(Mental Floss) -- There have been presidential daughters almost as long as there have been presidents. (George Washington had no children.) President Warren Harding made child-care payments to his mistress for years until his death in 1923. What these women did -- both under the influence of and independent from their influential fathers -- make fascinating stories. Here are five you might not have heard: 1. Sarah Knox Taylor Davis She packed a lot of drama into her 21 years. The second daughter of future U.S. President Zachary Taylor, Sarah also was the first wife of future Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Her parents gave her the middle name Knox after Fort Knox, in pre-state Indiana, where her military father was stationed and where she was born in 1813 or 1814. Sarah was often called Knox or Knoxie. The life of an army brat was certainly more dangerous in the early 19th century. During Taylor's posting in Louisiana, Sarah and her two sisters came down with "bilious fever," now thought to be malaria. Sarah survived, but her older and younger sisters died. The Taylors were stationed at Fort Crawford (now Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin) in 1832, when Sarah met and fell in love with a young officer named Jefferson Davis. Zachary Taylor opposed the relationship, and accounts vary as to why --because he didn't want his daughter to continue to be exposed to the hardships of army life, or because he and Davis didn't get along. Or both. Davis was transferred, so he and Sarah conducted a long-distance relationship for two years. They even planned their wedding by mail. The ceremony took place in June 1835, in Louisville, Kentucky. Sarah's parents did not attend. Once again there is disagreement over why they were absent. The newlyweds immediately headed south, and they visited Davis's relatives in Louisiana. Sarah, mindful of the family tragedy the last time the Taylors traveled those parts, wrote home, "Do not make yourself uneasy about me, the country is quite healthy." But while staying with Davis's oldest sister at "Locust Grove" in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, the couple fell ill with malaria. Jefferson Davis recovered, but Sarah died, barely three months into her marriage. Mental Floss: 5 memorable White House weddings 2. Elizabeth Harrison Walker Her life straddled the Gilded Age of her father, President Benjamin Harrison, and the Television Age, when accomplished women were just beginning to enter in numbers into the mainstream of public life. Elizabeth was born in 1897, four years after her father left office. A widower with two children by his first wife, Harrison had married Mary Scott Lord Dimmick, and Elizabeth was the couple's only child. She was just 4 when her father, the last of the bearded presidents, passed away. If Elizabeth's dynastic 1921 marriage to James Blaine Walker -- grandnephew of her father's secretary of state and onetime Republican presidential nominee James G. Blaine -- was conventional, much of the rest of her life was not. By the time of her wedding, she had received several academic degrees, including a law degree from New York University Law School, and was admitted to the bar in New York and Indiana at age 22. After her marriage, she began publishing a monthly newsletter, "Cues on the News." Geared toward women, it offered economic and investment tips, and was distributed nationally by banks. Her expertise led to appearances on radio and, later, television, where she spoke on economic issues pertaining to women. She died in 1955, at the age of 58. Mental Floss: Quiz: Post--White House lives of presidents 3. Margaret Woodrow Wilson Thirty years before the Beatles went to India to sample and popularize its spiritual wonders, another musician and political activist, Margaret Woodrow Wilson, had already been. It was the final chapter in the peripatetic life of the eldest of President Woodrow Wilson's three daughters. Margaret was born in 1886, in Gainesville, Georgia. During her father's presidency,

Question: Who did President Taylor's daughter marry?

Question: Where was President Hardling's daughter conceived?

Question: Who is involved?

Question: whom did President Taylor's daughter marry

Question: Whio married future president of an enemy power?

Question: Who followed  a guru to India?

Answer: Jefferson Davis.

Answer: Fort Knox,

Answer: President Warren Harding

Answer: Jefferson Davis.

Answer: Sarah Knox Taylor Davis

Answer: Margaret Woodrow Wilson

Summary:
President Harding's illegitimate daughter was conceived on couch in Senate office .
Review of Harry Truman's daughter prompted presidential threat against reporter .
President Taylor's daughter married future president of an enemy power .
Woodrow Wilson's daughter followed a guru to India .


(Mental Floss) -- They say a lot of artistic expression is motivated by self-loathing. But not for these folks! Long before the Material Girl ordered papa to stop preaching, these six puffed-up virtuosos knew darn well how to strike a pose.

Alfred Hitchcock didn't leave people in suspense about how he felt about actors.

Here's to the creative types who managed to raise egotism to an art form.

Alfred Hitchcock

Hitchcock was, without question, one of the towering geniuses of cinema. And, like many greats, he wasn't exactly the best collaborator.

Hitchcock was particularly trying for screenwriters, who felt he never properly credited them for their work. But he was notoriously hard on actors.

He was once quoted as saying, "Actors are cattle" -- a quip that stirred up a huge outcry (actors can be so touchy). In response, he issued this correction: "I have been misquoted. What I really said is, 'Actors should be treated as cattle.'"

Although it began accidentally (when he was short an actor for the film "The Lodger"), Hitchcock soon made it his egotistical trademark to appear in his own films, amassing a total of 37 cameos throughout his career.

Ayn Rand

The egotist's egotist, author Ayn Rand (born Alissa Zinovievna Rosenbaum) is the patron saint of Thinking You're Better Than Everybody Else.

Her most famous novels, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, are massive dramatizations of Objectivism, her self-spun Oscar-the-Grouch philosophy for success. Objectivism champions ego and accomplishment, shuns all religion as folly, and condemns any form of charity or altruism as counterproductive to society.

Rand's novels often focus on protagonists (invariably men) who are shunned by others because of their genius, but then persevere over the foolishness of morons to prove said genius and emerge triumphant.

Not surprisingly, she saw humility as a weakness and regarded laughing at yourself as "spitting in your own face."

So, just how much did Rand believe in her own philosophy? Let's just say a lot. With signature modesty, she ranked herself as the philosophical equal of Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas.

Orson Welles

When you create a cinematic masterpiece such as "Citizen Kane" at the ripe old age of 25, you're bound to get a big head. But Welles was convinced of his own importance much earlier than that.

In fact, "Citizen Kane" might have been sparked by nothing more than a bruised ego. After all, it's said he devised the film as a withering exposé of newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst because Hearst slighted Welles at a dinner party. Of course, after the unparalleled success of "Citizen Kane," Welles's arrogant side didn't get any less subtle.

Do yourself a favor: Track down a recording of Welles' outtakes for a TV commercial for frozen peas. You'll hear everything you need to know about the filmmaker's oversized ego. A classic quote goes: "In the depths of your ignorance, what is it you want?"

Frank Lloyd Wright

As the brains behind the Robie House, Fallingwater, Taliesin West, the Guggenheim, and countless other design benchmarks, Frank Lloyd Wright is arguably the genius of 20th-century architecture. And, boy, did he know it!

Wright was notorious for believing he was superior to mere mortals. In fact, the architectural egomaniac frequently acted as though the rules -- even those of geography and climate -- did not apply to him. But when you're Wright, you're right.

In 1935, department store magnate Stanley Marcus (of Neiman-Marcus fame) commissioned the architect to design his Dallas home, but the project quickly went sour. Wright's avant-garde floor plan included "sleeping porches" that required his client to sleep outdoors year-round. In addition, Marcus' small bedroom "cubicles" came equipped with almost no closet space.

When Stanley respectfully explained that (a) temperatures during summer nights in Dallas often exceed 80

Question: What did Frank Lloyd Wright want to do?

Question: What does Frank Lloyd Wright want?

Question: Who wanted to store magnate to sleep on the porch?

Question: What does Ayn Rand say is the same as laughing at yourself?

Question: What did Any Rand say?

Question: What did Ayn Rand say?

Question: Who said  Laughing at yourself same as "spitting in your own face"

Question: What does Rand think about self mockery

Question: Where did frank want the manager to sleep

Question: what is laughing at yourself the same as?

Question: Where did Frank Lloyd Wright want the store magnate to sleep?

Question: Where did Frank Lloyd Wright want them to sleep?

Question: What did Ayn Rand refer to as 'spitting in your own face'?

Question: What does Ayn Rand equate to laughing at yourself?

Question: where did frank lloyd wright want store magnate to sleep?

Question: where did Frank Lloyd Wright want the magnate to sleep

Answer: design his Dallas home,

Answer: "sleeping porches" that required his client to sleep outdoors year-round.

Answer: Stanley Marcus

Answer: "spitting in your own face."

Answer: "spitting in your own face."

Answer: she saw humility as a weakness and regarded laughing at yourself as "spitting in your own face."

Answer: Ayn Rand

Answer: "spitting in your own face."

Answer: outdoors

Answer: "spitting in your own face."

Answer: outdoors

Answer: outdoors year-round.

Answer: laughing at yourself

Answer: "spitting in your own face."

Answer: outdoors year-round.

Answer: "sleeping porches"

Summary:
Frank Lloyd Wright wanted store magnate to sleep on porch .
Salvador Dalí's stated ambitions were bigger than Napoleon's .
Ayn Rand: Laughing at yourself same as "spitting in your own face"


(Mental Floss) -- We all know about the Confederate states leaving the Union. But that was far from the only secessionist movement in American history. Here are some rebellious regions you won't find in too many history books.

This map shows some rebellious regions that have tried to seceed from the United States.

1. The Kingdom of Beaver Island

Beaver Island, a small island in Lake Michigan, became the home of Mormon leader James Strang and his followers -- called Strangites -- in 1848. Two years later, Strang declared himself king of the church -- complete with crown, scepter, robe, and a harem of 15 wives.

However, most of the island's inhabitants were his followers, so he essentially became King of Beaver Island. The power got to his head, and he began forcing his rule onto the non-believers, causing some violence between the two factions.

In 1856, the USS Michigan pulled into the harbor and invited Strang aboard. As he was walking towards the ship, he was shot in the back by disgruntled followers, who then ran up the gangplank and escaped. Adding to the mysterious circumstances, the assassins were set ashore on nearby Mackinac Island and never charged for their crime.

Shortly after the assassination, angry mobs from surrounding islands eventually forced the Strangites from their homes, thus ending the short-lived Kingdom of Beaver Island.

2. The state of Superior

Concern over a perceived lack of interest from the Michigan state government, the people of the Upper Peninsula (U.P.), affectionately known as "Yoopers," have been trying to secede and form the State of Superior since as far back as 1897.

The movement gained momentum after 1957 when a bridge connecting the U.P. region to Lower Michigan made it easier for southern "Trolls" (people who live "below the bridge") and Yoopers to mingle. This animosity continued into the mid-1980s, when 20,000 signatures were collected and submitted to the state for a secession request.

However, the number was shy of the 36,000 required, and the request subsequently denied. The secessionist drive lives on today, as numerous grassroots organizations are trying to muster support for another official attempt at an independent U.P. Until that day comes, though, the Yoopers and Trolls will just have to try to get along.

3. The Great Republic of Rough and Ready

Rough and Ready, California, was a mining town founded in 1849 by the Rough and Ready Company of Wisconsin. As the town's population rapidly exploded to 3,000, lawlessness was on the rise -- and the U.S. government was not much help squelching the rampant crime. Mental Floss: Three controversial maps

Additionally, a new federal tax on mining operations added fuel to the region's civil unrest. Seeing little support from Washington, on April 7, 1850, the townspeople voted to secede from the Union.

But just three months later, as the Fourth of July approached, The Great Republic of Rough and Ready wanted to have a celebration (which seems odd considering they were no longer technically Americans). When nearby Nevada City wouldn't sell liquor to "foreign miners," it was decided that maybe America wasn't so bad after all. The townspeople voted themselves back into the Union on the very same day and the party went off as planned.

4. The Conch Republic

In the early-1980s, the U.S. Border Patrol set up a checkpoint at the entrance to the Florida Keys in an effort to stop illegal drugs and immigrants. The time to check everyone's identification at the checkpoint resulted in a 20-mile traffic jam that turned tourists away, thus damaging the economy in the Keys.

After numerous legal attempts to have the checkpoint removed, on April 23, 1982, Key West mayor Dennis Wardlow declared the Florida Keys were seceding from the Union.

Moments later, now-Prime Minister Wardlow symbolically declared war on the U.S. by breaking a stale piece of Cuban bread over the head of a man dressed in a U.S. Navy uniform. One minute later, Wardlow turned to the Admiral in charge of the U.S. Naval Base at Key West and surrendered, thus

Question: who are forced to get along in Michigan?

Question: What did the Key West mayor do?

Question: Who does he lead?

Question: who  named himself king of Beaver Island?

Question: What did James Strang name himself?

Question: who  declared Florida Keys were seceding from Union in 1982?

Answer: Yoopers and Trolls

Answer: declared the Florida

Answer: called Strangites

Answer: Strang

Answer: king of the church

Answer: West mayor Dennis Wardlow

Summary:
Mormon leader James Strang named himself king of Beaver Island, Michigan .
Key West mayor declared Florida Keys were seceding from Union in 1982 .
Northern California and southern Oregon have been trying to merge since 1852 .
"Yoopers" and "Trolls" are forced to get along in Michigan .


(Mental Floss) -- We all want to live forever. But, chances are, you'd rather forego a legacy altogether than have your name be synonymous with a goofy flub like a spoonerism or a dim-witted word like "dunce." You can find a saint under tawdry in the dictionary. For the following eponyms, we ask: Did these word-inspiring folks really deserve their drag through the linguistic mud? 1. Dunce Dictionaries don't play fair, and John Duns Scotus is proof. The 13th/14th-century thinker, whose writings synthesized Christian theology and Aristotle's philosophy, was considerably less dumb than a brick. Unfortunately for Scotus, subsequent theologians took a dim view of all those who championed his viewpoint. These "Scotists," "Dunsmen," or "Dunses" were considered hairsplitting meatheads and, eventually, just "dunces." 2.(slipping a) Mickey When you have to drug somebody against their will (hey, you gotta do what you gotta do), it just wouldn't sound right to slip 'em a Ricardo, a Bjorn, or an Evelyn. It's gotta be a Mickey. At the turn of the 20th century, Mickey Finn was a Chicago saloon owner in one of the seediest parts of town -- and he fit right in. Finn was known for serving "Mickey Finn Specials," which probably included chloral hydrate, a heavy sedative. After targeted customers passed out, Finn would haul them into his "operating room" and liberate them of all valuables (including shoes). Never a Host of the Year candidate, this Mickey seems to have thoroughly earned his legacy, so don't hesitate to use it the next time you drug and rob your own customers. 3. Spoonerism Reverend William Archibald Spooner (1844--1930) was famous for his muddled one-liners. And though it's hard to know which ones he actually said, lines such as "I have a half-warmed fish" and "Yes indeed, the Lord is a shoving leopard" still prove that the sound-switching flub is pretty charming as far as mistakes go. The spoonerism has even been used as a literary technique by poets and fiction writers, giving Spooner little reason to roll over -- or otherwise inarticulately protest -- in his grave. 4. Lynch Although several Lynches (not including David) have been investigated by inquisitive etymologists, Virginia native Charles Lynch (1736--1796) is most likely the man behind the murderous word. Lynch was a patriot, a planter, and a judge. But when he headed a vigilante court to punish Tories (British loyalists) during the American Revolution, he decided to play the roles of jury and executioner, too. Lynch has more than earned his besmirched name. In fact, he did half the besmirching himself by egotistically referring to his actions as "lynch law" and "lynching." 5. Shrapnel While battling Napoleon's army, English General Henry Shrapnel (1761--1842) noticed that original-flavor cannonballs just weren't massacring enough enemies for his liking. So, to get more shebang for his shilling, he filled the cannonballs with bullets and exploding charges. These "shrapnel shells," or "shrapnel-barrages," were pretty darn effective, and later designs proved even more successful in World War I. Shrapnel didn't get much credit for the "innovation" during his lifetime, but he ultimately contributed to enough death and misery that he pretty much deserves to be synonymous with a violent, metallic byproduct of combat. 6. Draconian A Lexis-Nexis news search shows that folks are still talking about "draconian policies," "draconian penalties," and, most frighteningly, "draconian sex rules." Though Athenian lawgiver Draco is not entirely confirmed to have existed, if he were real, then around 621 B.C.E., he instituted two time-honored traditions: 1) writing laws down and 2) making laws that were batcrap-insane They include ascribing the death penalty to such atrocities as

Question: Who built more deadly cannonballs?

Question: Who wanted to put lazy to death?

Question: Who built deadly cannonballs?

Question: Where does the word Draconian come from?

Answer: General Henry Shrapnel

Answer: Athenian lawgiver Draco

Answer: English General Henry Shrapnel

Answer: Athenian lawgiver Draco

Summary:
Some awful words named after real people .
Tawdry named for St. Audrey who  wore audacious necklaces .
Draconian came from lawyer who wanted lazy put to death .
General Henry Shrapnel built more deadly cannonballs .


(Mental Floss) -- We remember Henry Ford as the automotive magnate who perfected assembly line technology, but he also dabbled in ambitious social programs, including one in which he hired ex-convicts straight out of Sing Sing to staff his factories. Henry Ford, pictured in 1942, unsuccessfully attempted to increase the rubber supply with a plantation in Brazil. Although many of these efforts were successful, Ford's ill-fated foray into the Brazilian jungle was a notable and fascinating exception. The plan If you're going to make millions of cars, you're going to need an awful lot of rubber. In 1927, Ford came up with a novel plan: He'd solve his rubber problem and test out his lofty theories about social planning. If everything went well, he could craft both a utopia full of healthy, productive workers and a direct pipeline of coveted rubber to Detroit. Ford approached the task with characteristic zeal. He talked the Brazilian government into granting him 10,000 square kilometers of land in the Amazon rain forest -- a plot that was nearly twice as big as the state of Delaware -- in exchange for a 9 percent cut of the plantation's profits. In theory, this setup seemed like one of Ford's ideas that would shake out pretty well, and in 1928, Ford sent a barge full of supplies from Michigan down to his new plantation town, which was dubbed "Fordlandia." Growing rubber in the jungle Unfortunately for Ford's stockholders, though, the captain of industry didn't always have a great eye for detail. (One famous story about Ford was that he disliked accountants so fiercely that he never had his company audited. By the end of his tenure, the Ford Motor Company allegedly had no idea exactly how much it cost to build a car.) Ford didn't check to see if the plantation was suitable for growing rubber. According to Greg Grandin, author of "Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Forgotten Jungle City," Ford never consulted any sort of expert on rubber cultivation; he just sent a bunch of supplies and managers into the jungle hoping to grow some rubber. Mental Floss: Henry Ford and others who survived bankruptcy Ford was legendarily contemptuous of experts, but he could have saved some serious dough if he'd just hired a consultant to tell him that the plantation wasn't at all suitable for growing rubber. The land wasn't very fertile, but that wasn't the main problem. The real difficulty was that it's practically impossible to farm rubber in a plantation setting in the Amazon rainforest. To grow the trees on a commercial scale, you've got to pack them in fairly close together, and at that point they become incredibly susceptible to blight and insect attacks. Fordlandia's trees were no exception, and caterpillars and blight quickly decimated the fields. Not exactly a worker's paradise Obviously, the rubber production part of the Fordlandia got off to a rocky start. How was the "worker's paradise" part of things going, though? Even more abysmally. The American managers and their families that Ford imported from Michigan weren't accustomed to the sweltering Brazilian heat and headed back north with an alarming frequency. The heavy machinery used on the plantation left deep ruts in the soft soil, which collected stagnant water and became breeding grounds for malaria-ridden mosquitoes. Ford had attempted to design Fordlandia like any American town, complete with schools, restaurants, a golf course, and shops. The catch here, though, was that the indigenous Brazilians who farmed the rubber weren't used to living in a stylized American community. Worse still, the plantation's workers were expected to work a strict shift from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., whereas normal harvesting practices in the region saw workers hit the fields before dawn, take a long break, and then head out again at twilight to save themselves the misery of working in the tropical midday heat. Food fights Ford's influence extended all the way down to the residents' diets, and while the indigenous workers weren't crazy about having to eat American foods

Question: Where did the auto magnate set up a plantation?

Question: What did an auto magnate set up in the Amazon forest?

Question: what set up a plantation

Question: where was it set up

Question: who didn't research

Question: What was the land unsuitable for?

Question: who set the plantation up

Question: where is the plantation

Question: Where was a plantation set up to produce rubber?

Question: What did he fail to do?

Question: Where was the plantation set up?

Answer: Brazil.

Answer: "Fordlandia."

Answer: Henry Ford,

Answer: Amazon rain forest

Answer: Henry Ford

Answer: growing rubber.

Answer: Henry Ford,

Answer: Brazil.

Answer: Brazil.

Answer: increase the rubber supply

Answer: Brazil.

Summary:
The auto magnate set up a plantation in the Amazon rain forest to produce rubber .
He didn't research the land and found out to late it wasn't suitable for growing rubber .
Brazilian workers rioted against U.S.-style mess hall, ban on alcohol .
Ford ultimately sold the plantation at a $20 million loss .


(Mental Floss) -- We're in the throes of summer vacation season, but at least one American is still on the job. While it's rumored that President Obama will follow in the footsteps of President Clinton and vacation on Martha's Vineyard, he hasn't had a chance to break out his Bermuda shorts just yet. When Obama does take off, though, he'll join in the grand tradition of presidential vacations, like these notable ones: President Bush (R) and Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen ride bikes in Crawford, Texas, in 2008. 1. Abe Lincoln doesn't go too far Far-flung vacations are nice, but President Lincoln preferred to stay a bit closer to home. When Lincoln needed a getaway from the heat and political turmoil of Civil War-era Washington, D.C., he headed to...a different part of Washington, D.C. From 1862 to 1864 Lincoln spent June through November living in a cottage atop a hill at the Soldiers' Home a few miles from the White House. Lincoln apparently loved the slight change of scenery, which meant slightly cooler temperatures and a chance to ride his horse each morning. If you're considering a stay-cation this year, consider this Honest Abe's endorsement. 2. Movie cowboy does real ranching Think George W. Bush was the first president to sneak away from the White House to spend time on his ranch? Not quite. At the end of his second term as Governor of California in 1974, Ronald Reagan paid just over half a million dollars to acquire Rancho del Cielo in California's Santa Ynez Mountains. The 688-acre ranch, complete with stables and a 1500-square-foot adobe house, was Reagan's go-to vacation destination while he was in office, and he entertained some big names there, including Margaret Thatcher, Queen Elizabeth II, and Mikhail Gorbachev, who gamely wore a cowboy hat during his visit. 3. LBJ does some ranching, too Texan Lyndon Johnson was very involved in the everyday operations of his ranch. Johnson, who had gotten into ranching in 1951, grew his LBJ Ranch into a 2,700-acre spread populated by 400 head of Hereford cattle. Johnson was no absentee owner when he was in Washington, either. Johnson frequently headed back on vacations and supposedly drove his foreman crazy by calling every day to talk about the weather on the ranch or how the pastures looked. Today, the National Park Service maintains LBJ's spread as a working ranch, complete with a herd of cattle descended from the Herefords Johnson bred. 4. George W. Bush initiates a war on brush George W. Bush followed in LBJ's footsteps and went to his own Texas ranch when he needed a getaway. Prairie Chapel Ranch, a 1,583-acre spread Bush owns near Crawford, Texas, served as the secondary White House throughout Bush's presidency, and he was often shown clearing brush during vacations. Bush wasn't just doing farm work, though. He exhorted visitors to join the "President's 100-Degrees Club" by running three miles or biking 10 after the mercury hit 100 degrees. Anyone who could pull of the feat got a specialized Under Armour shirt as recognition. We can only hope one of the many foreign dignitaries Bush entertained at the ranch -- including Vladimir Putin, Tony Blair, Silvio Berlusconi, Ariel Sharon, and Saudi King Abdullah -- managed to get one of the coveted shirts into their suitcases. Mental Floss: Iraq, Afghanistan and other extreme vacation spots 5. FDR heats up Georgia Some presidents choose to head to their hometowns or a beach side resort for their vacations, but Franklin Roosevelt preferred to travel to western Georgia. Warm Springs, Georgia, is the home of (you guessed it!) warm springs that supposedly had therapeutic value for polio sufferers. FDR, who had contracted his own paralytic illness in 1921, started visiting Warm Springs in 1924 in the hope that exercising in the springs' warm waters would cure him. Although the springs didn't reverse his illness, FDR felt like his time at the resort alleviated his symptoms somewhat. In 1927 he bought the resort he'd been staying

Question: what is the president name?

Question: Where do they go?

Question: who spent four months at the slightly cooler Soldiers' Home?

Question: Where did Lincoln go?

Answer: Obama

Answer: Martha's Vineyard,

Answer: Lincoln

Answer: cottage atop a hill at the Soldiers' Home a few miles from the White House.

Summary:
U.S. presidents leave the White House to relax on vacations .
Presidents Lyndon Johnson, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush visited their ranches .
Taxpayers spent $625,000 sprucing up President Nixon's Florida home .
Pres. Lincoln spent four months at the slightly cooler Soldiers' Home .


(Mental Floss) -- While the horse racing world is all abuzz over Rachel Alexandra, the amazing three-year-old filly who recently beat Kentucky Derby winner Mine that Bird (along with a field full of other colts) in the Preakness Stakes, we're reminded of some other female athletes of the two-legged variety who also beat the boys at their own game. Danica Patrick finished third at the 2009 Indianapolis 500 on Saturday. 1. Billie Jean King -- tennis In 1973, Billie Jean King was 29 years old and the reigning queen of women's tennis. In an era when female athletes were paid significantly less than their male counterparts, King still managed to earn $100,000 in 1971. Bobby Riggs had won Wimbledon back in 1939, but by the 1970s his star was fading. He kept his name in the press by proclaiming himself a male chauvinist pig and declaring that women athletes could never be as good as men. After defeating Margaret Court in May, he proclaimed "I want King!" The much-hyped "Battle of the Sexes" was held at the Houston Astrodome on September 20, 1973. The idea of a woman beating a man in any sport was so unbelievable at the time that Las Vegas oddsmakers heavily favored the 55-year-old Riggs. A worldwide television audience watched via satellite as King neatly thrashed Riggs 6-4, 6-3 and 6-3. Billie Jean King not only took home the prize money and several endorsement deals, she also opened up a new playing field for professional sportswomen. Mental Floss: Song Elton John wrote for Billie Jean King 2. Margaret Murdock --shooting Margaret Murdock's father was a Kansas state rifle champion, so it was logical that both she and her sister took up the sport as children. When Murdock attended Kansas State in the early 1960s, she won her varsity letter by competing on the men's rifle team. In 1976 she became the first woman to represent the U.S. on its Olympic shooting team. The small-bore three position competition calls for the shooter to fire off 40 shots each in the standing, kneeling and prone position. The competitors fire from 50 meters away at a target that is a little smaller than a dime. At the end of the competition, Murdock was tied with Lanny Bassham, the team captain. Bassham requested a tie-breaking shoot-off, but Olympic rules forbade it; instead, Bassham was awarded the gold medal because he had scored three "100s" to Murdock's two. During the medal ceremony, Lanny pulled Margaret up from the silver pedestal to stand with him during the national anthem to indicate that she deserved the gold as much as he. 3. Jackie Mitchell -- baseball Virne Beatrice Mitchell, known to her family as "Jackie," entered the world ahead of schedule and weighed only a little over three pounds at birth. As soon as she learned to walk, her father took her to the ballpark. The Mitchell's next door neighbor in Memphis was future Hall of Famer Dazzy Vance, who was still playing in the minors at the time. He coached Jackie in the art of pitching when she was eight years old and even showed her his trademark "drop pitch," a dazzling throw in which the ball swooped down just before crossing the plate. When Mitchell was 17 she was offered a contract with the Chattanooga Lookouts, today the AA affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. On April 1, 1931, the New York Yankees were in town to play an exhibition game against the Lookouts. The game was postponed a day due to rain, and there was a crowd of 4,000 on hand when Mitchell finally took the mound. Babe Ruth stepped up to the plate and southpaw Jackie threw her special pitch. Ruth took the first pitch for a ball, but the next three were strikes. Lou Gehrig, baseball's Iron Man, was up next and similarly struck out. The crowd was on its feet, but some skeptical reporters wrote that the whole thing had been staged, since the game was originally scheduled for April

Question: when was the race?

Question: Who is the female pitcher that struck out Babe Ruth?

Answer: September 20, 1973.

Answer: Jackie Mitchell

Summary:
Female pitcher Virne Beatrice Mitchell struck out both Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig .
Seana Hogan holds the record for the San Francisco to Los Angeles cycling race .
Sonya Thomas wins eating contests of oysters, chicken wings, Krystal hamburgers .


(Mental Floss) -- Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to seek out covert items at fast food chains around the country. Not all food items are always listed on restaurant menus. Be warned, this mission includes very real dangers such as hardening arteries and skyrocketing cholesterol. We've compiled a list to get you started. 1. If you're at Starbucks and in need of just a little caffeine, don't worry -- there's a tiny option for you. It's the Short size, and they don't advertise it. It's like a little baby cup of coffee. It also comes in handy when you're scrounging for change and don't have enough for a tall (not that that has ever happened to me). 2. It's a good thing we don't have Jamba Juice here in Iowa, because I would be all over candy-based smoothies. Because it's considered a health-food chain, Jamba Juice doesn't officially list these on their in-store menus, but the Web site Mighty Foods assures us that the secret flavors exist. The ones they confirmed with the company's headquarters include Strawberry Shortcake, White Gummy Bear, PB&J, Various flavors of Starbursts, Fruity Pebbles, Push-Up Pops, and Skittles. Other tantalizing flavors that are rumored to exist: Chocolate Gummi Bear, Apple Pie, Sourpatch Kid, Tootsie Roll, and Now and Later. 3. This one might be my favorite. At Fatburger, you can order a Hypocrite -- a veggie burger topped with crispy strips of bacon. 4. Chipotle has a whole secret menu that is limited only by your imagination -- they have a store policy that says that if they have the item available, they will make it for you. Things that have been tested include nachos, quesadillas, taco salads and single tacos. Some stores are testing out quesadillas as a regular menu item, however, so maybe someday soon you won't need a super-secret handshake to order one. Mental Floss: 7 food promotions gone horribly wrong 5. If you're at Wendy's and you're really hungry -- like, three-patties-just-won't-cut-it hungry -- go ahead and order the Grand Slam, which is four patties stacked on a bun. This option is only available at select Wendy's, and it's also known as the Meat Cube. 6. Several places, including McDonald's and In-N-Out, will serve you the Neapolitan milkshake. It's just what it sounds like -- chocolate, vanilla and strawberry shakes layered in a cup. 7. In-N-Out Burger's "secret menu" isn't so secret these days -- in fact, they've posted it on their Web site. But in case you're not in the habit of surfing fast food Web sites, here's the skinny on their rather un-skinny items: ordering something "Animal Style" at In-N-Out means you're going to get it with lettuce, tomato, a mustard-cooked beef patty, pickles, extra spread (it's sort of Thousand-Islandy) and grilled onions. You can even get your fries Animal Style. Mental Floss: Why is it called "Thousand Island" dressing? "Protein Style" is a burger wrapped in a lettuce leaf instead of a bun. A Grilled Cheese is two slices of American cheese, lettuce, tomato and spread on a bun (grilled onions if you so choose). And you can get just about any combo of meat and cheese that you want if you order it like you're ordering lumber: 3×3 gets you three beef patties and three slices of cheese, 4×4 gets you four of each, and so on. According to photos posted at SuperSizedMeals.com, one gluttonous patron requested and received a 100x100 at a Las Vegas store a few years ago. One item not listed on the Web site secret menu: the Flying Dutchman, which is two slices of cheese sandwiched between two patties, hold the bun. 8. Feeling a little

Question: What is Wendy's off-the-menu item?

Question: What is farburger's Hypocrite?

Question: What wendy's offers?

Question: What have not-on-menu items?

Question: Where can you get a Neapolitan milkshake?

Question: What company  has a Neapolitan milkshake?

Answer: the Grand Slam,

Answer: a veggie burger topped with crispy strips of bacon.

Answer: the Grand Slam,

Answer: chains

Answer: McDonald's and In-N-Out,

Answer: McDonald's and In-N-Out,

Summary:
Some fast food outlets have not-on-menu items you can get if you ask for them .
Fatburger's Hypocrite is bacon-topped veggie burger; Popeye's offers naked chicken .
Some Subways will still make  the popular pizza sub from the 1990s .
Wendy's offers the Meat Cube; McDonald's has a Neapolitan milkshake .


(MentalFloss.com) -- 1. The oldest documented bikinis -- haute, bandeau-style little numbers -- show up in a 1,700 year old Roman mosaic entitled Chamber of the Ten Maidens. A bevy of ancient, bikini-clad babes are depicted playing sports.

2. Earlier this year, Brooklyn-based designer Andrew Schneider invented the first solar powered bikini -- the "iKini" -- which produces enough electricity to power an iPod during a sunny day at the beach. Just remember to unplug it, the inventor says, before taking a dip.

3. The famous white belted bikini worn by Ursula Andress in the 1962 James Bond hit "Dr. No" sold for $61,500 at Christie's in London in 2001. Halle Barry modeled a redux of a similar suit in the 2002 Bond flick, "Die Another Day."

4. French designer Jacques Heim's first itsy-bitsy bathing suit hit the fashion scene in 1946. Tapping into the worldwide obsession with nuclear physics, he named his tiny invention the "atom." A few months later, another French designer, Louis Reard, one-upped Heim, revealing an even tinier suit, which he dubbed the "bikini" after Bikini Atoll, the island in the Pacific where the U.S. had tested the atom bomb. The new swimsuit, it was said, was as small as an atom and just as powerful.

5. Reard said a two-piece bathing suit couldn't be called a bikini "unless it could be pulled through a wedding ring."

Mental Floss: Waitresses, bridesmaids, compulsory plastic surgery

6. In 2009, Americans spent $4.3 billion -- roughly $400 million more than the GDP of Barbados -- on swimwear alone.

7. The 19th-century version of a bikini was made out of either heavy flannel or wool -- fabrics that would not be transparent when wet -- and covered the entire body from neck to toe. The suits were so heavy that women had to hold onto ropes strung from the beach to offshore buoys to keep from sinking.

8. The bikini rocketed to fame in 1960 with Brian Hyland's hit single, "Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini." The famous 30 inches of fabric didn't debut on the cover of Sports Illustrated until 1964.

Mental Floss: 25 brand names mistakenly used as generic terms

9. At the 1964 International Beauty Pageant in Long Beach, California, Miss Austria stormed out of a photoshoot after being told she could not wear her homemade bikini. "Americans are rude," she said. "I'm tanned all over, so I wanted the suntan to show."

10. In 2009, a group of vegetarian ladies campaigned in international cities wearing bikinis made only of lettuce leaves. The "Lettuce Ladies" as they were called, were sponsored by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and hoped to convince people to adopt a meatless diet.

Mental Floss: When did women start shaving their armpits?

11. In 1993, the Olympic Committee decreed the bikini the official uniform for women's beach volleyball, partly because of the functionality of the suit. Athletes complain that when wearing more conventional uniform -- the one-piece, for instance -- "sand goes down the top and collects in the bottom," Holly McPeak, a three-time Olympic vollyballer told ABC News.

With the bikini's built-in sand-release system, Reard, it seems, was ahead of his time.

For more mental_floss articles, visit mentalfloss.com

Question: What is the 19th century bikini made of?

Question: What ode has Brian Hyland`s 1960 hit single?

Question: In what way in 19th-century bikinis has been made?

Question: When Bikinis first appeared?

Question: What appeared for the first time in Roman mosaics?

Question: When did bikinis first appear?

Question: What was the bikini of the version of the 19th century made?

Question: What did Brian Hyland release in 1960?

Answer: heavy flannel or wool

Answer: "Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini."

Answer: heavy flannel or wool

Answer: 1946.

Answer: oldest documented bikinis

Answer: 1,700 year old Roman mosaic

Answer: heavy flannel or wool

Answer: hit single, "Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini."

Summary:
Bikinis first appeared in Roman mosaics, depicted on women playing sports .
The 19th-century version of a bikini was made out of either heavy flannel or wool .
Brian Hyland's 1960 hit single was ode to "Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini"


(NEW YORK) -- Lionel Richie turns 60 this month and he can't believe it either. Singer Lionel Richie says his latest album is some of his best work. In fact, the singer -- who in the '80s found international fame with hits like "Hello" and "All Night Long" -- is upbeat. Life for him these days couldn't be sweeter, he said. Richie recently released the album "Just Go" on which he worked with several acclaimed producers and writers, including Stargate, Tricky Stewart & The Dream and Akon. The multi-Grammy winner and former lead singer of The Commodores said he thinks the album could be his best since 1986's hit, "Dancing on the Ceiling." "That's a very heavy statement," he said. "I love when I get nervous. When I really get nervous -- and I'm nervous about this record -- it means that it's beyond what I thought it was going to be." Having just completed a European tour, Richie said a North American jaunt is on the drawing board in the next year. "We are going to tour ... in fine fashion," he said. "We're going to give them everything they ever wanted." Richie spoke to CNN about avoiding rap, keeping up with the club scene and what gives him chills. CNN: You've always been very diligent about updating your sound. So how do you describe Lionel Richie's sound in 2009? Lionel Richie: It's all in production. You have to first of all feel it. I have to feel it. If I don't feel it, then forget the song. I'm a storyteller, not so much a singer, but a storyteller. So when it comes down to production, we just updated the production. But Akon and Ne-Yo and all these guys ... what do we all have in common? Melody. As long as they don't rap and ask me to rap we have show business. CNN: Have you ever rapped before? Richie: I rapped a couple of times. And it was clear to me, it was told to me from some of the greatest rappers in the world, "Don't even think about it." Flavor Flav ... years ago I went to him and I said "You know I'm thinking about doing some rap on my album. What do you think?" And he said "Are you out of your mind?" He said, "The only reason I'm rapping is because I can't sing." And that's the clear channel of where I need to be going. CNN: Right. Just do what you're good at. Richie: Do what I do and don't get away from it. CNN: How much time do you spend doing research in nightclubs? Richie: Now try to explain that to your girlfriend or to your wife! Where are you tonight? I'm doing research! As much time as I can. You have to be in it to see what people are moving to and what turns them on. It's all in beats and rhythms and in lyric content. You can send somebody down to do some study for you. But the bottom line is there's nothing like going in yourself in the middle of a club in London, or in the middle of a club in Australia or a club in the middle of Germany somewhere. Just sit over in the corner and watch what people dance to. By the time I leave France, England, Germany, Italy, America, I can go home and write the most incredible album in the world because I know what the world beat is. I know where everything's going. CNN: You turn 60 very soon. Richie: I cannot believe the number, but yes I do.  Watch Richie say "hello" to getting older » CNN: How do you feel about that? Richie: You know, I do

Question:
Who else contributed to the project?
when did that happen
Who has a new album out?
when will it be released?
What age is Lionel Richie?
what did he say

Answer: Stargate, Tricky Stewart & The Dream and Akon.

Answer: in the '80s

Answer: Singer Lionel Richie

Answer: recently

Answer: 60

Answer: his latest album is some of his best work.

Summary:
Lionel Richie, who shot to mega-stardom in the 1980s, has a new album .
The Grammy award-winning singer is turning 60 years old .
He worked with several heavy hitters in the industry on the new project .
He says music started out as a hobby for him and he continues to enjoy it .


(OPRAH.COM) -- As a fiction writer, I struggle to tell useful truths by telling the lie that I am someone other than myself. I'm a fat girl trying to survive rape in my first novel, the resentful brother of a mentally ill twin in my second. In my third novel, which I'm close to finishing, I'm the husband of a drug-addicted nurse lost in a maze of her failures and fear. Author Wally Lamb says writing personal stories can free you  from painful memories and imprisoning secrets. Writing fiction invites me to move beyond the limitations of my own experience and better understand the un-me, the other. I am similarly invited to do so each time I go to jail. For the past eight years, I have run a writing workshop for inmates at the Janet S. York Correctional Institution, Connecticut's high-security prison for women. Someone asked me recently if I ever felt afraid of my students. Our class, after all, includes individuals who have committed armed robbery, gang-related assault, and homicide. But no, I don't fear these women, because through their autobiographical writing, I come to know them not merely as their convictions but as complex human equations that go far beyond "good versus bad" or "us versus them." Listen to the voice of one of my students. "I am Barbara Parsons, who has been a healthcare worker, a business manager, a homemaker, a gardener, and a killer -- and who is consequently a state prison inmate." Molested by her grandfather when she was 4, Parsons shot and killed her abusive husband when he revealed that he had molested her granddaughter. Convicted of "manslaughter due to emotional duress," she challenges readers to think beyond stereotype. "I am sure you have a dark side, too," she writes. "Look at me. Who would ever have thought that I, an average neighbor from rural Connecticut, could be capable of murder?" Oprah.com: How to make peace with your past Most of my students begin as you might begin: by writing safe pieces -- narratives about fun family vacations, loving tributes to favorite relatives. But sooner or later their painful memories call to them and demand to be examined. With pen in hand, an inmate may, for example, begin to explore the connection between the incest she endured as a young girl and her subsequent drug addiction. She may discover a link between her embezzlement conviction and her lifelong inability to please an emotionally distant mother. Along with that growing clarity, she will confront anger, shame, grief, and the need to stop making excuses and take responsibility. Doing so will lessen her heartache and promote her recovery if she stays with it, but she may surrender to the pain before she gets to experience the gain. She may become too busy, too tired, too headachy, too blue to come to class. Before long, her seat will go to the next woman on the waiting list. Addicts are particularly vulnerable to cold feet when truth telling begins to overpower manipulation and self-deception. Yet if the writer reflects honestly and un-self-pityingly on the damage she has both endured and caused -- and if she takes the critical next step of sharing her words with the group and receiving feedback -- she will begin to defy the gravity of her painful past. But a person need not go to prison to access the therapeutic value of autobiographical writing. Which of us has not put walls and razor wire around our concealed sadnesses and past regrets? Who among us was raised by a perfect family? Who does not have hilarious, life-affirming stories to share and debilitating secrets to dispel? Which of us is so self-aware that we could not reveal ourselves more deeply by reflecting on our lives with fingertips on the keyboard -- and then sharing our discoveries with other writers and bearing witness to theirs? In doing so, we discover that "the other" and we are more alike than different, variations on a theme of humanity and circumstance

Question:
Who does Wally Lamb teach?
Wbo does he teach?
What does he write
What do they write about?
Who was the author?
Where does he teach?
What gender are the prisoners?

Answer: inmates at the Janet S. York Correctional Institution,

Answer: inmates at the Janet S. York Correctional Institution,

Answer: fiction

Answer: personal stories

Answer: Wally Lamb

Answer: Janet S. York Correctional Institution,

Answer: women.

Summary:
Author Wally Lamb: Sculpt our best selves by writing our own stories .
He teaches writing to female prisoners at a high-security prison .
Writing about past history, confronting emotional issues can help progress .
Lamb says your uniqueness is your strength, but welcome feedback .


(OPRAH.COM) -- Here's a little fact of life that took me by surprise: Roughly 23 million women in this country are 40 to 49 years of age and about 6,000 of us turn 50 every single day. We are a thoroughly undefined constituency. Some of us are what the wonderful Wendy Wasserstein used to call "bachelor girls," some of us are married, and a lot of us have had trial separations that seemed to go just fine...at least for the husband (with the struggling rock band), who went on to become the ex-husband (with the thriving law practice). Many of us have demanding kids or aging parents or a little of each. We juggle jobs, mortgages, student loans, and cancer treatments with low-fat diets, low-impact aerobics, low-grade depressions, a strong sense of irony, a dark sense of humor, and a full-bodied cabernet. We are tired. We are very tired -- we've thought seriously about penciling in a nervous breakdown for ourselves, but we've been through everything the world has to throw at us so many times that it's damn near impossible to get nervous about much of anything. Despite (or perhaps because of) all the coulda, woulda, shoulda moments that have come and gone, we've learned how to have a good laugh, an impromptu party, and an impure thought (or two) on a semiregular basis. We consider our options, our alternatives, our exit strategies. We take notes, we plan ahead, but we always leave room for serendipity. We are an entire generation of women who are making up our lives as we go along. Oprah.com: What Oprah has learned though the years I know that it's human nature to want to glorify the past and preserve it in a delicious, if often inaccurate, cotton-candied haze. But the truth is that part of me (that would be the part of me that now needs an underwire bra and a pair of Spanx) really does miss my 20s. I still had that new car smell. I still thought terrorism would stay confined to the other side of the world. On the home front, I still kept standing up for brides (as if they needed my assistance to stand) while waiting politely for it to be my turn. And because it never occurred to me that my turn wouldn't come, I devoted an inordinate amount of time to trying to decide whether my wedding gown should be white or ecru -- by the time I hit 35, I'd have been okay with paisley. The Web had not gone mainstream when I was in my 20s, so any surfing I did (and coming from Detroit, that wasn't much) was in the ocean. And I grant you, my rearview mirror might be a little bit rose-tinted, but if memory serves, those oceans were fairly clean. Come to think of it, the glaciers were glacial, the bees were alive and well, a can of tuna didn't require a warning from the surgeon general, and the climate wasn't making any sudden moves. Color me crazy, but I've always been a sucker for a nice solid layer of ozone parking itself between me and a death ray. I'm also a great believer in time off for good behavior. I crave solitude. I like being unreachable once in a while, and in those days it was no big deal if somebody couldn't track you down for half an hour. You see, in the 1980s, we didn't know from e-mail or cell phones or Facebook or GPS, and a BlackBerry was nothing more complicated than a healthy treat that was high in antioxidants -- only guess what? Nobody had ever heard of antioxidants. I didn't need a baby aspirin every night or a Lipitor every morning. And I swear to God (that's another thing, God was still around when I was in my 20s), the closest anybody seemed to come to a genuine eating disorder was picking at a mixed green salad on a

Question: What generation is she from?

Answer: women who are making up our lives as we go along.

Summary:
Columnist Lisa Kogan heads toward 50s with fond look back at younger years .
Back then, she still had her "new car smell" and could enjoy solitude .
Says women in her generation are tired, considering scheduling a breakdown .
But since no one is sleeping these days, she'd like life-affirming, really fun sex .


(OPRAH.com)  -- At 13 he was selling crack. By 30 he was a hip-hop legend -- having gone, in his words, "from grams to Grammys." Jay-Z tells Oprah Winfrey a conversation with his father freed him "one hundred percent." Now Jay-Z charts his escape from the hard-knock life, describes the reunion that healed the wounds of his childhood -- and even reveals his personal creed. The rapper, now 39, was born Shawn Carter in Brooklyn, New York. His albums include "Reasonable Doubt," "The Black Album" and the just-released "The Blueprint 3." Jay-Z also owns a portion of the NBA's New Jersey Nets and founded, with Damon Dash, the clothing line Rocawear. Jay-Z spoke with Oprah Winfrey about his father, his anger and his old life. The following is an edited version of the interview. Oprah Winfrey: When you were 5, your family moved to the Marcy projects -- and then your father left when you were 11. When you look back at that, what did your 11-year-old self feel? Jay-Z: Anger. At the whole situation. Because when you're growing up, your dad is your superhero. Once you've let yourself fall that in love with someone, once you put him on such a high pedestal and he lets you down, you never want to experience that pain again. So I remember just being really quiet and really cold. Never wanting to let myself get close to someone like that again. I carried that feeling throughout my life, until my father and I met up before he died. Oprah: Wow. I've never heard a man phrase it that way. You know, I've done many shows about divorce, and the real crime is when the kids aren't told. They just wake up one day and their dad is gone. Did that happen to you? Jay-Z: We were told our parents would separate, but the reasons weren't explained. My mom prepared us more than he did. I don't think he was ready for that level of discussion and emotion. He was a guy who was pretty detached from his feelings. Oprah: Did you wonder why he left? Jay-Z: I summed it up that they weren't getting along. There was a lot of arguing. Oprah: And did you know you were angry? Jay-Z: Yeah. I also felt protective of my mom. I remember telling her, "Don't worry, when I get big, I'm going to take care of this." I felt like I had to step up. I was 11 years old, right? But I felt I had to make the situation better. Oprah: How did that change you? Jay-Z: It made me not express my feelings as much. I was already a shy kid, and it made me a little reclusive. But it also made me independent. And stronger. It was a weird juxtaposition. Oprah: I've read that when you were 12, you shot your brother in the shoulder. Did your father's leaving have anything to do with that? Did it turn you into the kind of angry kid who would end up shooting his brother? Jay-Z: Yes -- and my brother was dealing with a lot of demons. Oprah: How old was he? Jay-Z: About 16. He was doing a lot of drugs. He was taking stuff from our family. I was the youngest, but I felt like I needed to protect everybody. Oprah: So how did you get back in touch with your father? Jay-Z: My mom set up a meeting. And now I realize why -- it makes all the sense in the world. I remember very distinctly that I had a conversation with her in my kitchen. I was saying, "You know, Ma, I've really been trying

Question:
What did Jay-z rise from?
Who did Jay-z reunite with?
What occupation does Jay Z have?
Who rose to superstardom?

Answer: the hard-knock life,

Answer: his father

Answer: rapper,

Answer: Jay-Z

Summary:
Jay-Z rose from a life of hardship to superstardom .
The rapper discusses how he reunited with his estranged father .
Says he believes in karma .


(OPRAH.com) -- "I'm thinking of throwing a little party," I tell my pal Karen as I hold the phone with one hand and fold a mountain of laundry with the other.

Two friends make Lisa Kogan promise not to flambé anything this time.

"No big thing, really, just a few old friends getting together for the holidays," I persist over the dead silence on the other end of the receiver. "Maybe you and Daniel, me and Johannes, and four or five other people who --"

"Daniel and I can't make it," she answers before I can finish.

"But I haven't given you the date."

"Look, Lisa, you know I've had health issues," she counters nervously. I explain to Karen that the American Medical Association has yet to classify "exceedingly dry cuticles" as the kind of condition that requires actual bed rest. "Still..." she mutters as her voice trails off.

That night in bed, I turn to Johannes (love of my life, father of my child, official party co-host). "Darling, I was thinking it's time we throw a little party," I venture.

"That sounds great, sweetheart."

"Really, pumpkin?"

"Of course, angel. I do have one small request, though."

"Anything, honey." He lifts his head and hands me his pillow. "Put this over my face and then hold it there until, oh, I don't know ... let's say, I stop moving."

There are lots of areas in which I excel. As I've already mentioned, I can fold laundry with one hand. I'm also quite capable of catching the cold of just about anybody living within my zip code. Oprah.com: How to face your inner perfectionist

I have the kind of magnetism that wordlessly beckons a guy wearing half a cantaloupe on his head to come sit next to me during long subway rides.

And, though I'm hard-pressed to explain exactly how I do it, I possess an almost mystical ability to purchase appliances, furniture, and clothing approximately six minutes before the extremely pricey item goes on sale.

The thing I can't do is host a genuinely wonderful party.

I attempt to invite several other friends, but one has elected to schedule elective surgery for that date (you know you're in trouble when a friend would rather have her hammertoes corrected than have dinner at your place); one claims our last brunch was like "a hostage situation with lox"; one -- and you know who you are -- pretends to be her own housekeeper, repeating, "I sorry, no English" over and over; and two different people choose not to attend but still make me swear that I won't flambé anything again ... like it's my fault they couldn't get their eyebrows to grow back after the crêpes Suzette incident of 2005.

I crawl into bed that night a broken woman. "Why do I suck at parties?" I ask Johannes.

He narrows his eyes. "Is this one of those trick questions like when you ask me if you need to lose weight and I say, 'Well, I suppose we could all stand to drop a pound or two,' and you spend the next 36 hours likening me to Satan?"

I make a mental note to explore why I suck at relationships on some future night. "No," I insist, "I really want to know what I'm doing wrong. Give it to me straight, Doc, I can take it."

He smiles and puts his book aside. "That's just it; the only thing you're doing wrong is constantly striving to do everything exactly right. You want the prettiest cocktail, the freshest flowers, candles lit, music playing, dinner timed, conversation sparkling, and you drive yourself and everybody else nuts trying to achieve it." Oprah.com: A lesson for the reluctant hostess

Question: Who attempted to throw a holiday party?

Question: What does Columnist Lisa Kogan attempt to do ?

Answer: Lisa Kogan

Answer: throwing a little party,"

Summary:
Columnist Lisa Kogan attempts to throw a holiday party .
Friends, boyfriend tell Kogan she is a terrible hostess and refuse to come .
Kogan realizes she is too much of a perfectionist to relax and have fun .
Kogan's boyfriend invites couple over for spur of the moment dinner .


(OPRAH.com) -- "My beloved. The delight of my eyes." So says a poem inscribed in cuneiform on a lump of clay approximately 4,000 years ago. Why does love inspire such works of art? Recent science points to a possible answer -- and a difference between the way the brain reacts to love and lust. Last year psychologists in the Netherlands reported on a study where they asked a group of young men and women to imagine taking a long walk with their beloved (those without a partner imagined taking a walk with an "ideal" one). A different set of volunteers were asked to imagine having casual sex with someone they found attractive but were not in love with. Before and after, both groups were given a battery of tests to examine their creative and analytical abilities. The results: Thinking about a romantic partner stimulated "global processing" mechanisms in the brain, which increased long-term focus and improved creativity. Thinking about sex, on the other hand, stimulated "local processing," which increased focus on the present and heightened analytical thinking. Oprah.com: Tap into your right-brain thinking There may be a physiological explanation for these results. Feelings of romantic love can boost levels of dopamine, a neurochemical associated with creativity, while sexual desire can raise levels of testosterone, known to promote analytical skills. And these chemical links may have evolved for an important purpose: increasing the likelihood of sexual reproduction. In ancestral days, creative individuals may have used their inventiveness to attract future mates, while sex-focused individuals harnessed analytical clarity and short-term focus in order to bed a partner here and now. Thoughts of either love or sex could pay off in the form of children -- the ultimate measure of survival. While we no longer use cave drawings to attract our partners, you can still take advantage of this evolutionary link. Daydreaming about your sweetheart may boost inventiveness and help you come up with creative ideas, while sexual thoughts could help you solve an analytical puzzle. Oprah.com: How to fix whatever's broken In addition, it may be that jilted lovers who want to get over an ex faster would be better off replacing thoughts of what might have been with sexual fantasies. This might just help refocus your attention on the present -- and on the steps you need to take to rebuild, so that one day you'll be ready to write love notes again. Subscribe to O, The Oprah Magazine for up to 75% off the newsstand price. That's like getting 18 issues FREE. Subscribe now! TM & © 2009 Harpo Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Question: What did creative people use to attract mates?

Answer: their inventiveness

Summary:
New research from Netherlands says thinking about partner can increase focus .
Thinking about sex heightens analytical thinking instead, study finds .
In ancestral days, creative people may have used inventiveness to attract mates .


(OPRAH.com) -- Allow me to introduce myself. I am a gainfully employed, God-fearing, law-abiding citizen, and I come in peace. I don't bet on baseball, I take excellent care of my gums, I keep my tray table locked and upright from takeoff to landing.

Oh, and there's one more thing: I am what is commonly referred to in polite society as "an unmarried woman."

Truth be told, I now have a boyfriend and a baby girl --it's all very modern -- but much of my 30s involved ostensibly concerned bystanders averting their eyes, asking how many cats I own, and sharing their private theories on where it all went so hideously wrong for me.

Ah, yes, I remember it well. And when I start to forget, I still have plenty of single girlfriends in various states of angst to remind me of the grotesque fix-ups, the ham-handed remarks, and the brutal Thanksgiving dinners.

For those valiant, traumatized souls, I present my list of the ten things one must never say, think, or do when dealing with a single woman over the age of 35.

1. Hey, cousin Christy, how 'bout we break with tradition and dispense with that bridal bouquet toss? Believe it or not, it's actually a touch degrading to be shoved front and center next to your spinster aunt Mitzi from Winnipeg as a roomful of revelers hopped up on Champagne and jumbo shrimp chant, "You're next, you're next."

2. The word picky -- as in "the reason you refuse to meet my podiatrist's brother-in-law for a night of miniature golf is that you're too picky"-- is not only offensive, it's inaccurate. Hell, I'd have dated Ted Bundy if he were willing to meet in a well-lit, public place.

No, I suspect it was your description of his "slight comb-over" and "profound desire to one day shake Dick Cheney's hand" that made me release that "catch" back into the wilds of New Jersey.

Oprah.com: The number one thing to look for in a partner

3. Don't confuse being unmarried with being 11 . My love of SpongeBob-shaped macaroni and cheese notwithstanding, I never wanted to sit at the children's table. Nor did I want to ride in the backseat with your darling toddler, his pet tarantula, his Spider-Man glitter glue, and his melting Fudgsicle.

4. Kindly stop filling every conversational lull by announcing how much you love "Will & Grace." Being single is not the same thing as being gay, just as being married is not proof of being straight...but I'll cover that concept more fully in my upcoming "Uncle Barry's Very Special Surprise" article.

Oprah.com: How to break the ice with anyone

5. Has anybody out there noticed that the institution of matrimony is falling apart faster than Courtney Love on a can of Red Bull? Now, I honestly don't care if your marriage is so gothic in its dysfunction that it makes the couple from "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" look like Will and Jada -- I'm not here to judge.

All I ask is that you quit judging me. Perhaps we're not suffering a fear of intimacy as much as a fear of being trapped in a crummy marriage.

6. Remember that little factoid you used to bandy about -- you know, the one where 40-year-old women have a greater chance of being shot by terrorists than of making it to the altar? Then you may also recall that Susan Faludi refuted that myth 14 years ago. So, okay, Ms. Faludi is probably rethinking that (thanks a lot, Osama!), but you don't have to rub it in.

7. Enough with the "constructive" criticism already. We live in a world of stunning technological advancement, but it remains physically impossible to wear your heart on your sleeve and be emotionally distant, dress like a slut and a librarian

Question: Should they be given constructive criticism?

Answer: already.

Summary:
Columnist Lisa Kogan says please don't say these things to single women .
Dangerous to say, "Let me tell you why a terrific gal like you is still single...."
Don't tell them they're too picky for not wanting to date guy you've described .
Don't give them constuctive criticism or insinuate that they are gay .


(OPRAH.com) -- Attention single ladies! Comedian Steve Harvey, the best-selling author of "Act Like a Lady, Think Like Man" and a self-professed expert on manhood, is here to take you inside the male mind. Comedian Steve Harvey says real men like to provide and protect, but some also like to cheat. Whether you're looking for Mr. Right or trying to forget Mr. Wrong, Steve isn't holding anything back. Many women have long lists that describe what they're looking for in a man...but are their standards simply too high? Yinka and Lynell are two 30-something friends who have long lists. They're here to ask Steve if they'll ever find a man who meets all their requirements. Lynell says she's looking for a God-fearing, spontaneous African-American millionaire with straight teeth and nice shoes who wants children...among other things. "That would be the Lord," Steve jokes. "I'll be trying to meet him the same time you do." If a woman is serious about her list, Steve says she should ask herself one question before turning down a date. "Are you willing to be the same thing to him that you're talking about on that list?" he says. "A lot of women are not." In general, do women even need a list? Steve says single ladies do need to set standards. "I think lists are great. You've got to have them. You've got to know what you're looking for," he says. "Without standards, you settle for stuff." Before you get discouraged, Steve reminds women to stay patient and remember that real men aren't afraid of standards and requirements. "You've got to wait on this guy to come along. He's coming. He's out there. He's already created. God has already made him," he says. "He has a job. He's wearing the clothes you like. He's walking around. You're not waiting on him to be born. He exists today. All you've got to do is stay patient." Why do many successful, independent women have a hard time finding love? There are millions of smart, beautiful women around the world who can't figure out why they're unlucky in love, including a group of friends from New York. Steve is here to set them straight. Steve says many successful women dated good men but didn't know it at the time. "You don't know the DNA of a good man," he says. Even if you look like a million bucks -- and you have a few million in the bank -- Steve says a woman needs to know how a man shows his love. It's all about the "three P's." Oprah.com: Can a list help you find love? "We profess, we provide and we protect," he says. "A man has got to see where he fits into the providing and protecting role. If you've got everything, you can do everything, you've got your own car ... you've got a guard dog and a handgun. The guy is thinking, 'Where do I fit in here?' "You've got to make a space for him to fit in so he can come in and do what men do." Steve doesn't advise women to downplay their success or pack up their designer shoes. Instead, he says strong women have to walk a thin line. "You can't let your independence and your ability to take care of yourself be the dominant factor of who you are," he says. "You know how many times I hear women say: 'I don't need a man. I've got this. Why don't a man just come to me?' Just like you're saying it, you're projecting it. If you're projecting it, where does a man fit in there? Just relax." Oprah.com: How to act

Question:
what does harvey give tips on?
what does steve harvey say?

Answer: manhood,

Answer: real men like to provide and protect, but some also like to cheat.

Summary:
Looking for a man? Know what you want, Steve Harvey says .
A man must feel he can provide and protect his woman, he says .
Harvey's Top 5 reasons men cheat includes other women who are willing .
One of Harvey's tips for curing a mama's boy: Demand respect .


(OPRAH.com) -- Decision-making can be challenging for anyone, but when a couple needs to make a collective decision, the challenge becomes greater, psychologist Dr. Josh Klapow says.

Remind your partner that you are a team and collaboration is needed when facing differing opinions.

The key is to recognize that the decision-making process is the same regardless of the type of decision, Dr. Klapow says.

"Making decisions as a couple is not so much about what you decide on, but rather how you go about the process of making the decision," he says. "If you approach each decision with the same game plan, then over time, you will become experts at decision-making."

Dr. Klapow shares his five "smart" (set, monitor, arrange, recruit and treat) steps to collective decision-making.

Set a specific goal

Make sure you are very specific about what you want, Dr. Klapow says. For example, a goal of saving money is not specific enough; however, saying that you want to save an extra $100 per month by automatic deduction from your paychecks to pay off your credit card is specific.

"The more specific you are, the better," he says.

Monitor your discussion

As you are discussing the decision at hand, make sure you are staying on track, Dr. Klapow says.

"Very often couples will start discussing a goal and stray to some other topic, which can lead to frustration," he says. "If you notice yourself or your spouse getting off the subject, quickly come back to the specific goal." Oprah.com: The five best things to do for your relationship

Arrange the situation for success

Decision-making doesn't work well when someone is tired, hungry, short of time or preoccupied with other activities.

"Before you start the discussion, make sure each of you is in the right frame of mind and you have the time," Dr. Klapow says. If not, take a break from the discussion because it likely won't be productive.

Recruit support from one another

A collective decision means that sometimes there will be a compromise, Dr. Klapow says. If you are going into the discussion to win, then you are not making a collective decision -- you are fighting a battle, he says.

"Remind each other that you are a team and that you are in it to win collectively, not necessarily individually," he says.

Treat yourselves

Because decision-making can be one of the toughest challenges a couple faces, celebrate the success of a decision together.

"A hug, a celebratory reward -- anything that acknowledges that together you have accomplished this task -- will help keep you motivated to make decisions together again," Dr. Klapow says.

From The Peete's "Oprah & Friends" on Sirius XM Radio show

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Question:
what do collective decisions require?
to who was klapow speaking
what tips does psychologist give?
what did klapow say

Answer: collaboration

Answer: couples

Answer: Treat yourselves

Answer: The key is to recognize that the decision-making process is the same regardless of the type of decision,

Summary:
Psychologist Dr. Josh Klapow gives tips for couples on decision-making .
Be specific about what you want, Dr. Klapow says .
Klapow: Stay on track while you are discussing your goals .
Collective decisions require a compromise, Dr. Klapow says .


(OPRAH.com) -- Don't confuse Katey Sagal for Peg Bundy -- it's a common mistake. Katey Sagal says being a mother has been her greatest teacher -- for all her roles. While her infamous alter ego was uneducated, Katey is thoughtful and well-spoken; Peg's fashion is time-warped (hello, bouffant!), Katey's is earthy; for every ounce of laziness in Peg's body, Katey has a multitasking one to match. It may have taken years for the actress to shake her TV counterpart, but watch Katey as fierce matriarch Gemma Morrow on FX's motorcycle drama "Sons of Anarchy" (which was released on DVD Tuesday), and you'll start to wonder, "Peg who?" Rachel Bertsche: You're known for playing three very different mothers -- "Married with Children's" Peg Bundy, Kate from "8 Simple Rules" and now Gemma. Plus, you have three kids of your own, two teenagers and a 2 1/2-year-old. Given all that on- and off-screen mothering experience, is there any universal quality that you would say all moms have? Katey Sagal: Being a mother has been my greatest teacher and also the most self-sacrificing thing I've ever done. I've never loved anybody the way I love my children. It's an experience I was surprised by. You have your boyfriend, your husband, your friends, but it's a different thing. It's deeper, and it's a fantastic -- and risky -- commitment to love that deeply. I think the characters I've played all have that quality, even Peg Bundy. She was devoted and loyal to her children in her own wacky way. But Gemma is intensely dedicated to her family and would do anything to protect her son and her extended family, which is the club. In my personal life, I don't know that I would go to the lengths for my kids that Gemma does, but close. Bertsche: You were Peg Bundy before you were actually a mom. Once you had your first child, id having firsthand experience change the way you played her? Sagal: Well, I've always been a maternal type, but yes, everything was different once I had kids. Your whole perspective on the world changes -- I love how I wasn't so self-obsessed anymore! I can't say my characterizations of Peggy necessarily changed much. I just understood more what I was doing. Bertsche: You mentioned your husband, Kurt Sutter, who is also the creator of your show. What's it like to mix family with business? Sagal: Most of the time it's super great. There are moments when it's not, of course, but most of the time it's nice because we actually get to see each other. His job is intense, so he doesn't get a day like I have today where he can stay home from work. When I'm there, we can sometimes have lunch together, stuff like that. The hard part gets to be like "OK, maybe we should talk about something else." It becomes the constant topic of conversation, the show and the kids, and we have to make a conscious effort to say, "Let's not talk about it tonight." Bertsche: People used to say that women of "a certain age" -- over 40 -- couldn't find any roles in Hollywood. That's certainly not true anymore, especially on cable, and you might be playing one of the toughest women out there. Why do think that has changed? Sagal: I don't know why it's changed, but I'm really grateful it has. Maybe it has to do with the fact that we're all living longer and suddenly it's okay to get older. Maybe there's a broader audience for these characters. The stories you can tell about older women are deeper. Plus, cable has opened up enormous possibilities. In feature films, you're still lucky if you're not the girlfriend or the wife

Question: What series about cyclists is out on DVD?

Question: what does Sagal says about being a mother?

Question: What has given Sagal more insight in her roles?

Question: What is the series about?

Question: What is out on DVD?

Question: What does Sagal say has given her insight into her major roles?

Question: What is katey Sagal's series called?

Question: Who was Katey Sagal's character on Sons of Anarchy?

Answer: "Sons of Anarchy"

Answer: has been her greatest teacher

Answer: being a mother

Answer: FX's motorcycle drama

Answer: "Sons of Anarchy"

Answer: being a mother

Answer: "Sons of Anarchy"

Answer: Gemma

Summary:
Katey Sagal's series about cyclists, "Sons of Anarchy," is out on DVD .
Sagal says being a mother has given her insight into her major roles .
She hears rumors about "Lost," but nobody's told her anything personally .


(OPRAH.com) -- Every holiday season we are cursed with the same challenge: to articulate exactly how fond we are of our friends and family in the language of purchasable objects. Appreciate specific virtues of the people you're buying for and connect those qualities to fabulous presents. This begs a couple of questions, like, "How do I shop for gifts that please both my brother and his wife without offending my own soul?" Even if you love your brother dearly, you might spend way too much and give him a French designer tablecloth covered with a really terrific artichoke print, which would prompt his cute but rigidly uptight wife to say something like "Artichokes? Wow. Ha ha; only you would give us something like that! No, really, it's great!" And another deep and philosophical question: "How the hell am I supposed to express fondness for my extremely fancy friends when I have only $40?" Deciding I needed a psychic obstacle course that would train me to emerge victorious in this upcoming battle, I arrived at a strategy: I would theoretically buy gifts for people who were absolutely impossible to shop for. Oprah.com: Free (or really cheap!) gift ideas If I could climb these holiday Matterhorns, I could find presents for anyone. I asked myself: "Who in the world would best represent my worst nightmares in the area of budget holiday shopping?" And I came up with a holy celebrity trinity: Carla Bruni-Sarkozy (the mind-bogglingly fashionable, ex-supermodel wife of the president of France), Brad Pitt (the half-Brangelinian father of six, at last count), and ultracouple Jay-Z and Beyoncé (who I technically counted as one since I wanted to get something they'd both like). My budget for each: around $40. Obviously, this mission was going to require an insane level of creativity -- especially in a city like New York, where everything is so monstrously expensive. So I called women's clothing designer Gary Graham at his new boutique inside ABC Carpet & Home, a posh yet quirky department store filled with enormous golden Buddhas and strange chandeliers, and asked him to accompany me. "We should get my friend Charlie to take us to Flatbush," he offered. I knew immediately what Gary was getting at. The Flatbush section of Brooklyn is a fertile mix of Caribbean families, art school hipsters, neighborhood discount stores, and specialty shops crammed to the ceiling with exotic imports. Charlie -- writer and artist Charles Beyer -- met us at Phat Albert, a legendary discount store that sells everything from leather baby pants to Lucite shower fixtures. We agreed that when shopping on a budget for people rich enough to buy their own islands, the goal was to find objects that would underline qualities we liked about them, and let them know we understood their particular needs. "I think Brad Pitt would appreciate something that helps him control his children," I suggested. "I mean, he has so many of them. We need to find him a six-headed lollipop, or something that can keep the kids consolidated in space for a few minutes so he can rest." Oprah.com: The secrets of thrifty shoppers We found a gift that, with just a little bit of creative doctoring, might do the trick: an XXX-large T-shirt featuring the late hip-hop artist Tupac Shakur. "We could cut five more neck holes in it and call it a six-pac," said Charlie. It was tempting. This masterpiece of modern babysitting cost only $8.99, which would enable us to buy more child management aids. But I wasn't satisfied that Brad would be as thrilled with it as I wanted him to be. "Hey, check this out," said Charlie, having already moved on to Carla. "It's a camouflage duffel bag featuring a fake McDonald's logo." Even more beguiling was a secret pocket outside the bag, the fabric of which was printed with the image of a cheerful, anthropomorphic French fry

Question: what does author buy

Question: Who is the author that bought the gifts?

Question: What did the author decide to buy?

Answer: gifts for people who were absolutely impossible to shop for.

Answer: Charles Beyer

Answer: gifts for people who were absolutely impossible

Summary:
Author decides to buy three gifts under $40 for have-it-all people .
She picks Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, Brad Pitt and ultracouple Jay-Z and Beyoncé .
Author and friends buy six child-size straw porkpie hats for Pitt .
They also buy Jay-Z and Beyonce matching slippers .


(OPRAH.com) -- Families all over the country are tightening their belts during this economic crisis, but some people are actually finding that cutting back can lead to richer lives.

The Heinz family makes a net income of $58,000 a year -- but they have $70,000 in savings.

The Heinz family makes a net income of $58,000 a year -- but they have $70,000 in savings.

How did they do it?

Sue Heinz is a stay-at-home mom with four children living in Sarasota, Florida.

To keep their family out of financial worry, she and her husband, Brett, have gotten thrifty.

With a prepaid cell phone used only for emergencies, the family's monthly bill is just $5.

By brown bagging his lunch and carpooling to work, Brett spends little money during the work week and saves $122 each month on gas.

Sue has found a way to snip $550 from their yearly budget by cutting the family's hair herself. And with a little online research, Brett found out how to do his own home repairs and says he has saved more than $6,000.

Sue says their thriftiness began 11 years ago when she and Brett first moved to Florida on a teacher's salary. "We had goals," she says. "We wanted to own a home, we wanted to have a big family -- and we knew we had to set our priorities to make that work."

The ride hasn't been all smooth sailing, and Sue says they incurred some credit card debt along the way. "But I'm very happy to say, and proud to say, that we're paying it back at nearly three times the minimum balance," she says. Oprah.com: How to get out of credit card debt

Although they've had to cut back in certain areas, Sue says their thrifty ways haven't curbed their lifestyle one bit. "We go to the beach once a week, we go bike riding with the kids, we do all kinds of fun things," she says. "There are second-run movie theaters; there are a lot of ways to have fun without spending money."

"It's an alternative to living beyond our means, really," Brett says. "Instead of spending too much money on things, we just make choices."

Sandberg family

On the other end of the spectrum, the Sandberg family is learning the need to cut back for the first time. Vicky and Mark have been married for 15 years and have two children. Until recently, the family has always brought in a double income. "Times in the construction industry have been really tough, and four months ago I lost my job as a recruiter and as a trainer," Vicky says.

With about 40 percent of their total income gone, the family has a new set of stress. Vicky and Mark say they've had to cut back their investment contributions toward their children's college funds and froze their individual retirement accounts. "My personal biggest fear is losing what we have, what we've worked so hard for," Mark says.

Can thrifty couple Sue and Brett help Vicky and Mark find ways to cut back? They begin with the Sandbergs' monthly budget and discover the Sandbergs are spending $650 a month in department stores on things for the kids -- clothing, video games and DVDs. "That's a big number," Sue says.

In addition, the Sandbergs are spending $190 each month on their phone, Internet and cable bill and $350 a month eating out at restaurants. All in all, the family is spending $8,744 a month, which is more than they are bringing in.

To get Vicky and Mark on track, Sue says they need to bring their monthly budget down to less than $8,000 per month. Sue gives them a basket for storing their daily receipts and a journal to write down their needs and wants. "You're going to take a good look and start to become extremely aware of where this money is going

Question:
how much does sue save a year
how much money did sue save?
what did the family do?
What does Family use for $5 a month?

Answer: $550

Answer: $70,000

Answer: cut back

Answer: a prepaid cell phone

Summary:
Family uses a prepaid, emergency-only cell phone for $5 a month .
Sue saves $550 from their yearly budget by cutting the family's hair herself .
Brett suggests brown bagging your lunch and carpooling to work .
Jennifer put her house on Craigslist and sold it two days later .


(OPRAH.com) -- For all the majesty of the White House, the first lady has already infused it with a palpable ease; her presence makes the place feel open and approachable. When we sit down to talk, Michelle Obama seems as relaxed as she did when I first interviewed her and her husband in their Chicago apartment in 2004. "This room has the best light in the house," she tells me as we settle in, shoes off, on a comfortable sofa. "And there's pie here, too. The pie in the White House is dangerously good." -- Oprah Winfrey

Michelle Obama is the first person to join Oprah Winfrey on the cover of O magazine

Oprah Winfrey: How are you a different woman today than you were when Barack Obama announced his candidacy in 2007?

Michelle Obama: I'm more optimistic. More hopeful. It comes from traveling all over America and connecting with so many different people. And this was long before anyone thought Barack had a chance. This was the kindness of strangers. I think we should all have to get to know one another around kitchen tables. It changed me. It's helped me to give other people the benefit of the doubt.

Winfrey: What did you see that changed you?

Obama: I saw our shared values. We fundamentally want the same things for ourselves and for each other. We want our kids to be safe and to grow up with some resources and aspire to a slightly better life than ours. No one's looking for a handout. People just want fairness and opportunity. Oprah.com:The heart and mind of Michelle Obama

Winfrey: That's so good to hear. Because you know what? We live in an "American Idol" culture where it seems like everyone just wants to be in the spotlight.

Obama: That's not the America I saw. People value their communities. They're rooting for one another. Even in places where I thought people wouldn't accept or relate to me, I always walked out feeling like, "Wow -- that was fun."

That changed me. And it helped prepare me for this. Because I think if you're going to be first lady, you have to believe in the possibility of what this country stands for. You have to see it in action and know what you're working toward. Oprah.com: How Michelle gets unstuck

Winfrey: That's so interesting -- and it all came from sitting around kitchen tables. Speaking of which, did you change your diet during the campaign?

Obama: When we first started running, my big concern was making sure we ate well on the road. So we started looking at our diet, trying to eliminate junk, getting seasonal fruits and vegetables that were grown locally. We walked the kids through reading labels. We talked about why one juice might be better than another.

Winfrey: That's right. In addition to eating well, do you work out?

Obama: Yes. There's a small gym here that has everything we need. I work out about four or five days a week -- and Barack does six. He's a workout zealot.

Winfrey: Well, you look better than ever -- despite the rumors that you've got a baby bump.

Obama: [Laughter.] I know -- I was like, "Baby bump? As hard as I work on my abs?!"

Winfrey: Okay, so that's settled. Back to exercise. You do treadmill?

Obama: I do treadmill, I do weights

Winfrey: I think anyone who saw you on the cover of Vogue knows you do weights. Those arms!

Obama: I also do some jump rope, some kickboxing -- and I'd like to take up Pilates, if I could figure out whether there's time. After I had Malia, I began to prioritize exercise because I realized that my happiness is tied to how I feel about myself. I want my girls to see a mother who takes care of herself, even if that means I have to get

Question: What did Michelle Obama talk about?

Question: Where did the First Lady learn about people's shared values?

Question: who is Michelle Obama?

Answer: our shared values.

Answer: Chicago

Answer: White House, the first lady

Summary:
Michelle Obama talks exercise and diet with Oprah Winfrey .
First lady says she learned about people's shared values while campaigning .
She exercises at 4:30 a.m. to feel good about herself .
She taught her daughters to read food labels for healthy eating .


(OPRAH.com) -- He can saw himself in half, sing a selection of Broadway showtunes and swing on a flying trapeze. Neil Patrick Harris says he'll try to make viewers feel like they're in good hands with him as Emmy host. When Neil Patrick Harris, one of the stars of the hit CBS sitcom "How I Met Your Mother," isn't dabbling in the extraordinary, well, he's probably hosting an awards show. In the late '80s, Neil -- known as NPH to his fans -- landed the starring role on "Doogie Howser, M.D." After years of child stardom and teen heartthrob status, Neil left the small screen for the stage. He became a respected Broadway actor, starring in shows like "Rent," "Cabaret" and "Proof," before returning to television. Now, millions know Neil as Barney Stinson, the womanizing, slap-happy sidekick on "How I Met Your Mother," which begins its fifth season September 21. Like Billy Crystal and Johnny Carson before him, this man-of-many-talents is also making his mark as an awards show host. On Sunday, September 20, Neil will host the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards. He shares his thoughts on fate, finding balance and making out with his co-star. Kari Forsee: How are you preparing for Emmy night? Neil Patrick Harris: I'm just trying to make sure all the comedy host elements are in place. We'll have a good opening bit and a couple surprise things throughout. We want to balance respecting the show and the doling out of the awards with the sort of random things that will keep the audience's attention in other ways. So that's kind of been my job. You want to make it unique and, yet, classic. That's a tricky dynamic. Oprah.com: Planning an Emmys party? Get 4 entertaining solutions KF: I can imagine. How often are you rehearsing? NPH: Well, it's sort of a litany of e-mails and phone calls all day with the producers. We had a great opening short film we are going to shoot, and it would be the first thing you shot. That was going to be with Alec Baldwin, and he withdrew at the last minute. So that got scrapped, and we're off to plan D, E or F. It's sort of like now you go: "That's fantastic, great. We've got that person," or "Oh, that person didn't work. Now what do we do?" A lot of "now what do we do?" questions. KF: Now at the Tony Awards, you sang a, may I say, legendary closing number. Will you be singing at the Emmys, or is dancing more the focus? NPH: I suspect you won't see me dancing very much. That's not my forte. But yeah, I might throw some sort of singing into it. I haven't quite decided. I sort of feel like the Emmys are so classy and glamorous and black tie, the host really needs to respect his job title. I think too much "Look at me! Look at me!" as the host of a show that big is counterproductive. So long as I make you feel confident that you're in good hands with me as the host, then it's my real responsibility to introduce you to a lot of other people and elements -- other presenters who are then going to talk to you or other introductions of next sections. That's my role. It's not really to be a song-and-dance man. KF: Did you look back at past Emmy hosts for inspiration? NPH: Very much. Steve Allen hosted the first televised awards, which was the 7th Annual Emmy Awards, in, I think, 1955, and he was great. That was sort of my inspiration for all of this. He just had such a dry wit, a commanding voice, a great presence. You knew when you were

Question: What character does he play on "How I Met Your Mother"?

Question: What show does Neil Patrick Harris star in?

Question: How long will it  take for the new season of Mother?

Question: What show is Neil Patrick Harris on?

Question: What will he probably not do at the Emmys?

Answer: Barney Stinson,

Answer: "How I Met Your Mother,"

Answer: September 21.

Answer: "How I Met Your Mother,"

Answer: dancing

Summary:
Neil Patrick Harris taking classy route at Emmys Sunday night .
"How I Met Your Mother" actor may do some singing, probably no dancing .
"Mother" begins new season; Harris' Barney character gets physical with Robin .