Born Loser

Michael McGilbra, 40, attempted to kill himself in his Las Vegas, Nev., apartment, a court was told, by opening a gas valve and inhaling the fumes. It didn’t work: the bored McGilbra promptly fell asleep. When he awoke, he decided to have a cigarette. The resulting explosion didn’t kill him either, but it did destroy several apartments and blew the building’s roof off, causing $500,000 in damage. McGilbra has been charged with endangering property by explosives and malicious injury to private property, both felonies. (AP) ...“It is not worth the bother of killing yourself, since you always kill yourself too late.” —Emil Cioran (1911-1995), Romanian-born French philosopher.