NEW YORK, July 20, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- This week's Wall Street Journal Weekend Edition centerpiece will focus on the private struggles of Elizabeth Edwards as she continues campaigning for her husband's presidential bid while battling incurable cancer. Journal senior special writer Monica Langley spent time with the Edwards family to see how they are coping with the campaign and Mrs. Edwards' cancer in their day to day lives.
Mrs. Edwards first appeared on the national stage in 2004 when her husband became the running mate of presidential candidate John Kerry. In March of 2007, after going through x-rays and body scans for a broken rib, doctors discovered that Mrs. Edwards' cancer had metastasized. She decided to continue campaigning reasoning that her husband's presidential bid is a "calling" worthy of her "precious time." Mrs. Edwards is using the focus on her to advocate her husband's policy positions and to challenge his critics. Privately, she is sorting out her and her children's possessions and boxing them to save after her death. Mrs. Edwards admits, "I worry if this is right, but I don't have any good choices."
"To spend time with the 58-year-old Mrs. Edwards -- on vacation with her family, at campaign stops, aboard the campaign plane -- is to witness flashes of courage and humor, awkward and exhausting moments, and an unprecedented mingling of private trauma and public policy," writes Journal senior special writer Monica Langley in this week's Weekend Edition. "She is struggling with her decision and her day to day life. Between campaign stops and daily blogs, she's working on a 'dying letter' to her three children." Those close to her say Mrs. Edwards is committed to living a life full of energy, optimism and normality.
Additional stories appearing in this week's Weekend Edition of the Wall Street Journal include the following:
Money & Investing: * New Investment Products Delivering Hedge-Fund Like Returns: To cash in on investor fascination with hedge funds, Wall Street firms including Goldman, Merrill, State Street and Deutsche Bank are pitching investors on complex new investment products that they claim will deliver hedge-fund like returns, but without traditional hedge-fund hassles like high fees and long lockup periods. But academic studies have questioned the ability of hedge fund "clones" to deliver hedge-fund-like returns. * The Weakening Dollar: Concerns about the U.S. economy have pushed the dollar to record or multiyear lows against a host of currencies. So far, the weakened dollar has helped stocks by boosting the earnings of U.S. companies overseas. It's also stoking foreign appetite for U.S. shares. If the dollar continues to slide, however, investors could feel the pinch in the form of higher inflation and pressure on interest rates. Pursuits: * New Strategies for Contemporary Art Collectors: At a time when prices for contemporary art are climbing into the stratosphere, collectors are developing new strategies for buying art without breaking the bank. Driven by wealthy collectors with money to burn and entrepreneurial dealers looking for hefty cuts, the market has forced even the shrewdest buyers to adopt new tactics, such as scouring charity auctions for pieces with great resale value. * Baby Boomers in Baseball: Baby boomers are facing the challenge of how to muster strength and vitality in the second half of their lives, and baseball is in the midst of a grand experiment on this front. Its ballooning roster of older players -- this weekend two over-40 pitchers will face off -- is a product of the growing science of athletic longevity. The main focus is biomechanics, the science of human motion.
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Editor's Note: WSJ reporters are available to discuss these topics.