Nelson Peltz, Billionaire Arby's Owner, Buys Wendy's For $2.34 Billion

In this March 1, 2007 file photo, walls full of memorabilia and decorations are seen at the very first Wendy's restaurant in Columbus, Ohio. The owner of Arby's on Thursday, April 24, 2008 said it is buying Wendy's International Inc. in an all-stock deal worth $2.34 billion that comes after the burger chain's board rejected at least two earlier offers by the company. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, file)

COLUMBUS, Ohio — After two past rejections, the owner of Arby's shaved roast beef sandwich restaurants is buying Wendy's, the fast-food chain famous for its made-to-order square hamburgers and chocolate Frosty dessert, for around $2 billion.

Triarc Companies Inc., which is owned by billionaire investor Nelson Peltz, said Thursday it will pay about $2.34 billion in an all-stock deal for the nation's third-largest hamburger chain started in 1969 by Dave Thomas. Wendy's had rejected at least two buyout offers from Triarc.

Thomas' daughter Pam Thomas Farber said the family was devastated by the news.

"It's a very sad day for Wendy's, and our family. We just didn't think this would be the outcome," said Farber, 53.

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Gadget you can't get here...

Run, Baby, Run

Raon Everun UMPC

The diminutive Raon--7 inches long and just over a pound in weight--is for travelers who want their laptop to feel not much heavier than a densely woven doily. This Windows XP-based handheld sports a full QWERTY keyboard, a 4.8-inch touch screen that can shift between portrait and landscape modes, and your choice of either a standard 60GB hard drive or 6GB of energy-saving solid-state storage. Integrated Wi-Fi lets you log onto the Internet; a docking station, a car mount, and an external keyboard are optional. This ultramobile PC (UMPC) earns its name with a battery life rated by the maker at 7 hours for the standard battery and 12 hours for a larger, enhanced unit.

Availability: Korea (but at least the enhanced battery should last through the long flight back to the States).

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US presidential Election

Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., left, is shown at a presidential primary debate in Orangeburg, SC., in this April 26, 2007, file photo, and actor Brad Pitt, right, arrives at the premiere of 'Ocean's Thirteen' in Los Angeles, Calif., in this Tuesday, June 5, 2007, file photo. Research conducted by the New England Historic Genealogical Society in Boston found that Obama and Pitt are distant relatives.

(AP Photos

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Obama wins global primary

Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama addresses a primary campaign rally at the Toyota Center February 19, 2008 in Houston, Texas. Hillary Clinton licked her wounds Wednesday after her 10th successive electoral mauling by White House rival Obama, stressing experience over hype ahead of must-win battles in Texas and Ohio.

(AFP/GETTY IMAGES/Dave Einsel)

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Obama scores 10th straight victory

Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., speaks at a rally Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2008, in Houston.

(AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)

WASHINGTON - Barack Obama added Wisconsin and Hawaii to a primary season winning streak that now totals 10 and has put Hillary Rodham Clinton into a virtual must-win scenario in Democratic contests coming early next month in Texas and Ohio.

PS2 SOUND BLASTER....- OBAMA WINSSS...

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Wal-Mart apologizes to Muslim woman

Good- Ethics

A shopper outside a Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. reported a modest four percent rise in quarterly profits on Tuesday as the world's biggest retailer appeared to weather an abrupt slowdown in US economic growth.

(AFP/File)

RIVERDALE, Utah - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. apologized to a Muslim woman who said she was mocked because of her face veil.

"Please don't stick me up," a cashier told the shopper on Feb. 2, according to The Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Wal-Mart apologized Monday in a letter signed by Rolando Rodriquez, a vice president and regional general manager. It was released Tuesday by the council's Nevada chapter.

"I can assure you that the associate in question was disciplined in accordance with our employment policies as a result of the situation," Rodriguez said without disclosing details.

Rodriguez said employees at the Riverdale store would undergo "sensitivity training," specifically in the Islamic faith and Muslim culture.

At Wal-Mart headquarters in Bentonville, Ark., spokesman Phillip Keene confirmed the letter and declined further comment.

"We applaud Wal-Mart for taking appropriate action to resolve this incident," said Yasser Moten, executive director of the council's Nevada chapter. The group doesn't have an office in Utah.

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Next US president will take action on climate change: Stiglitz

Joseph Stiglitz, the Nobel laureate economist, speaks at La Defense during the World Business Districts Summit. Stiglitz declared himself "almost certain" Thursday that the next US president, whoever it turns out to be, will get tough on climate change.

(AFP/Pierre Verdy)

PARIS (AFP) - Joseph Stiglitz, the Nobel laureate economist, declared himself "almost certain" Thursday that the next US president, whoever it turns out to be, will get tough on climate change.

"I don't want to be over confident, but I'm almost certain that the new president will come (through) on this issue," Stiglitz told a conference in Paris.

"All three of them are very committed to do something and it's a major change in the environmental landscape," he said, referring to White House hopefuls Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain.

Stiglitz, a 64-year-old winner of the Nobel economics prize in 2001 and a professor at Columbia University in New York, said he would be backing a Democrat, although he acknowledged climate change was also a big issue for McCain, the Republican Party's likely nominee.

"I'm going to support a Democrat candidate: the policies of the two candidates are not different, there are differences between their personalities but despite intense debates, in many ways they are very close," he said.

"McCain is very concerned too. He was on this issue when it was not a major issue," he added.

Stiglitz, known for his outspokenness and criticism of globalization, is also a former chief economist at the World Bank who resigned in 1999 after accusing rich countries of not doing enough to help the poor.

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