Saturday 2 January 2010

So you made a New Year's resolution......


So you made a New Year's resolution again this year to do one or more of the following:
A. Manage your credit card debt a bit better
B. Save money so that next Christmas will be stress free
C. Lose some weight
D. Get fit, maybe even join a gym
E. Quit smoking
F. Drink less alcohol
G. Study hard when school/uni starts again for the year
H. Impress the boss with your get and up and go or just go
I. Bike to work
J. Take up a sport
K. Watch less television and read more
L. Take the pooch for longer walks
M. Ask for her hand in marriage/tell him you're getting a divorce.
N. Eat less take away and cook healthy meals.


Well done! I give you until the end of the month to abandon each and every good intention except for M - we're always attracted to the big mistakes in life.
Yeah, I know, that sounds a trifle jaded, but Professor Richard Wiseman sorta backs me up because his team found that 78% of resolution makers crash and burn.

However all is not lost as Teh Prof appears to have nailed a few decent tips over at his blog:
Last year we tracked hundreds of people who were trying to keep their resolution, asking them to report on their success and the techniques that they were using. The results suggest that many of the ideas recommended by self-help experts simply don't work. We have developed a fun quiz on off the back of this work that predicts the likelihood of you achieving your resolutions – try it here. We have also posted lots more about the work, including ten tips for keeping your resolutions over on the 59 seconds site. Part of the work revealed that you will increase your chances of achieving your aims if you tell others about your goal. So, what's your resolution?

Friday 1 January 2010

How we began the year 2010....


It's now January 2010. The beginning of a new year but not exactly a month with a bright, clean calendar page - it is weighted down by last year's unfinished business.

In January 2009 North Coast Voices was writing about climate change denialists and their opposition to Rudd's Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, the rising costs of electricity, water, transport, the Liberal Party leader, Conroy's Internet censorship plan, religion, Twitter personas, Monsanto and the plight of Antarctic whales.

Looking back at our posts from last month and forward to those posts scheduled for the beginning of this month, it seems that little has changed for the Australian blogosphere or, to a lesser degree, for the mainstream media.

A quick Internet scan shows that climate change, rising costs, Internet censorship, whales, religion etc., are still on our collective list of concerns in January 2010.
Political, economic and social change continues at snail's pace.

Larvatus Prodeo has an amusing take on the year ahead.

Drawing from I Stand Connected

The Great Australian Internet Blackout is on 25-29 January & Australia Day!



From the protest Website:

What’s the problem?
The Federal Government is pushing forward with a plan to force Internet Service Providers to censor the Internet for all Australians. This plan will waste millions of dollars and won't make anyone safer.

Join us and take action!
The Great Australian Internet Blackout is a
combined online and offline demonstration against imposed online censorship. We’re collaborating with Electronic Frontiers Australia to make sure every Australian knows why this draconian policy is unacceptable.

Go to The Great Australian Internet Blackout and find out how you can take part.

Happy New Year!



From all of us here at North Coast Voices.
May 2010 be a very good year for bloggers and readers everywhere