If I had actually said anywhere that fat people are lazy or disgusting, that would certainly be wrong.

I think, though, what I've been saying is that fat is unhealthy, we are getting fatter, and that the health consequences are going to be serious. But, that is construed as being shrill, as humiliating or shaming people. There seems to be an automatic defensive response - how dare you say that anyone is fat, how dare you imply that being fat is unhealthy! Go away! You're not helping!

This is a public health problem, and it's going to require commitment on the part of politicians, public health professionals, parents, educators, food producers, and all other citizens to get a handle on it. And it's going to cost money. Education is critical, of course, just as it was in helping people to be aware of how AIDS is transmitted, and how transmission can be prevented. It's got to start at the earliest levels. Physical education needs to be put back in the schools, and we need to get rid of the soda and snack machines. Parents need to provide their children with healthy meals, and families need to exercise together. It has to be a commitment on a national scale. But, we've got a lot of other probles we're dealing with right now - public health is kind of far down the list (unless it's an infectious disease - we're pretty good at dealing with those.)

Have I persuaded anyone to lose weight? Well, I persuaded myself. The number on the scale kept going up, and I WAS in complete denial about why that was happening. Day after day, I was presented with the evidence that I was getting chubbier, but I didn't do anything to change it. I finally realized, to borrow a saying from Al Anon, that "nothing changes if nothing changes." I signed up for Weight Watchers (I'm not promoting this at all - it's just what I chose). I learned what a portion size is. I learned how many calories I could consume to maintain my weight, and how many to cut out to lose weight. I started to walk several times a week. I was out-of-my mind hungry for a long time. It was very hard. But, I started to lose weight. I ended up losing 20 pounds. That was three years ago. I have put back on 6 of those pounds, and am trying to lose them again. Is it a struggle to maintain? You betcha. At age 45, none of this is effortless anymore. It takes thought, planning and willpower (which is often in short supply).

I'm no saint. I know how hard this is.

...although I have a B.S. in dietetics. I know how hard it is to change attitudes about food, and to help people make better food choices. It's a subject that we can all get incredibly defensive about.

I really wish that basic nutrition education was mandatory in schools, and I wish that nutrition/meal planning/grocery shopping classes were part of the food stamp program. Everyone should know how to read a nutrition label, and everyone should know how to get the most nutritious food for the lowest price.

But again, all of this costs money. It's a matter of priorities, and I'm not sure what it will take to make it a priority.

That was pretty entertaining. But why, oh why, did you ask someone to participate who has never seen an episode of the show? And to put that last? I can't for the life of me figure that out.

my life will end on Sunday. I mean, obviously.

I didn't realize it was absolutely wrong to enjoy a TV show. I am deeply ashamed.

to post here. But, please, do us all a favor - if you don't care, please leave us alone.

albamoore, I would love to see a discussion about The Sopranos and the Italian-American community. However, this was kind of a fluff piece where people could give their predictions for the last episode.

Time and place. This isn't the time or the place.

to one per column?

In case you smug, humorless people don't get it, those of us who watch "The Sopranos" and take a few minutes out our lives to talk about it, are capable of doing and caring about lots of other things. It's really as simple as that.

Just think, the time you take to scold us about our TV viewing habits could be so much better spent saving baby seals or feeding the hungry in the streets of Calcutta. You should be ashamed.

I still don't know what to think about last night's episode. But, I appreciate the thoughts expressed in Heather's column and here in the letters section.

I don't think that Tony "saw himself" in the diner, in some surreal time warp. I just watched the episode again, and the shot is of Tony walking in the door, then looking into the restaurant from his perspective, then another shot of him standing at the door, then him in the booth. It's just an unusual jump cut, I think.

Exactly.

Even though this song would have been very popular at the time he and Carmella came of age. (Tony turned 47 at the beginning of this last season.)

But, they have always seemed more of their parents' generation than their own. Maybe it's because they obviously got married and started their family while they were very young. Maybe it's because New Jersey Italian-American culture seems to more into the Frank Sinatra/Dean Martin era than disco or stadium rock.

Someone needs to tell Tony Snow that having a bad opinion of someone is not slander. The word has a specific legal meaning, and Senator Reid, while he may be guilty of some other things, is not guilty of slander.

Governor Romney, considering your support for the war in Iraq, would you ever encourage any of your children to join the military at this time? If not, why not?