a view from the edge

Time to think global, not local

Have you ever wondered why prices suddenly rise, why gasoline and food have become a daily struggle? The price-rise puzzle that people face is that they are not properly informed, so they are surprised, then get angry at local politicians. If they knew it was coming, that it had nothing to do with local politicians, perhaps they could plan better.

Many folks think that what happens on the other side of the globe has little interest or relevance to their daily lives. And the evening and morning news feeds a continual stream of local interest items and sometimes what seems like national news.

There is no national news that is not impacted by events all across the globe and the sooner every citizen realizes that, and the sooner everyone gets better informed, the more likely people can regain control of their lives.

Here’s a little piece of information the evening and morning news didn’t cover: There’s a COVID continuing emergency in Shanghai. How bad is it? Right now, 80% of the factories in Shanghai are closed. And those factories supply 35% of all the electronics and components in the USA. All electronic equipment sold in the USA will have a price rise before the fall.

The Ukraine war has reduced the prospect of 22% of the world’s sunflower oil being harvested this year — at all!

Why does that matter? India is dependent on the oil for all its cooking needs, prices will rise, factories will close. There will likely be starvation and therefore political unrest in India.

India borders Pakistan, China, Bangladesh and Nepal. Bangladesh depends on cloth from Indian factories. Your sneakers, sports outfits and other apparel are made in India and Bangladesh. There will be a shortage and prices will rise.

Millions of talented and educated people have fled Venezuela and are spread across northern South America and Central America, upsetting indigenous populations and changing economies — economies that produce 30% of all U.S. automotive components and produce a large part of the food bought in America.

What’s the outcome for you? Prices will rise.

Last year’s locust plague in East Africa decimated the flower crop. Florists in Europe reported a 40% rise in retail prices.

Ice shelf collapsing in Antarctica changes the ocean currents and salinity, the krill harvest and food availability for marine life is affected… industrial fishing shifts to adapt, harvest expectations are 10% down. Continuing drought in the desert Southwest of America has ranchers reducing cattle numbers, farmers planting cotton report water shortages and failing crops. Washington state rainfall floods ruin crop planting… all these global news items cause ripple and effect bouncing across the globe that always, always, comes home to roost on your budget.

That’s why you need to know what’s happening “over there” and not always focus your attention nearer to home.

How else can you begin to plan ahead? How else can you protect your family? Time to reach out, way beyond your local stations and radio, and collect information that U.S. advertisers (who control major media outlets in large part) have no interest in selling you. Your family deserves the truth; go find it.

Peter Riva, a former resident of Amenia Union, now resides in New Mexico.

a view from the edge
The views expressed here are not necessarily those of The Millerton News and The News does not support or oppose candidates for public office.

Latest News

Speed cameras gain ground in Connecticut, stall in Dutchess County

Speed cameras gain ground in Connecticut, stall in Dutchess County

A speed enforcement camera in New York City.

Photo courtesy NYC DOT

Speed cameras remain a tough sell across northwest Connecticut — and are still absent from local roads in neighboring Dutchess County.

Town leaders across northwest Connecticut are moving cautiously on speed cameras, despite a state law passed in 2023 that allows municipalities to install them. In contrast, no towns or villages in Dutchess County currently operate local automated speed-camera programs, even as New York City has relied on the technology for years.

Keep ReadingShow less
law enforcement

In remembrance: Tim Prentice and the art of making the wind visible

In remembrance: Tim Prentice and the art of making the wind visible
In remembrance: Tim Prentice and the art of making the wind visible
In remembrance: Tim Prentice and the art of making the wind visible

There are artists who make objects, and then there are artists who alter the way we move through the world. Tim Prentice belonged to the latter. The kinetic sculptor, architect and longtime Cornwall resident died in November 2025 at age 95, leaving a legacy of what he called “toys for the wind,” work that did not simply occupy space but activated it, inviting viewers to slow down, look longer and feel more deeply the invisible forces that shape daily life.

Prentice received a master’s degree from the Yale School of Art and Architecture in 1960, where he studied with German-born American artist and educator Josef Albers, taking his course once as an undergraduate and again in graduate school.In “The Air Made Visible,” a 2024 short film by the Vision & Art Project produced by the American Macular Degeneration Fund, a nonprofit organization that documents artists working with vision loss, Prentice spoke of his admiration for Albers’ discipline and his ability to strip away everything but color. He recalled thinking, “If I could do that same thing with motion, I’d have a chance of finding a new form.”

Keep ReadingShow less
people
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

Strategic partnership unites design, architecture and construction

Strategic partnership unites design, architecture and construction

Hyalite Builders is leading the structural rehabilitation of The Stissing Center in Pine Plains.

Provided

For homeowners overwhelmed by juggling designers, architects and contractors, a new Salisbury-based collaboration is offering a one-team approach from concept to construction. Casa Marcelo Interior Design Studio, based in Salisbury, has joined forces with Charles Matz Architect, led by Charles Matz, AIA RIBA, and Hyalite Builders, led by Matt Soleau. The alliance introduces an integrated design-build model that aims to streamline the sometimes-fragmented process of home renovation and new construction.

“The whole thing is based on integrated services,” said Marcelo, founder of Casa Marcelo. “Normally when clients come to us, they are coming to us for design. But there’s also some architecture and construction that needs to happen eventually. So, I thought, why don’t we just partner with people that we know we can work well with together?”

Keep ReadingShow less
architecture

‘The Dark’ turns midwinter into a weeklong arts celebration

‘The Dark’ turns midwinter into a weeklong arts celebration

Autumn Knight will perform as part of PS21’s “The Dark.”

Provided

This February, PS21: Center for Contemporary Performance in Chatham, New York, will transform the depths of midwinter into a radiant week of cutting-edge art, music, dance, theater and performance with its inaugural winter festival, The Dark. Running Feb. 16–22, the ambitious festival features more than 60 international artists and over 80 performances, making it one of the most expansive cultural events in the region.

Curated to explore winter as a season of extremes — community and solitude, fire and ice, darkness and light — The Dark will take place not only at PS21’s sprawling campus in Chatham, but in theaters, restaurants, libraries, saunas and outdoor spaces across Columbia County. Attendees can warm up between performances with complimentary sauna sessions, glide across a seasonal ice-skating rink or gather around nightly bonfires, making the festival as much a social winter experience as an artistic one.

Keep ReadingShow less
performances

Tanglewood Learning Institute expands year-round programming

Tanglewood Learning Institute expands year-round programming

Exterior of the Linde Center for Music and Learning.

Mike Meija, courtesy of the BSO

The Tanglewood Learning Institute (TLI), based at Tanglewood, the legendary summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, is celebrating an expanded season of adventurous music and arts education programming, featuring star performers across genres, BSO musicians, and local collaborators.

Launched in the summer of 2019 in conjunction with the opening of the Linde Center for Music and Learning on the Tanglewood campus, TLI now fulfills its founding mission to welcome audiences year-round. The season includes a new jazz series, solo and chamber recitals, a film series, family programs, open rehearsals and master classes led by world-renowned musicians.

Keep ReadingShow less
education
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.