In this historic week which saw the first black candidate, Barack Obama, become elected as U.S. President, we look back at the previous 43 that have held the Whitehouse. To make it fun we’ll do a countdown, starting with the current U.S. President George W. Bush accompanied by a brief history.

The fun and overwhelming excitement doesn’t stop there, oh no no no, you can also download and print out a Velvet Art styled drawing that you can colour in – Whoo hoo! How exciting is this! Not only will you be learning about the history of a hot topic of the moment, but you’ll also be able to get out those crayons and felt tips you’ve had laying around in the drawer for the last 2 years. It has no relevance that you can name all 43 U.S. Presidents if you can’t ’stay between the lines’, so be careful.

43 | George W. Bush

Took office : January 20, 2001
Left office : Incumbent (Term expires January 20, 2009)
Party : Republican
Vice President : Dick Cheney

42 | Bill Clinton

Took office : January 20, 1993
Left office : January 20, 2001
Party : Democratic
Vice President : Al Gore

41 | George H. W. Bush

Took office : January 20, 1989
Left office : January 20, 1993
Party : Republican
Vice President : Dan Quayle

40 | Ronald Reagan

Took office : January 20, 1981
Left office : January 20, 1989
Party : Republican
Vice President : George H. W. Bush

39 | Jimmy Carter

Took office : January 20, 1977
Left office : January 20, 1981
Party : Democratic
Vice President : Walter Mondale

38 | Gerald Ford

Took office : August 9, 1974
Left office : January 20, 1977
Party : Republican
Vice President : Nelson Rockefeller

37 | Richard Nixon

Took office : January 20, 1969
Left office : August 9, 1974 (Resigned)
Party : Republican
Vice President : Spiro Agnew (Resigned), Vacant, Gerald Ford

36 | Lyndon B. Johnson

Took office : November 22, 1963
Left office : January 20, 1969
Party : Democratic
Vice President : Vacant, Hubert Humphrey

35 | John F. Kennedy

Took office : January 20, 1961
Left office : November 22, 1963(Assassinated)
Party : Democratic
Vice President : Lyndon B. Johnson

34 | Dwight D. Eisenhower

Took office : January 20, 1953
Left office : January 20, 1961
Party : Republican
Vice President : Richard Nixon

33 | Harry S. Truman

Took office : April 12, 1945
Left office : January 20, 1953
Party : Democratic
Vice President : Vacant, Alben W. Barkley

32 | Franklin D. Roosevelt

Took office : March 4, 1933
Left office : April 12, 1945 (Died in office of natural causes.)
Party : Democratic
Vice President : Richard Nixon

31 | Herbert Hoover

Took office : March 4, 1929
Left office : March 4, 1933
Party : Republican
Vice President : Charles Curtis

30 | Calvin Coolidge

Took office : August 2, 1923
Left office : March 4, 1929
Party : Republican
Vice President : Vacant, Charles G. Dawes

29 | Warren G. Harding

Took office : March 4, 1921
Left office : August 2, 1923 (Died in office of natural causes)
Party : Republican
Vice President : Calvin Coolidge

28 | Woodrow Wilson

Took office : March 4, 1913
Left office : March 4, 1921
Party : Democratic
Vice President : Thomas R. Marshall

27 | William Howard Taft

Took office : March 4, 1909
Left office : March 4, 1913
Party : Republican
Vice President : James S. Sherman(Died in office of natural causes), Vacant

26 | Theodore Roosevelt

Took office : September 14, 1901
Left office : March 4, 1909
Party : Republican
Vice President : Vacant, Charles W. Fairbanks

25 | William McKinley

Took office : March 4, 1897
Left office : September 14, 1901 (Assassinated)
Party : Republican
Vice President : Garret Hobart (Died in office of natural causes), Vacant, Theodore Roosevelt

24 | Grover Cleveland

Took office : March 4, 1893
Left office : March 4, 1897
Party : Democratic
Vice President : Adlai E. Stevenson I
Note : Second term

23 | Benjamin Harrison

Took office : March 4, 1889
Left office : March 4, 1893
Party : Republican
Vice President : Levi P. Morton

22 | Grover Cleveland

Took office : March 4, 1885
Left office : March 4, 1889
Party : Democratic
Vice President : Thomas A. Hendricks (Died in office of natural causes), Vacant

21 | Chester A. Arthur

Took office : September 19, 1881
Left office : March 4, 1885
Party : Republican
Vice President : Vacant

20 | James A. Garfield

Took office : March 4, 1881
Left office : September 19, 1881 (Assassinated)
Party : Republican
Vice President : Chester A. Arthur

19 | Rutherford B. Hayes

Took office : March 4, 1877
Left office : March 4, 1881
Party : Republican
Vice President : William A. Wheeler

18 | Ulysses S. Grant

Took office : March 4, 1869
Left office : March 4, 1877
Party : Republican
Vice President : Schuyler Colfax, Henry Wilson (Died in office of natural causes), Vacant

17 | Andrew Johnson

Took office : April 15, 1865
Left office : March 4, 1869
Party : Democratic National Union (Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson were, respectively, a Republican and a Democrat who ran on the National Union ticket in 1864)
Vice President : Vacant

16 | Abraham Lincoln

Took office : March 4, 1861
Left office : April 15, 1865 (Assassinated)
Party : Republican National Union (Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson were, respectively, a Republican and a Democrat who ran on the National Union ticket in 1864)
Vice President : Hannibal Hamlin, Andrew Johnson

15 | James Buchanan

Took office : March 4, 1857
Left office : March 4, 1861
Party : Democratic
Vice President : John C. Breckinridge

14 | Franklin Pierce

Took office : March 4, 1853
Left office : March 4, 1857
Party : Democratic
Vice President : William R. King (Died in office of natural causes), Vacant

13 | Millard Fillmore

Took office : July 9, 1850
Left office : March 4, 1853
Party : Whig
Vice President : Vacant

12 | Zachary Taylor

Took office : March 4, 1849
Left office : July 9, 1850 (Died in office of natural causes)
Party : Whig
Vice President : Millard Fillmore

11 | James K. Polk

Took office : March 4, 1845
Left office : March 4, 1849
Party : Democratic
Vice President : George M. Dallas

10 | John Tyler

Took office : April 4, 1841
Left office : March 4, 1845
Party : Whig – No Party – Former Democrat who ran for Vice President on Whig ticket. Clashed with Whig congressional leaders and was expelled from the Whig party in 1841
Vice President : Vacant

9 | William Henry Harrison

Took office : March 4, 1841
Left office : April 4, 1841 (Died in office of natural causes)
Party : Whig
Vice President : John Tyler

8 | Martin Van Buren

Took office : March 4, 1837
Left office : March 4, 1841
Party : Democratic
Vice President : Richard Mentor Johnson

7 | Andrew Jackson

Took office : March 4, 1829
Left office : March 4, 1837
Party : Democratic
Vice President : John C. Calhoun (Resigned), Vacant, Martin Van Buren

6 | John Quincy Adams

Took office : March 4, 1825
Left office : March 4, 1829
Party : Democratic-Republican National Republican
Vice President : John C. Calhoun

5 | James Monroe

Took office : March 4, 1817
Left office : March 4, 1825
Party : Democratic-Republican
Vice President : Daniel D. Tompkins

4 | James Madison

Took office : March 4, 1809
Left office : March 4, 1817
Party : Democratic-Republican
Vice President : George Clinton (Died in office of natural causes), Vacant, Elbridge Gerry (Died in office of natural causes), Vacant

3 | Thomas Jefferson

Took office : March 4, 1801
Left office : March 4, 1809
Party : Democratic-Republican
Vice President : Aaron Burr, George Clinton

2 | John Adams

Took office : March 4, 1797
Left office : March 4, 1801
Party : Federalist
Vice President : Thomas Jefferson (Democratic-Republican)

1 | George Washington

Took office : April 30, 1789
Left office : March 4, 1797
Party : No Party
Vice President : John Adams

Images copyright www.whitehouse.gov/kids/
Information : Wikipedia

To save an enlarged version of each drawing simply right-click on the drawing you want and select the save image option, saving it to an appropriate place on your computer.

Jessica Alba, wearing only a Hannibal Lecter-type mask called “The Muzzler” and appearing to be crying, is starring in an American political advertising campaign aimed at getting young people to vote in America, joined by fellow celebrities Christina Aguilera and Andre 3000.

Alongside the image of Jessica, reads the tagline: ‘Only you can silence yourself. Make them hear you. Register to vote now.’

What grabbed my attention was the fact that David LaChapelle, was the man behind the striking images. Here’s a taster of some of the striking posters behind the campaign.

Jessica Alba (by David LaChapelle)

Jessica Alba (by Mark Lindell)

Christina Aguilera (by David LaChapelle)

Jonathan Bennett (by David LaChapelle)

Andre 3000 (by David LaChapelle)

Not surprisingly these designs follow in the same suit as the UK passport and driving license designs.

Example front

Example back

Quick facts

1. Each card will carry a picture and a chip holding the person’s name and date of birth, fingerprint records and other biometric data.
2. It will also detail the holder’s visa status and right to work.
3. The cards will be issued to foreign nationals from November and from next year to people working in airports and other high security jobs.
4. From 2011 everyone over the age of 16 applying for a passport will have their details added to a national identity register.

Let us know your thoughts.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has revealed the design for the new identity card will be unveiled today. Each card will carry a picture and a chip holding the person’s name and date of birth, fingerprint record and other biometric data.

When will they be introduced?

From November the cards will be issued to foreign nationals and from next year to people working in airports and other high security jobs.

From 2011 everyone over the age of 16 applying for a passport will have their details added to a national identity register.

ID cards are bad news right?

After a string of government data loss blunders there are fears about the security of personal data, with opponents saying that ID cards are unnecessary, costly and impinge liberty.

Ministers argue the cards will boost national security, tackle identity fraud, prevent illegal working and improve border controls.

Liberty Director Shami Chakrabarti said:

“This week the Prime Minister said he doesn’t do PR but clearly the Home Secretary wasn’t listening.

“The public will yawn at yet another re-launch of this scheme and if the card came with loyalty points, we still wouldn’t buy it.

“Picking on foreigners first is divisive politics; as costly to our race relations as our purses.”

Earlier this week Home Office minister Meg Hillier was forced to row back after claiming ID cards could be issued to children as young as 14.

Credit ITV news, all rights reserved

I like reading the Fifteen Minutes of Oompah Blog. Today’s entry deriding the Conservative Party think tank’s completely bonkers view of the North’s prospects is particularly good.

http://mantrafilledoompah.blogspot.com/2008/08/rivers-of-black-pudding.html