Presidential Fun Facts

Did you know that Andrew Johnson, the 17th President of the United States, was a tailor before he was President? Or that one of George Washington's favorite foods was ice cream? These are just two of the interesting facts about past U.S. Presidents National Geographic Kids has collected.

Many Presidents had unusual careers before entering the White House. Jimmy Carter, the 39th President, was a peanut farmer. Ronald Reagan, the 40th President, was a movie actor. And Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President, once worked chopping rails for fences.

According to John Riley of the White House Historical Association, Harry Truman was a haberdasher. A haberdasher (HAB-er-dash-er) is someone who deals in men's clothing and accessories, particularly hats. (National Geographic Kids)

Once in the White House, each President made his mark in different ways. In fact, before Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President, came to office, the White House wasn't even called the White House! People called the building the President's Palace, President's House, and the Executive Mansion. Roosevelt officially named it the White House in 1901.

Theodore Roosevelt wasn't the only President to invent a new expression. Martin Van Buren, the eighth President, is sometimes credited with creating the word "OK." Van Buren was from Kinderhook, New York. During his campaign, Old Kinderhook (O.K.) clubs formed to support the President. Later, "OK" or "okay," came to mean "all right."

There have been many other interesting presidential firsts. James Polk, the 11th President, was the first President to have his photograph taken. Theodore Roosevelt was the first President to ride in a car while in office. His fifth cousin and the 32nd President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, was the first to ride in an airplane.

What will be the next big presidential first? First to ride in a spaceship?

Questions about eating disorders

Expert Susan Ringwood from the charity BEAT answers questions about eating disorders which were sent in by Newsround viewers.

How do eating disorders develop? And how can you treat them?

Eating disorders do sometimes start very slowly, which can make it hard to know when you have a problem. If you are at all worried about yourself or a friend, you should speak to someone as soon as possible.

The sooner someone gets treatment, the better it is.

The best treatment is usually talking about your problems to someone who really understands it. And they will help you learn how to cope and eat healthily again.

How much sugar should you have in a day?

There aren't any rules about how much sugar is good or bad, but it is important to eat a variety of food and not too much or too little of any one thing.

My friend is really thin. Is she doing it herself or what else could it be?

There might be lots of reasons why someone could be very thin. Some other illnesses can make you thin too.

You can't tell from someone's size whether they are ill or not, but if your friend is really worried about the food perhaps you could help her to talk to someone about it.

When you don't eat, apart from eating disorders what other problems can occur?

Everyone needs to eat a healthy range of food to keep their bodies working properly.

Young people's bodies are growing and that takes a lot of energy. If you don't eat then your body may not grow properly until you start to eat again.

I have a friend and she is worried about her weight and talks about it. Sometimes I think she's joking but when the guys are around she won't eat. Is there anyway I can help her and talk her out of it?

It sounds like you are really worried about your friend, and its good that you want to help her. Friends are very important in times like this, but you may not be able to help your friend just by yourself. Perhaps you could encourage her to talk to an adult who she trusts.

How do you know if you're anorexic?

If you are concerned about your health or changes to your body the best thing to do is to speak to an adult you trust.

Growing up is a very difficult time, and your body changes a lot. Sometimes this can be very difficult to deal with, but remember that no matter how isolated you may feel, it will always feel better to share your problem with someone who could help.

What's the right weight for a tall 14-year-old girl?

There is no right weight for anyone. Everyone's body is different.

However, if you are concerned about changes to your body, do not be afraid to speak to a trusted adult about it. They have been through it too remember.

People keep telling me I'm thin. People keep commenting on how I eat, how much I eat, what I eat. I know I am not fat, I don't think I'm thin. I do watch what I eat. I do calorie count. Should my parents be worried??

It sounds to me like you are a bit worried about how you think and feel. It must be difficult when everyone is commenting about what you do. Maybe they are just worried about you.

Do you think that you could talk to them about it? Maybe get some information that would explain things to you and your parents.

What's your opinion on anorexia? What if you don't want to get better?

It must be really hard to feel that you don't want to get better. We do know that eating disorders can be beaten. People do get better, and they do get well. It's hard to do that on your own and telling someone else if you think you have a problem is the very first step.

What is a good way to get to like different foods? I'm a really picky eater, so I don't eat too much. And if I do, it is always sugary stuff, and I'm worried I'll get fat.

Eating good meals is important to keep you healthy. Maybe you could try one new thing each week and see which ones you like the best?

Waiting until you get very hungry and then eating junk isn't good for you. Try to eat regular meals and healthy snacks throughout the day, and this should help to stop your sugar cravings. (CBBC Newsround)

Antoni Tapies

One of the great masters of twentieth century avant-garde and a leading light in the contemporary art world, Antoni Tapies died at his home in Barcelona on Monday February 6th, 2012.
Cracks and scratches, signs and symbols, numbers and puzzles... all are unmistakable elements of the works of Antoni Tapies, the great Catalan painter and sculptor who died this week at his home in Barcelona, aged 88. Not simply an artist, Tapies was an intellectual of the first order and was awarded the title of marquis in 2010. (Hello!)

Whitney Houston

Whitney Houston was underwater and unconscious when she was found in a bath in her Los Angeles hotel room on Saturday, according to police.

Officials said they would not speculate on the cause of her death until toxicology tests were finished.

"Ms Houston was pulled from the tub by members of her staff and hotel security was promptly notified," said Beverly Hills police spokesman Lt Mark Rosen.

A Los Angeles coroner said there were no signs of foul play.

It could be up to eight weeks before investigators know exactly why the 48-year-old singer died. (BBC News)

Big freeze continues to grip Europe

The big freeze continues to overwhelm many parts of Europe as the cold snap shows no signs of stopping.
BBC Weather's Helen Willetts has the latest on the freezing weather in Europe.

Click below to watch the video:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/features/16948525

Types of Government

Anarchy Anarchy is a situation where there is no government. This can happen after a civil war in a country, when a government has been destroyed and rival groups are fighting to take its place.
Anarchists are people who believe that government is a bad thing. They say it stops people organising their own lives.

Capitalist In a capitalist or free-market country, people can own their own businesses and property. People can also buy services for private use, such as healthcare.
But most capitalist governments also provide their own education, health and welfare services.

Communist In a communist country, the government owns things like businesses and farms. It provides its people's healthcare, education and welfare.

Democracy In a democracy, the government is elected by the people.
Everyone who is eligible to vote has a chance to have their say over who runs the country. (CBBC Newsround)

Nokia to carry out 4,000 job cuts

Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia announced the details of 4,000 job losses on Wednesday at plants in Hungary, Mexico and Finland.
The company said the plants would remain open and refocus on customising phones whilst the actual assembly would move to South Korea and China.
The cuts are planned to be complete by the end of the year.
Nokia said the move is aimed at placing its production closer to its component suppliers who are also based in Asia.
The cuts come two weeks after the Finnish firm posted a 1.08bn euro ($1.4bn; £905m) loss for the three months to the end of December 2011.
Nokia reported that its net sales fell 21% on a year earlier to 10bn euros and net sales of its mobile phones were down by a quarter. (BBC News)

Shopping

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British Queen Celebrates Diamond Jubilee

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II celebrated 60 years as a monarch on February 6th. She ascended to the throne of the United Kingdom in 1953, when she was a 25-year-old princess. The 85-year-old queen spent the day on official duties. She toured the town of King’s Lynn in the east of England. The local mayor opened the celebrations to mark her diamond jubilee. Queen Elizabeth herself launched a new website that shows how much the world has changed during her six-decade reign. Bigger celebrations are scheduled to take place in the U.K. in the summer. There will be a 1,000-ship pageant on the River Thames and a concert at Buckingham Palace.
During Her Royal Highness’ reign, there have been 12 British prime ministers, 12 American presidents and six popes. She has also owned 60 corgis (her favourite dog). The diamond jubilee website says she has answered approximately 3.5 million letters. The queen promised her citizens that she would "dedicate myself anew to your service". She also said: "I hope also that this Jubilee year will be a time to give thanks for the great advances that have been made since 1952 and to look forward to the future with clear head and warm heart." The queen is still very popular with British people, despite a downturn in her popularity after the death of Princess Diana in 1997. (Breaking News English)

Vincent Van Gogh

The Frog Prince

Health and Exercise

Megaupload Boss Pleads Innocence

The founder of the file-sharing website megaupload.com has plead not guilty to charges of Internet piracy and money laundering. Kim Dotcom, aka Kim Schmitz, told a New Zealand court that authorities were doing their best to portray him as a dangerous criminal. His lawyer Paul Davison said: “Mr Dotcom emphatically denies any criminal misconduct or wrongdoing.” Authorities in the USA want to extradite Dotcom on charges of abusing intellectual copyright by allowing millions of his site’s users to illegally download movies and songs. They say he made $175 million by distributing copyrighted content. Megaupload's lawyer said his client simply offered an online storage service.
Kim Dotcom is a German national who now lives in a huge mansion amid sprawling grounds in New Zealand. He and three others were arrested on Friday at the request of the FBI. His arrest coincides with a heated debate in the U.S. Congress about new laws to protect intellectual copyright. The Wikipedia website had earlier gone offline for 24 hours in protest at the proposed legislation, called the Stop Online Piracy Act, and the Protect Intellectual Property Act. Police had to cut Dotcom out of a hidden room he had locked himself in. They also found a loaded gun in his house. Police confiscated 18 luxury cars from Mr Dotcom, with license plates including "HACKER", "MAFIA", "STONED" and "KIMCOM". (Breaking News English)

The Full English

Preheat the grill to high. Set the oven to its lowest heat and pop 2 plates in it to keep warm.Put the sausages, mushrooms and tomatoes, scored-side up, on to a large grill pan and place under the grill, about 5cm from the heat. Cook for about 10 minutes, turning the sausages once or twice.

Add the bacon and black pudding to the pan and grill for 5 minutes, turning halfway through cooking, until they are cooked and crispy. Put the baked beans in a saucepan and warm gently for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Place a non-stick saucepan over a low heat. Melt 1 knob of butter in the pan, add the eggs, season to taste and stir gently until just scrambled. Remove from the heat. Put the bread in the toaster, and arrange the sausages, mushrooms and tomatoes with the bacon, black pudding and beans on the warm plates. When the toast pops up, butter it, then put a slice on each plate and top with scrambled egg. Serve with HP sauce or tomato ketchup on the side, and a pot of tea. (Jamie Oliver)

Marilyn: Never-Published Photos

Few Hollywood stars of the 1950s and 1960s were so compelling, so utterly unique, that they actually came to define the era in which they worked and played. Marilyn Monroe was one of those stars.

From her earliest days as an actress, until late in her career, when she had, against her will, been cast in the public eye as the century’s ultimate Sex Goddess, Marilyn posed for LIFE magazine’s photographers. Many of those pictures never ran in the magazine — and, in fact, were never published anywhere. Until now.

The negatives for the images in this gallery were discovered during the long, involved, and often (no, really!) thrilling effort to digitize LIFE’s immense and storied photo archive — images that, incredibly, include outtakes and entire shoots that never saw the light of day.
Here, stunning shots of the one and only Marilyn, and some possible reasons why they never made it into print. (LIFE)