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NPR's Julie McCarthy reports on a surprising leader in the high tech industry: Finland. Finnish technology companies like Nokia are among the most dominant players today, though the country hasn't always been so forward-thinking.

Commentator Ev Ehrlich says computers and the Internet may allow the economy to reach even greater levels of growth and productivity.

In the first part of a summer series on celebrity gardens, NPR gardening expert Ketzel Levine visits actor John Spencer at his home in Bel Aire, California and tours his garden. Spencer is a transplant from New Jersey, and he favors roses, delphiniums, hollyhocs, and the like. Levine points out that those plants don't appear as healthy as the ones that are native to Southern California.

Host Bob Edwards talks with commentator John Feinstein about the match between the Williams sisters and the happenings at this year's Wimbledon Tournament.

NPR's Mary Ann Akers reports on a new type of aviation navigation technology that will help prevent one of the most common reasons for plane crashes - miscalculating how far the plane is from the ground.

NPR's Snigdha Prakash reports that money fertilizes everything in Seattle, sprouting important architecture, philanthropy, and new companies. Most of the money comes from the software, telecom and Internet worlds. Prakash reports on an incipient trend: software moguls using some of their millions to attack problems that technology hasn't been able to solve so far -- like a cure for cancer.

NPR's Kathleen Schalch reports that the World Bank will not make a controversial loan to China to settle 58,000 poor farmers on land that Tibetans consider sacred. Pro-Tibetan activists hail the decision as a victory. The resettlement project was opposed by human rights groups as well as the United States. Bank directors let the loan die after refusing a recommendation from Bank president James Wolfensohn to further assess the project's social and environmental impact. China said it would finance the resettlement on its own.

NPR's Mike Shuster reports the Pentagon will test a missile defense system over the Pacific Ocean tonight. A rocket -- armed with a dummy warhead -- will be launched from California. Another rocket will be launched from an island hundreds of miles away, carrying an "interceptor" that's intended to shoot down the first rocket. The operation is part of a series of tests that will ultimately be used in deciding whether to proceed with the deployment of such a defense system.

Robert talks to Defense Secretary William Cohen, about tonight's test, and the pros and cons of developing a missile defense system.

Fewer jobs than expected were added to company payrolls in June. That's further evidence that the U.S. economy is slowing down a bit. The number of new jobs grew by a scant 11,000 during the month -- excluding the number of temporary government workers hired to help with the census. The news gave stock and bond prices a lift. Investors are hoping that the latest report will persuade the Federal Reserve that it no longer needs to raise interest rates. NPR's Jim Zarroli reports.

Robert talks to Wayne Barrett, an investigative reporter for the Village Voice, in New York City and author of Rudy! An Investigative Biography of Rudolph Guiliani. (5:00) Barrett's book about New York City Mayor Giuliani is published by Basic Books, 7/10/00.

NPR's Larry Abramson reports on Toysmart, an online toy retailer that is declaring bankruptcy and wants to sell its customer list, despite the privacy policy posted on its Web site that said it wouldn't do that. The federal government could take action, if it decides the company deceived customers.

We hear a portion of a stump speech by Vice President Al Gore to the National Council of La Raza in San Diego, California earlier this week.

NPR's Ted Clark reports on the second day of the summit at Camp David where President Clinton continues talks with the Israeli and Palestinian leaders, seeking a final peace agreement.

All Things Considered staff member Debra Schifrin talks about her recent 10 year high school reunion in the San Francisco Bay area. Having lived on the East Coast for six years, she was shocked at how the incredible wealth that has flooded Silicon Valley has affected her high school class. And she was surprised at her own reaction to all the talk about money.

The colorful, iridescent soldier fly in question has "legs for days," Australian researcher Bryan Lessard said. He hopes that pop culture names will help attract attention for vulnerable species.

Ever wonder why ants manage to get to your food so quickly at a picnic? NPR science reporter John Nielsen has the answer, and more from the world of science.

Ten years ago, musician David Byrne followed a passion of his and started a world music label. The unassuming Luaka Bop Records was originally created to release a few Brazilian compilations, but it has grown to include music from Cuba, Africa, the Far East, and beyond. Host Jacki Lyden travels to the Luaka Bop offices in David Byrne's townhouse in Greenwich Village, and encourages him to dig out a few of the records that inspired him. (19:00) (Featured music appears on the CD's Tom Ze - Best of Tom Ze - Volume 4 [EMD/Luaka Bop Catalog # 49049]; Various Artists - Cuba Classics 3 - Diabla Al Infierno: New Directions in Cuban Music [EMD/Luaka Bop Catalog # 49028]; Various Artists - Cuba Classics 1 - Greatest Hits of Silvio Rodriguez: Canciones Urgentes [EMD/Luaka Bop Catalog # 49026]; Los Amigos Invisibiles - The New Sound of the Venezuelan Gozadera [EMD/Luaka Bop Catalog # 49042].

Venus Williams beat defending champion Lindsay Davenport on Centre Court at Wimbledon today, to become the first black female to win there since 1958. Host Jacki Lyden talks to Robin Roberts of ABC News and ESPN about Venus' game and the significance of her win to young black athletes. Tomorrow, Williams joins younger sister Serena in Wimbledon's Doubles Championship match. Jacki also talks to 27 year-old Carla Perona of Compton, California, about her memories of watching the Williams sisters learn their game on the city's public courts.

On Tuesday, Israeli president Ehud Barak and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat are scheduled to start another round of peace talks at Camp David, Maryland. Host Jacki Lyden speaks to former Israeli journalist, and Washington Institute for Near East Policy fellow David Makovsky, about why these talks may be the last chance for peace in the region.

Karen Schaefer of member station WCPN (Cleveland) reports from Sandusky, Ohio that this summer many seasonal jobs in the nation's resorts and tourist attractions are being filled, not by U.S. students, but by students from other countries.

The National Story Project with Paul Auster is entering its last few months. If you're planning to send us a story, the time is now! Send entries to nationalstoryproject@npr.org; or PMB 206, 123 Seventh Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215

Host Bob Edwards talks to reporter John McLean about the recovery efforts in Manila after a mountain of garbage collapsed on a shantytown killing at least 71 people. Approximately one-hundred people were injured and an unknown number still missing. The mountain of garbage was weakened by a typhoon that swept through the Philippines last week.

NPR's Ted Clark previews the Camp David Summit between Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, which begins today, under the auspices of President Clinton. The objective is to resolve the seemingly intractable problems that stand in the way of a permanent peace agreement between the Israeli and Palestinian people.

NPR's Ina Jaffe reports that a fourth police officer has been charged with misconduct in the ongoing probe of corruption in the Los Angeles Police Department. New charges have also been filed against two of three officers already facing trial.