Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos Buys 'The Washington Post' for $250 Million

In a surprise move, Jeff Bezos, the CEO and founder of Amazon, has purchased The Washington Post and various other newspaper assets from The Washington Post Company for $250 million, it was announced at an all-hands meeting at The Washington Post's offices on Monday afternoon.

Bezos is acquiring WaPo as an individual, not by Amazon, the company confirmed in an e-mailed statement.


Courtesy: 
Lauren Indvik,mashable.com

Optical lattice atomic clock could 'redefine the second'

The optical lattice clock shines lasers
on atoms to measure time

Scientists say they have found a more accurate way to measure time. We currently use atomic clocks to count the seconds, but tests on an alternative atomic timekeeper have revealed that it is more precise.

The French researchers said the clocks, which are called optical lattice clocks, lost just one second every 300 million years.

Writing in Nature Communications, the team said they offered a better system for defining the second.

Asiana 214 pilot realised plane flying too low

Investigators are sifting through the wreckage to determine the factors  that helped so many passengers escape serious injury

The senior pilot in the cockpit of Asiana flight 214 realised the plane was too low when it was flying at only 500ft (152m), an official has said. The Boeing 777 crash-landed at the San Francisco airport on Saturday, killing two passengers and injuring 180. The pilot at the South Korean plane's controls was about half-way through his Boeing 777 training, an official said. Investigators have indicated the plane was flying too slowly when it struck a sea wall before crashing on the runway.

David Beckham Retires From Soccer, Ending Storied Career

David Beckham, who starred for Manchester United, Real Madrid and England's national team before heading to the United States and Paris, is retiring. The news was confirmed Thursday by England's Football Association.

The midfielder played his first game for Manchester United in 1992 and eventually rose to become captain of England's international team for more than 50 games, including several World Cup tournaments. He appeared in 115 matches for the squad.

The site of the English national squad posted these comments from Beckham, on his retirement:

"I feel now is the right time to finish my career, playing at the highest level.
"I want to thank all my team-mates, the great managers that I had the pleasure of learning from. I also want to thank the fans who have all supported me and given me the strength to succeed.
"If you had told me as a young boy I would have played for and won trophies with my boyhood club Manchester United, proudly captained and played for my country over 100 times and lined up for some of the biggest clubs in the world, I would have told you it was a fantasy."
"I'm fortunate to have realised those dreams."
As he rose to international fame, Beckham also became a style icon and gained fame for his deadly ability to beat goaltenders on free kicks, a talent that even inspired a movie, Bend It Like Beckham.

"Despite the offer of an extended one-year deal at Paris Saint-German, the 38-year-old has played his last game, bowing out on a high after helping Carlo Ancelotti's side win the French title for the first time in 19 years," reports The Daily Mail.

Before this season, Beckham spent six years with the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer, where he helped boost interest in the league. The team won two championships in Beckham's final two seasons with the squad.

Prior to this season, Beckham returned to Europe with his wife, Victoria, and their children.

"We're never going to replace David Beckham," Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena told the Los Angeles Times this week. "David Beckham is a global personality, and he was tremendous for our franchise, tremendous for the league."

Update at 11:25 a.m. ET. More From Beckham:

Beckham has posted a statement on his Facebook page that includes the paragraphs quoted above. Here is the rest of the statement:

"To this day, one of my proudest achievements is captaining my country. I knew every time I wore the Three Lions shirt, I was not only following in a long line of great players, I was also representing every fan that cared passionately about their country. I'm honoured to represent England both on and off the pitch.
"I wouldn't have achieved what I have done today without my family. I'm grateful for my parents' sacrifice, which made me realise my dreams. I owe everything to Victoria and the kids, who have given me the inspiration and support to play at the highest level for such a long period. I also want to thank Simon Fuller and his team for their continued support.
"I want to thank all my team-mates, the great managers that I had the pleasure of learning from. I also want to thank the fans who have all supported me and given me the strength to succeed.
"Nothing will ever completely replace playing the game I love, however I feel like I'm starting a new adventure and I'm genuinely excited about what lies ahead. I'm fortunate to have been given many
opportunities throughout my career and now I feel it's my time to give back."

Courtesy:

Bill Chappell 

npr.org 

dailymail.co.uk

British Vogue unveils Miss Vogue

The British edition of the fashion bible has welcomed little sister, Miss Vogue, into the fashion fold.

The first ever issue comes packaged with the June issue of Vogue and stars a smiling Cara Delevingne on its cover. It's the first time the British edition of the famed publication has turned its hand to catering to a younger readership.

"We hope you enjoy it as much as we have enjoyed working on it," says Alexandra Shulman in her editor's letter, which is accompanied by an image of her 15-year-old self." 

Voguemagazine appeals to all ages but I wanted to produce an edition targeted at younger readers, created with your lifestyles in mind. As with the mother magazine, the fashion is meant to inspire even if you're a bit short on cash."

Contributors to the debut issue include Cara, who shot the cover just a matter of days after returning to London following her marathon month of catwalking at the autumn/winter 2013 shows, Pixie Geldof, Henry Holland, model Sam Rollinson and wacky design due Meadham Kirchhoff.

Cover star Delevingne, the brightest modelling talent of the moment, is described by Shulman as " Miss Vogue made physical" thanks to her "maverick sense of style and fun" - and in a nice parallel, Kate Moss, the mother of all British models, appears on the cover of the flagship issue, her 32nd for the publication.

The issue has been put together by members of the existing Vogue team but it's not yet known whether further issues will be produced.

Kate Moss covers the June issue of Vogue. Photo: Patrick Demarchelier

Story by: Bibby Sowray, Telegraph.

The Daily Beast, HuffPost Live and New York Times among Webby Award winners

The annual awards for 'excellence on the internet' recognised a number of news and media outlets

News organisations such as the New York Times, BBC and Forbes joined digital-only news outlets including Pitchfork, The Daily Beast and the Huffington Post on the list of Webby Award winners for 2013 published today.

The awards are given for "excellence on the internet", and are organised into main categories, such as web, online film and video, mobile and apps, and social. Each category is then broken-down into sub-categories, which feature a Webby Winner, decided by a panel of judges, and a People's Voice winner, based on an online public vote.

The Daily Beast was named the Webby Winner in the web category for news for the second year running. The Daily Beast is part of Newsweek which announced a move to digital-only at the end of last year. The Huffington Post won the People's Voice in the same category.

Other winners include Pitchfork in the web category for best visual design and function in recognition for its cover stories, such as this feature on Bat For Lashes.

BBC Olympics took away the People's Voice award in the web category for best use of moving image or video.

The New Yorker won the Webby Award in the web category of best writing (editorial), while the Verge picked up the People's Voice in the same category.

Forbes Media was the Webby Award winner in the web category for magazines, with Wired named at the People's Voice. Mashable was named both Webby Winner and the People's Voice in the web category for business blogs, while Nate Silver's New York Times blog FiveThirtyEight won the Webby Award in the web category for political blogs.

In the online film and video category HuffPost Live was the Webby winner for best news and information channel. Journalism.co.uk spoke to president and co-creator of HuffPost Live Roy Sekoff just last month, six months after the launch of the live video discussion platform.

Also in the online film and video category Vice was named both Webby Winner and People's Voice for both news and politics (individual episode), in recognition for its Mexican Morman War video and the news and politics (series) category for Vice News.

In the mobile and apps category, CNNMoney's mobile web won the Webby Award for news (handheld devices), while TechCrunch took the Webby Award in the news (tablet and other devices) category.

Al Jazeera English's new iPad magazine, which launched in September last year, took the People's Voice award in the news (tablet and other devices) category.

In the social category the New York Times received both the Webby Award and the People's Voice award. Last year Journalism.co.uk reported on the different ways the New York Times uses social media to engage with its online community.

Courtesy: Journalism.co.uk
Story by: Rachel McAthy

Jon Hamm on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart

Jon Hamm discusses the sixth season of "Mad Men" and his pending marriage to Aasif Mandvi. 

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.




Courtesy:
Youtube

Psy’s New Single Is Out! Hear ‘Gentleman’ Now

Of course, the question on everyone's mind is, does the new tune gallop like "Gangnam"? General

consensus around the Web is that Psy hasn't strayed far from what worked (very well) for him. "Gentleman" has a driving beat, a repeated catchphrase ("mother father gentleman"), and Korean words that will doubtlessly have nonspeakers scratching their heads.

Is this repetition of sorts a good thing? Critical reviews are mixed, with the expected cheerful-to-grumpy spectrum . The BBC calls the new tune "formulaic"; while Fuse counters that it's "oh-so-danceable" and MTV raves about its "floor-shattering" drive. The Associated Press optimistically observes that at least the song is "stealing attention from inter-Korean tensions."

Fan reviews were predictably mixed as well, ranging on Twitter from "It's great," "Catchy" and even "Brilliant" to "Ugggh," "Let-down," and "Not really unique."

Those who got their groove on learning Psy's horse dance last year will be happy to know that there's yet another signature dance for "Gentleman," although we'll have to wait one more day for the official video to come out to see that.

"The dance is one known to all Koreans but new to 
foreigners," Psy explained earlier this month. He'll reportedly unveil the moves during his sold-out concert in Seoul on Saturday.

Of course, the question on everyone's mind is, does the new tune gallop like "Gangnam"? General consensus around the Web is that Psy hasn't strayed far from what worked (very well) for him. "Gentleman" has a driving beat, a repeated catchphrase ("mother father gentleman"), and Korean words that will doubtlessly have nonspeakers scratching their heads.

Is this repetition of sorts a good thing? Critical reviews are mixed, with the expected cheerful-to-grumpy spectrum . The BBC calls the new tune "formulaic"; while Fuse counters that it's "oh-so-danceable" and MTV raves about its "floor-shattering" drive. The Associated Press optimistically observes that at least the song is "stealing attention from inter-Korean tensions."

Fan reviews were predictably mixed as well, ranging on Twitter from "It's great," "Catchy" and even "Brilliant" to "Ugggh," "Let-down," and "Not really unique."

Those who got their groove on learning Psy's horse dance last year will be happy to know that there's yet another signature dance for "Gentleman," although we'll have to wait one more day for the official video to come out to see that.

"The dance is one known to all Koreans but new to foreigners," Psy explained earlier this month. He'll reportedly unveil the moves during his sold-out concert in Seoul on Saturday.

Story by:
Wendy Geller, Yahoo News

Margaret Thatcher getting a funeral fit for a queen

It’s an announcement that has upset some Brits who feel the former prime minister is undeserving of such an honor.