http://www.ToTheCenter.com/ ToTheCenter.com's philosophy is simple. The average person may not recognize a political left or right; but rather, somewhere in between. Our mission is to keep our opinion and news "down the middle" for all. http://www.ToTheCenter.com/news.php?readmore=12437 Corey Haim, an actor and former teenage heartthrob, passed away March 11 in Burbank, California. He was just 38. The child actor shot to fame starring in films such as "Lucas," "License to Drive," "The Lost Boys," and "Dream a Little Dream." He collaborated several times with Corey Feldman, even starring in a TV reality show together from July 2007 to August 2008. More notably, Haim underwent rehabilitation for addiction to prescription drugs and cocaine. Being very candid about his drug problems, Haim previously reported that this problem has ruined his career “to the point where I wasn’t functional enough to work for anybody, even myself.” Tania Ibrahim, a 31-year-old nutrtionist and close friend of Haim states, "Some people have said in the past, 'If he stayed this way, this is inevitably going to happen,' but most recently I can tell you he was feeling better and on a really good track." No immediate drugs were found at the scene, and Haim's death appeared to be accidental, possibly due to an overdose. Toxicology reports have not yet been released by the coroner. http://www.ToTheCenter.com/news.php?readmore=12436 With the title changed three times in three years, the world has claimed a new richest man. Carlos Slim Helu, a Mexican tycoon, takes the top spot on Forbes World's Billionaires list. Beating out both Bill Gates, who has held on to the title 14 times, and Warren Buffet, Slim has an estimated $53.5 billion. Gates, now worth $53 billion, ranked second, while Warren Buffet, worth $47 billion, ranked third. The U.S commands 38% of the collaborative $3.6 trillion net worth of the world's richest, establishing U.S billionaires as dominant leaders in the ranks. The numbers, however, are dropping. American billionaires make up for 40% of the world's richest, down 45% from the previous year. With 97 new members, only 16% are from the U.S, while China gained 27 billionaires and Finland and Pakistan welcomed their very first. Apart from the U.S, China has the most billionaires, their number being at 89. Russia is not far from the lead, with a total of 62. http://www.ToTheCenter.com/news.php?readmore=12435 Despite last year's $800 billion fiscal stimulus, the unemployment rate is still abnormally high. To forestall predicted layoffs, a top House Democrat and a Bay Area lawmaker proposed to send cities $100 billion within the next two year. Since the recession beginning in December 2007, over eight million jobs have been lost. With over 17,000 San Francisco city workers receiving pink slips, Mayor Gavin Newsom has planned to rehire them with a much shorter workweek and, ultimately, a 6.25 percent pay cut. Rep. George Miller predicts that this bill would instantaneously boost the unemployment rate and create over one million available jobs. "I think it should be considered part of the Recovery Act, funded out of the deficit," Miller quotes. He continues, "You cannot cure the deficit when you're running with 15 million unemployed, and you can't cure it at the local level by laying people off and raising taxes." The money would go directly to city hall officials, Miller pointed out, who would then begin to hire people immediately. http://www.ToTheCenter.com/news.php?readmore=12434 It is safe to say that a glass of wine a day keeps the weight gain away. A new report reveals that women who consume moderate amounts of alcohol daily are less likely to gain weight. In this case, red wine reveals the biggest benefits. Drinking moderate amounts of alcohol develops an alternative method of breaking down the alcohol, all while the energy is converted into heat rather than fat. This study surveyed 19,220 American women age 39 and older with healthy body weight, and asked them to describe their drinking habits. The women's habits were then followed for the next 13 years. It was then revealed that although the women gained weight, the non-drinkers gained the most. Beer and spirits tend to cause the highest weight gain, while red wine specifically caused the least. Finally, the conclusion was that alcohol was not directly connected to weight gain and that poor eating habits and lack of exercise are the true culprits. http://www.ToTheCenter.com/news.php?readmore=12433 According to CNN, North Korea announced Sunday that they will halt any further plans for nuclear disarmament in protest of a joint military exercise between the US and South Korea. "The maneuvers clearly indicate once again that the U.S. and the South Korean authorities are the harassers of peace and warmongers keen to bring a war to this land," read a statement from the North Korean government on the Korean Central News Agency. The statement went on to say that through joining with the US in a military operation, South Korea violated the agreement that ended the Korean War. As such, North Korea said that they would cease to operate under the conditions of the armistice. According to CNN, disarmament negotiations between North Korea and the US were already at a standoff before the joint military operation was announced. The statement reportedly acknowledged this facet of the event before going on to state that the operation would cause the talks to be ceased completely. The nation also said that they will continue to build its nuclear arms cache. According to CNN, North Korea will move to suspend any further negotiations completely if the military exercise occurs. http://www.ToTheCenter.com/news.php?readmore=12432 The makers of Captain Morgan, Diageo PLC, will soon be facing a split with the organizers of the New York Puerto Rican Day Parade after a 30-year run of sponsoring the event, according to Reuters. The decision to end the relationship comes in the wake of Diageo PLC’s decision to move production of Captain Morgan rum from Puerto Rico to St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands. According to Reuters, Diageo, a British liquor producer, plans to start production in the USVI in 2012 when the company’s production contract with producer Destileria Serralles terminates. Under the upcoming contract with the USVI, Diageo will operate a rum distillery in St. Croix for a minimum of 30 years. The organizers of the New York Puerto Rican Day Parade have taken offense to the company’s decision, subsequently issuing a statement in collaboration with the National Puerto Rican Coalition that declared their intent to drop Captain Morgan, a brand owned by Diageo, as a sponsor for the event. "The corporate sponsorships of Captain Morgan and its British Parent Diageo PLC, are no longer welcome. They are abandoning us in exchange for $2.7 billion in taxpayer-funded corporate handouts that would otherwise be used to meet the educational and health needs of Puerto Rico,” said Parade Chairwoman Madelyn Lugo in the statement. The New York Puerto Rican Day Parade attracts approximately 2 million people annually. http://www.ToTheCenter.com/news.php?readmore=12431 Iran announced that they have started production on a new batch of short-range cruise missiles on Sunday according to the Associated Press. The cruise missile, known as the Nasr 1, is reportedly very accurate and has the explosive power to destroy targets weighing up to 3,000 tons. According to the AP, Gen. Ahmad Vahidi said in an interview with Iranian state TV that the missiles are currently fitted to be fired from watercrafts and ground-based launchers. He added that in the future, Iranian military forces will adapt them to other applications, such as submarines and helicopters. The Nasr 1 missile is the latest addition to Iran’s already troubling weapons cache, a stockpile that includes other models of medium and short-range missiles that could be used to attack US military locations in the area. Gen. Vahidi said that the missiles are intended to increase the nation’s naval presence. The production of the missiles has not yet been verified by sources not connected to Iran. According to the AP, Iranian officials often make statements regarding the country’s advancements in military weaponry that are extremely difficult to confirm. According to Gen. Vahidi, the Nasr 1 took the Iranian government two years to develop. http://www.ToTheCenter.com/news.php?readmore=12430 According to Reuters, 38 people were killed in Iraq on Sunday in lieu of the country’s second democratic election since the US occupied the area in 2003. Iraqi officials said that there were dozens of attacks by Sunni extremists throughout Baghdad and its surrounding areas at the start of the election, most of them coming in the form of bombings, rocket fire and mortar assaults. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said in a statement that approximately 80 percent of the bombings perpetrated on Sunday were “noise bombs,” devices used to intimidate people without causing any substantial damage. The most destructive attack, which killed 25 people, occurred when a blast leveled a three-story apartment complex in Baghdad. Despite the attacks, Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission told the AP that only two polling places were forced to close momentarily due to security concerns. According to the AP, Iraq has 19 million qualified voters. Of those voters, the exact turnout has yet to be determined. In a statement, President Obama hailed the Iraqi people for their dedication to the democratic process. "I have great respect for the millions of Iraqis who refused to be deterred by acts of violence, and who exercised their right to vote today. Their participation demonstrates that the Iraqi people have chosen to shape their future through the political process,” he said. One candidate in the election, however, said that many Kurdish voters were excluded from voting because they were not included in the list of eligible voters. Iyad Allawi, the leading candidate for prime minister, said that leaving those voters out of the election could affect the outcome of the contest. Kurdish Democrats vowed to contend the results if the problem is not remedied. "We feel this is politically motivated and we demand a clarification and solution. If that does not happen we will not accept the election result," read a statement put out by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party. According to the AP, it could take up to three days for Iraqi officials to process the votes. http://www.ToTheCenter.com/news.php?readmore=12429 An earthquake with a 6.0 magnitude hit eastern Turkey early Monday morning, killing 57 people, the Associated Press reports. The earthquake — the latest in a slew to headline-making natural disasters — injured roughly 100 more people as citizens dealt with more than 50 aftershocks, some nearly reaching the initial quake magnitude of 6.0. The earthquake hit the Elazig providence located in the southeastern area of Turkey, reducing some towns to dirt and rumble. The Turkey earthquake follows bigger and more destructive disasters in Haiti and Chile. However, Bernard Doft, the seismologist for the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, believes the quakes are unrelated. "These events are too far apart to be of direct influence to each other," he said. Turkey is accustomed to the instances of plate shifts. The country is located on two main fault lines, which causes frequent quakes. As witnessed in other earthquakes from this year and Turkey’s past, the effects of Monday’s quake were on the mild end. In 1999, two major earthquakes resulted in the death of 18,000 people. http://www.ToTheCenter.com/news.php?readmore=12428 A Pakistani air strike reportedly killed upwards of 25 Taliban insurgents, one of whom was a high-profile Taliban leader, on Saturday according to CNN. A Pakistani military leader told CNN that the attack was intended to target Taliban leaders hiding out in the nation’s tribal region along the Afghan border. Specifically, Mullah Faqir Mohammad and Qari Ziaur Rehman were the most valued targets, though Interior Minister Rehman Malik could not verify whether or not they had been killed. The attack was successful in killing Fateh Mohammad, a leader of Taliban forces in Pakistan’s Swat Valley. According to CNN, Mohammad was killed by bullets fired from a helicopter gunship. Mohammed fled the Swat Valley when the Pakistani military began their campaign about a year ago. According to CNN, he joined Mullah Faqir Mohammad and Rehman in hiding out between Mohmand, Afghanistan and Bajaur, Pakistan. Rehman leads Taliban forces in Kunar province, Afghanistan. Faqir Mohammad leads insurgent forces in Bajaur.