AWARENESS AND ENLIGHTMENT

MINDFULNESS , AWARENESS , ENLIGHTMENT...

I have been told the following story years ago..

Someone ask to a very poor and illiterate shepherd what was his preferred dish to eat? The answer was very simple: " I like the sprout of the onion ". The explanation of this answer is very sad. This poor man having nothing to eat most of the time other than onion and bread just making a choice in between the two. He is not in a position to make a choice between "filet mignon or sushi or pizza or hamburgers".

Our understanding, our capacity enlarge when we come to know more. You can not feel or see the beauty of a piece of Paganini neither a masterpiece of Picasso. The same applies to the literature, architecture, sculpture and to many fields of art and science.

I want to give another  simple example. Marbling is kind of painting done over a thick water where you sprinkle dyes over it. With the help of needles , combs and brushes you give shapes before the dyes diffuse. A blank paper is laid over while the colorants are transferred to the paper.  Only someone who knows can understand the skill and the scope the piece.  A common   people will not even understand what it is. 

 

This a marvelous art of colors . Especially in the early times of Islam where any kind of human drawing was banned religiously.

As a human being we continuously ask to ourselves the meaning of the life . Various faiths have dogmatic answers mostly by means of omnipotent God or Gods and you are expected to surrender fully. Most of them has no any acceptable answers to crimes  , poverty , illiteracy , pandemics , wars and inequality that we endure constantly.

The motto of KNOW YOURSELF is told for your endeavor to understand the world and life.

You can not know what is happening around the globe if you don’t learn sociology , psychology , philosophy , literature , history , economy , art and many fields of wisdom and erudition .

For instance in order to understand the existing wars it is a good idea to start learning first the history of the existing populations in the world than go to sociology and learn the fundamental  principals on the human behaviors . Needless to say economy is  the leading  actor. 

To understand the materialistic inequality   between people and countries is a very difficult challenge for all of us. You need to start review Antique Greek philosophers like Socrates , Plato and Aristoteles than go beyond the enlightenment era philosophers Marx, Montaigne, Rousseau , Smith , Kant and thousands other .

Only after getting a knowledge of what is thought until now that you can start realizing what’s going on around you. Indeed this is heavy task.

In his recent book "ENLIGHTMENT" Steven Pinker starts with the following experience he had at the university classroom...

“Why should I live?”

The student’s ingenuous tone made it clear that she was neither suicidal nor sarcastic but genuinely curious about how to find meaning and purpose if traditional religious beliefs about an immortal soul are undermined by our best science.”

We came presume that awareness starts with knowledge , experience and culture . Need a lot of effort. Especially today we have a lot of misinformation running around the internet, Mercenaries making wars , fighting for the account of rich and ambitious  persons and countries. Religious fundamentalists  are in the pursuit to convert you and enslave.

16.12.2019

Avram aji

ALLERGENS

Although I am not an allergetic person the viewpoint, stance and approach on allergens in whole world is overwhelming but moreover Quality Control Managers are getting hysterical in food manufacturing factories.. In the book "Connected" of Christakis and Fowler the following paragraph does worth to investigate more deeply this topic. The efforts spent in food manufacturing to segregate allergetic products and prevent any kind of contamination are enormous. But at what cost?

Here you have the citation :

“Approximately 3.3 million Americans are allergic to nuts, and even more, 6.9 million, are allergic to seafood. However, all told, serious allergic reactions to foods cause just two thousand hospitalizations per year (out of more than thirty million hospitalizations nationwide). And, at most, only 150 people (both children and adults) die each year from food allergies. Compare that to the fifty people who die each year from bee stings, the hundred who die from lightning strikes, and the forty-five thousand who die from motor vehicle accidents. Or compare that to the ten thousand children who are hospitalized each year for traumatic brain injuries acquired during sports, or the two thousand who drown, or the roughly thirteen hundred who die from gun accidents. Yet there are no calls to end athletics. There are likely thousands of parents who rid their cupboards of peanut butter but not guns. And more children assuredly die walking or being driven to school each year than die of nut allergies.”

MUSTARD was one of the best also oldest spice in the world. But during the last decade it has been discovered that there has been some allergetic casualties .  Quality Managers immediately swallowed the bait and started writing long procedures to prevent its contamination, delete from seasonning mixtures, run expensive swab tests  as like venenous poison.

Dr. Stephen Propatier wrote :

Research has shown that reports of pediatric nut allergies between tripled between 1997 and 2008. Some of this data suffers from methodological error and reporter bias. Many of the studies were limited to patient reporting. Actually diagnosing a food allergy is somewhat subjective. It is a complicated, multi-level procedure. Many people self diagnose their food allergy. Patient history is a large part of the diagnosis but not the only part. And many people commonly think that skin tests provide the most information about allergies. This isn't really true; allergists use several tests to determine whether or not someone suffers from a sensitivity.

Here I am copying you the most comon but also labelling compulsory  by EU legislation of food allergens ...

1.Cereals containing gluten, namely: wheat (such as spelt and khorasan wheat), rye, barley, oats or their hybridised strains, and products thereof, except:

(a) wheat based glucose syrups including dextrose
(b) wheat based maltodextrins
(c) glucose syrups based on barley
(d) cereals used for making alcoholic distillates including ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin

2. Crustaceans and products thereof

3. Eggs and products thereof

4. Fish and products thereof, except:

(a) fish gelatine used as carrier for vitamin or carotenoid preparations
(b) fish gelatine or Isinglass used as fining agent in beer and wine

5. Peanuts and products thereof

6. Soybeans and products thereof, except:

(a) fully refined soybean oil and fat
(b) natural mixed tocopherols (E306), natural D-alpha tocopherol, natural D-alpha tocopherol acetate, and natural D-alpha tocopherol succinate from soybean sources
(c) vegetable oils derived phytosterols and phytosterol esters from soybean sources
(d) plant stanol ester produced from vegetable oil sterols from soybean sources

7. Milk and products thereof (including lactose), except:

(a) whey used for making alcoholic distillates including ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin
(b) lactitol

8. Nuts, namely: almonds (Amygdalus communis L.), hazelnuts (Corylus avellana), walnuts (Juglans regia), cashews (Anacardium occidentale), pecan nuts (Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch), Brazil nuts (Bertholletia excelsa), pistachio nuts (Pistacia vera), macadamia or Queensland nuts (Macadamia ternifolia), and products thereof, except for nuts used for making alcoholic distillates including ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin

9. Celery and products thereof

10. Mustard and products thereof

11. Sesame seeds and products thereof

12. Sulphur dioxide and sulphites at concentrations of more than 10 mg/kg or 10 mg/litre in terms of the total SO₂ which are to be calculated for products as proposed ready for consumption or as reconstituted according to the instructions of the manufacturers

13. Lupin and products thereof

14. Molluscs and products thereof


Avram Aji

(ARE WE) CONNECTED by CHRISTKIS and FOWLER

SOCIAL NETWORKS have always attracted me. This is why , when I have been suggested to read this book I secured it immediately. Although the book appeared in 2009 I think still is prevalent and containing most of the actual current values too..

The authors start by making the following comment...

“Scientists, philosophers, and others who study society have generally divided into two camps: those who think individuals are in control of their destinies, and those who believe that social forces (ranging from a lack of good public education to the presence of a corrupt government) are responsible for what happens to us.”

We tend to blame anything beyond ourself. Bloodfeud and vendetta were very common during last centuries all over the world.

“What possible sense is there in injuring or killing the innocent?”

This striking question is still very vivid in our time knowing existing suicide bombers.

Bucket Brigates and Military Squads are so well organized working groups that no one individually can accomplish alone the required taks such as extinguishing fires or expell ennemies.

“Students with studious roommates become more studious”“Diners sitting next to heavy eaters eat more food. Homeowners with neighbors who garden wind up with manicured lawns”

The influence of our surrounding people is enormous.  A friend of mine wa at the edge of a divorce. The first question of the family counselor to the husband was "do your wife has a close fried recently got divorced? If so there no way to escape "

The bank rush is taken in the scope of such kind behaviour of crowds during 2008 bubbled morgage burst and banking crisis which influenced all the world .

THE ONE THING OF GARY KELLER

I JUST FINISHED  this book and want you summarize it hoping to convince you to read it.

THIS BOOK was suggested during  a conferance given by AVI ALKAS  on "Living the very that moment" . Not only this single book but 5 in total. I started with this one because I got the e-book version immediated through the web.

THE VERY FIRST example given is the "Domino Effect" . We come across very often  on TV's or at YouTube , teams competition on thousands of dominos pieces standing one across the other. A light flip to the very first one but with a just enough power to topple it over to the one standing behind triggering all the series of the dominos sequentially -sometimes taking hours and hours- until the last one fall down.

What the writer wants to demonstrate or prove us that we must flip the very first domino standing in front of us to trigger the all the others dominos (opportunities-capabilities -skills)standing behind. It has been proved that even %50 bigger dominos standing behind fall down . Hence the most important thing for us in life is to find which domino to flip .

WE WANT a lot of success in our life. Pursuing success in our business or job , having a marvellous loving partner and family , exercise our body with our most preferred sport branch, enjoyable hobbies like painting or instrument playing , socialize with best friends of us...

“If everyone has the same number of hours in a day, why do some people seem to get so much more done than others?”

This what we ask ourselves all the time. The given answer by the author is : GO SMALL !

“It’s realizing that extraordinary results are directly determined by how narrow you can make your focus.”

You can not achieve all your cravings at the same time.

“You need to be doing fewer things for more effect instead of doing more things with side effects.”

“No one is self-made”

“When everything feels urgent and important, everything seems equal”

“success isn’t a game won by whoever does the most.”

The writer is emphasizing the importance of Pareto Law and implementing this procedure as many time until you find out your most important thing in your TO DO LIST.

And allocate much of your time to the ONE THING of your life until you tackle.

Category : SELF HELP

DOES THE CIVIL WAR ENDED IN USA?

I was sitting with a Canadian couple last month while our cenversation turn to the on-going wars in various part of the world , especially in Syria which affecting us (Turkey) very badly nowadays.

I said them that I am having difficulties in understanding USA , Russia , China and Iran activities (any many other countries) in other countries .What a bad remembrance we have in Korea , Vietnam , Afganistan , Irak , Libya , Lebanon and now on stage in Syria and Yemen . How come that these countries deliberately pursue activity in other -weak an unstable countries. 

Why USA , Russia and Iran are playing various games in Syria by proxy armies and mercenaries?

As an outsider most of the world think that USA is one single country. So were thoughts for the Soviet Union before the downfall of Berliner Wall. We think that EU was established with a goodwill of the participant countries. We mostly and frequently forget the hundred million innocent deaths in WW1and WW2 . 

Countries who fighted each other for long time , destroying each other severy set out over a table to established (EU)  a long lasting peace treaty by reducing the economic gap in between , opening the borders for people -not only  to travel but also to work , transfer their capital freely and trade freely without counterwailing taxes to protect a sole country citizens.

Soviet Union was a different version of it. But the management couln't not steer the country good enough by reducing the economical differences in its territories.

USA is also a large group of countries incorporated after long lasting deadly civil war. My Canadian friend told me that the civil war in USA did not finish. USA has the largest amount of weaponary in hand of its citizens, at home. USA murder and crime is highest in the world. Kennedy's and Luter King assasinations were not coincidal.

As a Turk I do not pretend that our policy was right until now, but now a war became unavoidable in the northern part of Syria. 

FARMERS AND FOOD SUPPLY

Farmers and food manufacturers are not the ennemy of the consumers. At the end every single person is the consumer somehow of someone else. Even if you are farmer you cannot farm and grow everything you need at home or in your tiny backyard nor in your balcony. The mentality must be, to endevour for the producers to survive and even be happy of their job. The free market economy is leaving the producer alone over the wild supply/demand balance. And the big sword of Damokles in their hand , authorities are making this business frightening , frustrating and dangerous. To attract the readers social media is full of untrue entries written by incompetant persons , trolls and smear campaigns.

Producing food is not as other industries a stable and linear job. You are dependent of many outer factors. You can not control the weather conditions ,wilder weeds and plant  disesases. Fertilizers are presented as the most dangerous product to the world by newspapers , TV's and social media.Very few are telling that without it how would it be possible to satiate -now reaching to eight billion world population-.The farming elapsed time is long until you get a crop to supply to the market. Even for a simple plant you needs months . Mostly you have to make estimations for the market prices at  the beginning of the harvesting time which mostly will be quite different of what you would be thinking and planning at the beginning.

In Turkey farming industry was always full of  plentiful incentives. In the past tea , sugar beet , hazel nuts , seedless raisins , dried figs were supported financially by various establishments which INTASCO , FISKOBIRLIK, ÇAYKUR are few names that I can give you immediately as an example. But in time such institutions became overly cowded sinecures for polticians. They were badly managed and in deficiency all the time. Their main purpose of existance forgotten.

This does not mean that we have to leave alone the farmers. There must be a solution , or we must develop many new ways to keep our farmers to continue to work. We must bear in mind the adage  "it is not enough if there is not any surplus of product" Hence our aim must be to keep the market prices stable and foreseeable for the producer to prevent them to loose money and also for the consumer to adjust his budget.

A question must arise who has to take the responsability when the weather conditions are not favourable , when there is to much rain, cold , frost, floods, fires et cetera. Oil prices fluctuate daily even hourly at the stock exchange boards , while the price of our tram ticket does not change years and years. How come such stability can be established there and not in food sector?

Shortage in supply side makes the market prices double or tripple easily too which is a disaster for the consumer.

Big supermarket chains are trying to push back prices of food in order to compete with their adversaries. 

Cheap transportation, adequate storage possibilites are important. New machinaries and farming techniques are also crucial to compete. Scholars at universities, state authorities , big buyer as like supermarket chains and farmers must be in continuous collaboration for new techniques and chemistry for the uninterrupted supply of the food flow while  maintain prices affordable for the consumer and profitable for the growers.

04.09.2019

DUMMY APPROACH IN FOOD SAFETY

I am getting lots of questionnaires from my buyers almost everyday asking me details about my factory infrastructure , quality control systems , pest control , risk assesments that we have and what we do for sustainability  of our products , our approach and endevour for the continuity of the supply. Most of them are at far away countries and they will never come and come and see -namely audit me.

I do not to blame anybody for doing this but such an approach became just an eyewash and not very useful , not taking into consideration the wasted time.

As a food manufacturer we are paying large sums to Quality Management Systems and faith observance . BRC/IFS/FSSC/ISO international standards have reach to the summit of quality controls that we do not so much take care in our kitchen while cooking for ourselves and for our families -like  wearing hairnet or glows , like hand sterilization at the doorstep, hygene education , third party pest control, calibration and verification of your fridge , defining critical control points of your kitchenware. We do not have even a metal detector at home! Can you imagine ?

The scope of such quality standards became so wide that there no way to remember all the details  that you wrote against every sentance of the standard. If the expansion continue ramification in its execution will be unavoidable, different staff will do the different part of the quality controls

Most of us do not know how much time we can keep a frozen the food that we cooked. In ordinary schools cooking is not any more a lesson to be thought. As in the past we had learn sewing and mending beside cooking easy things. 

Quality management systems brought a marvellous understanding to all food processors. But mainly to those who have no any tiny knowledge of production and food safety.

Religion mongers take advantage of the situation defining to their followers what is suitable to purchase but against large sums? Namely Kosher and Halal certificates are the most famous ones  to give you examples.

Crucial points must be determined for every sector and formalities be reduced enabling everybody keep track of what it is objective behind of these efforts

AVRAM AJİ

29.08.2019