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Newsdepth - State of the Union, Dennis Kucinich
Newsdepth
 
 
 
Monday night, President Bush delivered his eighth and final State of the Union address. That's when the President gives Congress an update on the condition of the country. Even though it's his last address, with eleven months left in his term, he spoke a message of affirmation and hope. He reiterated his belief that sending American troops to Iraq was the right thing to do, and also said he thinks the economy will improve.

Meanwhile; Ohio Tenth District Congressman Dennis Kucinich announced he will not continue his quest to succeed President Bush. Kucinich was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in both the 2004 and 2008 elections, but last week he dropped out of that race, to turn his attention towards re-election for his congressional seat.

Relentless snowstorms hit 14 provinces in central, eastern and southern China, leaving roads, railways and airports paralyzed. Hundreds of thousands of travelers are stranded.
Snowstorms in these provinces are unusual and these were devastating. Many homes and acres of farmland were destroyed. Several people are reported dead, and many more are injured. Economic losses are estimated at more than two-billion dollars.

Seventy-one percent of the Earth's surface is covered in water. The world population is approximately 6,647,200,764. Most of us use water to make life more comfortable, and one of those ways is indoor plumbing. But all those people need water to survive. Kara Finnstrom tells us how people in California are about to start drinking from the toilet - kind of. Sewer water in Orange County is now being treated and purified at a half billion dollar reclamation plant. The sewage runs through a three-step purification process, then returns to nature to mix with ground water. It could become drinking water within six months.

Country-wide power-cuts forced South African authorities to declare a national electrical emergency on Friday. The government is also warning of steep price-hikes. The unpredictable outages have paralyzed many sectors of the country's economy. Thabo Mbeki, the South African president, has admitted his government made a mistake and didn't plan properly when warned about possible shortages years ago. New power plants are in the pipeline but analysts say this extra capacity will only be ready at the earliest in 2011. The government and the electricity company are said to be looking at rationing power and instituting quotas.

Chocolate maker Hershey Company announced it will raise its wholesale prices about three-percent on one-third of its domestic candy line. The company blames the price increase on higher costs of energy and raw materials. But you get to pay the extra on almost everything - the standard sized bar, the king-size bar, the six-pack and even the vending machine lines.

The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is hoping its biggest residents can help them with a big idea. The zoo's four Asian elephants produce more than eight-hundred pounds of waste ....every day. The idea is to turn that poop into power. Partnering with Duke Energy and the Ohio Department of Development, the zoo will begin a study to see if elephant waste can be put to good use, producing energy.
January 31, 2008