Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, June 10, 2023

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Mountain View News Saturday, June 10, 2023 


CHRISTOPHER Nyerges [www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com]

Baby Boys: JIMINY & TOBY

How much cuteness can you stand? 
Jiminy is an orange tabby, born 
about 3/20/23, and Toby is all black, 
a couple of weeks younger than Jiminy. 
They are being fostered together, 
and are just too cute for words! 
Both are very cuddly and playful. 
They'll be ready for home delivery 
in a few weeks, after they are vac-cinated and neutered. 

See more pix and adoption info at www.lifelineforpets.org, 
the Very Young page.


HOW TO SURVIVE NO ELECTRICITY 
FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME,

AND HOW TO DEAL WITH NO ACCESS 
TO BANK ACCOUNTS AND 
MONEY

[Nyerges has been teaching and writing about self-reliance and emergency preparedness for 
over 40 years. He’s written “How to Survive Anywhere,” “Extreme Simplicity,” “Guide to 
Wild Foods and Useful Plants,” and other books. He can be reached at www.SchoolofSelf-
Reliance.com.]

 

We’ve all grown accustomed to electricity in our lives. Some say we’re addicted. However 
you see it, modern life as we know it would cease to exist without the steady flow of 
elec-trons. But most of us have so acclimated our lives to the availability of electricity that 
it’s hard to imagine any life without it. We flip the switch and we have light, or a TV, or 
radio, or the computer, and a whole host of power tools for our shop and yard. Modern 
bank-ing would not exist without electricity, nor would modern communication.

We’re fortunate that so many inroads have been made to de-centralize electricity, at least 
for those who choose to educate themselves and build little systems so they can get off the 
grid, a little or a lot, and be able to have power if the whole grid goes down.

Ted Koppel (from the popular Nightline TV news show) wrote a book called “Lights Out” 
where he explored what it might take for a terrorist to take down what are essentially 
three grids in the U.S. Though he points out that this would not be easy, it could be done. 
Koppel also points out, perhaps to the dismay of the reader, that there is really no mean-
ingful action plan to deal with such an eventuality. 

We have no crystal ball, but let’s just look at life without electricity, and explore the way 
in which we would live.

 

THE TRANSITION

If electricity were to “go out,” suddenly without warning, the results would be disastrous 
in today’s society, though a prepared person would be better able to survive.

First, there would be widespread panic as the means of communication – except word of 
mouth – would be eliminated. The lack of communication means much more than not 
knowing what happened. It means that whatever method you’ve relied upon to communi-
cate with your family, students, fellow workers, etc., will now be gone. 

In the interim, stand-alone walkie-talkies could be of some help. But we will all suddenly 
and painfully learn that we overly relied on technology, and have scant few alternatives. 

Rural areas would do somewhat better, for a variety of reasons. Bells and other sounding 
devices could be used for communications, as could fires on hilltops, but these systems 
all took time in the past to develop. A clear method of communication would not be 
estab-lished immediately, and I can visualize a brisk business in bicycle couriers who 
hand-delivered notes.

You should always discuss the day’s plans with family members and discuss action plans, 
and where to gather, in the event of an emergency.

 

MONEY

Too many of us rely on the ability to go to a bank regularly and use the ATMs. Plus, 
have you ever watched at your local store how people buy things? Most people use credit 
cards all the time, which is a modern marvel of technology that can only exist in an inter-
connected world powered by electricity. 

People have always figured out how to buy and sell and trade, even before there was elec-
tricity. But in a transition to no electricity, people might not have access to their money, 
maybe temporarily, and maybe permanently, depending on the nature of the emergency. 

People in rural area’s have quite an advantage over people in the urban centers since they 
are more likely to know where all their needs are coming from. They are more likely to 
be producers of a raw commodity, with which they can directly trade for needs.

In urban areas, however, everyone tends to buy everything that’s needed, and any food, 
animal, or craft production is nearly always “hobby” level. A major disaster that takes 
out electricity will take out the ability for most urban people to conduct ordinary transac-
tions. During the interim, people should band together for protection, because you can 
expect violence, chaos, and unpredictability during such a period, until people figure out 
a new way of doing things.

Do not underestimate the severe impact that lack of access to money will have on your 
life and society. My suggestion is to constantly have it in the back of your mind, “what 
would I do if I could not get cash today? What can I do differently each day to be better 
prepared if that ever happened?” There are many options, such as always having extra 
cash and coin on hand, well hidden of course. 

 And always purchasing a little more of the basics that you need so you have something 
extra for barter, if need be. In times of duress, such as war times, the best barter items 
tend to be those that feed the vices: alcohol, tobacco, chocolate, sugar, salt, all of which 
have a great shelf life.

 MORE ON THIS SOON


Pet of the Week

 Fun-loving Frosty is a jolly, happy soul for sure. He loves hiking, 
romping in the yard and enjoying the simple pleasures of splashing 
around in the kiddie pool after an adventure. Frosty has been working 
with our trainers diligently. He loves treats and is very happy to 
perform tricks in order to receive them. He learns commands very 
quickly and like the excellent student he is, will repeat them as often 
as he can (or until he gets a yummy treat). One of his favorite 
tricks is to hop up on a wall during a walk and act like an acrobat! 
Frosty is still a youngster- he is just a little over a year old, and he’s 
got a lot of puppy energy still. He has learned some fun calming 
techniques and now knows that settling on his bed is a great way to 
wind down and get some more yummy snacks! Frosty is ready to 
thaw even the coldest of hearts! Pasadena Humane is having a free 
adoption day on Saturday, June 17th from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. All adoption 
fees for all available pets will be waived. No appointments will 
be necessary. Licensing fees may apply. The adoption fee for dogs 
is $150. All dog adoptions include spay or neuter, microchip, and age-appropriate vaccines. New 
adopters will receive a complimentary health-and-wellness exam from VCA Animal Hospitals, as 
well as a goody bag filled with information about how to care for your pet. View photos of adoptable 
pets and schedule an adoption appointment at pasadenahumane.org. Adoptions are by appointment 
only, and new adoption appointments are available every Sunday and Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. 
Pets may not be available for adoption and cannot be held for potential adopters by phone calls or 
email.

SIERRA MADRE PLAYHOUSE PRESENTS STORIES @THE 
PLAYHOUSE:BEST OF BACKSTORY ON JUNE 12

 

A new event for our storytelling 
series, Stories @ The Playhouse, is 
here! Sierra Madre Playhouse presents 
Best of BackStory, an evening 
of true stories, poetry, and flights of 
fancy featuring host Carl Weintraub 
and stories written and told by Augustus 
Britton, Ra-shim Cannad, 
Marlene Nichols, Laurie O'Brien, 
Antonio Sacre, and Sue Ann Pien.

 

BackStory, produced by the Victory 
Theatre Center in Burbank, is an 
evening of stories all told around a 
theatrical theme. The theme is always 
the title of a memorable play 
or mov-ie. Writers can focus on the 
themes of the play or movie, the characters, or simply on the words in the title. For Best of 
BackStory, at Sierra Madre Playhouse, we are creating an evening of true stories that have 
been told at BackStory over the past seven years. Each story will be from a different episode 
of BackStory, so it will be an eclectic night for sure.

CONSUMER ADVISORY: some stories may contain strong language and sexual content.

 

ESTIMATED RUNNING TIME: 60 minutes, no intermission.

Covid-19 information: The wearing of face masks is recommended.

Monday, June 12, 2023 at 7 p.m. at Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W. Sierra Madre Boule-vard, 
Sierra Madre, CA 91024. This is just east of Pasadena. Ample free parking is availa-ble in 
lots behind the Playhouse and across the street. There is also some street parking. General 
admission: $20. Seniors (65+) $18. Reservations: (626) 355-4318. Online ticket-ing: http://
sierramadreplayhouse.org

DISCOUNTS: Teen tickets (age 13-19) are available at $5.00 through the TeenTix Pass program. 
Go to our website to learn more. Group discounts are available for groups of ten or 
more. Go to our website to learn more.

 

The Sierra Madre Playhouse, a non-profit organization, is a performing arts center. It has 
widened its range from plays and musicals to also include presentations of classical and popular 
music, films, storytelling, solo shows and dance.


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com