Click the linkage and stay tuned

So much news in the last few days, such little time. I haven’t said a word about it, but plenty of others have. I’m taking the lazy way out and giving you links galore since I don’t have an original take on any of it. Since I can no longer blame my lack of input on finals, I blame the Christmas rush for sucking away my creativity. So here you go:

• Since that whole thing about lung cancer, heart disease and emphysema won’t encourage people to (successfully) quit smoking, here’s a way to keep kids from lighting up in the first place: tell them that cigarettes will make them fat. A recent study found that smoking in adolescence has strong ties to abdominal obesity later in life.
• Popular perceptions lie: People responding to a street survey said they thought obesity was more deadly than anorexia nervosa. Carrie at ED Bites sets the record straight.
• The state of New York wants to put an “ obesity tax ” on sugar-laden soft drinks. Diet versions will be exempt. Harriet at Feed Me! discusses the health risks of artificial sweeteners, which are used in diet soft drinks, and Dr. Stacey has a nice discussion of this subject on her site.

As soon as I have some Christmas errands run and presents wrapped, I intend on reprising the ED movie reviews that were such a hit this summer. (Thanks, guys and gals, for such a response!) Strange how I unintentionally staged this: summer is a hot spot for blockbusters, as is Christmas. ‘Tis the movie (review) season! I still remember the suggestions many of you made in your comments a few months back, so if I didn’t get around to your favorites in August, stay tuned.