Yesterday was...

A good day for:

Venetian piazza merchants, who had complained about the noise from orchestras in the nearby cafes. After measuring the sound level, a judge ordered the musicians to diminuendo or lose their equipment. One cafe manager said the main cause of noise was audience applause.

A bad day for:

the Lake Tiachi monster in China, whose mystery may soon be solved, thanks to a new observation post installed by the Lake Monster Research Society. A pounds 1,000 prize has been offered for a photo of the beast which has been described as looking like a dinosaur, a giant buffalo and a huge iron pot.