Can’t afford health care? Wait ’til June

For millions of uninsured or underinsured Americans, health reform legislation will soon remove some of the barriers preventing them from getting the coverage they need.
The most immediate changes affecting those who don’t have health insurance, or are not buying enough insurance to meet their needs, start in about 81 days.
Many other longer term measures […]

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Inside China’s garlic bubble

Garlic has always been revered in China — not so much for its overpowering bite but as an important ingredient in cuisine and related health benefits. The philosopher Confucius was so fond of the pungent plant he even extolled its virtues in the Shih Ching, the oldest anthology of Chinese poetry.
But never in its […]

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HP, Shell ink seismic deal

Hewlett-Packard Co. and Royal Dutch Shell PLC announced a collaboration today to develop ultra-high-resolution seismic sensing equipment.
The Palo Alto, Calif. computer giant (NYSE: HPQ) is partnering with Shell (NYSE: RDS.A) to deliver a higher channel count and broader sensor frequency range to get a better seismic picture of what lies beneath in oil and gas […]

San Jose mulls downtown business incentives

San Jose Councilman Sam Liccardo is suggesting waiving fees, offering free parking and reimbursing companies for the taxes they generate to encourage businesses to locate in the city's downtown.
Liccardo, whose council district includes the downtown, said Monday that as the country emerges from the worst recession in 75 years, the city must seize opportunities to […]

HBJ readers hope to slim waistlines

Despite any concerns about economic woes, more Houston Business Journal readers want to focus on their health in the new year.
Of the 328 responses to this week’s BusinessPulse survey asking about New Year’s resolutions, 26 percent said they want to lose weight. That was closely followed by 24 percent who didn’t make resolutions.
Other survey choices […]

Japan Jobless Rate Climbs for First Time Since July

Japan’s unemployment rate rose for the first time in four months in November, an indication job growth may not be strong enough to support the economy’s recovery from its deepest postwar recession.
The jobless rate climbed to 5.2 percent from 5.1 percent in October, the statistics bureau said today in Tokyo, matching the median […]

French drugmaker to buy U.S. firm

French drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis SA said Monday that it plans to buy U.S. health care company Chattem Inc., maker of over-the-counter mainstays such as Gold Bond skin products, for $1.9 billion in cash.
The deal also gives Sanofi-Aventis a distribution path for its popular allergy drug Allegra, which it wants to switch from prescription-only […]

Pay czar issues salary caps for execs

New pay restrictions were unveiled Friday for hundreds of top employees at the nation’s biggest bailout recipients, representing the latest effort aimed at protecting taxpayers’ investment.
The ruling, issued by White House "pay czar" Kenneth Feinberg, will impact 75 out of the 100 highest-paid employees at four companies: Citigroup (C, Fortune 500), AIG (AIG, Fortune […]

Europe Seeks ‘Orderly, Gradual’ Yuan Appreciation, Juncker Says

European finance chiefs renewed calls for China to let its currency appreciate amid concern that the strengthening euro may undermine the region’s economic recovery.
Europe is seeking “an orderly and gradual appreciation of the yuan against the euro,” rather than “abrupt” or “dramatic” changes, Luxembourg’s Jean-Claude Juncker said late today in Brussels after leading […]

Merkel, Steinmeier Face ‘Mess’ as Stimulus Peters out

Germany’s recovery from recession came in time to give a boost to Chancellor Angela Merkel’s re- election bid in the Sept. 27 vote. It may not last much longer.
Unemployment is set to jump and consumer spending to fall in 2010 as government stimulus runs out, according to the Halle- based IWH institute, an […]