Good morning, all.

If I’ve found one thing to be true, it’s that stuff happens. And happens. And happens.

Seriously, I’m not an obsessive collector (outside of my St. Louis Cardinals baseball cards), a hoarder or overly sentimental. I’m careful with our money, never one to buy much on a whim or because I was told to do so by a commercial during “Lost”. But despite all that, I somehow have collected a lot of stuff in my life. Glad to know I’m not alone.

Don’t know if you’ve stumbled across this or not, but a small Internet-only film called “The Story of Stuff” has been gaining momentum for months now. It’s a charming short film of 20 minutes which examines, well, where all our stuff comes from and where it goes. Take a few moments off to watch it here. A related chunk:

Good morning, all.

Michael Gerson of the Washington Post wants you to believe Sen. Saxby Chambliss and six other Senate colleagues are holding African AIDS victims hostage for the sake of politics. In an essay he penned yesterday, Gerson argues that The Coburn Seven (a group of senators including Chambliss headed by Sen. Tom Coburn) are blocking reauthorization of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

In a way, that’s true. But not really new.

Good morning, all.

Hey, remember these guys? Solvay Pharmaceuticals.

Come on. Think back a few months and you’ll jar loose the name Solvay, the latest industry to toy with our emotions by flirting with locating in Athens, only to dump us for someone else. We’ve been saying for months that the company planned to build its $300 million flu vaccine plant in Birmingham, Ala., rather than Athens. We’ve just been awaiting final word.

But it never came. The company’s imminent announcement on the site location turned into “next week” which turned into an “eventual announcement” which, well, has seemingly dropped off the face of the Earth. Last week, Alabama Gov. Bob Riley let another clue slip in this never-ending process. Here’s a chunk from the Birmingham News on April 30:

Good morning, all.

When sportswriter Greg Billing of the Dayton (Ohio) Daily News heard the news, I’m guessing he didn’t take it as seriously as the Bulldog Nation seems to be. He wrote today: … I just read where Herschel Walker has a book out discussing a disorder that left him with about a dozen personalities. It all makes sense now. That's why the Vikings gave up five players and eight draft picks to get him, right? …

I’m just the messenger, folks. Send all hate mail care of Greg right here.

Admittedly, Walker’s story is an odd one that even his biggest supporters must have trouble getting their arms around. In his just-released book, “Breaking Free: My Life with Dissociative Identity Disorder,” the 1982 Heisman Trophy winner discusses his life with the disease formerly known as multiple personality disorder. He appeared on ABC’s “Nightlight” last night.

Good morning, all.

So, do we attend the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing or not? Or do you just not care.

Former President Jimmy Carter, the man who brought you the boycott of the 1980 Summer Games in Moscow, says the situation today is far different than the one he faced 28 years ago. As such, he feels America should participate in the upcoming event despite China’s crackdown on Tibet or its complicity with the genocide in Darfur. Seriously, what are a few atrocities if it means interrupting synchronized swimming, eh?

The former president expressed his feelings yesterday when he appeared on “This Week with George Stephanopoulos”:

Good morning, all.

Associated Press reporter Allen Breed put together an interesting idea: Four decades after the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. fell to an assassin’s bullet, colleagues, biographers and followers offer many answers to the question: What if he had lived?

I encourage you to read and discuss this piece (which we peppered with some local comments as well). Some great thoughts. My favorite came from journalist, author and commentator Juan Williams, who taught me for a semester at Eastern Illinois University.

Good morning, all.

Interesting discussions are sparking up in the aftermath of the OneAthens party Monday night. Not that any shockers came out at the zero hour, but I think it will be worth keeping your eyes and ears open over the next few days as the reactions start gaining traction. As my colleague Jim Thompson would say, it should be a good week or two for letters to the editor.

I’m proud of how the public sector – county government and University of Georgia specifically – has stepped up in a big way. But that’s easier to do when you’re playing with house money.

Good morning, all.

More than one of you asked about Sen. Saxby Chambliss’ “girl” from my column yesterday. Only one of you raised an eyebrow toward his 1950s colloquialisms (“What, the good senator, has a Girl Friday for just such an occasion?”), however most of you were interested in her effectiveness.

Your wish. My command.

Believe me, as executive editor, I know of no secret handshake to get eartime with the senator. Like you, when it’s a matter of personal business, I’ve gotta wade through the same network of minions insulating him from the rest of us. I tried for week to get through to his office on the telephone, only to leave message after message. So when he spoke to our editorial board on one of his visits through town, I couldn’t help myself.

Good morning, all.

I guess it’s all in how you look at it.

For the purpose of our discussions, this community views poverty as a number (poverty rate), a magical line we hope to drag as many of our fellow citizens above in order to give them a fighting chance. It’s a noble goal based on a fairly meaningless digit for an area already strapped with underemployment and wage retardation. Just getting folks to the line would be nice, but it only guarantees them additional company among our community’s almost-poor masses.

Good morning, all.

To answer your question, we opted to ignore them.

We got word on Saturday that Westboro Baptist Church, the Kansas-base crazies who have made a career out of picketing soldiers’ funerals, would be in town. You see, not wanting to limit their hate to only military families, church members opted to spend their weekend protesting the funerals of murdered students Eve Carson and Lauren Burk. Quite a bunch of God-fearing folks, eh?

Seems several of you also received the news (and passed it along to us) with great dismay. Most notes and calls echoed the following sentiment from one reader: This is beyond disgusting. I thought these creeps limited their activities to disrespecting war dead, but I see they are even worse than I can imagine. I don't know whether you should cover this or not. Use your own judgment.

As you know by now, we opted to ignore Westboro Baptist’s most recent visit.