The Internet Crashes Nelson Mandela's Memorial Service

Thousands gathered in Johannesburg, South Africa, to memorialize the loss of one of the world's historic leaders this week. But some of the biggest news from the service focused on its attendees rather than the man of the hour.
Barack Obama was caught snapping a selfie with British Prime Minister David Cameron and Denmark's Prime Minister Helle Thorning Schmidt. Then, following the service, the sign language interpreter was revealed as a "fake" who claimed he was hallucinating.
YouTube extraordinaire Lamarr Wilson discusses this topic and more on his new Mashable show Socially Awkward. You can catch new episodes every Thursday, so do us a personal favor and subscribe to his channel — there's a lot more awkward fun in store.

The World Gathers for Nelson Mandela's Memorial Service

Dozens of heads of state from around the world are arriving in South Africa early this week to commemorate Nelson Mandela, the country's former president and anti-apartheid hero, at a state memorial service.
U.S. President Barack Obama, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and Cuban President Raúl Castro are among the world leaders who will pay tribute to Mandela at the service, which takes place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. local time at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg, according to a program published by the South African government. Current South African President Jacob Zuma and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will also make remarks.

Other notable attendees will include Prince Charles, UK Prime Minister David Cameron and French President François Hollande.
In addition, public viewing areas will be open across South Africa so locals can watch the official memorial service.
Mandela died on Thursday at the age of 95 after almost a month in intensive care.

Facebook Reveals the Biggest Trends of 2013

Miley Cyrus and the Royal Baby may have been all over Facebook this year, but neither proved to be top conversation driver on the social network.
Pope Francis was the most talked about topic on Facebook worldwide this year, according to new data from the company, which measured the number of posts mentioning a particular person or event, including related hashtags. The word "election," broadly, was the second-most talked about topic followed by the royal baby.
Cyrus came in at No. 7 on the list, one spot behind another viral phenomenon, the Harlem Shake. More somber subjects like the Boston Marathon bombings and the deaths of Margaret Thatcher and Nelson Mandela also ranked among the top 10 on Facebook's list.
In the United States, the list of top topics looks much different. Pope Francis ranks just No. 6 on the list and the Royal Baby ranks No. 8. The Super Bowl takes the top spot on the list, followed by the government shutdown.
For those interested, Facebook also offers the option for individual users to create their own years in review, which highlight some of your biggest posts from the year.

Idris Elba Deserves The Best Actor Oscar For Nelson Mandela Role, Harvey Weinstein Insists

If hugely successful producer Harvey Weinstein has his way, Idris Elba will be walking away with the Best Actor Oscar come March 2, for his portrayal of the late South African president Nelson Mandela.
Weinstein has spoken out on his latest movie which received it's London premiere on Thursday night, the same evening that Mandela died in Johannesburg, aged 95.
Luther star Idris portrays the leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner in Justin Chadwick's biopic based on Mandela's own memoirs, Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom. The Weinstein brothers co-produced the film, and Harvey reckons Brit actor Idris is in with a huge chance of scooping top prizes during awards season 2014.
"If every girl in my office is right, he's winning the world's sexiest man next year on top of maybe an Oscar," the producer quipped, according to the Press Assocation, with the actor himself adding:
"Would I like an Oscar? Yah man!"
Idris will have stiff competition though from other hottly tipped contenders who include Chiwetel Ejiofor for 12 Years A Slave, Leonardo DiCaprio for his latest team up with Martin Scorsese, The Wolf Of Wall Street and Matthew McConaughey in the Dallas Buyers Club.
The 41-year-old revealed this week that he based his performance on his own father, telling The Sun: ''Ironically I looked just like my old man. I designed my Mandela on my dad.''
Besides taking on the revolutionary anti-apartheid leader, Idris explained that this role has a special place in his heart; as it was the last time his dad saw him on screen before passing away at the age of 76, due to a long fight with lung cancer.
"It's a sad film and now, when I think about it, it must have been emotional for him. He must have known. We were all in denial. It was a great moment to share,'' he explained.
Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom will be released in cinemas on January 3.

Nelson Mandela, South African Anti-Apartheid Hero, Dies

Nelson Mandela, the former president of South Africa and the anti-apartheid hero, has died at the age of 95.
South Africa President Jacob Zuma confirmed Mandela's death on Thursday. In a televised address, Zuma said, "Our nation has lost its greatest son. Our people have lost a father." Mandela died at 8:50 p.m. local time.
Mandela passed away after almost a month of being in intensive care. He was admitted into a Hospital in Pretoria, South Africa, on June 8 with a recurring lung infection, an illness that traces back to his years in prison. During the rule of the white racist government and apartheid, Mandela spent 27 years behind bars, before being freed in 1990 and becoming South Africa's first black president in 1994.
The tweet, below, was sent from Mandela's account after the announcement of his death.

“Death is something inevitable.When a man has done what he considers to be his duty to his people&his country,he can rest in peace” #Madiba
— NelsonMandela (@NelsonMandela) December 5, 2013

You can read Zuma's speech in its entirety, below:

My Fellow South Africans,
Our beloved Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, the founding President of our democratic nation has departed.
He passed on peacefully in the company of his family around 20h50 on the 5th of December 2013.
He is now resting. He is now at peace.
Our nation has lost its greatest son. Our people have lost a father.
Although we knew that this day would come, nothing can diminish our sense of a profound and enduring loss.
His tireless struggle for freedom earned him the respect of the world.
His humility, his compassion, and his humanity earned him their love. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Mandela family. To them we owe a debt of gratitude.
They have sacrificed much and endured much so that our people could be free.
Our thoughts are with his wife Mrs Graca Machel, his former wife Ms Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, with his children, his grand-children, his great grand-children and the entire family.
Our thoughts are with his friends, comrades and colleagues who fought alongside Madiba over the course of a lifetime of struggle.
Our thoughts are with the South African people who today mourn the loss of the one person who, more than any other, came to embody their sense of a common nationhood.
Our thoughts are with the millions of people across the world who embraced Madiba as their own, and who saw his cause as their cause.
This is the moment of our deepest sorrow.
Our nation has lost its greatest son.
Yet, what made Nelson Mandela great was precisely what made him human. We saw in him what we seek in ourselves.
And in him we saw so much of ourselves.
Fellow South Africans,
Nelson Mandela brought us together, and it is together that we will bid him farewell.
Our beloved Madiba will be accorded a State Funeral.
I have ordered that all flags of the Republic of South Africa be lowered to half-mast from tomorrow, 6 December, and to remain at half-mast until after the funeral.
As we gather to pay our last respects, let us conduct ourselves with the dignity and respect that Madiba personified.
Let us be mindful of his wishes and the wishes of his family.
As we gather, wherever we are in the country and wherever we are in the world, let us recall the values for which Madiba fought.
Let us reaffirm his vision of a society in which none is exploited, oppressed or dispossessed by another.
Let us commit ourselves to strive together – sparing neither strength nor courage – to build a united, non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous South Africa.
Let us express, each in our own way, the deep gratitude we feel for a life spent in service of the people of this country and in the cause of humanity.
This is indeed the moment of our deepest sorrow.
Yet it must also be the moment of our greatest determination.
A determination to live as Madiba has lived, to strive as Madiba has strived and to not rest until we have realised his vision of a truly united South Africa, a peaceful and prosperous Africa, and a better world.
We will always love you Madiba!
May your soul rest in peace.
God Bless Africa.
Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika.