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(LifeWire) -- The TV no longer sits on a moving box, but she's still using filing cabinets as end tables. Desiree Jacobsen graduated from college years ago, so why does her apartment resemble a dorm room? It's hard to save for the finer things when you've had to shell out money to be in five weddings in one year, three times as maid of honor.

Some maids of honor have gone deep into debt rather than disappoint a friend who expects a lot.

"I shop at the Salvation Army quite a bit to save money," says Jacobsen, 26, a medical editor in Dallas.

Being a bride's maid or matron of honor is a distinction many women cherish. But it doesn't come cheap.

It can easily cost a woman $1,000 or more for the honor of standing beside the bride on her big day, according to TheKnot.com, the leading wedding Web site.

On top of the traditional expenses of wedding attire, transportation and chipping in for a gift from the bridesmaids, maids of honor can wind up hosting bridal showers, bachelorette parties and even the co-ed Jack and Jill party -- often footing the bill entirely.

Expectations are reaching bridezilla proportions, a trend Anna Post, spokeswoman for the Emily Post Institute and great-great-granddaughter of the etiquette authority, attributes in part to the extensive coverage of celebrity weddings on television and in style magazines.  Watch etiquette tips on attending wedding events Â»

Many bridesmaids are left torn between maintaining a friendship and breaking the bank.

Tough to say no

When Sarah de Maintenon, a 33-year-old real estate agent in Syracuse, New York, agreed to be her best friend's maid of honor two years ago, the economy was good and houses were selling like hot cakes.

But the currently slow real-estate market means that money has become tight as the big day -- scheduled for October -- slowly approaches.

"I seriously just didn't know. I thought it was just a bachelorette party," says de Maintenon of the events she was expected to throw and attend. Her distress over the destination wedding sent her seeking advice online. The advice she received was simple, but effective: Talk to her friend and be honest about her situation.

"I contemplated telling her I couldn't do it, but I couldn't break her heart," she says. "I was afraid it would cause an argument ... I didn't want to ruin her wedding day."

Jacobsen hasn't skipped a wedding, but she did once skip the pre-wedding bridal portrait, which she would have had to travel out of town to participate in, because she was short on money and vacation time.

"She was upset with me for a little while, but it quickly blew over because I started planning for her bachelorette party." When feelings get hurt, Jacobsen says, she tries not to take it personally. "It's usually because of the stress of the wedding."

Etiquette rules vs. reality

Is all this necessary? Are brides asking too much of their friends?

Post says that contrary to popular belief, the bridal shower isn't the maid of honor's obligation. Traditionally, a close friend would throw a bridal shower for the bride, and sometimes that person is also the maid of honor. But expenses can be agreed upon in advance and shared by the entire wedding party. And though there may be multiple parties thrown for the happy couple, Post says, the maid of honor is not required to go.

"That's not true," claims Kim Bohnert, a 32-year-old teacher in San Francisco. She's served nine stints as maid of honor and considers herself an expert bridesmaid.

She insists that the entire bridal party -- especially the maid of honor -- is expected to attend all parties and shell out for a gift each time.

"It definitely adds up," says Melissa Bauer, spokesperson for TheKnot.com. Bauer ticks off some of the major expenses: about $300 for a dress, $50 to $200 for shoes, $40 to $60 for accessories, $50 for a shower gift and another $100 for a wedding gift. Then there are the parties.

"The big thing now is destination bachelorette parties," Bauer says. "Some people might do it local, but regardless, you're [often] footing the cost for the bride [to attend]." The cost of traveling to an out-of-town party can add several hundred dollars to the tab, Bauer notes -- to say nothing of the cost of traveling to the wedding itself.

Going for broke

Whether popular wisdom requires such a commitment or not, there's a very real limit to what women can afford.

Bohnert agreed to be her cousin's maid of honor, even though she was maxed out on her credit cards, and the many expenses included a $500 Sae Young Vu dress. "I'm still in debt because of it," she says.

Ma'ayan Geller, a part-time student and assistant physical therapist in San Francisco, was glad to hear her friend wanted to be sensitive to the financial constraints of her wedding party. But when Geller, one of the bridesmaids, suggested a cheap Las Vegas package for the bachelorette party, the bride gave her the boot, saying she wasn't being serious enough about her commitment to the wedding.

"I had already bought the dress -- close to $300 -- which was a lot for me at the time," Geller, 23, remembers. "I think it could have been done in a better way."

Geller still attended the wedding, partially because all her friends were there and also because she wanted to support the bride, "although the friendship kind of ended after that."

Making it work

In Post's experience, a wedding is a collaboration, and the wedding party often tries to find a solution that works for everyone. "When something difficult arises, I've seen brides put on the brakes rather than force something on someone," she says.

Jeri Kadison, a bridal coach in New York, says communication is key: Detail expectations early, and if something sounds too expensive, compromise and brainstorm other ideas, she advises.

"It's the bride's responsibility to be compassionate and considerate," she says.

That strategy worked for de Maintenon. She and her bride talk almost every day. Instead of renting a restaurant, they're having a barbeque. Instead of renting a beach house, they're all staying with a girlfriend.

It's also OK to say no, Post says. "You can decline. Just do it early."

De Maintenon recently declined when one of her best friends asked her to be the maid of honor, and her friend wasn't upset.

"She knows that I'll do anything else to help out in any way."

LifeWire provides original and syndicated lifestyle content to Web publishers. Liane Yvkoff is a freelance writer in San Francisco

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text: LifeWire

text: provides

text: original

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text: syndicated

text: lifestyle

text: content

text: to

text: Web

text: publishers

text: Liane

text: Yvkoff

text: is

text: a

text: freelance

text: writer

text: in

text: San

text: Francisco

question: What does a Bridezilla expect?

answer: a lot.

text: a lot.

question: Who is expected to organize bridal showers?

answer: maids of honor

text: maids of honor

question: What do Bridezillas expect?

answer: a lot.

text: a lot.

question: What may more women reconsider as the economy gets tough?

answer: shop at the Salvation Army

text: shop at the Salvation Army

question: What will women reconsider?

answer: between maintaining a friendship and breaking the bank.

text: between maintaining a friendship and breaking the bank.


text:
(CNN) -- Stars at the legendary Glastonbury, one of the world's largest music festivals, have begun to pay tribute to Michael Jackson, who died Thursday.

Glastonbury at Worthy Farm in Somerset is the world's largest music festival.

Singer Pharell Williams of U.S. group N.E.R.D  acknowledged the music icon's legacy as his band played on the English festival's main stage, the Pyramid Stage.

"The music was so incredible and what he and Quincy Jones did was change music and the way people looked at music," Williams was quoted as saying on the BBC's Glastonbury Web site.

Teenage Australian singer Gabriella Cilmi was the first artist at the festival to pay tribute to Jackson, Friday, singing a few bars of song "Billie Jean" during her set.

Organizer Emily Eavis wrote on her Twitter site: "So sad to hear the news about MJ. There will be tributes all over the site all weekend.

"A truly great artist."

Other artists are expected to honor the singer, who died of a cardiac arrest at the age of 50, throughout the 3-day festival weekend in southwestern England.

Festival-goers woke to an unexpectedly somber first day of Glastonbury, Friday, as the news of Jackson's death began to sink in.  See images of reactions to the star's death from around the world Â»

Rumors of the singer's death had circulated the isolated 900-acre site the previous evening, but many fans had dismissed them as the hearsay and misinformation that thrives each year in the site which has no TV or Internet-access.

Confusion quickly turned to shock for many, as Jackson's music played in festival bars and news of his demise spread by cell phone.

"It's totally weird," Sally Anne Aldous, 29, told CNN on Thursday night. "People are just getting text messages saying 'Michael Jackson is dead. Michael Jackson is dead.'"   With a laid-back focus on mainly alternative music, the  Glastonbury festival -- expected to attract as many as 137,000 music-lovers -- is not a venue where people would normally expect to hear Jackson's music.  Watch more reaction from Glastonbury Â»

But few here deny the singer's influence. An impromptu memorial was held by mourning fans late Thursday at the "Stone Circle," a neolithic monument in the festival's grounds.

Other headline acts such as Bruce Springsteen, Lady GaGa and Lily Allen,   performing at the festival, are expected to pay tribute to Jackson. iReport: Share your memories of Michael Jackson

Anouk Lorie contributed to this report

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text: to

text: Michael

text: Jackson

text: who

text: died

text: Thursday

text: Glastonbury

text: at

text: Worthy

text: Farm

text: in

text: Somerset

text: is

text: the

text: world

text: 's

text: largest

text: music

text: festival

text: Singer

text: Pharell

text: Williams

text: of

text: U.S.

text: group

text: N.E.R.D

text: acknowledged

text: the

text: music

text: icon

text: 's

text: legacy

text: as

text: his

text: band

text: played

text: on

text: the

text: English

text: festival

text: 's

text: main

text: stage

text: the

text: Pyramid

text: Stage

text: The

text: music

text: was

text: so

text: incredible

text: and

text: what

text: he

text: and

text: Quincy

text: Jones

text: did

text: was

text: change

text: music

text: and

text: the

text: way

text: people

text: looked

text: at

text: music

text: Williams

text: was

text: quoted

text: as

text: saying

text: on

text: the

text: BBC

text: 's

text: Glastonbury

text: Web

text: site

text: Teenage

text: Australian

text: singer

text: Gabriella

text: Cilmi

text: was

text: the

text: first

text: artist

text: at

text: the

text: festival

text: to

text: pay

text: tribute

text: to

text: Jackson

text: Friday

text: singing

text: a

text: few

text: bars

text: of

text: song

text: Billie

text: Jean

text: during

text: her

text: set

text: Organizer

text: Emily

text: Eavis

text: wrote

text: on

text: her

text: Twitter

text: site

text: So

text: sad

text: to

text: hear

text: the

text: news

text: about

text: MJ

text: There

text: will

text: be

text: tributes

text: all

text: over

text: the

text: site

text: all

text: weekend

text: A

text: truly

text: great

text: artist

text: Other

text: artists

text: are

text: expected

text: to

text: honor

text: the

text: singer

text: who

text: died

text: of

text: a

text: cardiac

text: arrest

text: at

text: the

text: age

text: of

text: throughout

text: the

text: festival

text: weekend

text: in

text: southwestern

text: England

text: Festival

text: goers

text: woke

text: to

text: an

text: unexpectedly

text: somber

text: first

text: day

text: of

text: Glastonbury

text: Friday

text: as

text: the

text: news

text: of

text: Jackson

text: 's

text: death

text: began

text: to

text: sink

text: in

text: See

text: images

text: of

text: reactions

text: to

text: the

text: star

text: 's

text: death

text: from

text: around

text: the

text: world

text: Â

text: Rumors

text: of

text: the

text: singer

text: 's

text: death

text: had

text: circulated

text: the

text: isolated

text: site

text: the

text: previous

text: evening

text: but

text: many

text: fans

text: had

text: dismissed

text: them

text: as

text: the

text: hearsay

text: and

text: misinformation

text: that

text: thrives

text: each

text: year

text: in

text: the

text: site

text: which

text: has

text: no

text: TV

text: or

text: Internet

text: access

text: Confusion

text: quickly

text: turned

text: to

text: shock

text: for

text: many

text: as

text: Jackson

text: 's

text: music

text: played

text: in

text: festival

text: bars

text: and

text: news

text: of

text: his

text: demise

text: spread

text: by

text: cell

text: phone

text: It

text: 's

text: totally

text: weird

text: Sally

text: Anne

text: Aldous

text: told

text: CNN

text: on

text: Thursday

text: night

text: People

text: are

text: just

text: getting

text: text

text: messages

text: saying

text: Michael

text: Jackson

text: is

text: dead

text: Michael

text: Jackson

text: is

text: dead

text: With

text: a

text: laid

text: back

text: focus

text: on

text: mainly

text: alternative

text: music

text: the

text: Glastonbury

text: festival

text: expected

text: to

text: attract

text: as

text: many

text: as

text: music

text: lovers

text: is

text: not

text: a

text: venue

text: where

text: people

text: would

text: normally

text: expect

text: to

text: hear

text: Jackson

text: 's

text: music

text: Watch

text: more

text: reaction

text: from

text: Glastonbury

text: Â

text: But

text: few

text: here

text: deny

text: the

text: singer

text: 's

text: influence

text: An

text: impromptu

text: memorial

text: was

text: held

text: by

text: mourning

text: fans

text: late

text: Thursday

text: at

text: the

text: Stone

text: Circle

text: a

text: neolithic

text: monument

text: in

text: the

text: festival

text: 's

text: grounds

text: Other

text: headline

text: acts

text: such

text: as

text: Bruce

text: Springsteen

text: Lady

text: GaGa

text: and

text: Lily

text: Allen

text: performing

text: at

text: the

text: festival

text: are

text: expected

text: to

text: pay

text: tribute

text: to

text: Jackson

text: iReport

text: Share

text: your

text: memories

text: of

text: Michael

text: Jackson

text: Anouk

text: Lorie

text: contributed

text: to

text: this

text: report

question: What singer paid tribute to the music icon?

answer: Gabriella Cilmi

text: Gabriella Cilmi

question: What group is Pharell Williams a part of?

answer: N.E.R.D

text: N.E.R.D

question: What song did Gabriella Cilmi sing?

answer: "Billie Jean"

text: "Billie Jean"

question: What singer paid tribute?

answer: Gabriella Cilmi

text: Gabriella Cilmi

question: What day was the festival on when the news broke?

answer: first

text: first

question: What news did festival goers awake to?

answer: the news of Jackson's death

text: the news of Jackson's death


text:
MEDELLIN, Colombia (CNN) -- This city's drug underworld is littered with "poseurs" -- lowlife triggermen pretending they're the real hard cases.

Samir Romero, wanted by police for two murders, was killed in  August. He was shot 13 times.

But a longstanding and trusted source, with intimate knowledge of Medellin's violent subculture, assured me the two men I was about to meet were the real deal.

My destination: a single-story home in the city's notorious "Commune 13" district where I had set up a meeting with two hit men, who have for years hired their lethal services out to the cocaine cartels.

Inside the house, a man called "Red" sat on a couch toying a fully loaded 9mm Ruger pistol. "This will stop somebody nicely," he said, as I glanced at it.

His face and arms were covered in burn marks. He said it was a testament of the day a barrel of acid spilled onto him as he was working in a clandestine cocaine processing lab in northern Colombia.

Red explained that after the accident, the lab foreman tossed him out, half-dead, into a jungle clearing. What little strength he had left, he said he used to bat away vultures. And, against the odds, he made his way to safety and slowly recovered.

When Red left the clinic months later, he said he went straight back to the drug lab and gunned down the foreman and three of his henchmen.

That wasn't his first killing though, he told me. When he was just 11 years old, Red recounted, he took a razor to the throat of a neighborhood drug pusher who had been molesting his little sister.

The other man, "C", sat quietly as I listened to Red. Like Red, my source told me, "C" was also the so-called "chief" of a number of neighborhoods -- running local drug-peddling operations, extortion rackets and organizing hits for a big cartel boss he simply referred to as "El Cucho," or "The Old Man."

It was a hot morning and he was shirtless. His chest was branded with a tattoo of the Virgin Maria Auxilatrix, known in Colombia as the "Virgin of the Assassins."

Hitmen, or "sicarios" as they call them here, revere her and pray to her for protection against arrest or death and for help to carry out their killings.  Watch as Medellin law enforcement moves from killing to killing Â»

During our time with the hit men they offered a fascinating insight into their violent world -- from how much they get paid to what their mothers think of their lifestyle:

Penhaul: Why are Medellin's drug bosses and the street gangs in a war right now?

"RED": "These problems come about because they're looking for a good man to run things. We have to find him and, in order to find him, what's happening right now has to run its course."

"C": "Medellin has exploded right now because different groups want to control it and earn money and gain territory. The authorities locked up, extradited, or cut cooperation deals with the big guys, the ones who controlled all this. Those were the ones people respected. Now there's no respect and anybody who has a bunch of money is grabbing a few kids from a poor neighborhood and putting them to work."  Penhaul: What are the cartel bosses paying for a contract killing now?

"C": "If you're talking about a contract hit then right now you can get four or five million pesos (between US$2,000 and $2,500) to kill some idiot slimeball. Then of course there are bigger hits where you can earn 15 (million) or 20 million (between $7,500 and $10,000). Some of those hits pay pretty well. There's a lot of people around here with a lot of money and they're using it for bad things. Sometimes even the politicians will pay for a hit to get somebody out of their way."

Penhaul: Why did you get into this lifestyle?

"Red": "People need to eat and there's a lot of hunger. We don't just want the crumbs. That's the big problem. There's a lot of idle hands around here and many people think they have a chance if they have a gun in their hand."

"C": "I grew up in a slum and every time I stepped outside the door there were guys from the local gang smoking (marijuana) joints. They had guns, the best motorbikes and money so I started running errands for them."

Penhaul: Didn't you have any big dreams when you were kids?

"Red": "I always said when I grow up I would build a house for my old lady with a cement roof and plaster and paint on the walls. I dreamed I'd be able to give her money to go to the supermarket every week."

"C": "I dreamed of being a professional soccer player. I was pretty good. But I never got the chance."

Penhaul: Do you think you've made your mothers proud by killing people?

"Red": "I once gave my mum a wad of cash after I did a job. She took the wad and slapped me in the face and told me not to bring that cursed money into the house. She begged me to get out of that life. She was afraid they would kill me."

"C": "My mum knows nothing about this. I guess she imagines because she tells me to take care otherwise I'll wind up dead. But she doesn't know for sure."

Penhaul: What did your first contract hit feel like?

"Red": "You kill the first one and you panic for a few days. You're nervous. But then you kill the second one and that's a kind of a medicine. It takes the pain away that you were feeling after the first killing."

"C": "The first time is really f***ed up. I nearly went mad. You see a cop and think he's going to arrest you. I was 16 or 17. That was my first time. I hardly even wanted to eat. But then you carry on and kill this one and that one. You earn money. After I killed somebody the first time I bought my first decent pair of sneakers.

"It's not so tough now. Sometimes you kill somebody and you know they were going to kill you. It's not a question of conscience. It's a question of kill or be killed."

Penhaul: Don't you feel any remorse?

"C": You know you messed up when you go to the wake and see people crying and you know it's your fault. But I don't back down from a killing because I know if somebody comes after me they won't back down."

"Red": "I've got feelings and sometimes you sit down and think what a shame. But the person who's trying to shoot you isn't going to think the same. You're not killing somebody for the fun of it. If you don't mark your territory then you're a nobody."

Penhaul: So, apart from the money, why do you do it?

"C": "To gain respect round here you have to be a mother f***er. You've got to be a bastard so people respect you. If you're quiet and respectful everybody takes advantage. But if they know you're a mother f***er who'll bust their ass at the first sign of trouble then they respect you and your family."

Penhaul: Are you killing innocent people?

"C": "I never kill somebody who doesn't deserve it. Sometimes I'll hunt down a "patient" for a week just so that I don't make any mistakes. You can't go and kill somebody just because you want to. You have to ask for permission from the big guys who control us. You explain to the "old man" and he gives the final word."

Penhaul: Are you ever on the receiving end of bullets?

"Red": "They once shot me four times at point blank range. I heard them laughing as they walked away and one came back and kicked me in the head for good measure. When I got better he was the first one I killed. I've been shot 17 times. Well let's call it 19 if you count the ones that just graze you. They say some bodies have divine protection. Let's hope mine is one of them."

Penhaul: Why don't normal citizens just turn you in? Because they're afraid?

"C": "The community collaborates with us. We give them food parcels and we throw parties for them and give toys to the kids. We don't mistreat everybody, just the ones who deserve it. We don't kill innocent people."

Penhaul: Do you want to get out of this life?

"C": "I know you should pay what you owe. But I don't want to pay for all those deaths. I'll be absolutely f***ed if I have to pay. I want to get out of this but I want a clean slate. If I pay my debt to the law then that means jail and if I pay on the street then that means death. I don't want to go to jail or to die."

Penhaul: Do you see any quick end to the current cartel violence in Medellin?

"C": "We've survived one war, then another and now this one. I can't see it all ending. I don't think that will happen. If you kill two or three people there's four or five more behind him who want to kill you."

text: MEDELLIN

text: Colombia

text: CNN

text: This

text: city

text: 's

text: drug

text: underworld

text: is

text: littered

text: with

text: poseurs

text: lowlife

text: triggermen

text: pretending

text: they

text: 're

text: the

text: real

text: hard

text: cases

text: Samir

text: Romero

text: wanted

text: by

text: police

text: for

text: two

text: murders

text: was

text: killed

text: in

text: August

text: He

text: was

text: shot

text: times

text: But

text: a

text: longstanding

text: and

text: trusted

text: source

text: with

text: intimate

text: knowledge

text: of

text: Medellin

text: 's

text: violent

text: subculture

text: assured

text: me

text: the

text: two

text: men

text: I

text: was

text: about

text: to

text: meet

text: were

text: the

text: real

text: deal

text: My

text: destination

text: a

text: single

text: story

text: home

text: in

text: the

text: city

text: 's

text: notorious

text: Commune

text: district

text: where

text: I

text: had

text: set

text: up

text: a

text: meeting

text: with

text: two

text: hit

text: men

text: who

text: have

text: for

text: years

text: hired

text: their

text: lethal

text: services

text: out

text: to

text: the

text: cocaine

text: cartels

text: Inside

text: the

text: house

text: a

text: man

text: called

text: Red

text: sat

text: on

text: a

text: couch

text: toying

text: a

text: fully

text: loaded

text: mm

text: Ruger

text: pistol

text: This

text: will

text: stop

text: somebody

text: nicely

text: he

text: said

text: as

text: I

text: glanced

text: at

text: it

text: His

text: face

text: and

text: arms

text: were

text: covered

text: in

text: burn

text: marks

text: He

text: said

text: it

text: was

text: a

text: testament

text: of

text: the

text: day

text: a

text: barrel

text: of

text: acid

text: spilled

text: onto

text: him

text: as

text: he

text: was

text: working

text: in

text: a

text: clandestine

text: cocaine

text: processing

text: lab

text: in

text: northern

text: Colombia

text: Red

text: explained

text: that

text: after

text: the

text: accident

text: the

text: lab

text: foreman

text: tossed

text: him

text: out

text: half

text: dead

text: into

text: a

text: jungle

text: clearing

text: What

text: little

text: strength

text: he

text: had

text: left

text: he

text: said

text: he

text: used

text: to

text: bat

text: away

text: vultures

text: And

text: against

text: the

text: odds

text: he

text: made

text: his

text: way

text: to

text: safety

text: and

text: slowly

text: recovered

text: When

text: Red

text: left

text: the

text: clinic

text: months

text: later

text: he

text: said

text: he

text: went

text: straight

text: back

text: to

text: the

text: drug

text: lab

text: and

text: gunned

text: down

text: the

text: foreman

text: and

text: three

text: of

text: his

text: henchmen

text: That

text: was

text: n't

text: his

text: first

text: killing

text: though

text: he

text: told

text: me

text: When

text: he

text: was

text: just

text: years

text: old

text: Red

text: recounted

text: he

text: took

text: a

text: razor

text: to

text: the

text: throat

text: of

text: a

text: neighborhood

text: drug

text: pusher

text: who

text: had

text: been

text: molesting

text: his

text: little

text: sister

text: The

text: other

text: man

text: C

text: sat

text: quietly

text: as

text: I

text: listened

text: to

text: Red

text: Like

text: Red

text: my

text: source

text: told

text: me

text: C

text: was

text: also

text: the

text: so

text: called

text: chief

text: of

text: a

text: number

text: of

text: neighborhoods

text: running

text: local

text: drug

text: peddling

text: operations

text: extortion

text: rackets

text: and

text: organizing

text: hits

text: for

text: a

text: big

text: cartel

text: boss

text: he

text: simply

text: referred

text: to

text: as

text: El

text: Cucho

text: or

text: The

text: Old

text: Man

text: It

text: was

text: a

text: hot

text: morning

text: and

text: he

text: was

text: shirtless

text: His

text: chest

text: was

text: branded

text: with

text: a

text: tattoo

text: of

text: the

text: Virgin

text: Maria

text: Auxilatrix

text: known

text: in

text: Colombia

text: as

text: the

text: Virgin

text: of

text: the

text: Assassins

text: Hitmen

text: or

text: sicarios

text: as

text: they

text: call

text: them

text: here

text: revere

text: her

text: and

text: pray

text: to

text: her

text: for

text: protection

text: against

text: arrest

text: or

text: death

text: and

text: for

text: help

text: to

text: carry

text: out

text: their

text: killings

text: Watch

text: as

text: Medellin

text: law

text: enforcement

text: moves

text: from

text: killing

text: to

text: killing

text: Â

text: During

text: our

text: time

text: with

text: the

text: hit

text: men

text: they

text: offered

text: a

text: fascinating

text: insight

text: into

text: their

text: violent

text: world

text: from

text: how

text: much

text: they

text: get

text: paid

text: to

text: what

text: their

text: mothers

text: think

text: of

text: their

text: lifestyle

text: Penhaul

text: Why

text: are

text: Medellin

text: 's

text: drug

text: bosses

text: and

text: the

text: street

text: gangs

text: in

text: a

text: war

text: right

text: now

text: RED

text: These

text: problems

text: come

text: about

text: because

text: they

text: 're

text: looking

text: for

text: a

text: good

text: man

text: to

text: run

text: things

text: We

text: have

text: to

text: find

text: him

text: and

text: in

text: order

text: to

text: find

text: him

text: what

text: 's

text: happening

text: right

text: now

text: has

text: to

text: run

text: its

text: course

text: C

text: Medellin

text: has

text: exploded

text: right

text: now

text: because

text: different

text: groups

text: want

text: to

text: control

text: it

text: and

text: earn

text: money

text: and

text: gain

text: territory

text: The

text: authorities

text: locked

text: up

text: extradited

text: or

text: cut

text: cooperation

text: deals

text: with

text: the

text: big

text: guys

text: the

text: ones

text: who

text: controlled

text: all

text: this

text: Those

text: were

text: the

text: ones

text: people

text: respected

text: Now

text: there

text: 's

text: no

text: respect

text: and

text: anybody

text: who

text: has

text: a

text: bunch

text: of

text: money

text: is

text: grabbing

text: a

text: few

text: kids

text: from

text: a

text: poor

text: neighborhood

text: and

text: putting

text: them

text: to

text: work

text: Penhaul

text: What

text: are

text: the

text: cartel

text: bosses

text: paying

text: for

text: a

text: contract

text: killing

text: now

text: C

text: If

text: you

text: 're

text: talking

text: about

text: a

text: contract

text: hit

text: then

text: right

text: now

text: you

text: can

text: get

text: four

text: or

text: five

text: million

text: pesos

text: between

text: US$

text: and

text: to

text: kill

text: some

text: idiot

text: slimeball

text: Then

text: of

text: course

text: there

text: are

text: bigger

text: hits

text: where

text: you

text: can

text: earn

text: million

text: or

text: million

text: between

text: and

text: Some

text: of

text: those

text: hits

text: pay

text: pretty

text: well

text: There

text: 's

text: a

text: lot

text: of

text: people

text: around

text: here

text: with

text: a

text: lot

text: of

text: money

text: and

text: they

text: 're

text: using

text: it

text: for

text: bad

text: things

text: Sometimes

text: even

text: the

text: politicians

text: will

text: pay

text: for

text: a

text: hit

text: to

text: get

text: somebody

text: out

text: of

text: their

text: way

text: Penhaul

text: Why

text: did

text: you

text: get

text: into

text: this

text: lifestyle

text: Red

text: People

text: need

text: to

text: eat

text: and

text: there

text: 's

text: a

text: lot

text: of

text: hunger

text: We

text: do

text: n't

text: just

text: want

text: the

text: crumbs

text: That

text: 's

text: the

text: big

text: problem

text: There

text: 's

text: a

text: lot

text: of

text: idle

text: hands

text: around

text: here

text: and

text: many

text: people

text: think

text: they

text: have

text: a

text: chance

text: if

text: they

text: have

text: a

text: gun

text: in

text: their

text: hand

text: C

text: I

text: grew

text: up

text: in

text: a

text: slum

text: and

text: every

text: time

text: I

text: stepped

text: outside

text: the

text: door

text: there

text: were

text: guys

text: from

text: the

text: local

text: gang

text: smoking

text: marijuana

text: joints

text: They

text: had

text: guns

text: the

text: best

text: motorbikes

text: and

text: money

text: so

text: I

text: started

text: running

text: errands

text: for

text: them

text: Penhaul

text: Did

text: n't

text: you

text: have

text: any

text: big

text: dreams

text: when

text: you

text: were

text: kids

text: Red

text: I

text: always

text: said

text: when

text: I

text: grow

text: up

text: I

text: would

text: build

text: a

text: house

text: for

text: my

text: old

text: lady

text: with

text: a

text: cement

text: roof

text: and

text: plaster

text: and

text: paint

text: on

text: the

text: walls

text: I

text: dreamed

text: I

text: 'd

text: be

text: able

text: to

text: give

text: her

text: money

text: to

text: go

text: to

text: the

text: supermarket

text: every

text: week

text: C

text: I

text: dreamed

text: of

text: being

text: a

text: professional

text: soccer

text: player

text: I

text: was

text: pretty

text: good

text: But

text: I

text: never

text: got

text: the

text: chance

text: Penhaul

text: Do

text: you

text: think

text: you

text: 've

text: made

text: your

text: mothers

text: proud

text: by

text: killing

text: people

text: Red

text: I

text: once

text: gave

text: my

text: mum

text: a

text: wad

text: of

text: cash

text: after

text: I

text: did

text: a

text: job

text: She

text: took

text: the

text: wad

text: and

text: slapped

text: me

text: in

text: the

text: face

text: and

text: told

text: me

text: not

text: to

text: bring

text: that

text: cursed

text: money

text: into

text: the

text: house

text: She

text: begged

text: me

text: to

text: get

text: out

text: of

text: that

text: life

text: She

text: was

text: afraid

text: they

text: would

text: kill

text: me

text: C

text: My

text: mum

text: knows

text: nothing

text: about

text: this

text: I

text: guess

text: she

text: imagines

text: because

text: she

text: tells

text: me

text: to

text: take

text: care

text: otherwise

text: I

text: 'll

text: wind

text: up

text: dead

text: But

text: she

text: does

text: n't

text: know

text: for

text: sure

text: Penhaul

text: What

text: did

text: your

text: first

text: contract

text: hit

text: feel

text: like

text: Red

text: You

text: kill

text: the

text: first

text: one

text: and

text: you

text: panic

text: for

text: a

text: few

text: days

text: You

text: 're

text: nervous

text: But

text: then

text: you

text: kill

text: the

text: second

text: one

text: and

text: that

text: 's

text: a

text: kind

text: of

text: a

text: medicine

text: It

text: takes

text: the

text: pain

text: away

text: that

text: you

text: were

text: feeling

text: after

text: the

text: first

text: killing

text: C

text: The

text: first

text: time

text: is

text: really

text: f***ed

text: up

text: I

text: nearly

text: went

text: mad

text: You

text: see

text: a

text: cop

text: and

text: think

text: he

text: 's

text: going

text: to

text: arrest

text: you

text: I

text: was

text: or

text: That

text: was

text: my

text: first

text: time

text: I

text: hardly

text: even

text: wanted

text: to

text: eat

text: But

text: then

text: you

text: carry

text: on

text: and

text: kill

text: this

text: one

text: and

text: that

text: one

text: You

text: earn

text: money

text: After

text: I

text: killed

text: somebody

text: the

text: first

text: time

text: I

text: bought

text: my

text: first

text: decent

text: pair

text: of

text: sneakers

text: It

text: 's

text: not

text: so

text: tough

text: now

text: Sometimes

text: you

text: kill

text: somebody

text: and

text: you

text: know

text: they

text: were

text: going

text: to

text: kill

text: you

text: It

text: 's

text: not

text: a

text: question

text: of

text: conscience

text: It

text: 's

text: a

text: question

text: of

text: kill

text: or

text: be

text: killed

text: Penhaul

text: Do

text: n't

text: you

text: feel

text: any

text: remorse

text: C

text: You

text: know

text: you

text: messed

text: up

text: when

text: you

text: go

text: to

text: the

text: wake

text: and

text: see

text: people

text: crying

text: and

text: you

text: know

text: it

text: 's

text: your

text: fault

text: But

text: I

text: do

text: n't

text: back

text: down

text: from

text: a

text: killing

text: because

text: I

text: know

text: if

text: somebody

text: comes

text: after

text: me

text: they

text: wo

text: n't

text: back

text: down

text: Red

text: I

text: 've

text: got

text: feelings

text: and

text: sometimes

text: you

text: sit

text: down

text: and

text: think

text: what

text: a

text: shame

text: But

text: the

text: person

text: who

text: 's

text: trying

text: to

text: shoot

text: you

text: is

text: n't

text: going

text: to

text: think

text: the

text: same

text: You

text: 're

text: not

text: killing

text: somebody

text: for

text: the

text: fun

text: of

text: it

text: If

text: you

text: do

text: n't

text: mark

text: your

text: territory

text: then

text: you

text: 're

text: a

text: nobody

text: Penhaul

text: So

text: apart

text: from

text: the

text: money

text: why

text: do

text: you

text: do

text: it

text: C

text: To

text: gain

text: respect

text: round

text: here

text: you

text: have

text: to

text: be

text: a

text: mother

text: f***er

text: You

text: 've

text: got

text: to

text: be

text: a

text: bastard

text: so

text: people

text: respect

text: you

text: If

text: you

text: 're

text: quiet

text: and

text: respectful

text: everybody

text: takes

text: advantage

text: But

text: if

text: they

text: know

text: you

text: 're

text: a

text: mother

text: f***er

text: who

text: 'll

text: bust

text: their

text: ass

text: at

text: the

text: first

text: sign

text: of

text: trouble

text: then

text: they

text: respect

text: you

text: and

text: your

text: family

text: Penhaul

text: Are

text: you

text: killing

text: innocent

text: people

text: C

text: I

text: never

text: kill

text: somebody

text: who

text: does

text: n't

text: deserve

text: it

text: Sometimes

text: I

text: 'll

text: hunt

text: down

text: a

text: patient

text: for

text: a

text: week

text: just

text: so

text: that

text: I

text: do

text: n't

text: make

text: any

text: mistakes

text: You

text: ca

text: n't

text: go

text: and

text: kill

text: somebody

text: just

text: because

text: you

text: want

text: to

text: You

text: have

text: to

text: ask

text: for

text: permission

text: from

text: the

text: big

text: guys

text: who

text: control

text: us

text: You

text: explain

text: to

text: the

text: old

text: man

text: and

text: he

text: gives

text: the

text: final

text: word

text: Penhaul

text: Are

text: you

text: ever

text: on

text: the

text: receiving

text: end

text: of

text: bullets

text: Red

text: They

text: once

text: shot

text: me

text: four

text: times

text: at

text: point

text: blank

text: range

text: I

text: heard

text: them

text: laughing

text: as

text: they

text: walked

text: away

text: and

text: one

text: came

text: back

text: and

text: kicked

text: me

text: in

text: the

text: head

text: for

text: good

text: measure

text: When

text: I

text: got

text: better

text: he

text: was

text: the

text: first

text: one

text: I

text: killed

text: I

text: 've

text: been

text: shot

text: times

text: Well

text: let

text: 's

text: call

text: it

text: if

text: you

text: count

text: the

text: ones

text: that

text: just

text: graze

text: you

text: They

text: say

text: some

text: bodies

text: have

text: divine

text: protection

text: Let

text: 's

text: hope

text: mine

text: is

text: one

text: of

text: them

text: Penhaul

text: Why

text: do

text: n't

text: normal

text: citizens

text: just

text: turn

text: you

text: in

text: Because

text: they

text: 're

text: afraid

text: C

text: The

text: community

text: collaborates

text: with

text: us

text: We

text: give

text: them

text: food

text: parcels

text: and

text: we

text: throw

text: parties

text: for

text: them

text: and

text: give

text: toys

text: to

text: the

text: kids

text: We

text: do

text: n't

text: mistreat

text: everybody

text: just

text: the

text: ones

text: who

text: deserve

text: it

text: We

text: do

text: n't

text: kill

text: innocent

text: people

text: Penhaul

text: Do

text: you

text: want

text: to

text: get

text: out

text: of

text: this

text: life

text: C

text: I

text: know

text: you

text: should

text: pay

text: what

text: you

text: owe

text: But

text: I

text: do

text: n't

text: want

text: to

text: pay

text: for

text: all

text: those

text: deaths

text: I

text: 'll

text: be

text: absolutely

text: f***ed

text: if

text: I

text: have

text: to

text: pay

text: I

text: want

text: to

text: get

text: out

text: of

text: this

text: but

text: I

text: want

text: a

text: clean

text: slate

text: If

text: I

text: pay

text: my

text: debt

text: to

text: the

text: law

text: then

text: that

text: means

text: jail

text: and

text: if

text: I

text: pay

text: on

text: the

text: street

text: then

text: that

text: means

text: death

text: I

text: do

text: n't

text: want

text: to

text: go

text: to

text: jail

text: or

text: to

text: die

text: Penhaul

text: Do

text: you

text: see

text: any

text: quick

text: end

text: to

text: the

text: current

text: cartel

text: violence

text: in

text: Medellin

text: C

text: We

text: 've

text: survived

text: one

text: war

text: then

text: another

text: and

text: now

text: this

text: one

text: I

text: ca

text: n't

text: see

text: it

text: all

text: ending

text: I

text: do

text: n't

text: think

text: that

text: will

text: happen

text: If

text: you

text: kill

text: two

text: or

text: three

text: people

text: there

text: 's

text: four

text: or

text: five

text: more

text: behind

text: him

text: who

text: want

text: to

text: kill

text: you

question: Who are talking about their careers?

answer: Red.

text: Red.

question: What is the cost of a hitman kill?

answer: (between $7,500 and $10,000).

text: (between $7,500 and $10,000).


text:
MOUNT KENYA, Kenya (CNN) -- For as long as anyone cares to remember, the pastoralists of Kenya's Rift Valley have fled with their herds to the fertile slopes of Mount Kenya when times are tough.

Hundreds of dead cattle litter the slopes of Mount Kenya, fatally weakened by long treks to the region.

When the rains failed this year they set off once again in search of water and pasture -- but they found only despair.

"I could have stayed home, or I could have come here, but it is all the same. All that you find is death," said Peraguan Lesagut, an aging pastoralist who came five months ago with his herd.

After years of persistent drought Lesagut left his two wives and 16 children and drove 200 cattle to the foothills of Mount Kenya -- Africa's second highest summit. Now, only 40 are left; the rest succumbing to cold, disease and exposure.

Across the folds of this mountain everyone has the same story. Hundreds of dead cattle dot the forests, young herdsmen try to coax ailing calves onto their feet, knowing that if they don't get up, they will die.

"I am hopeless because I have seen almost all of my animals die," Lesagut said. "If the rains are delayed for even another week two, then I will lose everything."

Millions of Kenyans are facing the same stark reality. The World Food Program (WFP) says that, together with the Kenyan government, they will need to feed 3.8 million people across the country.

Successive years of failed crops, drought and erratic rains caused by climate change have all had an impact. Somalia, Ethiopia and Djibouti all face similar crises. Despite this, the U.N. agency says that its emergency programs are facing massive shortfalls.

"We are facing a really difficult situation. We realize that the world economic crisis has affected the amount that countries can give to us," says WFP spokesperson Gabrielle Menezes, "But at the same time we are seeing an awful situation in Kenya. If we don't start feeding people now, things are only going to get worse."

For many Kenyan farmers, the situation is already bad enough. Eunice Wairimu has seen four successive crops fail. This is harvest time in Kenya but her corn plants barely reach her knees and she will have to use her meager harvest as animal feed.

"I don't even like to go to my farm because I become very upset," she said. "There is nothing for me to get there for my family."

Wairimu used to sell her surplus, but now she depends on food rations. She accepts them grudgingly.

"According to our tribal culture, we aren't used to being given food. We have always been willing to work hard. If it is the will of God to bring rain, he will bring rain. But he also brings drought."

text: MOUNT

text: KENYA

text: Kenya

text: CNN

text: For

text: as

text: long

text: as

text: anyone

text: cares

text: to

text: remember

text: the

text: pastoralists

text: of

text: Kenya

text: 's

text: Rift

text: Valley

text: have

text: fled

text: with

text: their

text: herds

text: to

text: the

text: fertile

text: slopes

text: of

text: Mount

text: Kenya

text: when

text: times

text: are

text: tough

text: Hundreds

text: of

text: dead

text: cattle

text: litter

text: the

text: slopes

text: of

text: Mount

text: Kenya

text: fatally

text: weakened

text: by

text: long

text: treks

text: to

text: the

text: region

text: When

text: the

text: rains

text: failed

text: this

text: year

text: they

text: set

text: off

text: once

text: again

text: in

text: search

text: of

text: water

text: and

text: pasture

text: but

text: they

text: found

text: only

text: despair

text: I

text: could

text: have

text: stayed

text: home

text: or

text: I

text: could

text: have

text: come

text: here

text: but

text: it

text: is

text: all

text: the

text: same

text: All

text: that

text: you

text: find

text: is

text: death

text: said

text: Peraguan

text: Lesagut

text: an

text: aging

text: pastoralist

text: who

text: came

text: five

text: months

text: ago

text: with

text: his

text: herd

text: After

text: years

text: of

text: persistent

text: drought

text: Lesagut

text: left

text: his

text: two

text: wives

text: and

text: children

text: and

text: drove

text: cattle

text: to

text: the

text: foothills

text: of

text: Mount

text: Kenya

text: Africa

text: 's

text: second

text: highest

text: summit

text: Now

text: only

text: are

text: left

text: the

text: rest

text: succumbing

text: to

text: cold

text: disease

text: and

text: exposure

text: Across

text: the

text: folds

text: of

text: this

text: mountain

text: everyone

text: has

text: the

text: same

text: story

text: Hundreds

text: of

text: dead

text: cattle

text: dot

text: the

text: forests

text: young

text: herdsmen

text: try

text: to

text: coax

text: ailing

text: calves

text: onto

text: their

text: feet

text: knowing

text: that

text: if

text: they

text: do

text: n't

text: get

text: up

text: they

text: will

text: die

text: I

text: am

text: hopeless

text: because

text: I

text: have

text: seen

text: almost

text: all

text: of

text: my

text: animals

text: die

text: Lesagut

text: said

text: If

text: the

text: rains

text: are

text: delayed

text: for

text: even

text: another

text: week

text: two

text: then

text: I

text: will

text: lose

text: everything

text: Millions

text: of

text: Kenyans

text: are

text: facing

text: the

text: same

text: stark

text: reality

text: The

text: World

text: Food

text: Program

text: WFP

text: says

text: that

text: together

text: with

text: the

text: Kenyan

text: government

text: they

text: will

text: need

text: to

text: feed

text: million

text: people

text: across

text: the

text: country

text: Successive

text: years

text: of

text: failed

text: crops

text: drought

text: and

text: erratic

text: rains

text: caused

text: by

text: climate

text: change

text: have

text: all

text: had

text: an

text: impact

text: Somalia

text: Ethiopia

text: and

text: Djibouti

text: all

text: face

text: similar

text: crises

text: Despite

text: this

text: the

text: U.N.

text: agency

text: says

text: that

text: its

text: emergency

text: programs

text: are

text: facing

text: massive

text: shortfalls

text: We

text: are

text: facing

text: a

text: really

text: difficult

text: situation

text: We

text: realize

text: that

text: the

text: world

text: economic

text: crisis

text: has

text: affected

text: the

text: amount

text: that

text: countries

text: can

text: give

text: to

text: us

text: says

text: WFP

text: spokesperson

text: Gabrielle

text: Menezes

text: But

text: at

text: the

text: same

text: time

text: we

text: are

text: seeing

text: an

text: awful

text: situation

text: in

text: Kenya

text: If

text: we

text: do

text: n't

text: start

text: feeding

text: people

text: now

text: things

text: are

text: only

text: going

text: to

text: get

text: worse

text: For

text: many

text: Kenyan

text: farmers

text: the

text: situation

text: is

text: already

text: bad

text: enough

text: Eunice

text: Wairimu

text: has

text: seen

text: four

text: successive

text: crops

text: fail

text: This

text: is

text: harvest

text: time

text: in

text: Kenya

text: but

text: her

text: corn

text: plants

text: barely

text: reach

text: her

text: knees

text: and

text: she

text: will

text: have

text: to

text: use

text: her

text: meager

text: harvest

text: as

text: animal

text: feed

text: I

text: do

text: n't

text: even

text: like

text: to

text: go

text: to

text: my

text: farm

text: because

text: I

text: become

text: very

text: upset

text: she

text: said

text: There

text: is

text: nothing

text: for

text: me

text: to

text: get

text: there

text: for

text: my

text: family

text: Wairimu

text: used

text: to

text: sell

text: her

text: surplus

text: but

text: now

text: she

text: depends

text: on

text: food

text: rations

text: She

text: accepts

text: them

text: grudgingly

text: According

text: to

text: our

text: tribal

text: culture

text: we

text: are

text: n't

text: used

text: to

text: being

text: given

text: food

text: We

text: have

text: always

text: been

text: willing

text: to

text: work

text: hard

text: If

text: it

text: is

text: the

text: will

text: of

text: God

text: to

text: bring

text: rain

text: he

text: will

text: bring

text: rain

text: But

text: he

text: also

text: brings

text: drought

question: Who warns situation will get worse?

answer: WFP spokesperson Gabrielle Menezes,

text: WFP spokesperson Gabrielle Menezes,

question: What are countries face starvation?

answer: Somalia, Ethiopia

text: Somalia, Ethiopia

question: what countries also face similar crises?

answer: Somalia, Ethiopia

text: Somalia, Ethiopia

question: Who also faces similar crisis?

answer: Somalia, Ethiopia and Djibouti

text: Somalia, Ethiopia and Djibouti

question: What is the warning from the WFP?

answer: If we don't start feeding people now, things are only going to get worse."

text: If we don't start feeding people now, things are only going to get worse."

question: Who is at risk of starvation?

answer: Millions of Kenyans

text: Millions of Kenyans


text:
(CNN) -- The death of longtime Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi is shaking the Arab world. And nations like Egypt, which next month holds its first parliamentary elections since the fall of President Hosni Mubarak in February, are watching.

Egypt, like Tunisia -- which holds elections this weekend -- needs a great many positive influences to consolidate its nascent democratic government. If Libya's National Transitional Council should turn in a militant Islamist direction and become hostile to the European Union or the United States, it could jeopardize democratic progress in Tunis and Cairo alike.

Egypt's position is precarious enough as it is. Two weeks ago in Cairo, for example, Coptic Christian protesters clashed with security forces, leaving 25 dead and more than 300 injured. The violence stems from the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces' refusal to share key decision-making powers with civilians and tests its ability to manage the country's fragile political transition.

Today in Egypt, no political faction is strong enough to monopolize power and none is weak enough to be ground out of existence. As a result, the army's failure to build a solid political consensus creates a recipe for ongoing confrontation. As long as Egyptians believe they stand to gain more through violence than peaceful political negotiations, the situation in Cairo will worsen.

Three decades ago, after the Islamic Revolution in Iran, the Ayatollah Khomeini wasted no time in enacting a brutal purge of the country's secular military elites, whom he feared would endanger his rule. In refusing to establish a new order that Egypt's most powerful political constituencies can all get behind, the Egyptian army may now be leading itself in the same direction.

The army's stubbornness in refusing to craft a new constitution before holding elections at the end of November is ill-considered and dangerous. The coming parliament will be charged with choosing 100 experts to draft the new constitution. But Christians and secularists fear that an Islamist-dominated parliament will produce a constitution that discriminates against them.

Having had little more than six months of freedom, most Egyptian political parties are still in their infancy, and the older secular parties are not yet ready for elections. Islamist parties are the best prepared, as they have been well funded, are known across the country and have enjoyed most of the coverage in the state-owned media since the fall of Mubarak.

Yet secularists -- who constitute 70% or perhaps 80% of Egypt's political parties -- asked for more time to prepare for elections and for the military to facilitate an agreement on a bill of rights that sets down guiding principles for the new constitution. Islamists oppose such a move, as they fear it would create rules the secularists could use to oppress them.

As a provisional government, the army must create a new political framework that guarantees majority rule while protecting the rights of religious, ethnic and political minorities. Yet in spite of a worsening domestic situation, the military shows no such desire.

After Mubarak's fall, Egyptians hoped the army would be the guarantor of a democratic transition; that it would do this transparently, sharing power with civilian political groups, and presiding over a convention culminating in a modern, democratic constitution that protects every Egyptian individual and political group that rejects violence.

In late July, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces sent a worrisome signal when it celebrated National Day, the anniversary of the 1952 coup d'etat in which the military took power. This coup smothered Egypt's nascent democratic process in its cradle and ushered in an era of military rule lasting almost six decades. After the coup, military men in civilian attire rigged every election, abused human rights and monopolized the political system.

In years past, National Day was nothing out of the ordinary -- the country had celebrated it every year for almost six decades -- but this year, it signaled the military's intention to backpedal on political reforms and maintain an undemocratic status quo.

The 1952 regime has hidden behind many different ideologies and adopted a range of different national and international alliances to suit its needs. It began as a capitalist government, allied with the West, turned to Moscow and became socialist in the 1960s, then adopted a mixture of socialism and capitalism in the late '70s, and allied itself with Washington.

Yet in no incarnation was the military-backed regime ever democratic. Until Egypt's rulers reject the order established in the 1952 military coup, the country will never move forward toward genuine democracy.

Ongoing protests and rising violence are not a coincidence. They are the fruits of 60 years of failed policies. If Egyptians could be confident in their political futures -- that they would be subject to the rule of law rather than the rule of man -- they would be less frustrated. If they could be sure that the country's new political order would respect their individual rights and liberties, they would no longer be in the streets.

If a new constitution ensured that Islamists, Christians, secularists, men and women alike all enjoyed equal rights, then maybe violence and protests would not be the way to be heard.

If the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces respected its mandate to establish the rules of the game, and then shared power with political parties, Egyptians would be confident that it sought only to preserve rule of law and public order, not to perpetuate its own rule.

Egyptian military elites can take comfort that they will not meet the same end as Gadhafi, nor that of the Iranian military after the fall of the shah. But they should take the latest violence very seriously, as they are in a far more delicate position than they may realize. They cannot continue to manage the country's transition the way that they have.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Khairi Abaza.

text: CNN

text: The

text: death

text: of

text: longtime

text: Libyan

text: dictator

text: Moammar

text: Gadhafi

text: is

text: shaking

text: the

text: Arab

text: world

text: And

text: nations

text: like

text: Egypt

text: which

text: next

text: month

text: holds

text: its

text: first

text: parliamentary

text: elections

text: since

text: the

text: fall

text: of

text: President

text: Hosni

text: Mubarak

text: in

text: February

text: are

text: watching

text: Egypt

text: like

text: Tunisia

text: which

text: holds

text: elections

text: this

text: weekend

text: needs

text: a

text: great

text: many

text: positive

text: influences

text: to

text: consolidate

text: its

text: nascent

text: democratic

text: government

text: If

text: Libya

text: 's

text: National

text: Transitional

text: Council

text: should

text: turn

text: in

text: a

text: militant

text: Islamist

text: direction

text: and

text: become

text: hostile

text: to

text: the

text: European

text: Union

text: or

text: the

text: United

text: States

text: it

text: could

text: jeopardize

text: democratic

text: progress

text: in

text: Tunis

text: and

text: Cairo

text: alike

text: Egypt

text: 's

text: position

text: is

text: precarious

text: enough

text: as

text: it

text: is

text: Two

text: weeks

text: ago

text: in

text: Cairo

text: for

text: example

text: Coptic

text: Christian

text: protesters

text: clashed

text: with

text: security

text: forces

text: leaving

text: dead

text: and

text: more

text: than

text: injured

text: The

text: violence

text: stems

text: from

text: the

text: Supreme

text: Council

text: of

text: the

text: Armed

text: Forces

text: refusal

text: to

text: share

text: key

text: decision

text: making

text: powers

text: with

text: civilians

text: and

text: tests

text: its

text: ability

text: to

text: manage

text: the

text: country

text: 's

text: fragile

text: political

text: transition

text: Today

text: in

text: Egypt

text: no

text: political

text: faction

text: is

text: strong

text: enough

text: to

text: monopolize

text: power

text: and

text: is

text: weak

text: enough

text: to

text: be

text: ground

text: out

text: of

text: existence

text: As

text: a

text: result

text: the

text: army

text: 's

text: failure

text: to

text: build

text: a

text: solid

text: political

text: consensus

text: creates

text: a

text: recipe

text: for

text: ongoing

text: confrontation

text: As

text: long

text: as

text: Egyptians

text: believe

text: they

text: stand

text: to

text: gain

text: more

text: through

text: violence

text: than

text: peaceful

text: political

text: negotiations

text: the

text: situation

text: in

text: Cairo

text: will

text: worsen

text: Three

text: decades

text: ago

text: after

text: the

text: Islamic

text: Revolution

text: in

text: Iran

text: the

text: Ayatollah

text: Khomeini

text: wasted

text: no

text: time

text: in

text: enacting

text: a

text: brutal

text: purge

text: of

text: the

text: country

text: 's

text: secular

text: military

text: elites

text: whom

text: he

text: feared

text: would

text: endanger

text: his

text: rule

text: In

text: refusing

text: to

text: establish

text: a

text: new

text: order

text: that

text: Egypt

text: 's

text: most

text: powerful

text: political

text: constituencies

text: can

text: all

text: get

text: behind

text: the

text: Egyptian

text: army

text: may

text: now

text: be

text: leading

text: itself

text: in

text: the

text: same

text: direction

text: The

text: army

text: 's

text: stubbornness

text: in

text: refusing

text: to

text: craft

text: a

text: new

text: constitution

text: before

text: holding

text: elections

text: at

text: the

text: end

text: of

text: November

text: is

text: ill

text: considered

text: and

text: dangerous

text: The

text: coming

text: parliament

text: will

text: be

text: charged

text: with

text: choosing

text: experts

text: to

text: draft

text: the

text: new

text: constitution

text: But

text: Christians

text: and

text: secularists

text: fear

text: that

text: an

text: Islamist

text: dominated

text: parliament

text: will

text: produce

text: a

text: constitution

text: that

text: discriminates

text: against

text: them

text: Having

text: had

text: little

text: more

text: than

text: six

text: months

text: of

text: freedom

text: most

text: Egyptian

text: political

text: parties

text: are

text: still

text: in

text: their

text: infancy

text: and

text: the

text: older

text: secular

text: parties

text: are

text: not

text: yet

text: ready

text: for

text: elections

text: Islamist

text: parties

text: are

text: the

text: best

text: prepared

text: as

text: they

text: have

text: been

text: well

text: funded

text: are

text: known

text: across

text: the

text: country

text: and

text: have

text: enjoyed

text: most

text: of

text: the

text: coverage

text: in

text: the

text: state

text: owned

text: media

text: since

text: the

text: fall

text: of

text: Mubarak

text: Yet

text: secularists

text: who

text: constitute

text: or

text: perhaps

text: of

text: Egypt

text: 's

text: political

text: parties

text: asked

text: for

text: more

text: time

text: to

text: prepare

text: for

text: elections

text: and

text: for

text: the

text: military

text: to

text: facilitate

text: an

text: agreement

text: on

text: a

text: bill

text: of

text: rights

text: that

text: sets

text: down

text: guiding

text: principles

text: for

text: the

text: new

text: constitution

text: Islamists

text: oppose

text: such

text: a

text: move

text: as

text: they

text: fear

text: it

text: would

text: create

text: rules

text: the

text: secularists

text: could

text: use

text: to

text: oppress

text: them

text: As

text: a

text: provisional

text: government

text: the

text: army

text: must

text: create

text: a

text: new

text: political

text: framework

text: that

text: guarantees

text: majority

text: rule

text: while

text: protecting

text: the

text: rights

text: of

text: religious

text: ethnic

text: and

text: political

text: minorities

text: Yet

text: in

text: spite

text: of

text: a

text: worsening

text: domestic

text: situation

text: the

text: military

text: shows

text: no

text: such

text: desire

text: After

text: Mubarak

text: 's

text: fall

text: Egyptians

text: hoped

text: the

text: army

text: would

text: be

text: the

text: guarantor

text: of

text: a

text: democratic

text: transition

text: that

text: it

text: would

text: do

text: this

text: transparently

text: sharing

text: power

text: with

text: civilian

text: political

text: groups

text: and

text: presiding

text: over

text: a

text: convention

text: culminating

text: in

text: a

text: modern

text: democratic

text: constitution

text: that

text: protects

text: every

text: Egyptian

text: individual

text: and

text: political

text: group

text: that

text: rejects

text: violence

text: In

text: late

text: July

text: the

text: Supreme

text: Council

text: of

text: the

text: Armed

text: Forces

text: sent

text: a

text: worrisome

text: signal

text: when

text: it

text: celebrated

text: National

text: Day

text: the

text: anniversary

text: of

text: the

text: coup

text: d'etat

text: in

text: which

text: the

text: military

text: took

text: power

text: This

text: coup

text: smothered

text: Egypt

text: 's

text: nascent

text: democratic

text: process

text: in

text: its

text: cradle

text: and

text: ushered

text: in

text: an

text: era

text: of

text: military

text: rule

text: lasting

text: almost

text: six

text: decades

text: After

text: the

text: coup

text: military

text: men

text: in

text: civilian

text: attire

text: rigged

text: every

text: election

text: abused

text: human

text: rights

text: and

text: monopolized

text: the

text: political

text: system

text: In

text: years

text: past

text: National

text: Day

text: was

text: nothing

text: out

text: of

text: the

text: ordinary

text: the

text: country

text: had

text: celebrated

text: it

text: every

text: year

text: for

text: almost

text: six

text: decades

text: but

text: this

text: year

text: it

text: signaled

text: the

text: military

text: 's

text: intention

text: to

text: backpedal

text: on

text: political

text: reforms

text: and

text: maintain

text: an

text: undemocratic

text: status

text: quo

text: The

text: regime

text: has

text: hidden

text: behind

text: many

text: different

text: ideologies

text: and

text: adopted

text: a

text: range

text: of

text: different

text: national

text: and

text: international

text: alliances

text: to

text: suit

text: its

text: needs

text: It

text: began

text: as

text: a

text: capitalist

text: government

text: allied

text: with

text: the

text: West

text: turned

text: to

text: Moscow

text: and

text: became

text: socialist

text: in

text: the

text: then

text: adopted

text: a

text: mixture

text: of

text: socialism

text: and

text: capitalism

text: in

text: the

text: late

text: and

text: allied

text: itself

text: with

text: Washington

text: Yet

text: in

text: no

text: incarnation

text: was

text: the

text: military

text: backed

text: regime

text: ever

text: democratic

text: Until

text: Egypt

text: 's

text: rulers

text: reject

text: the

text: order

text: established

text: in

text: the

text: military

text: coup

text: the

text: country

text: will

text: never

text: move

text: forward

text: toward

text: genuine

text: democracy

text: Ongoing

text: protests

text: and

text: rising

text: violence

text: are

text: not

text: a

text: coincidence

text: They

text: are

text: the

text: fruits

text: of

text: years

text: of

text: failed

text: policies

text: If

text: Egyptians

text: could

text: be

text: confident

text: in

text: their

text: political

text: futures

text: that

text: they

text: would

text: be

text: subject

text: to

text: the

text: rule

text: of

text: law

text: rather

text: than

text: the

text: rule

text: of

text: man

text: they

text: would

text: be

text: less

text: frustrated

text: If

text: they

text: could

text: be

text: sure

text: that

text: the

text: country

text: 's

text: new

text: political

text: order

text: would

text: respect

text: their

text: individual

text: rights

text: and

text: liberties

text: they

text: would

text: no

text: longer

text: be

text: in

text: the

text: streets

text: If

text: a

text: new

text: constitution

text: ensured

text: that

text: Islamists

text: Christians

text: secularists

text: men

text: and

text: women

text: alike

text: all

text: enjoyed

text: equal

text: rights

text: then

text: maybe

text: violence

text: and

text: protests

text: would

text: not

text: be

text: the

text: way

text: to

text: be

text: heard

text: If

text: the

text: Supreme

text: Council

text: of

text: the

text: Armed

text: Forces

text: respected

text: its

text: mandate

text: to

text: establish

text: the

text: rules

text: of

text: the

text: game

text: and

text: then

text: shared

text: power

text: with

text: political

text: parties

text: Egyptians

text: would

text: be

text: confident

text: that

text: it

text: sought

text: only

text: to

text: preserve

text: rule

text: of

text: law

text: and

text: public

text: order

text: not

text: to

text: perpetuate

text: its

text: own

text: rule

text: Egyptian

text: military

text: elites

text: can

text: take

text: comfort

text: that

text: they

text: will

text: not

text: meet

text: the

text: same

text: end

text: as

text: Gadhafi

text: nor

text: that

text: of

text: the

text: Iranian

text: military

text: after

text: the

text: fall

text: of

text: the

text: shah

text: But

text: they

text: should

text: take

text: the

text: latest

text: violence

text: very

text: seriously

text: as

text: they

text: are

text: in

text: a

text: far

text: more

text: delicate

text: position

text: than

text: they

text: may

text: realize

text: They

text: can

text: not

text: continue

text: to

text: manage

text: the

text: country

text: 's

text: transition

text: the

text: way

text: that

text: they

text: have

text: The

text: opinions

text: expressed

text: in

text: this

text: commentary

text: are

text: solely

text: those

text: of

text: Khairi

text: Abaza

question: What does he say about Egypt's transition to democracy?

answer: the country will never move forward toward genuine

text: the country will never move forward toward genuine

question: What must the army do?

answer: create a new political framework that guarantees majority rule while protecting the rights of religious, ethnic and political minorities.

text: create a new political framework that guarantees majority rule while protecting the rights of religious, ethnic and political minorities.

question: What does Abaza say about the army?

answer: must create a new political framework that guarantees majority rule while protecting the rights of religious, ethnic and political minorities.

text: must create a new political framework that guarantees majority rule while protecting the rights of religious, ethnic and political minorities.

question: What does Khairi Abaza say about Gadhafi's death?

answer: is shaking the Arab world.

text: is shaking the Arab world.