The Casual Observer

Arachnophobia: Spiderman I Ain’t

By Blaine McCleland in McClelands 28 April 2015 0 Comment

They say that much of what we are, we learn at the knee of our parents. Well, I learnt my fear of spiders from Mom. Maybe she learnt that from her mom but, then again, Granny Dix looked so stern that she would have scared away the spiders. Mom was terrified of them to the point of irrationality. Unfortunately for her, the rain spider is endemic in Southern Africa and, I must admit, they are big, hairy and scary. To her they were not the gentle rain spider, they were the worst thing she could think of – tarantulas.

Main picture: One of at least 6 rain spiders that inhabited our bedroom

Britain’s Greatest Military Disaster by a Third World Nation

What possessed Britain to attempt to subordinate a primitive, desolate country that was trapped in the Middle Ages? How was it possible that a third rate force could massacre 17 000 British soldiers with only ten survivors – a surgeon and an officers wife amongst them? This defeat even exceeded that against the Zulus at Isandlwana in Natal.

The country in question is Afghanistan, a country wedged precariously between two expanding Empires – the Russian and the British. The Russians under the Tsars during the nineteenth century were rapidly expanding eastward towards Alaska whereas the British were initially content on the Indian subcontinent.

Main picture: Alexander Burnes – Scottish explorer and adventurers & fluent Persian speaker

The Economic Forecast: Headwinds Ahead

By Dean McCleland in Current Affairs, Financial Matters 26 April 2015 1 Comment

Three economic criteria have dominated the world economy since the crash in 2008: the Central Banks have been mandated to maintain low inflation – not more than 1.5% – , Quantitative Easing and extremely low interest rates. All had one objective in mind: to ease the economy gently and gradually out of depression and to stimulate growth. The result has been continued deflation in consumer prices, moribund inflation while asset prices have surged. This scenario is unsustainable and will have consequences in the near future.

After galloping inflation in the nineteen seventies – the culmination of decades of Keynesian policies – inflation rates ratcheted up. The stimulant effect of the drug benignly known as inflation now presented deleterious effects. Drastic action was called for. Easy money flowed into unsustainable or delinquent assets such as leviathan but unproductive such as British Steel, British Airways and British Coal. No longer was the propping up of bloated uncompetitive entities viable.

Lost in Translation

By Dean McCleland in Miscellaneous Topics 25 April 2015 0 Comment

At least with the languages using the Greek alphabet one is able to pronounce what is written on a sign. But when faced with Chinese characters or the Arabic alphabet, one does not have any way of understanding what is meant. This is akin to an illiterate person seeing words in the Greek alphabet. Often in these countries, an English translation is provided but when the translator possesses a minimal command of the English the result can result either be complete mystification or mirth. Here are some of these translations which strain one’s ability to comprehend. All are from Standard Chinese or hanzi.

Main picture: No matter how hard I try, I cannot understand what message or instruction the sign is actually attempting to convey. Do you?

Some Politically Incorrect Comments by World Famous People

By Dean McCleland in Current Affairs, History, Opinion Pieces 23 April 2015 0 Comment

Exceptions notwithstanding, probably none of the persons whom society has beatified with sainthood has an unblemished record. The lessor mortals fare less well. By now, Jacob Zuma is well known for his racist and misogynist comments. What about the Zulu King, Goodwill Zwelithini fanning the flames of xenophobia with his ill-advised comments? Finally it was an article by Jan Vermeulen entitled “This is why Gandhi’s statue was vandalised?” which propelled me to investigate further.

A case in point is Winston Churchill who is indubitably my history hero. Like all such luminaries Churchill was human. In the heat of moment, Winston did make some crass comments. Being an old-fashioned Imperialist and Royalist at heart – the last of a dying breed in the Nineteen Thirties’ – his vitriol was often directed at the Indian people & Gandhi in particular.

Main picture: Mahatma Gandhi Continue reading

God: Losing my Religion

By Blaine McCleland in McClelands, Religion 23 April 2015 1 Comment

Coming from a pretty religious family, Dad must have been a disappointment. My great, great grandfather, Rev Francis McCleland, was the first Rector of the St Mary’s Church. Our family actually owns a square foot of the historical parsonage house at 7 Castle Hill, P.E.

Main picture: As dad was an atheist and mom was religious, the church which we were supposed to attend as children was the Newton Park Methodist Church

What is the origin of “Kilroy was here”?

By Dean McCleland in History, Opinion Pieces 23 April 2015 0 Comment

Most people are vaguely familiar with the expression “Kilroy was here” but how did it arise and what was it real significance? This story must rate as no more than a footnote to history. Nonetheless it is tales like this that comprise the rich mosaic of life and provide its human interest.

Most people have sometime in their life seen the drawing of a bald head with an overlarge nose peering over a fence as it is now an iconic picture. Like us today, the Allies during WW2 – but mainly the Americans – had seen this quirky image adorning everything from tanks, vehicles to planes sometime during their service in the American military.