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☆ Here’s why we eat popcorn at the movies
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-25 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

But the perfect (and very profitable) pairing of today wasn’t always the case: For many years, movie theaters wanted nothing to do with the snack. People watch movies in a newly reopened AMC River East theater on Aug. 20, 2020, in Chicago. Popular movies often bring collectible cups and popcorn buckets, or, in industry-speak, Collectible Concession Vehicles (CCVs). The cinema business will continue to evolve, but one thing will remain constant, said Gil of Queen’s University. “Theaters will stop playing movies before they will actually stop selling popcorn.”

Persons: “, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, ” Paul Dergarabedian, Andrew F, ” Smith, Cracker Jack, ”, Smith, ’ ” Smith, hawkers, Peter Stackpole, John Aitkin, John Sr, Aitkin, Alicia Wallace, CNN It’s, Loren Williams, Alicia Reese, Ricard Gil, Jason Wambsgans, Gil, Wedbush’s Reese, Red Robin, ” Nels Storm, Garfield ”, Cory Ryan, Heather Morgan, Alamo’s, ” Andrew Sherburne, Christian Meoli, Camilla Meoli, ” Gil Organizations: Minneapolis CNN, CNN, AMC, Exposition, Bettmann, Riverview, “, Riverview Theater, Wedbush, Queen’s University, Chicago Tribune, Tribune, Service, Waffle, AMC Theatres ’, Walmart, Kroger, Alamo, University of Iowa’s, Cinemas Locations: Minneapolis, America, New England, South America, Philadelphia, Texas, South Minneapolis, Riverview, “ Kingdom, Canada, Chicago, Brooklyn , New York, Iowa City , Iowa, Seattle, Emerald, California

Some of the hardest-hit are babies, young children and their parents, with diapers and formula either hard to find or spiking to unaffordable prices, leading parents to look to inadequate or even unsafe alternatives. “I sold my children’s food so I can buy diapers,” said Raafat Abu Wardeh, who has two children in diapers. A pack of diapers before the war cost 12 shekels ($3.50). There isn’t even aid.”Some parents are using cloth diapers, but those require washing with water, which is also scarce. “This is far from being enough to address the colossal needs of the children in Gaza,” said UNICEF spokesperson Ammar Ammar.

Persons: — Zainab al, Zein, ”, “, Raafat Abu Wardeh, Anis, Zainab, Israel, Ammar Ammar, ” Ammar, Zainab al, Linda, ceaselessly, Magdy Organizations: Health Ministry, Hamas, United Nations ’, UNICEF Locations: DEIR, Gaza, Israel, handouts, Deir, Cairo, israel

☆ Singapore's 'ice cream uncles' are disappearing. Blame old age and bureaucracy.
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-24 | by ( Amanda Goh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Most hawkers collect their ice cream and dry ice from wholesale distributors around the country. Lester Ledesma for Business InsiderLiang is one of Singapore's remaining traditional ice cream sellers and part of a bygone era. Buying one from one of Singapore's "ice cream uncles" is almost a right of passage. But Liang, Tan, and many other traditional ice cream sellers in the country find themselves working well into their golden years. In addition to the ice cream cart, the ice cream hawkers often also use big cooler boxes for additional storage.

Persons: hawking, —, Liang, Lester Ledesma, Insider Liang, Kenneth Goh, Chip Guan Heng, Goh, Koh Poh Koon, That's, Koh, Tan Ah Hock, He's, " Tan, Tan, There's, Wang, she's, Chan Yong Leng, Chan, TikTok, Darren Tan, it's Organizations: Service, Business, Insider, Singapore Food Agency, SFA, Social Service Office Locations: Singapore, Orchard

☆ I've lived between Singapore and NYC my entire life. Here are 3 ways the latter is better, and one way it isn't.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Denise Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

I've spent half of my life in Singapore and the other half in New York City. I think New York City has a better culture and community for me. But when it comes to the food, I think Singapore is the better place. Here are reasons I think NYC is superior and the one area Singapore has the American city beat. AdvertisementI think Singapore has its beauty and charm, but, the culture of the city doesn't inspire me as much as NYC.

Persons: I've, —, It's, Denise Lee Organizations: Service, New York City ., titans, New, NYC, hawker Locations: Singapore, New York City, York City, Manhattan, American, NYC, New York, York

☆ Southeast Asia is on the cusp of a 'supercharged' digital payments revolution, PwC says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Sheila Chiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Widespread mobile ownership, together with rapid digitalization after the pandemic, helped spur the expansion of digital financial services in Southeast Asia, said PwC. PwC"This enhanced availability and convenience of digital payments will see the bulk of the regional population leveraging mainstream digital financial products, such as e-wallets, further expediting the expansion of financial services," said PwC. watch now"Consumers are adopting digital financial services at a rapid pace. Cash is no longer king, as digital payments now make up more than 50% of the region's transactions," a recent Google, Temasek and Bain & Company report wrote. "In some regions such as Southeast Asia, [digital payments via e-wallets] are already more common than physical card payments and set to dominate point-of-sale [systems] overall," wrote Dan Jones and Alex Walker of OliverWyman.

Persons: PwC, hawkers, —, Cash, Dan Jones, Alex Walker of OliverWyman Organizations: Banking, Getty, Careem, Mercado Libre, Temasek, Bain & Company Locations: China, East Asia, Shanghai, Banking Asia, Asia, Southeast Asia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Laos, Cambodia, Paytm, India, AliPay, Latin America

☆ Opinion | Two Ways of Looking at the West’s Population Dilemma
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Ross Douthat | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +11 min

That means the dilemma of the 21st century isn’t how Earth will feed an ever-growing population, but how the world will deal with a potential mass rebalancing of population via migration, an altered wealth-and-people equilibrium, in a world where technology is making the movement of peoples easier than ever. Clearly, the richest countries will be able to replenish their populations with immigration across the 21st century — if they choose. (A 25 percent ratio means there are four workers for every retiree; a 50 percent ratio, just two.) I don’t think you need to be especially pessimistic to regard that kind of transformation as incompatible with stable democratic governance. It’s among the reasons you already have the rightward shift in European politics and why immigration restriction will be a winning issue for the foreseeable future in many European countries.

Persons: Declan Walsh, Africa’s “, Hannah Reyes Morales, Walsh, it’s, Paul Morland, Philip Pilkington, —, hasn’t, don’t, ’, Morland, Pilkington, Biden, Trump, “, Gilbert Meilaender, Blake Smith, Yuan Yi Zhu, Valerie Stivers, Tim Miller, John Gallagher, — Sarah Neville Organizations: Financial Times Locations: Israel, Gaza, Europe, Africa, East Asia, Latin America, Italy, Spain, Bulgaria, Romania, Germany, Sweden, Nigeria, Morocco, Americas, America, United States, Palestine, Denmark, Britain, South Korea, Japan, Asia, Poland, ”, London, North America

☆ The culinary delights hidden inside Hong Kong’s markets
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Maggie Wong | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Hong Kong CNN —Offering everything from Michelin-endorsed dim sum to juicy smoked goose served in a world-renowned restaurant, Hong Kong is home to some of the finest culinary experiences on the planet. But don’t fret – we have put together a list of eight top-quality Hong Kong markets along with some of the best dishes to try. Queen Street Cooked Food MarketQueen Street Market serves some of the most authentic Chiuchow -- a regional Cantonese cuisine -- dishes. Maggie Wong/CNNA foodie haven in the north of Hong Kong, Yuen Long is a hub for both modern and traditional eateries. The relatively run-down look of the Fa Yuen Street Cooked Food Market inside only adds to the charm.

Persons: ”, Lui Ka Chun, Kongers, Lui, “, Wai Kee, Maggie Wong, Kau Kee, ngau, jyu beng, Kan, Hong Kong’s, Lok Yuen, yuen yeung, Tsang Kee, Chan Chun Kee, suckling, Tai Po Hui, Lam Kee, Tung Kee, Ping Kee, Ng Zai Kee, Bon, Tsun, CNN Kwun, Long, Tim Kee, Yuen Long, it’s, Kee’s, Fa, Mui Kee Congee, Shau Kee Wan Organizations: CNN, Hong Kong CNN, Michelin, Lok, Market, Queen, Thai &, Thai & Vietnam Cuisine, ABC, Tai Po Hui, Food, hawker, Hong Kong’s, Fa Yuen, Kitchen Locations: Hong Kong, Hong, hawker, Kong’s, Kan Kee, Kowloon City, Kowloon Walled City, Lok, Beijing, Thai, Thai & Vietnam, Tai Po, New Territories, Shanghai, Kwun Tong, CNN Kwun Tong, Kowloon, Sichuan, Yuen, Mong Kok, Aldrich, Aldrich Bay, Shau

☆ How knockoffs took over America
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Jennifer Ortakales Dawkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

But these fake products have major financial and societal impacts that can lead to lost sales, jobs, and livelihoods. US Customs and Border Protection officers inspect boxes of counterfeit products at the Los Angeles/Long Beach Seaport complex. Edward Berthelot/GettyWhy sales of counterfeit goods have soaredE-commerce has been a breeding ground for knockoffs. AdvertisementAdvertisementAccording to the US Sentencing Commission , the maximum sentence for selling counterfeit goods is 10 years in prison. In 2020, Amazon established its Counterfeit Crimes Unit, which works with brands to identify and remove counterfeit products.

Persons: Daniel Shapiro's, Hugo Boss, counterfeiters, Spencer Platt, Getty, Shapiro, Jason Armond, Gabrielle Chanel, Michael Kors, Gucci, Chanel, Zers, Edward Berthelot, Superfakes, They've, Wang Zhao, I'm, counterfeits, It's Organizations: Service, Red, Puma, Fila, eBay, US Department of Homeland Security, International Chamber of Commerce, Frontier Economics, Customs, Border Protection, Los, United States Intellectual, United Nations Office, Drugs, UN, Seaport, Economic Cooperation, Development, US Chamber of Commerce, US Customs, Protection, US, Commission, Nike, Amazon Locations: Wall, Silicon, Manhattan, Los Angeles, Long, Beijing, Europe, China

☆ Old-School Fans Celebrate Hip-Hop’s 50th
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Alex Vadukul | More About Alex Vadukul | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The start of hip-hop dates to Aug. 11, 1973, when DJ Kool Herc created continuous break-beats by working two turntables during a party in a rec room at 1520 Sedgwick Ave in the Bronx. On Friday night, exactly 50 years later, a concert was held at Yankee Stadium — roughly a mile and a half from hip-hop’s birthplace — to honor the occasion, featuring Run-DMC, Slick Rick, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, Lil’ Kim and Nas. DJ Kool Herc, 68, also appeared onstage to accept an award. “I prefer old-school hip-hop,” Hetep said. He rapped about positivity, and that’s also what my music is about.”In the edited interviews below, attendees reflected on hip-hop’s 50th.

Persons: DJ Kool Herc, —, Slick Rick, Snoop Dogg, Lil ’ Kim, Nas, Tupac Shakur, Hetep BarBoy, ” Hetep, “, that’s Organizations: Yankee, ” Locations: Bronx

As life in China returns to normal after the pandemic, hawkers are hitting the streets. They look to at least supplement their income amid an uneven economic recovery in which jobs and wage growth has been sluggish. For decades, street stalls and hawkers - common elsewhere in Asia - have been banned or tightly regulated in many Chinese cities, with authorities seeing them as unsightly. The tech hub of Shenzhen, which banned hawking in 1999, will ease restrictions on street stalls from September. Lanzhou in the northwest said this month it would designate areas for street stalls as it sought to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship.

☆ Xi Jinping says no to ‘street stall economy’ in Beijing
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —Chinese President Xi Jinping has opposed the lifting of curbs on street vendors in Beijing, signaling splits within government over a policy shift aimed at tackling rising unemployment. In a recent tour of the Xiongan New Area, a city south of Beijing, Xi unusually revealed his personal views about the “street stall economy,” according to a report earlier this week by China’s state-owned Xinhua news agency. “The capital city is first and foremost a political center, not a ‘hodgepodge’, where ‘factories in alleys’ and the ‘street stall economy’ are not allowed,” he said. It’s unclear whether the capital must now comply with Xi’s views and outlaw street vendors once again. But the recent policy reversal was made against a backdrop of growing challenges facing the world’s second largest economy.

☆ Can the Zibo barbecue frenzy save China from economic crises?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Zhu Zheng/Xinhua/Getty ImagesSo many tourists flocked into Zibo, now dubbed China’s outdoor barbecue capital, that even the local tourism authorities urged visitors to go elsewhere. A few may, but most won’t.”A shop owner shows off grilled meat during a barbecue festival on April 29, 2023 in Zibo, eastern China. The city Zibo became a tourism hot spot after videos of its barbecue went viral online. China’s economy is navigating a growing array of challenges. The informal trade might reduce unemployment temporarily, and give people feeling poorer a boost, but it “won’t save China’s economy,” Tsang said.

☆ HSBC spinoff: Bank's top execs face tense shareholders in Hong Kong calling for a breakup
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Quinn addressed those complaints head-on Monday, saying “our profits in Hong Kong and the UK are no longer being dragged down by underperformance elsewhere. Mark Tucker, chairman of HSBC, left, and Peter Wong, chairman of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, departing following the bank's shareholders meeting in Hong Kong on Monday. They argue that if the lender cordoned off its activities in Asia, it would no longer have to expose Hong Kong shareholders to requests in other jurisdictions. Christine Fong, a district council member in Hong Kong, said she represented about 500 small shareholders who had been affected by the dividend cancellation. An HSBC bank branch in Hong Kong last July.

☆ Napoli striker Osimhen ready to become 'an icon' with title win
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Alvise Armellini | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ROME, March 6 (Reuters) - If striker Victor Osimhen manages to lead Napoli to their first Italian Serie A title in more than 30 years, he believes he will become a club "icon". However, if Napoli win the scudetto, he said: "I think (I) have a very big chance of being named an icon." With 13 games to go, Napoli are odds-on for Serie A glory, having a huge, 15-point advantage over second-placed Inter Milan. Some street hawkers are already selling mementoes in Napoli colours and with a "three" on them in anticipation of a third title. "It's been 33 years since the last scudetto," Napoli Chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis said.

☆ Kenyan traders protest against Chinese competitor's cheap prices
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Duncan Miriri | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NAIROBI, Feb 28 (Reuters) - More than a thousand Kenyan traders protested in the capital Nairobi on Tuesday against a new Chinese-owned retail shop they accuse of undercutting them with ultra-low prices. Traders in Kenya and other rapidly growing economies in Africa have protested periodically against their Chinese competitors. China is Africa's top trading partner and more than 1 million Chinese are estimated to reside on the continent. Kenya's relationship with China was in focus during last year's presidential election, won by William Ruto. The Kenyan traders have been angered by a newly opened China Square retail shop on the outskirts of Nairobi, whose prices for everyday goods like curtains imported from China are on average 50% cheaper than those brought in by local traders.

[1/2] A man holds a smartphone with a sign that reads: "I need tickets" ahead of a FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 match in Doha, Qatar, November 30, 2022. REUTERS/Charlotte BruneauDOHA, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Ashraf Ali arrived at Stadium 974 six hours ahead of the Argentina-Poland World Cup match and, in desperation, raised a hand-written sign: "We need tickets." Other ticketless soccer fans are increasingly gathering at crowded stadium perimeters in Doha during the World Cup to haggle with hawkers, quietly pushing match tickets for popular matches up to 10 times face value. SPECIAL LAWQatar passed a special law for the World Cup that grants FIFA exclusive rights to sell the tickets. "FIFA's ultimate objectives are to prioritise the safety and security of all fans and to enforce a fair pricing scheme for World Cup tickets," a spokesperson told Reuters.

☆ Amazon workers strike in the US and 30 other countries on Black Friday in global 'Make Amazon Pay' campaign
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Hayley Cuccinello | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Protests by Amazon workers and allies were planned in 30-plus countries on Black Friday. The Make Amazon Pay campaign comes as Amazon faces unionization efforts across the globe. The campaign is led by Make Amazon Pay, a coalition of 70 trade unions and organizations including Greenpeace, Oxfam, and Amazon Workers International. Protests were planned in more than 30 countries, including India, Germany, and Japan, according to Make Amazon Pay. Gig Workers Association (GigWA) in association with Amazon Warehouse workers and Hawkers Joint Action Committee participate in a protest in New Delhi, Friday, Nov. 25, 2022.

☆ Best Chinese food: 32 must-try dishes
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Maggie Hiufu Wong | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +20 min

Dan dan noodlesIt’s nearly impossible to dislike China’s soul-comforting dan dan mian, or dan dan noodles. Dan dan noodles are named after the way they were originally sold more than 100 years ago – on a dan dan, a carrying pole, by street hawkers. Some think dan dan noodles should contain a dry mix of noodles, made with minced meat, chopped scallions, spices, crushed peanuts and various sauces. Others disagree, preferring dan dan noodles in a hot, spicy, salty and nutty broth albeit with similar ingredients. Similar to Hainanese chicken rice, the Wenchang version is often served with yellow chicken fat rice and chicken soup.

Persons: –, It’s, Dan, mian, jiao, you’ve, Ding Baozeng, Ding Gongbao, Ding, Hanyuan, cai, hei, Jian bing, jian bing, bing guozi, Chen, chow, Su Dongpo, China’s, zhu, Shui zhu, zhu niu, Bao Bao, bao, jian bao, Rou jia, xin, cheung, yun cheung, Laap cheung, Yun cheung, Congee, Chaozhou Organizations: CNN, Adobe, Adobe Stock Locations: China, Peking, Nanjing, Beijing, Govan, –, Sichuan, Hunan, Shandong province, Fujian, Hainan, Malaysia, Pidu, It’s, Tianjin, Chen, Shunde district, Shaanxi, Fuding county, Ningbo

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