The long awaited end to the hiatus is here, at least temporarily.  I break it in the way you may have come to expect, by sharing all the stuff I would have written myself, if only I were bright and talented enough with lots more free time.  So I present, especially for my faithful readers, both of you, the very best of the internet I could find over the past while or so

Regarding the Mind-

At Harvard Magazine, an article by Ashley Pettus shares the thoughts of Marc Hauser, a professor in psychology, evolutionary biology, and biological anthropology on the “humaniqueness” of the mind brought about by the interconnectedness of our brain abilities, including the ability to move thoughts out of the here and now to ponder and reflect.

At MindHacks, in a fascinating post, Vaughan describes the phenomenon of Ganzfield hallucinations, where viivid sensory experiences are created by the mind to fill the void left by sensory deprivation.

The Situationist shares excerpts from an essay by Kevin Carlsmith, a professor of psychology at Colgate University, that argues that the real reason torture is condoned by society is not about safety or information, as torture has been thoroughly proven unreliable in this regard, but instead lies in an instinct for retribution..

Regarding the Soul-

At Mormon Matters, Bored in Vernal shares a beautiful interpretation of a prophesy regarding the Dead Sea in the last days, that in the end is much more spiritually enriching than any literal interpretation could ever be, as she asks why there is such a Mormon tendency to cling to the literal when the symbolic can often be much more powerful, even more true with a capital T.

At By Common Consent, Cynthia L. shares her own story about marriage and compromise, as she moves way beyond her own comfort zone in an effort to bond with her husband by taking up arms.

At On Faith, Brad Hirshfield, a very wise Rabbi, insightfully notes that all religions preach compassion and yet fall short of that ideal.  He gives his own thoughts on why this is, encouraging all of us to show a little more modesty in our absolute truths, in an essay full of world worn experience.

Regarding the Body-

While this probably belongs in all the above, it’s crowded down there and the X-ray is striking, so here I link to the Sterile Eye, where Oystein shares the story of a remarkable patient who displays incredible forgiveness and wisdom, when his surgeon makes an awful and preventable mistake, leaving a sponge inside the patient.

At Suture For a Living, Plastic Surgeon Ramona Bates, MD shares all you ever needed or possibly wanted to know about nosebleeds, very handy tips for those who suffer from a fragile nasal mucosa, as both she and I do.

Pallimed:Arts and Humanities blog has a poignant photo montage of faces of people alive and dead juxtaposed, giving visual description of exactly what the body is, without mind and soul.

or All the Above-

At Health Skills Weblog, Amiedusfree does some profound pondering about the virtues of acceptance in the face of chronic pain, baring his soul in the process and sharing this beautiful piece of sage wisdoem, “Acceptance - means change happens and all that remains is who I am, not what I do.“

At the Pallimed:Arts and Humanities blog, Robert Rosielle, MD shares some heart wrenching and soul healing photos from a Palliative care conference in Montreal, along with the catharsis it brought to him ans he allowed himself to feel what he had walled off by the necessity of his job.

At One Broken Off, Dallan shares an amazing letter that describes the hidden challenge of mental illness when facing up to the world of Mormon callings, where we regular members of the congregation are asked to devote our time and effort into a specific job with the church,  The letter shows a vivid example where the handicap is much less obvious but no less challenging than for the physically challenged.

At MindHacks, Vaughan shares a striking example of how medicine and clinical examination can completely miss the mark when it comes to focus on body without soul, as he shares a haunting photo and patient vignette from a remarkable brain injury that speaks volumes with what it leaves out.

and just because I Liked it-

Fox Sports has a montage of political style tongue-in-cheek sports briefs, showing just what would happen in the sporting world if people used the same lame attack ads.  Suddenly sports have lost their luster for me,  I’m feeling a little disillusioned and apathetic, is that the real goal?

Voodoo Medicine Man has an uproarious list of the top 10 signs you are in the wrong ER, with bits of sage wisdom like If the ER techs have to sharpen the needles or the paramedics just shake their heads silently as they drop you off, you might want to take a cab to St. Elsewhere, pronto.

The above picture is the winner of the 2008 Olympus Bioscapes digital image contest.  This vibrantly colored and delicate “fairy fly” is the worlds smallest wasp and amazing to behold.   Check out the site for more pictures of life and biology in all its beauty and splendor.

And on a more humorous note, at the Lost Art of Manliness, with characteristic brilliant and quirky flare, Brett and Kate Mckay share the 20 manliest moustaches and beards from the halls of facial hair history.

That’s all I got.  I may get so ambitious as to write a post of my own, but in the meantime this should keep you all occupied.  I seem to be drawn to photo collections this time.  Unfortunately, the photo genius in the family is my sister, not me, so I’ll just stick to writing and show the pictures I wish I could begin to take.  I also think I might work on growing a beard.   Anyway, see you next time.

   Tagged: acceptance, beards, beauty, biology, bipolar disorder, brain injury, compassion, death, dying, facial hair, forgiveness, guns, hallucination, life, manliness, marriage, medical mistakes, Mental Illness, modesty, moustaches, nosebleeds, peace, politics, prophecy, religion, society, sports, suicide, thought, torture