THE SATURDAY FILES #6

There is always a silver lining! The Californian drought seems to have unintentional bumper positives for the wine drinkers as grape vines happen to be less resource (Read: water) intensive of crops. 

So, who is not running to be the next President of United States?! All you need to know about who is running and how they stand on issues that matter (or not) to you. Sneak peak: It's more than just the economy.

Also, how to read poll statistics, including whether a bad hair day for Trump is an indicator of storms ahead..

In the meantime, the sitting president has decided that he wants to set his record straight with straight up talks on Climate Change. Funny, I was watching a Season 3 episode of West Wing, yesterday... Set 15 years ago and they were talking about the same thing.... Emissions and Energy!

Food waste will probably be a presidential debate topic within the next 10 years. That is how bad the environmental and policy situation is. Thankfully, Mother Earth seems to be getting some help from Silicon Valley in education. Hurray for electronic expiry detectors!

Diving into food safety, a short course on our least favorite co-habitant, salmonella.

The world is moving Digital very fast. But, some things are simply the best on paper. Thankfully. Doodling is one. I am a Paper Doodler too. Are you?

Make me a Summer Fool please....!

What I am making this weekend. Chewy dark brownies!

What I am watching while eating this... True Cost

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Have a Fabulous weekend! 

{On which note, psst. There are companies that have a Four day week policy! And, it works!}

THE SATURDAY FILES #5

Welcome to another weekend! If you are not reading the very in-depth opinion piece by the Pope on the climate change issue, here are some lighter reads to make your Saturday! :)

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The above video from The Cooperative of Photography shares some awesome tips for getting the best of your iPhone. And there are more here on processing phone photo to convey a story.

Have you ever wondered about becoming an aid worker and changing the the world for better. Beware, you may not have another croissant for years or even a good shower! 

This New Zealand based artist is making anime work for the better of the world, by animating issues of global politics and economics. Very cool stuff!

Also on the same vein of privileges, a beautiful essay on what it feels to be white and therefore privileged.

And, on the topic of change, women are raising to action. Women farmers in Ghana are standing up for their traditions and opposing international forces wanting to enforce Monsanto policies in the county as part of trade agreements.

McDonald's bows to the sweeping social changes and promises more kale on the breakfast menu. Or does it?!

Now to you, it is berry season and they are notoriously short lived. Our friends at The Kitchn have some tips of prolonging their gorgeousness with proper storing tips.

It is all out now that the $10 bill in 2020 will not carry the regal nose of Alex Hamilton but that of a woman. I wonder why it will take until 2020 for that?! Views?

Man and Machine - a series of essays on the emerging robot economy. Long but very fascinating reads.

And, the cow is back in the hot seat, as the most likely animal to be play survivor with you!

THE SATURDAY FILES #4

• Apparently it is entirely legal to take a photo of your images and sell them for profit not shared with you! But, one Instagram-er came up with a simply awesome way to get some justice!!
• No more thong issues! Because it is totally cool to be comfortable in granny pants these days.
• One man's journey from Hell to Kitchen.
• Finding beauty, love, and other things that never gets talked about everyday Iran.
• Traveling to NYC? Don't miss the 100th floor of the new 1 World Trade Center! A one-of-a-kind new york experience, City Pulse takes your through the city's history with wit and LCD imagery.
• Giving back to the community, Hollywood style. Sheldon and co. rocks on. Mayim Balik, who plays Amy in the series, has a doctorate in Neuroscience from UCLA.
• Speaking of school, here is an introduction into learning Gaelic and, ahem, whiskies.
• And another, Kosher salt demystified by our friends at The Kitchn.
• When Cerci and Little Finger met East India Company. Live action Game of Thrones, apparently. Sigh.
• After that story, it is surely must be cocktail time - Litera(ri)ly inspired!

THE SATURDAY FILES #3

• Would you date your best friend to find out your weakness? This pair did just that for 40 days and recorded their experience with a lot of collaborative art work. They got a lot more than a report card - namely, a book deal and a possible movie!
• Speaking about digging for the truth, apparently he isn't lying when your husband/BF/dad does not make that event you were looking forward to, again?! He is just pretending. And, he is not alone!
• Most of us have trouble keeping up with this whole blogging game and being consistent about it. Seth Godin says the solution is really as simple as saying "Go!". I mean, he is THE man, after all! And, while you are refocusing on your writing with renewed energy, here are some tips to not be a bad writer.
• War on sugar - The latest and greatest in food industry polarization, probably even more than GMOs. Some like it and many really, really, don't! How sugar is in that bag, really, that they don't want to shout it out from the top of mountains!
• Us vs Them: When it is Elon Musk, he is definitely in "THEM".
• Planning a holiday or just a bit of random searching. Whereeve you are going or want to go, FiveThirtyEight did some leg work and number crunching to tell you who can get you there fastest and how.
• Etsy has grown up and IPOed. Now there is a new kid on the bloc. Bulgarian born Dimitar hit on a brainwave to sell his grandmas artisanal socks as the chic and designer BlocSocks. They really are rather cute! Seemingly, everybody wins, even your grandma's weekly crochet club.
• Wouldn't we all like to stumble onto wine (errr.. making)...!
• Ah yes, Conflict Nails. Apparently, there is no free lunch in the salon industry. 
• She could have been one very high elderly lady, but how sad for General Mills that she was too conscientious.

THE SATURDAY FILES #2

• Animation! The magic mantra to learning something that isn't so much fun. TED Ed does it well talking about things involving the brain and music with not so stick figures and some subway lines.
• Speaking of keep the attention, multi-tasking is not so much a virtue it seems. Are you an obsessive multi tasker or only when you are bored?
• Do we really get so bored? Flitting from earthquakes to legal cases to White House dinners.
• Sometimes the copy is better than the original, especially, when the former is a retake of the latter's idea. 7 movie posters re-done by fans that are cooler than the original.
• Apparently, there is an average heal height for different states! Gilting it up.
• Chipotle takes a stance. So? It really is just another story of marketing.
• In playing the cheap, good and fast game with food, Megan argues the virtues of making choices with some splendid recipe links.
• My favorite way for rocking a great brunch at home is awesome bread. Everyone can be a boulanger!
• One of my favorite online publications, The Upshot by NY Times turned a year old. I am not misty eyed but my eyes do pop at the awesome job they have done of story telling with numbers. Check out their most popular articles of the year. There is one about Chipotle too, which, ranks high for me. Which is yours?
• A seriously compelling video and tips for cooking fish without fear. The video will want you heading to the market after that coffee now.

THE SATURDAY FILES #1

That picture captures the ideal feeling of weekend for me - Putting distance between work and the week that passed and chilling out in the present with the comfort of that distance. Yet, it doesn't always happen!
Why do we work on weekends?

• Anyhow, would you be interested in a five course coffee dinner?  Method: Caffeination & Fare in Dallas, Texas, feature a monthly Coffee Dinner - a five-course meal focused on creating dishes that pair with coffee. As a coffee lover, this really speaks to me. Even otherwise, I would love to try it just to see if I am still awake after the fourth course of a paired dinner !
• Yes, yes, we know good food takes time. But, sometimes you just want a good sandwich at home. NY Times spoke to famed sandwich makers around the city for tips to make better sandwiches. Quite insightful. I really like the talk about schmearing. 
• Obviously, they are putting all that insight to good use in this deceptively simple sandwich!
• Switching gears, You can't SAVE Detroit, You gotta BE Detroit - OH yes! That's attitude. A great promo by the city to showcase it's people strength - Taking Back Detroit.
• Have you ever thought about what security guards do or think? No? Me neither. But here is a glimpse through a witty article about The Secret Life of a Public Library Security Guard.
• I wish we could bring world peace through food. Wait! It can actually happen. More of this and less of conflict? Or, maybe we'll all just eat at The Conflict Kitchen!
• Not so much Omnivore's Dilemma but a compact to-do list for healthy eating. I like how actionable and easy to check off they are. But I have a dilemma with this one - Treat all beverages with calories in them as you would alcohol - What if I really, really like alcohol?!
• It don't matter who sits on that hot seat - Democrat or Republican. The average income of the bottom 90% in the US grew 5x between 1930 and 1970 and then stayed pretty flat!
• Much ado about Marijuana - Seattle to Ireland. Will we plunge into the 70s again? I shudder thinking about the bell bottoms though!
• Last but not least, I am glad I can still salvage my soul. I am making my Moral Bucket List right now.