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A new report released today by the General Accounting Office says the Internal Revenue Service had botched a multi-billion dollar modernization project. The project, to replace the agency's thirty-year-old computer system, has already cost taxpayers more than four billion dollars. The GAO says the new system is way over budget, far from being finished, and riddled with problems. NPR's John Nielsen reports.

Writer LAWRENCE SHAINBERG. His new book, "Ambivalent Zen: A Memoir," (Pantheon) is about his years practicing Zen buddism, and centers on SHAINBERG's relationship with his Zen teacher, Kyudo Nakagawa Roshi. "Both master and student live on in this hilarious, provocative account of what being a student of Zen has been." writes Gretel Ehrlich in her review

NPR's John Ydstie concludes his series on reforming the social security system with an examination of the plan favored by the advisory council's chairman, Ned Gramlich. Gramlich's proposal occupies the middle ground between the other two plans. It also relies on the financial markets to boost retiree benefits, but without redirecting a large chunk of the payroll tax into personal retirement accounts.

Harvey Pitt resigns as chairman of the Securities Exchange Commission. Pitt had a stormy 15-month tenure as SEC chief and was recently under fire for his handling of the appointment of William Webster to head an accounting oversight board. NPR's Scott Horsley reports.

Harvey Pitt resigns as chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Pitt had a stormy 15-month tenure as SEC chief and was recently under fire for his handling of the appointment of William Webster to head an accounting oversight board. Hear NPR's Jim Zarroli.

NPR's Madeleine Brand talks to Tess Vigeland of Marketplace about the latest turn in the WorldCom accounting scandal. Ten former WorldCom board members reportedly have agreed to pay millions of dollars out of their own pockets to settle some pending lawsuits.

President Bush's plan to allow private accounts for Social Security may send a lot of business to Wall Street; but lobbyists for reform say the returns for financial firms are not necessarily so great. NPR's Peter Overby reports.

Former Worldcom chief Bernard Ebbers is indicted on charges that he participated in an $11 billion accounting fraud at the company. In the same investigation, former Worldcom chief finance officer Scott Sullivan pleads guilty and will cooperate with federal prosecutors. Ebbers and Sullivan are charged with securities fraud and conspiracy. NPR's Robert Smith reports.

NPR's Laura Sydell reports that the war in Iraq has generated increased interest in blogs, short for web logs. Blogging is the web-based practice of keeping an ever-updated personal account of some subject. Bloggers have become archivists, culling information they feel is not being presented in mainstream media and providing links to foreign news sources.

Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba's testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee emphasized his opinion that a breakdown in military command led to the abuses at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Some senators are wondering how high up accountability should go. NPR's Mary Louise Kelly reports.