yesterday was a ...

Good Day for Michael Hebranko, who returned to his Brooklyn home after a stay in hospital that had helped him slim from 71 stones to 42. Two months ago, it had taken a bulldozer to create an exit for him, then a fork-lift truck and a whale-transporter to get him from his house to the hospital.

Bad Day for Juan Hansen, a 65-year-old Argentinian, who walked into an undertaker's office, asked whether his insurance would cover the cost of a funeral, then, on being assured that it would, shot himself dead. A letter explained that he had been suffering from an undisclosed illness.