New year’s resolutions are futile

Unfortunately, we are still within the window when most people are still making new year’s resolutions they will most probably fail at, by next week.

Your local gym will be full until just before the year’s first payday.

Interestingly, very few people will commit to stopping bad habits, as this is much easier than starting a new habit. I propose that all retail shops should stop handing out calendars to customers.

If they do not know, the day of the week, date and the year we are in are all on our phones and other devices.

And for goodness’ sake, we are tired of cheesy calendar designs that showcase a bowl of fruit or a silhouette of a sunrise, signifying the passing of time.

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And speaking of retailers, 2024 should also be the year elitism is stopped, on a global level.

According to an X user, premium retailer Woolworths is reported to be going cashless, an announcement that has been met with ire on social media platforms.

This is because Woolies would be excluding a majority of their customers who are unbanked and do not have electronic methods of paying at their outlets.

Although the South African operation of the retailer has yet to comment on this proposed move, a decision like this is going to be met with even more resistance locally, as this would mean a large number of South Africans will no longer have access to the chain’s offerings.

Cover stories should also be put to an end, this year. One of these is how Houthi rebels from Yemen are taking advantage of the Israeli-Palestine conflict in order to attack and plunder cargo ships that are using the Red Sea to ferry goods.

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The Houthi rebels continue to attack vessels they identify as being linked to Israel that are passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, into the Red Sea.

According to the rebels, they hope this will pressure Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu into stopping the siege of the Gaza Strip.

If you strip away the political smoke and mirrors, these attacks are just a ploy for the rebels to wreak havoc on the world’s shipping industry… and for them to steal precious cargo.

How else do they explain seizing cargo ships that are British-owned, Japanese-operated and staffed by crew from various countries?