- The ideal job doesn’t come around too often. Cambridge
University in England is a place that should theoretically have its fair share
of them, what with being one of the most prestigious universities in the world.
But the particular opening the school has at the moment is especially savory
and appealing, what with its fundamental duty being studying the fundamentals
of chocolate. That’s right, Cambridge wants a doctoral student to pursue the
most important details of chocolate and this is no hoax. An official job
description lays out the research goal for the position, which is to identify
ways of keeping chocolate-based food from melting in warm climates. Obviously,
this could be a painstaking process with plenty of in-depth research required,
perhaps even tral to some of these climates to see how to best protect the
precious chocolate in question when it travels to locations near the equator.
This research is vital because at present, even the best-quality chocolate
starts going soft around 93
degrees Fahrenheit and in a place such as Fiji or Hawaii, that poses
serious concerns for shippers, merchants and consumers alike. If the person who
boldly steps up to accept this great challenge on behalf of humanity can come
up with a viable solution, they would become an instant hero both to chocolate
lovers around the world and the globe’s top 10 chocolate companies, which last
year posted confectionary sales exceeding $85 billion. Sadly, only European
Union citizens can apply for the post under the direction of experts in
chemical engineering, geotechnical engineering and soft matter physics. Those
restrictions could weed out some legit candidates, but hopefully this search
meets a sweet end………
- The Ninja Turtles conquered the field once more, but their
victory was a bit less resounding the second time around. “Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtles” fought its way to $28.4 million in its second weekend to
win the weekend box office earnings race, giving the action flick $117.6
million in total domestic earnings. “Guardians of the Galaxy” remained in
second place for another week, banking $24.8 million to boost its overall
earnings to $222.3 million in three weeks. The top new film for the weekend was
the underwhelming “Let’s Be Cops,” which snagged $17.7 million in its debut to
finish third, earn back its budget and land on the right side of profitability.
A pair of fellow newcomers were on its heels, with “The Expendables 3” claiming
fourth place with $16.2 million and “The Giver” slotting fifth with $12.8
million for a decent start given its $25 million budget. Sixth place went to “Into
the Storm,” owner of $7.7 million in second-weekend earnings and a so-so total
take of $31.3 million in its first two weeks in theaters. Low-budget favorite “The
Hundred-Foot Journey” battled its way to seventh place with $7.1 million in its
second weekend, giving it a decent $23.6 million and counting domestically. The
fast-falling “Lucy” did well enough for eighth place thanks to $5.3 million in
weekend earnings and has safely surpassed the $100 million mark in total
earnings at $107.5 million. “Step Up All In” took a big step down, dropping
three spots to ninth place with $2.7 million. In two weak weeks of work, it has
brought in a scant $11.8 million. Critical darling “Boyhood” conjured up $2.2
million in limited release, showing in a mere 771 theaters. It has already more
than tripled its budget with $13.8 million in total earnings thus far. “Hercules”
(No. 11), “Get On Up” (No. 12), “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” (No. 13) and “Planes:
Fire & Rescue” (No. 16) all dropping out from last weekend’s top 10………..
- Nudists aren't a positive addition to society for anyone
other than like-minded kooks with an aversion to clothes. They are an eyesore and
a problem for every creature with retinas and a soul, with that problem
becoming ever more pressing in Passage Key, a popular hotspot for nudists located
between Anna Maria Island and Egmont Key in Florida. This tiny island has
existed as a federally protected habitat for nesting birds for the past five
decades and according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, there are a number
of rare species there ranging from royal terns, to black skimmers, to
oystercatchers. According to the agency, the island became partially
submerged in 2006 during the deluge of Hurricane Alberto. Its land surface only
resurfaced a few months ago and that’s when the real problems began. Yes, birds
had a place to land and that was positive. However, so did nudists and in recent
weeks, the clothes-averse have begun flocking to the small island in massive
numbers. Some reports have pegged the number of naked folks on the sandbar at
as many as 200 on given days and the presence of out-of-shape, slovenly people
sans threads has disrupted the lives of the birds who frequent the area. The
birds have been driven away and now, the FWS is seeking ways to fight back. One
viable option is a federal law banning people from walking on the island and
allowing them only to wade in the water off-shore. Federal officials monitor
Passage Key on the weekends, but that task falls to the slackers with the
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission during the week. Better
binoculars and more boats might be in order for all involved agencies………
- The Los
Angeles Angels have run down the Oakland Athletics for the top spot in the
American League West, but manager Mike Scioscia isn't taking the accomplishment
as a reason for blanket approval for his roster. Specifically, one of the best
managers in baseball believes that slugger Josh Hamilton is not carrying his
weight in the lineup. Hamilton is batting .266 with just eight home runs and 35
RBIs this season and had just two extra-base hits in a recent 10-game span.
With the rest of the lineup swinging the bat well, Scioscia says it’s high time
Hamilton got on track and returned to his form as a .292 career hitter.
"Josh is not the same as he was when we were looking in the other dugout
in Texas," Scioscia said. "Right now, he's not in the batter's box with
the confidence that we know he has. He's working hard to try to find it."
Managers typically aren’t that blunt in the media when it comes to their
players, so this could be an indication that Scioscia has reached his wit’s end
and is trying his last resort. Some of Hamilton’s struggles surely stem from
the nearly two months he spent on the disabled list this year with a torn
ligament in his left thumb and before the injury in early April, he was batting
.444. While Hamilton is struggling, his manager isn't dissatisfied enough to
move him down in the order. "You move guys around if the whole product
becomes better," Scioscia said. "If our whole lineup becomes better,
you'd definitely consider it. But Mike [Trout] and Albert [Pujols] connected --
even though Mike's maybe not as hot as he was -- their dynamic is important. It
works.” It might not be “working” so well for Hamilton if his team were on
track to miss the playoffs, but for now, Scioscia can tolerate a subpar effort
from a player making eight figures a year………
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