Under-the-pillow penny pinching

Recession reminders are rampant these days. Just ask the tooth fairy: According to a poll by Securian, a dental insurance company, the average going price for a tooth is around $1.88, down from last year’s average of $2.09.

She should, however, consider asking for a raise, given the important new task she’s taken on. The Radiation and Public Health Project’s "Tooth Fairy Project" is collecting baby teeth from across the country to measure the amount of radioactive expose to different areas. The organization hopes to collect 10,000 teeth to "gather the necessary clinical evidence to determine whether nuclear weapons fallout and power reactors are affecting our public health…" Surely that merits a pay bump.