March 18, 1998 All Things Considered (entire program) Requires the RealAudio Player

An index of the day's stories:

IRS Improvements -- Today, Vice President Al Gore announced a number of measures intended to improve customer service at the Internal Revenue Service. NPR's Larry Abramson reports that the IRS has been in the midst of a major reform effort designed to make the agency more taxpayer-friendly, and new commissioner Charles Rossotti has been pushing to upgrade technology and enhance taxpayer rights. But members of Congress are looking at legislative efforts to ensure that the stories of abuse that came out in Congressional hearings last year become a thing of the past. (6:30)

Computers and the Millenium -- NPR's Dan Charles reports that federal agencies have fallen farther behind schedule in efforts to get their computers ready for the year 2000. The congressional General Accounting Office says it's inevitable that some crucial government computers will fail when 1999 rolls into 2000. (2:30)

Books and Politics -- NPR senior news analyst Daniel Schorr says that reports of a Kathleen Willey book deal continues a recent tradition of insiders profiting from their government experiences. (3:00)

Death Row Appeals -- NPR's John Burnett reports on problems on death rows in Texas. Inmates are now allowed only one umbrella appeal of all constitutional and legal issues. One prisoner is objecting, saying his court-appointed attorney didn't understand the law. Now, even state prosecutors are joining with defense lawyers in asking for a new round of appeals. (5:00)

Human Rights Declaration -- This year, the United Nations is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Commentator Iain Guest says the declaration is as important today as it was 50 years ago, and says the U.S. needs to take a tougher stand on those nations, such as China, that violate human rights. (2:45)

Crime on Reservations II -- In the second of two reports, NPR's John Biewen reports on efforts being made on the Gila River and Navajo reservations in Arizona to combat a soaring crime rate. Besides building jails and strengthening police forces, the tribes are using traditional tribal teachings to help keep young people away from trouble. (8:30)

Waste Water Snow -- Noah talks with David Keith, the Superintendent of the Carrabassett Valley Sanitary District in Carrabassett Valley, Maine. He supervises the process used by the district that turns waste water into snow. He describes this process for Noah, detailing how it's used near the Sugarloaf USA ski resort in Maine. The process eliminates the need to build additional storage facilities to accommodate increased water use during tourist season. (4:00)

Art Vandalized -- Bill Zeeble of member station KERA in Dallas reports that three paintings at the Dallas Museum of Art have been vandalized. Two of the works are considered masterpieces of American art. They are Frederic Church's "The Icebergs," which may have been slashed with a key, and Edward Hopper's "Lighthouse Hill." Police say they don't yet know who did it or why. (3:00)

Kennedy Auction -- NPR's Margot Adler dropped in on the auction of John Kennedy memorabilia today. She talks with Robert about the more than 500 items that will be sold today and tomorrow. Twenty-six items, including a desk and papers, were removed because of protests by the National Archives and Kennedy's children. (4:00)

Education Bill -- The Senate is considering a Republican bill that would expand education savings accounts, currently available only for college expenses, to cover elementary and secondary school costs, including private school tuition. The bill is being held up by a fight over Democrats' efforts to bring amendments that would incorporate some elements of President Clinton's education plan, including tax breaks for school construction. NPR's Peter Kenyon reports. (4:30)

San Francisco School Tests -- Kathryn Baron from member station KQED reports on a San Francisco School Board decision to defy the state law that requires all students to take standardized tests in English only. The San Francisco schools will exempt immigrant students from the tests if they have limited English skills. The decision could cost the school system $11 million in state funds. (3:30)

U.S.-Mexico Relations -- Commentator Guillermo Gomez-Pena has a list of satirical suggestions for improving relations between Mexico and the United States. The suggestions distort standard ways of thinking about our neighbor to the South. (3:30)

Refugees from Sierra Leone -- The BBC's Mark Doyle reports that refugees from Sierra Leone -- mostly women and children -- are now arriving in Liberia. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees believes that the men are being held by rebels in Liberia. (2:00)

Orphans in Rwanda -- NPR's Charlayne Hunter-Gault reports from Rwanda on the tens of thousands of young people who have become heads of their households in the aftermath of the 1994 genocide. More than 500,000 people died in the killings, leaving more than 300,000 children to live in homes without parents. (7:30)

Israel and Lebanon -- NPR's Linda Gradstein reports that British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook says he has been discussing the possibility of an Israeli troop withdrawal from Southern Lebanon during his current travels through the Mideast. Cook told reporters today in Beirut that Israel should follow the mandate of U.N. Resolution 425, which calls for an immediate and unconditional withdrawal. But the British Foreign Secretary says a pullout should be part of a regional peace agreement. (3:30)

Elderly Suicide -- The American Journal of Psychiatry this month has published the results of a study concerning acts of homicide-suicide -- when a person kills another and then kills himself -- amongst older adults. Researchers found that older adults commit more of these kinds of violent acts than younger people, and that their reasons for doing so are more complex and usually are premeditated. Mental illness is also often a factor. NPR's Wendy Schmelzer has the details. (5:30)

Matching Day -- Today, all over the country at noon, Eastern Standard Time, medical students found out where they would perform the residency portion of their training. Students are matched with hospitals through the National Residency Matching Program after they send in a list of preferences. We went to George Washington University Medical School at noon, and heard some of the reactions the students had to the results. (3:30)

Albany, GA Cleans Up -- The floodwaters are receding -- at least temporarily -- in Albany, Georgia today. Many residents who had just finished cleaning up from the big flood of 1994 have had to start all over again. Laura Womack reports. (5:30)

Valley of Crustlessness -- Commentator Daniel Pinkwater says that there aren't many good restaurants in the Hudson Valley, where he lives -- but he and his wife finally found one. Unfortunately, the owner is planning on selling the place. Daniel says he's dreading the new proprietors. This item is unavailable due to copyright issues.