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Jan. 8, 2009

Stratfor Geopolitical Intelligence Report: Arab regimes secretly rooting for Israel?

Larry Elder: Israelis and Palestinians: Who's David, Who's Goliath?

Jeff Jacoby: Yes, it's anti-Semitism

Jan. 7, 2009

Jonah Goldberg: Who are the real Nazis?

Anne Applebaum: Pointless Peace Proposals

Jan. 6, 2009

Caroline B. Glick: Iran's Gazan diversion?

Dennis Prager: Dissecting Dershowitz

Jan. 5, 2009

Mark Steyn: Gaza has its version of rocket scientists

Mona Charen: The So-called International Community

Jan. 2, 2009

Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: Having a holy tongue

Caroline B. Glick : Hamas' march to victory

Dec. 31, 2008

Dore Gold: Is Israel Using 'Disproportionate Force'?

Renee Enna:: Succulent 'stewp' is quick, easy fix

Dec. 30, 2008

Jonathan Mark: Israel's Response Is Disproportionate

Wesley Pruden: It's time once more to blame the Jews

Dec. 29, 2008

Rabbi Hillel Goldberg: Chanukah: 'Give me Judaism or give me death'

Michael B. Oren: A crisis and an opportunity

Dec. 26, 2008

Rabbi Yonason Goldson: When the past meets the future

Caroline B. Glick: Iran and Hamas do Christmas

Dec. 24, 2008

Rabbi Dovid Zauderer: Judaism's Santa problem

The Kosher Gourmet by Ethel G. Hofman CHANUKAH FORK-FINGER FOOD FEAST

Dec. 23, 2008

Caroline B. Glick: Repeating failure in Gaza

Dec. 22, 2008

Rabbi Boruch Leff: Too many Jews today are missing the intended purpose of one of Judaism's most beloved holidays

Barry Rubin: Liar, liar, pants on cease-fire

Dec. 19, 2008

Rabbi Yonason Goldson: The Final Battlefield

Caroline B. Glick: Betting on a dead horse

Dec. 18, 2008

The Kosher Gourmet by Steve Petusevsky: Juicy Chef's hella top, hella bottom, hallelujah in the middle

Craig Crossman : More gifts for geeks --- and those who love them

Dec. 17, 2008

Dion Nissenbaum: Israel kicks out outrageously biased UN official

Craig Crossman : Gifts for geeks --- and those who love them

Dec. 16, 2008

Jonathan Rosenblum: The Gift of Joy

Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Uncle Shariah

Dec. 15, 2008

The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir : Expert witnesses who put themselves first

Barry Rubin: What they say isn't what you hear

Dec. 12, 2008

Rabbi Hillel Goldberg: Can the Bible be a secular language?

Caroline B. Glick: What a PM Netanyahu faces from Washington

Dec. 11, 2008

Rabbi Leiby Burnham: Our role in the Divine's global corporation, World Inc.

The Kosher Gourmet by Steve Petusevsky: A retro-tasting pareve pot pie made with a light hand

Dec. 10, 2008

Rabbi Paysach J. Krohn: Groom admits he was caught "red handed"

Kara McGuire: No money for gifts? No problem

Dec. 9, 2008

The Jewish Ethicist by Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir : Can I make my boss treat me fairly?

Stratfor Geopolitical Intelligence Report: Next Steps in the Indo-Pakistani Crisis

Dec. 8, 2008

Rabbi Avi Shafran: 'Chanukah Bush' flap and graciousness

Mark Steyn: Jews get killed, but Muslims feel vulnerable

Dec. 5, 2008

Rabbi A. Henach Leibowitz: Truth --- The Key to Gratitude

Jeff Jacoby: UN's obsession is grotesque and Orwellian

Oct. 29, 2003
Mortimer B. Zuckerman: Graffiti On History's Walls (MUST-READ!)

Jewish World Review March 7, 2008 / 30 Adar I 5768

Any color suitcase, as long as it's black

By Lori Borgman

Lori Borgman
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | For a nation of citizens who pride themselves on individuality, it's hard to figure out why so many of us own black suitcases.


It doesn't matter where we're going or where we're from, chances are we're dragging a wheeled black suitcase behind us.


The little black bag is to the airline traveler what the little black dress is to the cocktail hour.


The black suitcase may be the one thing that unites us with near unanimity. Too bad we can't run one for office.


I recently was on a full flight and had to leave my bag at the end of the jetway. I left it in a heap of - count 'em - 13 black suitcases.


Naturally, those 13 black suitcases would be among 2,000 black suitcases circling the carousel in the baggage claim area two hours later.


As each black suitcase spilled onto the carousel, a large mob stampeded forward. The mob shifted left, then right.


Eventually, one person grabbed the bag and emerged victorious. The mob took two steps back.


Another black suitcase tumbled onto the carousel and the mob surged forward again. Surge and retreat, surge and retreat, until only four travelers were left with sick looks on their faces. They trotted over to the baggage claim office and filled out a form.


Question: What color is your bag?


Answer: Black.


It's like all our luggage had a meeting on what to wear and agreed on funeral attire.


There's something disturbing about such mass conformity. Mao's people had their Little Red Books, we have our little black bags.


Oh, you have your rebel red or forest green and the maverick floral tapestry now and then, but for the most part they're black.


Some try to set their black bags apart with a piece of curling ribbon, a strand of yarn or a bumper sticker. Others use duct tape for that personal touch. And now there are bag bands you can buy in neon colors to wrap around your suitcase to distinguish it from the masses.


My favorites are the colorful luggage tags with sayings like, "Keep looking, I think yours may be in Denver," "Take my luggage, do my laundry," and "Don't make me chase you."


The only other travel accessory that comes close to rivaling the popularity of the black bag would be the cell phone. Nobody is as deeply bonded and strongly attached to the cell phone as the airline traveler. We might as well be sucking on pacifiers.


The plane touches down, the flight attendant gives the OK for electronic devices and 200 people flip open cell phones to say, "We touched down."


I've never understood the necessity of that call. I always assume the plane will touch down and if it doesn't touch down, it will be on the news.


The touch-down call is followed by the getting-off-the-plane call and the I'm-waiting-for-my-bag call. My black bag.


The black bag is here to stay. It is a popular choice across the board.


Two years ago Mexican soldiers seized more than 5 tons of cocaine worth $100 million from a commercial airliner arriving from Venezuela. And what do you think they used to transport the drugs?


One hundred and twenty-eight black suitcases.

Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.

JWR contributor Lori Borgman is the author of , most recently, "Pass the Faith, Please" (Click HERE to purchase. Sales help fund JWR.) and I Was a Better Mother Before I Had Kids To comment, please click here. To visit her website click here.

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© 2008, Lori Borgman

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