1. For basic info in what is called the sidebar, go to Appearance > Widgets, activate a Text widget, and write the text there. Note that plain text in a Text widget flows in one continuous paragraph; if you need line breaks, paragraphs or any other formatting, you'll need some html coding - see here:
http://wpbtips.wordpress.com/2009/04/01/codes-useful-for-text-widgets/
For links, go to Links > Add New, add them there, and activate the Links widget. (Can be done in a Text widget, too, but that's more complicated.)
2. Not directly. You can set a static page as your front, and write links to your posts in it in any order you wish.
And please paste the exact URL of your blog when asking questions here, or link your nickname to your blog (as explained in the Sticky 8 Things to Know Before Posting). Helps us help you.