Across the globe today, billions are engaged in an essentially identical inward mental process. Reflecting on the year that has passed, they are asking themselves: what single action can I take in 2013 to improve my life, to get more done, to be healthier, to be the best me that I can be? That's right: they are setting their New Year's resolutions.
Of course, most of us are old enough to know that New Year's resolutions don't always work. If they did, we'd be skinny, non-smoking, health-food-eating millionaires by now. But don't do the sane thing and give up: with guidance from a smattering of the best-known self-help classics, 2013 can be different.
• Whatever you're hoping to achieve next year, start by reading the undisputed, granite-jawed, fist-pumping, like-something-out-of-a-Pixar-movie master of motivation, Anthony Robbins. His Awaken the Giant Within (Pocket Books, Dh65), promises techniques that will unlock the vast power that lurks in your subconscious. Soon you'll be resisting that third piece of cake without even trying (oh go on, just have half of it).
• Giant awakened, let's turn to the office. We've all looked at a colleague and thought to ourselves: "Alan is so highly effective, how does he do it?" Find out in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Simon & Schuster, Dh89), Stephen Covey's legendary guide to the practices that make some people so annoyingly successful. 7 Habits was written pre-internet, so "relentlessly self-publicise on Twitter" is not on the list.
• Still not living the dream? Time for a crash course. Learn how to fake sincerity with Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People (Vermilion, Dh53), curb your shopping addiction by purchasing Robert Kiyosaki's Rich Dad, Poor Dad (Plata Publishing, Dh71) and apply gender stereotypes to your ailing relationship with John Gray's Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus (Harper Element, Dh53).
ŸIf you're still not sorted, then frankly there is no hope. The only option that remains is to turn to the paradoxically titled Boosting Self-Esteem for Dummies by Rhena Branch. You're going to need it, you wonderful, clever, loveable dummy.
* David Mattin
What is graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre 6-cyl turbo
Power: 435hp at 5,900rpm
Torque: 520Nm at 1,800-5,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Price: from Dh498,542
On sale: now
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
'Operation Mincemeat'
Director: John Madden
Cast: Colin Firth, Matthew Macfayden, Kelly Macdonald and Penelope Wilton
Rating: 4/5
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Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
The biog
Favourite film: Motorcycle Dairies, Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday, Kagemusha
Favourite book: One Hundred Years of Solitude
Holiday destination: Sri Lanka
First car: VW Golf
Proudest achievement: Building Robotics Labs at Khalifa University and King’s College London, Daughters
Driverless cars or drones: Driverless Cars
Bert van Marwijk factfile
Born: May 19 1952
Place of birth: Deventer, Netherlands
Playing position: Midfielder
Teams managed:
1998-2000 Fortuna Sittard
2000-2004 Feyenoord
2004-2006 Borussia Dortmund
2007-2008 Feyenoord
2008-2012 Netherlands
2013-2014 Hamburg
2015-2017 Saudi Arabia
2018 Australia
Major honours (manager):
2001/02 Uefa Cup, Feyenoord
2007/08 KNVB Cup, Feyenoord
World Cup runner-up, Netherlands
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
Race 3
Produced: Salman Khan Films and Tips Films
Director: Remo D’Souza
Cast: Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez, Bobby Deol, Daisy Shah, Saqib Salem
Rating: 2.5 stars