What in the Actual Factual

Alright, alright part two is here!

As we approach the holiday season, we are sharing with you some of our favorite things. Please note and remember that WE ARE NOT SPONSORED by ANY of these brands/products. (But we would love to be!)

Today we share part two of our favorites for the upcoming holiday season. We chose items that are suitable for almost everyone!

We've linked the items below if you're interested. As always, we encourage you to shop local whenever possible.

Cooking:

Le Creuset or Lodge Cookware 

Made In Cookware

Diaspora Co Spices

Oxo grip tongs

Joseph Joseph Helix garlic press

Microplane zester/grater

Ninja Fit single serve blender

Ninja Professional Blender

Cookbooks:

Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat

Falastin by Sami Tamimi

All Together by Chrissy Teigen

Nigella Express by Nigella Lawson

Modern Comfort Food by Ina Garten 

100 Cookies by Sarah Kieffer

Clothing:

Phenomenal 

Urban Native Era

Girlfriend Collective 

Argent 

If you'd like to submit a topic idea or two or if you're one of the awesome brands we're talking about and/or you'd like to sponsor us and we will absolutely share your special something, please reach out to us! Send us an email at [email protected]! 

If you haven't already, subscribe to our pod and follow us on our Instagram for the latest updates. If you use Apple Podcasts, give us a 5 star review and we will give you a shoutout! Happy Holidays!

You've been asking and we are finally delivering!

As we approach the holiday season, we are sharing with you some of our favorite things. Please note and remember that WE ARE NOT SPONSORED by ANY of these brands/products. (But we would love to be!)

Today we share part 1 of our favorites kicking things off with some sustainable gift options for the upcoming holiday season and some beauty items we are digging. We chose items that are suitable for almost everyone!

We've linked the items below if you're interested. As always, we encourage you to shop local whenever possible.

Sustainable Gifts:

Stasher reusable bags

Reusable bags and totes

Swell insulated water bottles

Klean Kanteen tumblers 

Natural Home SiliWrap covers/lids

Eney Beeswax

Beeswrap

Beauty:

Kapa Nui Nails 

JVN haircare

Bite Beauty Lipsticks

Summer Fridays Jet Lag mask

Alba Botanica Acne Dotes

If you'd like to submit a topic idea or two or if you're one of the awesome brands we're talking about, or you'd like to sponsor us and we will absolutely share your special something, please reach out to us! Send us an email at [email protected]! 

If you haven't already, subscribe to our pod and follow us on our Instagram for the latest updates. If you use Apple Podcasts, give us a 5 star review and we will give you a shoutout! Happy Holidays!

Our friend, actor, and activist Tim Guinee joins us to discuss the latest IPCC report, our current climate, and how we met.

A handful of moons ago, we became Climate Leaders through The Climate Reality Project, a non-profit that provides education, resources, and advocacy for the climate crisis. We discuss how we stumbled upon this leadership program and how it has impacted our lives and communities since.

Just this week we have seen horrific climate catastrophes take place from Louisiana to New York and New Jersey. The time to take action is now.

If you'd like to get involved - even if you think you don't know what you're doing - starting is the first step. We can have a sustainable future if we work together. Visit The Climate Reality Projects website and apply for their virtual leadership training taking place this October. If accepted, it's completely free. As former Vice President Al Gore noted "the will to change is in itself a renewable resource."

These are dark times in Lebanon. Literally.

One asks "Is it bad?" Oh yes. It's bad. Really bad.

Since the October 2019 uprising and the horrific explosion in the port of Beirut in August of last year, Lebanon's social, political, and literal infrastructure has spiraled into what can only be described as a nightmare. Millions of Lebanese citizens are left without any access to their money, employment, and basic necessities like bread and milk. As of August 14th, just a few days ago, Beirut is experiencing zero electricity for up to 20hrs each day. Hospitals are on the brink of full collapse as life-saving machines supporting patients are about to loose all power. There is no fuel to run generators or fill gas tanks. The Lebanese Pound is practically worthless. Prescription and over-the-counter medications are difficult to find and the prices are gauged beyond what anyone can afford. There is no food. No water. An entire country hangs by a literal thread.

Today we read a powerful post  written by a Lebanese woman named Danielle who runs the blog, Beirutista, shares what it's like for someone living in Lebanon right now. The article, titled Abysmal and Inconsolable: A Day in the Life of A Lebanese Resident, can be found here.

We also share a social media post from Nay El Rahi who also broke down what is currently happening in the country.

If you'd like to donate to a certified, reputable organization helping Lebanon, check out:

@Lebanese Red Cross
@LebanonNeeds
@MedsforLeb
@DaleelThawra
@BeitelBaraka
@BaytnaBaytak
and general donations via @TheSlowFactory

Be sure to follow us on our instagram @whatintheactualfactual for updates on all the things and if you'd like to share a topic idea, send us an email at [email protected].

Last year an Israeli court ruled to forcibly evict Palestinian families from their homes in the Palestinian neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah located in East Jerusalem. To add to the amplified tensions, Israeli soldiers are also protecting the Israeli settlers while they try to take away homes from Palestinian families. It is the intention of the settlers to evict the entire Palestinian neighborhood. This is ethnic cleansing and it violates International Law and basic human rights. 

We go over what's happened so far, what you can do to ensure coverage of what is happening doesn't get taken down, as well as poetry from Mahmoud Darwish and Noor Hindi that heartbreakingly highlights what has been going on for decades to the Palestinian people. 

We've been asked to cover many happenings throughout the globe and one of them is Lebanon. People want to know what exactly is happening there? Why are people revolting and demanding a government formed for and by the people? And the explosion! Remember that massive explosion last summer in the port of Beirut? One of the largest non-nuclear blasts in history? How did it happen?

These are among the many questions we hope to unpack for you. There will be an episode outlining a brief history of Lebanon and how it's government became what it is today as well as hearing from people on the ground living through the revolution and the explosion.

On today's episode we give you a glimpse from someone on the ground, biologist, activist, and writer Gino Raidy. If you're following what's happening in Lebanon, especially on social media, you're following Gino. We wanted to read a few of his blog posts so our listeners can get an idea of what is happening on the ground. Gino has been in the thick of many peaceful protests and always uses his platform to amplify other activists on the ground. Gino's blog can be found here.

Stay tuned for more unpacking!

Be sure to follow us along on our Instagram via @whatintheactualfactual and if you have any topics you'd like us to discuss, send us an email at [email protected]

Ok, ok this isn't a full episode – yet! We are working on it!

Many of our listeners have asked us to cover what is happening in Lebanon. 
To answer questions like:
"Why are the people revolting? How did they get here?"
"Why is the government so corrupt? How long has it been like this?"
"Why is the Lebanese currency collapsing?"
"Why does the electricity blackout all the time?"

To give listeners a glimpse of the chaos we read a short and sweet article by Tia Al Mashtoub for Trending Talks, a news platform that covers Lebanon, Dubai, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. As well as a transcript from Megaphone news video breaking down what is happening with the banks in Lebanon. Megaphone news is an independent online media platform that creates helpful infographics and videos explaining what is happening throughout various parts of the Middle East.

Thank you for pushing us to delve into this topic and, as always, thank you for your support!
Be sure to follow us along on our Instagram @whatintheactualfactual.

More to come! 

We reached out to our wonderful followers and took various polls on different topics. One that got a lot of responses was cookbooks - specifically what cookbooks does our host have in their library and which ones should everyone have a copy of? What are some essentials?

And we would love to hear from you too! What cookbook(s) do you use often? Which one has that special dish or dessert? Is it just one or a few? Let us know!

Join us and the (very heavy) piles of cookbooks surrounding the studio as we delve into some goodies!

From Ottolenghi to Julia Child to Dominique Ansel - Oh my! 

 If you have any kitchen conundrums or questions you'd like to ask, follow us along on our Instagram @whatintheactualfactual and/or send us an email via [email protected]. 

A new year! Our first guest! YES, you read that! We have a guest!

Welcome Taylor Evans who is a 3rd year Ph.D. candidate researching the molecular biology and genetics of brain development.  A scientist and fashion lover, Taylor helps us answer a plethora of questions in regards to the Pfizer and Moderna COVID vaccines as well as debunking some of the misinformation being spread across the inter-webs. Taylor has a wonderful blog called Stylishly Taylored serving all the looks (and encourages sustainable shopping, woo!) in her incredible vintage and thrift store finds.
You can follow Taylor on Instagram @stylishlytaylored or on her blog stylishlytaylored.com.

Be sure to follow us on Instagram all the things as well as episode announcements at  @whatintheactualfactual. If you have any questions you'd like to submit, topics you'd like discussed, people we should get in touch with, a kitchen conundrum, how do I make____? Send us an email at [email protected].

For the latest updates and information on COVID-19, Taylor suggests following:
@Jessicamalatyrivera, @kinggutterbaby, @doctordarien, @kennenhutchinson, @mamadoctorjones, and @dr.martaperez.