Winner: If someone complains about mistreatment in a nursing home, Utah investigators are there in a hurry. The U.S. Department of Human Services' Office of Inspector General gave Utah a perfect score — one of only four states that could be shown to have investigated every complaint. Given how scary it often is to place a loved one in such a facility, this is reassuring news.
Loser: If the EPA knows artificial butter vapors cause serious health problems, it needs to release that information. A group of scientists claim the federal agency is sitting on a study done in 2003 that could help explain why some workers at microwave popcorn facilities have a rare and fatal lung disease. The EPA says it is waiting to complete an internal review, first.
Given how many Americans enjoy putting those bags in their own microwaves, the EPA might want to think about hurrying that review along.
Loser: Golf may be an enjoyable sport, but nobody would mistake the average amateur duffer for an athlete. An unscientific study published in Golf Digest has found that 66 percent of male subscribers who responded to a recent survey are overweight. That probably doesn't come as a huge surprise. The survey also found that 80 percent have some sort of pain or injury but continue to play.
That's probably a testament to their love of the game. But if they were a little lighter (not renting a cart and eating along the way might help), many of those pains might just disappear.