DEW Consulting

On this the day that hurricane Milton is set to slam into the gulf coast of Florida, a pair of stories from History.com which support the conclusion that October 9th is a day of disaster. It also leads us to the inevitable rhetorical question, “What are the odds?”

First, from 1992, the curious story of an orange 1980 Chevy Malibu in Peekskill, NY. It met an unusual fate in a young woman’s driveway, here.

On October 9, 1992, 18-year-old Michelle Knapp is watching television in her parents’ living room in Peekskill, New York when she hears a thunderous crash in the driveway. Alarmed, Knapp ran outside to investigate. What she found was startling, to say the least: a sizeable hole in the rear end of her car, an orange 1980 Chevy Malibu; a matching hole in the gravel driveway underneath the car; and in the hole, the culprit: what looked like an ordinary, bowling-ball–sized rock. It was extremely heavy for its size (it weighed about 28 pounds), shaped like a football and warm to the touch….

 

Second, from 1963, the tragic story of a landslide in Italy that killed thousands, here.

On October 9, 1963, a landslide in Italy leads to the deaths of more than 2,000 people when it causes a sudden and massive wave of water to overwhelm the Diga del Vajont dam. It was built in the Vaiont Gorge to supply hydroelectric power to Northern Italy. Located 10 miles northeast of Belluno, it rose 875 feet above the Piave River below and was a full 75 feet wide at its base. The construction of the dam created a large reservoir, which held more than 300,000 cubic feet of water. While the dam was solidly constructed, its location was a poor choice. The Vaiont Gorge was located in a section of the Alps known for instability. In 1963, the area experienced heavy rains….

 

We picked Ben up from DIA last night. He was lucky to make it out of Orlando on a United Flight a little earlier than planned after his work conference ended. If you’re into silver linings, the high point in Florida is 345′ above sea level. That makes it unlikely that a landslide will produce the same result there as it did in the Italian Alps 61 years ago. On the downside, it makes the probability of a storm surge in Tampa Bay that much higher. So there’s that.

If you’re stuck in central Florida today, we wish you godspeed. If you happen to own an orange 1980 Chevy Malibu, I guess you’re on your own.

In the Breaking Bad prequel, lawyer Jimmy McGill, who has a knack for self-promotion, produces a series of ambulance-chasing TV commercials with the tagline “Gimme Jimmy.” See the promo, here. Later, after changing his name, the trademark for his bus-bench ad campaign morphs to the eponymous “Better Call Saul.” And while I do love Bob Odenkirk’s portrayal of the legal scoundrel, today’s birthday shout-out goes to a different Jimmy who is turning 100 years old. The History.com commemoration is here.

Before his 1976 election to the highest office in the land, Jimmy Carter was a peanut farmer, not a lawyer. And after his term was up, he gained further notoriety as a spokesperson for Habitat for Humanity, not meth manufacture. Now in hospice care at his Plains, GA home, his earthly days are dwindling fast. But his legacy of solid citizenship lives on. So, no matter your current affiliation, let’s all join together in a rousing bipartisan 100th birthday chorus for POTUS39: Gimme Jimmy! (“Because moxie is in such short supply these days.”)