Gary Rust

I spent part of last week in Washington, D.C., at a newspaper meeting and heard John McCain, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton at three separate events.McCain was much stronger in person and in his delivery than I had expected.

The newspaper business is not only a good occupation because we have the capability of supporting our local communities, it's people, sports, education, businesses, marriages, births, awareness of death, hardships and triumphs.

Good news is worth knowing: Did you know? I didn't know. How could we?Did you know that 47 countries have re-established their embassies in Iraq?Did you know that the Iraqi government currently employs 1.

Here is a continuation of the best of my readings and e-mail:Kyoto follies: The reason Kyoto Protocol signatories are not reducing their emissions is that doing so is proving to be prohibitively costly.

Here are some more highlights from my reading and e-mails:Seven-step secret of success — how to get where you want to go:1. See your destination in your mind. "When you don't know where you're going, any road will get you there.

I probably receive a minimum of seven e-mails a day directed to me by friends pertaining to politics or jokes. I also receive another 30 pertaining to business, and our company's filters screen out at least 90 more e-mails a day.

Last week I drove to Jefferson City for Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Missouri Press Association/Associated Press meetings. The highways were a lot better than expected, another reason to praise the Missouri Department of Transportation.

From Forbes magazine: Congress is in full-throated debate over the Iraq war. The media are loaded with war-related stories. Ignore all of it.

One of my most enjoyable experiences last week was one I wasn't originally looking forward to: the 100th anniversary celebration of the Little River Drainage District held in the lobby of the newly renovated Kent Library on Southeast Missouri State University's campus.