20 US presidents who belonged to shadowy secret societies

Secret societies always get the ominous treatment in fiction.
Are there any movies with remotely benevolent secret orders? Most fictional secret societies are usually more bogged down with dressing in outdated robes, chanting ominously, doing sacrifices, or hatching nefarious global plots.

So, to the paranoid mind, it probably sounds somewhat startling that 20 out of 45 US presidents have been affiliated with some kind of secret group. Just keep in mind that many of these societies function a bit like social clubs, charitable organizations, and business networks. In many cases, beneath the secret handshakes and mysterious rituals, they're kind of like adult frats (or actual frats, in the case of the college groups on this list).

Here are the presidents who have belonged to a secret society at some point:

Skydiving instructor plunged 1,600 feet to his death trying to save student

  

A skydiving instructor plummeted 1,600 feet to his death as he saved a student whose parachute failed mid-air.

Carl Marsh, 46, helped Dominic Leeds when a piece of equipment snapped as they emerged through clouds during a training drill.

When the dad-of-one aided Mr Leeds in releasing his reserve parachute, he became entangled in the student's principal chute.

Although he was able to cut himself free, it is thought Mr Marsh lost consciousness when his own parachute began spiralling to the ground at high speed and was unable to steer himself to safety.
He suffered multiple fatal injuries in the ensuing impact and died at the scene. His teenage son was working on the ground at the time.

As many as 17 killed as mountain of garbage collapses

Heavy rains triggered the partial collapse of a huge mound of garbage in Mozambique's capital on Monday, killing as many as 17 people who were buried by debris.

Authorities believe more bodies could be buried at the Hulene garbage dump on the outskirts of Maputo, and a search was underway. The garbage in the poor, densely populated area where the disaster happened rose to the height of a three-story building, according to the Portuguese news agency Lusa.

Twelve people died, Lusa reported. Radio Mocambique put the death toll at 17. Half a dozen homes were destroyed and some residents in the area fled for fear of another collapse.

Dublin's dead men walking: 29 on death list in brutal gangland war

    

In the most violent gangland feud in Irish criminal history they are Dublin’s dead men walking.

As one international crime gang headed up by a Dublin drug smuggler seeks to annihilate its rival in the Irish capital, at least 29 men have been told they are on death lists.

Fifteen people have already died, with many more injured and dozens of families have been driven from their homes by fear and intimidation during two years of gang warfare between master criminals Christy Kinahan and Gerry “The Monk” Hutch. There is seemingly no end in sight to their fight over the Dublin drug trade, which has intensified and become ever more personal.

  

Baftas 2018: Three Billboards scoops Best Film as its stars Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell collect awards

  

(18 February) saw the 71st Bafta film awards take place at London's Royal Albert Hall for an event which saw Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri emerge the evening's big winner.

Joanna Lumley replaced Stephen Fry as the ceremony's host which also saw wins for The Shape of Water and Darkest Hour.

Best Director winner Guillermo del Toro's fantasy drama led the pack with 12 nominations in total with Martin McDonagh's Three Billboards following up with nine.

   

Scandal hits Church of England as vicar is caught on video smoking crack, snorting cocaine & discussing prostitutes & Porn at his church-owned home (Photos)

The Church of England is reportedly investigating a vicar in East London after he was caught on video smoking crack, snorting cocaine and discussing prostitutes and pornography with a friend at his church-owned home.
In the video released by The Sun on Sunday, Rev Stennett Kirby, 64, the vicar of West Ham Parish Church in Stratford, smoked what was reported to be highly-addictive Class A drug and snorted cocaine in the shocking footage.

Fergie 'murders' the American national anthem at the NBA All Star game (Video)

Fergie confused the whole world after singing her version of the American national anthem at the NBA All Star game last night.

The singer, who performed in front of an all star crowd which included Beyonce, took to the court in a skin tight sparkling black dress with killer heels. Expecting a traditional version of the ballad, the crowd was visibly shocked with the Black Eyed Peas singer's version.


One basketball player was even caught on camera giggling.

Basketball fans and stars flooded Twitter with their responses to her hit =. One viewer quipped: "I played this for my dog and he died." Another added: "One of the most horrifying renditions I have ever heard. Did she think it was the 1920s or trying to seduce the flag? I'm not sure what just happened. Not just her ability.. but the arrangement was bizarre."

PHOTO: luxurious $92 million superyacht that has a sushi bar, a salon, Jacuzzi, and can sleep 16 people

One of the most luxurious of these yachts is the Fraser Perini Navi Grace E, which costs about $92 million to buy, according to Fraser's website. Spanning a length of more than 200 feet, the superyacht has seven staterooms and an entire wellness deck complete with a spa and gym.

Keep scrolling for a closer look inside the luxury yacht:

Built by Perini Navi, the Grace E superyacht measures about 240 feet long, and is priced at a whopping $91,931,000.

Russian Alexander Krushelnitsky fails doping test at Winter Olympics

 

The International Olympic Committee’s highly contentious decision to resist a blanket ban on Russian athletes at Pyeongchang 2018 backfired enormously last night after one of the nation’s medallists failed a doping test.

A spokesman for the Olympic Athletes from Russia confirmed to Sportsmail that they had been notified of an adverse finding and said the results of the B sample would be known today.

They would not confirm the identity of the athlete, but it is reported by Russian media to be Alexander Krushelnitsky, who won a mixed doubles curling bronze medal. He is said to have tested positive for meldonium - the same substance for which Maria Sharapova was banned in 2016.

according to Russian daily newspaper Sport Express.

Breaking News : Plane carrying 66 people crashes in southern Iran

Iran — An Iranian commercial aircraft carrying 66 people crashed on Sunday in southern Iran, a semi-official news agency reported. There was no immediate word on casualties.

The ATR-72, a twin-engine turboprop used for short-distance regional flying, went down near the remote mountain town of Semirom, some 620 kilometers (390 miles) south of the capital, Tehran, the semi-official Fars news agency said.

Fars said the plane was flying from Tehran to the southern Iranian city of Yasuj, some 780 kilometers (485 miles) south of the Iranian capital.

The legendary Dahomey Amazons are the real-life all-women’s army in Black Panther

Marvel Studios just released another Black Panther feature, this time spotlighting the all-female army whose role has been shown to be essential to the story being told in the film.

In the clip below, the Dora Milaje are paraded in scenes showing their valor and regalia as Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, and Danai Gurira talk about their characters’ relation to the Dora Milaje, the women’s army in the fictional African nation of Wakanda in Black Panther.

Danai Gurira, the American actress of Zimbabwean ancestry, who also serves as the general of the Dora Milaje shares that, “the Dora Milaje are women who pledged their lives to the throne and to the security of the kingdom”.

#BlackPanther movie review.. (5 Stars)

  

There's a line at the end of Black Panther that I haven't been able to get out of my head in the weeks since I first saw the film. At the risk of being too spoiler-y (you will all complain anyway) I'll remove the context, but it goes something like this: "Bury me in the ocean with my ancestors who jumped from ships, because they knew death was better than bondage."

It's a powerful moment, one that's tragic and beautiful all the same. This is the moment when Marvel, for the first time, finally transcended the superhero genre. Never has a line in a Marvel movie carried this much weight; it's an idea reserved for great literature or essays, for something much bigger than a Hollywood tentpole.

How to get more followers on Instagram

Instagram’s algorithm is constantly changing.

They’re trying to make more money with updates to the way – and order – we see photos and adverts.

This is all well and good for the advertisers, but for us regular joes who might be trying to build a brand or business it can be frustrating.

Luckily, there are still some surefire ways to get more followers that don’t involve paying for ads. Here are our top tips.

At least 5 killed in Southern California freeway crash

A fiery crash involving a big-rig and several other vehicles killed at least five people early Friday afternoon in Rialto, leaving both directions of the 10 Freeway closed for hours, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The big rig was traveling westbound on the 10 shortly before 1 p.m. when, for an unknown reason, it veered toward the median, crashed through the guardrail and burst into flames near the Riverside Avenue exit, according to CHP Officer Brian Alvarez.

The massive vehicle, apparently a concrete pump truck, continued to travel across all eastbound lanes, striking multiple other vehicles, he said.

The playboy who got away with $242m – using ‘black magic’

One day in August 1995 a man called Foutanga Babani Sissoko walked into the head office of the Dubai Islamic Bank and asked for a loan to buy a car. The manager agreed, and Sissoko invited him home for dinner. It was the prelude, writes the BBC's Brigitte Scheffer, to one of the most audacious confidence tricks of all time.

Over dinner, Sissoko made a startling claim. He told the bank manager, Mohammed Ayoub, that he had magic powers. With these powers, he could take a sum of money and double it. He invited his Emirati friend to come again, and to bring some cash.

Black magic is condemned by Islam as blasphemous. Even so, there's still a widespread belief in it, and Ayoub was taken in by the colourful and mysterious businessman from a remote village in Mali.

When he arrived at Sissoko's house the next time, carrying his money, a man burst out of a room saying a spirit - a djinn - had just attacked him.

Three Billboards protest takes aim at Marco Rubio in call for gun control after Florida school shooting

Campaigners took inspiration from Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri to call for gun control in the wake of a school shooting that killed 17.

It is the second time in a week that activists have emulated the movie after Grenfell Tower protesters carried out a similar stunt in London.

The Florida placards were driven around Miami on Friday to put pressure on its Republican senator after the high school massacre this week in Florida.

Campaigners took inspiration from Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri to call for gun control in the wake of a school shooting that killed 17.

Helicopter surveying damage from 7.2-magnitude earthquake in Mexico crashes, killing two

Hours after a powerful 7.2-magnitude earthquake rocked south and central Mexico on Friday, two government officials were involved in a deadly helicopter crash while surveying the damage.

At least two people were killed when the helicopter carrying Interior Minister Alfonso Navarrete and Oaxaca Governor Alejandro Murat came crashing down as the pilot tried to land.

The senior officials were not seriously harmed in the accident, which occurred just hours after the quake left buildings in Mexico City swaying for more than two minutes.

The quake's epicenter was 33 miles northeast of Pinotepa in Oaxaca state, with a depth of 15 miles. There were no immediate reports of deaths from the earthquake, which struck at 5:39 p.m.

Instagram deleted this video of Russian oligarchs allegedly partying with prostitutes on a yacht

Instagram has found itself dragged into a scandal about bribery, corruption and prostitution at the highest echelons of Russian society after banning an online exposé by a leading anti-Putin politician.

The social network yanked a 25-minute "investigation" fronted by Alexei Navalny and his Progress Party after a Russian court ruled in favour of the oligarch in the video, and ordered it to be removed.

YouTube, which also hosted the video, has taken a different approach, and has yet to remove the footage from the internet.

The video itself is a lengthy dissection by Navalny of evidence which he claims is proof of bribery between rich businessmen and senior policymakers in Moscow, improbably brought to light by a Russian escort with a penchant for sharing her glamorous escapades.

Scroll down to see exactly what it's about.

Brazilian army to take control of security in Rio as violence rises

Brazilian president Michel Temer signed a decree Friday that put the military in charge of security in Rio de Janeiro, following a rise in street crime and drug gang violence.

Massed robberies and gunfights during carnival, followed by a storm on Wednesday that killed four and caused chaos, have heightened a sense that the city is slipping out of control.

“This could seem like an extreme measure but Brazil demands extreme measures,” said Temer after signing the decree. “We took the country out of the worst recession in its history. Now we are going to restore order.”

Flu vaccine works better than feared, but it's still not great

The flu vaccine is working better than doctors feared, but still is not especially effective, health officials said Thursday.

Overall, this year’s vaccine is 36 percent effective, meaning it reduces the number of doctor visits by 36 percent, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports.

“Early estimates indicate that influenza vaccines have reduced the risk of medically attended influenza-related illness by about one-third in vaccinated persons so far this season,” the CDC says in its first report on how well the vaccine is working.

It’s only 25 percent effective against the most common strain circulating this year, the H3N2 strain, CDC’s Dr. Alicia Fry and colleagues found.

Scientists have found that shampoo is a source of the same dangerous form of air pollution made by cars

A new study has shown how household products such as shampoo are sources of the same air pollution as traffic fumes.
However, rather than being bad news, this is becoming apparent because of the headway countries in Europe and the US have made to reduce car pollution.
We've known for a long time that traffic fumes are very bad for our health. But according to new research, there are other sources of pollution that should also be a concern.

A new study, published in the journal Science, has found that household products such as shampoo, oven cleaner, and deodorant could all be a significant source of air pollution — the same form as that which is released by car fumes.

Parkland school shooting: Football coach Aaron Feis died shielding students

This is Aaron Feis, a Football coach at Parkland High School who stepped in front of students when the shooting began taking several bullets. He's currently in critical condition. Make him more famous than the shooter.

Aaron Feis had several titles at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School: Football coach. Security guard. Proud alumnus.

Now, after the mass shooting at the Parkland, Florida, school, a grieving community is calling him something else: a hero.

"It is with Great sadness that our Football Family has learned about the death of Aaron Feis. He was our Assistant Football Coach and security guard," Marjory Stoneman football said on Twitter. "He selflessly shielded students from the shooter when he was shot. He died a hero and he will forever be in our hearts and memories."

Feis was one of the 17 people killed at the school on Wednesday, Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel told reporters on Thursday.

Oxfam to set up independent commission to investigate claims of sexual exploitation

Oxfam is to set up an independent commission to investigate claims of sexual exploitation.

Oxfam International executive director Winnie Byanyima promised to root out any wrongdoing at the charity and provide justice for anyone abused by its staff.

In an interview with the BBC, Ms Byanyima apologised for the scandal which has seen the charity accused of concealing findings of an inquiry into claims staff used prostitutes while delivering aid in Haiti in 2011.

Earth is currently being battered by solar storm that could hit power grids and satellites

This storm could affect satellites, power grids and some spacecraft with energetic particles. It’s being caused by a solar flare that occurred on February 12 in the sun’s atmosphere following a massive explosion.
Particles from the flare are to blame for the possible disruption. Bill Murtagh, from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said: ‘Depending how the CME and the Earth’s magnetic field couple, those energetic particles will come flowing in, penetrating into the atmosphere and striking the atoms and molecules in our atmosphere’
 ‘Those energetic particles excite the atoms in our atmosphere [like oxygen and nitrogen], stripping electrons away from them, and that causes them to light up.’

IOC defends decision to send home Adam Pengilly from Pyeongchang

The International Olympic Committee has defended its decision to send home Adam Pengilly from the Winter Games after an incident with a security officer.

The 40-year-old, a British member of the IOC, has apologised.

At a media briefing, journalists pointed to instances of alleged misbehaviour among other IOC members that had not been addressed.

"You'll appreciate that this is actually something during the Games," said an IOC spokesperson.

"It needs to be dealt with immediately."

Details of the incident have not been made public but IOC president Thomas Bach will meet with the security officer to apologise.