In case you wonder about the name of this blog...

Claude is my first name, and yes, I'm not a man! I'm not an alien either (although I often feel like one). I'm a woman and I've been one for a fairly long time - gone through all the phases, up and down (yes, including menaupause) and now I'm at peace with myself (perhaps - but not everyday). Really I'm not sure I've reached the top of the mountain and the rest is going to be downhill; wish it were so, but I haven't got a crystal ball so I don't know whether the next step is up or down. Just as well. That's what makes life interesting, right?

Nougat, the last name I use here, is not my real name of course. But it sums up what I want to do with my blog. You know what nougat is, don't you? It's a wonderful traditional sweet made of almonds and honey, usually white and sticky, but it can be covered with chocolate, dark or light, and filled with crunchy nuts. Yum! In Italy (where I live) you get lots of it for Christmas, and it comes in all kinds and shapes: small, big, long, short, soft and gooey, hard and crunchy.

One day, when I was fifteen, my father idly wondered how one makes such extraordinarily different types of nougat, particularly the crunchy vs. the gooey sort . I told him right away that it all depended on how it was cooked. He looked interested so I went on, explaining that for the crunchy variety you had to beat the egg whites hard and dry in the oven, while the gooey sort only used the yolk and you had to carefully cook it in a double-boiler. "How do you know that?" he asked. I told him I didn't, I just guessed that's the way it had to be (I never lied to my father - that's the generation I belong to, the one that was still submissive through adolescence). He laughed and immediately made a verb of it: "Claude, you are nougatizing!"

So that's what this blog will be all about: NOUGATizing...I'll just tell you what I think about all sorts of things that draw my attention everyday, and I hope that you'll post back your comments about how you feel about it - just like my father did!

For the moment, I'm intrigued by the notion of genetic memory. You know what I'm talking about: the idea that fragments of memory are handed down to us through our DNA. That things we know are innate. I googled the notion yesterday and was amazed to read the results (no, I didn't read all 12 million of them!!). The subject seemed to inspire all sorts of complex theories. There were obscure references to difficult notions such as Carl Jung's archetypes and Sheldrake's "morphic fields", but Wikipedia (ah, what would we do without it?) was reassuring on one point: it reported that scientists now generally considered genetic traits as "dispositional", that is they encode the way one reacts to stimuli, and they do NOT transfer the actual memory or experience. Phew, that's reassuring, isn't it? But tests have been carried out on animals and the results can be worrying, to say the least. There was this one where a first generation group of mice was taught how to get through a specific maze, and it took them weeks or months to learn. A year later, the offspring were made to go through the same maze, and it took them half the time. The next generation was even faster and several generations down the road, they managed it in 30 seconds, without ever having seen the maze before.

Wow! Are we all conditioned this way by our family's past?? Is whatever we're good at something we've inherited from them, just like our blue or brown eyes and our blond or dark hair? We're not responsible for our talents (or our shortcomings)? I am not me, you are not you, we're both the results of genetic chance. The notion is terrifying...or is it? What if it only meant that we're part of one great family - the human family - past and present? But isn't that a little abstract?
What do you think?

-->

Comments

Anonymous said…
Have you ever thought about adding a little bit more than just your articles?
I mean, what you say is fundamental and all. Nevertheless just
imagine if you added some great visuals or video clips to give your posts more,
"pop"! Your content is excellent but with images and clips,
this site could undeniably be one of the very best in its field.
Amazing blog!

Here is my web page ... http://Www.Twitterteen.net/ZacheryEll
Anonymous said…
Good blog you have here.. It's hard to find good quality writing like yours these days. I really appreciate people like you! Take care!!

my web-site - studio promocji lubin
Anonymous said…
Hi, I do think this is a great website. I stumbledupon it ;) I will revisit once again since I bookmarked it.
Money and freedom is the greatest way to change, may you be rich
and continue to help other people.

Feel free to surf to my web-site; Hydroxatone Review
Anonymous said…
Good information. Lucky me I discovered your blog by accident (stumbleupon).
I have bookmarked it for later!

My web site: best Insults
Anonymous said…
Very grеat pоst. I јust stumbled upon your
blog and wanted to mention that I have tгuly enϳoуed
brοwsing your weblog ρoѕts. Аftеr аll
I will be subsсrіbing in your fеed аnd I hоpе yοu writе again
soon!

Αlso νisit my blog ... Weгbelektor (http://www.lektor-uebersetzer.de)
Anonymous said…
You ought to be a part of a contest for one of the highest quality websites on
the web. I'm going to highly recommend this website!

Here is my web blog 365 day loan review
Anonymous said…
What's up, all is going nicely here and ofcourse every one is sharing data, that's truly
excellent, keep up writing.

Here is my web-site ... arabic keyboard
Anonymous said…
Wow, superb blog layout! How long have you been blogging for?

you make blogging look easy. The overall look of your website is magnificent,
as well as the content!

my web-site; Nue Science Review
Anonymous, thank you all for your comments. I started blogging two years ago...And I strongly recommend that you don't post comments as "anonymous", it doesn't help your presence on Internet...that is, if you want to be known. Pick a nice name and avatar, that's the best start on the Net!
Anonymous said…
I like the helpful info you provide in your articles. I'll bookmark your weblog and check again here frequently. I am quite sure I will learn a lot of new stuff right here! Good luck for the next!

Check out my website - Workmen quotes (saveelectricitytips.tumblr.com)
Anonymous said…
Hi everyone, it's my first go to see at this website, and post is truly fruitful in support of me, keep up posting these types of articles or reviews.

Also visit my website ... natural pain relief