At home in Johannesburg.
'He now belongs to the ages.'
It confused Mandela with MLK.
Ronnie Smith, 33, shot while jogging.
White House admits the president knew his relative.
For a $15 minimum wage.
Times and Bloomberg reporters face ejection.
By suicide bomber and shooter.
Amnesty International reveals images.
In drug cases, according to report.
As the world mourns Mandela’s passing, The Daily Beast remembers six pivotal moments from the extraordinary life of the icon of peace and equality.
From American presidents to movie stars and journalists, luminaries around the world honor the father of modern South Africa.
He’s quieted the mob of critics on the interim pact with Iran, so they’re now attacking the next deal—the one that hasn’t happened yet.
In an interview tonight with Chris Matthews on MSNBC’s Hardball, President Barack Obama pushed for immigration reform and touted the fixes to the flawed HealthCare.gov website needed to implement his ambitious health-care overhaul.Talking to Matth...
In a live talk with Chris Matthews, the president pushed young people to get insured, showed optimism about immigration reform, but refused to weigh in on a Clinton-Biden face-off.
Most Republicans agree that the party needs a bigger tent. Earlier this year, the Republican National Committee released a whole report to that effect, and individual Republican lawmakers can’t stop talking about how their party is open to everyon...
They don’t want to fund gay candidates, want to repeal the minimum wage, and need classes on talking to women. Republicans agree they need a bigger tent, don’t know how to build it.
Now that he’s dead, and can cause no more trouble, Nelson Mandela is being mourned across the ideological spectrum as a saint. But not long ago, in Washington’s highest circles, he was considered an enemy of the United States. Unless we remember w...
If we turn the late South African leader into a nonthreatening moral icon, we’ll forget a key lesson from his life: America isn’t always a force for freedom.
Wiretaps and police intel on Rob Ford suggests the impossible: the Toronto mayor’s spiral from city hall to crack den could be even worse than we thought. The most egregious allegations are listed below. You can browse or download the Toronto poli...
The Toronto police’s 474-page document on the Crack Mayor’s antics is like a cross between a Hunter S. Thompson novel and ‘The Wire’. We dissect the most insane accusations, from a c...
In a recent speech championing immigration reform, President Obama said, “I’m not running for office again. I just believe it is the right thing to do.”Given the number of times Obama has publicly stated that his name will never be on another ball...
Does the commander in chief really need to serve two terms? Why a permanent ‘lame duck’ would change our politics for the better.
Lana Del Rey has been making heavier and longer and more bloated videos of her year-old songs from Born to Die: Paradise Edition as if she’s slowly releasing hostages. She’s saved her biggest victim for (hopefully?) last, a three-headed monster co...
Lana Del Rey’s songs have always sounded like a groggy soundtrack to a campy art house movie, so the logical step for her was to actually make a campy 27-minute art house movie.
Oscar Isaac could very well be nominated for an Academy Award for Inside Llewyn Davis, playing the tortured journeyman singer in the title of the Coen Brothers’ love letter to the fledgling folk revival scene in New York’s Greenwich Village in 196...
He plays a down-and-out folk singer in Greenwich Village in the ’60s. And he’s mesmerizing. Meet Oscar Isaac, the breakout star of the Coen Brothers’ lovely new film.
Iceland is home to many wonders. Volcanic mountains. The Blue Lagoon. Musical acts Björk, Of Monsters and Men, and Sigur Rós. Four-time “World’s Strongest Man” winner Magnús Ver Magnússon. The evil ice hockey team in D2: The Mighty Ducks.It also h...
The race between a womanizing nonagenarian and a well-endowed kook to get a human penis in Iceland’s Phallological Museum. Only one penis can win.
“Remember who the real enemy is.”It’s a pivotal line in the new Hunger Games film sequel, Catching Fire. But it might also be said of the film itself.On the surface, Hunger Games—both the books and the films—is another liberal dystopian fantasy. A...
The bizarre future world of Katniss and Peeta is an American conservative’s fantasy—a big federal government that squashes individual will.
We’ve already analyzed the craziest lyrics off of R. Kelly’s upcoming album Black Panties, which will be released Dec. 10. On it, there’s a song called “Marry the P**sy” that sees the R&B crooner drop the word “p**sy” a head-scratching 57 time...
Watch Benedict Cumberbatch’s hilarious dramatic reading of R. Kelly’s ‘Black Panties’ on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
We will hear much in the coming days about Nelson Mandela’s surplus of saintly qualities, of which there were indeed many. And we will be treated to the interminable and drippy encomiums of pundits and celebrities who couldn’t differentiate the AN...
He will be forever linked with the abolition of Apartheid, but he was also a friend of such villains as Gaddafi and Castro. We need to accept his shortcomings to truly fathom his acc...
Nelson Mandela is dead.We will all grieve; many of us will weep as if we have lost a father, or a savior, or a protector, even if we have never actually laid eyes on him.Much of this grief is nostalgic; a sadness about the passing of an era of gre...
The world mourns the death of the South African leader, who symbolized an era of great hope, when equality and justice seemed possible.
Nelson Mandela, who died December 5, refused to be thought of as a saint. “I never was one,” he insisted—“even on the basis of an earthly definition of a saint as a sinner who keeps trying.” He wasn’t just being modest. He had a weakness for fine ...
The extraordinary life of the man who liberated South Africa—and then kept the country from falling apart.
The first month of the phone hacking trial at the Old Bailey in Central London has heard an extraordinary account of alleged malpractice, duplicity and illegality at the heart of Rupert Murdoch’s biggest selling newspaper, the now defunct News of ...
After a month of revelations at the phone hacking trial, a clear picture of the sex-obsessed, cut-throat world of Rupert Murdoch’s tabloid journalists has been presented.
On Thursday, Pope Francis agreed to appoint a special ad-hoc “commission for the protection of minors” to address alleged and proven sex abuse by Catholic priests. The commission was suggested by a council of eight cardinals, tasked with advising...
For victims who silently suffered child abuse at the hands of priests, nothing the Vatican does will ever be quite enough. But a new commission ordered by Pope Francis could be a so...
Militants in the Libyan city of Benghazi claimed another American life today when gunmen shot dead a chemistry teacher while he was out jogging in an upscale residential district not far from where U.S. ambassador Christopher Stevens died last yea...
Texas native Ronnie Smith, described by his students as an inspiring motivator and a beloved “best friend,” was shot by gunmen while jogging in a residential district in Benghazi.
Susan and Daryl Grout were in the car on a Sunday afternoon last month when their daughter, Jennifer, 5,000 miles away, emailed a link to a YouTube clip showing her flawless rendition of Um Kalthoum’s “Ba’eed ‘annuk” — “Far From You,” aptly—in per...
Jennifer Grout, a 23-year-old singer from Boston, speaks no Arabic—and yet she’s become a phenomenon across the Middle East for her flawless renditions of classic songs on the spinof...
Sure, we’ve all heard that we should get more sleep. The realities of life sometimes get in the way of that, and it becomes “we should get more sleep later.” There is either more work to be done, or more fun to be had, or both. The only downside i...
From moving around to turning up the lights and, yes, drinking coffee, here are some perfectly safe and legal ways to keep the Sandman away.
I've found that 30 seconds of high-intensity body-weight exercise gives me the same mental boost as a shot of caffeine. After validating the results of my newfound productivity hack on a Stanford-designed test of cognitive performance, these ...
A few pushups can give you the same mental boost as a cup of joe. So next time you need a jolt at the office, considering skipping the Keurig machine and dropping to the ground instead.
Everyone is looking for ways to squeeze more hours out of the day, and unfortunately for many, that means giving up on the one thing they need most: proper sleep.Sleep quantity and sleep quality tend to have a linear relationship—as one goes down,...
Stress got you up all night? From knowing your sleep cycle to eating fat before bed and changing your sheets, here’s how to rest better—even with small children at home.
By Michael Israetel for Life by DailyBurn IIFYM may sound like some sort of computer language acronym, but it’s actually a new approach to dieting that promises a greater freedom of food choices without the loss of results. It stands for “If It F...
For critics of the “selfie” phenomenon, the increasingly popular photo-sharing network Frontback is either a small sign of progress or further proof of the decline of our civilization.The concept: every final exposure is two pictures. The top half...
It’s the year of the selfie, and Frontback—an increasingly popular app that lets users create a composite photo of themselves and their surroundings—is taking full advantage.
I started off by hating Twitter, chiefly because I thought that there were rules about how to use it and I didn't get on with these: I didn't want to retweet articles from The New York Times or link to photos of what I had for lunch or c...
Social media isn’t just for haters and trolls. Here are some deep thoughts on microblogging from one of the medium’s most insightful voices.
For holiday shoppers, gift cards are the easy way out. They’re light. They’re quick, and bound to delight. They’re also problematic on a few levels, as I noted several years ago. When you buy gift cards, you’re lending money to retailers for free....
The majority of gift cards go to waste, unused by consumers and left to rot in landfills. But there’s a green alternative—cards made of wood—that allow you to gift without the guilt.
May we present 'Radiant Orchid,' the pinkish-purple hue that has already been (and will continue to be) an influence on style everywhere.
In 1897, L. Frank Baum, author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, was the first to acknowledge window dressing as a fashion and art entity in and of itself. Baum created the monthly trade journal The Show Window: A Journal of Practical Window Trimming...
David Hoey, Bergdorf Goodman’s resident window dresser, talks the ins and outs of creating new extravagant displays for the store each year.
1. The Guide for the Modern Gentleman, $26.70 at ASOS 2. Filson Flask, $78 at East Dane 3. Harry's Razors One-Two Shaving Set, $12 at Harry's 4. Victorinox Cigar Cutter Pocket Knife, $102 at Nordstrom 5. WANT Les Essentiels de la Vie...
The halls are decked and snow is in the air…it’s time to get your Santa on! The Daily Beast rounds up the best gifts for all of your loved ones—even those impossible to please.
Miley Cyrus Named Both Best and Worst Dressed: Time Magazine released its annual Best and Worst Dressed lists for the year, and as a result of her "schizophrenic fashion," Miley Cyrus made both. The nude, latex bikini and foam finger the...
And Versace receives billion dollar offer.
The Daily Beast goes backstage at the 2013 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, seeing how models like Doutzen Kroes and Lily Aldridge get ready for the runway.
An ornate gold and white gown that once belonged to Princess Diana - described as having a 'fairytale' feel to it - has been sold at auction today for a staggering £102,000 - approximately $140,000. The extraordinary price for the osten...
A 1986 dress worn by Diana fetched $140,000 in London today.
Jay Z and Beyoncé Go Vegan: On Tuesday, Jay Z announced on his website, Life + Times, that he and Beyoncé are embarking upon the 22 Days Challenge. The initiative, started by exercise physiologist (and close friend of Jay Z) Marco Borges, consists...
And Cara Delevingne covers British Vogue.
In central Burma, a picturesque landscape is the stuff of a photographer's dreams: thousands of peaks spiral upward from 26 miles of flat greenery, framed by the Irrawaddy river and a wall of distant mountains. The ancient city of Bagan stret...
There aren’t many places left in the world that are both truly off the beaten path and extraordinary. One town in Burma has over 2,000 stunning ancient temples…and barely any tourists.
The teams of wounded servicemen racing to the South Pole - including one headed by Prince Harry - are suffering 'exhaustion and mental weariness' the organisers of the Virgin Money South Pole Allied Challenge said today. Guide Eric Phi...
The three teams attempting to walk to the South Pole as part of the Virgin Money Allied Challenge battle fatigue in brutal conditions
In the neon Day-Glo 1980s—when Miami’s South Beach patios were cluttered with grandmas in rockers, not models with slamming bodies, and the only place to eat on Ocean Drive was the cheerful but not at all chic News Café—Wynwood, north of downtown,...
South Beach may host the main Art Basel events, but artists are flocking to Miami’s up-and-coming Wynwood neighborhood, with its galleries, street art, and people watching.
Of the 981 properties on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, 44 are categorized as in danger for reasons ranging from political instability to tourism. See some of the at-risk sites.
Of the 981 properties on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, 44 are categorized as in danger for reasons ranging from political instability to tourism. See some of the at-risk sites.
It’s almost 8 p.m. I am waiting at the Chateau Rouge metro station deep in Paris’s 18th arrondissement for Phillip, an American expat and craft-beer aficionado. The neighborhood is called Goutte d’Or, which translates to “drop of gold,” and it isn...
Something’s afoot in Paris, but it has nothing to do with kings or the bourgeoisie. The culprit: specialty beer. From microbrewers to bar owners, meet the people leading the uprising.
For one month a year, the icy waters of Roopkund Lake melt enough to reveal scattered skeletal remains of 200 humans who perished in the region 1,200 years ago. Because of the harsh conditions of the remote lake, nestled 15,750 feet in the Himalay...
For decades, experts puzzled over hundreds of ancient dead bodies found at a remote lake. Were they victims of disease? Mass suicide? War? The answer is weirder than you think.
“Bless-ed Rise, Bless-ed Rise,” the three-syllable Rastafarian greeting echoed off rusted copper kettle planters lining the breezeways of our Jamaican hotel. It came from a fellow guest who lilted like an islander, yet looked like a Long Islander...
In the great Caribbean melting pot, one group is largely overlooked: Jewish refugees who settled centuries ago. Their descendants are unearthing graveyards to reclaim a piece of hist...
A Bloody Mary may be America’s tried-and-true hangover cure, but the morning after a 7-hour Thanksgiving dinner and countless drinks may require a stronger concoction. On Friday morning, take some cues from around the world—if you can stomach it. ...
From ceviche marinade to picked sheep eyeballs to ground rhino horns, here are the craziest hangover cures from around the globe.
Have we seen too much of Marina Abramović?“A Portrait of Marina Abramović”, a striking, nude, 3-D film of the performance artist, premiered Tuesday night during Art Basel Miami Beach. For the full, six-minute movie, filmmaker Matthu Placek slides the camera sixty feet from the rafters of Abramović’s Hudson, NY, performance art space down to her naked body, then to her famous unblinking gaze.The artist has seemingly been everywhere lately, and at this invite-only ...
As Art Basel Miami Beach kicks off, Abramovic talks about her friendship with Lady Gaga, ignoring the critics, and how her early art teachers thought she should be committed.
David Datuna's vision for his collaboration with Google Glass via app developers BrickSimple, is, as the title suggests, nothing short of vast: he hopes his "Viewpoint of Billions" will go viral. What artist doesn't?But in Datu...
Tech geeks aren’t the only people trying out Google Glass. One artist is debuting a Glass-based work of art in Miami—in which the viewer looks at art that looks back.
In the neon Day-Glo 1980s—when Miami’s South Beach patios were cluttered with grandmas in rockers, not models with slamming bodies, and the only place to eat on Ocean Drive was the cheerful but not at all chic News Café—Wynwood, north of downtown,...
South Beach may host the main Art Basel events, but artists are flocking to Miami’s up-and-coming Wynwood neighborhood, with its galleries, street art, and people watching.
Yet another picture from my week-long study of the Black Paintings of Ad Reinhardt, now being celebrated at David Zwirner in New York. This canvas was painted in 1960. So far this week, I've been stressing the conceptual, even anti-retinal si...
Reinhardt's subtlety makes us look until we can't look any more.
Iceland is home to many wonders. Volcanic mountains. The Blue Lagoon. Musical acts Björk, Of Monsters and Men, and Sigur Rós. Four-time “World’s Strongest Man” winner Magnús Ver Magnússon. The evil ice hockey team in D2: The Mighty Ducks.It also h...
The race between a womanizing nonagenarian and a well-endowed kook to get a human penis in Iceland’s Phallological Museum. Only one penis can win.
As Detroit struggled with its descent into bankruptcy, it always had at least one bright spot: its world-class Detroit Institute of Arts. Now, as the city’s emergency manager, Kevyn D. Orr, pressures the museum to contribute to helping with munici...
To see how much it could raise.
"Abstract Painting, No. 34", from 1964, is the third of my week's worth of Pics devoted to the Black Paintings of Ad Reinhardt, now on view in his centennial show at David Zwirner in New York. Compared to the others in the series, t...
Reinhardt's Black Paintings demand to be seen in their magical flesh.
Reading The Great Debate, reminded me of the night I spoke at the Yale Political Union (YPU) in February 2009. I was invited to New Haven to advance the argument that “Americans Should Embrace Their Radical History”—that is, the history of our man...
A new book by Yuval Levin says America should discover its Burkean roots, but it’s Paine and his radical vision that are truly in the spirit of this country.
I understand that I’ve caught you in the midst of a visit to the National Stamp Museum in DC?I’m doing an appearance here in DC. I had an hour and a half to blow, so I decided to pop into the museum, take a look around. You’re always hunting for i...
The newly crowned National Book Award winner for fiction tells us about his pad in New York City, being able to write anywhere, and rewriting everything—even his emails.
“We are on the biggest gold binge ever,” writes Matthew Hart. “Never has there been so much to buy and such a frenzied trade.” The economic meltdown certainly played a part in this binge; gold prices doubled between 2008 and 2011 as investors soug...
The latest wild commodity is none other than one of the oldest: gold. A new book by journalist Matthew Hart takes readers on a while ride from South African gold mines to the trading...
Llewyn Davis seems all but lost at sea. He’s a merchant marine who’s misplaced his seaman’s papers. Come nightfall he’s a New York folk singer who is more likely to receive a beating after a gig than get royalties for his obscure recordings. At th...
If the new Coen Brothers movie is meant to be a portrait of the pre-Bob Dylan Greenwich Village folk scene, how well did it do? Warning: spoilers abound.
Peter Kaplan, who died Friday evening at age 59, was my boss for twelve years at The New York Observer. When he quit the paper in 2009, a few of the reporters put together a tribute issue, “The Kaplan Review,” a 24-page love letter (lightly sprink...
Famed New York Observer editor Peter Kaplan died Friday. Adam Begley, who was books editor of the newspaper for twelve years, remembers their lunches.
Nelson Mandela