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A fellow Republican Congressman from Georgia said today that House Speaker Newt Gingrich gave "an erroneous statement" to the House Ethics Committee. Representative John Linder blamed Gingrich's then-attorney, Jan Baran, for the errors. Baran announced yesterday that he had dropped Gingrich as a client. The Ethics Committee is investigating allegations that Gingrich violated tax laws in regard to a college course he taught, as well as whether he misled investigators. NPR's Peter Overby reports.

Linda and Robert read from listeners' comments. To contact All Things Considered, write to All Things Considered Letters, 635 Massachusetts Avenue Northwest, Washington D-C 20001. To contact us via the Internet, the address is A-T-C at N-P-R dot ORG. (ATC@NPR.ORG)

Commentator Lenore Skenazy imagines that bald men have a good deal going. They can avoid haircare products and all those grooming worries.

Robert talks with NPR's Michael Skoler about the condition of refugees in a camp he visited today south of Kisangani. Thousands of Rwandan refugees have been returning to camps after they were driven out last week by local Zaireans and rebel troops.

NPR's Brooke Gladstone reports on the long-awaited television rating system, which was unveiled today. A TV industry group chose an age-based plan that child advocates say doesn't give parents enough specific information about a program's sexual or violent content. The proposed six-tiered system is designed to work with the so-called "V-chip" to allow parents to block unwanted shows. The ratings plan is subject to approval by the Federal Communications Commission. President Clinton thanked the industry group that came up with the voluntary plan and said it will be up to parents and child advocates to use, evaluate and comment on the system's effectiveness, once it's implemented.

NPR's Barbara Mantel has the first in a series of reports on student teacher Lea Ricci (LEE-uh RICH-ee), a student teacher at Fordham College who begins her first week of student teaching at Emerson High School in Yonkers, New York. Ricci will be paired with an experienced teacher at Emerson, and she says she's looking forward to learning from a teacher who's already worked with kids. But she's also hoping to try out some of her ideas about getting the kids involved in exciting, hands-on teaching methods, and wonders whether the reality of the classroom will accommodate her ideas about teaching.

NPR's Elaine Korry reports that the Oakland, California school district has declared "Ebonics" or black English to be a second language as a way of addressing the low performance of some black students. The school district says the move is intended to help black students the same way that English as a second language programs help new immigrants. But opponents of the idea say calling black English a distinct language simply validates bad grammar and won't help black students succeed.

NPR's Andy Bowers reports from Moscow on fears that old Soviet habits are creeping back into Russia. Human Rights groups cite as example the case of Alexander Nikitin (neh-KEE-tuhn). Nikitin wrote a report on nuclear waste contamination by the Russian Navy. He was arrested and charged with espionage and high treason.

Steve Young of Vermont Public Radio reports on a lawsuit filed on behalf of a young Vermont student from a relatively poor school district. The suit, like others in other states, challenges the way Vermont distributes tax funds for schools and argues that it creates huge disparities in education state-wide.

Julian Crandall Hollick reports on the Shidhis, Pakistanis whose skin color and features are distinctly East African. Many are descended from slaves that were brought across the Arabian Sea to Pakistan. They say they are discriminated against because of their color; they say they are treated as second-class citizens in Pakistan. And many, still, are essentially slaves, sold as parts of dowries from family to family.

Key members of Congress say they are ready to negotiate on President Clinton's proposal to take over some of the responsibilities of the District of Columbia government. The city would lose its annual 660 million dollar payment, but would be relieved of jobs like collecting city income taxes and running prisons for the most serious offenders. NPR's Kathleen Schalch reports that proponents hope the federal government can do better than the city, which they see as badly mismanaged.

Commentator Stuart Cheifet explains that an "avatar" is the incarnation or embodiment of a spirit or concept. Now in cyberspace, you can create a "virtual you" — a graphic image representing who you are. These avatars can wander through a 3D cyber environment, meeting other avatars along the way.

NPR'S Eric Westervelt reports on Atlantic City, whose residents voted to legalize gambling twenty years ago today. Touted at the time as an economic savior for the troubled New Jersey city...many of the promises have not held true...as Atlantic City is now undergoing a second wave of casino development.

Commentator Andrei Codrescu explores the twisted qualities of health care in the age of HMO's. He talks about the absurdity of insurance companies that put financial profits before human life.

A massive irrigation and hydropower project in Turkey is alarming Syria and Iraq. They fear that around half their current supply of fresh water could be cut off by their neighbor. NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports from Turkey that its plan to build 22 dams has the region realizing that water is as strategic a resource as oil has been to the area's politics and economies.

NPR's John Ydstie reports that Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan encouraged the Congress to move forward on efforts to revise the nation's main inflation guage, the consumer price index. Greenspan reiterated his view that the CPI overstates inflation and forces the government to overcompensate retirees and others for the effect of inflation.

Robert talks with Lawrence Kobelinski is the associate provost and a professor of forensic science at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. They discuss the news that the laboratories of the Federal Bureau of Investigation may have mishandled evidence from the Oklahoma City bombing, and what that means for expert witnesses around the nation.

Linda talks with Ed Ulbrich (ULL-brick), the vice president and executive producer of Digital Domain, the largest visual effects studio in Hollywood. With a re-release of the movie "Stars Wars" today, we are reminded that this film brought Hollywood into the computer age with its special effects. We look ahead at what's next. Digital Domain is developing computer technology that can replace human actors with cyber-stand-ins, create sets and crowd scenes, and other technological visual wizardry.

Next week is the 75th anniversary of the first publication (in Paris) of James Joyce's masterpiece of modern literature, "Ulysses." The book's American obscenity trial resulted in a landmark court decision, and the hype surrounding the book raised issues that remain relevant today. The story of "Ulysses" is as much a story about savvy marketing and art as investment as it is about the First Amendment and a discerning readership. NPR's Dean Olsher reports.

NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports from Belgrade on a change in the protest movement against the government of Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic. The daily street demonstrations haven't stopped since last November. They've given birth to new initiatives to change the political, civic and economic landscape in Serbia.