Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, August 5, 2023

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Mountain View News Saturday, August 5, 2023 

CHRISTOPHER Nyerges [www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com]


SUPER SWEET 
“MISTY”

Misty, age only 4 mo. old, is 
a gorgeous dilute tortoiseshell, 
and must be seen in 
purr-son to really admire her 
soft coloring. 

She'll be beautiful when fully 
grown! Her 2 brothers are being adopted together, so 
sweet Misty will be needing a new playmate. If there is 
not already a young feline at home, we have several and 
can advise. Misty is playful and cuddly, with beautiful 
diluted tortie medium fur. She purrs the minute you hold 
her. Misty is already spayed, tested, vaxxed, chipped, and 
more.

See more pictures of her on our website’s “Very Young” page. The adoption application is on 
our website, as well: www.lifelineforpets.org. Submit the application and come for a meet 
& greet! 


REVIEW OF NEIL STRAUSS’ EMERGENCY

[Nyerges is an educator, and author of such books as “Urban Survival Guide,” “How 
to Survive Anywhere,” “Foraging California,” “Self-Sufficient Home,” and others. 
His website is www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com]

 

In last week’s column, I reviewed Morris Berman’s book, “The Twilight of 
American Culture,” where he points out that all cultures have always declined, 
and he saw no reason why American culture could escape that fate. 
Along the way, Berman pointed out, cultures don ‘t just go downhill, but often transform, 
and have ups and downs along the way. I recently gave a lecture based on this book, and I 
added the ideas from several other au-thors to broaden the perspective.

One entertaining book is “Emergency” by Neil Strauss, published in 2009. It’s a thick book, 
418 pages long, where Strauss takes us along on his survival adventure. He’s a man who became 
very concerned that America was going to hell in a handbasket, and he didn’t want to 
go down with the ship. He shares the facts as he sees them, and he spends the beginning of 
the book describing how he can find safe haven elsewhere, out of the United Stated. He takes 
us on his journey of off-shore banking, multiple passports, the logistics of actually getting 
out if there was an impending crisis. This is a man who was convinced that the U.S. was the 
worst place to be in the world and he was trying whatever he could to find refuge elsewhere. 

That’s the 25 cent version anyway. And though all of his re-search was correct, he made a 
fascinating and eye-opening discovery in his world travels: Wherever he went, there were 
people working just as hard to get INTO the U.S., as he was working to get out. Everyone 
wanted to come here to the United States of America. It made Strass start to re-think his 
whole survival plan. He decided to take another look at the United States, and see if perhaps 
he should set his sights closer to home. 

Strauss takes us step by step in this journey, where he began to enroll in various sorts of 
survival classes here in the U.S., and describes his learning process. He didn’t know it at the 
time, but he was learning how to live with less, and how to live with very little in the forest, 
or his own backyard for that matter.

Among the many classes he describes joining and doing his best to master, included Tom 
Brown Jr.’s Tracker School where he learned to make fire, make a lean-to and sleep in it, cold 
and rain notwithstanding. Remember, this is not a how-to book, but an entertaining book 
where the author explains how pathetic he felt, how vulnerable he felt in the big mean world, 
but by taking classes and learning hands-on, he slowly became confident in his own abilities, 
and his likelihood of surviving a disaster.

We’re treated to a cast of characters who inhabit the “survival” world, such as firearms instructors, 
hard-core survivalists, the CERT training, and even me. Yes, among the many 
classes that Neil Strauss attended in his personal training program included the classes that 
I teach through the School of Self-Reliance. He described learning how to recognize wild 
foods, and how we created meals that we collected from the wild that day. He describes how 
he learned to make an archery bow from me, and how we made fire with the bow and drill. 
He even talks about how I eat poison oak to develop immunity – though I do not recommend 
it to others because our body chemistries are so different.

I barely remember Strauss at the many classes of mine he describes. He didn’t say much. In 
fact, I only learned about his book because a friend alerted me to the fact that I was described 
in it. I guess I felt good that I could make someone else feel confident, and feel good about 
living in the United States, decline or not.

Strauss talks about how he enrolled in the CERT (Citizen Emergency Response Team) program, 
which is a nationwide program to get civilians trained and ready for emergencies. 

Strauss talks about the training, the gear that he learned to use, and how the training altered 
his state of mind regarding emergencies. “Before I would run away from a problem or disaster, 
and now I was running to it,” he explained. 

Strauss also describes a self-imposed three-day survival experiment in his own home where 
he could use no refrigerator, no gas or electricity, and couldn’t use the flush toilet. Everything 
had to be from the food, water, and gear he stored, and this was no small feat considering he 
lived in a smallish urban home.

As I said, it’s not a how-to book, but it’s loaded 
with practical experiences that anyone 
can adapt and apply. You can find copies on 
Amazon.

Sierra Madre residents who find this of 
interest should seriously consider attending 
some of the Sierra Madre CERT classes 
and lectures. For details, go to Sierra Madre 
Emergency Or-ganizations • Index page.

Pet of the Week

 
Two-year-old Emily is one-of-a-kind! With her beautiful 
fur and unique eyes, she’s sure to turn heads on your daily 
walks. 

 Emily isn’t just a pretty pup - she’s curious, intelligent, and 
active. She has mastered several commands and would love 
to learn more. She’s also a fan of toys- she gallops around 
the yard with a ball or rope toy hanging from her mouth, 
constantly entertaining the Pasadena Humane volunteers.

 A husky like Emily can be a lot of work, and just as much 
fun! Emily is a people-pleaser, so even if she can be naughty 
at times, she is quick to make up for it by showering you with 
affection. This fun-loving gal can’t wait to go on adventures 
with you!

 Pasadena Humane is having a FREE adoption day on 
Saturday, 8/19 from 10:00 – 2:00. All dogs, cats and critters 
can be adopted for no charge, and no appointments are needed. 

 The normal 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. 

CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND 
AGRICULTURE ISSUES PROCLAMATION OF 
EMERGENCY PROGRAM FOR ASIAN CITRUS 
PSYLLID AND HUANGLONGBING

Between June 6, 2023 and June 30, 2023, the California Department of Food and Agriculture 
(CDFA) collected citrus tree tissues and insect vectors in the cities and communities 
in Los Angeles County, including Duarte. The CDFA was able to confirm the presence 
of the causative bacterial agent of the citrus disease huanglongbing (HLB) in citrus tree 
tissue and the insect vector Asian citrus psyllid (ACP). Due to ACP being a vector for the 
bacteria that causes HLB and the rapid reproductive rate of ACP, there is a high potential 
for ACP to establish and spread, resulting in sudden future detections of HLB/ACP in Los 
Angeles County cities. As a result, the California Department of Food and Agriculture 
has issued a Proclamation Emergency Program to carry out immediate emergency action 
to prevent the preceding loss and damage to California's resources.

Residents of affected properties shall be contacted directly by CDFA staff. For any questions, 
please contact the CDFA at 1-800-491-1899 or visit the CDFA website to learn more.


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