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=7059 Charles Gibson, ABC anchor of “World News,” will be conducting the first interview with Republican VP running mate, Sarah Palin. According to the McCain campaign communications director, Jill Hazelbaker, the original offer for Palin’s interview was made on Friday, and the past two days have been spent working out the details surrounding Palin’s television appearance. Hazelbaker explained that there were “no ground rules on our end, multiple interviews over two days in multiple locations.” Palin will most likely be back in Alaska this week, because her son, Track, will be leaving to serve his Army time in Iraq on Thursday. The interviews with Palin will probably take place in Alaska on Thursday or Friday, according to head McCain aide Mark Salter, and the interview will be aired this week as well. Gibson, who is 65 years old, is a respected journalist and considered to be the “elder statesman” when compared to the other news anchors of the three major networks, including CBS’s Katie Couric and NBC’s Brian Williams. Gibson is the successor of Peter Jennings and has conducted hundreds of interviews over the past two decades. http://www.ToTheCenter.com/news.php?readmore=7058 After the U.S. government gained control of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Asian stocks, which were the lowest in almost two years, finally surged. Futures on the U.S. Standard & Poor's 500 Index increased by more than 2 percent. Korea's Kookmin Bank and Commonwealth Bank of Australia also went up by more than 4 percent. Samsung Electronics Co. led exporters higher with a 2.9 percent just on the simple premise that they thought the U.S. bailout will help restore the world’s largest economy. Saxon Nicholls, the principal Melbourne-based at Herschel Asset Management Ltd., that supervises about $500 million, “It's good news for financials everywhere. The whole global financial system is so integrated, and Asian central banks are big buyers of Fannie and Freddie paper.” The MSCI Asia Pacific Index also ascended by 1 percent to 118.05 at just 9:08 a.m. in Tokyo. This credit crisis originally started in July 2007 when the two Bear Stearns Co.'s hedge funds took a $17 trillion drive in equity value globally as the U.S. housing recession effected global economic growth. Investors feared that the destruction of Fannie and Freddie, that was responsible for $1.5 trillion in assets and approximately same in debt, would lead to devastation for financial institutions across the globe. Japan's Nikkei 225 Stock Average went up by 2 percent to 12,452.39 as well, and levels in South Korea, Australia and New Zealand also benefited. Walter Hellwig, who helps manage $30 billion at Morgan Asset Management in Birmingham, Alabama, and is not linked to Fannie or Freddie, said, “This is significantly positive for the market. Investors were looking for some kind of resolution to the problem and this eliminates a lot of uncertainty.” http://www.ToTheCenter.com/news.php?readmore=7057 In a USA Today/Gallup poll taken over the weekend, the outcome displays a triumphant John McCain and a suffering Barack Obama. McCain leads Obama with 50 percent to 46 percent of registered voters. Many people accredit this to the Republican National Convention and the addition of Sarah Palin as the Republican VP running mate. Before the convention, USA Today reported that McCain was actually behing Obama by seven percentage points. The boost in the number of McCain supporters has not only effected his campaign for the presidency, but also the Republican congressional candidates as well as the GOP as a whole. The post convention poll reflects the largest lead that the McCain campaign has seen since January. Larry Sabato, a political scientist of the University of Virginia, said, "The Republicans had a very successful convention and, at least initially, the selection of Sarah Palin has made a big difference. He's in a far better position than his people imagined he would be in at this point." However, Sabato also added that analysis of data regarding the effect of political conventions since 1960 has exhibited the fact that the post convention polls are only accurate at predicting the outcome of an election about half of the time. Sabato said, "You could flip a coin and be about as predictive. It is really surprising how quickly convention memories fade." http://www.ToTheCenter.com/news.php?readmore=7056 Recently, a group of college and university presidents have been exploring the issue of whether or not the drinking age should be lowered from 21 years of age. Many claim that the current age is simply “not working.” The Amethyst Initiative has been approved by 128 college presidents, and it calls for a new drinking age policy in America. In the 1960s and 1970s, some states actually did lower the drinking age from 21 to either 18 or 19. The common argument for this change was the inconsistencies with the theory that young people were old enough to go and fight for their country, but they were not old enough to have a drink. Although a great deal of college presidents seem to be in full support of this issue, some people are still not sold on the idea. In 2001, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) analyzed a total of 49 different studies, and they came to the conclusion that having a higher age on drinking actually reduced the amount of harm and deaths of young people. In the years between 1982 and 1991, the states that had a higher drinking age also had less traffic crashes among their youth. Other advocates for a higher drinking age cite the fact that the death rate went down from 16.9 per 100,000 young people to 11.1 per 100,000 young people, when the age was at 21. With the increase in the drinking age, it has been estimated that 26,000 people did not die at the age of 18 to 20, like it was projected when the drinking age was lower. http://www.ToTheCenter.com/news.php?readmore=7055 Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin has displayed a history of conservative policies and religious affiliation that motivates her to seek to do the will of her higher power when tackling issues of political nature. In 2006, soon after Palin was elected as governor, she employed the help of her former pastor, Paul E. Riley of the Assembly of God Church, to help her with advice regarding her new job. Riley said, “She asked for a biblical example of people who were great leaders and what was the secret of their leadership.” Riley directed Palin to the Old Testement story of Esther. Like Palin, Esther was also a beauty queen who was in a leadership role. The story claims that Esther was given immense strength from her God in order to do a successful job. Although Palin attended the Assembly of God Church since she was quite young, in 2002 the Palin family decided to switch churches and start attending the Wasilla Bible Church. The transition has been accredited to the fact that the Wasilla Bible Church is simply “less extreme” compared to the other, which practices speaking in tongues and dramatic healings. Janet Kincaid, an Alaskan local who has worked with and known Palin for 15 years, said, “The churches that Sarah has attended all believe in a literal translation of the Bible.” In an address to recent graduates of the Assembly of God ministry program, Palin said, “Believe me, I know what I am saying — where God has sent me, from underneath the umbrella of this church, throughout the state.” Palin’s spokespeople have been more reluctant to discuss her religious views, but spokeswoman, Maria Comella, did say that Palin was baptized Roman Catholic. Comella also told reporters that, “We’re not going to get into discussing her religion.” The Wasilla Bible Church has been accused of displaying anti-Semitism, and many others argue that it discriminates against homosexuals. The root of both these complaints stems from the fact that the church aggressively pursues the conversation of Jews and homosexuals. Some say this religious body goes beyond political conservatism. http://www.ToTheCenter.com/news.php?readmore=7054 Win a 12-pack sampler set of YummyEarth organic lollipops and candy Founded by two dads and big-time lollipop fans who simply wanted healthy treats for their kids, YummyEarth pops and drops feature 21 delicious flavors that taste so much better than candy you've had before because we handcraft our flavors with real fruit extracts like organic black carrots, organic wheat grass juice, and organic pumpkin for fabulous color! And because YummyEarth uses only reusable and resealable packaging for low environmental impact, your can enjoy flavors like Googly Grape, Strawberry Smash and Tooberry Blueberry, guilt free! Prizes 1 Winner will receive: 12-pack sampler set of YummyEarth organic lollipops and candy drops pouches. Last Day to Enter:31-October-2008 Contest restricted to U.S. residents only Sweepstakes Form Name Address Address 2: City: State/Province: Postal Code: Country: Email:     By entering this contest you state that you have read and agree with the contest rules. Would you like to join our mailing list for site updates and additional contests and sweepstakes? http://www.ToTheCenter.com/news.php?readmore=7053 Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hassan Qashqavi, in an interview on Iranian television, reported that he was in support of the liberation of occupied Muslim territories. In the interview, as reported by Press TV, Qashqavi stated, “We believe that occupied territories, including those belonging to Syria, should be released without pre-conditions.” Qashqavi’s responses come in the midst of this weekend's Middle East Summit between Turkey, Syria, Qatar, and France. The response is also to the upcoming fifth round of talks between Israel and Syria. The four way talks between Turkey, Syria, Qatar, and France have shown concern over the prospects of a possible conflict between Israel and Iran. President Sarkozy of France made a plea to Iran to cease its pursuit of nuclear weapons, as it would bring on a possible attack from Israel. Israeli-Syrian talks have made efforts to resolve the issue of the Golan Heights which have been in the hands of the Israelis since it was taken in 1967. Press TV reports that on Thursday, in the Middle Eastern conference, Syrian President Bashir al-Assad stated that proposals had been sent to Israel through a Turkish official which would bring about direct peace talks with Israel. Up until now, the two countries have maintained indirect talks through Turkish mediators. http://www.ToTheCenter.com/news.php?readmore=7052 U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice continues her breakneck tour of North Africa with her trip to Morocco today. Secretary Rice is in Morocco to discuss multiple topics including relations in the region, economic connections between Morocco and the U.S., and issues involving the War on Terror. BBC news reports that Morocco has caught more than 30 groups that have been sending fighters to Iraq in the last five years. Secretary Rice started her trip visiting the former enemy of the United States, Libya, and its leader, Moammar Gaddafi. Rice’s trip to Tripoli marks the highest American official to visit the country in 50 years. Libya’s connections to the U.S. have been strengthened over the last few years since Gaddafi promised to disassemble his nuclear program. Gaddafi, at one time, had been seen as one of the strongest supporters of terrorism in the region, including Gaddafi’s support of the terrorist attack of Pan-Am flight 103 which killed 270 people. Rice continued on to Tunisia where she pushed for democratic reforms in a nation that has been a strong ally in the War on Terror. Dr. Rice spoke with Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the Tunisian President, who is expected to run for his fifth term in office next year. The Associated Press reports that Ben Ali has won every election since his bloodless coup in 1987 in a virtual landslide. Before ending her trip in Morocco, Rice stopped in Algeria. Algeria has seen an upturn in violence from North African Al-Qaeda led groups. Reuters reports that 125 people have been killed in August in clashes between the group, civilians and the Algerian military. http://www.ToTheCenter.com/news.php?readmore=7051 Turkish President Abdullah Gul visited Armenia today in support of Turkish national soccer team in their game against their Armenian counterparts. This marks the first time a Turkish President has visited neighboring Armenia since its independence 1991. The Turkish President traveled to the capital of Armenia, Yerevan for the World Cup qualifier. Turkey and Armenia have had a turbulent history starting with the genocide of hundreds of thousands of Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire at the beginning of the 20th century. Turkey has maintained that the actions taken at the time can not be qualified as genocide. Due to this and Armenian aggression in neighboring Azerbaijan in 1993, Turkish opposition parties were highly critical of President Gul’s trip. Reuters reports that the trip was done under high security as attack helicopters escorted the President’s jet into Yerevan. President Gul’s trip has been deemed “Soccer Diplomacy” and with good reason. The normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia may bring about a new route for oil into Turkey. Also with the recent attacks by Russia on Georgia may help shore up support against further Russian aggression. http://www.ToTheCenter.com/news.php?readmore=7050 U.S. scientists concluded that analysis of the genome may lead to understanding a brain tumor. The study has decoded the complete genetic profile of glioblastoma, which is one of the most fatal forms of brain cancer. This study was published in the British journal, Nature, where it explains a promising way to detect and study cancer. This study discovered all the mutations and alterations likened to the cancer. The cancer is a common deadly disease that affects many people. U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy was diagnosed with this type of cancer. Lynda Chin, one of the researchers and authors of the study, said, “The ultimate aim is to achieve a complete atlas for the genomic changes in glioblastoma. It would be essentially like having a full parts list for cars so that you know everything that could go wrong.”