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Top 10 states for clean tech

Clean Edge, a clean-tech research and advisory firm based in San Francisco and Portland, has ranked states for their leadership in clean tech. Here are its Top 10 picks:
Obama on NSA data-mining: ‘Nobody is listening to your telephone calls’ (+video)

President Obama defends once-secret counterterrorism programs, such as NSA data-mining, and decries leaks, even as he welcomes public debate over how to balance security with civil liberties.
San Onofre nuclear plant to shut down permanently

San Onofre nuclear plant is shutting down for good after an epic 16-month battle over whether the twin reactors could be safely restarted with millions of people living nearby, officials announced Friday. The problems at San Onofre center on steam generators that were installed during a $670 million overhaul in 2009 and 2010.
Chapter & Verse Which state has the most bookstores?

Large states like California and Texas have the most bookstores. No surprise there. But when it comes to bookstores per capita, Montana, Wyoming, and Vermont top the list.
Flight diverted: Bird strike forces Jet Blue turnaround

Flight diverted: A Jet Blue flight from New York to Fort Myers, Fla., was diverted to JFK airport after a bird strike. No one was injured.
Obama wants faster Internet in US schools. Would you pay $5 a year for it?

'We expect free wifi with our coffee, why shouldn't we have it in our schools?' Obama said in pressing for an initiative to urgently upgrade Internet connections at US schools.
The Monitor's View Spying on DNA, Verizon, and free will

New technologies extend the reach of surveillance tools to not only DNA and Verizon calls but also emotions and brain waves. Will this lead to a denial of individuals having moral agency and autonomy of thought?
Wildfire policy: Time for US to rely less on shovels, hoses, retardant? (+video)

The rising prevalence of mega-fires indicates that policy changes are needed, say critics of prevailing wildfire-prevention strategy. Fire suppression is not always good, they argue, and pouring ever more money into firefighting is not sustainable.
Taco Bell firing its taco-shell-licking employee (+video)

Taco Bell firing came because the worker violated food-handling procedures, even though the photo was made for a contest and the tacos were thrown out. The photographer of the Taco Bell worker licking a stack of taco shells has already left the company.
Chapter & Verse Why do we abandon books halfway through?

Guilt may push us to finish a book – while e-readers make it only too easy to quit.
Change Agent If sci-fi spurs technology, can 'social fiction' spark change?

If more movies, TV series, and other media were created to help people envision better future societies, 'I bet we’ll create the societies,' says Muhammad Yunus, the Nobel Prize-winning founder of the microcredit movement.
Apple 'spaceship' campus touted as economic boon for Cupertino

A second Apple campus, which is expected to be completed in 2016, could bring billions in revenue to Cupertino, an advisory firm hired by Apple has said.
Energy Voices Rail vs. pipeline: How should we ship oil?

The debate over shipping oil via pipelines versus rail hinges on access, price and reliability, Graeber writes. For now, it seems trains are winning the race, but what happens long-term with more pipeline access remains to be seen.
Verbal Energy The companies we keep – singular and plural

English speakers have been wrestling with singulars and plurals for centuries – and the grammar rules don't always help.
Powerhouse wildfire north of L.A. heralds a much longer fire season

The Powerhouse wildfire, which has blackened 30,000 acres and forced thousands to evacuate their homes, suggests climate change is making fire seasons longer, analysts say.
Editor's Blog Are MOOCs making education a monoculture?

The rise of Massive Open Online Courses is presenting higher education with a powerful challenge. Access to great teachers will help millions. But will MOOCs cause a massive college shakeout as well?
Facebook's focus is on mobile, says COO Sheryl Sandberg

As mobile users overtake desktop users, Facebook is increasingly zeroed in on mobile strategy, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg said this week.
USA Update Skagit River bridge collapse: Not the only one waiting to happen (+video)

The collapse of the I-5 bridge over the Skagit River is a reminder that thousands of bridges in the US are in serious need of repair or replacement. President Obama proposed a "Fix it First" program, but the budget 'sequester' may have squelched that.
And the Mountains Echoed

Khaled Hosseini's third novel – his most complex so far – traces a powerful emotional arc.
In Gear Tesla repays $465 million loan nine years early

Tesla $465 million loan was used to build two California plants. Raking in some $1 billion by selling stock and debt last week, Tesla says it's saving interest charges by paying back $465 million loan ahead of schedule.
Wayne Miller dies, leaves legacy of photos and forests

Wayne Miller dies: His photography documented moments of World War II, black Americans living on Chicago's south side in the late 1940s, his family and redwood forests. Some of Wayne Miller's images are now held in collections at museums around the country.
Galaxy S4 now at the center of latest Apple, Samsung legal battle

The ongoing legal showdown between Apple and Samsung enters a new phase.
The Monitor's View Helping China end its cybercrime spree

When Obama meets China's new leader next month, he should show how the rapid rise in Chinese cybercrime not only hurts the US but China's economy as well.
Decoder Wire IRS official Lois Lerner invokes Fifth Amendment. Why won't she talk? (+video)

Lawmakers have plenty of questions for Lois Lerner, the IRS official who ordered the targeting of conservative groups to stop, concerning her past statements. She said she did nothing wrong, but invoked her Fifth Amendment rights.
Change Agent Dana Frasz wants to see a Food Shift – away from waste

Forty percent of all the food produced in the US is wasted. But a number of efforts in the US – such as Food Shift – and others abroad are taking on the problem.