these inconsistencies must be overlooked but in this blog I will produce a reality check on the facts and list what could be myth. Were the Gospels in fact the gospel truth about the life and times of Jesus?

Main picture: The Dead Scrolls provided an evocative insight into one the sects contemporaneous with Jesus’ life. Whether as Barbara Thiering contends Jesus was an Essene is a moot point. Nevertheless these scrolls do throw a new light on the times when Jesus was alive.

The Cars of our Youth

By Dean McCleland in McClelands, Other Personal 1 February 2016 0 Comment

Style and comfort were secondary. Due to lack of money, wheels in the McCleland household during our youth were all that were required as long as they worked. Now cue in the music of The Days of our Lives all saccharin and mulchy. None would win car of the year or the street mile, but we adored them nonetheless. This is their story as told mainly by my younger brother.

Main picture: The first car that my father owned, an Austin A70. His previous vehicle had been a panelvan which was his employer – JJ Ruddy and Sons – company vehicle. As there is no extant photo of this vehicle, the best that Blaine could do was a stock photo off the internet.

The Fish River Canyon Hike: August 2006

By Dean McCleland in Hiking, McClelands 31 January 2016 0 Comment

As 2016 will be the 10^th anniversary of this hike which from a personal perspective was noteworthy in that I hurt my back so badly on the descent on day one that it ultimately culminated in my 2^nd back operation a few months later. As a commemoration, I have elected to reprint / re-issue the two blogs on this hike as one blog: The Report Back and the irreverent – or maybe that should read irrelevant – awards. Of the 9 of us who completed this hike, Walter Baumgartl has since passed on, long before his allotted time.

Main picture: Fish River Canyon – Viewpoint at the Start. Naturally the only way down, is down Continue reading

Is my Dog Racist?

By Dean McCleland in Current Affairs 30 January 2016 1 Comment

Am I being paranoid but in the wake of the recent spate of accusations of racism being levelled at various individuals even for the non-racist actions in some instances, I decided to apply the principle of risk control and mitigation. To do so, I closely monitored the members of my household. Then it dawned on me. One of the closely knit McCleland clan was a closet racist, albeit subliminally. I was aghast. After assiduously training my children to treat all humans as equals and never to despise them, I had forgotten about my dogs. What am I to do? Surely I will bear the burden of responsibility for this omission?

Main picture: The possible miscreant – Dog L – enjoying herself not on the beach but in a pond at Delta Park. No littering was allowed during the making of these photographs. In addition the litter was placed in the appropriate recycling bins

My Rocket Scientist Brother: How the Mind Works

By Dean McCleland in McClelands, Other Personal 29 January 2016 0 Comment

By 11 years of age, I was reading the newspaper from cover to cover. In addition with my limited pocket money I did not purchase comics like the rest of my friends but magazines such as Look and Learn. I was enthralled with the world that opened up. What finally caught my attention was the part work by Purnell entitled The History of the Second World War. Even though Blaine was only 9 years old, he had to listen to my expounding on all these issues – the Holocaust, the rabid racist Nazis and of course their wonder weapons. Initially it was a monologue but soon Blaine would contribute. What was fascinating partly in retrospect was how his mind worked compared to mine. This is that story.

Main picture: This Guy Fawkes was not going to have a huge straw Guy Fawkes or an even bigger bon fire. Rather being Kentron engineers, it might not be a guided missile but at least it was a potent rocket. Talk about taking work home with you.

My Rocket Scientist Brother

By Dean McCleland in McClelands, Other Personal 27 January 2016 0 Comment

Perhaps it is not common knowledge but my brother can validly be awarded the sobriquet of “rocket scientist.” Certainly as regards intelligence it was indubitably true but definitely not in the nerdish dilettantish sense. What was it like to have a brother who was four years younger than one oneself yet who was nonetheless intellectually one’s superior?

Main picture: This is a huge drawing that Blaine did on his bedroom wall. It was so perfect that I always wondered why he did not do more sketches or drawings
Continue reading

Why is there an Epidemic of Heroin Overdoses amongst the American Middle Class?

By Dean McCleland in Current Affairs, Health 22 January 2016 0 Comment

Outside of America, the mindless stupidity of heroin addiction, that is currently ravaging the white Middle Class, is a relatively unknown phenomenon. Even the Presidential hopefuls are being intensively interrogated about their plans to remedy the situation. Teenager-dom is a turbulent period in youngsters lives and experimentation is the norm, but why is there is sudden spike in heroin addiction in the United States?

Main picture: The final humiliation

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