Hot off the Press: 420 edition

California is prepared to pass energy standards for TVs: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/15/science/earth/15conserve.html?ref=us

The owner of the Sherman Oaks Galleria, of "Valley Girls" fame, and also the Coral Ridge Mall, has filed for bankruptcy. It's the largest real estate bankruptcy in US history: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-general-growth17-2009apr17,0,1032608.story

The LA Unified School District is cutting 5,000 teachers. Whoa: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lausd15-2009apr15,0,4362057.story

W's military propaganda department has been closed: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/16/us/politics/16policy.html?ref=us

Saturn: "We're still here." Not: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/16/business/16saturn.html?ref=us

Apparently orthodontists are immune to recessions: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/16/fashion/16SKIN.html?ref=us

Gay Talese, a pioneer of New Journalism (with a very unfortunate name), is having two of his best selling books reprinted: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/16/books/16tale.html?ref=books

Cedar Rapids may place red-light enforcement cameras (well known and hated in the LA/OC area) on Interstate 380 to catch speeders: http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090416/NEWS/704169930/1001/NEWS

Instead of being tested on soldiers in Afghanistan, lightweight, experimental armor is sitting unused somewhere in Virginia: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/18/world/18military.html?_r=1&hp

Think our electrical grid is outdated and inefficient? Take a look underground at the water mains: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/18/us/18water.html?hp

The fight for water is heating up in California's Central Valley: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/17/us/17march.html?ref=us

Paid by the food industry, not the FDA, inspectors are walking the fields to ensure food safety (or maybe the illusion of it): http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/17/business/17leafy.html?ref=us

Japan's underemployed youth are beginning to till the country's farms. I've often thought about becoming a farmer: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/16/business/global/16farmer.html?em

Iowa unemployment hits 5.2 percent: http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090417/BUSINESS/704179953/1001/NEWS, http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20090417/BUSINESS/90417015

California's hits 11.2 percent (11.4 percent in SoCal): http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-caljobs18-2009apr18,0,2996186.story

Here's another story about a growing interest in allowing urban chickens in Iowa cities: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20090417/NEWS/904170383

This is both scary and funny: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-guns-gifts20-2009apr20,0,3627505.story

Why I hate cable (corporate) news networks: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/20/business/media/20carr.html?8dpc

Even the headline is insane: "Waterboarding Used 266 Times on 2 Suspects":http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/20/world/20detain.html?hp

Mmm. Is that change I smell?: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/20/us/20marijuana.html?ref=us

Good episodes of "Cops" are in store: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/20/us/20cops.html?ref=us

Columbine anniversary piece from the Denver Post: http://www.denverpost.com/ci_12180986

They should give this guy a medal instead of putting him on a list of terrorists: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-daniel-san-diego22-2009apr22,0,6052329.story

800 mph, on land: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/21/science/21speed.html?_r=1&8dpc