Sarah Rapelje

Before last month, I thought my oldest known ancestor was Stephanus Terhune, a sheriff who worked for King George during the American Revolution and went on trial after the Colonists won the war.

Read more. 

That was until I found out that he was a fifth-generation descendent of Hans Hansen Bergen and, apparently, Sarah Rapelje, the first European Christian female born in the colony of New Amsterdam in what is now New York.

Her family founded Brooklyn and Queens and she is the 9th great-grandmother of Humphrey Bogart.

See a resemblance?

You might not see that much of a resemblance because Bogart is a descendent of her youngest son, whom she had with her second husband after my great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather died. Yeah, so that was a pretty interesting thing I found out today. 

Oh yeah, one more thing, Sarah and I share a birthday 350 years apart.

UPDATE: found this:

The Great John L

My maternal grandfather died on November 18, 1964 - 50 years ago today.

I wanted to go and leave a golf ball at his grave today, preferably one that somebody had chipped into Palmer Park, where my dad's flag is; but, it's freezing cold, I have no car and I also have a doctor's appointment today. I feel bad that I only ever saw his grave for the first time last month.

I'll get there again eventually, then go have some greasy food at Rutt's Hutt. In the meantime, even though I never met you, you are not forgotten.

So Sayeth the King of Funny Faces!

The People of New Jersey Have Been Warned

Domestic-violence registry a flawed plan
Daily Record - Nov. 30, 2013

On the Monday before Thanksgiving, Assemblyman Reed Gusciora announced on the radio that he was going to save the women of New Jersey from abusive “husbands and boyfriends” by introducing legislation that would create a registry for those found to have committed domestic violence.

Never mind his gender-biased language. Never mind studies sponsored by the state Department of Corrections, Rutgers and others that have shown sex offender registries have had no effect on sexual offense statistics. Repeat sexual offenses have actually increased slightly because of the climate of fear created by the Scarlet Letter-like list, which gives offenders nothing left to lose. Never mind that restraining orders are handed out in divorce cases like candy by the courts.

No one wants to think, much less talk about the climate of fear these lists would create. The honorable assemblyman scored some points for women. Ostensibly.

It turns out that he did introduce the legislation on Tuesday but made no announcement whatsoever about it. Not even on Wednesday.

In the media, this is called a holiday eve news dump.

Erik B. Anderson
HACKETTSTOWN

St. Patrick's Day Parade - Hackettstown 2013

This is a multi part video playlist from the parade today. Click the next button to skip forward.

The Brothers of Funny Faces

December 22, 2011

9/11/11

I was with my father 10 years ago today. I was getting ready for work upstairs when I saw the towers begin to fall. I ran down crazily to tell him "The twin towers are collapsing." He couldn't believe it until I turned on the TV and there they were. He told me to go to work. I worked in Secaucus, New Jersey, just across the river. My shift started at 11 am. Many of my co-workers watched the second plane hit from their window. I never made it to work, though. The roads were closed. I went to a Blood Bank to see if I could donate blood, but the line was already 40 or 50 people long, so I decided just to go to a car dealership and get some work that needed to be done on my car since I had the day off. I sat in the waiting room watching the news by myself for a long time.

A few weeks later, I remember walking in on my dad. He was crying terribly. I learned that he had just read a story in a magazine or something about a little girl who was never going to see "daddy's funny faces" again. I mentioned this as part of his story at my father's memorial service. It is the origin of the phrase "The King of Funny Faces".

Son Grateful

click to read

Bullies are Not Welcome In New Jersey

Christie Signs Tougher Law on Bullying in Schools
By RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA
Published: January 6, 2011

New Jersey on Thursday enacted the nation’s toughest law against bullying and harassment in schools, three and a half months after the suicide of a Rutgers University student drew national attention to the issue.

The law spells out a long list of requirements, including the appointment of specific people in each school and district to run antibullying programs; the investigation of any episodes starting within a day after they occur; and training for teachers, administrators and school board members. Superintendents must make public reports twice a year detailing any episodes in each school, and each school will receive a letter grade to be posted on its Web site.

The law, which goes into effect at the start of the next school year, lists harassment, intimidation or bullying as grounds for suspension or even expulsion from school. It applies to public schools, and portions of it apply to public colleges.

...

“Other states have bits and pieces of what this New Jersey law has, but none of them is as broad, getting to this level of detail, and requiring them, step by step, to do the right thing for students,” said Sarah Warbelow, state legislative director at the Human Rights Campaign, a national gay rights group. Many states, she said, do not even offer the protections of the 2002 New Jersey law, which made it a crime to bully or harass on the basis of race, sex, sexual and gender identity or disability.

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STAND UP w/ Pete Dominick - 12/27/2010

This is very exciting, but I felt completely rattle brained for over an hour after this phone call. Pete cut me off unexpectedly. I was startled, and a little disappointed. I understood right away, it's nothing personal; but instinctively it felt like a punch in the gut. Like my friend who works in Hollywood says, nobody is ever completely happy with their performance. Just gotta do it, and move on to the next thing.

I am so glad I was able to hear the replay, and record it on my new digital voice recorder. It was a pretty good call and Pete was a true gentleman, as always. He is a real breath of fresh air. Most of the political talk show hosts that in America for the past 20 years are just plain jerks.

Listen on my Myspace music player here:

Find more artists like King of Funny Faces (MUSIC) at Myspace Music

standupwithpetedominick.com
www.grasp.org
www.aspennj.org

New Jersey: Look Before You Laugh

I got teased by a Mixed Martial Artist from Manchester UK yesterday. Why did I get teased by this guy? I got teased because I'm from New Jersey and The Jersey Shore has given my entire state a bad name. It doesn't matter that I live in the mountains. It doesn't matter that I have only been to the shore on rare occasions. It doesn't matter that I'm not Italian. It doesn't matter that I don't even have cable and I have never watched that program. Ha Ha! "You're from New Jersey!" That's what I hear. I heard it yesterday and I've heard it before.

I did some research today and guess what I found out.

Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino is from Staten Island.
Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi is from Chile.
Jenni "Jwoww" Farley is from Upstate New York.
DJ Pauly D is from Providence, RI.

I'm actually from New Jersey. Leave me alone about those clowns.


New Jersey: Look Before You Laugh

New Jersey needs people to stay, fight

Letter to the Editor - Express-Times Newspaper

An expatriated friend of mine encouraged me to “get out of New Jersey” the other day. That phrase comes up a lot (usually preceded by “dirty jerzy,” corruption, property taxes, “the Soprano state,” etc.) and for the umpteenth time now, it perplexes me. I was always taught the grass is greener on the other side. If I were to leave, where would I go?

I was born in Morristown. Except for a few years of college, I have lived in the Garden State my whole life. I can trace my family tree back to pre-revolutionary New Jersey. I don’t know anything else.

I feel very much trapped here. Many things are beyond frustrating, but what really gets me mad is the knee-jerk reaction so many people have just to flee the state.

How is it patriotic to fight for our country and not for our state? Stay. Fight. Make things better for the next generation. Abandonment is not a solution.

Martin Luther King Jr. said it best: “A man who hasn’t found something he is willing to die for is not fit to live.”

If staying here and suffering makes me crazy, then I’m crazy, but so was Dr. King.

ERIK B. ANDERSON
Independence Township

This letter is being discussed on HackettstownLife.com.

Published Again - Nov. 7, 2010

Read the letter at the DailyRecord.com.

Man wants to stay and fight for New Jersey

Letters to the Editor
Daily Record - November 7, 2010

An expatriated friend of mine encouraged me to "get out of New Jersey" the other day. That phrase comes up a lot and for the umpteenth time now, it perplexes me. I was always taught the grass is greener on the other side. If I were to leave, where would I go?

I was born in Morristown. Except for a few years of college, I have lived in the Garden State my whole life. I can trace my family tree back to pre-revolutionary New Jersey. I don't know anything else.

I feel very much trapped here. Many things are beyond frustrating; but what really gets me mad is the knee-jerk reaction so many people have just to flee the state. How is it patriotic to fight for our country and not for our state? Stay. Fight. Make things better for the next generation. Abandonement is not a solution.

Martin Luther King Jr. said it best: "A man who hasn't found something he is willing to die for is not fit to live."

If staying here and suffering makes me crazy, then I'm crazy. But so was King.

Erik B. Anderson

Congressman Garrett is "More Appropriate Than Thou"

Update: Garrett debate canceled amid security concerns

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY OCTOBER 28, 2010, 2:16 PM 

BY HERB JACKSON - THE BERGEN RECORD - STAFF WRITER

A scheduled debate today featuring Rep. Scott Garrett was abruptly cancelled by a Warren County radio station last night because of what the news director said were "security concerns."

Joyce Estey, news director for WRNJ, would not provide details about what happened, but she said station management decided to cancel the debate.

A spokesman for Garrett, R-Wantage, would not respond to a call and email for comment, but his office has had run-ins in the past with Mark Quick, an independent candidate in the race who was scheduled to participate.

Quick, a mason and landscaper from Frelinghuysen Township in Warren County, has been a vocal critic of Garrett. He has complained he cannot grow his business because competitors can hire illegal aliens with impunity.

Read more about what not to say when running for Congress (ex. "I'm the biggest...threat he's ever faced.")

Know Your Rights

NEW JERSEY STATE CONSTITUTION 1947 (UPDATED THROUGH AMENDMENTS ADOPTED  IN NOVEMBER, 2008)

A Constitution agreed upon by the delegates of the people of New Jersey, in Convention, begun at Rutgers University, the State University of New Jersey, in New Brunswick, on the twelfth day of June, and continued to the tenth day of September, in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and forty-seven.

We, the people of the State of New Jersey, grateful to Almighty God for the civil and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing upon our endeavors to secure and transmit the same unimpaired to succeeding generations, do ordain and establish this Constitution.

ARTICLE I


RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES

1. All persons are by nature free and independent, and have certain natural and unalienable rights, among which are those of enjoying and defending life and liberty, of acquiring, possessing, and protecting property, and of pursuing and obtaining safety and happiness.

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One Strong Man in the Skylands

There is One Strong Man in the Skylands.

"I wouldn't mess with that website."

-Master William Duessel, 9th Degree Black Best

Highest Isshin-Ryu Black in the USA,

Oxford, NJ - October 12, 2008

Know Your Rights

While it is impossible to list all of the acts or omissions which may constitute unethical conduct, here are a few examples of prohibited conduct which, if proven, may be cause for discipline.
● A lawyer cannot or will not give you money that he or she is holding on your behalf and to which you are entitled, or will not provide you a complete written accounting for that money.
● A lawyer continually fails to respond at all to inquiries about your case, to tell you about court dates, or to appear in court. Where the problem is simply a lack of communication, first try your best to resolve the problem yourself.
● A lawyer advises you or anyone else to lie, or lies himself or herself in the course of a case. Lawyers pride themselves on their honesty. The profession does not need those who feel they must resort to deception to conduct their practice.
● A lawyer represents one party to a transaction while also the attorney for the other side. This is a conflict of interest and is generally prohibited unless both parties are fully aware of the situation and consent to it.
If you believe that your lawyer has engaged in unethical conduct, you should call the toll free hotline number [1-800-406-8594]. If you enter the five-digit zip code of the attorney's office, you will be connected to the district ethics secretary to request an Attorney Grievance Form.


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A Very, Very Obscure Song

The Studio of Long Valley
http://www.tricma.org/
Song: With or Without You
Artist: U2
Performed by: The King of Funny Faces
September 9, 2010

King of Funny Faces Performance

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NC0vVLlHxk8


My performance starts at around 2:08 in this video.

Know Your Rights

The importance of the role of counsel in alerting the court to the possibility of a defendant's incompetence has long 315*315 been recognized. State v. Lambert, 275 N.J. Super. 125, 129, 645 A.2d 1189 (App.Div. 1994) (citing Drope v. Missouri, 420 U.S. 162, 177 n. 13, 95 S.Ct. 896, 906 n. 13, 43 L.Ed.2d 103, 116 n. 13 (1975)). In fact, defense counsel is ordinarily "in far better position than the trial judge to assay the salient facts concerning the defendant's ability to stand trial and assist in his own defense." State v. Lucas, 30 N.J. 37, 74, 152 A.2d 50 (1959). Likewise, defense counsel is in a better position to alert the court when a mentally ill defendant is competent to stand trial, yet not competent to proceed pro se. When a bona fide doubt is raised as to the competence of a mentally ill defendant to proceed pro se, counsel should be appointed to aid in the competency determination, as well as to assist the defendant in trying the case.

Where a defendant demonstrates a history of psychiatric problems and a current thought disorder, creating a reasonable basis to question his or her competency to stand trial or to raise a defense centering on mental condition, the court is obligated to conduct a further inquiry either by appointing counsel or directing that a psychiatric examination be conducted. Under such circumstances, it is irrelevant that a defendant is not facing a "consequence of magnitude" and is therefore ordinarily not entitled to appointment of counsel. A municipal court should not permit a clearly mentally ill defendant charged with a disorderly persons offense to proceed pro se, even absent the possibility of imposing "consequences of magnitude." Such a defendant should be assigned an attorney, even if by providing counsel he or she is given greater protection than that afforded to a defendant without a psychiatric disability.

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Know Your Rights

RULE 4:19. PHYSICAL AND MENTAL EXAMINATION OF PERSONS

In an action in which a claim is asserted by a party for personal injuries or in which the mental or physical condition of a party is in controversy, the adverse party may require the party whose physical or mental condition is in controversy to submit to a physical or mental examination by a medical or other expert by serving upon that party a notice stating with specificity when, where, and by whom the examination will be conducted and advising, to the extent practicable, as to the nature of the examination and any proposed tests. The time for the examination stated in the notice shall not be scheduled to take place prior to 45 days following the service of the notice, and a party who receives such notice and who seeks a protective order shall file a motion therefor, returnable within said 45-day period. The court may, on motion pursuant to R. 4:23-5, either compel the discovery or dismiss the pleading of a party who fails to submit to the examination, to timely move for a protective order, or to reschedule the date of and submit to the examination within a reasonable time following the originally scheduled date. A court order shall, however, be required for a reexamination by the adverse party's expert if the examined party does not consent thereto. This rule shall be applicable to all actions, whenever commenced, in which a physical or mental examination has not yet been conducted.

Note: Source-R.R. 4:25-1; amended July 13, 1994 to be effective September 1, 1994; amended July 5, 2000 to be effective September 5, 2000; amended July 12, 2002 to be effective September 3, 2002.