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Laura Haydon reports that as Ireland has been transformed from an impoverished rural society to a booming information economy, the Irish are attending church less and sending fewer young men into the priesthood. This apparent decline in religious devotion is reflected in the falling numbers of pilgrims to Lough Derg, a remote outpost in northwest Ireland, where Saint Patrick is believed to have had a vision of heaven and hell. To draw worshippers back, the Church is now offering pilgrims the option of attending a one-day retreat, rather than the traditional arduous three days of fasting, walking barefoot and going without sleep.

Commentator Marion Roach thought she'd be fearful, but found beauty in the experience of watching an autopsy. She was allowed into the room as a journalist working on a book.

With the early resignation last week of Bosnian president Alija Izetbegovic, former-Yugoslavia has now seen the departure of the three major nationalist figures of the nineteen nineties. NPR's Tom Gjelten looks at prospects for the Balkans without Izetbegovic, the late Croatian president Franjo Tudjman and Serbia's Slobodan Milosevic -- the men who led their nations in the wars that accompanied the break-up of the Yugoslav Federation.

Noah and Robert read this week's letters from All Things Considered listeners. The show received a lot of feedback on the documentary Witness to an Execution, as well as this week's feature on colon cancer screening. (4:00) Send letters to Letters, All Things Considered, National Public Radio, 635 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington DC, 20001. Or send e-mail to atc@npr.org.

The growth of the "New Economy" has led to a new debate over how the internet is affecting power consumption in the U.S. Some researchers say there's a growing demand for electricity that threatens to outstrip our supply. Most experts disagree and say the Internet is actually reducing power consumption by making businesses more energy efficient. As Larry Abramson reports, both sides of the debate are finding a home in the current political campaign.

An FAA radar computer system failed today, forcing air traffic controllers to ground hundreds of flights heading into California and Las Vegas. As NPR's Chris Arnold reports, the FAA stopped all flights coming into the region after the computer system failed for a second time. The breakdown was the result of a computer software upgrade Wednesday night.

Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush is in New York tonight for a political dinner where the guests will also include his rival, Democrat Al Gore. He will also tape an appearance with late night comedian David Letterman. But this morning Bush began his day in Michigan, a key swing state where he talked to workers at an engineering plant. He told them Gore represented old style thinking about economics and government. NPR's Steve Inskeep reports.

NPR's Mary Ann Akers reports on Al Gore's tough battle in his home state. Though he's a favorite son, many Tennessee voters consider Gore an outsider. Polls show a tight race between the former Tennessee Senator and George W. Bush.

NPR's Michele Kelemen takes a tour of Moscow's newest cultural attraction, the Outsider Art Museum. The collection features the works of self-taught artists, many of whom suffer from mental illness or are homeless.

NPR's Tovia Smith reports on one of the ballot questions facing the people of Massachusetts this election: whether incarcerated felons should be allowed to vote. Inmate advocates say taking the vote away from incarcerated felons is excessively punitive and racially discriminatory.