Load remaining images Last night, Cory Wong (Vulfpeck, The Fearless Flyers) continued his ongoing tour with a performance at The Hi-Fi in Indianapolis, IN featuring support from Cody Fry. The current tour comes in support of Wong’s new solo album, The Optimist, released earlier this month.As the album’s announcement press release pondered,Why The Optimist? At age 16, after suffering a concussive head injury, Wong had been told he had two weeks to live. Or maybe he would be fine. The doctors honestly weren’t sure why his right arm kept going numb, but following a month-and-a-half of visits and tests and second opinions, their best guess was that he had a blood clot with the potential to reach his brain at any moment. If that happened, death would be nearly instantaneous. … Wong survived, of course, and while his symptoms eventually faded away, the relentlessly defiant brand of optimism he cultivated that summer never did. In fact, nearly two decades later, it forms the bedrock of his ecstatic new album, The Optimist. Recorded in spontaneous sessions with a series of all-star lineups, the collection showcases both Wong’s prodigious instrumental virtuosity and his broad emotional reach. The songs are profoundly funky, infectiously joyful, and as playful as they are peerless. Paired with his quirky music videos, the tracks feel retro and futuristic all at once. At a time of bitter political strife and deep cultural divisions, Wong has crafted something truly unifying: an album that delights in the pleasures of human connection and revels in the limitless possibility of artistic collaboration.You can listen to The Optimist below, and learn more about the time-pressed creation of the album and its serendipitous list of contributors here.Cory Wong – The Optimist – Full AlbumYou can catch Cory Wong on the road this fall, so check out his tour dates below. For more information on the album or ticketing, head to Cory Wong’s website here.You can check out a gallery of photos from Cory Wong’s Indianapolis performance below courtesy of Phierce Photo by Keith Griner.Cory Wong Upcoming Tour Dates8/25 – Fort Wayne, IN – Two EE’s Winery10/7 – Madrid, Spain – Sala Clamores10/10 – Cologne, Germany – Club Bahnhof Ehrenfeld10/11 – Berlin, Germany – Gretchen10/13 – Den Haag, Netherlands – Mondriaan Jazz Festival10/14 – Stockholm, Sweden – Stockholm Jazz Festival10/16 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Bitterzoet10/17 – Rotterdam, Netherlands – BIRD10/19 – Zurich, Switzerland – Moods10/20 – Fribourg, Switzerland – La Spirale10/21 – Milan, Italy – Blue Note10/25 – Live Oak, FL – Suwannee Hulaween11/17 – Denver, CO – Ogden TheatreView Upcoming Tour DatesCory Wong w/ Cody Fry | The Hi-Fi | Indianapolis, IN | 8/24/18 | Photos: Keith Griner read more

A team of researchers led by Harvard geneticist George Church at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and Harvard Medical School (HMS) has made big strides toward a future in which the predominant chemical factories of the world are colonies of genetically engineered bacteria.In a new study, scientists at the Wyss Institute modified the genes of bacteria in a way that lets them program exactly what chemical they want the cells to produce — and how much — through the bacteria’s metabolic processes. The research was reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).The concept of metabolic engineering, or manipulating bacteria to synthesize useful chemicals, is not new to synthetic biologists. However, what these recent findings promise is up to a 30-fold increase in chemical output. This demonstrates a technique that allows scientists to tap an almost endless list of chemicals they can produce using any type of bacteria, such as the common E. coli, which was used in the study. Most promising, the production timescale is nearly 1,000-fold faster than the methods currently used for metabolic engineering.“This advance has implications for pharmaceutical, biofuel, and renewable chemical production,” said Wyss Institute Founding Director Donald Ingber. “By increasing the production output by such a huge factor, we would not only be improving current chemical production but could also make economical production of many new chemicals attainable.”The team uses evolutionary mechanisms to trick the bacteria into self-eliminating the cells that are not high-output performers. This removes the need for human and technological monitoring to make sure the bacteria are producing efficiently, and therefore hugely reduces the overall timescale of chemical production.“We make the bacteria addicted to the chemicals we want them to produce,” said Jameson Rogers, a lead co-author of the study, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Ph.D. candidate at Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Science, and Wyss Institute graduate researcher. “Then, we treat them with an antibiotic that only allows the most productive cells to survive and make it on to the next round of evolution.”The technique makes a desired chemical product essential to the bacteria’s survival by modifying their DNA so that antibiotic-resistant genes are activated, but only in the presence of a certain chemical, such as the one that is desired for production. At the same time, the genetic modification makes the low-output chemical producers highly susceptible to being killed off by antibiotics. Only the most productive cells generate enough of the desired chemical to be completely resistant to the antibiotic and survive to the next round of evolution. As each evolution cycle progresses, the bacteria become more and more effective at producing the desired chemical as they use the “survival of the fittest” principle to stamp out the weakest producer cells.“We’re using evolution to select for the cells that only serve our purpose best, making human monitoring less important to that feedback loop and instead relying on the bacteria to self-monitor their production performance,” said Church, the study’s senior author, who is a Wyss Institute core faculty member, professor of genetics at HMS, and professor of health sciences and technology at Harvard and MIT. “This is a major direction of growth in synthetic biology, where the focus has mostly been on one-off experiments until this point.”Ingber is the Judah Folkman Professor of Vascular Biology at HMS and Boston Children’s Hospital and professor of bioengineering at Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.Additional lead co-authors of the study include Srivatsan Raman, a Wyss Institute Technology Development Fellow and a genetics research fellow at Harvard Medical School, and Noah Taylor, a Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Ph.D. candidate at Harvard Medical School. read more

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico has vowed to press ahead with attempts to limit private power generation after the Supreme Court ruled against President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s attempt to block permits for renewable power plants. The interior secretary said Thursday that the court ruling applied only to a 2020 executive order, and the administration would wage a new court battle over another bill the president sent to Congress this month. The bill would give priority to more polluting, state-owned power plants. It is the latest chapter in a battle over private and renewable energy plants that were encouraged by López Obrador’s predecessors. read more

The Book of Mormon Related Shows Stephen Ashfield Star Files Praise heaven! Broadway.com has confirmed that Stephen Ashfield will reprise his Olivier-winning performance as Elder McKinley in The Book of Mormon on the Great White Way. The native Scot will step in for Grey Henson from August 23.Ashfield made his West End debut in 2002 as Boy George in Taboo; additional London stage credits include Fame, Tomorrow Morning, Jersey Boys, Boy Meets Boy and Legally Blonde. He has been seen on screen in Sweeney Todd and Call the Midwife.Written by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone and Avenue Q composer Robert Lopez, The Book of Mormon earned nine 2011 Tony Awards including Best Musical.Ashfield will join a cast that includes Nic Rouleau as Elder Price, Christopher John O’Neill as Elder Cunningham, Nikki Renée Daniels as Nabulungi and Daniel Breaker as Mafala. Stephen Ashfield(Photo: Darren Bell) from $69.00 View Comments read more

Most mobile payment services are used by an average of 4 to 6% more users than last year. The only exception is payment via SMS, which is used by 4% fewer users compared to the last survey.  Opportunity for tourism? Yes, absolutely. What are we waiting for? We are still struggling with a good part of restaurants on the Adriatic that only accept cash, let alone have implemented mobile payments. And it is not only restaurants, but also cafes, bakeries, deck chairs for rent, etc.… and all other basic and additional services in the destination. How important and what digitalization means in the tourism sector is also shown by yesterday’s news, how Spanish destinations are introducing the reservation of a place on the beach via a mobile application. A significant majority of respondents (90%) use cards at least occasionally when shopping online, which is the same as in November 2019. However, the frequency of using cards when shopping online decreased by 7% on a monthly basis. In addition, the share of those who use cards when buying online only once or twice in three months (7%) also increased slightly. Debit cards (32%) proved to be the most common method of payment, followed by credit cards (34%) and PayPal (21%).  We are satisfied with the level of digitalization in Croatia The results showed that almost three-quarters (71%) of cardholders check their account balance and card charges via mobile phone. Almost the same number (67%) use SMS payments, while 59% use mobile banking. To a lesser extent, card users use payment through the services of teleoperators (26%) and m-wallet (9%).  “For many years, the MasterIndex research has provided us with the opportunity to get to know the habits of card users better, and it certainly has added value in this period, which deviates from our usual everyday life and in which we regularly seek answers to many questions. In Croatia, almost all of us still use cards, but although the share of credit card users is growing somewhat, debit cards are still used significantly more. We are also glad to see that the number of users who pay contactlessly is growing, because this is the safest way to pay and our recommendation during the corona crisis, but also after”, Pointed out Helena Šekerija from Mastercard.  Furthermore, approximately 70% of respondents have an interest in using online mobile payments, which is practically at the same level as in the previous wave of research from November 2019. Furthermore, most banking users are interested in certain mobile payment methods – 59% for payment by connecting the mobile phone to the POS terminal, and 63% for online card payment via the mobile application.  Contactless payment is becoming more and more popular, so as many as nine out of ten of us have and use a contactless card, while a year ago that ratio was eight out of ten. In addition, as many as 60% of cardholders pay contactlessly at least three to five times a week, an increase of 5% over last year. The number of those who pay contactlessly every day is also slightly increasing (+ 2%) and now their share is 23%. Contactless is mostly paid in supermarkets and shopping malls (71%), followed by local shops (17%). Although more and more people pay non-contact, respondents would like such payment to be enabled to an even greater extent, primarily in supermarkets and shops (36%), restaurants and cafes (16%) and public transport (14%).  Most of us are satisfied with the level of digitalization in the country, almost all of us use smartphones and cards, and we are more and more inclined to new payment methods such as mobile and contactless, the results of regular MasterIndex research which was conducted for Mastercard by the Improve agency.  In addition to the aforementioned data, it is interesting that all types of cards are used on average slightly more among respondents older than 40 years (99%), those with a monthly income of more than HRK 5.500 and among the male population. The results also showed that users have an average of three (2,8) cards, which is the same as last year.  Cover photo: Pixabay.com The MasterIndex online survey on the habits of using financial services in Croatia and attitudes towards payment cards was conducted in April 2020 for Mastercard by the market research agency Improve, on a sample of 1.046 users of banking services in Croatia aged 18 to 55.  Furthermore, the digital devices most respondents use are smartphones (95%), laptops (83%), personal computers (55%) and smart TVs (54%). Apart from the fact that the largest number of respondents own it and spend an average of five (4,8) hours a day on it, a mobile phone is also a means that respondents would use for payment cards to the greatest extent (71%). To a much lesser extent, they emphasize ID cards or passports (17%) and biometrics (14%) and smart watches (14%). PIN is still the preferred (50%) method of payment authorization, and finger scanning (34%) is also highly preferred. The research also confirmed that the coronavirus pandemic has reduced the number of those planning a holiday in Croatia, but also the more frequent online purchase of food, software and gaming products and the preference for contactless payment as the healthiest. We use mobile payment services more than last year The above-average share of card users is in Zagreb and its surroundings (98%), and the lowest in Lika and in Kordun and Banovina (91%).  But now is the opportunity to accelerate development and catch up with all digital trends, in fact, to set global trends ourselves. But in order to be able to plan, we need to know what the current situation is, what are the habits and expectations of consumers in Croatia, when we talk about digital payment. Almost all of us use payment cards Cards are used for various purposes. Almost half (48%) of cardholders withdraw cash from ATMs once or twice a month, over a third (35%) the same number of times a week, while only a few do so more often. On the other hand, cards are used much more regularly to pay at points of sale. Over a quarter (27%) of users use them for this purpose every day. More than a third (35%) do this three to five times a week, and about a quarter (22%) once to twice a week. Research has shown another interesting fact, and that is that internet banking is no longer the most common way to pay bills – it is now mobile banking with 51% of users compared to 42% of e-banking users.  Growth of mobile banking The crisis caused by the epidemic, among other things, has shown that it is high time for digitalization, and in the recovery period the smart state will embrace digitalization in the true sense. Also, digitalization will be a term that will be most often used in the tourism sector, and in Croatia, in my personal opinion, we are lagging behind digital trends. Contactless payment is viewed more and more positively – as many as 82% of card users consider it really fast and easy, and 61% definitely intend to use it more often in the future. In addition, this method of payment is considered the safest when it comes to health and hygiene. As many as 71% of cardholders firmly believe that contactless payment is the healthiest, and another 20% have a similar opinion. In a period when great attention is paid to the cleanliness of sales areas and hand hygiene, such a dominant attitude on this issue may not be a big surprise, but it is certainly a clear indicator of consumer preferences. As many as 85% of respondents are satisfied with the level of digitalization in the country, which is an increase of 3% compared to November 2019 and the continuation of this positive trend. However, a significant number of respondents still want to see more innovation and digital services in health (70%), public administration (54%), education (50%) and the judiciary (27%). When it comes to personal use of digital services, in the first place is the mobile phone with the Internet and online chat (89%), followed by online shopping (81%), e-mail (80%) and social networks (79%) and Internet search engines (77 %). These services are also most used on a daily basis, with the exception of online shopping which most respondents make on a monthly basis.  But someone has to lead the development strategy of digitalization of our tourism, both from the national narrative and from the destination. And that is where we unfortunately fall. 9 out of 10 pay us contactless, we are increasingly using mobile payment The increase in the use of mobile banking for this purpose is as much as 12% compared to last year, and the share (16%) of those who pay their bills exclusively in physical branches is still not negligible. The main obstacle to paying bills online is the habit of paying in cash (50%). Most of us use online shopping cards and m-banking to pay bills As many as 9 out of 10 pay us contactlessly read more

After last year’s opening of Camp Vita, the first five-star camp in continental Croatia, Terme Tuhelj opened the luxurious five-star Glamping Village in the heart of Zagorje, thus laying excellent foundations for additional growth and development of continental tourism.  However, in this story from Hrvatsko Zagorje, it is precisely the local trump card that makes the difference. Namely, each house bears the name of a famous Zagorje locality, as well as recommendations for sights that are worth visiting in Krapina-Zagorje County, and in Glamping Village a local breakfast is served in a basket. Breakfast will be prepared according to the wishes of the guest, who will receive their basket full of local and freshly grown ingredients every morning in their cottage. All the facilities of the camp, but also the attractions in Terme Tuhelj – from the Sauna World, through the rich wellness offer to the Water Planet with swimming pools and adrenaline slides – are available to the guests of Glamping Village. The investment, worth three million euros, was realized in cooperation with the Austrian partner Gebetsroiter, a company with a forty-year tradition in creating camping destinations of the highest quality. “We have clear goals, vision and strategy, which is confirmed by the new glamping resort, which will soon, I am convinced, be full of guests. We know that we are on the right track, last year we generated ten million euros in revenue and 136 thousand overnight stays, almost a third in Krapina-Zagorje County. By continuously investing from year to year, we raise the bar of quality and respond to the demands of the tourism market, we look positively to the future in these uncertain times that have slowed us down, but have not stopped us from realizing our plans.”, Said Vasja Čretnik, director of Terme Tuhelj at the grand opening of the luxury Glamping Village in Terme Tuhelj.  In this way, Terme Tuhelj combines modern luxury with the local offer, and in cooperation with the Tourist Board of Krapina-Zagorje County, they present themselves to guests as good hosts, who take care of every detail.  Glamping Village offers new five-star content, the only one of its kind in continental Croatia, and the offer consists of 36 modern mobile units, a wellness center, a whirlpool, a sauna and a massage room.  Local breakfast in the basket for those who know the difference The modern glamping resort Terme Tuhelj is a great upgrade to Camp Vita, the first five-star camp in continental Croatia, opened last summer.  Glamorous camping, in recent years, is a global trend and the perfect answer to the growing need of people to return to nature, which is currently the best and safest way to relax. read more

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Metro Sport ReporterMonday 8 Apr 2019 7:32 pmShare this article via facebookShare this article via twitterShare this article via messengerShare this with Share this article via emailShare this article via flipboardCopy link329Shares Unai Emery says Umtiti is ‘a very good player’ (Getty Images)‘France has a lot of very good footballers who are playing abroad.AdvertisementAdvertisement‘The French league is a very attractive market for a lot of teams.More: FootballRio Ferdinand urges Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to drop Manchester United starChelsea defender Fikayo Tomori reveals why he made U-turn over transfer deadline day moveMikel Arteta rates Thomas Partey’s chances of making his Arsenal debut vs Man City‘I’ve always had French players in my teams. At Valencia, Sevilla, PSG and here at Arsenal.‘I’ve always been able to count on those players.’More: Arsenal FCArsenal flop Denis Suarez delivers verdict on Thomas Partey and Lucas Torreira movesThomas Partey debut? Ian Wright picks his Arsenal starting XI vs Manchester CityArsene Wenger explains why Mikel Arteta is ‘lucky’ to be managing Arsenal Samuel Umtiti has been heavily linked with a move to Arsenal (Getty Images)Unai Emery has suggested he would approve Arsenal’s bid to sign Barcelona centre-back Samuel Umtiti.The Gunners have been heavily linked with a £60 million move for the France international at the end of the season.Umtiti, meanwhile, has reportedly told his Barcelona teammates that he is considering his future after losing his regular role alongside Gerard Pique to Clement Lenglet.But Emery has hinted that he would welcome the chance to have Umtiti in his squad at Arsenal.ADVERTISEMENT‘He’s a very good player,’ Emery told RMC Sport. Advertisement Advertisement Comment Unai Emery praises Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti after Arsenal transfer link read more

NEST Corporation, the trustee body that runs the UK’s workplace pension fund NEST, has appointed Jaap van Dam, the director for investment strategy at €238bn Dutch pension investor PGGM, to join its investment committee.Van Dam will be responsible for further developing NEST’s investment practice in order to continuously improve it, the fund said.He has broad knowledge and experience on strategy, investment policy formulation, asset allocation and value chain design.He is chair of the VBDO, the Dutch Association of Investors for Sustainable Development, chair of European Chapter of the 300 Club, and member of the research committee for the International Centre for Pension Management (ICPM). Van Dam said: “The rapid growth of NEST over the coming decades will require important decisions around investment management. I am a great admirer of the intellectual rigor NEST applies to its practice – from the behavioural choice design to the investment solutions it implements.”The appointment comes as the fund reaches £10bn (€11.9bn) in assets under management invested on behalf of its more than 8.6 million members, it announced.Mark Fawcett, NEST’s chief investment officer, said that reaching such a milestone “shows NEST is set to become one of the largest players in the UK pensions market and the scheme is now receiving £400m new contributions every month.”Additionally, following a competitive recruitment last year, Jennie Austin also joined NEST’s investment committee last November.She has spent more than 30 years in the financial services industry, and ran funds both actively and passively as an equities manager with the BT and Post Office pension schemes.Most recently at FTSE Russell, Austin worked for 10 years with some of the UK and Europe’s largest pension and sovereign wealth fund investment teams.“There are a range of investment approaches, such as climate funds and factor investing, where I can offer my expertise and help shape the right approach to deliver the best member outcomes,” she said.Chris Hitchen, chair of the NEST’s investment committee, said this was the first time the fund had made appointments to its investment committee from outside of its trustee board.He added that both van Dam and Austin’s “deep experience and international perspectives will really help NEST as it grows into a large-scale investing institution.” read more