MisInfoNation

This week on MisInfoNation we talk to Ekaterina Markelova about a mystery wrapped inside a riddle inside an enigma - Mother Russia! A smart, funny, double PhD with a rather disarming smile, Ekaterina, takes on some of the craziest questions about her home country!

Western views of Russian culture are dominated by drinking, the cold and election hacking right now… But that can’t really be all there is, can it? So this week on Passport we wanted to see just how much of the deep deep Russian stereotypes remain true. Turns out the largest country on earth really does have a lot more to offer than you think it does.

For more, including links to the things we talked about, and the places we visited, plus a full transcript, visit: https://www.frequencymachine.com/passport

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Passport team is off this week, making more shows. But we’ve got a special bonus episode: a fantastic show called The Alarmist.

Have you ever wondered who’s to blame for history's greatest tragedies? The Plague. The sinking of The Titanic. The break-up of the Beatles. If you answered yes, then Writer/Comedian Rebecca Delgado-Smith is here for you. Each week she and a special guest (or guests), scrutinize history’s greatest disasters to figure out what went wrong, and most importantly, who’s to blame. And not too long ago she invited Neil and Andrés to help determine who is to blame for the death of Che Guevara. Everyone at Passport HQ loves this show. We think you will too!

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This week on The Alarmist, Rebecca Delgado Smith decides who is to blame for the death of Che Guevara. She is joined by Neil Innes and Andrés Bartos (hosts of the new travel podcast Passport), Professor Michael Bustamante, Fact Checker Chris Smith and Producer Amanda Lund. On the board this week: Castro, American Fat Cats and Merch.

Tell us who you think is to blame at http://thealarmistpodcast.com

Email us at [email protected]

Follow us on Instagram @thealarmistpodcast

Follow us on Twitter @alarmistThe

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

| USING ART TO GET TO THE OTHER SIDE |

In part two of our journey to Jerusalem, we cross the Green Line and talk to some remarkable people. An artist whose family roots in the city go back over 1000 years, but who still doesn’t qualify for a passport. An Amenian Jerusalemite, one of the city’s smallest minorities, whose work has crossed boundaries. And two Israeli entrepreneurs who found a novel way to create a safe space, free of soldiers. Plus, we hear the true story behind the Casino de Paris and what it was like to live in a neighborhood plagued by suicide bombers.

Also, we’ll have some blissfully good meals - but that almost seems beside the point. This episode is about what it truly means to be from Jerusalem.

For more, including links to the things we talked about, and the places we visited, plus a full transcript, visit: https://www.frequencymachine.com/passport

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

| How to have fun in Jerusalem |

Sha’anan Streett might be Israel’s biggest hip-hop star and he also might own the most important bar in Jerusalem. In a tiny courtyard in the Mahane Yehuda market sits the Casino Du Paris, a little oasis in the bustle of one of the world's craziest markets. What you might not realise, sitting there with a cold one, is that this bar started a movement. In an era filled with conflict, this little bar helped the nightlife of the market explode into a bustling and remarkable place, helping turn around an entire neighborhood.

The first three days of our Neil and Andrés’ trip to Jerusalem were an upside down carnival ride; Little sleep, lots of delicious food, trippy live music, colorful art shows, a taste-test of the best kebabs in the world, so many laughs and friendly faces. We quickly realised, like everything in Jerusalem, the story of Sha’anan’s bar was much, much bigger than we thought. The ritual and practice of having fun in a historically dangerous place is complicated, but Sha’anan has a plan - and importantly, a map. Which we followed to discover a whole new side of the city - through the people who are pushing Jerusalem in new and wonderful directions.

For more, including links to the things we talked about, the places we visited, plus a full transcript, visit: https://www.frequencymachine.com/passport.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on MisInfoNation we talk to Sohail Jannessari about what could be the most misunderstood country on the planet. Iran. A political scientist with a cutting sense of humour, Sohail takes on some of the most divisive questions about Iran and Iranians.

Today we turn the view of Iran that’s been shaped by Western media upside-down. From the food, to the etiquette, the oppression of women, how to guarantee you’ll get into a fight, who pays the bill and the weight of being from a nation with an incredibly negative media slant - which sometimes turns Sohail into the Incredible Hulk. Plus, should you travel to Iran if you’re American?

We can’t think of a more important place to understand a little better.

For more, including links to the things we talked about, and the places we visited, plus a full transcript, visit: https://www.frequencymachine.com/passport

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome to Taiwan, nicknamed Formosa - or beautiful island. For hundreds of years influences from all over the world have created a fascinatingly rich culture and an equally rich cuisine. The food of Taiwan, and its capital Taipei, is some of the most delicious on planet earth.

Recently, a food craze that took root in Taipei has spread across the globe: the plant based diet. Vegan food has a long history in the region, but a particularly interesting story in Taiwan. And as we began to explore this unique food scene we found a rabbit hole that none of us expected.

Today on Passport, we’re heading to Taipei to find out how a restaurant entrepreneur and vegan evangelist may actually be leading a worldwide cult, with a following in the many thousands, a small fortune, and a truly bizarre origin story. Also, she calls herself the Supreme Master.

We’re going to walk the line between religion and cult and find out if the Supreme Master is responsible for the vegan craze that began in Taiwan and swept the world. And if you think this is just a Taipei story, think again - with over 200 locations and counting, you may already have one of Supreme Master’s restaurants in your city!

For more, including links to the things we talked about, and the places we visited, plus a full transcript, visit: https://www.frequencymachine.com/passport

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

| A Freeform Engagement In the City of Lights and Love |

"I’m going to Paris with my boyfriend and I want to ask him to marry me, how should I do it?"

Asked by a listener named Monica to find the perfect plan for a proposal in Paris, Neil and Andrés face off in a race to produce an answer.

Jazz and wine, architecture and getting lost, chocolate, cabaret and croissants. Neil and Andres scour the city, with the help of some locals, to plan the perfect itinerary and the perfect moment to pop the question. Along the way they uncover stories about Charlie Parker, Aida Bricktop Smith, and Serge Gainsbourg. They dig into what Paris actually means to the people who live there.

In the end, they produce two remarkable trip itineraries, and a ton of amazing, local-recommended places to visit. But only one host can win. Find out who - and let us know if you agree!

A Tale of Two Cities may have nearly killed Neil and Andrés but it was all worth it!

For more, including links to the things we talked about, and the places we visited, plus a full transcript, visit: http://www.frequencymachine.com/passport

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

No matter what we do, we simply can’t fit all the great stuff we find into the show. But we don’t want anyone to miss out! So we pulled together some of the greatest material that never made it into our episodes. The “best of” deleted scenes.

First, Duke Haney takes us back to the Manson murders in LA to deliver a couple of theories about what Charles Manson did after the Sharon Tate and Cielo Drive murders, including leaving a very important pair of eyeglasses. 

Then, Maria Kreutzmann gives us her top 5 monsters of Greenland. All of them, truly terrifying and awe inspiring.

And finally, we’re going back to Seoul to learn more about Kpop and get some insight from the inside with Koki, the star of EXP Edition.

Plus every great love story starts with a “meet-cute.” Neil and Andrés share theirs.

For more, including links to the things we talked about, and the places we visited, plus a full transcript, visit: https://frequencymachine.com/passport

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The world’s biggest island, Greenland, is a harsh and unforgiving place. Think minus fifty temperatures, three-month long nights and deadly storms. To have any semblance of control over this chaotic world, the native Inuits developed a belief system of spirits, monsters and taboos; ways to make sense of the senseless violence inflicted upon them by mother nature.

In modern Greenland these same spirits live on today, having survived colonisation, christianity and modernisation. But how? And perhaps more importantly, why?

In this episode of Passport, we journey through Greenland’s past and present with a monster hunter whose weapon is her paintbrush and a historian descended from some of the earliest Greenlanders - all to confront the ghosts, spirits and monsters that shape modern Greenland as it is today.

For more, including links to the things we talked about, and the places we visited, plus a full transcript, visit: https://www.frequencymachine.com/passport

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

| NO PIZZO, NO PROBLEM |

Palermo has the distinction of being the most conquered city in Europe. It’s been invaded, beaten up, and bashed about for two millennia. But all this foreign influence gave Sicily one great gift: truly spectacular food. Pastas, cannolis, pizza, biscotti, rice and fish and meat dishes, all layered with flavors brought from around the world. But Sicily’s modern enemy hasn’t inspired culinary greatness - maybe because this threat is entirely home-grown: La Cosa Nostra. The Sicilian Mafia. 

Outside Italy, the Mafia conjures images of Scorsese and Coppola films - of criminals that operate under a strict code of honor. Wise guys who love their mothers. There’s an allure, a sort of glamour. The truth for those who have lived under the thumb of the Mafia is much darker and bloodier.  

But now, on this island that is a melting pot of cultures and flavors, a grassroots movement is rising. 

This week on Passport, we head to Palermo to meet a group of brave foodies, chefs, and activists who have decided to stand up and fight back. And to take on La Cosa Nostra the community is utilizing something the Sicilians pride above everything else. Some of the most amazing food anywhere on earth.

For more, including links to the things we talked about, and the places we visited, plus a full transcript, visit: https://wwwfrequencymachine.com/passport

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.