The Basics of Woodworking

There is nothing more fulfilling than having to accomplish a project by one's self. This is what most DIY fans are loving ? the ability to create projects in one's own home. With the many resources on the Internet, crafting is made easier compared to the times when the only sources available were priced magazines and books. Now, anyone can look up plans for building furniture, craft ideas, and furniture styles in the comfort of one's own personal Internet connection at home. The wooden furniture for example, is one of the easiest crafts to do at home as long as the necessary tools and materials are present.

?One of the basic problems that beginners encounter in building wooden furniture is the plans. As for materials and tools, those can easily be purchased in the hardware store for an affordable price. However, when it comes to actual building, there comes the problem of not having a great plan on hand.

Some plans are hard to understand or implement, while some plans lack the important information on building the chosen furniture. This can be such a hassle especially to those who have already started on a project yet find it hard to finish because of the lack of information. Getting complete and easy-to-follow plans for building furniture early on will save one from the unnecessary waste of time, effort and money.

?Once the plan is acquired, the next thing to do is to follow its directions. This includes info on measurements of parts, putting them together, and designing them in the end. Now, for those who have prior training in wood works, this stage would not be of any problem in cutting down wood into specific measurements and sizes. This particular stage comprises the bulk of the furniture building process, since it takes days or even weeks to finish the framework of the project.

?After the building comes the designing phase. This is the easiest part of building the furniture. The builder simply uses paint or varnish to make the project look more attractive and also last longer. Those fully skilled even carve out intricate details on the wood to serve as an ornament to the project. If this is too much, paint or varnish is enough and it can already make the furniture look like it was brought from the store. In the end, woodworking is easy as long as one has time, some great plans for building furniture, and the necessary tools and materials in check.

?What are the benefits in building one's own furniture? For one, it costs less than what the mall or furniture store offers. The cost of buying the wood material and the tools are cheaper, since the stores add a markup cost for labor and distribution. If you like to save a little without compromising comfort, the building your own cabinets and beds will definitely save you bucks. Another benefit is having fulfillment in the results of your work. Surely, woodworking will fascinate one in a way that saves money yet creates a great end-product in the end.

?

chris christie naacp glen campbell jerusalem artichoke bud shootout aretha franklin stevie wonder

Guinea-Bissau rambles on, despite coup

BISSAU, Guinea-Bissau (AP) ? Campaign banners from an election that was violently interrupted still hang in the main thoroughfare of this steamy capital, a reminder that a stable government is far from the country's grasp.

Guinea-Bissau was just weeks away from holding a presidential runoff election when soldiers attacked the front-runner's home in April and arrested him along with the country's interim president. To the 1.5 million residents of this tiny, coastal nation, it spelled yet another upheaval in a history full of them.

No leader in nearly 40 years of independence has finished his time in office in Guinea-Bissau, a former Portuguese colony on Africa's western coast that has long been plagued by coups.

It comes perhaps as no surprise then that people here are complacent about the latest move by the junta. While the international community has loudly condemned the latest power grab, Bissau-Guineans have had little time to mourn yet another aborted attempt at establishing democracy, worried instead by how to make ends meet during their country's latest political spasm.

A lone sign hangs from a pedestrian overpass in downtown Bissau urging: "Mobilize yourselves! Demonstrate! We are a Democracy!" Most, though, are simply doing their best just to walk across that bridge to make a living each day.

Public workers didn't receive their salaries last month on payday, just after the coup. It's still unclear whether anyone will receive their salaries for May, and the hardship compounds life for those who depend on others getting paid.

Cadidjoto Seide, 28, supports her three children by selling a local milk dish along the roadside. In the months before the coup, she could sometimes make up to 5,000 francs ($10) a day, though much of that would go toward her transport costs. Since the coup, she's lucky to make 1,500 ($3), she says.

"It's really difficult at the moment just to survive," she says, watching commuter buses whirl by her stand in the main market downtown.

The April coup began on a Friday afternoon, just 17 days before the country's runoff election. The first round of voting had largely been described as free and fair, and former Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Jr. was leading by a wide margin, making his victory all but sure. By the night of April 12, the military had blocked off the roads to the candidate's house, and were lobbing grenades at his villa.

Now Gomes has fled the country, and it appears less likely each day that he will ever return.

The country's chances of ridding itself of military intervention are slim, given a booming cocaine trade that has turned Guinea-Bissau into a narcostate, fueled by trans-Atlantic drug shipments bound for Europe. Key members of the military have been named as complicit in the trade, including several army and navy chiefs who are now on the United States' "drug kingpin" list. The infusion of illicit cash has emboldened an already bloated army. Drugs, observers say, played a role in the recent coup.

"All the intelligence Portugal possesses clearly indicates that one of the factors behind the coup was drug-trafficking," Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Portas told reporters in Lisbon after meeting with Gomes, who exiled himself there.

"Either Guinea-Bissau becomes a state based on the rule of law, or it will be held ransom by a certain military clique that is open to the drug trade," said Portas.

Gomes told Portuguese radio station TSF that the international community must ostracize the coup leaders by imposing sanctions. Foreign pressure "has to be made to produce results." He added that he had unofficial information that a coup was brewing, but armed forces chiefs "categorically denied" they were planning an uprising when he confronted them. He added that he was not afraid to return to Bissau, but more than six weeks after the coup, the candidate is still an ocean away.

The election was clearly a vote some did not want him to win. Observers say Gomes had become a divisive figure within national politics long before the run-up to the election. Then when military leaders feared Gomes was secretly trying to overhaul the military with help from Angolan soldiers, they burst into action and arrested him.

Even West African regional mediators are backing a one-year transitional government that does not include him in it.

Critics believe the plan by West African regional bloc ECOWAS to now support the junta-initiated transitional government all but legitimizes the military coup. But ECOWAS Commissioner Salamatu Hussaini-Suleiman, has told the U.N. Security Council that immediately restoring the constitutional order that existed before the coup could lead to civil war.

In an effort to put the country back on track, ECOWAS this month began sending a contingent of peacekeepers, who will replace the Angolan troops formerly stationed here, whose presence had become a source of conflict with the military at large.

For now, it seems that the military has gotten away once again with meddling in the country's politics. In 2009, soldiers assassinated then-president Joao Bernardo "Nino" Vieira, in an unsolved murder that was also rumored to have been linked to the drug trade.

There is next-to-no military presence in the streets of Bissau, which have turned to a river of red mud since the first storms of the rainy season. The army does not need to patrol the streets, because despite the posters encouraging an uprising, people are too beaten down to stand up to the latest military incursion.

In Guinea-Bissau, citizens seem willing to give the junta or a transitional government a chance ? if it means restoring some economic stability.

Carlos Hussein Ajau, 62, has lived through it all: Portuguese colonialism, the war for independence, the country's civil war and its successive coups and political assassinations. The last few weeks have been difficult for his business ? no one even has money to change.

"The situation is not good, but we in Guinea-Bissau are used to it," he says.

___

Associated Press writer Barry Hatton contributed to this report from Lisbon, Portugal.

Associated Press

godspell media matters hana mountain lion taylor momsen xbox live update joan rivers

Neato XV-21 Pet & Allergy Automatic Vacuum Cleaner

I have allergies. I also have pets. And right now, it's shedding season. All of that shedding leads to a lot more sneezing than usual, which leads to a lot more vacuuming. But even an obsessive neat freak like me doesn't vacuum often enough to avoid the occasional tumbleweed of pet hair that mysteriously blows through the room when I turn on the ceiling fan.

That's where the $429.99 (direct) Neato XV-21 Pet & Allergy Automatic Vacuum Cleaner comes in. The XV-21 is an update to the XV-11, with upgraded filters and the use of a bristled brush designed to better collect pet hair. And it works. The XV-21 picked up a surprising amount of hair and dust I didn't even notice was on the floor. And it can be programmed to automatically clean as often as you like, even when you're not around. But its allergy-fighting powers are questionable, and it doesn't work well on tight corners. The XV-21 will keep your home free of pet hair tumbleweeds, but you'll still need to keep a traditional vacuum on hand if you like things squeaky clean.

Design and Setup
The XV-21 looks a heck of a lot like the XV-11 we saw in 2009. Unfortunately, both bots share a similar design aesthetic with the Super Nintendo video game system released back in 1990. The device is the same exact shade of Nintendo gray, with purple, orange, and black accents. And despite that fact that the back end is curved, it has a very blocky look. I realize it's a vacuum, but for something you'll watch zipping around your home, a slightly more attractive design would've been appreciated. Or at least a different shade of gray.

The XV-21 measures 13 by 12.5 by 4 inches (HWD) and weighs 8.2 pounds, which is right on par with other cleaning robots, like the Scooba 390?($499.99, 3 stars). There are five buttons used to control the vacuum: a start switch, two menu navigation buttons, a select button, and a back button. There's an easy-to-read 2.5-inch black and white display on top that allows you to control various options for the XV-21. You can set it to spot clean one particular area, for instance, or schedule it to turn on automatically and clean as often as you'd like.

Before using the XV-21, you first must plug in the charging station, which shares a similar look and feel to the vacuum itself. The station uses inductive charging, so the front of the XV-21 just needs to be pressed up against the charging block for it to work. It takes just under three hours to get a full charge. The device finished vacuuming my 550-square foot apartment in about 45 minutes, and had nearly half its battery life left. If the battery dies before the job is finished, the XV-21 will make its way back to the charger, charge back up, then go back out and finish the job.

Performance and Conclusions
Once you're fully charged, simply press the Start button and watch the XV-21 get to work. You'll be sure to know it's working, because the XV-21 is loud. The sound it makes upon starting is not dissimilar to that of a plane taking off, albeit at a slightly lower volume. It isn't as loud as a traditional vacuum, but the XV-21 takes a lot longer to clean the same amount of space as a traditional vacuum, and you tend to notice the noise a lot more when you're not the one doing the work.

The robot uses a laser-based room positioning technology to create a 360-degree view of the room, which allows it analyze furniture, doorways, and other obstacles within 13 feet in order to create the most efficient cleaning path. This worked surprisingly well in practice, as the XV-21 managed to systematically hit every part of my living room (even under the couch), with nary an accidental bump.

From the living room, it navigated out into the bedroom, then back through the living room and into the bathroom, but for some reason it never made its way into my kitchen. I had to place it there myself, and while the XV-21 did a fine job, I can't figure out why it wouldn't go in.

The big purple lid on top of the vacuum is the dirt bin. It fits in securely, but was easy to pop up when the XV-21 was finished. Now, I'm a pretty tidy guy, and I keep what I consider to be a pretty clean apartment. So I was shocked when I opened the XV-21's dirt bin to find it filled with dust and pet hair. I dust and vacuum regularly, so I wasn't expecting the XV-21 to pick up much more than the occasional crumb or stray dog hair. I was at once disconcerted to see all that I had missed, but pleased that the XV-21 managed to pick it up.

Additionally, the XV-21 handled the different surfaces in my apartment?hardwood floors, throw rugs, and tiles?with aplomb. I was especially impressed with the job it did on the large throw rug in my living room, which looked noticeably perkier after a visit from the XV-21.

Mysterious kitchen snub aside, the only major issue I had with the XV-21 is that it can't quite suck all of the pet hair out of a tight corner, which, of course, is where pet hair tends to accumulate. To be fair, even the main attachment on my Dyson vacuum has a hard time getting all the way into a corner?that's where the vacuum tube comes in. But that means you'll still need to keep a traditional vacuum cleaner on hand to pick up where the XV-21 can't.

Additionally, I'm dubious to the claims that this is an "Allergy" vacuum. Sure, cleaning up dirt, dust, and pet hair is sure to help remove plenty of allergens, but it's not like the XV-21 is releasing an antihistamine mist into the air as it cleans. This is no more an allergy-combatant than the handheld mini vacuum I had in my old college dorm room was. But the XV-21 will definitely do a better job of cleaning your floors.

Clean up is simple, too. Just remove the dirt bin, open its door, and empty the contents into the garbage. Pop it back into the XV-21, and you're ready to vacuum again.

If you already own an XV-11, there's no need to buy the XV-21. You can upgrade your model with the new bristle brush and updated filter for $60, then upgrade your device to the latest firmware. While the Neato XV-21 Pet & Allergy Automatic Vacuum Cleaner doesn't spray and scrub your floor like the Scooba 390, it works on a wider variety of surfaces, is programmable, and lasts longer. The iRobot?Roomba 770?($499.99, 4 stars), meanwhile, has a sleeker design and uses dirt sensors that allows it to pay closer attention to a particularly dirty spot on your floor. But if what you want is an extra hand to remove all that pesky pet hair, the XV-21 is a good, albeit pricey, tool. Just don't get rid of rid of your old push vacuum just yet.

More Robot Reviews:
??? Neato XV-21 Pet & Allergy Automatic Vacuum Cleaner
??? iRobot Scooba 390
??? iRobot Roomba 770 Vacuum Cleaning Robot
??? iRobot Scooba 230
??? Mint Automatic Floor Cleaner
?? more

joepa sc primary bill moyers heidi klum and seal divorce craigslist killer extremely loud and incredibly close south carolina primary

Greatest wedding proposal ever: the lip-dub

By Cory Doctorow at 6:16 am Saturday, May 26

Isaac wanted to propose to his girlfriend, so he enlisted over 60 friends to stage a Busby Berkeley street-show lip-dub extravaganza ambush. What follows is five minutes of heart-stoppingly sweet and romantic wedding proposal. I mean: Z. O. M. F.G.

On Wednesday, May 23rd, 2012, I told my girlfriend to meet me at my parent's house for dinner. When she arrived I had stationed my brother to sit her in the back of an open Honda CRV and give her some headphones. He "wanted to play her a song"...

What she got instead was the world's first Live Lip-Dub Proposal.

Isaac's Live Lip-Dub Proposal (via Waxy)

Where not otherwise specified, this work is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution. Boing Boing is a trademark of Happy Mutants LLC in the United States and other countries.

tornadoes mitch hedberg secret service scandal shea weber greystone sidney crosby at the drive in

Obama strikes at Romney in Iowa, seeks 2008 energy

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) ? President Barack Obama delivered his harshest rebuttal yet to rival Mitt Romney on Thursday, dismissing his challenger's claims as "a cowpie of distortions" while seeking to rekindle the all-but-faded Iowa magic that launched him in 2008. Escalating his criticism of Romney's background as a venture capitalist, Obama said it wasn't adequate preparation for the presidency.

"There may be value for that kind of experience, but it's not in the White House," Obama said.

The speech, to a cheering Iowa crowd of about 2,500 at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, represented a new intensity for Obama's campaign as Romney begins to hit his stride carrying the Republican standard. It came as Iowa, soured by the direction of the nation and its economy, has drifted away from Obama since his 2008 caucus victory over Hillary Rodham Clinton made him the Democratic front-runner.

While Obama carried the state in the general election by a comfortable margin that year, polls this year have shown voters narrowly preferring Romney, who plans to wage his own major effort in Iowa.

Trying to cast Romney as out of touch with working-class voters, Obama declared that hard work hasn't led to higher incomes. "Higher profits haven't led to better jobs," he said. "And you can't solve that problem if you can't even see that it's a problem."

Obama pointedly chose the same turf where Romney, the presumptive Republican nominee, once declared that corporations are people. Obama said Romney would roll back regulations and return to policies that he said helped create the recession and would increase government deficits.

Reacting to Romney's charge last week that Obama had created "a prairie fire of debt," the president countered that Romney's tax plan is "like trying to put out a prairie fire with some gasoline."

In a statement issued after the speech, Romney spokesman Ryan Williams said: "A president who broke his promise to cut the deficit in half by the end of his first term has no standing when it comes to fiscal responsibility."

Earlier, in blue-collar Newton, Iowa, once the prosperous headquarters of Maytag appliances, Obama visited a wind-turbine plant to push his alternative energy agenda and delivered a message that could as well have applied to all of Iowa. "Yeah, we're facing tough times, but we're getting through them, we're getting though them together," he said.

While offering only six of the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency, how Iowa voters ultimately judge Obama is expected to be an important factor in the race.

"Last time it was a lot more exciting. It was a new thing," said Nancy Bobo, a Des Moines Obama volunteer and one of his earliest Iowa backers in 2008. "Today, we're all just very serious."

Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, has made the struggling economy the centerpiece of his campaign. But Obama can point to comparatively low 5.1 percent unemployment in Iowa, where stable financial services and strong agriculture sectors buoyed the economy while manufacturing has struggled to rebound.

Romney had made the comment about corporations as he argued against raising taxes as a way of shoring up Social Security and Medicare. Members of the audience interrupted, calling for increased taxes on corporations, and Romney responded: "Corporations are people, my friend. ... Everything corporations earn ultimately goes to people."

The comment has been used by opponents to characterize Romney, a former private equity firm executive, as more comfortable in the boardroom than the shop floor.

Obama's campaign has emphasized episodes in which Romney's former firm closed plants and laid off workers, and has aired a stinging TV ad on the subject in Iowa, Colorado, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

In his fairgrounds' speech Thursday, Obama said private-equity firms can sometimes create jobs. "But when maximizing short-term gains for your investors rather than building companies that last is your goal," he added, "then sometimes it goes the other way. Workers get laid off. Benefits disappear. Pensions are cut. Factories go dark."

Obama himself has struggled to attract blue-collar voters, keys to winning struggling swing working-class regions such as southeast Ohio, western Pennsylvania and rural Iowa. Newton is the seat of Jasper County, Iowa, where unemployment was 7.1 percent in April, higher than Iowa's average but down sharply from last winter.

While Iowa is known for its first-in-the-nation caucuses, it also is a coveted general election state, despite its small electoral total. Democrat Al Gore carried the state by less than a percentage point in 2000, followed by Republican George W. Bush's 2-point victory in 2004.

Obama has already spent more than $2.6 million on advertising, a pace as aggressive as in any other battleground state. He's been a regular visitor, and was making his second trip in a month.

Yet the president's approval rating here has been stuck below 50 percent for over two years, softened in part by criticism from Republicans campaigning for Iowa's leadoff caucuses.

Polls show Iowans also have become increasingly bothered by federal spending, an issue Romney stoked in Des Moines last week in a visit where he promised to shrink the deficit.

Iowans, many of whom met Obama in the 2008 campaign, also are disappointed by what they hoped would be a transcendent presidency, said J. Ann Selzer, the longtime director of The Des Moines Register's Iowa Poll.

"You hear disaffection. You hear them say, 'This isn't what I paid for,'" Selzer said. "The guy they sent there to recast things wasn't able to do it."

Privately updating Senate Democrats on Thursday, Obama campaign manager Jim Messina said the president has several possible paths to collecting the 270 electoral votes he needs for victory in November. But he noted that Romney, the Republican Party and allied super PACs are likely to have a great deal of money to spend. Obama vastly outspent Republican John McCain in winning the White House four years ago, an advantage that Democrats appear unlikely to command in 2012.

Romney senses the opening. He too has cultivated an Iowa network. Indeed, he campaigned aggressively for the 2008 caucuses during his narrowly losing bid for the state's delegates. Romney and the Republican National Committee have hired state directors and are hiring staff to run a dozen or more offices planned for Iowa.

And his campaign has begun running television ads in Iowa.

___

AP Special Correspondent David Espo in Washington contributed to this report.

asexual jim carrey san francisco chronicle kourtney kardashian pregnant kourtney kardashian pregnant chip kelly billy cundiff

NEWSMAKER: Brotherhood man promises Islamic law in Egypt

CAIRO (Reuters) - When he joined the race for Egypt's presidency just five weeks ago, Mohamed Mursi was mocked as the Muslim Brotherhood's uncharismatic "spare tyre" after its first-choice candidate was disqualified.

But the 60-year-old engineer came first in the opening round, according to a Brotherhood tally after most votes were counted, thanks to a campaign that showed off the unequalled political muscle of Egypt's oldest Islamist movement.

The run-off on June 16 and 17 with second-placed Ahmed Shafiq, who served as deposed leader Hosni Mubarak's last prime minister, gives Egyptians a stark choice between a military man linked to the past and an Islamist whose conservative message appeals to some and alarms others in this nation of 82 million.

A Brotherhood official said that with votes counted from about 12,800 of the roughly 13,100 polling stations, Mursi had 25 percent, Shafiq 23 percent, a rival Islamist Abdel Moneim Abol Fotouh 20 percent and leftist Hamdeen Sabahy 19 percent.

Calling himself the only authentic Islamist in the race, Mursi has targeted devout voters whose support helped the Brotherhood and the ultra-orthodox Salafi Islamist movement to secure 70 percent of parliament seats earlier this year.

He has promised to implement Islamic sharia during rallies peppered with references to the Koran, God and the Prophet Mohammad and occasionally interrupted by pauses for mass prayer.

But he has seldom spelt out what that would mean for Egypt, where piety runs deep and the constitution already defines the principles of Islamic law as the main source of legislation.

Mursi has called for a review of Cairo's 1979 peace treaty with Israel, saying Egypt's neighbour has not respected the agreement, a line mirroring that of most of the other candidates in the race. The group has said it will not tear up the deal.

"We will take a serious step towards a better future, God willing," Mursi said at his final campaign rally on Sunday, promising to combat any corrupt hangers-on from Mubarak's era.

"If they take a step to take us backwards, to forge the will (of the people) and fiddle with security, we know who they are," he said. "We will throw them in the rubbish bin of history."

Mursi has cast himself as a reluctant latecomer to the election who is running for the sake of the nation and God.

EMPHASIS ON SHARIA

A stocky, bespectacled man with a grey-white beard, Mursi has traveled across Egypt promoting the Brotherhood's "renaissance project" - an 80-page manifesto based on what it terms its "centrist understanding" of Islam.

His success has dismayed non-Islamists, not least Christians who make up about a tenth of the population, unconvinced by promises that freedoms will be safe in a Brotherhood-led Egypt.

"It was for the sake of the Islamic sharia that men were ... thrown into prison. Their blood and existence rests on our shoulders now," Mursi said during one campaign rally.

"We will work together to realise their dream of implementing sharia," said the Brotherhood contender, who himself spent time in jail under Mubarak.

Mursi, who obtained his doctorate from the United States, is a long-serving, influential figure in the Brotherhood, a movement outlawed under Mubarak but which won close to half of the seats in parliamentary elections held after his overthrow.

Mursi ran only after the electoral commission barred Khairat al-Shater, the Brotherhood's preferred candidate, in April.

Like other Islamist contenders, Mursi has courted the ultra-orthodox Salafi Islamist movement, which has emerged in the past year to challenge the Brotherhood's dominance.

The Nour Party, a Salafi group that won more than a fifth of the seats in the parliamentary vote, endorsed Mursi's main Islamist rival, Abol Fotouh, who parted ways with the Brotherhood last year and cast himself as a moderate.

In a gesture to Gama'a al-Islamiya, another Salafi group, Mursi has pledged to work for the release of Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, a militant preacher imprisoned in the United States in the 1990s for plotting attacks in New York.

Abdel-Rahman is the spiritual leader of Gama'a al-Islamiya, which was involved in the 1981 assassination of President Anwar Sadat but renounced violence in 1997. The group has entered mainstream politics since Mubarak was toppled.

Another cleric, the independent Safwat el-Hegazi, added a radical flavour to Mursi's campaign, taking to the stage at his events to call for a Muslim super-state with Jerusalem as its capital and drawing enthusiastic chants from the crowds.

RURAL CHILDHOOD

Mursi's own speech-making style is stiff and formal. Critics say he lacks the charisma of some of his rivals. Other Brotherhood leaders, Shater among them, have appeared alongside Mursi at campaign events, reinforcing the impression this is a presidential bid by a movement, not an individual.

The son of a peasant, Mursi has spoken of a simple childhood in a village in the Nile Delta province of Sharqia, recalling how his mother taught him prayer and the Koran.

He studied engineering at Cairo University and in 1978 went to California to complete his studies. He returned to Egypt in 1985. Two of his five children hold U.S. citizenship.

Helmi el-Gazzar, a Brotherhood MP who has known Mursi for years, describes him as a scientific character with an analytical mind. "He was an indefatigable man, tangibly eager to perform the tasks for which he was responsible," Gazzar told Reuters, recalling his days working with Mursi in Cairo.

Mursi's critics portray him as a Brotherhood apparatchik and part of a conservative clique within the group who has long been dismissive of other political forces in Egypt.

"He feels they do not have roots in the Egyptian street," said Mohamed Habib, a former deputy Brotherhood leader, who left the group last year in protest at its post-Mubarak policies.

Head of the Freedom and Justice Party that the Brotherhood established last year, Mursi comes across as deeply committed to the 84-year-old movement. His daughter is married to the son of another Brotherhood leader and he has described his wife, who wears a long, cape-like headscarf, as a Brotherhood activist.

GOD AND NATION

Like other members, Mursi has sworn allegiance to the Brotherhood, raising questions over whether that would outweigh his loyalty to Egypt. Brotherhood leader Mohamed Badie has said Mursi would be relieved of the oath if elected president.

Mursi has described his challenge for the presidency in terms of duty. "I am walking this path to satisfy God and out of concern for our nation and people," he said.

Despite his campaign trail emphasis on Islamic law, when it comes to television interviews, he has typically tried to ease concerns about what Islamist rule would mean.

For example, he has said Egypt will not become a theocracy, adding that there is little difference between the phrase "the principles of the sharia" - the term found in the current Egyptian constitution - and the sharia itself.

Pushed by one TV interviewer to clarify what Islamist rule might mean for bikini-wearing on Egypt's beaches - one element of a vital tourist industry - Mursi did not give a clear answer.

He described such issues as "very marginal, very superficial and affecting a very limited number of places", adding that sector specialists must be consulted on all draft laws.

The Brotherhood's "renaissance" programme sketches out the group's vision on everything from fighting inflation to forging ties with the United States on a more equal footing. It envisions deeper ties with Turkey - a Muslim state that Brotherhood leaders often cite as a model of success.

Mursi has cited fear of judgment day as one reason for seeking the Egypt's top office. "We are worried that God will ask us, on the day of reckoning: 'What did you do when you saw that the nation was in need of sacrifice and effort?'" he said.

the host hoodie hoosiers temperance world bank kim kardashian flour bomb hunger games box office

'Man-Eating Super Croc': Special Features Never-Before-Seen Footage Of 20-Foot Crocodile (VIDEO)

Mon., May 21: "House"

"House" (8 p.m. ET on Fox) series finale The special two-hour series finale event kicks off with a one-hour retrospective special that will look back at the series and feature interviews with the stars and producers, special original content and other surprises. Then, in the series finale, directed by series creator and executive producer David Shore, treating a drug addict patient (guest star James LeGros) results in House examining his life, his future and his own personal demons.

Mon., May 21: "Lost Girl"

"House" (8 p.m. ET on Fox) series finale The special two-hour series finale event kicks off with a one-hour retrospective special that will look back at the series and feature interviews with the stars and producers, special original content and other surprises. Then, in the series finale, directed by series creator and executive producer David Shore, treating a drug addict patient (guest star James LeGros) results in House examining his life, his future and his own personal demons.

Tues., May 22: "American Idol"

"American Idol" (8 p.m. ET on Fox) special night The two finalists take the stage to battle it out on the last performance show of the season. One will be crowned the next American Idol during Wednesday night's finale. Tune in to see whether Jessica Sanchez or Phillip Phillips impresses the judges -- and America -- most.

Tues., May 22: "Dancing With The Stars"

"Dancing With the Stars" (9 p.m. ET on ABC) season finale Will Katherine Jenkins, William Levy or Donald Driver walk away with the Mirror Ball? Find out tonight.

Tues., May 22: "Glee"

"Glee" (9 p.m. ET on Fox) season finale Graduation is finally here, as McKinley High's class of 2012 looks to the past and present, while contemplating the future.

Wed., May 23: "Don't Trust The B---- In Apartment 23"

"Don't Trust The B---- in Apartment 23" (9.30 p.m. ET on ABC) season finale Every show in ABC's Wednesday line-up airs its finale this week -- starting with "The Middle" at 8 p.m. -- but we're most excited for "Apt. 23" (which will be moving to Tuesdays with "Happy Endings" http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/15/abc-2012-2013-schedule_n_1517338.html come fall). Finally feeling like one of the popular kids, June is desperate to keep pace with Chloe and her partying ways. It's not an easy task, especially when Chloe's "it girl" lifestyle is so legendary that there's even a whole Japanese comic book series based on it. Meanwhile, James loses it when he discovers that Dean Cain's "Dancing with the Stars" dressing room is bigger than his.

Wed., May 23: "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"

"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (10 p.m. ET on NBC) season finale An underage escort is found dead at a wild bachelor party, and Captain Cragen cautions his team to investigate with discretion, as there were several high-profile people at the scene. In their efforts to question a well-known leader in the New York escort world (guest star Peter Jacobson), Benson and Amaro encounter former SVU detective Brian Cassidy, who's been working undercover. With his help, the detectives dig deeper into a vicious power struggle between the two top escort businesses, but before the case is cracked, a shocking event threatens to destroy the life of one SVU squad member.

Wed., May 23: "Revenge"

"Revenge" (10 p.m. ET on ABC) season finale With the end in sight, Emily fearlessly pushes forward, closing in on the final phases of her plan for revenge, while the Graysons continue their downward spiral into the rabbit hole of self-destruction. But a big, explosive event leaves much hanging in the balance, courses are altered and even more is left in question.

Thurs., May 24: "Duets"

"Duets" (8 p.m. ET on ABC) series premiere ABC's entry into the crowded singing competition market sees the music industry's "biggest Superstars" --- Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, Jennifer Nettles and Robin Thicke -- take to the stage and perform their most popular songs with their hand-picked "Duets" partners. Hosted by Quddus, this competition series takes the Superstars out from behind the judges' panel and onto the stage.

Thurs., May 24: "So You Think You Can Dance"

"So You Think You Can Dance" (8 p.m. ET on Fox) season premiere Watch what happens when the most talented dancers -- skilled in everything from Ballroom and Ballet to Salsa, Jive, Hip Hop and Krumping -- all compete for a prized spot on the live shows. See who impresses the judges and who trips up in the auditions from Dallas and New York.

Thurs., May 24: "Awake"

"Awake" (10 p.m. ET on NBC) series finale See how it all ends (forever, because there's no justice in the world) in the cerebral drama's final episode. The entire police force is on a man hunt for Detective Britten who relentlessly works to bring down the conspirators who tore his family apart. Britten trusts no one and time is running out as he gets closer to the truth. Bird and Detective Vega decide to help their struggling partner. When Britten's worlds begin to clash, it brings together the dueling psychiatrists, Dr. Lee and Dr. Evans in an unlikely debate that forces him to choose his path. Meanwhile, Captain Harper (guest star Laura Innes) is forced to face her truth.

Thurs., May 24: "Men At Work"

"Men at Work" (10 p.m. ET on TBS) series premiere Men at Work centers on four buddies who work together at a magazine; Danny Masterson plays the recently dumped Milo, whose friends are determined to help him get back in the dating game. James Lesure is Gibbs, a photographer and successful ladies man. Michael Cassidy plays Tyler, a features writer who brings a dose of style and sophistication to the group. And Adam Busch is Neal, a somewhat nebbish reporter and the only one in the group with a steady girlfriend (Meredith Hagner). Together, the four friends help each other navigate the treacherous waters of work, friendship and women.

Thurs., May 24: "Rookie Blue"

"Rookie Blue" (10 p.m. ET on ABC) season premiere Andy's real life comes flooding back when she returns to 15 Division after a three-month suspension, ready to face an official tribunal that will decide if she should be reinstated to active duty. Reuniting with her police family, she also meets her possible replacement -- new rookie Nick Collins. A tense face-off with fellow officer Sam Swarek is interrupted when they are involved in a multi-car collision, caused by a very drunk driver, Henry McLeod (William Shatner), with a serious grudge against the police. When a mysterious young girl vanishes from the scene of the accident, Andy connects her to a seven-year-old cold case. Will Andy -- still on suspension -- and the rest of the Division be able to find the missing girl and uncover the circumstances of her disappearance before it's too late?

Fri., May 25: "Nikita"

"Nikita" (8 p.m. ET on The CW) Now that this underrated action drama has been renewed for a much-deserved third season, it's the perfect time to jump on the bandwagon and catch up over the summer, as The CW starts reairing the second season from tonight. (Season 1 is available on Netflix, iTunes and Hulu Plus for you completists in the crowd.)

Fri., May 25: "Insane Or Inspired?"

"Insane or Inspired?" (10 p.m. ET on Syfy) series premiere This new series features the most exciting videos from the Internet that celebrate the world of imagination, invention, and extreme experiences. Actors Amber Benson, Samm Levine, Brooke Hogan, Ralph Garman and television personality Josh Gates join comedians Ben Gleib, Owen Benjamin, Jodi Miller, Elliot Chang, Jermaine Fowler, Adam Ray, Christiana Pazistky, KT Tatara and Janet Varney to provide their unique commentary on each of the clips. The result is a fast-paced hour-long countdown of hilarious viral videos. The first episode features the "25 Wildest Homebrewed Superheroes."

Sat., May 26: "Super Shark"

"Super Shark" (9 p.m. ET on Syfy) original telefilm Per the network: Syfy will kick off Summer 2012 with a four-day, Memorial Day weekend movie extravaganza highlighted by the dyn-o-mite premiere of "Super Shark," starring classic TV stars Jimmy Walker and John Schneider. (Poor things.)

Sun., May 27: "Harry's Law"

"Harry's Law" (8 p.m. ET on NBC) series finale Just to add insult to injury http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/11/harrys-law-canceled-kathy-bates_n_1510785.html, NBC bumped last week's series finale out of May sweeps in favor of an "America's Got Talent" rerun, so the show actually comes to a close tonight. When Harry's ex is found dead, she's left with an emotional burden -- and a funeral to plan.

Sun., May 27: "Game Of Thrones"

"Game of Thrones" (9 p.m. ET on HBO) Only one episode left until the season finale -- commence preemptive weeping now. Tyrion and the Lannisters fight for their lives as Stannis' fleet assaults King's Landing.

the notebook duke basketball miranda july joe paterno near death joepa sc primary bill moyers