* WINNER? Utah's penal system. The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics reported this week that Utah has one of the lowest rates for incarcerating prisoners, with only 149 inmates per 100,000 people in 1991. Only eight states had lower rates than Utah's.
LOSER: Utah's penal system. State prison facilities at Gunnison and Point of the Mountain are currently operating at 96 percent of capacity and could face a space crisis within a year.* WINNERS: Women. A new poll shows they make better financial decisions than men. As more women own their own businesses, they get more and more exposure to money management matters. Besides, managing a household on a tight budget always has been challenging.
* WINNER: The United States - for getting by with $22.6 billion less in direct foreign investment last year, making America more independent.
LOSER: The United States - for losing that $22.6 billion in foreign funds. The 66 percent decline makes it harder for the American economy to recover from the recession.
LOSERS: American teenagers. The government reported this week that shootings now kill more black males between the ages of 15 and 19 than any other cause of death. For all youths ages 15 to 19, firearms are the second-leading cause of death behind traffic accidents.
Meanwhile, another report this week shows that more than a third of all American students ages 15 to 17 have either dropped out of school or failed at least one grade level.
Now's a tough time to be young.