Main Entry: sot·to vo·ce

Pronunciation: "sä-tO-'vO-chE
Function: adverb or adjective
Etymology: Italian sottovoce, literally, under the voice
1 : under the breath : in an undertone; also : in a private manner
2 : very softly -- used as a direction in music

Saturday, September 29, 2007

corruption index

read it and truly weep
Israel is ranked 30th out of 180 states in the 2007 "Corruption Perceptions Index," released Wednesday by Transparency International, a global NGO committed to fighting corruption
The ranking represents a slight improvement from 2006, when Israel came in at 34th, receiving a score of 5.9 out of 10, as opposed to this year's 6.1
Britain is ranked 12th and the United States 20th, with scores of 8.4 and 7.2, respectively
The survey focuses on corruption in the public sector and among politicians, and the organization defines corruption as "the misuse of entrusted power for private gain."
Denmark, Finland and New Zealand tied for first place on the list
Gross, the chairman of Israel's Transparency International branch, said that more than half of the 180 states that were examined received scores of three or less, which indicates that funds needed for education, medicine and infrastructure are being pocketed by politicians
clipped from www.haaretz.com
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26/09/2007
Israel ranked 30th out of 180 countries in Corruption Index
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