Wall Street Journal, Nov 16

choi

There is no need to read the text of any reports below.

(1) Shirley S Wang, Psychiatric Drug Use Spreads; Pharmacy data show a big rise in antipsychotic and adult ADHD treatments. Wall Street Journal, Nov 16, 2011.

Note: The illustration tells a tale.
(a) The upper panel ("More Medicated[;] Americans' use of mental-health medications has been on the rise over the past decade") shows that in US from 2001 to 2010, men (12% in 2001 to 15% in 2010), women (21% to 26%), boys ages ) to 19 (6% to 7%) and girls (4% to 5%).
(b) The lower panel ("The Groups l Types of psychiatric drugs") demonstrates:
(i) Adderall l Vyvance l Concerta l Ritalin   What they treat*: ADHD/ADD
(ii) Abilify l Seroquel l Zyprexa  What they treat*: Bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depression
(iii) Lexapro l Cymbalta l Zoloft   What they treat*: Depression
(iv) Xanax l Valium  What they treat*: Anxiety
* Note: Some drugs may be approved to treat more than just those conditions

(2) Jeremy Page, Beijing Resists Sea Debate During East Asia Summit; The US says it will bring up South China Sea disputes, setting up a confrontation. Wall Street Journal, Nov 16, 2011
(paragraph 2: Beijing made it clear on Tuesday that it did not want to discuss any aspect of the Soth China Sea")

(3) Aaron Back, Data Bolster China's Currency Case; A narrowing current-account gap signals China is shifting to be less reliant on exports. Wall Street Journal, Nov 16, 2011
("The current-account surplus * * * fell 43.5% from a year earlier to $57.8 billion in the third quarter, data from China's foreign-exchange regulator showed on Tuesday")

My comment:
(a) current account
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Current_account
(The current account is the sum of the balance of trade (exports minus imports of goods and services), net factor income (such as interest and dividends) and net transfer payments (such as foreign aid))

The last two components are small.
(b) Another interpretation could be: China's export withered, at the same time domestic consumption did NOT pick up the slack.

(4) Matthew Dalton and Diana Kinch, Debate on Yuan Manipulation Moves to WTO. Wall Street Journal, Nov 16, 2011.

Quote:

"[D]riven by Brazil's anger over China's policy of keeping the yuan pegged to the US dollar * * * Brazil [] first raised the issue with the WTO in September, aleging the yuan's undervaluation is gravely damaging Brazil's industrial base. Though Brazil's economy is growing relatively quickly overall, its industrial production is falling, partly because of a tide of cheaper Chinese goods.

"Brazil's government said Monday that the WTO had agreed to discuss the matter. The WTO on Tuesday confirmed that its 153 government members have agreed to hold a meeting on the topic, probably in the first half of next year, according to WTO spokesman Keith Rockwell.

(4) Jennifer Levitz, 4 out of 5 Dentists Think They Should Whiten Teeth. Wall Street Journal, Nov 16, 2011.

Quote:

"Four out of five dentists, it seems, believe they should handling teeth whitening. But nondentists argue the tooth doctors are just trying to protect their turf.

"a 1989 scientific article touted low level hydrogen peroxide, pressed against teeth, to improve smiles

"The Food Administration classifies teeth-whitening products as cosmetics [as opposed to medical procedures], and drugstores were soon selling strips that consumers could paste on at night. Promising a faster fix, dentists, salons and mall kiosk began offering on-site treatments. Those customers typically bite down on a tray of goopy whitening agent and sit in front of LED lights that are said to enhance the process.

"Dentists generally charge between $300 and $700 for a whitening session, while nondentists charge between $100 and $150, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

Note: goop (n; probably alteration of goo; First Known Use: circa 1918): "GOO, GUNK"
goo (n): "a viscid or sticky substance"
gunk (n; from Gunk, trademark for a cleaning solvent; First Known Use: 1943): "filthy, sticky, or greasy matter"
www.m-w.com

(5) Jeffrey A Trachtenberg, Self-Publishers Get Help; Penguin starts service as big houses see digitals potential. Wall Street Journal, Nov 16, 2011
("For a fee between $99 and $549, plus a cut of any sales revenue, Penguin's subsidiary Book Country will offer an array of tools--ranging from professional e-book conversion to a cover creator--to help a writer make their [sic] work available though digial book outlets and print-on-demand services. The self-ublishing venture could help Penguin dwsicover new writers while creating an additional revenue stream")