CRITICAL THINKING

Critical Thinking is the art of analysing and evaluating thinking with a view to improving it.

In our day to day life we are faced with lot of problems and "critical thinking" helps us to solve those problems. It is difficult to solve the problems without applying critical thinking.  The steps involved in "Critical Thinking" are cyclical and they are:
(a) Identify and define the problem
(b) Generate criteria and consider possible alternatives for a solution
(c) Choose the most likely alternative solution to the problem
(d) Test or apply the selected strategy
(e) Evaluate progress towards the solution of the problem through feedback
(f) Verify and confirm the effectiveness of the alternative in solving the problem


In order to understand the problem it is important to ask some pertinent questions like:
(a) What is causing the problem?
(b) Where is the problem?
(c) What do I need to explore in order to understand the problem

If the problem is not understood well, it would not be possible for finding a solution.  The step by step approach to solving problems through critical thinking needs to be adopted at a very young age.  If the child is taught how to solve problems through critical thinking, the strategy will last a lifetime.

It is the duty of every parent to ensure that the child is taught to "think critically".  Critical Thinking is a systematic approach and can be used for any problem of any magnitude.  It helps us to arrive at the best possible solution and helps generate new ideas.  It is an analytical ability which we can develop over a period of time and will be very useful in any situation for problem solving.  If we enquire into the problem, analyse the various solutions and challenge the alternatives we will get enlightened.

T.P.Anand
Dubai, U.A.E.
17th May 2013.

AACHI MANORAMA

Manorama is a very popular cinema star from the Tamil Film Industry.  She is turning 70 on 26th May 2013 and has been acting since the age of 12.  She was born as Gopishantha and became Manorama when she joined the Theatre as a Tamil Drama Artist.

She has acted in more than 400 films over the last five decades and has performed in several roles.  She holds the Guinness Record for acting in most number of films.  She has done comedy, tragedy, support roles and has also acted as Heroine.  She used to have a Drama Troupe and I have seen her drama during my childhood days in Chennai.  She has done more than 1000 stage performances.


Apart from being an excellent actress she is also a very good singer.  I like all her songs very much as she has a very unique voice.  How can we ever forget the great song "vaa vadhiyare oottande nee varangatti naan uda maatten":


The other popular song is "Poonthamalliyile oru ponnu pinnale":


She has done some exceptionally good performances in Prabhu, Karthik, Kamal and Rajini films.  She did a fantastic role in Thillana Moganambal.  Cho Ramaswamy has referred to Manorama as Female Sivaji Ganesan because of her extraordinary acting abilities and versatility.  She has also acted in Hindi Films and the notable one is Kunwara Baap in which she has paired with the legendary Mehmood.

There have been several male comedians who have made an impact like Nagesh, Chandrababu, Thengai Srinivasan, Koundamani, Senthil, Vadivelu, Vivek, Santhanam, etc.  There has been only one Female Comedian who has made an impact and that is our Evergreen Aachi Manorama.

She will be celebrating her 70th Birthday on 26th May 2013 and I pray to God to give her long life.

T.P.Anand
Dubai, U.A.E.
11th May 2013

TRIPLE E SHIP

A fleet of new giant container vessels are on the way.   The new Triple E ships are 400 meters long and 59 meters wide with a draft of 14.5 meters.

The name Triple E is derived from the three design principles "Economy of Scale; Energy Efficient and Environmentally improved".  Daewoo Shipbuilding has been awarded two contracts of USD 1.9 billion each for building 20 ships.  The Triple E is designed as a successor for the E Class ships of Maersk and will be 3 meters longer and 4 meters wider than the E Class but will be able to carry an additional 2,500 containers.

The 14.5 meter draft would mean that the ship will be able to cross the Suez Canal while sailing between Europe and Asia.  Maersk is planning to use the Triple E ships in the Europe to Asia route.  In view of the 14.5 meter draft, the Triple E would not be able to cross the Panama Canal and hence cannot visit any of the ports in the Americas.  The ports that can handle the Triple E ships are Rotterdam, Gothenburg, Bremerhaven, Felixstowe, Gdansk in Europe and Singapore, Shanghai, Ningbo, Xiamen, Yantian, Hongkong and Tanjung Pelepas in Asia.

These Triple E Ships will adopt a new strategy of "Slow Steaming" whereby the fuel consumption will be lower by 37% though the speed is only 19 knots and slower than the predecessors.

The new Triple E ships will be able to carry 18,000 Containers - Twenty-foot Equivalent Units TEUs.  Over the last 15 years the Container Vessels have grown in size by three times.  If you unload all the containers from the Triple E and put them on a single train it would need to be 108 kilometers long.

The hull is "U" shape as compared to the E Class ships which are "V" Shaped.  This allows more containers to be stored at the lower level and hence the additional capacity of 2,500 TEUs as compared to the E Class.  Maersk is planning to have a fleet of 20 Triple E ships.

Triple-E: The largest, most efficient ship in the world from Maersk Line on Vimeo.

The Triple E when operational will be world's largest and most efficient Container Vessel.  Technological advancement and improvements in various fields are really mind boggling.  Long Live Technology Innovators.

T.P.Anand
Dubai, U.A.E.
3rd May 2013.