A run on potassium iodide pills
West Coast residents fearing radiation from Japan’s damaged nuclear reactors bought up all available supplies of potassium iodide pills. The pills—which officials say are utterly unnecessary for Americans 5,000 miles from the nuclear accident—protect against the absorption of radioactive iodine by the thyroid gland. “Those who don’t get it are crying,” said the owner of one company, which sold 10,000 boxes of pills in a single day.
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Plastic surgeons’ new customers
Women still got 91 percent of all cosmetic surgeries in 2010, but men—particularly aging baby boomers—are showing up at plastic surgeons’ offices in growing numbers. The number of male face-lifts increased 14 percent, while Botox treatments for men rose 9 percent, to 336,834.
Los Angeles Times
Cats' impact on the environment
Cats kill about 500 million birds a year in the U.S.—more than a thousand times the number of birds killed by power-generating wind turbines. The American Bird Conservancy says it’s time to “stop minimizing and trivializing the impacts that outdoor cats have on the environment.”
The New York Times
Congressional Republicans hire lobbyists
About 75 professional lobbyists have been hired in top policy-making staff positions by Republican members of Senate and House committees. The House Energy and Commerce Committee, which is drafting legislation sought by the oil and energy industries, has hired four staffers who worked for those industries last year.
The Washington Post
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