Your 2009 Resolutions? - Ctrl.Alt.Shift

It's a typical question that begs to be asked at this time of year. I hit the streets with Ctrl.Alt.Shift to ask the general public what they had on their 2009 agenda, and questioned if resolutions should be less about losing that holiday weight, and more catered towards addressing social and global issues - just as we do at Ctrl.Alt.Shift HQ! Here's the feedback:

Vox Pops: New Year's Resolutions
So what's your New Year's resolution? Quit the fags? Lose those love handles? Or perhaps you're planning to jump on the wagon for a little while to give your liver a break from all that mulled wine.



Regardless of what the resolution is, most of us are starting the year deep in thought about ways in which we can improve our often unhealthy or unpromising lifestyles.

Meanwhile in Gaza, people are more concerned with staying out of the way of dropping bombs than planning for the future. They have to take each minute as it comes, aware that at any moment their school or house could be reduced to rubble by the Israeli jets circling overhead. In a country where self-survival is more of an issue than self-improvement, wondering whether or not they'd get enough use out of a gym membership is the least of their concerns.

This week sees a run of daily protests in which normal regular people have decided to kick off 2009 by braving the sub-zero weather and biting winds to stand up for what they believe in, showing resilience and unity and saying that what's going on in Gaza cannot continue.



So Ctrl.Alt.Shift hit the streets to see what the general public thought of this in retrospective of their resolutions, as we asked them the following questions:

What's your New Years resolution for 2009?
How clued up are you about the recent dramas and going-ons in Gaza?
How do you feel about the scale of the current protests against Isreal, which has seen a demonstration planned for every day of the current week?
And finally, in a week that has seen thousands of people kicking off 2009 by standing out in the freezing cold, speaking up for something they believe in - do you think New Year's resolutions should be more of a personal lifestyle change or should they be focused moreso on the wider issues that are facing the world today?

Diego, 16:
"I was thinking of one, but I never got round to actually making one up - probably to cut down on smoking skunk if I'm honest. I've heard a lot about Gaza in the news, however I haven't paid too much attention to it, but from what I gather the situation is bleak. Though I think it's positive that there are people who are willing to stand up for what they believe in. I also agree that resolutions should be more about wider issues, but everyone has problems and I think you need to look after yourself too."

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