Face it, you're not going to keep your resolutions

"Why set yourself up for disappointment?" asks Lindy West. "The only foolproof way to meet your goals is to actually set meetable goals".

This means if you resolve to get fit, say, try and scale back commitments. "Don't bankrupt yourself on gym memberships you're never going to use and then shame yourself to death for never using those expensive gym memberships". The more sensible resolution is simpler: "I will go for a walk sometimes".

Also, if you're thinking about being less of a drunk in 2013, today's not the time to set harsh goals (for starters "You're drunk right now!").

The only really useful resolution, according to West, is this - "Just do the same shit you always do but maybe with 10% more purpose and commitment". If that still sounds like an awful lot to ask, however, you could get away with five per cent, or two, or less. Failure's no biggie after all, there's always 2014 to look forward to.

Do you agree? Are you aiming low or thinking big for the new year?

The price of pacifism

From the Second World War refusenik to the 19-year-old Israeli, Holly Williams talks to five people who risked shame and suffering to take a stand as conscientious objector.

'It was mass hysteria': Jason Isaacs on groupies, theatre bores and snogging James Bond

Jason Isaacs: Groupies, theatre bores and James Bond

To millions, Jason Isaacs is one of Harry Potter's arch enemies – but his wife prefers him as a Scottish TV detective.

Notes from a small island: Is Sealand an independent 'micronation' or an illegal fortress?

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Thomas Hodgkinson spent a week at the tiny platform off the Suffolk coast to find out.

Mark Hix cooks with cutlets and ribs

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The experts' guide to summer

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Legend of James Hunt has set Hollywood hearts racing

Early glimpses of Ron Howard's film Rush suggest it will portray Hunt as a high-living lothario, with an insatiable appetite for partying.

Macklemore: 'I don't have moderation'

The next Vanilla Ice or the next Eminem? Macklemore doesn't have a record contract – but he does have the UK's biggest-selling single of the year.

Don't be shy: Bill Granger's Sri Lankan recipes

Sri Lankan cuisine is light, sunny, wonderfully spiced – and so easy to cook from scratch. Just as soon as you've broken into the coconut, that is.

Sir James Dyson’s latest project: Cleaning up hospitals

Doctors are hailing the revamp of a Bath neonatal unit, where babies sleep more and feed better, as the model for patient care

One man returns to Argentina's town that drowned

Epecuen was submerged under 10 metres of water in 1985. Now the floods have gone – and 83-year-old Pablo Novak has moved back in

The real thing?

Historian publishes Coca Cola's 'secret formula'

Gordon Ramsey's worst nightmare: A restaurant he cannot save

Gordon Ramsay's worst nightmare: A restaurant he cannot save

The pugnacious chef finally met a shambolic restaurant he couldn't save. John Walsh on when TV makover refuseniks fight back

Join Ryanair! See the world! But we're only paying you for nine months a year

Glamorous myth of the flight attendant lifestyle undermined by angry employee's claims of 'exploitation'

Braising saddles: Did the recent furore scupper sales of horse meat? Neigh, far from it!

Braising saddles: How to cook horse meat

Did the recent furore scupper sales of horse meat? Neigh, far from it! Will Coldwell hoofs it to the kitchen.

Why bitters are back on the bar

A few little drops pack a big punch in cocktails. No wonder we're learning to love them again...

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