The Balkan Route

The final report on the refugee trail, describing how they travel from Athens to Germany.

Music: Crossroad Metamorphosis and Super FM Dub by Hayvanlar Alemi.

Donate

Photos by Camilla Q. Madsen

Walking from the Greek border to Gevgelija, Macedonia.

Gevgelija, Macedonia.

A Syrian with two babies, near Gevgelija.

Check point at the transit camp on the Serbia/Croatia. Slavonski Brod, Croatia. We were allowed to photograph the refugees but not talk to them.

Slavonski Brod, Croatia

Slavonski Brod transit camp, Croatia.

Transit camp at Sentilj, Slovenia.

Waiting to cross into Austria from the transit camp in Sentilj, Slovenia.

A team of medics from Norway at the Sentilj transit camp.

Inside the tent at the transit camp in Passau, Germany.

Passau, Germany

Afghan volunteers at the transit camp in Passau, Germany.

On the Ferry from Lesbos to Athens

Donate

Photos by Camilla Q. Madsen

Donate

On the Isle of Lesbos

Interviews with refugees as they arrive on the beach, having crossed the Aegean Sea in rubber rafts.

Donate

Photos by Camilla Q. Madsen

Newlyweds. They left Afghanistan after her family tried to force her to marry another man.

When the boats reach the shore, children are lifted out first by volunteers. This girl is crying for her mother who is still in the boat.

Children are wrapped in space blankets when they reach Lesbos because they are wet and cold from crossing the sea.

Volunteers and journalists waiting for the boats to arrive. Some volunteers swim out to meet the boats.

The volunteers create two lines and help each refugee out of the boat. Most of the people in the boat are  Hazara from Afghanistan 

Little boy sitting on his life jacket next to his float and getting warm after reaching the shoreline a few minutes earlier.

Mother and son resting after crossing the Aegean sea. The Turkish shore is in the background, six miles from the shore of Lesbos.

Donate

On the Border of Greece and Macedonia

Four days ago, the European Union decided to allow only refugees from Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan into Northern Europe, stranding thousands of people at the Idomeni transit camp on the border of Greece and Macedonia. This report is from the Idomeni camp, where a variety of protests are ongoing by Iranians, Pakistanis, Moroccans, and Somalis who say they'd rather die than be sent home.

Donate

Photos by Camilla Q. Madsen

Macedonian police blocking the border. The rail track goes from Greece to Macedonia. 

Men from Pakistan and Bangladesh are protesting and asking why they are not being let through to Macedonia: "We wouldn't have come here if we didn't have problems at home," a man from Bangladesh says (right).  

Moroccan men protesting the border control. The protesters have made a coffin with the name Achraf. He is one of two men (allegedly) killed by Serbian Police two days ago while illegally crossing the border to Croatia at night.   

Iranian men sewed their mouths shut to protest against the border controls of the Balkan Route. 

Military and police from Greece and Macedonia guard the border.

People have been putting up tents along the train tracks.

Young Moroccan man lying motionless on the ground. After a while, the Red Cross came and carried him out. Many of the people are afraid the border will open any minute. Therefore, they don't go to the camp area to eat and drink, causing some to faint from dehydration.

Donate

The Refugee Trail

Timothy John Hinman of Third Ear invited me to speak about podcasting at the Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival on November 9th, and I was supposed to return home today, November 14th. But instead of going home I've decided to rent a car and drive south, following the refugee trail (backwards) to the Greek island of Lesbos.  The refugees I've spoken with here in Copenhagen have told me amazing stories and I feel an obligation to record as many as I can. So I'm going to drive south through Europe, finding refugees moving north and ask them: "Why did you leave home? Where are you going? What has happened along the way?"  I should be able to get the story produced and posted by the end of November.

Your donations will be very much appreciated.

Donate

Refugees at Central Station in Copenhagen, Denmark, November 13, 2015.

Refugees getting information from a volunteer at Central Station in Copenhagen, November 13, 2015. 

Two refugees being escorted off the train in Malmo, Sweden.

Donate

The Death of Ruth Tuck: A Docu/Drama

A story for Halloween from the archives (1986). I wanted to make a documentary about how our culture deals with death and dying, but then decided it would be better to do it as a docu/drama, with some actors and some "real" people. My friend Ken Larsen wrote and directed the dramatic parts. I interviewed doctors, morticians, grave diggers, etc. The main character, Ruth Tuck, is completely fictional.

 

Trump Supporters

Donald Trump is in the news a lot, but we don't hear much from his supporters. I figured Nevada was a good place to find some.

Music by Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes,  Bugs Buny's Greatest Hits; Iceburn, In the Desert.

Donate

The West Desert

A story (produced in 1989) about the Great Salt Lake Desert.

Music by Pauline Oliveros, Lear from the album "Deep Listening"; Neil Young, Married Man from "Neil Young and the Bluenotes".

Donate

Donate

A Tour of Burned Churches, Parts 1-4 (website version)

Part One of a tour of churches that burned in the ten days following the shootings at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina.

Music by Gentry Densley

Donate

God's Power Church of Christ, Macon, Georgia. July, 2015.

The second stop on a tour of churches in the South that burned following the Charleston massacre on June 17, 2015.

Music by Gentry Densley

Donate

This is where the church used to be.  The burned remains had been cleared away, leaving only the sign. Greeleyville, SC, July 2015.

Part three, in Greeleyville, S.C., where the cause of the fire was determined to be a lightning strike.

Music by Gentry Densley

Donate

The church burned down and was cleared away. Warrenville, SC, July, 2015.

The final episode, in Warrenville, SC, where whites and Blacks may or may not get along.

Music by Gentry Densley

Donate

Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, July, 2015.

A board with signatures outside the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC, July, 2015.

A Tour of Burned Churches, Part Four: Warrenville, SC (fixed)

The final episode, in Warrenville, SC, where whites and Blacks may or may not get along.

Music by Gentry Densley

Donate

A Tour of Burned Churches, Part Three: Greeleyville, SC

Part three, in Greeleyville, S.C., where the cause of the fire was determined to be a lightning strike.

Music by Gentry Densley

Donate

A Tour of Burned Churches, Part Two: Macon

The second stop on a tour of churches in the South that burned following the Charleston massacre on June 17, 2015.

Music by Gentry Densley

Donate

Outside Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC.

A Tour of Burned Churches, Part one: Knoxville

Part One of a tour of churches that burned in the ten days following the shootings at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina.

Music by Gentry Densley

Donate

Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina

An Introduction to Charles Bowden

Writer Charles Bowden talks to writer and independent radio producer Scott Carrier about writing.

Charles Bowden died a year ago, on August 30, 2014.  He was my friend and mentor. I miss him a lot.

Order Bowden's books here.

Eva Cassidy, Imagine

Donate

Working for the Friendly Man

This story was originally produced by Alix Spiegel and Ira Glass  for This American Life in 1996.

Donate

The Nelson Atkins Museum in Kansas City, where I slept on the lawn without police interference. 

The Cooking Show

A cooking adventure in Milo's kitchen in San Francisco.

Music at the end by Artie Shaw, Moonlow.

Recipe below

Donate

The beets on salt, stock simmering.

Marshmallowed dates

Milo's Moroccan Chicken

Putting the food on the table.

Donate

 

Almost Moroccan Chicken

For these recipes-

All the salt is kosher, all the spices are whole, all the herbs are fresh, all the vegetables are highest quality best available, and none of the quantities are quite accurate, but they are probably at least close.  And I think it is fair to use the word Moroccan because it sounded appealing and made sense to me at the time, but I know that the label only loosely fits this food.  It was more like a feeling than a theme, and I think it is important with cooking to do what you feel.  So to give it a name I would say it sounds like something in the style of what I think they might eat in Morocco, but it was more about what we found at the store that day and what I had in my pantry than anything else.

 

For the Chicken 

Buy the most expensive chicken you can find.

Remove the bird from the packaging, rinse under cool water and pat dry

Remove the Breasts and thighs of this high quality, thoughtfully raised and procured poultry item

Remove Thigh Bones, Leg Bones, and the Wing Tips.  Use the bones and skin and parts left over for the stock you will make.  I feel it is better to chop the bones into smaller pieces before proceeding, it will allow the broth to be completed in a more reasonable amount of time

Put the amount of chicken you want to eat in a large ziploc bag and pour over about a pint of marinade, making sure everything is evenly coated in this nice marinade.  Let sit for at least 1 hour, but probably even for as many as 4 hours.

 

For the Marinade

1 ea Large Yellow Tomato, diced up

1 ea Garlic Clove

3 ea Medjool dates, pitted

1 ea Preserved Lemon, cleaned and rinsed

1 T Fresh Tumeric, peeled and chopped

2 T Fresh Ginger, peeled and chopped

1 ea Fresh Lemon, zest and juice

1 T Good Quality Honey

1 T Apple Cider Vinegar

1 ea Habanero Chili Pepper

1 T Fennel Seed, toasted

1 T Mustard Seed, toasted

1 t Coriander, toasted

1 t Cumin, toasted

1 t White Peppercorns

2 T Aleppo Pepper

1 T Sumac Powder

Salt, to taste

 

-Puree in a blender until basically smooth

 

 

For the Corn-Chicken-Tomatoes Broth

1 ea Chicken Carcass, chopped up

2 ea Corn Cobs

2 ea Garlic Cloves

1 ea Celery Stalk

1 ea Large Yellow Tomato, chopped in pieces

1 ea Kombu, rinsed

1 ea Bay Leaf

Fennel Seed, toasted

Thyme

Parsley

Basil

Mint

 

-Place everything in a pot and cover with cold water.  Simmer for at least 2 hours, strain through fine mesh sieve. Reserve all the stock

 

For the Beets

1 dz Small Gold Beets, rinsed, stems removed

1 pt Kosher or Salt

Some Pink Peppercorns, Cumin, Mustard Seeds, Ceylon Cinnamon
 

-Bury the spices in a 1" thick bed of kosher salt in a roasting pan.  Place beets in the salt and roast at 350 for about an hour, or until they are done.  Peel beets when they are hot and discard salt and spices. Reserve beets for the braise

 

For the Dates

Dates are amazing.  They are pure energy.

12 ea Medjool Dates (or at least 1.5x the number of dates as people you are serving)

salt, pepper

Place dates on a roasting pan under a very hot broiler, until the skin peels away and the dates become very dark and caramelized, the flesh will sizzle and they will smell like burnt marshmallow. Season with salt and pepper

 

For the Braise

1 pt Chickpeas, drained of all liquid

1 ea Large Yellow Onion, Sliced

1 ea Large Fennel Bulb, Sliced

1 ea Garlic Clove, Sliced thinly

1 pt Chicken Marinade, the one from before

1 C Corn Chicken Tomato Broth

All of the marinated chicken from before

1 dz Roasted Gold beets, sliced in half

6 ea Medjool dates, pitted and caramelized

The correct amount of salt

About one inch of Ceylon Cinnamon 

3 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Juice of 1 Lemon

1 t Aleppo Pepper

 

-In a largely sized pan, heat the extra virgin olive oil until it is extremely hot.  Very very hot.  Carefully throw in the chickpeas and stand away from stove while the chickpeas caramelize on one side.  Once the chickpeas have gained a nice golden brown toast, turn down the heat and add onion, fennel, and garlic over the top of the chickpeas and stir. Sweat aromatics over medium heat until just tender.  Add the roasted gold beets to the pan and arrange everything in an even, thin layer. Place marinated chicken, skin side up, on top of this nice even layer, just nestled in the vegetables, and pour the rest marinade and the chicken broth over everything. Place in the oven, uncovered, at 350 degrees, for about 1 hour, until the chicken is fully cooked and the braising liquid has reduced and thickened slightly.  Remove from the oven, nestle the caramelized dates in the braising liquid, drizzle the entire dish with olive oil, lemon juice, and a sprinkle of Aleppo Pepper.

 

For the Beans

1 pt Fresh Shelling Beans, peeled and rinsed

3 qt Corn Chicken Tomato Broth

1 ea Sachet of Aromatics (bay, thyme, garlic, coriander, lemon peel)

 

-Simmer fresh shelling beans until tender throughout but still intact.  Remove from heat and add a generous amount of salt to the cooking liquid.  Let cool.

 

For the Nutritional Yeasted Popcorn

1 T Vegetable Oil

1/2 C White Popping Corn

1 t Salt

1/4 C Nutritional Yeast

1 pinch Cayenne Pepper

 

-In a medium sauce pan with a tightly fitting lid, heat oil over high heat until it shimmers. Add popcorn kernels and salt, gently swirl the pan until the corn begins to pop, at which point you should put the lid on and continue to agitate the pot until the popping noises have stopped.  Remove from heat, add all of the nutritional yeast and the cayenne pepper, tossing the popcorn to coat.  Let cool, or don't.

 

For the 'Succotash'

1 pt Small Shisito Peppers, rinsed, stems removed

1 pt Sweet White Corn, kernels only

1 pt Nutritional Yeasted Popcorn

1 pt Cooked Shelling Beans

1 pt Shelling Bean cooking liquid

1 T Parsley, finely Chopped

1 T Mint, finely Chopped

1 t Thyme, finely chopped

1/2 t Coriander, toasted then ground

1 ea Lemon, zest only
1 T Toasted White Sesame Seeds

Some nice Extra Virgin Olive Oil

 

-Have everything on this list ready to go before you start assembling this dish, it is important that it is all hot and served promptly, and so it is best to work quickly at this point.

Toss shisito peppers in a small amount of vegetable oil and the right amount of salt, and then roast them in a very hot oven until the skins have blistered, remove from oven and pour into a bowl.  Place Sweet Corn Kernels in the same pan and place back in the oven until just hot.  Remove from the oven and place in the same bowl as the peppers for the time being.  

Reduce the bean cooking liquid, which is the chicken stock we made earlier that we then cooked the shelling beans in, by about 50%.  Add shelling beans and pop corn, cook just until the beans are hot and the popcorn has dissolved in the liquid just to thicken it.  Add chopped herbs and lemon zest and coriander about half of the sesame seeds and stir it up.  Place in a serving dish and top with the still hot corn and shisito peppers, as well as the remaining toasted White Sesame Seeds and a reasonable amount of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  Serve it to people.

 

 

For the Rice

1 C Basmati Rice

1.5 C Chicken Corn Tomato Broth

1 C Yellow Onion, finely diced

1 ea Garlic Clove, minced

2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 ea Bay Leaf

Salt and White Pepper

A handful of fresh mint and basil

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Maldon Salt

 

In a medium sauce pan over medium high heat, sweat onion and garlic until fully tender.  Add rice and stir until the rice is very hot and aromatic.  Add measured Corn Broth and stir until the liquid boils.  Season with salt and white pepper, place the bay leaf in the pot, put the lid on the pot, and place the pot in the 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.  Remove from the oven and lightly fluff the rice.  Place the fresh mint and basil on top of the rice and cover with the lid, let sit an additional 20 minutes. Remove herbs before serving. Drizzle with olive oil and maldon salt, place in a nice dish and feed people.

 

For the Salad

1 ea Very Large Yellow Heirloom Tomato, diced into 1 inch chunks

1 pt  Arugula, Spicy, fresh, green, rinsed and dried

1 C Mint Leaves, picked and washed

1 C Parsley Leaves, picked and washed

1/2 C Cilantro Leaves, picked and washed

1/2 C Basil Leaves, picked, washed, and torn into smaller pieces

1 C Toasted Cashews, chopped up

1 T Black Poppy Seeds, Toasted

1 T Sumac, Ground

1/4 C Lemon Juice

1 T White Wine Vinegar

1 ea Lime, zest+Juice

1 t Fresh Tumeric, peeled and grated

1/2 C Extra Virgin Olive OIl

 

Cut up tomato, dress appropriately in Olive oil, lemon juice, lime juice+zest, salt, pepper, and grated Turmeric.  Let sit in dressing for about 20 minutes at room temperature.

Place tomatoes in a single layer on a large plate.  Sprinkle over, in a nice fashion, in this order, the cashews, the herbs, the arugula, the poppy seeds, the dressing juices from the tomatoes, the poppy seeds, the sumac.  Season with Maldon Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper. Place on table with a big spoon.