Obama is courting Puerto Ricans

John Anthony, Sr.

<b>First Posted:</b> 5/11/2011<br><br>Ex-GM CEO Stempel dies

Former General Motors Co. CEO Robert Stempel, an engineer who led the development of the catalytic converter but was ousted in a boardroom coup, died Saturday in Florida. He was 77.
During his three decades at the company Stempel helped to develop many of the fuel-efficient and pollution-control technologies still in use today, including front-wheel-drive cars, the catalytic converter and even battery powered cars.
But Stempel&amp;rsquo;s accomplishments as an engineer were overshadowed by his short tenure at the top of the company.
He and his management team were let go after GM&amp;rsquo;s North American operations lost billions of dollars. While he wasn&amp;rsquo;t blamed for all the losses, Stempel and his team were seen as moving too slowly to fix the company&amp;rsquo;s problems.
China&amp;rsquo;s auto sales up
China&amp;rsquo;s auto sales climbed 6 percent in the first four months of the year, slowing sharply from the double-digit growth seen in past years, an industry group reported Tuesday.
Automakers sold 6.53 million new vehicles in January-April, the official Xinhua News Agency reported, citing figures from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.
Surging sales following the global financial crisis made China the world&amp;rsquo;s biggest market for new vehicles as of 2009, but growth has tapered off amid rising gas prices, tighter traffic restrictions and an end to government incentives.
Maker&amp;rsquo;s Mark tries TV
Maker&amp;rsquo;s Mark bourbon is making its television debut with a series of whimsical commercials featuring its distinctive square bottles sealed with red wax.
The Kentucky bourbon maker on Tuesday starting airing its first TV ad campaign, on the Discovery Channel.
The seven-digit TV campaign is the most expensive in the brand&amp;rsquo;s more than 50-year history.
Maker&amp;rsquo;s marketing executive Kelly Doss says the ads aim at bringing the brand to life, something that&amp;rsquo;s hard to do with billboards &amp;mdash; the brand&amp;rsquo;s preferred marketing tool.
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Wendy&amp;rsquo;s/Arby&amp;rsquo;s prices up
Wendy&amp;rsquo;s/Arby&amp;rsquo;s Group Inc. plans to raise menu prices, the latest in a stream of companies saying they will pass along higher costs for the ingredients in their products.
The fast-food giant on Tuesday blamed the rising prices of beef, bacon and cooking oil. It also said it had already raised prices late last year and in March.
The announcement came on the same day that the company reported that it lost $1.4 million in the first quarter and lowered its earnings estimate for the year.
Wendy&amp;rsquo;s/Arby&amp;rsquo;s has struggled through the recession and the economy&amp;rsquo;s halting recovery, losing money for seven of the 10 quarters since the two chains combined in 2008.
The Arby&amp;rsquo;s chain is now on the selling block.