My son and I were visiting, Wagner's Free Science Museum. (EXCELLENT, a must see, if you are ever in Philly -- the entire family will love the bizarre and fascinating items to view) What a shameless plug, but a great museum and it's free... But I digress, while there we saw a shark's brian. I commented on how small a shark's brain is and my son, genius that he is, stated, "It doesn't take a lot of brains to eat!" And I thought, wow, out of the mouth of babes....Why are we so fat, because it doesn't take any brains to just eat and eat and eat. And some of us are eating ourselves to death. We are too fat, look at some of our children, they are huge. Many young women, look like hippos. Now don't get offended and suspended in some fantasy of "whoa is me" and eat over your weight if you are, like me, physically telling the world that you are out of control. No one respects fat, your supposed to be the jolly, stupid one or the sidekick; but never taken seriously. Now for those of you who want to stay fat, continue to comfort yourself in lies by telling yourself, "you have big bones or some slow metabolism, a family history, blah, blah, blah." These are just excuses to comfort yourself in fatland. If you like causing fires as you walk, then keep eating. You aren't ready and that's okay. This is for those of us who are sick and tired of wanting to look and feel better. If you are ready to change the "shape" of your life, then find a daily mantra to keep you focused and remember that it takes time to reestablish habits. Take it one minute at a time and don't beat yourself up if you're not perfect. Don't think of this new change as a diet, but a new lifestyle. So take yourself seriously from this day forth, get professional help to find out what you are truly eating (feelings, memories, childhood traumas, bad relationships...) Just what is devouring you, along with your self-esteem? Find out, move forward and retrain yourself not to eat over it. Don't you want to feel beautiful on the inside? Well, when you do it will show on the outside. Now don't get mad at me, but focus on reality. Fat is not where it's at, I don't care what Monique says. Although, if you are going to choose to stay chubby, take a lesson from her. She never looks sloppy. She is always well groomed and sharp. You go, big girl. Now for the rest of us who like our hearts and want to be around to play with our grandchildren -- Get up from the table before you get to that hard crunchy surface, the plate, and rethink your attitude about living. Stop living to eat and start eating to live. Work out daily, even for only 20 minutes and change your life both physically and emotionally. You can do it, but it takes more brains than it does to just devour everything in sight.

Did you know that there have been close to 220 murders in Philadelphia, PA since Jan 1, 2006? The lack of outrage by the city administration is what has my jaw dropping. The mayor talks about a curfew and has some intellectual town meetings once in a blue moon, but no action is taking place. I'd have some respect for him, even if he feigned concern, just show some. He should be seen daily, with some sense of urgency in his stand about the murder rate and violence in Philadelphia. He had more response about the flood victims relief fund, where residents were displaced, but no one was injured or killed. I don't get it. Where are the Streets of yesteryear with their bushes and outrage about the city? You remember the fighting in Philadelphia City Hall don't you? Maybe we need to show the Mayor those old tapes, I know there is some energy and passion in him about something. Too bad his concern isn't the untimely deaths that occur every night on the streets that he is in public office to serve. Hellooo Mayor?...Is this thing on? Hello John? Mayor Street, your citizens are dying, get alarmed!

I don't want to be near a crack house, a vile of crack or even a crack in a building (impending danger). Cracks are not pleasant in any form, so please tell me when did it become acceptable to advertize the crack in one's behind. I don't understand this new grundge culture, where there aren't any boundaries or standards of dress. A young man was standing in front of me at a restaurant and low and behold for the world to see was the upper part of his hinny. Now, let's be honest that upper part of the crack is like the back of the top of one's earlobe, meaning that it takes a concerted effort to wash there and as such is often times missed. Well this man's crack had been missed as had a young women, with whom I had the misfortune to share a seat. Her pants were too tight and when she sat down, again there was another unwanted "crack" for sale. Whew! Talk about smellevision! Pew wee!

Where are the parents of these children? Please, please tell your children that you can't expose your tummy everywhere (never if you have a gut) and your crack is by no means ever an acceptable view. It is disgusting and nasty. Take back your pride, get in control of your children and yourself, if the shoe fits. What do the hookers wear today? I can't tell the difference. And this sloppy pants down to my ankles and shirts the length of dresses is far from bizzare, it's revolting. You look like criminals and as such you will be treated like criminals. No life is not fair and it will be far worse for you if you look like a sloppy bum. Now just stop it.
On the horizon -- Helloooo mayor are you there?

This is not going to be popular, but it has to be said. Stop having babies that you can't or won't support. If I hear one more women say either that "I don't need a man" (translation he left) or "I raised my baby all on my own" (translation: I've totally forgotten about all of the help that I have mooched over the years) I am going to scream. Newsflash: If you are or have been on welfare to raise your baby, you are not doing it all alone, so thank all of the tax payers that footed the bill for you! Let's face it, it is impossible to raise children "all alone." If you are honest with yourself, you either lived rent free with your parents (or some family member) or in one of their homes, was on welfare, section 8 or used someone to babysit your children either for free or a nominal fee. Stop lying to yourself and to the future "drama mamas" on the horizon. I am disgusted that it is so easy for anyone to leave children without any responsibility or persecution, but it does happen. So instead of wearing the martyr motto of "I did it all by myself" -- Tell the truth and stop the next young heart from being broken. Tell these girls how you felt when he left you to raise his child and you saw him with Rashida and her six kids, none of which were his. Or how about a honest discussion about your heartache when his family dupped you into believing that he loved you, but he was struggling with his drug addiction; when all the while everyone knew that you were truly the other women. Tell these girls how easy it is to fall hopelessly into depression once the fantasy of family falls hard on your face. Tell them that the face of poverty is a single parent with two children. Stop kidding yourself into believing that there is something honorable about raising a baby alone. It only makes you bitter, miserable and desperate. Your life becomes a struggle of robbing Peter to pay Paul, all while you lose yourself in the pretense of "I don't need anyone" mantras. We do each other and our lineage a diservice when we pretend our pain away. Young girls, it is okay not to have a baby by every man you meet! And young men, take those big shirts (or as I like to call them downlow dresses) off, pull your pants up and do the right thing by your children. And to all of you hoochies that think you are okay because you choose to believe the lies that the men tell you..."yeah, she doesn't understand me or I don't love her anymore" -- grow up and act your age, not your shoe size. After the baby is born, love has nothing to do with it anymore -- the baby should come first. There needs to be a federal law passed such that if you are making it easy for a man, woman or beast to leave their children, then your wages should be garnished too. Harboring an absent parent should be punishable by jail time. Then you'll stop, once there is a consequence associated with your bad behavior! We will then see this need to have a partner at all costs (namely the children) cease and desist. Stop being so selfish and do the right thing. Leave other people's property (husbands, wifes, etc) alone! Solitude really gets a bad rap! You need to be alone to get to know the real you. Next time: too much crack is killing my vision