Tag Archives: JFK

The Zero Factor ► Throwback Thursday

William Henry Harrison (1773 – 1841) was the
first president to run afoul of The Zero Factor.

The Zero Factor is a spooky superstition which insisted that all Presidents elected in a year ending in zero — which happens every 20 years — will die in office. The Zero Factor was blamed for an uninterrupted chain of presidential deaths that didn’t end until President Ronald Reagan was elected in 1980.

The first inkling I had concerning Presidential Deaths and the Zero Factor was back in grade school when I had to do an essay on William Henry Harrison, a presidential name drawn from a hat.

William Henry Harrison was the 9th president, elected in 1840 running on the slogan “Tippecanoe and Tyler too.” Tippecanoe was his nickname and referred to his military victory in the Battle of Tippecanoe, when his troops repulsed a Native American confederacy that was opposed to the illegal European aliens’ continued expansion west. As the Wiki puts it simply, “The defeat was a setback for Tecumseh‘s confederacy from which it never fully recovered.”

Harrison was the oldest president until Ronald Reagan and the first to die in office, a mere 32 days after taking the oath. He was his own worst enemy. As we learn from the WikiWackyWoo:

He took the oath of office on March 4, 1841, a cold and wet day.[62]
He wore neither an overcoat nor hat, rode on horseback to the ceremony
rather than in the closed carriage that had been offered him, and
delivered the longest inaugural address in American history.[62] At 8,445 words, it took him nearly two hours to read, although his friend and fellow Whig Daniel Webster had edited it for length. Harrison then rode through the streets in the inaugural parade,[63] and that evening attended three inaugural balls,[64]
including one at Carusi’s Saloon entitled the “Tippecanoe” ball, which
at a price of US$10 per person (equal to $229 today) attracted 1000
guests.

Three weeks later he caught a cold, which developed into pneumonia and pleurisy. He died on April 4, 1841, the first victim of the Zero Factor, which also became known as Curse of Tippecanoe, blamed on a curse that Tecumseh was supposed to have uttered before his death during the War of 1812.

The next victim of The Zero Factor was Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States. We all know what happened to him.

James A. Garfield was elected POTUS in 1880 and assassinated by deranged office seeker Charles J. Guiteau in 1881. Garfield might have lived had he been shot just a few years later when all doctors accepted the practices of Joseph Lister concerning infection. Again from the Wiki:

According to some historians and medical experts, Garfield might have
survived his wounds had the doctors attending him had at their disposal
today’s medical research, techniques, and equipment.[187]
Standard medical practice at the time dictated that priority be given
to locating the path of the bullet. Several of his doctors inserted
their unsterilized fingers into the wound to probe for the bullet, a common practice in the 1880s.[187] Historians agree that massive infection was a significant factor in President Garfield’s demise.[187]
Biographer Peskin stated that medical malpractice did not contribute to
Garfield’s death; the inevitable infection and blood poisoning that
would ensue from a deep bullet wound resulted in damage to multiple
organs and spinal bone fragmentation.[188] Rutkow, a professor of surgery at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey,
has argued that starvation also played a role. Rutkow suggests that
“Garfield had such a nonlethal wound. In today’s world, he would have
gone home in a matter of two or three days.”[187]

Next up? That would be President William McKinley, elected in 1900 and assassinated by a crazed anarchist Leon Czolgosz in Buffalo, New York on September 6, 1901. It happened inside the Temple of Music during the Pan-American Exposition. On the 14th he died of the gangrene that had infected his body. The Zero Factor takes another life.

Twenty years later it was Warren Harding‘s turn to run up against The Zero Factor. Elected in 1920, he died on August 2, 1923, of a cerebral hemorrhage in San Francisco while on a swing through the west.

Also dying of a cerebral hemorrhage was the next victim of The Zero Factor, our longest-serving president, Franklin Roosevelt. Originally elected in 1932, Roosevelt was re-elected for an unprecedented (and no longer possible) 3rd term in 1940. Re-elected again in 1944, during World War II, Roosevelt died on April 12, 1945. His last words were reportedly, “I have a terrific pain in the back of my head.”

John F. Kennedy was the 35th President of the United States and the last to be assassinated.

The next president to be elected in a year ending in Zero was Ronald Reagan. When, on March 30, 1981, John Hinckley, Jr., slipped out of a crowd at the Washington Hilton and attempted to assassinate him, I was convinced it was The Zero Factor at work again. However, Reagan survived his wounds and eventually went back to work.

It wasn’t until years later the public learned how close to death Reagan had been and how much the assassination attempt took out of him.

In 2000 George W. Bush was elected president and, except for starting wars against countries that didn’t attack the United States, there were no incidents even remotely resembling The Zero Factor.

In 2000 Arianne R. Cohen of The Harvard Crimson wrote of George W. Bush and The Zero Factor:

According to legend, our new president has an extremely high chance of
dying while in office–an 87.5 percent chance, in fact, based on the
seven of eight eligible presidents who have died by the legend. Many
voters–45 percent, to be exact–would probably find this statistic to
be the only positive thing about Election 2000, although I personally
would prefer to have a president too incompetent to do damage in office
over one who voted against the Clean Water Act (our new Vice
President-elect Richard B. Cheney). However, a legend’s a legend, and a
legend doesn’t care about personal opinions.

[…]The only other president to die in office was President Zachary Taylor,
elected in 1848. However, President Taylor allegedly spent July 4, 1850,
eating cherries and milk at a ceremony at the Washington Monument. He
got sick from the heat and died five days later, the second president to
die in office. Frankly, he should have known better–that cherries and
milk combination is always a killer.

What’s amusing about this curious slice of history is how for more than a century this silly superstition was considered to have been a Native curse against the White interlopers. Guilt much?

Headlines Du Jour ► Saturday, November 23, 2013

Good morning, sleepyheads. While you were getting your 40 winks, the Not Now Silly interns were out collecting today’s Headlines Du Jour. So, pour yourself a cup of java, sit down, and check out what you’ve been missing.

NOSTALGIA AIN’T WHAT IT USED TO BE:

The actual Maltese Falcon is for sale, so why not treat yourself?


LIARS CORNER:

Gov Scott Walker, Time Lord: Says he left college
for the birth of his son, 4 years before he was born


FREE THE WEED:

Denver Now Has More Marijuana Dispensaries Than It Does Starbucks

‘No explanation’ for federal raid on Denver-area pot dealers

► A song for anything and anything for a song ◄

CRACK CORNER:

Rob Ford police investigation: ‘Domestic assault’ call at Ford home sidetracked police sting
Mayor followed the August incident at his home with a three-day hotel stay near ‘crack central’ and a barbecue with the prime
minister.

WATCH: Late night hosts make more cracks about Rob Ford

RELIGION CORNER:

Evolution debate again engulfs Texas board

JUMPING JOSAPHAT

This week the steeple of St. Josaphat Catholic Church, at I-75 and East Canfield, was damaged by heavy winds and will have to
come down. Harry Arnold sends his drone-cam out to record iconic Detroit locations and gave us a bird’s eye view of the damage
to this beautiful structure.


CRAZY CORNER:

Glenn Beck Goes Off The Deep End and
Claims JFK Would Be a Tea Party Radical

The Day I Shook Hands With Glenn Beck

BULLY CORNER:

► Scratch a bully, find a bigger bully ◄
Iowa Parents Defend Kids’ Bullying Of Autistic
Student, Saying He Brought It On Himself

Does Fox “News” Support Johnny Dollar?
The latest news on what my cyber-bullies are up to.
With those psychopaths, it’s always something.


TODAY IN FLOR-I-DUH NEWS:

Florida Woman, Enraged When Duck Won’t
Eat Her Candy, Runs It Over With Car

VIDEO DU JOUR:


Headlines Du Jour is a leisure-time activity of National Trufax, a wholly owned and operated subsidiary of Not Now Silly.,
home of the Steam-Powered Word-0-Matic. Updated through the day. Use
our valuable bandwidth to post your news comments in today’s open
thread.

Headlines Du Jour ► Friday, November 22, 2013

It was the Headline Du Jour around the world 50 years ago. On this day President John Fitzgerald Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. The last words the president heard came from the Nellie Connally, wife of Texas Governor John Connally. 

“Mr. President, you can’t say that Dallas doesn’t love you!” 

Kennedy replied, “That is very obvious.” 

These were JFK’s last words as the first gunshot rang out mere seconds later.

WATCH: Newly discovered footage of Jack Kennedy

FOX “NEWS” IN THE NEWS:

G.O.P. Maps Out Waves of Attacks Over Health Law

Oddly enough, these are the same exact talking points that Fox “News” has seized upon to continually trash President Obama and the ACA. What are the odds?

Bill O’Reilly Insists Nobody On Fox Makes Personal Attacks

Hasselbeck: Oprah shouldn’t call out
racists because it ‘undermines racism’


OPRAH WINFREY BONUS:

Is Oprah too successful to understand racism?
Isn’t Oprah smart enough woman to realize that she should have left all talk of racism to
White folk because White folk are the only people who can truly understand racism?

SO GLAD WE ARE LIVING IN A POST-RACIAL SOCIETY:

Hate crimes charges after students fasten bike lock
around black roommate’s neck and call him ‘Three-fifths’

North Carolina Republican Senate Candidate
Worked For Neo-Confederate Group

Arizona teen says flying Confederate flag
on his pickup led to hate crime at school

PAYBACK’S A BITCH:

 

Home of North Dakota white supremacist defaced by racist graffiti after revelations about his ‘African’ DNA

TODAY’S EXCITING EPISODES OF COPS GONE WILD:

In Miami Gardens, store video catches cops in the act

Driver Arrested in Ohio for Secret Car Compartment Full of Nothing

LGBT NEWS:

What Did Mary Cheney Just Say About Her Sister Liz’s Candidacy?

HOW HAVE THINGS HAVE CHANGED IN THE MUSIC BIDNEZZ?

40 Years of Music Industry Change, In 40 Seconds

UP AGAINST THE WALMART:

Ashton Kutcher vs. Wal-Mart: Epic Twitter clash rages over poverty wages
Kutcher slams retailer: “You should be proud of your
associates but I’m not sure if they should be proud of you”

Stephen Colbert Chides Walmart For Employee Food Drive

MORE DISPATCHES FROM DETROIT, ‘MERKA’S FIRST THROWAWAY CITY:

First Detroit Walk to Fame plaque – for Berry Gordy Jr. – is unveiled

Detroit Walk to Fame stepping out with star names

FREE THE WEED:

82 Percent of Floridians Support Medical
Marijuana, 48 Percent For Recreational Use

JUST BECAUSE:

IKEA Let Loose a Herd of 100 Cats Into Store to ‘See What Happens’

VIDEO DU JOUR:

Headlines Du Jour is a leisure-time activity of National Trufax, a wholly owned and operated subsidiary of Not Now Silly.,
home of the Steam-Powered Word-0-Matic. Updated through the day. Use
our valuable bandwidth to post your news comments in today’s open
thread.

Headlines Du Jour ► Thursday, November 21, 2013

Overnight, while you were sleeping, the Not Now Silly interns went into the back alleys and speakeasies of the urban internet. Meanwhile, trained coyotes swept the rural precincts. The task: Come back with today’s Headlines Du Jour, or don’t come back at all. We now have openings for new interns. Meanwhile, here are the headlines.

TODAY IN WINGNUTTIA:

► Clearly I’m going to hell . . . Twice ◄

TODAY IN FOX “NEWS” NEWS:


► They can’t claim him, so they’ll dis his party instead ◄

TODAY’S EXCITING EPISODES OF COPS GONE WILD:

A sociologist interrogates the criminal-justice system, and tries to stay out of the spotlight.

As part of the Global War on Terror, the US has exported its border patrol model to the Caribbean.

TODAY IN FLOR-I-DUH NEWS:

CANADIAN DRUG CORNER:


► You can’t make this shit up ►

CANADIAN BULLY CORNER:

SPHINCTER DU JOUR:

NEWS FROM OUTER SPACE:

Once in a lifetime galactic fireworks display due from Comet Ison
Comet Ison, first spotted a year ago, is now visible to the naked
eye and will continue to brighten as it hurtles toward the sun

ison_model_width=480;
ison_model_height=494;
function embVal(name){return this[name];}
var flashvars={};
var params={menu:”false”,scale:”noScale”,allowFullscreen:”true”,allowScriptAccess:”always”,bgcolor:”000000″,wmode:”direct”};
var attributes={id:”ison”};
swfobject.embedSWF(“http://www.solarsystemscope.com/ison/preloader.swf”,”scope”,”400px”,”247px”,”11.0.0″,”http://www.solarsystemscope.com/ison/expressInstall.swf”,flashvars,params,attributes);

Headlines Du Jour is a leisure-time activity of National Trufax, a wholly owned and operated subsidiary of Not Now Silly., home of the Steam-Powered Word-0-Matic. Updated through the day. Use our valuable bandwidth to post your news comments in today’s open thread.

Headlines Du Jour ► Monday, November 18, 2013

Another work week begins and the Not Now Silly army of interns have just returned with all the latest Headlines Du Jour for your reading pleasure.

FLOODING IN THE ARABIAN DESERT:

Saudi capital hit with rare floods, residents urged to stay indoors

Crazy Photos Are Coming Out Of Saudi
Arabia After Rain Leaves Capital Flooded

FLOODING IN BOSTON STRONG:

FEMA’s new flood map reaches deep into city

MORE DISPATCHES FROM DETROIT, ‘MERKA’S FIRST THROWAWAY CITY:

Why Detroit’s lights went out, and how the city plans to get them back on

Finley: Will downtown Detroit be a white enclave?

IN LGBT NEWS:

Liz Cheney shrugs off lesbian sister’s call marriage rights: ‘We disagree’

Mary Cheney Fires Back at Sister’s Anti-Gay Marriage Comments (Again)

TODAY’S FOX “NEWS” LIE:

Fox Politicizes The Kennedy Assassination:
JFK Was A Conservative Murdered By A Liberal

Fox News marks 50th anniversary of JFK’s
death by painting him as ‘quite conservative’

 

SO GLAD WE ARE LIVING IN A POST RACIAL SOCIETY:

Cobb taken into custody for toting guns in Leith

Craig Cobb: White supremacist told he is 14% African in televised DNA test

 

► VIDEO BONUS ◄

 

 



America’s angriest white men: Up close
with racism, rage and Southern supremacy

Up close with small-town white rage, with bitter, scary men
who feel left behind by economic and cultural change

Chad Palmer, Georgia Deputy Sheriff, Suspended
After Dressing In Blackface With Inmate Stripes

WAIT!!! WHAT???

Company fines couple $3.5k for posting negative review

Overboard cases on cruise lines often under-reported to public

HISTORY IS COMPLICATED/IT WAS 50 YEARS AGO:


 

In A Prophetic Letter, A Dallas Citizen Begged JFK Not To Visit

Stabilized Footage of the JFK Assassination Is Unsettlingly Real

► VIDEO BONUS ◄

 

ANOTHER NEIGHBOUR FROM HELL:

San Pedro Man Catches Neighbor Having Sex With His Dog

BOOK CORNER:

The Miami Book Fair International celebrates
its 30th anniversary when it opens on Sunday

TODAY IN GOD:

Gospel of selfishness pervades American Christianity
The philosophers of greed now use Christianity as their cover story

TODAY IN SCIENCE:

Sun will ‘flip upside down’ within weeks, says NASA

CRACK CORNER:

Rob Ford speaks to Fox News
Ford opens up to John Roberts from Fox News

Rob Ford might seek injunction to stop council meeting: Lawyer
Mayor Rob Ford consults lawyer George Rust D’Eye over council’s plan to transfer his powers and budget to deputy mayor Norm Kelly.

Ford his own worst enemy
Toronto’s mayor has only himself to blame for his political destruction

DISCRIMINATION DU JOUR:

For many Roma in Western Europe, no option to ‘go home’

VIDEO DU JOUR:

► Making M.C. Esher’s impossible objects possible ►

 

Headlines Du Jour
is a leisure-time activity of National Trufax, a wholly owned and operated subsidiary of Not Now Silly., home of the Steam-Powered Word-0-Matic. Updated through the day.
Use our valuable bandwidth to post your news comments in today’s open
thread.