It’s back, the feature in where I share all that is virtuous, lovely or of good report in my wandering to cyberspace.  I may have complained that I am sick of it in my last post but I am over that now.  Please disregard it, which I leave only as a reminder to me and warning to others about what happens when certain medications are stopped or skipped.   Instead, turn yourself to the very best of the past week in the Internet-

Regarding the Mind-

At Sharp Brains, Alvaro discusses hard, scientific evidence showing that teaching social and emotional skills causes students to achieve more in every single aspect of their education.

Do you know who you are voting for in the next election?  If you said no, Jonah Lehrer says your wrong, you just don’t know it yet, in a provocative post on the myth of the undecided voter at Frontal Cortex.

Again at Frontal Cortex, Jonah apparently has politics on his mind, as he examines the usefulness of fear to the politicians in winning votes, as shown in a rather disturbing (for me anyway) experiment.

Regarding the Soul-

At Times and Seasons, Nate Oman ponders the relationship of individual Mormons to the Church, noting that the words member or believer don’t really do it justice, and that marriage is both scriptural and more apt.  This leads to wonderful insight of what a healthy and mature relationship with the church looks like.

At By Common Consent, Neal Kramer takes an in depth look at the difference between knowing and being and how the Mormon expression of testimony may extend into our lives.  I guess this means Neal is in my camp in my campaign to perfect “I am a Child of God.”

At Mormon Matters, without taking sides, Stephen Marsh tackles the firebrand issue of homosexuality and Mormonism, expounding on the importance of people at odds with one another to remain respectfully engaged with each other, particularly as it relates to faith and community, in a post I think is wise beyond words.

Regarding the Body-

Apollo, MD shares his new found enthusiasm for interventional neurology by likening the battle against an acute stroke to a video game, the Legend of Zelda, in a wonderful post.

At Musings of a Distractible Mind, Dr. Rob has me wishing he taught physical exam at my medical school as with characteristic offbeat goofiness, he gives the most entertaining overview of examining the heart sounds that I have ever seen.

At C.E. Chaffin’s blog, a wonderful poem dedicated to his own pinkie, about pain, injury, and the oddness of human perception and quirks of the nervous system.

or All the Above-

The Journal of Clinical Oncology, in its “Art of Oncology” feature has a truly heartwarming, tear-jerking story of a little boy’s wish to go to preschool, the power of palliative care with the system actually achieving the American Academy of Pediatrics goal of “adding life to years, not just years to life.”

At Storied Mind, John D. shares a beautiful story about the power of the human voice, particularly in the form of prayer, to reveal the inner working of our soul and to open the way to profound healing.

Again at Apollo, MD (one of my very favorite blogs), an amazingly insightful reflection on the role of spirituality in healing, emphasizing the power of community, of  owning our problems and findinng inner strength.

At Neurophilosophy, Mo shares the fascinating story of Ken Walters, a 51 year old man who suffered a stroke and unlocked previously unknown artistic talent in the process of recovery.

Capping off a very crowded category that I could not bear to thin down, Laura at Depressed (but not unhappy) Mormon Mommy bears her soul, sharing some sage bits of wisdom that helped her through the experience of Post Partum Depression.

and Just because I Liked it-

The greatest Muppet scientific assistant of all time, Beaker, makes beautiful music himself in chorus, before the wondrous experiment goes off the rails, in the stirring rendition of Ode to Joy shown below.

At Musings of a Distractible Mind, the always entertaining Dr. Bob responds to reader input, as he takes a offbeat look and the similarities and differences between Doctors and Barbers.

On a more serious note, I turn again to Neurophilosophy (a blog loved by more than just me) where Mo takes a walk through the history of Brain Surgery, presenting a photo journal of Harvey Cushing, who pioneered surgical removal of brain tumors and is generally considered to be the greatest neurosurgeon of the twentieth century.

Sometimes the history of medicine is almost as fascinating as the subject of medicine itself.  That’s all I got this week.  Hopefully you find it as useful and helpful as I did.  I will now get working on producing some quality posts of my own.  Until then, happy surfing.