History's 10 Most Mysterious Disappearances

10 Most Mysterious Disappearances

post by Saif Ausaf

Kelly Blazek's harsh LinkedIn rejection note earns rebuke

A US woman's harsh response to a young jobseeker who sought to connect on networking site LinkedIn has earned her widespread rebuke since it went viral.

Diana Mekota circulated the email she got from Kelly Blazek, who manages a top list of marketing jobs in Ohio.

In it, Ms Blazek excoriates her for her "inappropriate" and "tacky" request, adding she will enjoy rejecting her.

Ms Blazek has since apologised, saying her note was "rude, unwelcoming, unprofessional and wrong".

Ms Mekota, who was relocating to the Cleveland, Ohio, area, emailed Ms Blazek's job board and followed up with a note on LinkedIn explaining her qualifications.

In the response email, which Ms Mekota first shared on Twitter last week, Ms Blazek wrote: "We have never met. We have never worked together.

"Apparently you have heard that I produce a Job Bank, and decided it would be stunningly helpful for your career prospects if I shared my 960+ LinkedIn connections with you - a total stranger who has nothing to offer me."

"Your invite to connect is inappropriate, beneficial only to you, and tacky," the email continues.

"Wow, I cannot wait to let every 26-year-old jobseeker mine my top-tier marketing connections to help them land a job. Love the sense of entitlement in your generation."

Ms Blazek also said she would deny Ms Mekota's request to receive the job bank emails. "I suggest you join the other Job Bank in town. Oh wait - there isn't one."

"Don't ever write me again," the email ends.

Ms Mekota told the Cleveland Plain Dealer she posted Ms Blazek's email online only after her subsequent email trying to explain herself did not receive a reply.

Since the email went viral a few days ago, Ms Blazek has deleted the Twitter account of her job bank listings.

The Plain Dealer reported that commenters on the website of a local business group that named Ms Blazek "Communicator of the Year" called for her to be stripped of the title.

A parody twitter account of Ms Blazek appeared while other Cleveland residents took to Twitter to offer support for Ms Mekota.

In a statement to the BBC, Ms Blazek said she was "very sorry to the people I have hurt".

She said the job bank listings had started as a "labor of love for the marketing industry, but somehow it also became a labor, and I vented my frustrations on the very people I set out to help.

"The note I sent to Diana was rude, unwelcoming, unprofessional and wrong. I have apologized to her, and to others, for my actions which were wrong."

Adam Sandler Brings Drew Barrymore to Tears With Sentimental Duet

Old pals Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore appeared together on The Tonight Show Wednesday night to sing a duet celebrating their many years of onscreen romance — from The Wedding Singer in 1998 to 50 First Dates in 2004.



“Every 10 years, we get to fall in love again,” Barrymore joked.

While singing isn’t the pair’s strong suit (they don’t sound very committed to a certain melody line), it’s clear that the chemistry is still there, in its own quirky way. When Sandler asked whether he was a better “movie husband” than Hugh Grant or Ben Stiller, Barrymore immediately said yes, but when he compared himself to Jimmy Fallon, Barrymore hesitated. “You both have great qualities,” she sang back.

Another sweet moment, typical of the duo:

Barrymore: “I will still love you when you’re 64.”

Sandler: “I will still love you when your boobs touch the floor.”

Barrymore [spoken]: “So, right now?”

For the grand finale, Sandler surprised Barrymore by singing a song from The Wedding Singer, which brought her to tears. Looks like their love (or onscreen love, at least) is here to stay — especially with the upcoming rom-c0m Blended, which sees the two reuniting once again.
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Amazing Benefits of Green Tea

Green tea, native to China and India, has been consumed and hailed for its health benefits for centuries globally, but has only recently gained popularity in the US.

Tea is considered the most consumed beverage in the world behind water, however 78% of the tea consumed worldwide is black and only about 20% is green.1

All types of tea except herbal tea are brewed from the dried leaves of the Camellia sinensis bush. The level of oxidation of the leaves determines the type of tea.

Green tea is made from un-oxidized leaves and is the least processed type of tea and therefore contains the most antioxidants and beneficial polyphenols.

Green tea was used in traditional Chinese and Indian medicine to control bleeding and heal wounds, aid digestion, improve heart and mental health and regulate body temperature.4 Recent studies have shown green tea can potentially have positive effects on everything from weight loss to liver disorders to type 2 diabetes.


This MNT Knowledge Center feature is part of a collection of articles on the health benefits of popular foods. It provides a nutritional breakdown of green tea and an in-depth look at its possible health benefits, the different forms of green tea, and some precautions when consuming green tea.

Possible health benefits of green tea

Cancer:

According to the National Cancer Institute, the polyphenols in tea have been shown to decrease tumor growth in laboratory and animal studies and may protect against damage caused by ultraviolet UVB radiation.

In countries where green tea consumption is high cancer rates tend to be lower, but it is impossible to know for sure whether it is the green tea that prevents cancer in these specific populations or other lifestyle factors.4

One large-scale clinical study compared green tea drinkers with non-drinkers and found that those who drank the most tea were less likely to develop pancreatic cancer, particularly women, who were 50% less likely to develop the disease.

Studies have also shown the positive impacts of green tea on breast, bladder, ovarian, colorectal, esophageal, lung, prostate, skin and stomach cancer.

Researchers believe that it is the high level of polyphenols in tea that help kill cancerous cells and stop them from growing, however the exact mechanisms by which tea interacts with cancerous cells is unknown.

Other studies have shown a lack of preventative effects of tea on cancer. The amount of tea required for cancer-preventive effects has also varied widely in studies - from 2- 10 cups per day.1

In 2005, the FDA stated that "there is no credible evidence to support qualified health claims for green tea consumption and a reduced risk of gastric, lung, colon/rectal, esophageal, pancreatic, ovarian, and combined cancers."1

Heart Disease:

A 2006 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded that green tea consumption is associated with reduced mortality due to all causes, including cardiovascular disease.

The study followed over 40,000 Japanese participants between the ages of 40 and 79 for 11 years, starting in 1994.

The participants who drank at least 5 cups of green tea per day had a significantly lower risk of dying (especially from cardiovascular disease) than those who drank less than one cup of tea per day.

Another study found that consuming 10 cups of green tea per day can lower total cholesterol, however, consuming 4 cups or less had no effect on cholesterol levels.1

Type 2 Diabetes:

Studies concerning the relationship between green tea and diabetes have been inconsistent. Some have shown a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes for green tea drinkers than for those who consumed no tea, while other studies have found no association between tea consumption and diabetes at all.1

Weight Loss:

Green tea may promote a small, non-significant weight loss in overweight and obese adults; however, since the weight lost in the studies were so minimal, it is unlikely that green tea is clinically important for weight loss.

Other studies have found that green tea is helpful in preventing dental cavities, stress, chronic fatigue, treating skin conditions and improving arthritis by reducing inflammation.

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Captain Kohli Century --- steady India

Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane are driving India's chase in the game and are looking much more comfortable now. 

What's working in visitors' favour is that they still have wickets in hand and bowling not looking threatening. 

As we speak Kohli has completed his 19 ODI century courtesy off a single of Mashrafe Mortaza. 

Kohli's 95-ball knock consisted of 12 hits to fence and a six. 

India at the end of 38 overs were 207-2, still requiring 73 runs off 72 balls.

5 simple steps to mental wellbeing

What is mental wellbeing?

When we talk about mental wellbeing, we mean more than just happiness.

“It’s useful to start with the idea that overall wellbeing involves both the mind and the body. And we know that physical and mental wellbeing are closely related.

“Of course, feeling happy is a part of mental wellbeing. But it is far from the whole. There is a deeper kind of wellbeing, which is about living in a way that is good for you and good for others around you.

“Feelings of contentment, enjoyment, confidence and engagement with the world are all a part of mental wellbeing. Self-esteem and self-confidence are, too.

“So is a feeling that you can do the things you want to do. And so are good relationships, which bring joy to you and those around you.

“Of course, good mental wellbeing does not mean that you never experience feelings or situations that you find difficult. But it does mean that you feel you have the resilience to cope when times are tougher than usual.”

Mental wellbeing can take many different forms, but a useful description is feeling good and functioning well.

Evidence and wellbeing

Over the last 20 years, new evidence has emerged about what really causes lasting improvements to mental wellbeing.

“Some of this evidence comes from observational studies, in which scientists look at the behaviour and wellbeing of certain sections of the population,” says Professor Stewart-Brown. “Other evidence comes from trials in which scientists take a group of people and ask them to change their behaviour or participate in a treatment or other intervention – such as an exercise programme – and then watch what happens to their wellbeing.”

To gain evidence on wellbeing, scientists have to find ways to measure it.

Often, scientists measure wellbeing using a series of questions that ask subjects how they feel about themselves, their lives and the world around them.

Five steps to mental wellbeing

Evidence suggests there are five steps we can all take to improve our mental wellbeing.

If you approach them with an open mind and try them, you can judge the results yourself.

Connect. Connect with the people around you: your family, friends, colleagues and neighbours. Spend time developing these relationships. Learn more in Connect for mental wellbeing.

Be active. You don't have to go to the gym. Take a walk, go cycling or play a game of football. Find the activity that you enjoy, and make it a part of your life. Learn more in Get active for mental wellbeing.

Keep learning. Learning new skills can give you a sense of achievement and a new confidence. So why not sign up for that cooking course, start learning to play a musical instrument, or figure out how to fix your bike? Find out more in Learn for mental wellbeing.

Give to others. Even the smallest act can count, whether it's a smile, a thank you or a kind word. Larger acts, such as volunteering at your local community centre, can improve your mental wellbeing and help you build new social networks. Learn more in Give for mental wellbeing.

Take notice. Be more aware of the present moment, including your feelings and thoughts, your body and the world around you. Some people call this awareness “mindfulness”, and it can positively change the way you feel about life and how you approach challenges. Learn more in Awareness for mental wellbeing.

5 HOME REMEDIES FOR INSOMNIA (sleeplessness)

Above picture must look hazy to you. It is , that's why it look haze to you Okay jokes a part,you can start reading.
Although it is common to have the occasional sleepless night, if you lack sufficient sleep on a regular basis, it is called insomnia.

Before starting any natural remedies, consult your doctor. Chronic insomnia can be a symptom of another condition, such as depression, heart disease, sleep apnea, lung disease, hot flashes, or diabetes, so it's important to see a doctor if you are having trouble sleeping.

Natural Remedies for Insomnia

Here are fourteen natural remedies that are used for insomnia.

1) Valerian

Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) is a herb that has been long used as a remedy for insomnia. Today, it is an over-the-counter insomnia remedy in Germany, France, Switzerland, Belgium, and Italy.

Exactly how valerian works in the body is still not well understood. Some studies suggest that like conventional sleeping pills, valerian may affect levels of the calming neurotransmitter GABA.

Unlike many other sleep medications, valerian is not believed to be addictive or cause grogginess in the morning. But valerian doesn't work for everyone. And although studies in labs have been encouraging, clinical trials are still inconclusive.

Valerian is usually taken between an hour before bedtime. It takes about two to three weeks to work. It shouldn't be used for more than three months at a time. Side effects of valerian may include mild indigestion, headache, palpitations, and dizziness. Although valerian tea and liquid extracts are available, most people don't like the smell of valerian and prefer taking the capsule form.

Valerian shouldn't be taken with many medications, especially those that depress the central nervous system, such as sedatives and antihistamines. Valerian shouldn't be taken with alcohol, before or after surgery, or by people with liver disease. It should not be taken before driving or operating machinery. Consultation with a qualified health practitioner is recommended.

Find out more about Valerian.

2) Melatonin

Melatonin is a popular remedy to help people fall asleep when the sleep/wake cycle has been disturbed, such as in shift workers or people who with jet lag. Melatonin is a hormone found naturally in the body. The pineal gland in the brain makes serotonin which is then converted into melatonin at night when exposure to light decreases.

Melatonin is typically taken about 30 minutes before the desired bedtime. Some experts caution that melatonin should not be used by people with depression, schizophrenia, autoimmune diseases, and other serious illness. Pregnant and nursing women should not use melatonin.

A University of Alberta study examined 17 studies with 651 people and found no significant side effects when used for three months or less. The long-term effect of melatonin supplementation is not known.

Read more about Melatonin.

3) Kava

Kava is an anti-anxiety herb that may be helpful for anxiety-related insomnia. However, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an advisory to consumers about the potential risk of severe liver injury resulting from the use of dietary supplements containing kava. To date, there have been more than 25 reports of serious adverse effects from kava use in other countries, including four patients who required liver transplants.

4) Relaxation Techniques

Relaxation techniques are one of the most effective ways to increase sleep time, fall asleep faster, and feel more rested in the morning. They require a minimum of 20 minutes before going to bed. There are many different techniques:

• Visualization - involves imagining a relaxing scene. You can try it in bed before falling asleep. Involve all your senses. If you're imagining yourself on a tropical island, think of the way the warm breeze feels against your skin. Imagine the sweet scent of the flowers, look at the water and listen the waves. The more vivid the visualization and the more senses you involve, the more effective it will be.
• Relaxation Response: A mind/body technique based on the principles of Transcendental Meditation. Learn how to elicit the relaxation response.
• Mindfulness: A type of meditation that essentially involves focusing on your mind on the present. Learn mindfulness.
• Yoga: combines deep breathing, meditation, and stretching. A Harvard study found that daily yoga for eight weeks improved total sleep time, the time to fall asleep.

5) Diet

Cut Out Caffeine
Caffeine can have a pronounced effect on sleep, causing insomnia and restlessness. In addition to coffee, tea, and soft drinks, look for hidden sources of caffeine such as chocolate, cough and cold medicine, and other over-the-counter medicine.

Avoid Sweets
Although sugar can give a burst of energy, it's short-lived and can cause uneven blood sugar levels. This can disrupt sleep in the middle of the night as blood sugar levels fall.

Eat Foods That Help You Sleep
Tryptophan is an amino acid that is a precursor to serotonin, which is then converted to melatonin. Carbohydrate snacks such whole grain crackers before bedtime may help to promote sleep. Just be sure to stay away from sweets.

Eat Magnesium-Rich Foods
Magnesium is a natural sedative. Deficiency of magnesium can result in difficulty sleeping, constipation, muscle tremors or cramps, anxiety, irritability, and pain. It has also been use for people with restless leg syndrome.

Foods rich in magnesium are legumes and seeds, dark leafy green vegetables, wheat bran, almonds, cashews, blackstrap molasses, brewer's yeast, and whole grains.

Before starting any natural remedies, consult your doctor.

Google Chairman Eric Schmidt Announces $1 Million for New Digital Age Grants

News on Google by Saif Ausaf

Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt has donated $1 million to set up New Digital Age Grants, which will be awarded next month to organizations around the globe that are using technology to solve pressing human problems.

The focus of the grants grew out of the book Schmidt and Google Ideas director Jared Cohen co-authored, THE NEW DIGITAL AGE, which will be released in paperback on March 4 by Vintage Books. In writing the book, Schmidt and Cohen traveled around the world to more than 40 countries—including North Korea, North Africa, and China—to explore how technology could be used to improve lives, especially in nations where access to information is severely restricted.

“In writing THE NEW DIGITAL AGE, Jared and I developed a strong belief in the power of technology to address some of the thorniest global challenges, a belief which was strengthened with each country we visited,” Schmidt said. “We felt it was important to recognize the work being done by non-profits that show promise in these areas. Receiving a New Digital Age Grant should accelerate their work in a meaningful way.”

Each of the grantees—which will be announced on Monday, March 10—fight some of the book’s central challenges: repressive censorship, crime, or natural disasters. Each uses technology in innovative ways. Some are based in academic institutions, others are stand-alone; and some are based in the U.S., while others are abroad. Yet each one is helping ensure that technology will be a force for good as five billion people connect to the Internet for the first time in the coming years.

The New Digital Age Grants are being funded through a private donation by Eric and Wendy Schmidt.

Nokia X -Nokia’s First Android Smartphone

In just about a few hours from now, the long-rumoured Nokia X aka Normandy Android smartphone will make its official debut in Barcelona, the city which is hosting the international electronics trade fair MWC (Mobile World Congress) 2014.

Though Nokia's MWC invitation sent out to the media mentions no significance to the event, the graphical teaser image of four black arrows forming the character 'X' in the green background gives away a strong hint that the rumored Nokia X smartphone is most likely to get launched in Barcelona.

Nokia has even offered to stream live webcast of the event from the company's official blog. The program is set to take off around 8:30am Barcelona local time on Monday, 24 February, (around 01:00pm IST). [To watch the event live, 

Though numerous reports indicate that Nokia X would be an entry-level smartphone with very less to offer, it is garnering huge interest - not only among tech enthusiasts and fans but also among market analysts - mainly cause Nokia X is the Finnish company's first ever Android project, since it began producing handsets.

After abandoning the in-house built 'Symbian' platform, it went on to join hands with Microsoft to run its flagship Lumia series smartphones with Windows Phone OS. Now, Nokia, which is on the verge of getting acquired by Microsoft next month, is going ahead with the launch of a smartphone powered by rivals Android (Google). Many believe that Nokia is just testing the water, to get feedback from the public.

Key specifications:

According to reports, Nokia X is set to sport a 4.0-inch WVGA (800x480p) display and is powered by Snapdragon dual-core processor with 512MB RAM and 4GB inbuilt memory (expandable). It is also expected to house a 5.0-megapixel camera and a 1500 mAh battery.

Though Nokia X is said to run on the Android OS, users will not be able enjoy Google services like Google search, Google Play store, Google Maps. Instead these apps will be replaced by Bing search, AoL (Asha on Linux) app store, Here navigation respectively, reported BGR India.

Another key feature of the AoL platform on Nokia X is that it will feature Tile based interface like we see in the Windows Phone OS-powered smartphones.

Release details:

Going by the spec sheet, Nokia X may not head to developed nations like America but it is certain to get released in emerging markets like India, China, South-East Asia, South America and Africa.

According to BGR India, Nokia is said to go for a blitzkrieg marketing during the IPL (Indian Premiere League) season 7 cricket tournament in early April, to give publicity to the new Nokia X in the sub-continent.

Price details:

Earlier in the month, Vietnamese online seller 'Mai Nguyen' had reportedly revealed that the Nokia X would cost somewhere between 2.2 million to 2.5 million VND (Vietnamese Dong), approximately ₹6,500-to-₹7,380 (or $100).


[Also read: Nokia X aka Normandy Roundup]

AB de Villiers sets new record

STAR South African batsman AB de Villiers on Thursday became the sole owner of a unique record for batting in Test cricket that has stood for almost four decades.

When de Villiers passed 50 in the first innings of the second Test against Australia at St George’s Park, he became the first man in the history of the game to make a half-century in 12 consecutive Tests.

The Proteas wicket-keeper-batsman was eventually out for 116 shortly after lunch on Friday, caught and bowled after a rare misjudgment against the spin of Nathan Lyon.

D Villiers reached his fifty the previous day with a boundary through the leg side off the part-time spin of Steve Smith.


The 30-year-old surpassed the record that he previously shared with three other men — West Indies legend Viv Richards, and former India opening partners Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir.

De Villiers’ incredible hot streak stretches all the way back to December 2012 — Ricky Ponting’s final Test match — when the South African made a breathtaking 169 at the WACA Ground to help the Proteas clinch a series victory.

He’s passed 50 in every Test he’s played since then, taking in series against Pakistan, New Zealand and India.
On five of those occasions, he went on to make a hundred, of which he now has 18.

The other milestone he reached in this Test was the 7,000 runs mark, becoming just the fourth South African to do so.
The Proteas No.5 has now belted 839 runs at an average of 83.90 over the past 12 months, racking nup four centuries along the way, and his performances so far in this series have merely confirmed his standing as the undisputed No.1 batsman in world cricket.

While his teammates struggled to deal with Mitchell Johnson on a pace-friendly Centurion pitch, de Villiers was completely unflustered.

The Proteas wicket-keeper essentially got himself out in both innings of that match, being caught off the bowling of Johnson after making 91 in the first dig and 48 in the second.


He was made to work hard for his runs at St George’s Park, but by the end of his innings was batting with such fluidity that it was a shock to the system when he eventually lost his wicket.

Everyone Who Thinks Facebook Is Stupid To Buy WhatsApp For $19 Billion Should Think Again

Facebook made a breathtaking move yesterday, buying messaging app WhatsApp for $19 billion.

Even for Facebook, that's a staggering amount to pay for a company with estimated 2013 revenue of only $20 million. It represents almost 10% of Facebook's overall value — for a "messaging app."

So in the wake of the announcement, the usual chorus of keyboard pundits took to Twitter to snicker together and pronounce Facebook and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, brain dead.

But Facebook buying WhatsApp for $19 billion isn't brain dead.

It's just bold.

Very bold.

Like other bold moves, Facebook's WhatsApp deal could end up looking brilliant.

Or moronic.

That's what makes it bold.

If it were guaranteed to end up looking brilliant, it wouldn't be bold. It would be obvious.

I don't know how Facebook's WhatsApp deal will end up looking — and neither, it's worth noting, do any of the pundits who are pronouncing it brain dead. Based on everything I do know, though, I think the odds are that it will end up looking brilliant.

Here's why:

• WhatsApp has both offensive and defensive value to Facebook. WhatsApp is the fastest-growing company in history (in terms of users). If the company's growth continues, and it can continue to "monetize" its users, it will be worth an even more mind-boggling amount of money someday. At the same time, WhatsApp's growth is gobbling up user messaging and connection time that once could have belonged to Facebook. Now those users and their time do belong to Facebook. So buying WhatsApp allows Facebook to both own "the next Facebook" and prevent "the next Facebook" from eating Facebook's lunch.
• WhatsApp's growth and usage is absolutely mind-boggling. Five years after its founding, the company has 450 million active monthly users, of which a staggering ~315 million use it every day. WhatsApp is adding 1 million new users a day — 1 million! Facebook thinks WhatsApp could have 1 billion users in a few years, and this estimate seems conservative. (Facebook itself only has 1.2 billion users.) WhatsApp also does a lot more than "text-messaging." It allows users to send photos, videos, and voicemails to each other. In short, it allows users to do a lot of what Facebook does. So, again, Facebook really does appear to be buying "the next Facebook."
• WhatsApp already has a powerful revenue model, and other successful messaging apps are showing the potential for it to add many more.  WhatsApp ostensibly charges its users $1 per year after the first year. ("Ostensibly" because I've never heard of anyone actually paying this $1). Assuming most current users end up paying the $1/year, that's a potential revenue stream of several hundred million dollars a year from WhatsApp's current revenue model alone. Meanwhile, other messaging apps like Line and WeChat have demonstrated the power of "stickers," user-to-user payments, ecommerce, and other revenue streams. When you have as many users as WhatsApp, generating even only a few dollars per year per user creates a massive business.
• WhatsApp has very low costs, so it should eventually be wildly profitable. WhatsApp currently has only 55 employees. Assuming an all-in cost of $200,000 per employee, that's a total cost base of $11 million. Let's assume WhatsApp grows to, say, 300 employees over the next few years. Then it will have a cost base of only $50-$75 million. Meanwhile, if the company's growth trajectory continues, it could easily be pulling in more than $1 billion a year of revenue in a few years. Almost all of that would be profit.
• The names of all the smart people who pronounced Facebook itself a "fad" or "worthless" and dissed every new investment in the company as "moronic" could fill a book. Most people have consistently underestimated the power, growth potential, and value of the leading social platforms, including Facebook. Facebook's $1 billion acquisition of Instagram, for example, which was then a revenue-less company with 13 employees, was seen as proof that Mark Zuckerberg was a clueless kid who had no business running a major company. Meanwhile, Facebook is now valued at $175 billion, and Instagram is considered one of the smartest pre-emptive acquisitions in history. $19 billion for WhatsApp is a much bolder bet than Instagram, but it, too, could end up looking a lot smarter than most people think.

Yes, but is WhatsApp really worth $19 billion?

The short answer is "no one knows." There are some financial scenarios in which WhatsApp could end up being "worth" (in a limited financial sense) a lot more than $19 billion. There are other scenarios in which it could end up being worth a lot less. The only answerable question right now is whether WhatsApp was worth $19 billion to Facebook.

And I think the answer is yes.

The bottom line:

This is a very bold move.

Like other bold moves, it might end up looking stupid, but it also might end up looking brilliant. 

It's also a long-term move, a bet on what the future will look like 5-10 years from now, not next quarter.

In that way, this deal is a vintage Mark Zuckerberg move.

Zuckerberg continues to be one of the few CEOs (Jeff Bezos is another) who is willing to sacrifice near-term earnings and expose himself to short-term ridicule in order to make bold long-term bets. This approach has worked out great for Amazon And it has worked out great for Facebook so far. 

In short, Facebook buying WhatsApp for $19 billion isn't stupid. It's just bold.

The salary you must earn to buy a home in 25 cities

How much salary do you need to earn in order to purchase a median-priced home in your city?

To find out, HSH.com took the National Association of Realtors’ fourth-quarter data for median home prices and HSH.com’s fourth-quarter average interest rate for 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages to determine how much money homebuyers in 25 cities would need to earn in order to afford only the principal and interest payment on a median-priced home in their market.

We used standard 28 percent "front-end" debt ratios, and a 20 percent down payment subtracted from the median home price data to arrive at our figures. There is no doubt that your income will need to be much higher to cover taxes, insurances and other expenses to live in the home, plus any other debts you might have.

While the NAR continues to report strong year-over-year price growth, home prices andmortgage rates retreated from the third to fourth quarter in 2013. While homeowners continue to praise home-price growth as it adds to their equity positions, some homebuyers have actually been stymied by the rapid growth as home prices have been rising faster than incomes.

All in all, the fourth quarter was a great time to buy as lower prices and mortgage ratesincreased affordability, allowing buyers to make less money and still afford a median-priced home in their market.

The last time we ran this calculation was in November 2013 using third-quarter data. Here’s a current look at how much salary you would need to earn in order to afford the median-priced home in your city.

Cleveland: $19,435.17

Mortgage rate: 4.43 percent

• Quarterly change: -0.18 percent

Home price: $112,800

• Quarterly change: -11.18 percent

• Year-over-year change (YOY): +0.1 percent

Monthly payment: $453.49

Salary: $19,435.17

• Quarterly change: -$2,913

Cleveland is the most affordable city on our list once again. Lower home prices and interest rates dropped the required salary by about $3,000 from the previous quarter.

Cincinnati: $22,226.95

Mortgage rate: 4.45 percent

• Quarterly change: -0.21 percent

Home price: $128,700

• Quarterly change: -9.43 percent
• YOY change: +2.6 percent

Monthly payment: $518.63

Salary: $22,226.95

• Quarterly change: -$2,924

Cincinnati remains at number two on our list. While the state of Ohio has struggled with positive consistency in the post-recession era, Cincinnati residents are happy to see positive price growth on a year-over-year basis. Lower mortgage rates and lower prices during the fourth quarter helped reduced the required salary from $25,151 in the third quarter to $22,227 in the fourth quarter of 2013.

St. Louis: $22,397.54

Mortgage rate: 4.41 percent

• Quarterly change: -0.18 percent

Home price: $130,300

• Quarterly change: -9.32 percent
• YOY change: +11.1 percent

Monthly payment: $522.61

Salary: $22,397.54

• Quarterly change: -$2,830

While St. Louis remains in third place, the affordability gap between St. Louis and Cincinnati is tightening. Quarterly declines in rates and prices brought down the required salary by about $3,000 from the previous quarter—similar to both Cleveland and Cincinnati.

Atlanta: $24,390.94

Mortgage rate: 4.38 percent

• Quarterly change: -0.25 percent

Home price: $142,400

• Quarterly change: -6.5 percent
• YOY change: +33.2 percent

Monthly payment: $569.12

Salary: $24,390.94

• Quarterly change: -$2,472

Over the long term, Atlanta home prices have seen a lot of improvement, but as is the case with most of the cities on the fourth-quarter list, recent trends have not been as kind. Current homebuyers in Atlanta aren’t complaining, however. With the largest quarterly rate spread of any metro on the list so far, buyers in Atlanta can make under $3,000 less and still afford the principal and interest payments on a median-priced home.

Tampa: $24,650.88

Mortgage rate: 4.47 percent

• Quarterly change: -0.21 percent

Home price: $142,400

• Quarterly change: -6.19 percent 
• YOY change: +3.8 percent

Monthly payment: $575.19

Salary: $24,650.88

• Quarterly change: -$2,279

The affordability spread between Tampa and Atlanta remains tight. With YOY price growth slowing and a quarterly decline of more than 6 percent, affordability has improved, allowing Tampa homebuyers to make over $2,000 less each year.

Orlando: $28,298.47

Mortgage rate: 4.35 percent

• Quarterly change: -0.29 percent

Home price: $165,800

• Quarterly change: -1.19 percent 
• YOY change: +19.8 percent

Monthly payment: $660.30

Salary: $28,298.47

• Quarterly change: -$1,333

All things considered, the real estate market in Orlando is looking up. A strong quarterly rate decline, a minimal quarterly price decline and a strong YOY improvement has both homeowners and homebuyers rejoicing in this Florida metro. The quarterly salary decline is approximately $1,300.  

San Antonio: $29,305.47

Mortgage rate: 4.35 percent

• Quarterly change: -0.36 percent

Home price: $171,700

• Quarterly change: -1.89 percent 
• YOY change: +6.9 percent

Monthly payment: $683.79

Salary: $29,305.47

• Quarterly change: -$1,849

Last quarter, San Antonio’s average mortgage rate was one of the highest on our list. This quarter, it’s one of the lowest. Add to that a small quarterly price decline, and the home of the Alamo saw affordability improve. A lower monthly payment of around $43 means a required salary of $29,305.

Dallas: $29,751.24

Mortgage rate: 4.37

• Quarterly change: -0.28 percent

Home price: $173,900

• Quarterly change: -4.08 percent 
• YOY change: +10.6 percent

Monthly payment: $694.20

Salary: $29,751.24

• Quarterly change: -$2,301

Given that mortgage rates and home prices are so similar in Dallas and San Antonio, it makes sense that the required salary in Dallas is just a few hundred dollars more than in its sister city of San Antonio.

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Dead Star and Distant Black Holes Dazzle in X-Rays

Two new views from NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, showcase the telescope's talent for spying objects near and far. One image shows the energized remains of a dead star, a structure nicknamed the "Hand of God" after its resemblance to a hand. Another image shows distant black holes buried in blankets of dust.

"NuSTAR's unique viewpoint, in seeing the highest-energy X-rays, is showing us well-studied objects and regions in a whole new light," said Fiona Harrison, the mission's principal investigator at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif.

NuSTAR launched into space June 13, 2012, on a mission to explore the high-energy X-ray universe. It is observing black holes, dead and exploded stars and other extreme objects in our own Milky Way galaxy and beyond.

The new "Hand of God" image shows a nebula 17,000 light-years away, powered by a dead, spinning star called PSR B1509-58, or B1509 for short. The dead star, called a pulsar, is the leftover core of a star that exploded in a supernova. The pulsar is only about 19 kilometers (12 miles) in diameter but packs a big punch: it is spinning around nearly seven times every second, spewing particles into material that was upheaved during the star's violent death. These particles are interacting with magnetic fields around the ejected material, causing it to glow with X-rays. The result is a cloud that, in previous images, looked like an open hand.

One of the big mysteries of this object, called a pulsar wind nebula, is whether the pulsar's particles are interacting with the material in a specific way to make it appear as a hand, or if the material is in fact shaped like a hand.

"We don't know if the hand shape is an optical illusion," said Hongjun An of McGill University, Montreal, Canada. "With NuSTAR, the hand looks more like a fist, which is giving us some clues."

The second image from NuSTAR shows active, supermassive black holes between three and 10 billion light-years away in a well-studied patch of sky called the COSMOS field (for Cosmic Evolution Survey). Each dot is a voracious black hole at the heart of a galaxy, actively feeding off a surrounding disk of material. NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and other telescopes have identified many of the black holes in this field, but some are so heavily obscured in gas and dust that NuSTAR's higher-energy X-ray observations are needed to characterize and understand them. Astronomers hope to use NuSTAR to provide new demographics on the numbers, types and distances to black holes that populate our universe.

"This is a hot topic in astronomy," said Francesca Civano of Yale University, New Haven, Conn. "We want to understand how black holes grew in the past and the degree to which they are obscured." The ongoing research will help explain how black holes and galaxies grow and interact with each other.

NuSTAR is a Small Explorer mission led by the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena and managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, also in Pasadena, for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The spacecraft was built by Orbital Sciences Corporation, Dulles, Va. Its instrument was built by a consortium including Caltech; JPL; the University of California, Berkeley; Columbia University, N.Y.; NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.; the Danish Technical University in Denmark; Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, Calif.; ATK Aerospace Systems, Goleta, Calif., and with support from the Italian Space Agency (ASI) Science Data Center, Rome, Italy.

NuSTAR's mission operations center is at UC Berkeley, with ASI providing its equatorial ground station located at Malindi, Kenya. The mission's outreach program is based at Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, Calif. NASA's Explorer Program is managed by Goddard. JPL is managed by Caltech for NASA.

As seen on http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/