The Casual Observer

Every Day Heroes in Road Running

By Dean McCleland in Personal, Running 15 September 2014 2 Comments

It is not just the record breakers in Road Running, such as Bruce Fordyce, who are the heroes. Heroes come in a multiplicity of shapes, forms and even abilities. One does not want to detract from the winners’ performance, but these unsung heroes are what breathe life into a sport.

Recognition in sport is normally only accorded to the winners. They are lauded and receive the accolades, prizes and sponsorships. Many others also need to be recognised for their achievements. One such program that aims to do just that, is the 1000km Challenge.

Cats can be so Damn Dramatic

By Dean McCleland in Animals, Other Opinion Pieces 14 September 2014 0 Comment

I will be brutally frank and state boldly that I am not a cat person. Dogs are my preference. Now that I have incurred the wrath and enmity of all the cat lovers in South Africa, let me alienate another important segment of the population: the females. On what grounds would I do that willingly? It is simple: I equate cats with females and dogs with males.

The basic dichotomy between cats and dogs is that dogs offer unconditional love whereas cats are more detached, remote and complicated. Not to put too fine a point on it, cats are moody creatures.

Quo Vadis Self-Actualisation?

By Dean McCleland in Opinion Pieces, Other Opinion Pieces 13 September 2014 0 Comment

With most of the lower order needs in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs having been met, the Millennials are focusing on self-actualisation albeit by a different name but for the self-same reason. The basic premise of self-actualisation is that passion drives purpose which in turn generates inspiration. Is this theory attainable or does it only apply to ennobling ideals and not to the mundane aspects of life?

Western Europe is currently facing a crisis of unemployment with record levels of productive people being unemployed. A cursory investigation reveals a startling dichotomy: the huge number of graduates who cannot find employment whereas on the other hand in France, for example, it is experiencing huge shortages in fields such as teaching and nursing.

Surreal but Sublime Places with that Salvador Dali Painting Vibe

By Dean McCleland in Landscapes 12 September 2014 0 Comment

In this photo gallery, five unusual places are visited, each with its own surreal vibe.

The iWatch: Will it revolutionise the Textures and Rhythms of Life?

By Dean McCleland in Current Affairs, Opinion Pieces 11 September 2014 0 Comment

Like its predecessors from the Church Clock to the Pocket Watch & finally to the Wrist Watch, will the Apple Watch, as it is officially being called, fundamentally revolutionise the textures & rhythms of life? Furthermore will it initiate the march to a totally connected always-on world?

The very idea of a wearable computer has existed in the human imagination since at least the birth of the James Bond movies. Fifty years ago it was a science fiction gadget which nobody least of all the scientists took seriously. Finally Apple has placed it at the pinnacle of its new revolution – a wearable computer. Continue reading

ISIS – Even Crueller and More Radical than al-Qaeda

By Dean McCleland in Other Galleries 10 September 2014 0 Comment

Who would have thought that a more militant and fundamentalist organisation than a-Qaeda would arise? Well it has happened. So radical that not even Al Qaeda will associate with them. ISIS or Islamic State of Iraq and Syria is adding a new dimension of chaos and instability to a region already plagued with both.

Formerly known as ISIL – The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – ISIS is a Sunni jihadist group in the Middle East. In its self-proclaimed status as a Caliphate, it claims religious authority over all Muslims across the world with aspirations of bringing most of the Muslim-inhabited regions of the world under its political control beginning with Iraq, Syria and other territories in the Levant region which include Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Cyprus and part of southern Turkey. Continue reading

Bean there, pooped that

By Dean McCleland in Other Opinion Pieces 9 September 2014 0 Comment

The story of the most exotic coffee – Kopi Luwak – and its highly extraordinary origins: coffee beans retrieved from the defecated matter of the Asian Palm Civet.

The issue that intrigues me most of all is why somebody would have wanted to separate the faecal matter of an animal and then to test whether it made a delectable brew. Clearly someone has. Somebody with an obtuse mind.

Main picture: Source – http://skuddl.com/5-best-coffee-machines-2017/

How the North Koreans Really Live – In Pictures

By Dean McCleland in Other Galleries 8 September 2014 1 Comment

Since WW2, Korea has been divided at the 38th parallel with the northern half being a harsh increasingly paranoid dictatorship while the southern half has developed into a modern democratic state with a high standard of living. Visitors to the so-called “Hermit Kingdom” are closely monitored by “guides” who are officially appointed and who vet all the actions of such visitors.

Should Speer also have been sentenced to death at Nuremburg?

By Dean McCleland in History, Military History 7 September 2014 0 Comment

Of all the Nazis in Hitler’s inner circle, only Albert Speer escaped the hangman’s noose. How was he able to achieve this when the armaments’ industry used slave labour on an epic scale?

Unlike most of Hitler’s circle, Albert Speer and Hermann Goering were not regarded as archetypal Nazi thugs. Most such as Rudolf Hess, Hitler’s deputy until his arcane mission to Britain in 1941, were wastrels and professional thugs in keeping with their narrow-minded views on society and the solutions to social problems. If there had to be a psychological attribute for being a member of the Nazi inner circle, that trait would be sociopathy.

Road Races Redolent of a More Gracious Past

By Dean McCleland in Personal, Running 5 September 2014 0 Comment

Over the weekend of 16^th / 17^th August, two road races were held which highlighted Gauteng’s gracious & glorious past. Too focused on their running, many failed to notice or care. But I did. Isn’t that partly what running is all about?

What is the essence of a great race? What ingredients does it require before the majority of the runners will exclaim, “That was a superb race!” Of course all situations will all have their cynical detractors who will censure or dismiss with scorn even the best organised events. One such runner was Eugene. Perhaps due to his brilliant mind, he would deprecatingly scoff at the organisation of even the best organised events.

In this photo gallery, five unusual places are visited, each with its own surreal vibe.

Like its predecessors from the Church Clock to the Pocket Watch & finally to the Wrist Watch, will the Apple Watch, as it is officially being called, fundamentally revolutionise the textures & rhythms of life? Furthermore will it initiate the march to a totally connected always-on world?

Of all the Nazis in Hitler’s inner circle, only Albert Speer escaped the hangman’s noose. How was he able to achieve this when the armaments’ industry used slave labour on an epic scale?

Over the weekend of 16th / 17th August, two road races were held which highlighted Gauteng’s gracious & glorious past. Too focused on their running, many failed to notice or care. But I did. Isn’t that partly what running is all about?

Over the weekend of 16^th / 17^th August, two road races were held which highlighted Gauteng’s gracious & glorious past. Too focused on their running, many failed to notice or care. But I did. Isn’t that partly what running is all about?