Boo's N.E.W.S. Special Edition: 2023 Review & 2024 Preview

Covering everything N.E.W.S.-worthy from 2023, and what to expect in 2024.

In this special edition of Boo’s N.E.W.S., we review all the notable Nuggets, Enrichment items, Workshop results and Selected content findings that captivated our readership in 2023 and look forward with scientifically-based predictions of what 2024 will bring.  

2023 Review

Legendary UCLA men's basketball coach John Wooden said, "Champions are brilliant at the basics." Many of last year’s articles were certainly aligned with this concept. Walking was a common topic, along with breathing, sleeping and eating. If you did any of these in 2023, then you are a champion, my friend!

Disclaimer: Before May 16, 2023 there is little accurate, trustworthy news information, but our researchers and archivists have pulled together what they can to help fill in the gaps of those first few months.

January 2023

The new year kicked off with the film M3gan leading the box office. This heartwarming tale involves a child and her sentient, nearly indestructible robotic doll. If this movie left you on the fence about whether to buy your child a combat-ready, morally questionable Teddy Ruxpin 2.0, consider these study results from Cardiff University which show playing with dolls leads to improved social thinking, social talking and the ability to discuss others’ emotions. 

February 2023

The shortest month of the year had some big excitement high up in the sky. The U.S. Air Force shot down a Chinese spy balloon that had drifted across North American airspace. While I am for any technology that will add funny images to Google Street View, others had concerns, which led to this being ranked the second most significant balloon story of the 21st century. First place still belongs to “Balloon Boy Hoax” from 2009 where 6-year-old Falcon Heene supposedly climbed into a UFO balloon his family was working on and drifted across the sky for almost 70 miles. The boy was found in the family’s attic, the parents were charged with the hoax and later pardoned by the Governor of Colorado, and now Falcon is part of a heavy metal band with his brothers Ryo and Bradford.  

March 2023

March saw the addition of two new U.S. national monuments, Avi Kwa Ame, the Mojave name for Spirit Mountain in southern Nevada, and Castner Range in El Paso, Texas, a formal training and testing facility for the United States Army. If national parks are your thing, and you need to dispose of a body (no judgments) pay a visit to Yellowstone’s hot springs, where the heat and acidity can dissolve a human body in just a day! Scenes from 1977’s Star Wars: A New Hope were filmed in Death Valley National Park. The aptly named “New River” which flows through West Virginia’s New River Gorge National Park & Preserve, is one of the world’s oldest rivers, at 360 million years old. Some have claimed it is the second oldest river in the world, but the National Park Service disputes this.  

April 2023

The Super Mario Bros. Movie took the nation by storm. Fans dressed up as Koopa Troopa, Princess Peach and Wario, but my costume of choice is King Boo. Sharing a nickname I had in college, King Boo is the king of the Boos, first appeared in the Luigi’s Mansion series, and has complimentary characters Boss Boo in Japan, and Big Boo in Super Mario World. I will respond to any of these names.

May 2023

While the Coronation of Charles III and Camilla as king and queen of the United Kingdom was newsworthy in England, the rest of the world delighted with the launching of a new media empire, Boo’s N.E.W.S. on May 16, 2023. Here are the numbers for 2023:  

• Boo’s N.E.W.S. global launch date: May 16, 2023 

• Number of issues: 33 

• Number of articles: 132 

• Most popular issue: August 22, 2023 – Boone, Sisters, Moving, Change  

• Most complained about issue: November 14, 2023 – Trust, Never, Links, Give Up 

• Number of states Boo's N.E.W.S. is read in: 15  

• Number of countries Boo’s N.E.W.S. is read in: 2 

• Favorite Boo’s N.E.W.S. subscriber: You! 

Stories covered in May included an article about swiftlets, why you should make your bed, building a second brain, how best to tie electrical cords, bowling and much more.  

June 2023

June featured a lot about bears, coverage of the Taco Tuesday wars, an increase in wisdom about owls, resilient kids in the jungle, the triumph of ugly dogs, and the Pixies.  

July 2023

While "Barbenheimer" brought many to the theaters, others found delight in the Grimace shake. The first of many Boo’s N.E.W.S. articles about walking came out, lots of hot dogs were eaten, the Sphere prepared to open, I slurped Slurpees,  the legend of the Carolina Cottontop was shared, Saharan Dust was nothing to sneeze at and we cheered on Solai Washington in the World Cup.  

August 2023

August was filled with family memories, as we shared our exploration of Chicago, experienced lots of music, shaved our beards (well mine at least), and dropped off our older daughter at college. All the feels that month for sure.  

September 2023

In September, we explored the Mandela Effect, said goodbye to Jimmy Buffett, appreciated bacon & eggs, did a deep dive on Little Miss Muffet, recommended nose breathing and discussed Blue Zones.  

October 2023

October introduced Fat Bears, discussed tooth brushing, explored baby-mailing, set up for a spooky Halloween, explained déjà vu, visited Waffle House, and recommended stretching. 

November 2023

November found us discussing madness, defending Elmer Fudd, exploring gut health, walking backward, becoming elves, cooking for huge crowds, learning about classic album covers, and watching oranges transform a jungle. 

December 2023

In December, we entered the exciting world of trigonometry, served lots of hot chocolate, walked in the rain, discussed memory, learned how to deal with congestion, diagnosed the Grinch and sat in while my Dad read The Night Before Christmas.  

2024 Preview

Cuisine

Our Commodities & Futures Desk staff have read the green tea leaves and declare the 2024 will be all about salads & bowls. From chopped “Italian Sub” salads to “Egg Roll In A Bowl” to Teriyaki Salmon Cauliflower Rice bowls, swapping bread & buns for a bowl will slash the refined carbs and allow us to fill up on the good stuff. Wedge Salads will, of course, continue to delight. Additionally, now that lumber costs have dropped, “food on a stick” will roar back into popularity. From satays to corn dogs to fondue to shish kebabs to popsicles – if a stick is involved, it is trendy and hip.

Exercise

Walking will only become more popular, if you can imagine! Already Nate “The Magazine Page Cutter” Mansfield is planning “24 in 24” hikes. It promises to be very popular - ESPN is putting out a “30 for 30” about it. I’ve signed up to join him, but I’m not stopping there. For me, 2024 will be all about learning, and perfecting, the sport of Pickleball. After reading countless articles about it in the AARP magazine, I have decided this is my next obsession. There are courts near my house – let's play!

Brain

Leveraging digital & AI tools will help you be more organized and productive, and the ability to create personalized skills development plans quickly will empower you to finally learn conversational Navajo or how to play the Shakuhachi.

Social

2024 will be about group immersive & interactive experiences, with VR-enhanced simulations and AI-powered escape rooms keeping us guessing. Spheres will start popping up everywhere. Bowling and larger outdoor parties will continue, but expect to have new Pickleball activities, group walks, and more outdoor movie screenings, if i have my way!

Sports

The Summer Olympic Games will take place in Paris, with over 10,000 athletes competing in 32 sports/48 disciplines, including Breaking (breakdancing), Skateboarding, Surfing and Sport Climbing, while boring, unpopular sports like Baseball and Karate are not being offered.

Fashion

Expect to see Steamboat Willie everywhere – hoodies, Crocs, bucket hats. Now that his image is in the public domain, the Mouse will be THE hot fashion trend. With the surge in Pickleball’s popularity about to begin, we will see a proliferation of matching head and wrist sweatbands – not just on the court, but everywhere in daily life.

Boo’s N.E.W.S.

We will continue to deliver your weekly collections of miscellany, and will be expanding with additional content, interviews/podcasts, meet-up events, giveaways, and merchandise!

Thank you for reading, subscribing and sharing. And for submitting ideas and suggestions – keep them coming! Special shout out to my Boo’s N.E.W.S. Muse Lisa – I couldn’t do this without her encouragement and rely on her ability to find typos and grammatical mistakes even after I’ve read everything multiple times.