Cathy is moving. Not her blog, dummy… her physical address in the real world. (You remember the real world, right?) I wish I was moving, but that’s a story for another time. Update: Cathy had to move during heavy rains and a tornado! Didn’t mention any flying cows, but the grandfather clock will never be the same.

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Next, Sandy Szwarc cuts through all the hype and gives us some food for thought about health, nutrition and common sense on her blog, Junk Food Science.

In her post, Magical fruits and vegetables: Does “healthy eating” improve breast cancer outcomes? Sandy wrote:

Sadly, our culture loves to blame victims of illnesses for failing to follow virtuous diets and lifestyles, and many victims feel guilty when a health problem befalls them, believing they are at fault for failing to do something right. The blame game is mostly based on pop science. Time and again what seems intuitively correct, looks promising in the laboratory, or appears right in observational studies, doesn’t prove to be true when it’s actually tested in a well-designed clinical trial on real people.

[snip]

As we’ve often seen, the quality of research is often inversely proportional to its media attention. When a well-conducted study reaches a null finding and counters popular wisdom, the media is sure to downplay it, spin it, or try to raise doubts about its conclusions in the mind of the public.

I’m telling you this gal has some important information for health conscious consumers. So join Sandy as she explores more about diet and nutrition and shares some ideas you may not have heard before.

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I know it’s August. But just in case you haven’t had enough firecracker stories yet… here’s one from Reflections by Dr. Bruce Campbell that lends new meaning to the phrase, “Taking one in the shorts.”

He took a match, lit the paper, and decided which direction he wanted to aim the blast, steadying the pipe BETWEEN HIS LEGS! The firecrackers, obeying the laws of physics, sent hot gas, smoke, and flaming debris out both ends of the pipe simultaneously.

Am I the only one who thinks this post is hilarious?

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The latest Change of Shift is up at Emergiblog with a new blue logo and a fine line-up of posts for your viewing pleasure. And (drum roll please) Kim also has a nifty new interview posted on “Blog Interview” that I found full of interesting behind-the-scenes type info about how and why she blogs… along with some helpful tips on how to promote your blog. (Like sharing the link love. After all, that’s what it’s all about, am I right?)

Btw, while you’re there be sure to vote Kim’s blog a thumbs-up. Some meany gave her a thumbs down and if I ever find out who it was…

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Next you need to visit the Grand Rounds Beach House hosted by the lovely Hsien-Hsien Lei (don’t ask me how to pronounce that) of EyeonDNA fame. It’s a blog party… so kick back and enjoy a cool beverage, the fine conversation and the food for thought.

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Now for some Old Business

I blew it last week… I wrote a blurb for last week’s carnivals and then forgot to post it… a thousand pardons… I may blog about the why in some upcoming posts… but hey, it’s never too late to enjoy a carnival. So with that said, if you haven’t found enough to read yet grab a corndog and a snow cone and head on over to Musings of a Highly Trained Monkey where you can still catch last week’s Change of Shift with it’s kaleidoscope of colorful entries.

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Then be sure to stop by Grand Rounds 3:45 at Health Business Blog. David was just getting back from Singapore where he’s been doing research for a new medical tourism/travel website and yet he still managed to put together another fine line-up of health and medical bloggers. Btw, he’s looking for contributors for that new site, so let him know if you’d like to write a post or two.

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If you have something you’d like to have included in the next edition of Writer’s Block just drop me an email with a brief description and a link to your shiny new post and I’ll try to work it in.
(My email address is in the footer.)

Thanks,
Dean

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