Links for 2010-04-20

“The Instruction of Ptahhotep to his son survives in papyrus copies. It is a collection of maxims (not all are given here) dealing with human relations. The maxims do not cover all aspects of Egyptian life. For the most part, they touch on the peaceful virtues of kindness, justice, truthfulness, moderation and self-control.

A man by the name of Ptahhotep was a vizier under King Isesi of the Fifth Dynasty. If he authored the instruction under this name, then it dates from 2450-2300 BCE. On the other hand, Miriam Lichtheim argues that the style of the document puts its origin close to the Sixth Dynasty (2300-2150 BCE). She also points out that the absence of maxims regarding the vizierate, the highest office in the land, make it unlikely that the author was a vizier. However, in the sequence that has come down to us (not reproduced here), the prominence given to conduct in legal disputes suggests an author familiar with the law courts.”

“A source with the nearby Panama City Beach’s Chamber of Commerce said in a phone interview she had not heard of the store, but said the Web site made her “really scared” the store does not exist. “What the heck is all of that?” she said, adding that she was “totally flabbergasted.””

“Curiously, homeopathy appears to echo the body’s natural healing process, which also relies on memory to combat disease and illness. The adaptive immune system is a thing of wondrous complexity but I just want to tell you about one small part of it to reveal something of how memory works that can also shed light on homeopathic mechanisms.”