GOOD DAY FOR: Being healthy, wealthy, and wise, after UC San Francisco researchers said that California’s far-reaching tobacco control program has saved $86 billion in its first 15 years, from 1989 to 2004. The state has spent $1.8 billion on the program, which targets both adults and kids through ads and promoting policies such as smoke-free environments. (Reuters)
BAD DAY FOR: Safety in numbers, after the Identity Theft Resource Center said there have been more data breaches so far this year than in all of 2007. Last year, 446 U.S. companies, agencies, and universities reported a loss or theft of consumer data; 449 have this year. The increase could be due to better reporting, but the number of thefts is also almost certainly under-reported. (The Washington Post)