Lost in space...

Lost: no longer to be found: lost articles. 

Marvin Gaye sang the words "believe half of what see and none of what you hear" over 40 years ago (42 to be exact). Benjamin Franklin said the same thing about 160 years previously. Both were on to something...and most likely "on something". Musicians (all of them), early writers (De Tocqueville), and politicians (Marion Barry) all substantiate this fact.

Both Marvin & Big Ben (not the one that is getting ready to go to jail) must have been musing about the bags we check on when we fly...are those really my bags and did I hear correctly that I will see them again? It seems "Lost in Space" wasn't just a sitcom in the late sixties. Even though I enjoyed the Robinsons, Dr. Zachary Smith, and their spaceship "Jupiter2" it seems the title of their sitcom is more appropriate for the airline industry. It seems the friendly skies weren't that friendly to the tune of about 25 million bags in 2009. 

Young Will Robinson

Yes that's right reader -25 million freakin' bags. This is when the robot in "Lost In Space" would reply, "DANGER! DANGER! WILL ROBINSON!". For those who like to do math that works out to be 3000 bags every hour, every day that are lost.

...and I thought my "life" was the only thing that 

was empty...that and  Jessica Simpson's head.

(I mean really, does she understand the words that are coming out of her mouth)

This lost bag thing has become somewhat of a cottage industry. There is a business in Atlanta that claims all "unclaimed luggage" and sells it. Then there is the sweet couple from Phoenix that's been stealing bags at a rate of 3 a day and selling them at garage sales (they were busted with over a 1000 bags in their house...now that would be a great "Hoarders" episode on A&E). One guy even found a tagged piece of luggage with his name on it at a flea market -thus ending the gig for the perps.

But hold on...there is good news.

The 25 million lost bags in 2009 was a 24% improvement over 2008. Now I'm not sure what your views are on health care or "hair care" for that matter but I have to believe that every American (and a few Euros) finds this completely unacceptable.

 

This is completely ridiculous (no not her hair...health care...I mean lost bags). It's one thing for Houston to "have a problem", but New York, Dallas, Chicago, Detroit, Philly, Atlanta, L.A., Boston....

sbb  30.3.10  (Fly Away . Lenny Kravitz)  .  430