After covering a big Pro-Tibet rally all day Tuesday (and getting a rare sit-down interview with Hollywood’s most famous Buddhist, Richard Gere) we were rather surprised yesterday morning to see the all well-organized Chinese and Chinese Americans who turned out in much larger numbers to welcome the Olympic Torch, and celebrate China’s emergence as an economic and political power.

For all the talk about protesters, the Pro-China groups had remained fairly silent — until yesterday, when they gathered at Justin Herman Plaza with banners and bullhorns and prepared performances. Some were there as part of the city-sponsored closing ceremonies for the Eternal Flame.. but here’s how it ended: They threw a party … and the guest of honor didn’t show up. It was confusing when officials changed the relay route at the last minute … and unnerving to stand in the middle of the crowd, not very happy to hear me report that the whole event been moved several miles away.

Many were angry, many were heartbroken, and with good reason. But for some lucky city slickers who happened to be walking along San Francisco’s Marina Green … they saw an historic sight, free from protests and politics: A torch, held high by Americans… runners chosen for excellent reasons… celebrating the Olympic spirit.

(PHOTO: AP, 2008 Beijing Olympic Games torch, over San Francisco torch relay rally)

I cover Northern California, Nevada and Hawaii, but have been sent as far as Jerusalem to report for Fox News Channel.

Our bureau in San Francisco is small — just me, my producer Miranda Coykendall and our videographer / editor Tom Whittaker, which makes for a tight, streamlined crew that gets the job done fast and efficiently. We’ve had many interesting assignments, from features like the rise in popularity of miniature cattle, to breaking news like forest fires and floods.

We mainly cover “fair and balanced” stories, which in San Francisco, include recent efforts to reduce the presence of the U.S. military in public schools, and opposition to turning the historic battleship USS Iowa into a floating museum, to a year-long demonstration at UC Berkeley by a group of “tree sitters” to block the construction of a new sports facility on campus. We cover many legal stories, from the Scott Peterson trial, to the Michael Jackson case, to the scandal surrounding disgraced Democratic fundraiser, Norman Hsu.

I would say that one of my favorite memories working at FOX came during the time I was covering the Scott Peterson trial. I was doing nightly reports for “On The Record,” usually as the lead story. When Greta took vacation time, she supported the idea to have me fill in for her, which I did, and that was a thrill.

I treated the New York-based crew to an after party and enjoyed the moment.

I’m no medical expert, but by all accounts Morgellons Disease sounds like a nightmare. Those who say they’re afflicted report having itchy, open sores, the feeling of bugs crawling under their skin, and even mysterious blue and red fibers sprouting from their body. It sounds totally bizarre - but enough people are now reporting symptoms that there’s now a major Bay Area study underway by the Centers For Disease Control.

The real surprise to me was finding a doctor willing to sit down with me on camera to discuss Morgellons. My own dermatologist refused, even over the phone. That gives you an idea of how controversial this ailment is. I finally found one respected physician affiliated with UC Davis … who told me he’d received death threats after telling patients that instead of a real skin disorder, they were suffering from a mental illness.

I learned the most common diagnosis is, in fact, a brain disorder called delusional parasitosis. Dr. Peter Lynch told me the only reason he was willing to go on the record was because he’s semi-retired. The stories he told were heartbreaking: He said patients were using needles - even knives- to dig out their perceived invaders to try to convince their doctors they’re not crazy. He said some have became so despondent, they killed themselves. He said others killed their pets after becoming convinced their “bugs” were coming from the family dog and cat. He said many patients were adamant about having a real disease … and flatly refused to take psychotic medications that might help.

Patients say they’ve heard all of this before and are tired of being dismissed by doctors as having a mental illness. Many have turned to the Internet for support, and to find doctors sympathetic to their conditions.

Now, in what’s amounted to the medical version of a Mexican standoff, patients and doctors alike are awaiting the results of the CDC’s study. No one argues these people are suffering from something. But whether it’s a physiological, or psychiatric disorder, is what the CDC intends to find out. Right now they’re still lining up people to participate in the study, and hope to have answers as early as next year.