Falling Oil Prices: Is that a Good or a Bad Thing?

By Dean McCleland in Current Affairs, Opinion Pieces 1 Comment

Without a doubt all South Africa would concur that it is a positive development. They would immediately point to the price of petrol and, if they were more astute, they might allude to the fact that Eskom is spending R4 Billion per month on diesel to power their “emergency” open cycle gas turbines. On the other hand is this positive affirmation universally true?

Firstly what is driving the price of this finite product down? From a South African perspective portion of the cause is highly illustrative as it is a contentious oil extraction process which is currently under debate.

Main picture: The Saudis have the lowest cost per barrel of oil in the world. Their aim is to destroy the expensive producers such as the offshore oil production and especially the fracking industry in the USA.

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Life Orientation: A Cinderella or Vital Subject at School

By Dean McCleland in Current Affairs, Opinion Pieces 0 Comment

On initial consideration, my first reaction – like most other people – is to dismiss it out of hand. Upon reflection it could form a vital component in the development of critical thinking skills which is so vital for the inculcation of cognitive abilities.

Being an avid fan of 702 Talk Radio what frequently exasperates me is the facile thinking process that the average person utilises when proposing a solution to a problem. If the presenter attempts to force the listener to be more specific about what must be done to alleviate or prevent the problem at hand, the person is at a loss for words in order to provide any constructive suggestion. Alternatively the suggestions made often have unintended consequences which are worse than the problem being addressed.

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Photographs of snow storm in Buffalo New York

By Dean McCleland in Landscapes 1 Comment

When I first heard about the reports of the heaviest snow falls in the Eastern USA for over 30 years I was sceptical. Maybe my natural cynicism  at the Texan exaggeration – I know that the snow was in New York state and not in Austen Texas – aspect of American culture made me blase about the severity of the snow storm. A quick glance at some of the astonishing photographs emerging fr0m the USA rapidly disabused me of that notion.

The worst affected area appears to be the town of Buffalo in New York State where 6 feet [2 metres] of snow has been reported. The rate of the snow fall could rapidly trap people at work, on the highway and more embarassingly at their lovers apartment. Of course they could always claim without fear of contradiction that they were trapped in their vehicle somewhere. Meanwhile they were enjoyed an uninterrupted 48 hours in a romantic tryst!

Main picture: Don’t let the snow in!

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Cockpits through the Ages

By Dean McCleland in Other Galleries 0 Comment

The first air flight of just over a few hundred metres by the Wright Brothers was performed a little over a century ago at Kitty Hawk. Yet in just one century, the plane has advanced from little more than a rickety collection of piping and fabric to a supersonic plane capable of traversing the globe.

These aircraft are even able to land on autopilot. In fact certain airlines such as Turkish Air have mandated that all landings will be performed using the autopilot. This policy was to have tragic consequences for its crew when on attempting to land at Schiphol airport near Amsterdam, the autopilot malfunctioned. Instead of reverting to manual control, the pilot resolutely stuck to Company Policy regarding the use of the autopilot. Amongst the deaths were the 3 flight crew whereas most passengers escaped without serious injury.

Main picture: The cockpit of the 1903 Wright Flyer

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Will Decorum and Reasoned Debate Prevail during SONA 2015?

By Dean McCleland in Current Affairs, Opinion Pieces 0 Comment

Hardly likely! Given Julius Malema’s predilection for spectacle, theatre and outrageous comments this year’s SONA is likely to be accompanied by some form of ructions in Parliament. The ostensible intention will be to embarrass the ANC and Jacob Zuma in particular. With the TV cameras and the world’s media in attendance, what does the natural populist and showman that is Malema have up his sleeve?

Like most South Africans, in previous years I did not even listen or read about it. All that every year’s SONA appears to be is a series of platitudes and a plethora of promises all of which will not be actioned.

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Photographs of the Authentic South Africa

By Dean McCleland in Other Galleries 0 Comment

With its wide open spaces,  panoramic vistas and  enchanting bushveld scenes, South Africa is a truly stunning place. Some of these photographs evoke that response. None are outstanding photographs from a technical aspect but rather they just provide a taste of the flavour of South Africa.

Main picture: Another tough day in Africa. It is a phrase that we use in the Quo Vadis HIking Club a lot.

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Stunning Photographs of Lightning

By Dean McCleland in Other Galleries 0 Comment

With a spectacular electrical storm outside, I elected to post some stunning pictures of lightning from around the world.

Main picture: A rare and beautiful type of lightning, positive lightning can be significantly more powerful than the far more common negative lightning. Often known as ‘bolts from the blue’, positive lightning can appear several miles from the center of a thunderstorm, as can be seen in this photograph on the Bahamas coastline.

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