Cook Maarten
@maartenbrands.bsky.social
š¤ 202
š„ 175
š 1102
Founder Cook and Becker. Games, Art, Literature, Film, Politics, Memes.
I finally aged into āCurtains for Zoosha?ā None of this has any meaning to me.
add a skeleton here at some point
about 8 hours ago
0
0
0
X is better at spreading hate and misinformation than Bsky, but also better at spreading non-US news. Which is why I dip in and out of it still.
about 8 hours ago
0
0
0
Lego Pikachu looks dumb.
1 day ago
0
0
0
Greenland should rename itself to Epstein Island so Trump will leave it alone.
1 day ago
0
0
0
Ah, Monday morning. When you start your internet search with "best hedge against USD collapse"
1 day ago
0
0
0
reposted by
Cook Maarten
Unusual Whales
3 days ago
BREAKING: The UK Government is working with Canada and Australia to launch a coordinated ban on X, per the Telegraph
666
18903
4054
āI wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo. "So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.ā
3 days ago
0
1
0
(Dutch) Eens - zoals wel vaker - met Caroline de Gruyter.
www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2026/...
loading . . .
Column | Stuur Europese troepen naar Groenland
Het moment is gekomen waarop Europa moet laten zien dat het bereid is zijn grondgebied te verdedigen. De Europese respons op Donald Trumps claim op Groenland kan er maar ƩƩn zijn: troepen sturen, late...
https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2026/01/09/stuur-europese-troepen-naar-groenland-a4917262
3 days ago
0
0
0
It's to our shame that Europe has allowed itself to become so fragile that we (feel) that we can't support the forces for good in the USA. But the second best time to correct course is now. So build!
3 days ago
0
0
0
reposted by
Cook Maarten
De Leeuw Kyiv
3 days ago
This is literally at the beginning of our street, 4 flats away from us. Luckily we are not in Kyiv now. A few minutes later, a double tap attack happened, which killed a rescue worker. š” Just outrageous!
#RussiaIsATerroristState
loading . . .
0
5
4
Regarding the situation in Iran, it's crickets on Bsky. X is awash in it.
3 days ago
1
1
0
Headlines with a ? always suppose a no or a negative. So yes, bad for users obviously.
add a skeleton here at some point
4 days ago
0
0
0
Ubisoft stock has some serious upward potential. They're one of the first big publishers that had to clean house in the last couple of years, and have a good track record of long-tailing initially underperforming releases.
4 days ago
0
0
0
"For Europe, growth is existential. It is the precondition for every other political goal we may have, including our very survival."
constitutionofinnovation.eu
loading . . .
The Constitution of Innovation: A New European Renaissance
An academic paper examining Europe's innovation challenges and proposing a constitutional framework for economic renaissance.
https://constitutionofinnovation.eu/
4 days ago
0
0
0
Splitgate was one of those games that didn't need a sequel. It was already as good (and it was great) as it was going to be. Chess doesn't need a sequel. Then VC money knocked - gasoline on the fire - but that can as easily start a wildfire as propel you forward because now your game...
5 days ago
1
2
0
I stopped watching films and TV shows a while ago that depict US law enforcement or politicians as capable or heroic. We're one season away of Emily in Paris getting spat in the face and booed.
5 days ago
0
0
0
reposted by
Cook Maarten
Jacob Bogage
6 days ago
NATO has invoked Article 5, the common defense tenet of the alliance, one time: When the United States was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001.
add a skeleton here at some point
4
192
52
Ah, yes "giving"
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
loading . . .
Venezuela to Give U.S. Up to 50 Million Barrels of Oil, Trump Says
The figure would represent a significant amount of all the oil the country produces annually.
https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/venezuela-to-give-u-s-up-to-50-million-barrels-of-oil-trump-says-c964eb48?mod=hp_lead_pos2
6 days ago
0
2
0
This mirrors the big tents in other entertainment like Avatar, Stranger Things, Football, Taylor Swift. People like social experiences the most. Experiences you can share with others, play with others.
add a skeleton here at some point
6 days ago
1
0
0
Reality has a strange, Covid-era-like vibe now that we know that the US is 100% going to annex Greenland, or make it a vasal state soon. If you run through all scenario's, only the EU threatening something that would cause a global financial meltdown could postpone it. For now.
7 days ago
1
0
0
Every time I see a Vampire Hunter D still, I'm like "want to see that" but can't find it available for streaming on any of the major platforms.
7 days ago
0
0
0
It takes less than 24 hours for cowards to start selling wrong as right.
7 days ago
0
0
0
European creators: don't use Substack but use a European alternative like Steady.
8 days ago
0
3
1
I could see the US annexing Greenland to destabilize Europe.
8 days ago
0
0
0
reposted by
Cook Maarten
For the new year I wish that every European is radicalized into building Europe into a bastion of freedom, civil liberty and prosperity for all.
13 days ago
0
0
1
reposted by
Cook Maarten
If only the USA rebranding their Department of Defense to Department of War would have signaled something to us!
9 days ago
0
1
1
Ten headlines on the front page about the US's action in Venezuela but nothing about the illegitimacy of it... Until six months ago, I thought
@wsj.com
was a relatively neutral newspaper for the unbothered wealthy, but going by their op-eds now, that does no longer seem to be the case.
www.wsj.com
loading . . .
The Wall Street Journal - Breaking News, Business, Financial & Economic News, World News and Video
Breaking news and analysis from the U.S. and around the world at WSJ.com. Politics, Economics, Markets, Life & Arts, and in-depth reporting.
https://www.wsj.com/
8 days ago
0
0
0
reposted by
Cook Maarten
Cohen is a Ghost
10 days ago
Could an empire in decline do THIS? *launches deeply unpopular invasion cementing status as lunatic-led pariah state, its not clear what kind of move i was trying to do*
25
6644
1443
If only the USA rebranding their Department of Defense to Department of War would have signaled something to us!
9 days ago
0
1
1
reposted by
Cook Maarten
Mujtaba Rahman
10 days ago
Trump's audacious and probably illegal capture of a Venezuelan leader of doubtful legality suggests he believes he has the right to intervene, i.e. grab what he wants, anywhere in the western hemisphere. Europe, already worried by Trump's Greenland rhetoric, has been warned
37
435
121
reposted by
Cook Maarten
James Ball
10 days ago
Marco Rubio is reportedly saying Maduro will stand trial in US courts. Which means itās now the US administrationās position that US courts can hold foreign presidents, but not the US president, accountable for crimes.
1575
59963
21556
reposted by
Cook Maarten
Michael Kagan
10 days ago
I feel like I havenāt even been properly lied to about the purposes of this war
204
22445
4930
It's almost as if the FIFA Peace Prize didn't mean anything!
10 days ago
0
3
0
Good new. France is also moving towards a social media ban for under 15-year olds. Our completely inept politicians are still happy to let our children's lives and our democracies be completely ruined.
11 days ago
0
0
0
reposted by
Cook Maarten
Gesine Weber
11 days ago
Also something I see in all my private conversations. Though I would add that threat perceptions in the political elites in Paris, London, and Berlin have significantly changed - just not among the publics.
www.economist.com/europe/2025/...
loading . . .
Europeās generals are warning people to prepare for war
But western European societies are in denial
https://www.economist.com/europe/2025/12/30/europes-generals-are-warning-people-to-prepare-for-war
2
22
17
For the new year I wish that every European is radicalized into building Europe into a bastion of freedom, civil liberty and prosperity for all.
13 days ago
0
0
1
reposted by
Cook Maarten
Max Boot
15 days ago
Donāt mistake progress in stopping a U.S. sellout of Ukraine with progress in ending the war. The conflict will end only when Putin is convinced that he canāt achieve his military objectives. Until that point is reached, peace negotiations arenāt going anywhere.
wapo.st/3N5e24y
loading . . .
Opinion | Trump and Zelensky talk peace while Putin wages war
Ukraine peace wonāt come until the Russian dictator realizes he canāt win militarily.
https://wapo.st/3N5e24y
3
169
63
Years of overusing the labels 'fascist' or 'extreme right' has dulled peopleās sensitivity to the term now that they are facing real fascist threats. Another win for the outrage machine: seducing people into perpetually using top-shelf language, rendering warnings ineffective.
16 days ago
0
0
0
In popular fiction, certain books hold tremendous power, while watching certain videos usually dooms you.
add a skeleton here at some point
16 days ago
0
1
0
Eindeloos frusterend dat de Nederlandse staatsomroep niet eens een live-blog over OekraĆÆne heeft, en dat je naar de Duitsers moet uitwijken. Wat een onverantwoordelijk schertslandje zijn we toch op geopolitiekgebied. Als we toch niet in de EU hadden gezeten.
www.faz.net/aktuell/poli...
loading . . .
Ukraine-Liveticker: Darum geht es beim Trump-Selenskyj-Treffen | FAZ
Putin droht mit der Fortsetzung des Krieges +++ Europäische Verbündete stärken Selenskyj vor Treffen mit Trump den Rücken +++ Russischer Angriff auf Kiew mit 400 Drohnen und 50 Raketen +++ alle Neuig...
https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/ukraine/ukraine-liveticker-darum-geht-es-beim-trump-selenskyj-treffen-faz-110683325.html
16 days ago
0
0
0
If you look up "melodrama" in the encyclopedia it just shows a picture of Clair Obscur. That tone is so suited to the genre, it basically defines it. Maybe because the difference between pre-apocalypse (JRPGs) and post-apocalypse (Western RPGs) settings, is a remaining element of hope and joy.
17 days ago
0
0
0
reposted by
Cook Maarten
å°ē¾½ę£
18 days ago
0
48
9
My thoughts are with the people of Ukraine. If only we had a fraction of their resolve and determination. An inspiration to the world.
18 days ago
0
0
0
The guy just invented prayer.
add a skeleton here at some point
18 days ago
0
0
0
Merry Christmas, and may the Light come into your life. 'Nativity with Saint Francis and Saint Lawrence'. What an interesting painting by Caravaggio. Painted by a murderer, stolen by the mafia (lost to this day), and available as a cheap knock-off on Etsy. A fitting backstory...
19 days ago
1
1
0
reposted by
Cook Maarten
Tuffy
20 days ago
Iāll just note that the US didnāt do this to China, which outright bans US social media websites
add a skeleton here at some point
45
1908
646
When you start to read 'creative financing' is when you need to start buying seeds and ammo.
www.ft.com/content/0ae9...
loading . . .
Tech groups shift $120bn of AI data centre debt off balance sheets
Creative financing helps insulate Big Tech while binding Wall Street to a future boom or bust
https://www.ft.com/content/0ae9d6cd-6b94-4e22-a559-f047734bef83
20 days ago
0
2
0
If only a fraction of the money spent on artificial intelligence was spent on natural intelligence - people and animals - that utopian future could actually become real.
20 days ago
0
2
0
reposted by
Cook Maarten
Alexander Clarkson
23 days ago
Europeans should not get sucked into "America is back" complacency if Trump loses control of Congress in 2026 and MAGA Republicans are defeated in a 2028. In peacetime conditions it will take more than half a decade for future US governments to repair Trump's damage inflicted on US state capacity
add a skeleton here at some point
14
127
39
This is a great essay on/analysis of 'Wake Up Dead Man', a film I did not expect to be meaningful the way it is. Via
@wilcodelange.bsky.social
reactormag.com/entirely-too...
loading . . .
Entirely Too Many Thoughts About Wake Up Dead Man - Reactor
Digging in to the nuances of religion, faith, and grace tucked inside the latest Benoit Blanc mystery
https://reactormag.com/entirely-too-many-thoughts-about-wake-up-dead-man/
23 days ago
1
1
0
Load more
feeds!
log in