I came to the Ritz-Carlton to praise Avery, not to bury him. But as the departing Mavs coach exited through the lobby and retreated upstairs to the Suite 1402 that is his temporary home, I leafed through my notebook full of “goodbye’’ quotes and realized there was no praise I could offer him that Avery hadn’t just spent the morning giving himself.

Two middle school students from Cy-Fair, Tx. are learning a hard lesson about when a prank becomes a criminal felony. They were handcuffed, arrested and suspended for playing a practical joke that forced the evacuation of Aragon Middle School.

Sir David Attenborough, one of the BBC’s longest serving presenters, castigated the corporation last night for “clogging-up” its schedules with programs about gardening and celebrity chefs.

Satellite imagery reveals that China has secretly built a major underground nuclear submarine base that could pose a threat to Asian countries and challenge American power in the region.

A substantial harbor has been built which could house a score of nuclear ballistic missile submarines and a host of aircraft carriers.

According to Census Bureau Data, Hispanics now account for more than 15% of the U.S. population, and their surge is largely the result of births among people already in the country.

The Austin-American Statesman is reporting that state Rep. Mike Krusee (R-Round Rock) has been arrested for driving while under the influence and refused a breathalyzer test. He spent the night in a Williamson County jail and was released on bond. Krusee is chairman of the House Transportation Committee and is one of the key leaders in the movement to build the Trans-Texas Corridor and other privatized toll roads.

To read the Austin American-Statesman article link here:

New Hampshire Bishop Gene Robinson of the Episcopal Church has been told by Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams not to preach or preside at Eucharist while he is in England, according to reports.

On Tuesday, a sweeping power failure left the largest cities in Venezuela without electricity, which snarled traffic, halted subway trains underground and mobilized police forces in Caracas (Venezuela’s capital) to thwart possible public disturbances.

On Tuesday, Albert Hofmann, the father of LSD a mind-altering drug whose medical discovery grew into a notorious social problem, died at the age of 102.

Fox News reports that, “Hofmann died of a heart attack at his home in Basel, Switzerland, according to Rick Doblin, president of the Multi-disciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, in a statement posted on the association’s Web site.”

Seven young German artists from Berlin are trying to break new ground in the art world. They are living inside an Israeli art museum for three weeks with head lice in their hair.

Reuters a news-wire service, quotes the chief curator of the Museum of Bat Yam near Tel Aviv, Milana Gitzin-Adiram, as saying, “art is no longer just a painting on the wall. Art is life, life is art.”