Obama to Party: Don’t ‘Run for the Hills’ By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG President Obama used his first State of the Union address to try to convince Americans he was focused on issues that concern them most: jobs and the economy. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Is clean tech China's moon shot? by Reuters DAVOS, Switzerland--So far, wind turbines are not Sputnik. But one day they could be. The global race to develop clean technology is not just about who can build the best solar parks or wind farms. It is also shaping up as a contest between Chinese-style capitalism and the more market-oriented approach fancied by the United States and Europe. The question comes down to this: will China's highly capitalized command-and-control economy trump laissez-faire in a low-carbon shift that is widely portrayed as the next industrial revolution? The failure in Copenhagen to agree to replace the Kyoto Protocol with a new global climate treaty when it expires in 2012 has thrown the focus on national measures. And by almost all accounts, the Chinese are coming on strong. Beijing's top leaders have made clear their intention to have their nation dominate this new industry, up and down the value ladder. And in their quest for the prize, they are not burdened by concerns facing their Western counterparts--such as the impact of wind turbines on landscapes, higher energy prices for consumers, or investor returns.

Breakthrough made in nuclear-waste sequestration Researchers at Northwestern University are developing a new method for removing radioactive materials from liquid nuclear waste. The group of scientists led by Mercouri G. Kanatzidis, a Charles E. and Emma H. Morrison professor of Chemistry at Northwestern University, announced their breakthrough on Tuesday. The group's paper described the process metaphorically to how a Venus flytrap closes after absorbing a fly in its grip, while letting other objects pass by. At the molecular level the radioactive ion cesium found in liquid nuclear waste passes through "holes" in a porous metal-sulfide material via an ion-exchange process. Meanwhile, harmless substances like sodium ions are allowed to pass through. The cesium itself triggers a response in the material's structure causing its atoms, which are arranged in a layered and porous pattern, to "close up" around the cesium. Once the cesium is captured, the structure keeps its "holes" closed preventing the radioactive cesium from leaching out while letting other materials pass by. "Seeing the windows close was completely unexpected. We expected ion exchange--we didn't expect the material to respond dynamically. This gives us a new mechanism to focus on," Kanatzidis said in a statement. Kanatzidis published his group's results in the February issue of Nature Chemistry

Ferrari set to unveil hybrid by Candace Lombardi Culled from Cnet Here was the Ferrari 599 XX at last year's Geneva Motor Show. (Credit: CNET) Ferrari will unveil a hybrid at the Geneva Motor Show in March, the company's chairman confirmed Thursday. Rumors of a hybrid Ferrari prototype based on the Ferrari 599 GTB, which debuted at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show, have long been making the rounds. Ferrari filings with the European Patent Office for a "4WD system with hybrid propulsion" were reported in June. At the time, Ferrari confirmed it was developing hybrid technology and hinted at a release within the year, but did not specify when. Since then, there has been much speculation (and outrage by some purists) about a hybrid version of the iconic sports car. Thursday was the first official confirmation that it will appear at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. "It has to be the avant-garde in automobile technology. We're constructing cars with an enormous part of the innovative technology. We'll present a 599 hybrid in Geneva, which will represent a great path towards the future," Ferrari Chairman Luca di Montezemolo said in Maranello, Italy, at the presentation of the 2010 Formula One Ferrari. Confirmation of his statement and a video of the event were released simultaneously on Ferrari's F1 Web site. What remains to be seen is whether the prototype makes it to even limited production and whether Ferrari aficionados and buyers will find such a car blasphemous or forward-thinking.