W.W.I.D. --- What Would I Do?

I never want a new book....I need a new book (well, to be accurate I enjoy a used vs. new copy...because it feels more earth friendly.....reusing a book or recycling it or whatever). Today I needed to get a translation of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Of course, that leads to the need to purchase The Gnostic Bible. Maybe sooner, maybe later.

One thing I'm grateful for is sites like The Gnostic Society's Library. While perusing the site, I even came across a religious group who were unfamiliar to me until today (I read an article submitted to a Yahoogroup). These people practice a very ancient religion. They are not Christian, Muslim, Jewish or Zoroastrian. There are many Mandraeans in southern Iraq or Iran.

Isn't the internet awesome in the way it educates while you sit like a computer-chair potato reading ancient texts of various religions online? I can study online versions of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hammadi. There is such a huge amount of reading available in the Gnostic Society's library and the internet once again turns into "a virtual public library". I love when that happens!

The artPad is where I just created a painting that resembled a macro of a Jackson Pollock (in other words, a wonderful piece of scribbling). My art may not ever make it onto the walls of a famous art museum, but artPad has it's own walls. Just click on Hang In the Gallery and voila! Instantly, my masterpiece is up there next to the great artists. It's the next best thing to being there!

I read a lot about baking soda and vinegar being good safe alternatives to other cleansers. It never really occurred to me to ask what makes them work so well. The Five Basics for Nontoxic Cleaning expands on the list of products rather than just listing which ones are the best to use. As an example, vinegar is acidic. It helps neutralize alkaline and is a good choice for things like scale from hard water.

It never occurred to me that one alternative might be better than another depending on what needs cleaning. I just used what worked most easily for the job. Annie Berthold-Bond is one of my favorite teachers on the topic of living a life free of chemicals and other negative ingredients. Whether she discusses alternative cleaners or how feng shui can improve our lives, I always learn something.

An online friend shared her favorite movies via this cool tool. I have spent the past half hour adding movies there. It's like eating potato chips...you just can't stop! All you do is enter your favorite movies into the search then click on the movie you want to add to your list. Here's my current list (nowhere near finished, of course).

Create your own Movie List @ HotFreeLayouts!

What is the lesson to be learned here....

Biolyse Pharma Corp can use the needles from discarded Christmas trees to manufacture Tamiflu. Pine needles contain shikimik acid which is the main ingredient in medicine for Bird Flu. I don't want to pull a Pat Robertson and say Christmas trees curing Bird Flu is a sign.

What I do want is less sensational coverage of the inevitable pandemic of Bird Flu. The media sees this illness as a tool and scare tactic to grab the audience's attention and boost ratings It surprised me a little that the article I link to in this post is dated December 23. In just about every news show we are updated on the current status of Bird Flu. Yet they fail to mention discarding our trees from the holidays can save lives.