At the DC Energy Expo a couple of weekends ago, my jaw dropped when I learned just how much energy it takes to run a plasma television set: A whopping three times as much electricity as a regular TV.  Even when they aren't running, plasma TVs suck an enormous amount of "vampire energy" - the power an appliance draws when turned off but still plugged into the wall. One of these beauties can set you back an estimated 1,452 kilowatts a year, or nearly $160, just by leaving the thing plugged in when your not using it, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

So, it's little wonder that the California Energy Commission - which enjoys being the country's environmental advanced guard - voted yesterday to ban plasma TV sales. The ban came in the form of new regulations requiring new televisions sold in the state to consume 33 percent less electricity by 2011 and 49 percent less electricity by 2013.

California's crusading for tougher vehicle emission rules is often credited with raising the bar for a new national auto emissions standard. Will the same be true for TVs? Or will the ban just ruin some people's enjoyment of big-screen rituals such as Super Bowl Sunday?

*IT AIN'T ALL ABOUT SOTOMAYOR: The Post fronts the news from California: a 6-1 ruling by the State Supreme Court upheld Proposition 8, citing widespread support among voters.

...the California court said voters spoke clearly, through last fall's ballot initiative known as Proposition 8, in wanting to limit marriage to a man and a woman. At the same time, the court said that the marriages of the approximately 18,000 couples who wed before the ban was passed remain valid and that same-sex partners can still enjoy equal legal benefits through recognized civil unions.

NBC Washington has stuff on the Dupont Circle protest. I found the Sexist's coverage less depressing.

*OH, YEAH, ABOUT SOTOMAYOR: Slate's Andy Bowers teaches you how to pronounce the SupCo nominee's surname. Spoiler: It's ""so-toe-my-YORE." (Bowers has the audio, though.)

*WJLA has coverage—and, naturally, video—of yesterday's flooding.

*Over at Young & Hungry, Tim Carman previews the H Street Country Club, admonishing, "you'll never get a tee time." He's referring to that 9-hole indoor putt putt course, of course, and he's got awesome photos to prove it. Prince of Petworth's take on the situation:

Read More "Our Morning Roundup: Protest & Putt-Putt Edition" »

To the students of California private parochial schools, a word of advice: be careful who you hug in the hall. Or at home, or in My Space photos.

Yesterday, the Fourth District Court of Appeal in San Bernardino, Calif. ruled that California Lutheran High School in Riverside County is allowed to expel students it believes to be lesbians. Why? According to the Los Angeles Times, the appeals court decided that "the private religious school was not a business and therefore did not have to comply with a state law that prohibits businesses from discriminating." The district court cited a 1998 state Supreme Court ruling that allowed The Boy Scouts of America to keep gays and atheists away from their wholesome s'mores and bonfires. Read More "The Golden Rule: California Parochial School Expels Lesbians" »