The winners and the losers

Winner: It probably didn't shock anyone, but the survey released this week from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control showing Utah as the state with the least number of smokers was great news. Only 9 percent of the people in the state light up tobacco. A state survey two months ago showed that smoking here has fallen by 33 percent since 1999, which is the year an anti-smoking campaign went into effect, funded by a settlement between several states and large tobacco manufacturers. Beyond the great health benefits, a low smoking population ought to be good for economic development. Employers ought to love a place where workers are health-conscious.

Loser: On the other hand, the same CDC survey cited above also showed that smoking nationwide rose slightly during the past year. About 21 percent of Americans say they smoke, compared to 19.8 percent the year before. This may signal that anti-smoking efforts have hit a plateau. But it's probably nothing a hefty new tax on cigarettes couldn't fix.

Loser: We're not quite sure what to make of it, but a study co-authored by a former Huntsman Cancer Institute researcher is disturbing. It found that women diagnosed with cancer or multiple sclerosis are more than six times as likely to be divorced than men with the same diagnosis. In nearly 90 percent of the divorces studied, the woman was the partner who was ill. Of course, there may have been factors beyond just the illness that led to the divorces. But the obvious knee-jerk analysis, that many men are just selfish pigs, probably wouldn't generate a lot of objections.

Winner: While no one is expecting a six-pack of bottled "Moon water" to appear any time soon at the neighborhood grocery store, NASA's announcement Friday that it had definitely discovered water on the Moon is great news. For one thing, it could make the development of a permanent lunar base more feasible. For another, it raises questions about what else might be up there. Green cheese, anyone?