Hot Linkjes for April 27
A drug kingpin on the run, big darts news, and how to say "Melbourne" in Dutch
🔥 Hot Linkjes
Society
In a new book, Ondernemers in het Wild, Dutch investigative journalist Olivier van Beemen accuses Prince Harry’s African conservation charity of torture. In 2022, Benin held Van Beeman on suspicion of espionage for four days, then deported him. (Newsweek)
The Department of War
I came across the chart above after the U.S. approved $95 billion in aid last week. Note how relatively high up the Netherlands is on the list.
Business
ASML has a new CEO, and geopolitical maneuvering will be part of his job. (Politico)
Flower farmers are being urged to stop using pesticides due to concerns about neurological disorders. The NL exported €1bn worth of bulbs in 2022. (Guardian)
Arts & Books
Revolusi: Indonesia and the Birth of the Modern World, a new book by David Van Reybrouck, covers the brutality of Dutch colonizers Indonesia. (The Atlantic)
Tech & Health
Google will invest €600m to build its third data center in Groningen. (TechZine)
Dutch researchers found that left handedness is more likely the result of random chemical fluctuations than genetics, as previously thought. (NPR)
Environmental groups are suing the government over “forever chemicals.” (Barron’s)
New research shows the NL is rapidly losing insect-pollinated plants. (Forbes)
Sport
Raymond van Barneveld, one of the best darts players in history and a 57 year-old former mailman from the Hague, has returned to the game. (France24)
And Marcel Hirscher, one of the best ski racers in history, is switching countries from Austria to the NL after five years in retirement to compete in the World Cup. It’s a big get for a country with, as you know, no mountains. (AP News)
Max Verstappen won the Chinese Grand Prix. (AP News)
Crime
Spain accidentally released the Dutch drug kingpin who once wanted to assassinate Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Princess Amalia. Pretty ugly turn of events after last week’s Spanish royal state visit in the NL. (BBC)
🥳 Leuke Dingetjes
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A new single from Iris Jean
This 21 year old from Alkmaar blew up on TikTok last year with her cover of “Those Eyes.” She performed at the prestigious SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas, last month.
📺 Kijk/Lees/Luister List
What I enjoyed watching, reading, and listening to this week.
TV / Movies
I rewatched Stillwater (2021), one of my favorite films and an overlooked gem. Matt Damon plays the misguided Oklahoma roughneck father of young woman imprisoned in Marseille for the murder of her roommate (the story is very loosely based on the Amanda Knox situation). Damon and Camille Cottin give knockout performances, the murder mystery keeps the plot moving, the European vibes are strong, and in the end it all coalesces into perfect tragedy.
Along the same American-in-Europe theme, I laughed very hard many times watching The Guard (2011), a hilarious comedy about an Irish cop and American FBI agent working together to bust a drug ring in Galway. The way Americans are mocked for their Americanness is just perfect.
I’m also like five eps into season 10 of Married at First Sight Australia. It’s SO much more dramatic and ridiculous than the Dutch version. Everyone has much whiter teeth.
Music / Podcasts
I hesitated to listen fourth season of Serial, a history of the American prison at Guantánamo Bay, because it sounded so grim. But I’m glad I gave in—it’s audio storytelling at its finest, particularly episode 2.
Articles / Books
“That Viral Essay Wasn’t About Age Gaps. It Was About Marrying Rich.” by Jill Filipovic in Slate.
“Melania Trump Reappears, in Black” by Vanessa Friedman in the New York Times