@bnetherlands
A writer and photographer from Oregon who lives in the Netherlands. Posts range from serious news to haiku movie reviews and random photos of Dutch stuff. Someday I'll fix the cowboy banner. Someday...
Near Emes was a row of cheeky tombstones. Check these out.
As for the life times and of Daniel St. John Smith, the "international man of mystery"? I wish I could tell you more, but a quick Google search turned up little. I guess he's destined to spend eternity as exactly that, a man of mystery.
Also stumbled upon the grave of Ian Emes, an animator best known for contributing animated sequences for Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon tour in the '70s.
Regardless, I was surprised to see the tombstone of Sex Pistols founder Malcolm McLaren already leaning. He died in 2010.
Gotta love that epitaph.
Much of Highgate is now basically considered a nature reserve and is arguably neglected. So many graves are leaning or have fallen.
The grave of bare-knuckle boxer Tom Sayers has a stone statue of his beloved dog, Lion, said to be the "chief mourner" at his funeral in the 1860s.
The grave of Douglas Adams is simple as well, but adorned with tributes from fans, some of them featuring the number 42. I left behind a Bic pen. I mainlined the Hitchhiker's Guide series in middle school and read through it at least twice.
George Michael has a simple, solemn grave beside his mother and sister featuring his birth name. His family has asked that it remain untouched, so any flowers or other stuff left behind by fans are quickly removed.
Communists and socialists still visit Karl Marx's tomb. A group of them asked me to take their photo with their fists in the air and I obliged. This corner of the cemetery is where like-minded others are buried.
And now a thread about London's Highgate Cemetery, the final resting place of George Michael, Douglas Adams, Ian Holm, and Karl Marx.
We visited the cemetery on Saturday despite the cool and drizzly weather.
Here's Holm's grave, which has a great bust.
#cemetery #London
Movie Review Haiku # 27
EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert
Best enjoyed with fans
who sing along, dance, and flash
finger guns mid tune
Grade: A-
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2s_d...
#MovieReviewHaiku #BlueSkymovies #Elvis π½οΈ Film
What do a bizarre Santa Claus jumper from China, a 43,000 year old clump of mammoth hair, and a former pannekoekenhuysje have in common?
You'll find the answer in this article I recently wrote for Dutch News.
#Leiden #museum #Netherlands
www.dutchnews.nl/2026/03/weav...
A random tribute to one of the best ever episodes of The Simpsons on a sign in the London Underground?
I approve.
#Simpsons #Tube #London
Yeah, the whole NYT paywall quagmire. I want to discuss their articles and the big stories of the day, but thereβs that whole thing.
Well, itβs not like the kids riding these things at top speeds are concerned with legal matters themselves.
βMr. Trump has displayed growing frustration over how the war is disrupting the oil supply, telling Fox News that oil tanker crews should βshow some gutsβ and sail through the Strait of Hormuz.β
You first, Mr. President. Letβs see you sail through that gauntlet.
www.nytimes.com/2026/03/10/u...
Amsterdamβs election debate focused on housing and scapegoats www.dutchnews.nl?p=264779
Movie Review Haiku # 26
SirΓ’t
World War 3 is a
bad time to go searching for
a missing daughter
Grade: B+
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ww-I...
#MovieReviewHaiku #BlueSkymovies #SirΓ’t π½οΈ Film
Almost 10,000 authors have come together to publish an empty book protesting the theft of books by tech companies to train AI models.
Titled Donβt Steal This Book, it is empty of text except the names of the authors involved.. π§΅
As we get closer to the municipal elections on 18 March, I took a look at how things are going up in Groningen for Dutch News. Needless to say, housing is one of the top concerns among voters in 'The Capital of the North.'
#Groningen #elections #Netherlands
www.dutchnews.nl/2026/03/loca...
can we at least bring back disco, guys in short shorts, moustaches, and actors with interestingly flawed faces and bodies
Good to see Word on the Water still going strong in London. Itβs a bookstore on a canal barge.
But not so good? Influencers/Instagramers/Etc there just to pose for photos while getting in the way of those of us trying to buy stuff.
#bookstore #London
As we get closer to the municipal elections on 18 March, I took a look at how things are going up in Groningen for Dutch News. Needless to say, housing is one of the top concerns among voters in 'The Capital of the North.'
#Groningen #elections #Netherlands
www.dutchnews.nl/2026/03/loca...
Just another normal morning where the President of the United States shares completely false claims from a conspiracy theory site. Iβve confirmed with election officials in Maricopa County that this is 100% BS.
International Womenβs Day: there is much to be done in NL www.dutchnews.nl?p=264656
Finally, hereβs the fab vending machines from Asteroid City (and the alien).
6/6
The amount of care and detail put into Andersonβs films are well documented, but it was nice to see the badges from Moonrise Kingdom, the puppets and miniatures from The Life Aquatic, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Isle of Dogs all up close.
5/6
Also great, a display devoted to random copies of The French Dispatch.
4/6
Should this one go up in the Louvre? Maybe.
3/6
The exhibit is also pretty immense with sections devoted to each of his films. Heβs saved tons of stuff and I especially enjoyed seeing paintings like βBoy With Appleβ and Murrayβs melancholy family portrait from Rushmore.
2/6
Wes Anderson: The Archives is a heckuva exhibit for fans of his films and/or anyone who appreciates lovingly created film props, costumes, etc.
Check out the model for The Grand Budapest Hotel. Great stuff.
Itβs currently on at the Design Museum in London.
1/6
#WesAnderson #museum