Here.

MSNBC coverage:

WASHINGTON - A new Justice Department report concludes that politics illegally influenced the hiring of career prosecutors and immigration judges, and largely lays the blame on top aides to former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

Monday's report singles out the department's former White House liaison, Monica Goodling, for violating federal law and Justice Department policy by discriminating against job applicants who weren't Republican or conservative loyalists.

The 140-page report does not indicate whether Goodling or former Gonzales chief of staff Kyle Sampson could face any charges. None of those involved in the discriminatory hiring still work at Justice, meaning they will avoid any department penalties.

However, Justice investigators said that Goodling, at least, may lose her license to practice law as a result of the findings.

Gonzales was largely unaware of the hiring decisions by two of his most trusted aides. The report said his aides' decisions weeded out Democrats and that Goodling also rejected at least one lesbian job applicant.

The report marks the culmination of a yearlong investigation by Justice's Office of Inspector General and Office of Professional Responsibility into whether Republican politics were driving hiring polices at the nation's premier law enforcement agency that is expected to be above partisan politics.

The alleged transgressions involve 13 former and current Interior Department employees in Denver and Washington. Their alleged improprieties include influencing contracts, working part-time as private oil consultants and having sexual relationships with _ and accepting golf and ski trips, snowboarding lessons and concert tickets from _ oil company employees, according to three reports released Wednesday by the Interior Department's inspector general.

The investigations expose a small group of individuals "wholly lacking in acceptance of or adherence to government ethical standards," wrote Inspector General Earl E. Devaney, whose office spent more than two years and $5.3 million on the investigation.

"Sexual relationships with prohibited sources cannot, by definition, be arms-length," Devaney said.

The reports describe a fraternity house atmosphere inside the Denver Minerals Management Service office responsible for marketing oil and natural gas that energy companies barter to the government in lieu of cash royalty payments for drilling on federal lands. The government received $4.3 billion in such royalty-in-kind payments last year. The oil and gas is then resold to energy companies or put in the nation's emergency stockpile.

"During the course of our investigation, we learned that some RIK employees frequently consumed alcohol at industry functions, had used cocaine and marijuana, and had sexual relationships with oil and gas company representatives," the report said. Two government employees who had to spend the night after a daytime industry function because they were too intoxicated to drive home were commonly referred to by energy traders as the "MMS Chicks."

Between 2002 and 2006, 19 oil marketers _ nearly a third of the 55-person staff in the Denver office _ received gifts and gratuities from oil and gas companies, including Chevron Corp., Shell, Hess Corp. and Denver-based Gary-Williams Energy Corp., the investigators found. The investigation focuses on nine employees _ all but one of whom received ethics training _ who attended meals, parties, paintball games and concerts whose value exceeded the $20-per-gift limit or $50-a-year thresholds on outside gifts. In the case of two marketers, gifts were accepted on at least 135 occasions. The report identifies eight of the employees by name and a ninth only by job description.

One worker admitted having a one-night-stand with a Shell employee. That same individual allegedly passed out business cards for her sex toy business, Passion Parties Inc., at work, and bragged that her income from that business exceeded her salary at the Interior Department. The employee was authorized to conduct such outside employment, and denied to investigators that she advertised for it during work hours, the report said. She admitted selling products to several of her subordinates.

evaney said the investigations took so long because Chevron refused to cooperate. An Interior Department official said Chevron would not allow investigators to interview its employees.

Don Campbell, a Chevron spokesman, said Wednesday that the company "produced all of the documents that the government requested months ago." A Shell spokeswoman said it would be premature for the company to comment on the report until it had time to review it.

Maripat Sexton, a spokeswoman for Hess Corp., said the company's investigations "indicated no wrongdoing on our employee's part."

"We do not believe we are the focus of the investigation," she said.

One of the reports claims that the former head of the Denver royalty-in-kind office, Gregory W. Smith, purchased cocaine from a co-worker, and one occasion had it delivered to the office. He also allegedly had oral sex with subordinates. The report also said Smith steered government contracts to Geomatrix Consultants Inc. and used government databases and e-mail accounts to conduct business for the company, which paid him $30,000 for his work from April 2002 through June 2003. Smith retired from the office in May 2007.

Smith's attorney, Steve Peters, called the claims "sheer fantasy."

"Greg Smith was a loyal, dedicated employee of the federal government for more than 28 years," Peters said Wednesday. "His efforts in running the royalty-in-kind program resulted in one of the most profitable government programs in American history."

MMS Director Randall Luthi, in an interview, said the agency was taking the report "extremely seriously" and would review the allegations and weigh taking appropriate action in coming months. Luthi said four of the employees were transferred to other departments last year. The inspector general is recommending that current employees implicated be fired and be barred for life from working within the royalty program.

House Natural Resources Chairman Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., said "this whole IG report reads like a script from a television miniseries and one that cannot air during family viewing time. It is no wonder that the office was doing such a lousy job of overseeing the RIK program; clearly the employees had 'other' priorities in that office."

One of the employees named in the investigation, Jimmy Mayberry, already has pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Washington to violations of conflict-of-interest laws. The Justice Department declined to prosecute Smith and former Associate Director of the Minerals Revenue Management program Lucy Querques Denett, who the report says manipulated contracts to ensure they were awarded to former Interior employees.

The findings are the latest sign of trouble at the Minerals Management Service, which already has been accused of mismanaging the collection of fees from oil companies and writing faulty contracts for drilling on government land and offshore. The charges also come as Congress and both presidential candidates are debating whether to open up more federal offshore waters to oil and natural gas drilling.

"This all shows the oil industry holds shocking sway over the administration and even key federal employees," said Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla. "This is why we must not allow Big Oil's agenda to be jammed through Congress."

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., urged Democrats to reopen a House investigation of the Minerals Management Service that was initiated in 2006 by House Republicans. "Looking into and fixing these problems would have meant highlighting the enormous revenues that domestic oil and natural gas production contributes to our treasury. This just didn't fit into their anti-drilling campaign," he said.

Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, announced late Wednesday that he would hold a hearing on the investigations next week.

While most government royalties for drilling on federal lands are paid in cash, the government in recent years has been receiving a greater share of its oil and gas royalties in the actual product. More of that oil is also being sold on the open market, versus being deposited in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the nation's emergency oil stockpile. Congress earlier this year passed a law halting deposits of oil to the reserve to help alleviate high gasoline prices.

The investigation was prompted by a 2006 phone call from an employee in the Denver office who reported ethical lapses.

___

Associated Press writers H. Josef Hebert in Washington and Ivan Moreno in Denver contributed to this report.

Read original story here

Office of Inspector General: http://www.doioig.gov

Report May Indicate Gonzales Perjury

TPM Muckraker- By Kate Klonick - September 3, 2008, 1:31PM

We noted yesterday that the Justice Department Office of the Inspector General issued a report on the found that former Attorney Gen. Alberto Gonzales had mishandled classified documents during his time in office -- and that the DOJ had decided not to press charges.

But that doesn't seem to be half as bad as what CQ Politics' Jeff Stein dug up -- fact checking Gonzales' testimony to investigators with . . . well, the report's own stipulated facts.

From CQ Politics' SpyTalk:

But the IG report shows that Gonzales did more than "mishandle" his notes, which included operational details on what he himself, somewhat ironically, called -- after it had leaked -- "one of the most highly protected [programs] in the United States ... a very, very secretive, protected program," and correspondence between congressional Intelligence Committee leaders and CIA chief Gen. Michael Hayden.In a statement that doesn't pass the laugh test, Gonzales told IG investigators he didn't know the documents were secret.

Gonzales said that he was unaware of the classification level and compartmented nature of the NSA program he referenced in the notes. Gonzales also stated he did not recall thinking that the notes themselves were classified.

But the IG found the smoking gun -- in Gonzales's hand, no less.

The envelope containing documents related to the NSA surveillance program bore the handwritten markings, "TOP SECRET - EYES ONLY - ARG" [the attorney general's initials] followed by an abbreviation for the SCI codeword for the program.

Inside the envelope, moreover, were "documents relating to a detainee interrogation program," which were all classified with cover sheets and markings in the top and bottom margins, as Top Secret/Sensitive Classified Information.

(I’m attending this conference at Harvard University and will do some live blogging here as the mood or content strikes me. One of my reasons for being here is to make sure I’m up-to-date on HIPAA privacy and security requirements and to get a reality check on the emerging issues.)

Yesterday's session fulfilled most of my expectations of what a great conference can bring to exploring ideas and opening up new areas of inquiry in a topic - privacy - that is getting beat to death every day with  tired clichés. So here's hoping today's speakers will help get us to the same level.

7:40 am Set up at the Harvard Faculty Club again, plugged in, with good wi-fi. Coffeed up as well.

7:55 am (Marc Rotenberg) will overview the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) 2008 initiative to get privacy into the Presidential Campaign.

8:00 am This is a prime moment, and this is the first audience, to launch "Privacy 08". How do you get an issue into the race? We want it to be a grass roots campaign rather than the policy paper approach. Well get a button and a cool logo. Met with representatives of the campaigns of both parties and positions have been written by both sides. Have even set up a Facebook cause and Twitter Privacy 08! Got a 'Privacy 08' internet domain and are planning events to raise awareness. Will be getting materials to the political party conventions, and then holding a Candidate Forum. Will also use YouTube and questions sought from online audiences to pose to candidates. Rotenberg reviews some of the questions already submitted that they will ask the candidates, such as, "Should US firms sell surveillance technologies to the Chinese government?"  "Do you believe that the Constitution limits the ability of the President to to conduct warrantless wiretapping?"

8:30 am (Jeff Rosen) What is the future of privacy? Is it dead or on the verge of a dramatic resurrection? The truth is more complicated. Citizens want contradictory things. They don't care until their privacy is threatened then they care a lot. He sees 5 possible privacy Chernobyls:

• Behavioral Targeted Advertising: Leaking of that tracking data (Danger of being judged "out of context.)
• Search Terms: Massive Data Leak of search terms.
• Facebook: Not a privacy free-zone. For example -The Beacon scandal: Exposes your purchases to your friends without your knowledge.
• StarWars Kid: A private video was place of the internet without permission followed by much embarrassment (and a lawsuit).
• Ubiquitous surveillance: Public likes the "security theater" of public video anti-crime surveillance. Could move from 'closed circuit' to 'open circuit'. Google live-feeding public surveillance video is a definite possibility.

9:00 am (James Koenig) Talks on the "New, New Thing in Privacy." Five things to consider now!

• Impact on privacy associated with the slowdown in the economy - Business goals versus privacy goals when companies are under financial pressure. Resources to prevent privacy breaches may be pulled back. More aggressive marketing techniques may ignore privacy concerns. Privacy officials could be eliminated or downgraded.
• Global expansion for new markets and operations - Privacy rules and cultures are not the same. Lower safeguards and infrastructure in Asian countries. China does not have a lot of privacy law history but this is changing. Public pressure is building for a comprehensive China privacy law. Or what about the tougher European standards? What is a privacy official to do? You will need a fleet of lawyers if you want to create a uniform business practice and it is quite difficult to set up a coordinated business governance structure for privacy.
• New Identity Theft Techniques - Number 1 FTC complaint! Impacts 5% of the US a year. Credit card fraud etc. Much of it is from paper and knowledgeable insiders that cause ID theft events!
• New Health care information laws driving disclosures and other risks - Electronic medical records (EMRs), personal health records (PHRs) pose more risks for breaches of medical information. Privacy legislation is on the move in the US Congress as we see in new laws on genetic information.
• Class action and litigation relating to privacy - A definite building impact on corporate behavior.

9:40 am Panel of various speakers on privacy advocacy issues and challenges.

• Convincing officials, policy makers that privacy is not an obstacle but a way to move health information technology forward.
• Privacy law is largely administrative and regulatory. What if the agency has a bad record? Congress wants to move forward through statute. A challenge for advocates.
• HIPAA not necessarily always a good thing. Many say HIPAA is enough. No more. Nobody wants to go back there politically especially for those who want health IT to move fast. Entrenched health interest do not want to reopen privacy. They've adjusted and want to keep it that way.
• Fake (Synthetic) identity theft - Fake private information to get credit cards. Not a mainstream issue but an opening into the technology that allows for entry into real ID theft/privacy issues.
• Chief privacy and security official roles are changing - focusing on breach prevention and response.
• How to get market competition on privacy - Car companies now compete on safety. What about businesses competing around their ability to secure the privacy of your data?
• There's a lot of independent characters in this field and they are not well funded. Privacy advocates are usually not represented in conferences like this one and have been totally shut out of the debate in Washington. They blame us for HIPAA. Do we threaten corporate and government interests?
• People need to see the nexus between privacy and civil rights. The debate  and convergence is evolving.

11:15 am (Ken Anderson,Representing Ontario Privacy Commissioner) "Privacy by design, build it in". For example use privacy audits and privacy impact assessments. Transformative Technology: Make the technology work for you (for ensuring privacy). Take a pragmatic approach. How to transform video surveillance technology for example? Short retention time of video, frequency of privacy audits, ensure adequate oversight, prevent voyeurism by using technology that block/unblock face recognition.

(Need to break for lunch)

1:35 pm The afternoon sessions will focus more on security issues related to HIPAA starting with an introduction and overview (John Parmigiani).

Where are we today? We  have spotty compliance with HIPAA. Is 2008 a year for HIPAA enforcement? GAO and OMB scrutiny? OIG and CMS audits? New political pressures (new national election and health care reform) and state data protection laws are entering the mix. We have an increasing number of data breaches. Medical identity theft rising (est. 1,000,000 incidents in 2008). The usual suspects are insiders, but new "outside" threats for medical identity theft from abroad and various black markets selling medical IDs. Mobile devices, remote access pose their own challenges as does the changing regulatory landscape. EMRs, PHRs, Google Health, Microsoft HealthVault and the general push for E-heath present new security issues. Corporate governance is driving compliance as are incentives, patient safety and consumers themselves.

2:00 pm (Kate Boren) Talking about security issues in working offsite. Hard enough to do in-house IT controls without looking beyond. Management often would look the other way when it comes to offsite work - A head-in-the-sand approach. We have to be proactive to protect information. HIPAA requires the protection of all devices, media and their surrounding conditions. What about personally own devices, public kiosks, wireless networks, hotels, airports etc. Do you know who works offsite? How do you identify users? Who should own the devices or laptops? We've got to recognize the situation. There is considerably more risk when you go outside the corporate home. There are many vulnerabilities and threats to the confidentiality, integrity and availability of our sensitive information. We have to be aware of them and manage them. CMS security guidance came out in December 2006. We are still seeing 1 or 2 security incidents each month reported in the press regarding remote access/media.

Well that's it for now. It's been a terrific conference. Back to BAU -- Blog as usual.

Former Interior Official Pleads Guilty To Conflict Of Interest, Faces Up To 5 Years In Prison

August 19, 2008

The former special assistant to the Associate Director of Minerals Revenue Management, Mineral Management Service (MMS)  at the U.S. Department of Interior has pleaded guilty to a felony violation of the conflict of interest law. Jimmy W. Mayberry, age 65, a resident of Strawn, Texas, was charged in a single-count criminal information filed on June 25, 2008. The plea was taken by Judge Henry H. Kennedy of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

According to the plea documents, when Mayberry was nearing retirement from federal service, he and his supervisor explored ways he could return to work for the Department of Interior after his official retirement. It was decided, according to Mayberry's admission, to create a consulting position which, while created and intended specifically for Mayberry, was required by law to be the subject of open and fair competitive bidding procedures. Mayberry also admitted that in his official capacity before retiring, he created the "statement of work" that would subsequently be used to define the position and evaluate the bids of Mayberry and his competitors. Mayberry was the only applicant out of all bidders for the position to receive a grade of "excellent" on every qualification category and was awarded the contract.

The case was investigated by the Interior Department's Office of Inspector General. The prosecution is being handled by the Public Integrity Section, which is part of Justice Department's Criminal Division.

Mayberry faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a fine of $250,000 and supervised release following his incarceration. The sentencing has been set for November 14, 2008, before Judge Kennedy.

Former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman offers a stunning (yet not so stunning considering it involves Machiavelli's apprentice) update on the Office of Inspector General's investigation into the fired U.S. Attorneys scandal.

In an email sent to Glynn Wilson at the Locust Fork Journal, Siegelman writes:

I have received information that the Inspector General’s Office has learned that DOJ has issued false statements regarding the White House’s involvement in the firing of the US Attorneys.  As we now know the White House knowingly issued false statements to cover up Karl Rove’s involvement in the political firings of the U S Attorneys.  Statements by DOJ that the White House was not involved in the firings were actually authored by Karl Rove’s assistant IN THE WHITE HOUSE!"

Siegelman indicates "Rove personally directed the firings then used his assistant to cover up his involvement" via issuing those false statements from the White House.

Fired U.S. Attorney David Iglesias has already provided details about Rove's connection to his case.  Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald also has concerns about being pushed out of his job during the Valerie Plame Wilson probe, and Rove was the instigator in the possibility of firing Fitzgerald while subject to Fitzgerald's investigation!

To help bring these things to light Siegelman asks people,

to go online to http://www.ContemptForRove.com and to call or write Speaker Pelosi, Office of the Speaker, H-232, US Capitol, Washington, DC 20515, (202) 225-0100, or email her contact page:

http://speaker.house.gov/contact/

DOJ hires are supposed to enforce federal law, so imagine what happens when DOJ hires are found breaking federal law. It goes to the DOJ.

The outcome?  Rather than be held to a higher standard, most DOJ lackeys likely will continue legal or consulting careers in the lucrative private sector. Perhaps Monica Goodling will lose her law license, but unfortunately she likely will be the only one held accuntable, and she is but the tip of this immense iceberg (larger than anything you'd see around the North Pole these days) of Bush corruption inside the DOJ.

Consider one example revealed in today's Report.

Her cohort Kyle Sampson was behind DOJ appointment of Immigration Judges, top level civil service appointments (GS-16), who are hired to adjudicate immigrant removals and relief from deportation, not to serve the sitting president in a partisan way.

Even more lamentable is the following:   As egregious a broach of law as such appointments undoubtedly are, this isn't the first time that immigration judges were hired for their political affiliation or policy sympathies.

Under Ed Meese, the Reagan DOJ issued the "Meese Memo" which instructed the OIJ to consider Nicaraguan applicants for political asylum to be refugees while applicants from El Salvador were considered economic migrants.  Further, it was widely believed during those years that extremely well qualified immigration lawyers democrats were being passed over for less well qualified republican sycophants.

Regrettably, the immmense amount of discretion that immigration law gives to IJs, coupled with the enormous gravitas of many asylum claims, gives many unqualified Bush appointments the sovereign powers of life and death over immigrants who have few rights to appeal adverse IJ decisions.

The issue of whether Monica Goodling loses her law license should pale before the amount of blood on the hands of the architects of this policy, both during the 1980s and now. If this is the Reagan that Bush had hoped to emulate, may the history books record that it was one of Reagan's most shameful policy initiatives, and keep in mind, there were many.

Is the Department of Justice too politicized at this point to conduct an investigation of its own activities?

The above interview with TPMtv shows former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman firing off a litany of problems with DoJ investigative efforts:

1. Special Counsel's Office which has been or is investigating Rove, the White House, and itself (DOJ) and is preventing investigations and covering up investigations.
2. DOJ refuses to release documents subpoenaed by the House Judiciary Committee.
3. OPR and the Office of Inspector General contacted Siegelman lawyers asking for evidence.  Siegelman explains why this is absurd.
4. OPR and OIG already have the power to subpoena witnesses.
5. They already have relevant documents.
6. OPR and OIG have the testimony of a Republican lawyer that puts Karl Rove "at the scene of the crime."
7. OPR and OIG know the players accused of going after Siegelman for political reasons.

Number 1 refers to OSC chief Scott Bloch ordering a Siegelman case probe closed because he had not authorized it.  Bloch also diverted attention away from Rove and White House involvement investigations and limited probes into hiring and promotions based on Bush loyalty.   The FBI (the law enforcing arm of DOJ) raided Bloch's home and office.

Number 2 refers to documents relevant to the House Judiciary investigations into the cases of Siegelman, Dr. Cyril Wecht of Pennsylvania, Georgia Thompson of Wisconsin, and the firing of U.S. Attorneys.  Here's what ousted U.S. Attorney David Iglesias recently had to say:

Other reasons anything done by DoJ is suspect:

• Disturbing disregard for Acting Attorney General James Comey while Ashcroft was bedridden.  While hospitalized, Ashcroft was visited by future AG Alberto Gonzales and Andy Card to sign off a wiretapping program which had already been rejected.
• DOJ Honor's Program politicized.
• DOJ purged employee applications with liberal buzz words.
• A House Judiciary report on political prosecutions highlights a disproportionate prosecution rate among Democrats versus Republicans.  It was 80% to 20% respectively.
• DOJ's OPR ignored Equal Employment Opportunity Commission findings against U.S. Attorney Alice Martin.
• Non-cooperative stance of present AG Michael Mukasey.
• The tendency in government now is to protect whoever is holding office.

Perhaps the unreliability of DoJ is the reason Siegelman has called on John McCain to push Karl Rove toward accountability:

ht Air America

ht Talking Points Memo TV

(Austin, Texas)  Former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman speaks to Talking Points Memo.  Siegelman participated in a panel discussion Friday at Netroots Nation.  Above he discusses being contacted by the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General and Office of Professional Responsibility.  The DoJ asked Siegelman attorneys for evidence.  Siegelman speaks to the absurdity of such an inquiry.

Without FOIA, the Freedom of Information Act, we'd never know about the torture of detainees, the bush administration's role in it, and other abominations by this administration. FOIA makes it possible for us to find out things that are otherwise hidden on purpose from the publics view.

With FOIA, if the tax man comes auditing, you can demand to see the evidence they claim they have against you, something they don't want you to know you can do. It usually blows their case out of the water because the whole point of an audit is for you to supply them with the information they need to get you. It is against the Constitution to incriminate yourself. But one of the IRS favorite tactics is that of self incrimination through strong arm moves. Simply by filling out a W-2 form you are signing away the ability to NOT incriminate yourself, expressly forbidden in the Bill or Rights. Through the use of FOIA you can find out what the IRS has on you first and based on that information, decide whether their case has merit or not and proceed from there. 90% of the tax audits are done on low income people who don't have the money for a lawyer. FOIA can make all the difference for you.

Wikipedia has some interesting information on FOIA that I also recommend reading for the lay person. Educating yourself about how things are done is essential to maintaining your liberty and freedoms. If you don't exercise your freedoms, they will disappear on you. Be aware, be vigilant.

The reason I'm writing about FOIA today is because of a ongoing case against the Department of Defense. The Office of the Inspector General, (OIG), has a FOIA request concerning a report requested by the ACLU but which is being blocked by the Defense Department. According to the Defense Department the report still needs to be reviewed and redacted by the Pentagon. Translation? They need to take out the parts that would damn them.

In an ongoing investigation that is ultimately aimed at finding out and proving the guilt of the highest members of the government on torture and abuse, the ACLU has filed a FOIA document demanding the release of this report from the OIG.

ACLU Demands Immediate Release Of Inspector General Report On FBI's Role In Illegal Interrogations (4/22/2008 )

Filing Follows Stonewalling By Defense Department

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: (212) 549-2666; media@aclu.org

NEW YORK - The American Civil Liberties Union filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request today with the Departments of Justice and Defense for the release of a report on a long-running investigation of the FBI's role in the unlawful interrogations of detainees in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantánamo Bay. The Justice Department's Office of Inspector General (OIG) launched the investigation after internal government documents - uncovered by an ACLU lawsuit - revealed that FBI agents stationed at Guantánamo Bay expressed concern after witnessing military interrogators' use of brutal interrogation techniques.

According to recent media reports, the OIG investigation has been completed for months. The Defense Department, however, has blocked the OIG from releasing it, claiming that the report still needs to be reviewed and redacted by the Pentagon.

"The Pentagon is using the classification review as a pretext to delay the release of a report that ought to have been released months ago," said Jameel Jaffer, Director of the ACLU National Security Project. "It's increasingly clear that the report is being suppressed not for legitimate security reasons, but in order to protect high-level government officials from embarrassment, criticism, and possibly even criminal prosecution. The report should be released immediately."

Inspector General Glenn Fine has stated that his report was finalized months ago. In the last few weeks, Fine has taken the unusual step of publicly criticizing the Defense Department for delaying the release of the report.

The OIG investigation was initiated in 2005 after the ACLU obtained documents in which FBI agents described interrogations that they had witnessed at Guantánamo Bay. The documents included:

* An e-mail in which FBI agents stated that Defense Department interrogators had impersonated FBI agents during an interrogation and used "torture techniques." The email stated that the techniques were ineffective.

* An e-mail in which an FBI agent stated that "on a couple of occasions" he or she "entered interview rooms to find a detainee chained hand and foot in a fetal position to the floor, with no chair, food, or water," and that on one occasion he or she entered a cell to find that "the A/C had been turned off, making the temperature in the unventilated room probably well over 100 degrees. The detainee was almost unconscious on the floor with a pile of hair next to him. He had apparently been literally pulling his own hair out throughout the night."

* An e-mail that suggests that, although FBI agents began reporting abuse in 2002, the FBI did not initiate any comprehensive investigation of the abuse until after the Abu Ghraib photographs were published in 2004.

Read the full report HERE:

The abuses by the bush administration are coming to light, not that we haven't known about them for some time, but proving them is a different story. And until they are proven, those responsible will not be held accountable. I don't know about you, but I sure want to see them held accountable at all costs.

Never in the history have these United States have we had so much disregard shown for the rule of law, the separation of powers in the government, the abuse of power, or the criminalization of an entire country as we've had during the bush administration. With Voters being disenfranchised so that they cannot vote, ensuring that elections turn out the way the government wants them to, this country is in big trouble.

The Freedom of Information Act is one of the last ways We the People can get the information we need to bring those to justice that have broken the laws of this land, repeatedly and without regard for the land that gave them the power they believe is theirs by right. It is not theirs by any right, but by the will of the People. They have abused that privilege, they have broken our laws, they must be brought to justice.

That they believed themselves above the law, immune from prosecution, shows in how freely they documented their crimes. FOIA will make sure those documented happenings find their way into the hands of those who know what to do with them and can make the justice system work.

An interesting read on some of the military's desire to deny access to photographs and video tapes taken of detainees being tortured can be found here: dod-court-decision:

FOIA is a powerful tool when used correctly.

Tytułem wyjaśnienia : uznałem, że nie warto już więcej poruszać tematów religijnych. Jest wiele osób, które są gotowe w imię swoich wierzeń nawet zabić, więc nie warto psuć takim krwi.

Skoro więc blog jest o IT, to i o IT dziś napiszę.

Zacznę od II Etapu OIG, który poszedł mi... tragicznie. Skończyłem z genialnym wynikiem 12/300pkt. Winę zato ponosi prawdopodobnie stres, który mnie "zjadł". 12 pkt zdobyłem zadanie, które zaraz po powrocie zakodziłem na 100pkt. Grafowe mam gdzieś na kartce, jutro sprawdzę, niemniej uważam, że gdyby nie stres, mógłbym zdobyć 240 pkt... Tegoroczną OIG mogę więc skwitować jednym bardzo obrazowym słowem - "Porażka". No nic, pozostają jeszcze Potyczki Algorytmiczne 2008 i przyszły rok.

W wolnych chwilach (których ostatnio bardzo mało, stąd też rzadkie wpisy) myślę też (a właściwie już wprowadzam w życie) małą ligę programistyczną w moim gimnazjum. Projekt polega na stworzeniu strony z integralną sprawdzarką (stronę kodzi już DevonSix, sprawdzarkę od kilku dni ja w C++) na której organizowane byłyby Maratony Programistyczne. Każdy Maraton to powiedzmy 5 Wyścigów - czyli 3-godzinnych sesji podczas których zawodnicy dostają 3 zadania, rozwiązują i wysyłają przez stronę kody do oceny. Jedno zadanie - max 100 pkt, jeden wyścig 3*100pk, czyli max 300 pkt, cały maraton 5*300pkt=1500 pkt. Teraz meta powiedzmy przy progu 1000pkt, kto pierwszy dobiegnie, ten wygrywa. Do tego jeszcze ranking i inne takie. Zanim serwis ruszy, minie jeszcze pewnie sporo czasu, ale jestem dobrej myśli :).

Tak przy okazji odezwa do programistów C++ - jeśli ktoś kiedyś zechce pod linuksem używać plików konfiguracyjnych, warto zapoznać się z tym autorskim libem. Jeśli ktoś z kolei potrzebuje obsługi socketów z użyciem strumieni - polecam to.

I to by było narazie na tyle.

.MNAT was the Court approved counsel for the Debtor of eToys.  Traub Bonacquist & Fox (TBF) was the court approved counsel for the creditors of eToys.

Barry Gold was the "wind down coordinator" , then President, CEO and now Plan Administrator of eToys.

.The Law firm of TBF also confessed to filing multiple, false, affidavits to the federal court in eToys.

Today we focus on the issue that has gained national attention recently, as can be seen at the WSJ Law Blog here

Where the Wall Street Journal noted that the Wilmington Journal had begun to review the serious issue that Congress is intent upon looking into Delaware Courts bias decisions that disfavor the public shareholders and bless Executive or inner circle elite.  ( to see the Wilmington Journal article here  )

What is at stake is Delaware's dominance of corporation filings that has blossomed into a Delaware bankruptcy Courts and attorney bonanza at the expense of the public at large by rulings contrary to Congressional mandates and common decency.

It was not my desire to be at odds with rogue personnel within the Dept of Justice. (at least we hope they are a rogue element and not the norm).  Nor was it my desire to pick upon powerful, esteemed elites of MNAT, TBF or US Attorney Colm F Connolly.

To the contrary, my desire is that this all go away with proper remedy. 

I did not seek their incarceration or demise, however, they cannot steal from a company I was sworn to protect, whether they take away my right to be paid or not, the fiduciary duty Remains!

It is their arrogance and belief that they are Above the Law, that shall either assure their success in the criminality or assure their demise.

However, they, MNAT, TBF, Barry Gold and the rogue personnel within the Justice Dept, choose little ole me (actually I am a big person :0)  ) as the enemy worthy of their disdain and efforts for destruction.

My own attorney, Henry Heiman, a former Trustee in Delaware, after I had been offered inducements, warnings and more, where Heiman, feeling no worries, due to the "good ole boys" network in Delaware, Heiman emailed me a threat from Susan Balaschak of TBF.  That if I did not back off, not only would HAAS and CLI not be paid, my career would end and they would come after me.

My response was to blow the whistle.  While many said I should have found a way to take the $800,000 bribe and adapt my views.  Be the silly person I am, I reported the bribes and threats to the Dept of Justice.

This blowing the whistle, initially, resulted in confessions.  TBF and MNAT confessed to filing multiple, false, affidavits to the Courts. (more than 35, to be exact).

TBF confessed that Barry Gold was his paid associate, that TBF had paid Barry Gold four (4) separate payments of $30,000 each.

TBF, MNAT and Barry Gold also confessed that they drafted a Barry Gold Hiring Letter.

The Hiring Letter contains language that rewards Barry Gold if he does not apply to the Bankruptcy Court for persmission to be hired.

The reason the parties drafted the clandestine Hiring Letter (the letter remained hidden until Jan 25 2005 even though it was signed in June 2001) where MNAT, TBF  were warned by the US Trustee's office not to violate Section 327(a) of the Bankruptcy Code. (the US Trustee testified to this in the Motion to Disgorge TBF for $1.6 million on Feb 15, 2005, eToys docket item 2195) as they were warned not to do a crime, the only chance they had, to get away with crimes, that were already ongoing, was to seize control of the entire estate.  The Hiring Letter would have guaranteed their success, if they had not chosen to stiff HAAS and CLI just because they had the power to do so.

The issue at hand for Delaware Courts, MNAT and the US Attorney, Colm F Connolly. Is that, despite the confessions, the Disgorge Motion and Stipulation to Settle, never, Ever, mentions MNAT. This testifies, as prima facie evidence, being an actus reus act in and of its own existence, to the very fact that MNAT is enjoying a spirit of no prosecution.

The Stipulation to Settle is an ILLEGAL document,

    where the Dept of Justice in Delaware, apparently in an effort to protect MNAT, has given TBF improper, Illegal, permission to Circumvent the Code. This implies that willful circumvention of a Code or Rule, a crime in any sense of the word, has become systemic in Delaware.

The exact words in the Stipulation to Settle, flagrantly defy the Code/Rule of Law and the Dept of Justice's fiduciary duty to the public and the courts.

"WHEREAS The United States Trustee shall not seek to compel TBF to make additional disclosures"

Every counsel in the world can tell you they would LOVE for such a clause to be legal. In essence that clause and setting the precedent that such is permitted, single handedly, wipes out the statutes and intent of Congress.

We do not have to prove anything else in this case, that clause, documents, by the Dept of Justice own signature, the intent to willfully circumvent the Code.

In re Middleton Arms Ltd Partnership  934 F.2d 723 (6th Cir 1991) has been affirmed by the US Supreme Ct and the 3rd Circuit.  "courts cannot disregared the clear and "unambiguous" mandate of Section 327(a)".

When any non disclosure of conflict of interest is discovered, after the fact, the Courts must disqualify.  Not is not even within the authority of a Federal Justice to Circumvent the Law.  Because that is called, in any public citizens realm, Breaking the LAW!

Bonds, Martha and Clemens are citizens who made a false statement and all are paying through the nose for such self protection efforts.

MNAT, TBF, Barry Gold, Colm Connolly, Mark Kenney, Roberta DeAngelis, Kelly B Stapleton, Andrew Vara and anyone else in this case are "officers of the court" and thereby are held to a higher standard.   They are given their esteemed levels of trust and above average pay days, due to the fact that they are required and swear an oath to be of the highest integrity.

When they violate that level of trust, the crimes or heinousness of the highest kind. Again, it is their arrogance and Abuse of power that is the testimony of their character.  I am just the messenger.

Now Colm F Connolly is nominated to be a Delaware District Court Judge. Where Connolly's resume became public information. By revealing that Colm F Connolly was a partner at MNAT in 2001, many ethical questions are automatically obvious.

Why has Colm F Connolly's office refused to investigate MNAT?

Why has Colm F Connolly failed to refer the MNAT matter to the Public Integrity Section as is required by Dept of Justice protocol when the US Attorney has any connection, whatsoever, to an issue?

Did Colm F Connolly assign a case number to the issue, as the protocol of the Dept of Justice mandates, when more than one hour of time is expended on an issue?

MNAT, TBF and Barry Gold are utilizing the Stipulation to Settle permission to circumvent the law to keep quiet about the MOST important issue. Barry Gold, TBF and MNAT all have "undisclosed" connections to Bain/KB Toys.

MNAT, TBF and Barry Gold all negotiated the sale of most of eToys assets to Bain/KB.  This is Collusion to Defraud an estate.

It breaches their fiduciary duties to their respective clients, it breaches their Oaths, Declarations and Affidavits to the Court and violates Model Rules of Condcut, SarOx, SEC Regulations, Delaware State Corporate Law and many other platforms.

It is THE most serious betrayal of trust that can occur.  For MNAT, TBF and Barry Gold "sold out their client for their own benefit".

Colm F Connolly, Mark Kenney, Roberta DeAngelis, Kelly Stapleton, Andrew Vara and everyone else knows the LAW and their fiduciary duties are to the public and the Constitution.

We do not have to prove the benefit that the Dept of Justice personnel received in their efforts of nolle prosequi (refusal to prosecute).

The failure to prosecute obvious criminal acts and the overt manner that the Justice Dept has engaged upon, in order to defend the criminality and punish this whistle blower, speaks for itself.

It is plain dumb, to continue this charade any further. It is obvious that they have reached the end of their power center. If they desire to mitigate their own demise, it would be wise to effort a honorable remedy now, to demonstrate good faith.

All their calls to the WSJ to shut down my statements had to send a message that things are heating up.

Senator Biden was informed of this stuff for years. He is at risk also.

They are the ones who choose to go all or nothing, when they already had it all, they could have given back a little, to everyone and made this issue go away. 

Instead, they used their power and influence with the Dept of Justice and the Delaware Courts, going TOO FAR!

They have stolen a public company and even if you toss out Bankruptcy Code and Rules, by Delaware's own Corporate Laws, the sale of eToys.com assets is rescindable, as it fails the "bona fide" requisite.

The push, the hard push, to make Colm Connolly a Judge, is that he then, cannot be removed, unless he is impeached.

If Delaware wants cronyism as the main character trait within its Systems, it will get what it asks for!

However, the fact remains is that this is multiple cases, multiple years, multiple parties, multiple states, involving hundreds of millions of dollars. All being done contrary to the Law.

If this was a powder substance instead of the stroke of a pen, it is obviously Racketeering.  Because they are doing such by abuse of power and you have yet to see a body in the streets, some are inclined to permit the leniency. 

It is obvious however, that those that desire leniency are not the ones who lost their money in eToys.

When the RICO efforts involve those the country pays salaries of $100,000 or more per year, to defend us from racketeers, then you do not have the law, you have anarchy and cronyism.

No byłoby genialnie, lecz zawsze jest jakieś "ale". W tym wypadku nie jest inaczej...

Dziś odbył się drugi próbny drugi etap OIG organizowany przez Karola Pokorskiego (HAIL!). Wynik - 0/300 pkt (choć powinno być 6!).

Tydzień temu, pierwszy ukończyłem z wynikiem 100/300. Szczerze powiedziawszy nie cieszą mnie zbytnio te wyniki... No nic, zobaczymy co będzie na "oryginalnym" drugim etapie.

Podjąłem też pewną decyzję. Po OIG (czyt, jeśli teraz nie przejdę/po finale) zgromadzę wszystkie rozwiązania które mam na dysku, dodam do nich jeszcze kilka, "podlinkuję" do odpowiednich zadań i pdf-ów z omówieniem zadania a na końcu opublikuję w sieci. Mam nadzieję, że komuś się przyda ;].

Well, as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) start to integrate the compliance review process there are a bunch of pertinent questions that come to my mind. Firstly, how will the CMS reviews impact the current state of electronic patient health care data and email management? Would a serious HIPAA violation change the way that electronic information is managed by health care providers? What is the difference between a HIPAA security compliance review and an OIG audit? Would the agency doing the testing (OIG or Office of E-Health Standards and Services) impact the stringency required for the security and privacy of an email archiving system? Will the OIG and CMS Office for E-Health Standards and Services be working together in the future? If the answer is yes, would this create a uniform policy and method for testing electronic patient health care data? Would the OIG merely be setting the stage for Tony Trenkle by doing preliminary investigation work? How many entities will be reviewed? What other health care providers and facilities will be subject to HIPAA email compliance regulations besides hospitals? Stay tuned for updates.

Udostępniono wyniki pierwszego etapu Olimpiady Informatycznej Gimnazjum (07/08).

I dostałem się! :] Nie ukrywam, mimo zaledwie 135-ciu punktów, cieszę się z wyników. Zawsze mogło być lepiej ale warto wziąć pod uwagę następujące fakty:

• jestem samoukiem (p. Burakowska [hail!] nieraz pomagała mi mniej lub bardziej, ale nie ukrywajmy, 5 lat programowania na "własną rękę" o czymś świadczy),
• C++ znam od tych wakacji,
• przed przystąpieniem do konkursu byłem zupełnie zielony w algorytmice,
• i parę innych, których nie pamiętam :P.

Poza tym jestem mniej-więcej w połowie rankingu Jak wyliczyła moja coraz pozytywniej zaskakująca mnie koleżanka, mam 96-te miejsce na 191 uczestników, którzy przeszli do drugiego etapu, co jak na pierwszy start jest wynikiem, imo, przynajmniej dobrym ;] .

Przy okazji chciałbym pogratulować Perfectowi oraz wszystkim innym przejścia do kolejnego etapu.

Dobra, chwalmy się dalej :P. Zbadanie rankingu nieocenionym [Ctrl+F] wykazało, że jestem jedyną osobą z Olsztyna, która przeszła. Z Warmii i Mazur mam wynik najlepszy, były jeszcze 2 osoby z Biskupca i jedna z Gołdapi [gratuluję]. Nie oszukujmy się, nasze województwo pod kątem informatyki-algorytmiki leży i kwiczy...

Warto zwrócić uwagę na "fabryki olimpijczyków" takie, jak np Gimnazjum nr 24 w Gdyni (17 osób przeszło, w tym jedna z 500, jedna z 479 pkt).

Biorąc pod uwagę te fakty, myślę, że jest się z czego cieszyć ;].

Wyniki są dostępne tu: [www]

Dobra, wracając już do normalnego stanu psychofizycznego, chciałbym dziś rozpocząć kampanię na rzecz promowania Linuksa. Zacznę od pokazania , że Linux naprawdę może być ładny!

[screen1] [screen2] [screen3]

Napomknę jedynie, że screeny są wykonane przeze mnie i ukazują mój system operacyjny [Fedora Core 6] :)

Na koniec prośba do wszystkich użytkowników Linuksa - podrzucajcie co ciekawsze screeny z waszych dystrybucji!

Nie powiem, cieszy mnie ta informacja ;]

Dla wtajemniczonych- uporałem się z:

• HUR - około O(n), wg testu 77/100pkt
• ZDJ - pesymistyczna O(n^2) ;/, wg testu 52/100pkt
• REA- tu mam dylemat, ale myślę że do O(n*s) [gdzie s, to liczba substratów dla danej reakcji], wg testu 49/100pkt
• MAG- O(n*(|V| + |E|)) [gdzie V to liczba węzłów, a E to liczba krawędzi], i tu coś program nieźle szwankował, częste naruszenia ochorny pamięci :/, wg testu 27/100pkt

Razem 205pkt, za AUT się zabrałem, ale nie skończyłem....

Biorąc pod uwagę przewidywany próg, który wyniesie 100-145pkt, myślę, że powinienem już zacząć uczyć się do etapu drugiego :D

To jednak nie testy końcowe- pożyjemy, zobaczymy. Jestem dobrej myśli ;]

Miałem napisać coś w tym poście o tajnym projektcie "Tux". Projekt zakłada więc tworzenie społeczności Linuksowej w Gim4 i promowanie wolnego oprogramowania wśród młodzieży. Więcej innym razem ;]

A teraz pora wrócić do  lekcji i nauki. Wczoraj do późna nie spałem, dziś trzeba odrobić prace domowe i zacząć naukę na sprawdziany. Na szczęście już niedługo ferie... :)

நான் ஒரு பழைய கார் வைத்திருந்தேன்.

அமெரிக்கா வந்த புதிது. வங்கிக் கணக்கில் மாதத்துக்கு இரண்டு முறை சம்பளம் போடுவார்கள். பதினைந்தாம் தேதியும் ஒன்றாம் தேதியும் விடிந்தவுடன் கொண்டாட்டம். பத்தாம் தேதியிலிருந்தும் இருபத்தைந்தாம் தேதியிலிருந்தும் திண்டாட்டம். அந்த மாதிரி நிலையில்தான் நியு யார்க் மாநிலத்தின் அடர்ந்த காட்டுப் பகுதியில் மலையுச்சியில் கன்சல்டண்ட்டாக புகுந்த வீட்டுக்கு அனுப்பி வைத்தார்கள்.

இயற்கை கொஞ்சும் இடமாக இருந்ததாலும், இருட்டில் வளைவுகள் எதுவும் விளங்காததாலும், பாடிகாட்டாக பாடல் அலறும். என்னிடம் இருந்த கைக்காசுக்கு, காஸெட் பாடும் கார் கிடைக்கவில்லை. ஏதோ ஒரு கலர் - ஆக்ஸிலேட்டர் அமுத்தினால் ஓட வேண்டும். ப்ரேக் போட்டால் பிடிக்க வேண்டும். எனக்கு பிடித்திருப்பது முக்கியமல்ல.

நண்பர்களைப் பார்க்க ஐநூறு மைல் ஹைவே ஓட்டினாலும் பண்பலையில் பாடல் ஒலிக்கும். பின்னிரவில் வேலை முடித்து பசி கிறக்கத்தில் கீழிறங்கினாலும் அமெரிக்க கீதம் கூவும்.

கோபமாக இருந்தால் ஹெவி மெட்டல். கோயிலுக்குப் போனால் மேஸ்ட்ரோ. காலையில் பாப். மாலையில் ஜாஸ் என்று வழக்கப் படுத்திக் கொண்டேன் எல்லா எஃப்.எம்.களையும்.

பாத்ரூமில் ப்ரிட்னி ஸ்பியர்ஸ் புருஷன் பாடினதில் ஆரம்பித்து ஆப்பிரிக்காவில் இருந்து நாடோடியாகப் பஞ்சம் பிழைக்க வந்த க்ரூப் வரை கிட்டத்தட்ட அனைத்து பாடல்களும் கேட்கக் கிடைத்தது. நிக்கோல் ரிச்சி ஜட்டி போடுவதில்லை என்று மட்டும் அறிந்திருந்த அறியாப் பிள்ளைக்கு, அவரின் அப்பன் அமோகமாக கலக்குவார் என்று அகர முதல் எழுத்தெல்லாம் அறியக் கிடைத்தது. 'அகிலா அகிலா' என்று தேவா போட்டது 'பஃப்லோ சோல்ஜர்' என்பார்கள். அந்த மாதிரி ஸ்ரீதேவி பாட்டு இங்கே இருக்கு என்று அளக்க, அளப்பரிய வாய்ப்புக் கிடைத்தது.

அப்பொழுது ஒரு நத்தார் தினம் வந்தது. அன்றைய விடுமுறையை கும்மாளமிட தேசி மக்கள் வந்து க்ரீன் கார்ட் பெறுவது, கம்பெனி மாறுவது, காண்ட்ராக்டை உடைப்பது, லைசென்ஸ் வாங்குவது, நைட்க்ளப் செல்வது, சனியிரவு பெண் பிடிப்பது என்று வாழ்க்கைத் தேடல்களை பேசிக் களைத்தவுடன், என்னுடைய பாடல் தொகுப்பை ஒலிக்க விட்டேன்.

நோ டவுட், சன்ஷைன், கார்டிகன்ஸ், செலீன் டியான், பார்பீ என்று கவர்ச்சியான மெட்டு இருக்கும். சில சமயம் பாடல் கூட புரியும்.

பாடல்கள் எப்படி என்னைக் கவர்ந்தது?

திரும்பத் திரும்பப் பல முறை கேட்டாலும், அலுக்காத ட்யூன். அதுதான் என்னை உள்ளே இழுக்கிறது. பன்னிரெண்டு டாலர் காசு கொடுத்து சிடி வாங்க வைப்பது. அதற்குப் பிறகு கொஞ்சம் கவர்ச்சியான வார்த்தைக் கோர்ப்பு. வரிகளில் வைரம் மின்னுவது எல்லாம் முக்கால்வாசி நேரம் விளங்குவதில்லை.

கிட்டத்தட்ட இதே மாதிரிதான் இணையப் பழக்கமும் ஏற்பட்டிருக்கிறது.

வேலையில் போரடித்தால் தமிழ்மணம். இரண்டு மணி நேர கம்பைல் ஆரம்பித்தால் ப்ளாக்லைன்ஸ். ஸ்ட்ரெஸ் டெஸ்டிங் என்றால் தேன்கூடு. இரவு நேர சப்போர்ட் மாரடித்தல் என்றால் கிஞ்சா.

பாஞ்சாலிக்குக் கண்ணன் சேலை கொடுத்த மாதிரி வண்ணவண்ணமாய் முடியவே முடியாத வலைப்பதிவுகள். துச்சாதனனாய் துகிலுரிக்கப் பார்த்தேன். வேர்த்து, விறுவிறுத்து, துரியோதனன் ஐகாரஸ் கட்டளைக்குட்பட்டு, அடிமுடி அறியவொண்ணா முழுமைக்கு முயற்சித்தேன்.

ஸ்பானிஷ் பாடல்கள் என்றொரு உலகம். கஜல் இன்னொரு கடல். வளைகுடா சங்கீதம் சொக்கியிழுத்துக் கட்டிப்போட்டு விடும் அண்டம். அமெரிக்கா சங்கீதத்தின் பல பாடல்களை கேட்டு, அவ்வளவுதான் என்று மருகி சொக்கித் திளைத்து, அதில் இவை சிறந்தது என்று அன்று நினைத்திருந்தேன். அதே போல், அனைத்துப் பதிவுகளையும் படித்து அவற்றில் இவை சிறந்தது என்று கில்லியில் இட்டுக் கொண்டிருக்கிறேன். இரண்டுமே எனக்கு நிறைவையும் மனமகிழ்வையும் தந்தாலும் முழுமையானது அல்ல.

எட்டிய மட்டும் நீந்தி, கிடைத்த காட்சிகளைப் படம்பிடித்து, தண்ணீர்க் கோலங்கள் இம்புட்டுதான் என்பது போலவே இருக்கிறது.

இந்த நிலையில் இந்த வருடத்தின் கவர்ந்த பதிவுகளுக்கொரு பதிவு.

சமீபத்தில் பெண்டாமீடியா எடுத்த பாண்டவாஸ் அனிமேசன் படம் பார்த்தேன். மிக மோசமான படம். துள்ளித் துள்ளி நீ ஓடம்மா என்று திரைக்கதை பாய்ந்தோடியது. குழந்தைகளைக் கவரும் ஸ்பெசல் எஃபக்ட்ஸ் பெரிதாக, காட்சிக்கு காட்சி வராமல், அவர்களின் கவனத்தை நோகடித்தது. துரி, தேவ் என்று செல்லமாக அழைத்தார்கள்.

ஆனால், குறிப்பிட்ட நேரத்துக்குள் இரண்டு வருடமாய் டிவியில் வந்த சோப்ரா பாரதத்தை, இரண்டு மணியில் மஹாபாரதமாக்கி இருந்தார்கள். அதற்காகவே பாராட்டலாம். அதற்கு மட்டுமே பாராட்டலாம்.

அந்தப் படம் மாதிரி கடந்த வருடத்தின் அலைவரிசைப் பயணங்கள்:

ஜனவரி மாதம் புத்தகக் கண்காட்சி மாதம். சுரேஷ் கண்ணன் இலக்கியவாதி (பிச்சைப்பாத்திரம்: பாலாவும் என்னுடைய சுயசரிதத்தின் ஒரு பகுதியும்). பத்ரியோ பதிப்பாளி (பத்ரியின் வலைப்பதிவுகள் - நான் வாங்கிய புத்தகங்கள்).

நாராயண் மருதநாயகம் பற்றி கமலுக்கு ஒரு கடிதம் எழுதினார். கடிதங்களும் இலக்கியம்தானே என்கிறார் செல்வராஜ் (என் எண்ணக் கிறுக்கல்கள் - செல்வராஜ் » Blog Archive » பழைய கடிதம் ஒன்று). 'அழகி' படத்தின் மூலம் வாழ்க்கை இலக்கணத்தைப் பார்க்கிறார் தமிழ்தேனீ (வண்ணக்குழப்பம்: மனிதர் நோக மனிதர் பார்க்கும் வாழ்க்கை).

சுந்தரமூர்த்தி Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World என்று அமெரிக்காவில் இருந்து இந்தியாவுக்கு தூரப் பார்வை பார்த்தார். நிலவு நண்பன் நீங்கள் இன்னும் பார்க்காத 'யதார்த்தம்' திரைப்படத்திற்கு விமர்சனம் எழுதுகிறார். அதிகம் அறியாத படங்களைப் பகிரும் சன்னாசி Palindromesஐ திருப்பிப் போடுகிறார். இயக்குநர் அருண் வைத்யநாதன் திரைப்படமே எடுத்து வெளியிடுகிறார் (Agara thoorigai » Blog Archive » ‘தனியொரு மனிதனுக்கு’ குறும்படம்)

நபகோவின் லோலிடாவை செல்வன் வாசக அனுபவமாக்குகிறார். ஈழ நூல்களை இணையத்தில் காண நூலகம் துவங்குகிறது. ("ம்..." - விட்டு விடுதலையாகிநிற்போம்...!). அருந்ததி ராயின் கட்டுரைத் தொகுப்பை ஜெயந்தி சங்கர் விமர்சிக்கிறார். (வல்லமை தாராயோ: the algebra of infinite justice (நூல் அறிமுகம்))

டிவியில் தங்கவேட்டையை பின்னூட்ட வேட்டையாளர் இலவச கொத்தனார் கவனிக்கிறார் (இலவசம்: தகதகதகதக தங்கவேட்டை). ரங்கா அண்டங்காக்கைகளையும் பனிக்கரடிகளையும் பார்க்கிறார். (இதர எண்ணங்கள்: கறுப்பும் - வெளுப்பும்)

இண்டிப்ளாகீஸ் தேர்தல் குறித்து தருமி அலசினார் (தருமி » 123. Election Analysis…). லண்டன் பயணங்களில் நம்மையும் டிக்கெட் செலவு வைக்காமல் கூட்டிப் போகிறார் இரா முருகன் (vembanattu-k-kaayal: எடின்பரோ குறிப்புகள் – 5).

இன்னும் குட்டி ரேவதி எஸ்.ராமகிருஷ்ணன், வைகோ அணி மாறல், திருமா பாமக விடுதல், துபாயின் ஆட்சியாளர் ஷேக் மக்தூம் பின் ராஷித் பின் மக்தூம் மரணம், ரங் தே பஸந்தி, கோல்டன் க்ளோப் என்று செய்திக் குறிப்புகள் திரும்பிய சுட்டியெல்லாம் படிக்கக் கிடைத்தாலும் நேர்மையான சொந்தக் கதையை எளிமையாக எழுதியிருக்கும் அருள்குமார் பதிவு நெஞ்சில் நிற்கிறது (நான் பேச நினைப்பதெல்லாம்: "தீம்தரிகிட" - வாக்குப்பதிவு)

நான்தான் ஆரம்பத்திலேயே சொல்லியிருந்தேனே! நான் அகலக்கால் வர்க்கம். 'ஒரு தடவ சொன்னா நூறு தடவ சொன்ன மாதிரி' என்று சுருக்காமல், நூறாயிரம் விதமாக விவரிப்பதை ரசிப்பவன். ரசிப்பவர்களில் திளைப்பவன். எத்தனை சம்பளம் வந்தாலும் அதிகம் இரண்டணா செலவு வைக்கும் பாலையாவின் கோபத்திற்கு ஆளாகுபவன்.

மற்ற மாதங்களுக்கும் மிச்ச சுட்டிகளுக்கும் ப்ரேமலதாவின் (Kombai) பரிந்துரைக்கேற்ப ஓல்ட் இஸ் கோல்ட் (கில்லி - Gilli » OIG)-இல் சந்திக்கிறேன்.

இனிய சுட்டிகளும் அமைதியானப் பூக்களும் நிறைந்த வலைப்பூ ஆண்டாக 2007 அமைந்திருக்க எல்லாம் வல்ல இறைவனைப் பிரார்த்திக்கின்றேன்.

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