This isn't exactly Facebook's mystery announcement (we'll still have to wait a little bit for that), but in the shadow of its press event today, Facebook also today made a small but interesting update to its Open Graph tags for media publishers that you'll likely see in your news feed soon. Publishers can now add two new tags to their HTML that will help Facebook add links to their own Facebook pages and links to the author's Facebook profile in content previews.
New Moore Foundation funding supports UCSB Ecology Synthesis Center embarking on a new eraPublic release date: 20-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Shelly Leachman shelly.leachman@ia.ucsb.edu 805-893-8726 University of California - Santa Barbara
(Santa Barbara, Calif.) Whether it's illuminating the causes of California's exceptional plant diversity, dispelling the myth that jellyfish blooms are increasing throughout the world's oceans, or identifying key pathways for introduction of non-native forest pests into the U.S., UC Santa Barbara's National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) is always at the expanding frontier of ecology research.
And those are only recent examples of the ambitious endeavors undertaken by NCEAS since its 1995 inception. In fact, the center itself was considered an innovative advancement at the time, and has since inspired similar synthesis centers worldwide.
All of which makes NCEAS's latest project perhaps its most intriguing yet: making over its successful model by broadening its reach to directly include the potential users of scientific information non-governmental organizations (NGOs), policymakers, and resource managers in the process itself.
New funding from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation will enable NCEAS to do just that. A $2.4 million, three-year grant will help cover the center's operating costs through 2015 and see the launch of new initiatives to ensure its viability, and relevance, far into the future.
"The Moore Foundation has worked with NCEAS over the years and has a deep appreciation of the work we do. This grant is the largest and most important we have received from them," said center director Frank Davis. "This will allow us to engage in exciting new initiatives while developing additional sources of support. More than 5,000 researchers have collaborated on NCEAS projects, and we still have an important role to play in tackling the environmental challenges that are too big for any one institution."
Created by the National Science Foundation (NSF), NCEAS was launched in response to pleas by ecological researchers who saw a need for meaningful synthesis of scientific data. The new center bucked the scientific tradition of solitary lab or fieldwork, instead assembling interdisciplinary teams to tackle problems at a broader scale. By sharing existing data for synthesis and analysis, teams of scientists created new pathways to discovery. And by providing the best informatic resources and a stimulating environment for immersion in collaborative synthesis, the center spawned an incubator of scientific research that has altered the way ecological science is conducted.
NCEAS is seizing new opportunities with the support from the new Moore Foundation grant. While promising to stay true to its core values synthesis chief among them the center is expanding its mission. Central to that expansion is a charge to embrace use-inspired science challenges for the benefit of nature and the well-being of people.
Enter NCEAS' latest initiative, a soon-to-launch partnership with The Nature Conservancy and the Wildlife Conservation Society called SNAP: Science for Nature and People. Meant to address environmental protections as a means of securing food, energy, and water for people across the planet, SNAP will tackle some of society's most challenging problems such as maintaining freshwater fisheries faced with hydroelectric development, protecting and restoring wetlands for coastal defense, and devising resilient and productive agricultural systems.
"The goal of Science for Nature and People is to address the overarching issue of how you conserve nature and, at same time, meet essential human needs," Davis said. "We'll be bringing scientists together with policymakers and practitioners, and other experts from academia, to engage in the process of discovery that results in solutions. We're trying to create a new model a global center of excellence to meet those needs and create real solutions for our conservation challenges."
NCEAS will soon be issuing an open call for proposals on behalf of SNAP, as well as recruiting postdoctoral candidates for SNAP Research Associates.
"This is an exciting place to be," Davis added of NCEAS. "The new direction we're moving is going to make it even more interesting."
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
New Moore Foundation funding supports UCSB Ecology Synthesis Center embarking on a new eraPublic release date: 20-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Shelly Leachman shelly.leachman@ia.ucsb.edu 805-893-8726 University of California - Santa Barbara
(Santa Barbara, Calif.) Whether it's illuminating the causes of California's exceptional plant diversity, dispelling the myth that jellyfish blooms are increasing throughout the world's oceans, or identifying key pathways for introduction of non-native forest pests into the U.S., UC Santa Barbara's National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) is always at the expanding frontier of ecology research.
And those are only recent examples of the ambitious endeavors undertaken by NCEAS since its 1995 inception. In fact, the center itself was considered an innovative advancement at the time, and has since inspired similar synthesis centers worldwide.
All of which makes NCEAS's latest project perhaps its most intriguing yet: making over its successful model by broadening its reach to directly include the potential users of scientific information non-governmental organizations (NGOs), policymakers, and resource managers in the process itself.
New funding from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation will enable NCEAS to do just that. A $2.4 million, three-year grant will help cover the center's operating costs through 2015 and see the launch of new initiatives to ensure its viability, and relevance, far into the future.
"The Moore Foundation has worked with NCEAS over the years and has a deep appreciation of the work we do. This grant is the largest and most important we have received from them," said center director Frank Davis. "This will allow us to engage in exciting new initiatives while developing additional sources of support. More than 5,000 researchers have collaborated on NCEAS projects, and we still have an important role to play in tackling the environmental challenges that are too big for any one institution."
Created by the National Science Foundation (NSF), NCEAS was launched in response to pleas by ecological researchers who saw a need for meaningful synthesis of scientific data. The new center bucked the scientific tradition of solitary lab or fieldwork, instead assembling interdisciplinary teams to tackle problems at a broader scale. By sharing existing data for synthesis and analysis, teams of scientists created new pathways to discovery. And by providing the best informatic resources and a stimulating environment for immersion in collaborative synthesis, the center spawned an incubator of scientific research that has altered the way ecological science is conducted.
NCEAS is seizing new opportunities with the support from the new Moore Foundation grant. While promising to stay true to its core values synthesis chief among them the center is expanding its mission. Central to that expansion is a charge to embrace use-inspired science challenges for the benefit of nature and the well-being of people.
Enter NCEAS' latest initiative, a soon-to-launch partnership with The Nature Conservancy and the Wildlife Conservation Society called SNAP: Science for Nature and People. Meant to address environmental protections as a means of securing food, energy, and water for people across the planet, SNAP will tackle some of society's most challenging problems such as maintaining freshwater fisheries faced with hydroelectric development, protecting and restoring wetlands for coastal defense, and devising resilient and productive agricultural systems.
"The goal of Science for Nature and People is to address the overarching issue of how you conserve nature and, at same time, meet essential human needs," Davis said. "We'll be bringing scientists together with policymakers and practitioners, and other experts from academia, to engage in the process of discovery that results in solutions. We're trying to create a new model a global center of excellence to meet those needs and create real solutions for our conservation challenges."
NCEAS will soon be issuing an open call for proposals on behalf of SNAP, as well as recruiting postdoctoral candidates for SNAP Research Associates.
"This is an exciting place to be," Davis added of NCEAS. "The new direction we're moving is going to make it even more interesting."
###
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
MAPUTO/JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - An economic take-off in Mozambique driven by bumper coal and gas discoveries two decades after the end of a civil war is facing disruption from disgruntled former guerrillas who feel they have not benefited from the post-conflict dividend.
A public threat by the ex-rebel Renamo opposition party to paralyze central rail and road links has put the Frelimo government on alert and alarmed diplomats and investors.
A slide back into the kind of all-out war that crippled the former Portuguese southern African colony between 1975 and 1992 looks unlikely.
Nevertheless, Mozambique's rebirth as an attractive tourism and investment destination could lose some of its momentum after armed attacks in the last two months blamed on Renamo.
The raids in central Sofala province killed at least 11 soldiers and police and three civilians and came after Renamo leader Afonso Dhlakama returned with his civil war comrades to the Gorongosa jungle base where they operated in the 1980s.
"It does bring back all those fears of the war," said Joseph Hanlon, a senior lecturer at Britain's Open University and an expert on Mozambique.
Renamo, which signed a peace pact in 1992 with its former Marxist foe Frelimo, denied that it carried out a raid on an arms depot on Monday that killed seven soldiers. But on Wednesday it threatened to paralyze the main road through Sofala and the railway carrying coal exports to port.
There was no evidence by late Thursday that it had carried out the threat. Witness reports from Chimoio and Dondo on the Beira corridor railroad link indicated no immediate disruption.
"Everything here is absolutely tranquil. It is a normal day," Arnaldo Neves, Director of Production for Portuguese construction company Mota-Engil which is rehabilitating the railroad, told Reuters from Dondo railway terminal in Sofala.
Mozambican state railways spokesman Alves Cumbe said operations were continuing as normal on Thursday.
The Sena line to Beira port is used mainly by Brazil's Vale and London-listed Rio Tinto, which are among companies that have been developing Mozambique's coal deposits and offshore gas fields.
Vale, which is investing $4 billion in its Moatize coal mines near Tete and is the main user of the Sena line, declined to comment.
President Armando Guebuza's government said it was taking the Renamo threat seriously but insisted it would keep the country's strategic transport corridors open. Officials declined to detail specific measures taken to counter Renamo actions.
Renamo had claimed an earlier attack that killed four policemen in Sofala in April.
COMPLAINTS OF EXCLUSION
Renamo, originally founded with the help of white-ruled Rhodesia's intelligence services and then backed by apartheid South Africa, accuses Frelimo of maintaining a stranglehold over politics and the economy and stacking the election commission to ensure victory in a presidential vote next year.
"Renamo and its followers think that the political system is not inclusive enough," said Ozias Tungwarara, head of the Africa Governance, Monitoring and Advocacy Project at the Open Society pro-democracy network founded by financier George Soros.
Resentment at Frelimo's dominance of politics and elections since the end of the war has also been accompanied by opposition allegations that the party's leaders are hogging the spoils of the coal and gas bonanza.
"There is a feeling that an elite is getting rich and becoming wealthy, and that others are not," Hanlon said.
He saw Renamo's old military chiefs leading a campaign for Frelimo to cede to its former war foes a greater share of the national wealth, whether in state jobs or business patronage.
Hanlon said Dhlakama and his fighters - which some estimates put at around 1,000-strong - could certainly create a security problem for the government army from their Gorongosa jungle base by raiding and sabotaging nearby road and rail corridors.
"That central area is quite heavily forested. It's good guerrilla country. It's easy to attack traffic," he said.
But he believed neither Renamo nor Frelimo had the military capacity to go back to fighting an all-out conflict of the kind that left Mozambique in ruins two decades ago.
Hanlon saw "zero popular support" for war from a Mozambican population of 23 million which had come to appreciate an existence of peace but still remained among the poorest in the world, scraping by on an average wage of only $400 a year.
CALL FOR "GIVE AND TAKE"
But there are fears that even sporadic attacks could badly undermine recent economic gains.
"It might start as a small fire now ... but a small group of determined, disgruntled people with some military training could still cause havoc and suffering," Tungwarara said, pointing to other debilitating insurgencies in Somalia and Mali.
Held up as a post-conflict success story, Mozambique has emerged as one of the brightest stars in the "Africa Rising" narrative, enjoying growth rates of more than 7 percent.
Attacks and disruption to key coal exports and transport corridors could badly choke the enthusiasm of investors, Tungwarara added.
Hanlon said that if Renamo's "generals without soldiers" failed to make good on their threats to paralyze the country's logistics then the group's credibility was likely to suffer.
But both believed Guebuza's government should try to defuse tensions by opening up economic and political opportunities for Renamo, for example by addressing its demands for a more independent and representative electoral authority.
"The danger is that we will see increased polarization as we move towards the 2014 elections," said Tungwarara. "There is time to step back, but it requires genuine give and take".
(Writing by Pascal Fletcher; editing by Tom Pfeiffer)
We're deep into a bona fide bidding war here -- Sprint and Dish are both battling for an approximately 50-percent stake in Clearwire, and as of today, that former contestant's bid makes it the new front runner. To catch you up, last month Dish offered $4.40 per share for Clearwire, following Sprint's offer of $3.40 per share made way back in December. Now, the carrier has increased its bid to a whopping 5 bucks per share, which values Clearwire at just about $14 billion. (As you can probably imagine, CLWR's trading price has jumped today to match that new target.) This comes just days after Sprint filed a lawsuit to prevent the other two parties from moving forward. Whether or not CLWR's spectrum and other assets make it worth that sum is a different story, but Sprint clearly sees some solid value there.
In the?American Society for Testing Materials plastics committee?s work to revise the resin identification code (RIC) standard ? ASTM D7611 ? it has changed the graphic marking symbol used to identify resin type from the ?chasing arrows? symbol surrounding a numeral from 1 to 7 that defines the resin used in the product?s packaging to a solid equilateral triangle around the number.
The RIC system was originally developed and continues to be dedicated to identifying resin content, rather than product recyclability. ASTM says that by replacing the chasing arrows graphic ? commonly associated with recycling ? with an equilateral triangle, ASTM D7611 helps bring focus back to the system?s core mission: resin identification and quality control prior to recycling.
ASTM says the revisions are intended to modernize the RIC system, making them easier to use while also addressing recent innovations in polymer applications and multi-layer materials.
The Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI) developed the RIC in 1988 to meet the needs of recyclers and manufacturers for a consistent, uniform coding system that can be applied worldwide. SPI began work with ASTM in 2008 to involve technical and industry stakeholders in updating and maintaining the RIC system to better address advancements in plastics materials.
Originally intended to assist waste recovery facilities in the quality sorting of plastics products prior to recycling, the RIC system has today become a vital foundational tool used by municipalities, scrap brokers, recyclers, manufacturers, consumers and others for managing the end-of-life of plastics materials.
Bridget Anderson, director, Recycling Unit, Bureau of Waste Prevention, Reuse and Recycling, NYC Department of Sanitation, participated in the development of the revised D7611 standard as a member of the task group. She says changing the marking symbol in D7611 decouples the RIC system from the recycling message, which has caused public confusion.
ASTM D7611 provides codes for the six most commonly found resin types, with a seventh category created for all other types. These categories include: 1) polyethylene terephthalate (PETE); 2) high density polyethylene (HDPE); polyvinyl chloride (V); 4);low density polyethylene (LDPE); 5) polypropylene (PP); 6) polystyrene (PS); and 7) other, including materials made with more than one resin from categories 1-6.
As part of its ongoing efforts, the task group is assessing how to: differentiate between different melt flows within each resin; identify certain additives that might significantly change the properties of a resin; and better label individual resins (PLA, PC, ABS, Nylon, and others) that are currently designated as ?other? in the current RIC system. The task group is also discussing whether a new code is needed for linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) to enable products made from this technology to be accurately identified and distinguished from products marked as HDPE or LDPE.
Eastman Chemical technology fellow Thomas Pecorini, also a member of the task group, says identifying new resins through the ASTM D7611 code system will ultimately help facilitate the recycling of these products.
ASTM is also currently updating the industry?s Standard Practice for?Phase I Environmental Site Assessments?as it tries to make such tests reflect recent changes in the due diligence world. The standards are undergoing final changes, and will be subject to approval by the EPA.
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Buying organic is wise for certain foods, such as beef or strawberries, but it doesn't make much difference for others, like avocados or eggs.
And don't assume that all organic foods are healthier than non-organic options, or that organic equals healthy. Organic choices are usually pricier, for one thing. And organic high-calorie, high-fat granola bars and sugary cereals are just as bad for you as the non-organic version.
<em>Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/fruitnet/2628492616/" target="_hplink">Eurofruit, Asiafruit & Americafruit</a></em>
You Don't Socialize Enough
While you may feel virtuous on your long solo runs, don't forget to check in with your pals once in a while. Studies suggest that social networks are good for your health too.
Try to schedule regular meet-ups with friends, whether it's a book club or poker -- it doesn't matter. (No need to make it exercise-based, although that's nice too.)
Just connecting with other people, and maintaining those social networks as you age, is good for your health.
You Skimp On Sleep
Think it's a good idea to get up at 5 a.m. and hit the gym? Not if you should be sleeping instead, says Gary Rogg, M.D., a primary care physician and assistant professor at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, N.Y. Studies have consistently shown that people need at least seven hours of sleep a night for optimal health, and short sleep has been associated with a host of health problems, including high blood pressure, depression, diabetes and a reduced immune response to vaccines.
<em>Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/xxxlps/4897705884/" target="_hplink">Lauren Powell-Smothers</a></em>
You Lack Supplement Savvy
More is not better when it comes to vitamins and supplements, and too much of a good thing can actually be harmful.
In 2011, an analysis of data on nearly 40,000 women found that those who took dietary supplements -- especially iron -- were actually at slightly higher risk of dying, although the investigators weren't sure why. "There's no really long-term studies that show unequivocal benefits of taking vitamin and mineral supplements," says Rogg. "If you're going to take supplements, take them in moderation and stick to the recommended daily doses."
<em>Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/superfantastic/4016241122/" target="_hplink">SuperFantastic</a></em>
You Get Unnecessary Tests
As with vitamins and minerals, more does not always mean better when it comes to medical tests. Especially tests marketed directly to consumers, like the cardiac calcium-scoring test. While this test -- a CT scan that identifies calcium deposits in the heart arteries -- is useful for a select group of at-risk people, it isn't for everyone, says Rogg. It also exposes you to a whopping amount of radiation -- the equivalent of 25 to 50 chest X-rays.
Several U.S. medical specialty groups have launched an initiative, Choosing Wisely, to draw attention to overuse of 45 medical tests, and encourage physicians to avoid tests and procedures of questionable benefit.
You Beg For Antibiotics
Many people ask their doctor for a prescription for antibiotics or antivirals for symptoms that probably would resolve on their own, or just because they fear getting sick.
And some doctors may oblige. But these drugs also carry risks, from contributing to the huge problem of drug resistance to killing off the good bacteria in your body. Let your doctor decide if your symptoms warrant medication, and skip the high-pressure tactics.
You're A Germaphobe
We all know people who never leave the house without their hand sanitizer -- you may even be that person. And yes, you should wash your hands with soap and water to kill germs that can make you sick.
But evidence also suggests that some germ exposure could steer the immune system away from allergies, and that an <em>overly</em> sterile environment might be bad. (It's called the hygiene hypothesis.) Good bacteria are also key for staying healthy, particularly for the skin, digestive tract, and vagina. So "fear of germs" does not equal "good health."
<em>Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/zickzangel/4623028973/" target="_hplink">PENnyshot</a></em>
You Over- Or Under-Do Alternative Remedies
Once upon a time, it was hard to get the medical establishment to recognize that acupuncture, herbal remedies or biofeedback could sometimes heal people as well as big-name drugs.
Now we know that if you dismiss acupuncture as "quackery," you may be missing out on your best therapy yet. At the same time, if you over-rely on alternative medicine -- opting for a herbal remedies instead of chemotherapy, for instance -- you may also be missing out on the best cure yet.
Try to keep an open mind and consult the experts to make informed choices.
You Delay Medical Care
You're healthy, so that crushing chest pain has to be heartburn, right? Or weakness and confusion can't be a stroke, right?
Wrong. All too often, people stall or explain away serious symptoms, when in fact, rapid treatment can help prevent permanent heart or brain damage.
Doctors say "time is tissue," meaning the faster you get treatment for a stroke or heart attack the less heart or brain tissue you lose. So don't delay if you have stroke or heart attack symptoms.
You Use Exercise Alone To Shed Pounds
Regular exercise is crucial for health and maintaining a healthy weight, but it won't help you lose weight unless you cut down your calorie intake.
"Patients exercise themselves until they're blue in the face, they're frustrated, they're sort of at a loss as to why they haven't had success," says Shantanu Nundy, M.D., a primary care physician at the University of Chicago. But the truth is that exercise -- maybe because it whets the appetite, maybe because we decide it's OK to reward ourselves with a treat after that workout, maybe both -- often makes people eat more, which means you'll make up for the calories you just burned, and then some.
You Ignore Sodium
You watch your calories. You avoid meals dripping with saturated fat. But sodium? All too often that's the ingredient that gets ignored when weighing healthy options.
High sodium intake has been firmly tied to an increased risk of high blood pressure, and the average American eats well over the recommended amount. Most of the excess sodium we consume comes from packaged and prepared foods, from spaghetti sauce to frozen dinners. Always check nutrition labels for sodium content; the Institute of Medicine recommends people limit their intake to below 2,300 milligrams per day, and 1,500 milligrams for people 51 and older, African Americans, and anyone with high blood pressure or diabetes.
You Guzzle Calorie-Free Soda
Artificially sweetened beverages may free of calories, but it doesn't mean they're all that great for your health.
A couple of studies released at the 2011 American Diabetes Association's annual meeting suggest just the opposite. One found that older people who drank lots of diet soda saw their waistlines expand five times more over a decade than their peers who didn't drink diet soda at all, while another showed that mice fed the artificial sweetener aspartame had higher blood-sugar levels.
<em>Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/31064702@N05/4521255107/" target="_hplink">Dawn Huczek</a></em>
You Drink Too Much Water
Dehydration is bad. So more water is good, right? That's true, to a point.
But particularly if you're running your first marathon or some other physically taxing, long event it's important to avoid drinking <em>too much</em> water, which could lead to water intoxication (also known as hyponatremia).
<em>Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/44534236@N00/4785580080/" target="_hplink">faungg</a></em>
You Lie To Your Doctor
Many of us don't tell our doc everything -- say, we smoke cigarettes or drink more than we should. Or we may take that prescription with no intention of ever filling it. Harvard Medical School researchers found that more than one in five first-time prescriptions never got filled (this was especially true for chronic conditions such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes).
But you're better off being straight with your doctor, who can help you find ways to kick the habit or find a treatment you'll actually take (or be able to afford).
If you don't feel you can be fully honest with your doctor, says Nundy, you should look for a new one.
You Think You Know More Than Your Doc
With the Internet at our fingertips, we all feel smarter than we did in the past. And well-moderated online forums can be a great resource for helping people with certain health concerns get support and stay informed.
But they are no substitute for a doctor's advice.
"I think a common mistake is to sort of put more faith in those resources than health care professionals," says Nundy, the author of "Stay Healthy at Every Age: What Your Doctor Wants You to Know".
<em>Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/christina-t/119468257/" target="_hplink">ChristinaT</a></em>
You Think Healthy Packaging Equals Healthy Food
Food or cosmetics products that boast of being all natural may sound appealing and wholesome, but in fact, the US Food and Drug Administration has a pretty loose definition of just what that word means.
The FDA is OK with any product claiming to be natural, as long as it doesn't contain added color, artificial flavor, or synthetic substances.
Low fat is another tricky claim. The FDA does have clear guidelines on when a product can claim to be low- or reduced-fat, but these products may still be high in sugar, sodium, or calories -- or all of the above.
You Exercise Too Much
Pushing yourself is usually a good thing when it comes to physical activity. But your body needs rest, too, especially after an extra-hard workout. Signs that you are working out too hard can be mental and physical, and include fatigue, difficulty sleeping, decreased immunity, muscle soreness, and injury. To keep your workout fresh -- and avoid overuse injuries -- it's a good idea to vary your routine, and give yourself a day off now and then. "Sometimes, just sitting back and relaxing is better for your body than going to the gym for that hour," says Rogg.
You Still Don't Eat Your Fruits And Veggies
By now, pretty much everyone knows they should be eating at least five servings of fruit and vegetables per day. Eating plenty of produce helps reduce your risk of heart disease and several types of cancer, and can help you manage your weight too. But a state-by-state survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that in 2009, just one-third of adults reported eating at least two servings of fruit a day, and only about one-quarter ate three or more servings of veggies daily.
<em>Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/usdagov/5428918190/" target="_hplink">USDAgov</a></em>
You Obsess Over The Details
Health shouldn't be seen as something to strive for, but as a way of life, Rogg says. "When you focus on keeping healthy as an endpoint, as opposed to a healthy lifestyle, you may tend to sort of miss the whole picture."
Too often, Rogg says, people who want to be healthy focus on avoiding "bad" foods and obsess about numbers, like their body mass index. "The focus that people have to make is on being happy and on things that will make them happy, and enjoy themselves."
You Skip Vaccines
Grown ups need shots, too, but many of us don't get them -- raising our risk of contracting a host of unpleasant, deadly -- and preventable -- illnesses, from the flu to cervical cancer to shingles. Just one in five at-risk adults under 65 received the pneumococcal vaccine, for example.
Recommendations for adult vaccine coverage vary based on age, health, where you travel and what you're exposed to, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends an annual flu shot for everyone, and a diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis booster every 10 years for adults. Check out the full list of recommended vaccines for adults.
<em>Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/christopherbrown/6333328398/" target="_hplink">christopher_brown</a></em>
You Don't Have Healthy Friends
Good health habits are contagious, and bad health habits are, too. Several recent studies have shown that obesity, cigarette smoking -- even happiness -- spread through social networks.
Try to forge friendships with people whose health habits you'd like to emulate and encouraging your friends to join you in healthy pursuits.
<em>Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jwynia/126370548/" target="_hplink">J Wynia</a></em>
You Avoid Doctors In General
You know you should eat better, exercise, lose weight, quit smoking -- what more can a doctor do to help? A lot, says Nundy. Studies have shown people have a better chance of trying to quit smoking, and succeeding, when a doctor advises them to do so. Doctors can also prescribe medications that can greatly increase quitting success. And while there's unfortunately no safe pill to help people lose weight, a doctor's advice can give you a better chance of succeeding in trimming down as well, Nundy says.
You Don't Read Nutrition Labels
A nutrition label -- which contains information on a food's calories, sugar, fat, and sodium content -- will tell you the real story about whether those "natural" or "low-fat" foods are actually good for you.
"Just because something is turkey or chicken doesn't necessarily mean it's low-fat or low-salt," says Rogg. Be sure to pay attention to the portion size listed on the label, too.
You Think High-Tech Health Care Is Enough
While invasive treatments, like stents to prop open clogged heart arteries, may sound pretty cool, says Nundy, "you would have been much better off had you not had a blockage in the first place."
So don't think the gee-whiz medical techniques of the future are going to cure you down the road, but do take a day off to get a good old-fashioned checkup. "There's no substitute for prevention," he says. "We have lots of pounds of cures, but they're not perfect."
You Don't Have A Primary Care Doctor
"A lot of people don't really have a relationship with a primary care physician or a health care facility," says Nundy. "I think that's a huge mistake."
Finding a physician who you like and trust, and building a partnership with him or her over time, is one of the best things you can do for your health, according to Nundy.
You Skip Checkups
Similarly, many people may not bother to go for well visits, but just go to see a doctor when they're sick or in pain.
This can mean missing important screening tests, which can catch problems early when they are much more treatable -- and also missing a chance to get to know your doctor.
You're Clueless About Health Records
Moving, switching insurance plans and changing doctors can leave your medical records scattered to the winds. You don't need to have a filing cabinet stuffed with the results of every medical test you've ever taken, but keeping track of a few key pieces of health information can go a long way toward making sure you get the health care you need, Nundy advises. At minimum, you should keep track of which vaccines you've received and when, as well as the dates and results of your most recent screening tests.
<em>Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomsaint/2987926396/" target="_hplink">Rennett Stowe</a></em>
This isn't exactly Facebook's mystery announcement (we'll still have to wait a little bit for that), but in the shadow of its press event today, Facebook also today made a small but interesting update to its Open Graph tags for media publishers that you'll likely see in your news feed soon. Publishers can now add two new tags to their HTML that will help Facebook add links to their own Facebook pages and links to the author's Facebook profile in content previews.
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Public release date: 20-Jun-2013
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