For fear of sounding like a grouchy Gen X-er shaking her fist at the cloud, why does everything have to be a thing?
When did lazing in bed become “rotting” and leaving work on time “quiet quitting"? When did a stroll in the park become a “hot girl walk” and autumn “pumpkin spiced latte season”? Why are unconventionally attractive guys “hot rodent men” and why is wearing a cardigan “coastal grandma chic”?
There’s a phrase for Gen Z’s love of labels. It’s called being “chronically online”. And at the intersection between chronically online and Halloween, you’ll find the boo basket.
For the uninitiated, the boo basket is a basket, box or bucket filled with sweets, chocolates and an array of Halloween-themed – how can I put this gently – junk. Plastic bits and bobs that little ones will ooh and aah over for all of 45 seconds before losing interest, and which you’ll find down the back of the sofa two months later.
The origins of the boo basket are a little murky. The internet tells me it’s a “fun custom” (although custom might be stretching it a bit) whereby you secretly leave a box of goodies on your neighbour’s doorstep for them to discover or kick over when they leave for work in the morning. This is called being “booed”.
Once received (or kicked over), it’s on the neighbour to put together their own box for the next neighbour and so forth, creating a kind of modern, pricier, chain letter in which everyone feels obligated to expend precious time and effort lest something terrible befall them within 72 hours.
Oh, and there’s more. Once you’ve been “booed”, you are required to make and hang a sign on your door saying: “We’ve been booed”, so that no one double-boos you and you end up making a lucrative sideline collecting boo baskets to sell at an autumnal farmer’s market.
To quote a famous meme: ain’t nobody got time for that.
A whole industry has sprung up around boo baskets, with online tutorials, curated Etsy and Amazon shopping lists and workshops showing how to make your own. Naturally, social media is awash with boo basket content.
At the higher end of the trend, TikTok user Lexi Hesler shared the boo basket her boyfriend gave her with her 10.4 million followers. It featured Ugg slippers, a mummy doll, Halloween motif socks and blanket (“the basis of any good boo basket”), a positive pumpkin, perfume and a small ghost toy in a plastic jar of which her boyfriend said: “I thought it was useless so I bought it.” It also included a candle of a skeleton in a bath of wax (“it kind of smells horrible, but it’s cute”), a hair clip shaped like a spider web and a ghost-shaped mug “for all my fall beverages”. Throughout her unboxing, Hesler says the word “cute” six times.
“Useless” ghosts in jars, “horrible” smelling candles. Unsustainable.
For mums and dads, the boo basket has become the latest iteration in the penchant for performative parenting
In another video, user Julianna Claire makes a boo basket for her “bestie”, containing Ugg slippers (those again), a jumper, an orange Stanley Cup, cloud socks, Reese’s peanut butter cups, an air freshener, body cream, a mug and some cookies. The Uggs alone retail for Dh640 ($175), the Stanley Cup Dh242. I love my friends, but not that much, and certainly not for Halloween.
For influencers, the boo basket has become the latest in a long line of ways to flaunt wealth and status or virtue signal their amazingness as a friend or partner. This begs the question: if an influencer performs a trend and there’s no one around to like it, does it yield any clout?
For mums and dads, the boo basket has become the latest iteration in the penchant for performative parenting. The insidious way online content has exponentially increased the pressure parents feel to meet expectations laid out by those with more time and money.
In the hundreds of thousands of videos of boo baskets showcased on social media, created mostly by women, bags are filled with sweets, crafts, clothes, toys, teddies, drinks cups, cosmetics, bath sets, candles, Sephora vouchers and more. Honestly? It’s more horrifying than any horror film you might watch this Halloween.
The message, as it always is with performative parenting, is clear: "We’re more attentive parents than you, ergo we’re better." Which the time-poor or cash-strapped parent can’t help but read as: "We love our children more than you do because look at all the stuff we’re giving them."
Oh, what a miserable hag you are for dumping all over this harmless Halloween fun, I hear you cry. To which I say: trick or treating, carving a pumpkin, dressing up as a zombie … isn’t that enough?
The boo basket is proof that nothing is safe from the relentless crawl of needless consumerism and waste for social media likes, in which every single celebration or event becomes centred on stuff rather than sentiment.
Which is why I say “boo” to the boo basket. Go haunt someone else’s doorstep.
The specs
Engine: 5.2-litre V10
Power: 640hp at 8,000rpm
Torque: 565Nm at 6,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: From Dh1 million
On sale: Q3 or Q4 2022
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Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
If you go
Flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh with a stop in Yangon from Dh3,075, and Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Phnom Penh with its partner Bangkok Airlines from Dh2,763. These trips take about nine hours each and both include taxes. From there, a road transfer takes at least four hours; airlines including KC Airlines (www.kcairlines.com) offer quick connecting flights from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville from about $100 (Dh367) return including taxes. Air Asia, Malindo Air and Malaysian Airlines fly direct from Kuala Lumpur to Sihanoukville from $54 each way. Next year, direct flights are due to launch between Bangkok and Sihanoukville, which will cut the journey time by a third.
The stay
Rooms at Alila Villas Koh Russey (www.alilahotels.com/ kohrussey) cost from $385 per night including taxes.
About Okadoc
Date started: Okadoc, 2018
Founder/CEO: Fodhil Benturquia
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Healthcare
Size: (employees/revenue) 40 staff; undisclosed revenues recording “double-digit” monthly growth
Funding stage: Series B fundraising round to conclude in February
Investors: Undisclosed
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
'Panga'
Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring Kangana Ranaut, Richa Chadha, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Neena Gupta
Rating: 3.5/5
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
List of UAE medal winners
Gold
Faisal Al Ketbi (Open weight and 94kg)
Talib Al Kirbi (69kg)
Omar Al Fadhli (56kg)
Silver
Zayed Al Kaabi (94kg)
Khalfan Belhol (85kg)
Zayed Al Mansoori (62kg)
Mouza Al Shamsi (49kg women)
Bronze
Yahia Mansour Al Hammadi (Open and 94kg)
Saood Al Hammadi (77kg)
Said Al Mazroui (62kg)
Obaid Al Nuaimi (56kg)
Bashayer Al Matrooshi (62kg women)
Reem Abdulkareem (45kg women)
MATCH INFO
Mumbai Indians 186-6 (20 ovs)
Kings XI Punjab 183-5 (20 ovs)
Mumbai Indians won by three runs
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEjari%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERiyadh%2C%20Saudi%20Arabia%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EYazeed%20Al%20Shamsi%2C%20Fahad%20Albedah%2C%20Mohammed%20Alkhelewy%20and%20Khalid%20Almunif%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPropTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%241%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESanabil%20500%20Mena%2C%20Hambro%20Perks'%20Oryx%20Fund%20and%20angel%20investors%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E8%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Atalanta v Juventus (6pm)
AC Milan v Napoli (9pm)
Torino v Inter Milan (11.45pm)
Sunday
Bologna v Parma (3.30pm)
Sassuolo v Lazio (6pm)
Roma v Brescia (6pm)
Verona v Fiorentina (6pm)
Sampdoria v Udinese (9pm)
Lecce v Cagliari (11.45pm)
Monday
SPAL v Genoa (11.45pm)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MATCH INFO
Day 2 at Mount Maunganui
England 353
Stokes 91, Denly 74, Southee 4-88
New Zealand 144-4
Williamson 51, S Curran 2-28
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Real Sociedad v Leganes (midnight)
Saturday
Alaves v Real Valladolid (4pm)
Valencia v Granada (7pm)
Eibar v Real Madrid (9.30pm)
Barcelona v Celta Vigo (midnight)
Sunday
Real Mallorca v Villarreal (3pm)
Athletic Bilbao v Levante (5pm)
Atletico Madrid v Espanyol (7pm)
Getafe v Osasuna (9.30pm)
Real Betis v Sevilla (midnight)
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
