Word: scandalizer
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...surprise to those who study the death industry. For years critics have been calling for better state and federal oversight of such businesses. While the vast majority of funeral directors and crematory operators do their job honorably, there is plenty of room for abuse, and every so often a scandal spurs a flurry of proposed regulations. But in most cases they don't go anywhere or, if they do, they don't get enforced. Although cremation has been growing in use at a rate of about 5% a year, few states have laws or bureaucracies to keep...
...suppose it is partly this context that makes the pedophile-priest scandal in Boston so offensive to so many. In the past month, it has been revealed that more than 70 priests in the archdiocese of Boston--out of a total of less than 700--have been accused of the sexual abuse of children. That's 1 in 10. Worse, when evidence of these crimes has come to light, the church hierarchy has done everything in its power to hush it up, pay secret damages to the victims and, in many cases, do nothing but reassign pedophile priests to other...
This is not a liberal or conservative issue. Sure, liberal Catholics see the scandal as another indicator of the sexual dysfunction at the heart of the church. And they have a point. Celibacy is an onerous burden that can easily distort a person's psyche. Moreover, many sexually conflicted men gravitate to the priesthood precisely because it promises to put a straitjacket on their compulsions and confusions. Alas, that straitjacket can often come undone. The absence of women in the higher reaches of the church further distorts the atmosphere; and the presence of large numbers of gay priests--forced...
Sarah Hughes' performance was the pinnacle of a figure-skating competition tarnished by a judging scandal in the pairs competition that resulted in two gold-medal awards. It also had to withstand a protest by a cranky Russian Olympic federation demanding gold for Slutskaya and threatening to leave the Games over assorted alleged judging improprieties. Hughes refocused attention on the outstanding performances these Olympics offered across a menu of winter sports, before crowds that were full and festive despite an unprecedented level of security...
Kenya ranks near the bottom of Berlin-based Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index, beaten only by such "show-me-the-money" countries as Nigeria and Indonesia. High-level corruption continues unabated, as evidenced by the 1990s Goldenberg scandal - named for a company that allegedly exported nonexistent gold and then claimed export credits from the Central Bank. The financial scam cost Kenya at least $400 million and allegedly involved top officials and senior politicians close to President Daniel arap Moi. International donors have frozen funds earmarked for Kenya in large part because of the country's failure...