Joan Rivers: ‘Death Is Like Plastic Surgery’By Tim TeemanA whirlwind vector of outrage and hilarity, Joan Rivers was an old-school trouper, at her happiest performing and puncturing the inflated egos of Hollywood.
Jennifer Lawrence Shouldn’t Laugh Off Her Nude Photo HackBy Samantha AllenThe public might expect Jennifer Lawrence to be her usual charming, funny self in the wake of a nude photo scandal. Here’s why she doesn’t have to.
The Woman Stuck in a Navy SEAL’s BodyBy Nina StrochlicFor 20 years, high-heeled and lipstick-wearing Kristin lived as a Navy SEAL named Christopher. She calls that alter ego the ‘angry bearded Viking.’
Gail Sheehy Books Passage to the PastBy Lizzie CrockerThe legendary journalist and ‘Passages’ author talks about her new memoir, the glory days of the new journalism, and the denizens of Grey Gardens.
The Weirdest Story About a Conservative Obsession, a Convicted Bomber, and Taylor Swift You Have Ever ReadBy David WeigelBenghazi, Robin Williams, Islam, Twitter, and a convicted bomber from the 1970s came together in a court case against right-wing bloggers.
Native American Basketball Team in Wyoming Have Hoop Dreams Of Their OwnBy Robert SilvermanFacing discrimination from whites and social problems of their own, the Wyoming Indian High School Chiefs make their conditions for victory.
Bonus Best of the Beast:
An Immigrant’s JourneyBy Caitlin DicksonCould you make it to America?
Top High Schools of 2014We used six indicators culled from school surveys to compare public high schools in the U.S., with graduation and college acceptance rates weighed most heavily. Other criteria included: college-level courses and exams, percentage of students with free or reduced lunch, as well as SAT and ACT scores—another mark of how well a school prepares students for college. The full results are below. School entries with icons indicate the school ranked in the top 100 of that category.
The Silent Shame of HPVBy Emily ShireHPV is the most common STD in America, but we still aren’t talking about it. Part of it is the shame associated with the virus, and part of it is the lack of education.
Get a Piece of Houdini Before He DisappearsBy Nina StrochlicA death-defying magical box. Handcuffs. A scrapbook kept by the magician himself. Eighty-eight years after Harry Houdini’s death, his mystery and legend persist…and are now for sale.
The Ghost Hotels of the CatskillsBy Bandon PresserFrom Dirty Dancing to plain dirty: Sullivan County—100 miles from New York City—once had more than 500 resorts. Today, all that remains of these Jewish holiday centers is a constellation of derelict buildings.
ISIS, Hip-Hop Jihadists and the Man Who Killed James FoleyBy Christopher DickeyWhoever killed James Foley likely thinks he’s serving a noble cause. But it’s not his God, it’s his ego that tells him so.
Rape and Sexual Slavery Inside an ISIS PrisonBy Ford SypherHeld by the terror group, women and girls as young as 14 who are not sold as wives are subjected to rape and torture. One woman is trying to buy their freedom—but time is running out.
A Shooting on a Tribal Land Uncovers Feds Running WildBy Caitlin DicksonInside the Tohono O’odham Native American Nation in southern Arizona, Border Patrol agents wield deadly force on unarmed Americans with near-impunity.