Loser: The CIA has had a lot of bad news lately, and this week's disclosure that several employees had a secret computer "chat room" in operation for 15 years didn't help. Officials insist no sensitive information was compromised, but said there was "a concerted and sustained effort on the part of a group of individuals to create, maintain and hide databases on the agency's computer systems."
Several employees were disciplined and four were fired. The fact that the agency learned about this problem and took action is encouraging, but the CIA obviously needs to do more to keep lax and sloppy acts from happening in the future.
Winner: Elder Jay Reed is an unusual and very accomplished missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As described in a feature story last weekend, he was born with a number of defects that made speech and communication virtually impossible. Through 35 surgeries and an indomitable will, he has gained the ability to speak and now serves as a missionary.
Reed was honored last week by the National Council on Communicative Disorders with a National Communications Award in Washington, D.C. His is a truly inspiring story.
Loser: The speed skating oval in Kearns won't be ready as quickly as first thought. That means two national competitions scheduled there in January will have to go elsewhere. But the delay will likely mean the oval will be in great shape for the 2002 Olympics.
Workers were forced to jackhammer the concrete oval this week after it was learned that freeze tubes had become dislodged when concrete was poured. That would have resulted in an uneven ice surface that was colder in some sections than others. Sure, the delay is frustrating. Ultimately, however, it is more important to get the job done right than to get it done early.
Loser: In the rest of the nation, bankruptcies are on the decline. In Utah, just the opposite is happening. According to the American Bankruptcy Institute, filings in this state were up 5.7 percent during the 12-month period that ended Sept. 30, as opposed to the same period a year ago.
It would be easy to blame this on over-eager entrepreneurs who are starting businesses without the proper preparation. It would also be wrong. About 97 percent of the bankruptcy filings nationwide are non-business. People are simply spending more than they earn. That may be easier than ever these days because credit cards are plentiful and available. But it is a sure recipe for disaster.