Former US Senator Fred Thompson (R-TN) opened his speech on the legacy of his friend John McCain with the following statement :

We are going to nominate the next President and Vice President of the United States of America.

We do so while taking a different view of our country than that of the other party.

Listening to them you'd think that we were in the middle of a great depression; that we are down, disrespected and incapable of prevailing against challenges facing us.

We know that we have challenges ... always have, always will.

But we also know that we live in the freest, strongest, most generous and prosperous nation in the history of the world and we are thankful.

I was completely taken aback by that part of the speech. It seems to suggest neither the United States nor the global markets have not been affected at all by the implosion of the sub-prime mortgage industry and the subsequent credit crisis that is affect international markets. It also seems to say there that it is "disrespectful" an henceforth anti-patriotic to even suggest the United States is losing it's political and economic stature in the world.

There was no better moment that illustrates the disconnect among the GOP faithful and the reality of what's happening around them. Take for example what the "Obama Bin Biden" t-shirt vendor told me yesterday.

There is no shame in wanting to make an extra buck or two but our friend here was kind of embarrassed about the message he was selling. "Am just trying to make a living", he said. And it was the same line I was given by 3 other buttons and t-shirt vendors in the area.

While waiting for the rain to subside another gentleman had told me that work was hard to come by and that he really didn't care about either republicans or democrats. "I just sell the t-shirts, I don't care about the message. I'll sell to democrats what they want to hear and I'll sell to republicans the same way. It's called marketing."

Both gentlemen were disappointed at the lack of crowds for this convention. One of them said that he always seemed to sell out of stock at Obama rallies. Not so much at the McCain ones. All seemed to agree these are tough economic times and that Republicans seemed to be out of touch with that reality more so than Democrats.

When I asked him who'd he vote he couldn't seem to decide on either. And that seems to be a theme among a lot of St. Paulites I've spoken to. They can't vote for the black guy (one gentleman truly believes Obama is a crypto-muslim). Yet they don't care at all for John McCain.

If these conversations are any indication of the obstacles both nominees will need to overcome to get to the White House, I feel it will be a close race.

This month we have the opportunity to turn up the volume on ovarian cancer -- otherwise known as "The Whisper" or "The Silent Killer." As you may sense from those nicknames, ovarian cancer is a dodgy lil' beeyotch! Her symptoms are vague and most often missed -- or misdiagnosed -- as anything from endometriosis to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS is the most common misdiagnosis) or dismissed as plain ol' gas or constipation. After all, no one wants to jump from thinking they are just bloated or have a bad stomachache to thinking it might be cancer! And there is currently no screening test, general or specific, for ovarian cancer. You read that correctly: none -- yet.

I was diagnosed at 28 years old with a rare form of ovarian cancer (I was initially misdiagnosed with IBS before heading in the gynecological direction). After exploratory surgery and a week later the full abdominal "unzip", it was determined that it was Stage 3C ovarian cancer. Late-stage ovarian cancer at 28. Being the overachiever I am, I had not just any cancer or even a more common, treatable/survivable one; I had a cancer whose successful treatment statistics are about the same as guessing right in a shell game (at least it feels that way). Plus, with a rare form of it, I had to cut those stats in half! After surgery, a panel of doctors basically voted on whether or not chemo would even be effective for me. Because of my young age and the fact that I hadn't had children yet, by majority rule, we went more aggressive and I began a six-month prescription of chemotherapy -- which was interrupted by recurrence and another surgery, false remission for a year, and a final surgery in January 2003. This year marks my five year cancer-free milestone!

While there have been many developments and advances in the ovarian cancer chemo cocktail (a cocktail not nearly as fun as a mojito or margarita!), including anti-nausea and anti-allergenics, the most vital and imperative research we must implement is early detection for ovarian cancer. We can't cure this disease being blind while she isn't speaking up to be heard on time.

Early detection is the most powerful treatment for any cancer and it is imperative that we generate awareness and funding for this kind of research for ovarian cancer. As is stands today, more than half of ovarian cancer cases are discovered late-stage. And though the number of diagnoses is less than other more heavily-researched and publicized forms of gynecological cancers, due to late-stage diagnosis, it has the number-one highest fatality rate among gynecological cancers. In addition, with successful treatment, the five-year survival rate is around 35 percent in any stage of the disease (and that gets lower with each recurrence).

Gilda Radner, who died of ovarian cancer, said, "Having cancer gave me membership in an elite club I'd rather not belong to." Strangely and unexpectedly, the word "elite" is accurate for me. I feel very special for having had -- and survived -- ovarian cancer, and my life has been transformed in the most beautiful and exquisite ways that I could never have imagined. The journey inspired me to create Bald Is Beautiful, through which I have dedicated my life to bringing information, inspiration, comfort, hope, encouragement, and empowerment to others on the cancer journey.

Still, while I survived and was able to find positivity and deep healing in the process, I would be happier if we could prevent others from having to face this disease without the benefit of early detection and more refined & successful treatments.

Thank you for letting me share and for reading! And remember: always smile from the inside out!

Some Extra Bytes:
• Tune in to STAND UP 2 CANCER (live telecast on Friday, Sept 5 on NBC, ABC, CBS)
• Check out CANARY FOUNDATION (dedicated to funding research for early detection, special focus on ovarian cancer)
• Visit GILDA'S CLUB for my favorite cancer support organization in the world!! Support for patients (men, women, children with any form of cancer) and their friends/families/caregivers.

To read more about Sharon's story, please click here.

For 25 years The Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen has been serving the homeless and those down on their luck in New York City with food for both the body and the soul. During the late winter and early spring months, the church offers -- through a generous grant -- a Writer's Workshop. One of the instructors, The New Yorker's Ian Frazier, recently wrote a pellucid essay about his years feeding souls in the magazine's May 26th edition. Author Susan Shapiro and Holy Apostles Reverend Elizabeth Maxwell also recently edited Food For The Soul: Selections From The Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen Writers Workshop. Proceeds from the anthology have been split between the program and the various authors.

Unfortunately, the present economic crisis has been a strain on the soup kitchen's resources. More people than ever, including children, are availing themselves of the church's hot meals. From The NYDaily News:

"'The economy is in a bad situation and the need is growing,' Maxwell said. 'In July we served the highest number of meals in the 25-year history of the Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen, and this month we are on track to break that record. Only yesterday [Aug. 20] we served 1,691 meals.'

"The numbers for July were staggering: 31,123 people sought emergency food help at Holy Apostles."

Reverend Maxwell wrote eloquently in her June 15th sermon (available online) of the soup kitchen:

".. (W)e have been entertaining angels unaware for some time. I think of the interactions I have had with guests who have challenged me, who have asked me just the right question, who have called out patience and impatience and limitation and beyond limitation from me, who have blessed me in their words and just in their being. I think how their presence has changed our whole life as a parish."

And Susan Shapiro's husband, "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" writer Charlie Rubin recently incorporated a thinly disguised Manhattan soup kitchen into one of the plots, thus bringing the poignant drama of more and more New Yorkers, into our living rooms, if only for a moment.

[Image: HolyApostlesNYC]

This isn't trash, but compostable waste that can -- and presumably will -- be given back to the earth and used in small-scale farming.

Even the plastic cups and utensils.

That's because these products were specially produced from organic materials, making the Big Tent at the Democratic National Convention, aka blogging HQ, a revolution in not just politics and the media, but for the environmental cause as well.

I've used these plates, cups, and forks for several meals during my time in Denver, and I assure you: they work, and they're guilt-free.

Finally, some good news about health insurance: the number of people without health insurance dropped last year to 45.7 million people from 47 million in 2006, according to the U.S. Census Bureau -- the first time since President Bush took office.

The decrease is thanks in part to expansion of government coverage of children. Granted, a 1.3 million person -- that's equal to a 0.5 percent difference -- drop isn't that much improvement, but it's a better than nothing.

Unfortunately, there's a downside to this story (as you probably figured). The number of people who have health insurance through their employers fell to 59.3 percent. The peak was 64.2 percent back in 2000. That means that if it weren't for broader governmental coverage, more people would likely be uninsured than ever.

Texas is the state with the greatest number of uninsured residents, while Massachusetts has improved the past two years. Its healthcare reforms were authored by Senator Ted Kennedy, and could be a model for reform at the federal level as well.

[2004 Health Insurance Coverage Status map courtesy of the Rural Assistance Center]