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=7920 By Amy Kronenberger Zimbabwe declared a cholera epidemic that has killed more than 560 people and pleaded to the international community Thursday for medicine, medical supplies and money. According to the state-run Herald newspaper, the government declared national emergencies as the cholera outbreak coincided with malfunctioning central hospitals. As the country’s economic crisis continues to climb, doctors said they need medicine, equipment and money to pay salaries and buy water treatment chemicals, reported AFP. "Our central hospitals are literally not functioning," Health Minister David Parirenyatwa told a meeting of aid groups, the Herald reported. In addition to the more than 560 that have died, Parirenyatwa said another 12,546 cases have been reported. The Red Cross’ international committee said they sent over 13 tons of medical supplies Wednesday while the World Health Organization said it would supply $340,000 worth of drugs and supplies. Cholera is just the latest of crises to hit Zimbabwe. As the country struggles with its political instability, the people struggle with hyperinflation estimated at 231 million percent in July. The banks have just issued a new 100 million Zimbabwe dollar note worth about 14 U.S. dollars. Also, authorities have said the country only has enough water treatment chemicals to last the next 12 weeks. The South African government said Thursday it will hold an emergency meeting on the food and humanitarian crisis saying people were beginning to “die of starvation”. "There are very clear signs ... people are beginning to die of starvation. South Africa and SADC (the Southern African Development Community) can't just fold our arms," said government spokesman Themba Maseko. http://www.ToTheCenter.com/news.php?readmore=7919 According to Reuters, a record number of Americans are using Food Stamps, the antihunger program that provides food for people that can not afford the most basic necessities. In September more than 31.5 million Americans used Food stamps, according to government data. This is 17 percent more than last year and the numbers are expected to increase. "The tough economic time that our nation is facing is having a tremendous impact on the level of food assistance needed across the country," said Maura Daly of Feeding America. Dottie Rosenbaum, analyst with Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, said that one in 10 Americans have food stamp as of September 2008. The USDA said that last month 36.2 million Americans, or 11 percent of households, struggle to get enough food to eat, and one-third of them had to sometimes cut back on meals. http://www.ToTheCenter.com/news.php?readmore=7918 According to Reuters, the overall health of the Americans has remained pretty much the same for the fourth year in a row. According to an annual report , Vermont was ranked the healthiest state in America ,while Louisiana was ranked the last. Many of the Southern states were very close in their ranking position for the most unhealthiest state in the country. This due to the high level of obesity and smoking rates in this states. California, the most populous state, ranked 24th and New York 25th, while Vermont the second smallest state in population was classified as the healthiest one. "We've just not made any improvement in the overall healthiness of the nation," said Dr. Reed Tuckson of UnitedHealth Group Inc, the largest U.S. health insurer, and the private United Health Foundation. http://www.ToTheCenter.com/news.php?readmore=7917 Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt are newly married and someone is not happy about it. That someone is Montag's own mother, Darlene Egelhoff. “Spencer has tried to cut everyone out of (Heidi’s) life,” Egelhoff said. “I've been honest with Heidi, and it's caused our relationship to decline. I'm more devastated about that than the marriage, because I'm confident the marriage won't work out.” Tell us how you really feel, Mom. Egelhoff says the event is her daughter's biggest mistake, according to MSNBC.com. She even suggested foul play on Pratt's part. “He's manipulative and seems to have power over Heidi,” Egelhoff told Us Weekly. “I would like to see a blood test from Mexico. It wouldn’t surprise me if he had her drugged.” http://www.ToTheCenter.com/news.php?readmore=7916 It's not often we cringe and say, "Didn't see that coming." Not that often, anyway, when talking about politics and why friends are not rewarding their own friends. As familiar faces in the champions of President-Elect Barack Obama are rewarded for their good works and long support, there is a blank right where the name John Kerry should be. A supporter of Obama from nearly the start, Kerry was widely seen as jockeying for the position of Secretary of State. Clearly he did not get that . . . or anything else, so far as the public knows. Without further ado: the top 10 reasons why John Kerry needs a symbolic post. 10. John Kerry has great hair. If history has taught us anything, it's that great hair deserves great advancement. 9. We should be even-handed. . . . Bill Richards got a shiny new post. Why doesn't poor John deserve the same? 8. Older men can get cantankerous in those latter (retirement-age) years. Kerry's no spring chicken, and needs something to do around the house, before he drives poor Teresa up the wall! 7. He represents Massachusetts. JFK represented Massachusetts. JFK was a president. 'Nuff said. 6. Johnycakes deserves a break. If he goes back to the Senate now, all the other Senators will totally talk about how he was dissed, while they sit at the coveted senior table. 5. For about a year, he was the standard-bearer of the entire Democratic Party. Now he didn't even get the Agriculture position. Ouch. 4. He's supposed to be smooth with the ladies. Make him an ambassador to France. He'd be a rock star there. 3. If given a symbolic post, every time he meets with President Obama, the President can wink and explain that HIS (Kerry's) job is wayyy better than all the other jobs, combined! Everyone wins! 2. Let John Kerry's hair do the talking. It really is quite fabulous. 1. His initials are JFK. JFK's initials were JFK. 'Nuff said. http://www.ToTheCenter.com/news.php?readmore=7915 College could be out of the question for many Americans with the price rising nearly three times the rate of the cost of living, according to a National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education report released Wednesday. College tuition and fees (adjusted for inflation) rose 439 percent from 1982 to 2007, according to the report. All but one state, California (C), received a failing grade. States are having trouble with substantial budget shortfalls, a result of the lagging economy, according to the researchers. President-elect Barack Obama is trying to help alleviate the cost of college by creating a new American Opportunity Tax Credit worth $4,000, according to the Obama-Biden Web site. In exchange for the tax credit, students would have to complete 100 hours of community service. http://www.ToTheCenter.com/news.php?readmore=7914 It was divulged yesterday that longtime expatriate Roman Polanski seeks re-entrance into the United States, in order to film a movie. Yeah, sure. The filmmaker behind such classics as Rosemary's Baby has had representatives and lawyers filing papers in a Los Angeles Court, seeking to have charges against him dropped, for allegedly having sex with an underage girl, about 30 years ago. Since then, the woman has publicly forgiven the filmmaker, though he has not returned to the U.S., for fear of being arrested. As a technical fugitive, if Polanski were to step onto American soil, he could be arrested for a more than 30-year-old crime, since he fled before any conclusion could be reached. He has been living in Europe for the past three decades, as he has both American and French citizenship. My issue is this: I understand if he wants to come back. Who wouldn't? But he only wants to come back in order to film a movie? Puh-lease. As any fan of the Spaghetti Western well knows, there are plenty of places to shoot movies, including areas that are significantly cheaper to use. Polanski should just own up to the fact that he misses this country and wants to return. As he enters the latter, twilight years of his life, it is understandable that he would want to return to a place that holds so many memories (both good and bad) for the man, from the longterm successes of his films, to the grisly murder of his wife and unborn child by the raving mad Mansons. If he's ready to come back, fine, but let him do something to prove that he recognizes he broke the local laws, and should not get away scot-free. If the L.A. court approves his request to drop the charges, regardless of how old the charges may be, it will fly in the face of all other individuals charged with similar crimes. If simply fleeing for 30 years is somehow seen as enough to compensate for his actions, then something is wrong with the local justice granting institutions. If he were to at least engage in community service and serve some form of at least nominal court-ordered sentence, such as attending relationship courses or counseling, then so be it. But to simply forgive and forget, when a young individual was most definitely affected, would be a serious miscarriage of justice. Let him admit he misses his home, give him a light slap on the wrist and let him re-enter, but for goodness sakes, don't forget that he was guilty, pleaded guilty, and fled in fear of what kind of sentence he could've been handed. http://www.ToTheCenter.com/news.php?readmore=7913 Oprah Winfrey is ready to celebrate her accomplishments, via the East Coast. The celebrated host of Oprah is moving to the East Coast to celebrate the swearing in of her friend, Barack Obama. Though she usually broadcasts from the Windy City, Oprah will be coming to D.C. for one week in January. Oprah is like a magical presence, with the power to buy anything, and command all with her life knowledge! She can even take all of her friends on vacation, via satellite! Oprah Winfrey informed Access Hollywood this week that in the early part of the month of January, as President-Elect Barack Obama is sworn in, Winfrey will be taping her television show from the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. It is no stretch of the imagination to assume that Winfrey's name helped to rent out the center, as not just anyone could rent out such a prestigious and well preserved space. Winfrey is known to millions as the television host with an amazing sway over many viewers, predominantly female. She was a vocal and avid supporter of Obama during the election, oftentimes appearing with him during campaign stops, until her ratings began to suffer. http://www.ToTheCenter.com/news.php?readmore=7912 When the obituary for author Mark Twain was accidentally run prematurely, Twain dryly responded that the news of his demise had been exaggerated. According to Kelly Ripa and her husband, Mark Consuelos, the news of their marriage's demise has also been exaggerated. After a recent National Enquirer piece claiming that Ripa and her longtime hubby, Mark Consuelos, had split, the couple took action against the infamous tabloid. The star of Regis & Kelly apparently sent lawyers to tackle the situation. A strong statement was made, basically calling the tabloid on the publishing of a story that the paper's editors allegedly knew to be false. According to reports, the tabloid ran a story chronicling the breakup of the marriage, claiming that Ripa was going to stay in New York, while Consuelos was leaving for Chicago. This is allegedly not rooted in fact. This just goes to show the age old adage: Print libel about Kelly, and she'll Ripa you a new one. http://www.ToTheCenter.com/news.php?readmore=7911 There is the long held cliche of the mother-in-law who simply cannot stand her new daughter-in-law or son-in-law. Less than one month after the surprise news that Hills stars Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt were quasi-married in a ceremony in Mexico, Montag's mother is already spelling the end of the semi-marriage. In an Us Weekly interview, Darlene Egelhoff calls the marriage the "biggest mistake" of her daughter's life. Oh, and she predicts the union will crash and burn within six months. The relationship between the young and attractive couple has been displayed on the hit quasi-reality show, The Hills, on MTV. It turns out that the Cabo ceremony in which the two "eloped" was not technically a legally binding marriage, though they reportedly have plans to fix that in due time.