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25th April — 25 de Abril — is Portuguese Freedom Day

Today, 25th April, is a national holiday in Portugal. It is the anniversary of the Carnation Revolution and this day commemorates the start of the bloodless military coup which with the help of civil resistance led to the fall of the Estado Novo bringing democracy and civil liberties to the Portuguese people and the withdrawal of Portugal from its African colonies. It brought to an end nearly five decades of dictatorship (1937-1974).

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No Logos on Australian Cigarettes

Imagine walking along a path in a serene jungle. You come across a sign that tells you that you should turn around because there is danger lurking ahead. Further along the path, there is another sign that tells you that you really need to turn back. A third sign questions your ability to read signs and has pictures of dead people and a skull and crossbones, along with an arrow pointing itself around to indicate that you should turn around. The last sign just has a large X on it. If you haven’t stopped by the second or third sign, how is the fourth sign going to make much of a difference?

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You Look Like an Australian Cricketer

The other day I was in the Rutgers bookstore and a cashier told me I looked like Australian Cricketer Mark Waugh. After I asked for, and received, the definition of Cricketer, I told that student I was going to look up Mark on the web and I said, “if he is ugly there is going to be trouble!”

As I was leaving, the student told me Mark has a twin brother Steve and that I may be the missing triplet.

It’s interesting how people have never been shy about telling me who I look like.

In high school I was told I looked like movie star Tom Cruise.

In college I was told I looked like actor Tom Hanks.

In graduate school I was told I looked like former Yankees pitcher Matt Nokes.

As an instructor at both Saint Peter’s College and Rutgers-Newark my students told me I looked like outstanding actor Edward Norton.

Perhaps one day I will simply be recognized as me.

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Surfing Stockton

by Guy Lerner

Looking up and squinting into the sun, the hollow wave of the dune was an imposing barrier to be sure.

Suddenly and without warning, the engine roared with anticipation, lurching me forward, spinning the wheels so quickly I could almost feel them wince.

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The Right Engagement

A year ago I was engaged to be married, to the completely wrong person. How do I know this? Because now I am engaged to be married, but now to a radically different person – who, believe it or not, is quite right for me.

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