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THINKING -- Commentator Donald McCaig says the countryside can be noisy, with the sounds of thunderstorms or the peeping of frogs and bleating of sheep. But on summer evenings it's quiet enough to hear yourself think. He says that's unlike the city, where the challenge is not so much the din, as knowing what the noises mean. (2:30)NOTE: MUSIC AFTER THIS PIECE WAS HARMONICA VIRTUOSO RICHARD HUNTER, FROM HIS CD "THE SECOND ACT OF BEING FREE" ON TURTLE HILL PRODUCTIONS, PO BOX 651, MONROE, ct 06468-0651. PHONE: 203-459

NPR's Ted Clark reports the summit at Camp David has reached a critical stage. President Clinton is holding intensive talks with Israeli and Palestinian negotiators, and he is expected to decide within the next day or so whether there is any hope for a breakthrough.

NPR's Jennifer Ludden in Gaza reports that while Israeli and Palestinian leaders continue the search for peace at Camp David, both sides are also preparing for the worst. There are fears that a failure at Camp David could lead to a fresh eruption of violence.

Commentator Cecilie Berry blames parents for the bad behavior of today's children. Parents, she says, don't speak up enough when they see other people's kids acting up. Parents are more interested in high achieving children than children who behave. Grownups used to be a "united front" who helped each other raise kids. Now things are more fragmented, and everyone, she says, suffers as a result.

NPR Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr wonders if all the time spent on speculation about presidential running mates is time well spent.

NPR's Nina Totenberg reports on a very conservative appeals court that made a series of important and controversial decisions that made it to the Supreme Court this past term. The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals was upheld by the Supreme Court on its ruling that a key part of the Violence Against Women Act was unconstitutional. But the Supreme Court rejected the 4th Circuit's decision that the Miranda warnings to a criminal suspect were not necessary if a court were confident the defendant's confession was given voluntarily.

NPR's Jennifer Ludden in Jerusalem reports on reaction to the collapse of the Middle East summit among Israelis and Palestinians.

Commentator David Frum says the problem with political conventions is not that they're boring. It's that they are staged, which is not going to change as long as there are television cameras are there.

Beth Fertig of member station WNYC reports advocates for the poor have been successful so far in their lawsuit against New York City. They are charging that New York's welfare to work programs have been actively discouraging people from getting the welfare benefits that they are legally entitled to.

Joan Weber reports on an upsurge of anti-abortion violence in British Columbia. Last week, a doctor who performs abortions was stabbed and another received death threats. Canadian police have no leads.