‘Ned Chala’ Archives
Black Friday Insanity
By Ned Chala So, did you get that particular item you were looking for? Did you have to stab an old lady in the eye to get that pinwheel that was on sale? These department stores and their advertising used to get bloodthirsty shoppers to elbow out opponents who wished to nab that same deal as the other. Trampling slow, obese people to get [...]
“Falternative” Festival
Fall Fest has come and gone again. The hugely anticipated, largest event Ellicottville hosts every year again brought tens of thousands of people bearing down on this special village and town. I try not to be negative, but everything has some bad to it and a human inundation of this magnitude definitely has aspects of the negative faction. The [...]
Special Standpoint – Bag Lady
I am very critical of tales vowed as true. With the old adage about the two sides to every story, and the conclusion cliché about it being three, and the hindsight of the lies and untruths I heard, all I can do is question everything. I also have the audacity to have faith in my government and their decisions, presuming they are doing their best [...]
Special Standpoint: Politics Akin to Professional Wrestling
“Politics is Hollywood for ugly people.” I couldn't find who quipped this jovial statement but it has some truth to it. Politics happens in so many situations every day, but the public service politicians with the answers and excuses are the reason I am writing this article. An actor from the 20s, Frank Dane, stated an accurate declaration [...]
Special Surpise at a Grave Site
Last week I attended a funeral memorial mass for my brother in law Joe Halloran. When everyone arrived at the grave site a surprise was awaiting us. Joe had died on June 11, 2010 so it had been several weeks before we could have the actual funeral. In the meantime someone had planted pumpkin seeds in front of the Halloran head stone so there [...]
Special Standpoint: The Empire State is Grasping at Straws
I don't ever want to be recognized as an antidisestablishmentarianism advocate but New York State, aka the Empire State, is becoming more of an evil state of bureaucracy, and more government calls for more taxes and fines; I want no more part in it and I am not leaving. Trying to break a treaty is a call for war and New York is bounding for [...]
Special Standpoint – Noise Ordinance
By Ned Chala Some days in Ellicottville you see nary a car on the street. Some days in Ellicottville you see nary a parking spot in town. When Ellicottville has a festival and the quiet transforms into a buzz and the buzz into a bustle, and the tents go up on any given street, the bustle gives in to a throng of bodies shuffling through one [...]
