Rotary Club Carmarthen

THE Rotary Club of Carmarthen met on November 22 for a businessmeeting. President elect Mike Dingley-Jones, standing in forpresident Marian Daniels, welcomed members. President Marian wasunable to attend due to being at the Welsh Youth Speaks final in theSenedd, Cardiff. Rtn Raja reported that with the members' generousdonations for his previous functions, he had raised over Pounds1,000 for the Inana Deepam School Project in India. Chairwoman ofthe community and vocational committee, Barbara Rumbold, saidarrangements for assisting the WRVS with the deliverance of mealswere going so well that it may be possible to add another day in themonth.

Membership of …

Conflicts Bedevil Citizen Lawmakers

BOISE, Idaho - Jeff Siddoway is a rancher who sells hunting trips for trophy elk on his land in eastern Idaho. He is also a Republican state senator.

So when Siddoway joined a 7-1 committee decison to kill legislation outlawing "shooter-bull" operations - where hunters stalk penned elk for a fee - his inbox was flooded with e-mails telling him he should have abstained from voting.

Democrats argued that not stepping aside gave the appearance of being "on the take," even though Siddoway consulted with the attorney general's office and followed Idaho Senate rules requiring that he first disclose his personal interest before weighing in.

"It was just so black and …

Infineon gets $68M order from Huawei

German computer chipmaker Infineon Technologies AG said Thursday it has signed a letter of intent with telecoms company Huawei Technologies of China for an order worth $68 million (euro52 million).

Infineon said it will supply Huawei's wireline and wireless communications phone systems business, allowing Huawei to deliver more advanced systems to the telecoms market. Delivery of some of the products has already started, with the rest expected to be delivered this year.

"Huawei and Infineon are maintaining a very positive and long lasting business …

Mideast crisis takes tea toll

LONDON The price of tea has been hit by the Persian Gulf crisis.The UN embargo against tea-drinking Iraq has helped push it down totwo-year lows.

Other factors behind the fall include rising world output, lowerpurchases by the Soviet Union and hot weather in Britain, wherepeople have forsaken tea for cold drinks. Iced tea, while popular inAmerica, has never taken hold in Britain.

The average price at last week's London …

Electric Avenue

To be a player for the long term. That's the overriding goal for Glenn Steiger, general manager of the Mass. Municipal Wholesale Electric Company (MMWEC) based in Ludlow.

Steiger joined the company in February 2006, after serving as manager of the Energy Department in the Imperial Irrigation District in Southern California. That was a job that allowed him to see and participate in some of the most cuttingedge developments in the energy industry today, but Steiger said the pace is no less brisk in New England, where the region's energy management practices are becoming a model for the rest of the nation. And, like most locates, climate change and the effect energy use may have on …

Lebanon's Shiite bury victims after riots killed 7; government declares mourning

Shiite Muslims buried their dead Monday amid rising calls for a speedy investigation into the killing of seven men in clashes with troops and riots that were reminiscent of Lebanon's last civil war, with the top Shiite cleric warning the violence could spin out of control.

Beirut's Shiite-populated southern suburbs were calm as people cleared debris and inspected wrecked cars while troops patrolled the scene of the weekend's violence. Prime Minister Fuad Saniora declared a national day of mourning and ordered universities and schools closed in an obvious attempt to prevent further friction among the political factions.

Sunday's toll was the highest death …

A note on ‘natural’

Q. When looking at labels on foods, beverages and supplements, what does "natural" mean? And are "natural" foods healthy?

A. Sadly, there are no guidelines to define what can be classified as "natural." Basically, it means nothing, so buyer beware.

The word "natural" isn't easy to define (there are almost 20 definitions in the dictionary). When it comes to food, you want something that's as close to nature as possible — the more processed the food is, the less natural it becomes.

There are at least three sides to this issue: processed foods labeled "natural"; "natural" junk foods, and "natural" herbal supplements.

Processed foods

There's nothing …