MUSEUMS & COLLECTIONS

 WHEN I FIRST went to Berlin , I checked for interesting places through internet such as museums around the city. I was amazed to know of the number of the existing museums and various exhibitions. When I attempted to buy entrance ticket I was shocked. 75 Museums 50 Euros , 150 museums 75 Euros .You need to stay a year to visit all of them.

Why in Izmir -the city that I was born and still living - is soo poor in museums an exhibitions? When foreign visitors come to Izmir I am having big difficulties in finding them interesting places to show . The most polular museum that I show to my friends is the KEY museum having quite a big collection of old cars and few motocycles.A really an amzaing place to see. Vey well kept, all cars are as like brand new. Well polished , shining like a mirror.

I like to visit is Arkas Art Museums which are situated in various locations in Izmir. Mainly in Alsancak, Urla, Bornova and Alaçatı. Nowadays the new İzmir Kültür Sanat Fabrikası also is a good spot to visit. You will notice its perfect interior design. It is always full of students. One the biggest library is there.

Another museum that I like to show to my friends is the Köstem Zeytinyağı Fabrikası. Although it is a real personal collection of the famous orthpopedist doctor Levent Köstem ,the exhibit is very interesting for those who love machines and technology. 

Avram Aji

31.08.2024

FINDING WHAT TO READ WITH ChatGPT

I started to read the book of JONATHAN HAIDT - "THE RIGHTOUS MIND" yesterday. What an interesting book ! I am so happy to encounter it.

But how? Let me tell you how I am now searching for what to read . When you love reading books the most difficult part is when you finish an amazing one. I feel unhappy because I've finished reading the book,And I don't know what to read next. Especially if I haven't heard about or notice anything interesting before.

First I check my e-library. usually when I find something intersting to read I immediately buy and download onto my iPad. Tablets are the most useful medium for reading books. You have instant access  to Google for anything you don't understand, or have never heard of before. This is especially important when reading in foreign languages ; it is a must for me. 

In the past I was looking to the best seller lists of the bookstores. This may guide you as well somehow.

Now I am using ChatGPT. What an amazing tool -you wouldn't believe it!

Mostly I write a question like the following:

       "Dear ChatGPT      

        I like to read books. Especially phylosophical, psycological and sociological ones. Recently I read          books from Frederic Lenoir and I liked them very much. What other authors you can recommend            on the same cathegories ? "

Recently I got the following list :

Boris Cyrulnik , Andre Comte Sponville, Yannis Varufakis, Kevin Laland, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Philippe Askenazy, Daniel Kohen, Jonathan Haidt....."

These are the ones I liked the most from the list. I wouldn't be aware of the most of them if I didn't investigated through AI.

Avram Aji

29.08.2024

WEALTH AND INCOME INEQUALITY

Do we have to be affraid of wealth inequality ? The gap is deepening day by day. The amount of billionnaires are increasing. In  EU -although living and working anywhere wherein is possible - still there are important GDP differences between countries.

Germany is actually $ 50.841 (2019)

The biggest fear that the poor people have is that  whether riches are damaging and influencing the governance system to their favor.

"Do we have to defend capitalism and the free market in face of an upsurge of enthusiasm of Marxist alternatives" Theresa May once said?

"Some philosophers think that laws are made to protect riches from poors? "

Do the poors became feracious and recless in time really? There is an impressive adage in Turkish " Hunger disrupt the faith" . On the contrary to the most of  religions which are trying to convey  us to a more simplistic lifestyle which is in contrast with nowadays hedonic and mercantilistic "free economy" of the majority the countries  are  adopted. The actual life is based on "work more, earn more and spend more".Closed economies tend to stay behind the world prevalent developments.

We are under the heavy bombardment of bad news from all sides. News on wars, diseases , earthquakes , accidents, hurricanes , economical crashes, corruptions are continuously poured to us 7/24 via various social media sources like TV's, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube et cetera...

I started to read the book of André Compte Sconville about  capitalism - whether it is morallly right. His answer is neither yes nor no. He is saying that actual capitalism is post-moral sistem. 

On XX century communism was in front of capitalism and there was a competition in between. On 21. century such competion dissapeared.

IMPROPER VARIETIES OF CULINARY HERBS FOUND WITHIN THE WORLD SPICE MARKET

In the recent course of events, I came across to an advertisement online, showcasing a new crop laurel leaves, accompanied by a captivating photograph. Swiftly discerning, however, that the offered product was not the true laurel leaves renowned for their culinary employment.  To be precise, the accurate nomenclature is "Laurus Nobilis L." in the realm of Latin botanical classification, and it is rigorously harvested within the Mediterranean costal areas. This botanical treasure is mostly encountered in Turkey and we are the principal purveyor to the world market.

Journeying back in time, I reminisce about an occasion when I was strolling amidst the alleys of the AL RAS trade market in Dubai. This sparkling area is now hosting to a big assemblage of global merchants, each displaying their merchandise upon shelves, close to a veritable but much more vibrant international exposition and trade centre.

As expected, the majority of these traders are from the Indian subcontinent, having an important knowledge in the art of commerce.

But when it comes to the products beyond their trading knowledge there may be a problem. I saw rather bothered the very very low grades of Turkish dried fruits on the shelves.

And l came across, within a commodious sack resided verdant leaves labelled as laurel (Bay) leaves, though distinctly different in essence from the genuine laurel plant that we supply. Engaging a discourse with the vendor, I endeavoured to elucidate the mistake but I have been defeated by  the lack of knowledge before me. My endeavours proved futile against his strong conviction in the authenticity of what he was offering.

In a separate juncture, an inquiry for thyme arised from a country from an Eastern Europe. Turkey handle an array of wild thyme variations, particularly flourishing in close proximity to its seashores. Having an accumulated legacy of 43 years in the industry, our quality department staff and our workers know them very precisely and can distinguish them easily all. Our prospective buyer requested a sample for Thymus Vulgaris -which is very common in Turkey-. The exportation reaches over 1500 tons every year.

To our surprise, our sample was rejected because of DNA discrepancy and  tests results done by TLC /HPLC.

Another experience that we had in the past was in cistus leaves. Cistus are extensively used as herbal tea in the world. There are also some minor pharmaceutical usage . The laboratory who tested our lot found %20 marjoram leaves mixed in it. We couldn’t convince our buyer informing that there is no any marjoram farming in Turkey. Moreover the price of marjoram is at least two times more expensive if not three. Luckily we succeeded to sell the lot to another buyer nearby and get rid of the trouble.

Some importers may not have broad knowledge on botanical varieties of the plants they are handling. At this point the expertise of the supplier, the producer and the exporters become crucial.

Avram Aji

30.08.2023

HUMAN RIGHTS

 From the moment of our birth, we're taught the principle of human equality. We're told that both women and men hold equal status and possess the right to live with dignity. We're also reminded of the rights of animals and the importance of conserving nature.

Ironically, the reality of our lives often contradicts these principles. The survival of larger fish hinges on the existence of smaller ones, as illustrated in Lafontaine's well-known fable, which imparts the message that "might is right."

Presently, the sustenance of the global population, numbering eight billion, relies on a staggering 34 billion livestock. This sustenance necessitates the use of billions of tons of chemical compounds like fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides, and insecticides, and involves excessive irrigation that disrupts the natural water cycle.

It's a fact that humans are inherently unequal, and the preservation of animals and plants is equally vital. Even before humanity's emergence on Earth, there was a constant struggle amongst various animal species. Human beings aren't solely responsible for the extinction of creatures such as mammoths, bisons, dinosaurs, and countless other species.

Disparities among students are glaringly evident in university entrance exams. I personally knew a considerate classmate who excelled in these exams through rote memorization of textbooks.

In my secondary school, only 50% of students graduated, and in high school, the percentage dropped to 30%, leading to the expulsion of many students.

In summary, the reality remains that human equality is an ideal rarely achieved. Despite the eloquent phrasing of documents like the "Human Rights Declaration," which extol principles of honor, equality, and inalienable rights, and despite attempts to curb the power of monarchs through documents like the "Magna Carta Libertatum" and events like the French Revolution, the outcomes have often fallen short.

AVRAM AJI

26.08.2023

EVOLUTION AND SOCIAL LEARNING

Evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins has stated in one of his recent speeches that it is obvious that evolution will continue for all species that continue to reproduce. There will be more mutations, and the fittest will continue to survive.

However, we know that the world's chicken population is 33 billion, while the populations of pork and cattle are close to 1 billion each. These figures show us that these animals, in total, are four times more populous than humankind is. Despite this, none of them is on an evolutionary track. We only select the more productive breeds.

The saying "big fish eats the small fish" implies that the goal of the small fish should be to become a big fish as soon as possible and before becoming prey.

There is a slight conflict between Dawkins' argument on reproductive activity and the feeding habits that we have.

Some monotheistic religions encourage, and even sanctify, having as many children as possible. We may believe to this as a support to the divine evolution process.

Currently, the top 10% of the world's population holds 85% of the world's total wealth.

What's worse is that this imbalance continues to deteriorate in contrast to the poorer counterparts, with the top 10% becoming even wealthier.

How can we secure a place within the top 10%? Are these top 10% of people more evolved than the remaining 90%? We know that the size of our brain is very similar among all individuals.

At this stage, I would like to introduce you to evolutionary biologist Kevin Laland, who emphasizes the importance of social learning abilities in living creatures. If we are not innately very talented, our struggle will rely solely on social learning.

AVRAM AJI

25.08.2023

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INDUSTRIAL BATTLE AND THE POWER OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

 I AM READING the very knowledgable book of Neil deGrasse Tyson "STARRY MESSANGER" where this scholar emphasize the power of the upcoming quantum computers and advanced programs . 

Human losses in traffic accidents  every year reaches 1,3 million already. This is cathastrophic number. When the new generation of self driving cars and trucks will replace human drivers, this cathastrophy will be eliminated in a large extent.

Which countries and companies in the world are investing on a self driving vehicles? Amazon - Jeff Bezos , Alpabet Google -Lary Page ,Sergei Brin , Sundar Pichai and Apple -Tim Cook are on the top along with Toyota.

Isn't it very strange that the gigantic automotive sector falls behind of the IT companies? These companies are very rich and can spare large amount of money to researchs on various sectors. Moreover the industry needs more advanced sensing technology and elaborate the big data recieved by them and  take action much faster in new vehicles.

THE NAVIGATION system that we are using nowadays is created two dimensional incorporating lively the traffic population and suggesting us instantly the fastest route we need to take. But still is not working very accurate . On the road a new congestion appear and the estimated journey timeline may fall well behind. Computerized traffic lights does not solve either the congestions on rush hours in big cities.The commuting time is getting bigger and bigger even with public transportation wasting our precious time.

Needless to say the three dimensional information data and instant information flow which the autonomous vehicles needs must be millions fold bigger. 

Avram Aji

08.07.2023