The Casual Observer

Jacob Zuma: Is he sufficiently competent to appoint capable Candidates?

By Dean McCleland in Current Affairs, Opinion Pieces 3 June 2014 0 Comment

A Personal View – 2^nd June 2014

The latest debacle swirling around a recent appointee relates to the alleged misconduct of the current Head of the NPA is proof writ large of Jacob Zuma’s inability to appoint capable candidates. Ex post facto it is uncovered as part of a Security Clearance check that Mxolisi Nxasana is guilty of various offences including assault but had been found not guilty of murder.

Surely in the year-long search for a suitable replacement of such as key appointment such as this, Mr. Nxasana would have been meticulously vetted and a thorough background check performed.

Poisoned Chalice or Fool’s Errand?

By Dean McCleland in Personal, Running 1 June 2014 0 Comment

Report back on the Dawn to Dusk 80km Running Race in August 2013

A few weeks ago [July 2013] I became aware that Nigel was becoming concerned about my running ability. Normally when one has a running mate and one beats them convincingly without even trying, one has no compassion. One just feels elated at thrashing one’s competitor.

Then it struck me. It had nothing whatsoever to do with empathy or even sometimes a mock show of compassion, but real unadulterated concern: the Dawn to Dusk was drawing neigh!

Nigel definitely had a Poisoned Chalice!

Gallery of Andrew Royal’s photos of the 2013 Orange River Trip

By Dean McCleland in Hiking 1 June 2014 0 Comment

All of these superb photos were taken by Andrew Royal, Malcolm Royal’s son and co-canoeist in the epic 2013 Orange River Trip where the pair managed to capsize on every rapid no matter how insignificant it was.

Of course they claim that rather than capsizing, they were deliberately bailing so as to cool off in the water.

Few of the other canoeists accepted this story but rather described the explanation as codswallop or something more uncouth.

I will let you be the judge of the veracity of that vignette.

Other Galleries of Stunning Photographs:

Photos taken at just the Right Moment

http://thecasualobserver.co.za/photos-taken-just-right-moment/

The World’s Most Beautiful Places

http://thecasualobserver.co.za/worlds-beautiful-places/

Arnold Paikin: Showcasing one of Quo Vadis’ Self-effacing Selfless Hikers

By Dean McCleland in Hiking, Personal 1 June 2014 0 Comment

Imagine this scenario. You are on the fourth day of a hike. By now one craves something special, anything different from smash and bully beef and possibly – heaven help us – perhaps an unexpected treat. At that moment one of your co-hikers produces a skillet from their pack together with a pancake mix. At first one believes that one is daydreaming but even the smell is too real for a dream. Arnold could have charged us R10 a pancake but instead he made us all a few pancakes each.

Such is the temperament of fellow hiker Arnold Jonathan Paikin, a considerate selfless friend and co-hiker. In fact the best adjective to describe Arnold’s signature trait is solicitous which means to be characterized by or showing interest or concern.

Gallery of the 2005 Rhino’s Horn Hike Photos

By Dean McCleland in Hiking, Personal 1 June 2014 0 Comment

These are the photos of Arnold Paikin

Never Deprive an Ardent Supporter from Watching the Rugby Final

By Dean McCleland in Hiking, Personal 30 May 2014 0 Comment

The bookings for all of the year’s hikes are all made at the beginning of the year. Allowance is made in their timing for events such as the Comrades, the Two Oceans and the Argus as many members participate in these events but never for a Sports Final. But woe betide us when an ardent Hiker and a Rugby Fanatic is forced to choose between the two.

This was one such hike where this dilemma arose, but little was I aware of the looming travails and what it would take to view the test match despite being in the middle of the bush far from any television set. At least they could have provided some prior warning as they schemed and plotted their nefarious stratagems and communicated in ciphers.

Mampara for May 2014: Julius Malema

By Dean McCleland in Current Affairs, SA Heroes and Mamparas 27 May 2014 0 Comment

First we had young Julius, who had forgotten the good manners that his mother had taught him as a wee youth, profusely apologising to various people for his uncouth, slanderous & disparaging comments that he had made when he in charge of the ANCYL. He politely explained to Thabo “he with the pipe” Mbeki’s aged mother that he had been young and immature when he spoke those despicable and insensitive words.

Cautionary Hiking Tales: Be Prepared, be very well Prepared

By Dean McCleland in Family Histories, Hiking, Personal 26 May 2014 8 Comments

The Rhino’s Horn is not one of those hikes that many people are aware of except for the ardent hikers. I only became aware of this little-known gem of a hike in the Drakensberg because a member of our Hiking Club, Clive Cameron, had hiked it many times as a youth having been raised in Kokstad in the southern Kwa-Zulu Natal.

Aspartame: Is it Detrimental to One’s Health?

By Dean McCleland in Current Affairs, Health 25 May 2014 0 Comment

A Personal View – May 2014

Aspartame is an artificial, non-saccharide sweetener used as a sugar substitute in some foods and beverages. After being first synthesized in 1965, it was initially sold under the brand name NutraSweet. After the patent expired in 1992 the consumption has increased exponentially.

Since the sixties there has been a consistent campaign of vilification based on the premise that it results in cancer formation, neurological problems and migraines. All of the claims are based on anecdotal evidence which has never been substantiated in the hundreds of tests performed since the sixties.

Cellphone Call Rates: The Elephant in the Room

By Dean McCleland in Current Affairs, Opinion Pieces 23 May 2014 0 Comment

A Personal View – May 2014

The cellphone industry has reflected all the attributes of a rapidly expanding industry. Like the automobile or the railroads before it, initially there was insatiable demand for their product which created a bubble of overinvestment and overgenerous returns on investments.

These industries appeared not to conform to the script of other industries where low margins, excessive competition and continual cost cutting dominated the playlist. Making a buck became possible only to the most cost effective and efficient.

On reaching maturity, the bubble in these revolutionary products ineluctably bursts. A plethora of competitors are no longer sustainable where only the top three make money: the top performer – super profits, the second placed performer – above average returns whereas the third placed is marginally profitable with the remainder never making a satisfactory return on their investment.