One January afternoon of my first New Year in Canada, a little over five years ago, at around four oclock, not the busiest time at most gyms and certainly not at mine, I stood in front of a dozen cardio machines and noticed that every single one of them was occupied by enthusiastic patrons. I hadnt seen any of them before. I stepped into the weightlifting room. It too was full. A trainer I was friendly with brushed past me. I grabbed his arm.
Whats going on? Are you guys giving away free passes?
He shook his head. New Years resolutions, he scoffed. Most of these people will work out like mad for a couple of weeks, then never come back. Its the same every year.
I wasnt aware of New Years resolutions as a cultural phenomenon until that January evening. People in many other countries are not in the habit of publicly committing themselves to a new goal in December. It sounds like a good idea, one worth emulating, provided you choose a realistic goal, break it down to measurable steps, reward progress and announce the goal publicly.
Its not December yet, but this is our last issue for 2009, so I thought Id list The Mediums goals for the New Year. Risky move, you might say, especially given my introduction. But like Einstein said, “Anyone who has never made a mistake is someone who has never tried anything new.”
Besides, we do owe it to our readers to share our vision for The Medium.
Here are our resolutions for 2010:
* to add more infographics to our print version
* to add more videos to our site
* to get more writers and photographers
* to get a cartoonist (alas, maybe our toughest goal)
* to write more about science
* to continue to feature opposing op-eds
* to improve layout by redesigning the masthead and the index box.
In addition to listing our goals, Id like to thank our readers and contributors. Our readers, of course, justify our existence as writers. Whenever you learned something about UTM that you didnt know, whenever you picked up a paper because a headline or photo grabbed your attention, whenever we made you smile, whenever we made you frown, whenever you praised us and whenever you criticized us—you made our day. You gave a purpose to our work. And for that, we thank you.
As for our contributors: you may not realize it, but this paper wouldnt be possible without all of you. Thanks for all the hard work, the dedication, and the support. Lastly, Id like to announce our new Assistant Editors. They became Assistant Editors by working hard almost every week. They proved they were reliable, not just by turning in their stories on time, but also by saying, when need be, that they wouldnt be able to take on a specific assignment (word to the wise: editors will always prefer writers who refuse an assignment they wont be able to hand in to writers who promise, then fail to deliver).
And so it gives me great pleasure to welcome Katherine Luczynski and Stephanie Marotta, our Assistant News Editors; Patricia Figueiredo, Assistant Arts and Entertainment Editor; William Robertson and Sarah Malagerio-Bruno, Assistant Sports Editors; and Edward Cai, Assistant Photo Editor. We know you will help us make The Medium a better paper.
