Transparency

It's the moment nosy Norwegian neighbors have been waiting for -- the release of official records showing the annual income and overall wealth of nearly every taxpayer in the Scandinavian country. In a move that would be unthinkable elsewhere, tax authorities in Norway have issued the "skatteliste," or "tax list," for 2008 to the media under a law designed to uphold the country's tradition of transparency. It's Norwegians' way of keeping up with the Johansens -- from fishermen on the western fjords and Sami reindeer herders in the north to members of the committee that awarded President Barack Obama the Nobel Peace Prize.

The Tour de Fraud, Lance Armstrong version, continues. Tighten your helmet chinstraps and grab your handlebars. Armstrong apparently has 'fessed up. To Oprah. Please, just spare us. Was Dr. Phil booked? PHOTOS: Lance Armstrong through the years How you do something is often as revealing as what you do. Armstrong took a deadly serious moment, an international news story, and made it into Hollywood. Is this guy real or is he Memorex? He taped a show Monday, which won't appear until Thursday, and allegedly told all. Or at least 'fessed up to a lot. Who knows?

Re "Wrangling over psychiatry's bible," Opinion, Nov. 16 Christopher Lane's Op-Ed article alleges a lack of transparency in the development of the next Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, known as the DSM. The DSM is recognized worldwide as the source of definitive criteria for mental illnesses. The process for the development of the fifth edition of the DSM began in 1999 and will conclude with publication in 2012. Hundreds of international experts, vetted for conflicts of interest, are involved in researching the scientific literature, discussing all options, assuring that attention is paid to gender, ethnicity, age and other factors and, eventually, testing hypotheses in the field.

As Burbank moves to increase oversight of its Police Department, which is under federal investigation of allegations of officer misconduct and excessive use of force, transparency has emerged as a key part of its strategy. At a joint meeting last week with the Police Commission, Burbank City Council members endorsed bringing on two outside consultants to monitor the internal affairs of the department and make their assessments and reports public. The Police Commission still must hammer out the contract details for the two consultants — Michael Gennaco, who heads the Los Angeles County Office of Independent Review, and Robert Corbin, an attorney who was staff counsel to the Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department.

Re "Affluent Town's District Is Short of Funds," Dec. 25: Your interesting article on the Manhattan Beach Unified School District's expense crunch deserves what would be an interesting article on the average cost per student (approximately $7,650 annually, in the case of Manhattan Beach) of all other local school districts. Such an article would strike a blow for transparency and set off a lively discussion. It would also throw a spotlight on some districts that are not presently accountable.

Re "Court Blocks Church From Releasing Priest Abuse Files," April 13: Once again the victims/survivors of pedophile priests in the L.A. Archdiocese have been dealt a devastating blow. At the last minute, the California Supreme Court blocked the publication of summary information on pedophile priests that was prepared by the archdiocese and was to be released last December. Victims/survivors and their families, whose lives have been severely affected forever, have to face the fact that secrecy is apparently winning the battle over transparency and truth.