Latest news with #JulesVerne
France 24
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- France 24
Jules Verne: The 'Extraordinary Voyages' of a visionary French writer
France 12:14 Issued on: From the show This week we delve into the life of Jules Verne, one of the world's most widely translated writers. The French author's "Extraordinary Voyages" include "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea", "Around the World in Eighty Days" and "Journey to the Center of the Earth". They continue to inspire fans of adventure stories, 120 years after his death in 1905. Many consider Verne to be one of the founding fathers of science fiction, while others see him as a visionary. Those familiar with the man himself speak of a tireless worker, with an unparalleled gift for making his ideas accessible to all and, with the help of his publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel, a creator of imaginary worlds that are still part of the cultural landscape today. We discuss Verne's life and legacy with Jean Verne, his great-grandson; Céline Giton, author of "Jules Verne: an Extraordinary Animal Anthology"; Agnès Marcetteau-Paul, author of "The very curious Jules Verne"; and Pierre Stépanoff, director of the Maison Jules Verne in Amiens.
Hindustan Times
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
A silent reading group takes it to the next level
How did your love for reading develop? I've been an avid reader all my life. A teacher once told me that everyone is a reader – they just haven't found that one book that gets them hooked yet. For me, it was Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne. I remember picking it up randomly from our home library and finishing it during our train ride to Delhi. I must have been in the fifth or sixth grade. My parents wanted both their children to be readers, so we were fortunate to have access to many comics, children's books, and encyclopaedias. That's where my love for books began. How was 'Versova Reads' founded? The community was founded in February 2024. My brother, Ujjwal, helped out during the initial two months, but I've taken sole charge since then. I had just returned from Bangalore with a knee injury that severely restricted my movement and didn't have many like-minded friends around. One random Saturday, I limped my way to the park, and ended up reading there for hours. It was a wonderful experience – being lost in a book in a park, surrounded by the tranquillity of nature with the cool early morning February breeze. I remember excitedly telling my brother about the experience and asking if he knew of any community that did this. He suggested that I start one myself. Initially, I was very nervous and wondered if anyone would show up, but we're about 60 editions in now, and every edition, many have turned up. What do you like to read? What are you reading now and what do you wish to read next? I've realised that I enjoy dystopian science fiction as it challenges me to imagine a world that never existed, giving me space to get creative and get lost in these alternate realities. I'm currently reading Wool by Hugh Howey, the first book in the Silo Series (a three-part series). It's post-apocalyptic science fiction about a community living in a giant underground silo. It's fascinating to imagine a world 144 stories beneath the surface! I was previously reading The Giver by Lois Lowry, another favourite that I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys this genre. I have several books on my to-read list after I finish this series, including classics like The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, 1984 by George Orwell, and Japanese books translated into English like Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. Tell us about your relationship with reading. As a young adult, I enjoyed reading series like The Hunger Games, Divergent Trilogy, and tons of novels on Wattpad (it was just a phase!). In college, I focused on business books and biographies, particularly those about women in corporate – I aspired to be like them. After that, though, I lost touch with reading, 'Versova Reads' has helped me fall in love with books again. I'm proud to say I finished 12 books last year thanks to our consistent Sunday morning reading sessions. It's been a lovely and refreshing achievement compared to the hours of doom-scrolling I totalled in before. How has the reading group nourished you as a person? My experience is slightly more nuanced than being just a reader. Being the curator requires you to put yourself out there to interact with different people, and the biggest task, in my opinion, is making everyone feel welcomed. Though, looking at myself simply as a reader, being in a reading group has helped me stay extremely consistent throughout the year. It has given me space to make memories, laugh and cry while reading. It has allowed me to have thoughtful and introspective discussions and brought me closer to reading. It has helped me overcome my inhibitions about speaking publicly and helped me form clearer thoughts. How has the group informed your reading choices? After reading every Sunday, we stack our books and discuss what we've read. While this activity is voluntary, it helps everyone learn about different authors, genres, and books that exist beyond our knowledge. I've also read a few books that fellow readers have suggested. We've had organic book exchanges among readers, which has been a delightful experience. One reader in the group would only read poetry, and he motivated me to explore more poetry myself. Do you notice any trends in what's being read at present in the group? Conversations have revealed a trend toward reading books promoted on Instagram by book influencers (if that's the appropriate term). Apart from that, I've noticed a lot of Japanese fiction being picked up by readers of all age groups. How many meetings have you had so far? How many members does the group have? We've had 61 meetings so far, every Sunday morning at 9:30. I feel the need to mention that particular time because I truly believe getting up early on a Sunday morning is a commitment that must be acknowledged and appreciated. On average, we see about 10-12 readers on a given Sunday. However, for our 60th meeting, we had a large group of 21 readers, with a mix of regular readers and new faces. On Instagram, we have a small and growing community of 1050+ followers. Have the group's activities extended beyond silent reading? Yes, we have started playing board games after our reading sessions. Someone who was reading Just Play! by Vinita Siddhartha spoke about how the author believes in the importance of play and how deeply ingrained traditional games were in our culture. He mentioned how games serve as tools for community bonding and intergenerational interaction. That's when we decided to have at least one round of a game after reading. Setting up a library is rare among reading groups. How did it happen at 'Versova Reads'? One of our readers, Ram Parsani, had a very dear friend who was also an avid reader. After his sudden demise, the family was at a loss about what to do with his collection of books. Mr. Ram took these books under his care and tried to promote reading in his building society to keep his friend's memory alive. Unfortunately, it didn't take off as he had hoped. After attending a few sessions at 'Versova Reads', he spoke to me about this collection. That's when I thought of incorporating it as part of 'Versova Reads', giving our readers access to this lovely collection of books. Which genres appear in the library, and how many books are kept currently? The broad genre categories include a mix of classic literature, thriller/crime, romance, historical fiction, science fiction, biography/autobiography, self-help, and contemporary books. We currently have about 120 books in total. Where is the library housed at present, who can access it and what are the charges? The library is currently housed in a small cupboard in Rajdoot Society at Versova. It can be accessed after our reading sessions at the park from 11:30 AM to 11:45 AM every Sunday morning. The library is open to the entire community. We charge a nominal fee of ₹20 while issuing a book, which goes to the society manager for maintaining the space and keeping it clean. How did you get space for the library? When Mr Ram acquired the books from his friend's family, he wanted them to be accessible to everyone in his society. He spoke to the society secretary, who enjoys reading herself, and she was happy to allow a small cabinet near the society office to house the books. What are your wishes or aspirations for the collection? While, at the moment, there are many books and many people willing to donate, I hope that the 'Versova Reads' library becomes a fully functioning side project of the community where readers actively borrow books. There is a plethora of untold stories in that cupboard, and I wish more people would read and share these books in our discussions after reading. Suhit Bombaywala's factual and fictive writing appears in India and abroad. He tweets @suhitbombaywala.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Behold: the league where six teams could win the title on the final day
SOUTHBOUND AND UP The Premier League, Major League Baseball, The Human League, The National Football League, The League of Gentlemen, the Indian Premier League or your pick of Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea. Everyone has their own favourite league, despite what various excitable pundits and commentators would have you believe, but the thorny issue of deciding which is the best is entirely a matter of opinion and personal taste. While the National League South – comprising half the sixth tier of English football's pyramid – is unlikely to feature on too many shortlists, few can be more competitive. Going into the 46th and final round of games this season, no fewer than a quarter of its 24 teams can still be crowned champions on Saturday afternoon. Advertisement Fittingly for a division which, as its name suggests, is contested by teams from the meridional area of England and Wales, the most southern-based team are top of the table. Located in Cornwall, Truro City are in pole position but the Tinners are level on points with their bitter rivals and the league's next most southerly side, Torquay United, and only lead by a goal difference of +2. Truro welcome relegation-threatened St Albans, knowing victory will not be enough to win them the title if the Gulls go to Hemel Hempstead and win by three goals more. Interestingly, in three league and FA Trophy 'El Pastyco' derbies this season, the former big boys from Devon have had Truro's measure, but still look like they might miss out on promotion to the National League. 'Like the main characters in Withnail and I, they are going to win it by mistake,' declared Football Daily's in-no-way-bitter Torquay United-supporting standup comedian and broadcasting chum, Charlie Baker. 'I wish them well next season in the National League as they travel 450 miles each way to play Gateshead, Carlisle and Hartlepool on a Tuesday or Wednesday night in the middle of winter. My beloved Gulls are a revolutionised team and club, who this time last year were 24 hours away from being dissolved. To quote Harry Diamond, Rory McIlroy's caddie: 'We'd have taken this on Monday.'' But back to Saturday. Should Truro and Torquay fail to win, there are four different cabs gunning their engines on the rank ready to overtake them. Eastbourne Borough and Worthing are both a point behind the top two, but their inferior goal difference means both need to win to have any chance of the title. Behind them and three points behind the leaders, both Boreham Wood and Dorking Wanderers have significantly better goal differences and are therefore still in with a shout if everyone above fails to win. Working on the naive assumption that the National League's budget stretches to the rental of a helicopter to deliver the southern division's trophy to whichever ground it is needed at 5pm on Saturday, Football Daily wasted some time trying to figure out where best the chopper in question might spend the day waiting to take off. Several drawing pins, bits of red string and a large map later, we reckon somewhere bang in the middle of the Hemel Hempstead, Eastbourne Borough and Truro City triangle would maximise fuel efficiency, with the one-time Roman garrison town of Ilchester in Somerset more than fitting the bill on what promises to be a big day in the south. LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE Join Rob Smyth from 8pm BST for hot Premier League MBM coverage of, for all our desk counterparts' sakes at 10pm, Arsenal 2-0 Crystal Palace. QUOTE OF THE DAY 'Yes, we wanted it, but sometimes you are shouting against the wind and nobody hears you. I don't want to complain about fixtures but I think it's not the best choice from the Premier League' – Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner has got the funk on and definitely isn't complaining about fixtures after Aston Villa were given an extra day to prepare for their FA Cup semi-final, with the League turning down a request for both teams to play on the same night this midweek. FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS It seems to me there have been more articles/podcasts/opinion pieces (I'm looking at you) on how well/badly/why are they even bothering to come up on Leeds and Burnley in the past 24 hours than there have been on the late pope. Yes, of course next season will be a struggle but, as a Leeds fan, I'm looking forward to it. We get to hang out with the cool kids. We get to see our team on Match of the Day at a reasonable hour and not ITV4 at various different times depending on how long the snooker has over ran before it. And last, but by no means least, at least for one glorious season, we don't have to listen to Don Goodman on co-comms on Sky Sports. So please, a 24-hour moratorium on Leeds and Burnley's outlook would be gratefully accepted' – John Scannell. Re: 'In da club' (yesterday's Football Daily, full email edition). As an ex-pat, spare a thought for my local club, SM Caen, who were bought by Kylian Mbappé in July 2024 and a swift return to the top tier was highly anticipated. Alas, it was not to be. After sitting adrift at the bottom of Ligue 2 for most of the season, we have now been relegated to Ligue 3 for the first time since 1984. So to all my fellow fans of smaller clubs, I say this: beware mega-rich footballers approaching your boardroom' – Neil Carter. OK, I get it now. Ruben Amorim is obviously sandbagging. Usually I take any and every chance to have a dig at Manchester United, but it's all become so clear. He's a genius. He's seen the opportunity of finishing 17th without the possibility of relegation and he's going for it. Think about it: the only way to flip the narrative is to fully bottom out. To be absolutely dire. To make 11th place seem like a distant dream. This is by design. He knows the only way forward is to burn the house down, but he can't say that. It's footballing slash and burn. He will leave the centre-backs isolated. He will pick a flimsy, child-based midfield. He will select his most egotistical and selfish wingers. He will give Rasmus Højlund all the time he needs to overcome his shy, awkward phase in a safe space just outside the 18-yard box where nobody will bother him. Then, next season, the tide will turn. Progress will come to Old Trafford. The curse will be lifted and with hard work, seven or eight top, top signings and a lucrative pre-season tour of the USA USA USA under their belt, they will master the high-pressing 3-4-2-1 formation and go on to finish a strong 16th with a healthy positive goal difference. Bravo' – Jimmy O'Brien. Advertisement Send letters to Today's letter o' the day winner is … Neil Carter, who wins a copy of The Scouting Game, by Chris Robinson and courtesy of Pitch Publishing. Visit their bookshop here. Terms and conditions for our competitions can be viewed here. SITTING, WATCHING DOKU, OLÉ Yes, the Premier League still rumbles on. And yes, the only issue with anything riding on it is the race for Bigger Cup spots. But we can't let Manchester City's last-gasp 2-1 win over Aston Villa go by without a mention for Jérémy Doku's decisive assist, beating his man and then delivering a swoonsome low cross with the outside of his boot across the six-yard box for Matheus Nunes to turn home. 'I was so happy. I have to admit it,' cooed Pep Guardiola. 'If we win the next four games, [this] win will have been so important.' NEWS, BITS AND BOBS Durban City player Sinamandla Zondi has died after collapsing in the warm-up before their match against Milford in South Africa. 'Sinamandla was more than a talented footballer. He was a teammate, a friend, a brother, a son and an inspiration to all who knew him,' read a club statement. Advertisement Former Brazil and Flamengo coach Tite is taking an indefinite career break in order to take care of his mental and physical health. 'I realised that there are times when you have to understand that, as a human being, I can be vulnerable and admitting that will certainly make me stronger,' he said. Club World Cup nights … Channel 5 (in the UK). Everton have brought a new investor on board, with American billionaire Christopher Sarofim joining their ownership group. Marcus Rashford will decide his future no earlier than mid-June, with his preference being to leave Manchester United for a club in Bigger Cup … albeit not one in London. Advertisement Mikel Arteta won't rest Arsenal's players just because there's a Bigger Cup semi with PSG looming on the horizon. 'I think when the players are fit and they are available and they want to play, they have to play,' he cheered. And Barcelona are now seven points clear at the top of La Liga after edging past Mallorca 1-0 thanks to Dani Olmo's winner. STILL WANT MORE? Ben McAleer picks over the Premier League trio returning to the second tier and selects those who'll be top of this summer's shopping lists. The stardust at St Andrew's is shining on Birmingham, with Chris Davies's dominant side securing promotion and sights set on the Premier League. Ben Fisher catches up with the jubilant and ambitious Blues. Advertisement Louise Taylor looks at Leeds's return to the top flight and how they can be smart about their spending to avoid yo-yoing back down. And which managers have followed club legends with instant success? The Knowledge knows. MEMORY LANE The kits are playing tricks with our mind from this trip to Highbury in January 2003, when Farnborough Town were the 'home' team in their FA Cup fourth-round match against Arsenal. The non-leaguers had switched the tie to a money-spinning date in north London (worth around £500,000) and produced a battling display with 10 men for more than an hour, going out 5-1. TIMING, TIMING, TIMING
The Guardian
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Behold: the league where six teams could win the title on the final day
The Premier League, Major League Baseball, The Human League, The National Football League, The League of Gentlemen, the Indian Premier League or your pick of Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea. Everyone has their own favourite league, despite what various excitable pundits and commentators would have you believe, but the thorny issue of deciding which is the best is entirely a matter of opinion and personal taste. While the National League South – comprising half the sixth tier of English football's pyramid – is unlikely to feature on too many shortlists, few can be more competitive. Going into the 46th and final round of games this season, no fewer than a quarter of its 24 teams can still be crowned champions on Saturday afternoon. Fittingly for a division which, as its name suggests, is contested by teams from the meridional area of England and Wales, the most southern-based team are top of the table. Located in Cornwall, Truro City are in pole position but the Tinners are level on points with their bitter rivals and the league's next most southerly side, Torquay United, and only lead by a goal difference of +2. Truro welcome relegation-threatened St Albans, knowing victory will not be enough to win them the title if the Gulls go to Hemel Hempstead and win by three goals more. Interestingly, in three league and FA Trophy 'El Pastyco' derbies this season, the former big boys from Devon have had Truro's measure, but still look like they might miss out on promotion to the National League. 'Like the main characters in Withnail and I, they are going to win it by mistake,' declared Football Daily's in-no-way-bitter Torquay United-supporting standup comedian and broadcasting chum, Charlie Baker. 'I wish them well next season in the National League as they travel 450 miles each way to play Gateshead, Carlisle and Hartlepool on a Tuesday or Wednesday night in the middle of winter. My beloved Gulls are a revolutionised team and club, who this time last year were 24 hours away from being dissolved. To quote Harry Diamond, Rory McIlroy's caddie: 'We'd have taken this on Monday.'' But back to Saturday. Should Truro and Torquay fail to win, there are four different cabs gunning their engines on the rank ready to overtake them. Eastbourne Borough and Worthing are both a point behind the top two, but their inferior goal difference means both need to win to have any chance of the title. Behind them and three points behind the leaders, both Boreham Wood and Dorking Wanderers have significantly better goal differences and are therefore still in with a shout if everyone above fails to win. Working on the naive assumption that the National League's budget stretches to the rental of a helicopter to deliver the southern division's trophy to whichever ground it is needed at 5pm on Saturday, Football Daily wasted some time trying to figure out where best the chopper in question might spend the day waiting to take off. Several drawing pins, bits of red string and a large map later, we reckon somewhere bang in the middle of the Hemel Hempstead, Eastbourne Borough and Truro City triangle would maximise fuel efficiency, with the one-time Roman garrison town of Ilchester in Somerset more than fitting the bill on what promises to be a big day in the south. Join Rob Smyth from 8pm BST for hot Premier League MBM coverage of, for all our desk counterparts' sakes at 10pm, Arsenal 2-0 Crystal Palace. 'Yes, we wanted it, but sometimes you are shouting against the wind and nobody hears you. I don't want to complain about fixtures but I think it's not the best choice from the Premier League' – Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner has got the funk on and definitely isn't complaining about fixtures after Aston Villa were given an extra day to prepare for their FA Cup semi-final, with the League turning down a request for both teams to play on the same night this midweek. It seems to me there have been more articles/podcasts/opinion pieces (I'm looking at you) on how well/badly/why are they even bothering to come up on Leeds and Burnley in the past 24 hours than there have been on the late pope. Yes, of course next season will be a struggle but, as a Leeds fan, I'm looking forward to it. We get to hang out with the cool kids. We get to see our team on Match of the Day at a reasonable hour and not ITV4 at various different times depending on how long the snooker has over ran before it. And last, but by no means least, at least for one glorious season, we don't have to listen to Don Goodman on co-comms on Sky Sports. So please, a 24-hour moratorium on Leeds and Burnley's outlook would be gratefully accepted' – John Scannell. Re: 'In da club' (yesterday's Football Daily, full email edition). As an ex-pat, spare a thought for my local club, SM Caen, who were bought by Kylian Mbappé in July 2024 and a swift return to the top tier was highly anticipated. Alas, it was not to be. After sitting adrift at the bottom of Ligue 2 for most of the season, we have now been relegated to Ligue 3 for the first time since 1984. So to all my fellow fans of smaller clubs, I say this: beware mega-rich footballers approaching your boardroom' – Neil Carter. OK, I get it now. Ruben Amorim is obviously sandbagging. Usually I take any and every chance to have a dig at Manchester United, but it's all become so clear. He's a genius. He's seen the opportunity of finishing 17th without the possibility of relegation and he's going for it. Think about it: the only way to flip the narrative is to fully bottom out. To be absolutely dire. To make 11th place seem like a distant dream. This is by design. He knows the only way forward is to burn the house down, but he can't say that. It's footballing slash and burn. He will leave the centre-backs isolated. He will pick a flimsy, child-based midfield. He will select his most egotistical and selfish wingers. He will give Rasmus Højlund all the time he needs to overcome his shy, awkward phase in a safe space just outside the 18-yard box where nobody will bother him. Then, next season, the tide will turn. Progress will come to Old Trafford. The curse will be lifted and with hard work, seven or eight top, top signings and a lucrative pre-season tour of the USA USA USA under their belt, they will master the high-pressing 3-4-2-1 formation and go on to finish a strong 16th with a healthy positive goal difference. Bravo' – Jimmy O'Brien. Send letters to Today's letter o' the day winner is … Neil Carter, who wins a copy of The Scouting Game, by Chris Robinson and courtesy of Pitch Publishing. Visit their bookshop here. Terms and conditions for our competitions can be viewed here. Yes, the Premier League still rumbles on. And yes, the only issue with anything riding on it is the race for Bigger Cup spots. But we can't let Manchester City's last-gasp 2-1 win over Aston Villa go by without a mention for Jérémy Doku's decisive assist, beating his man and then delivering a swoonsome low cross with the outside of his boot across the six-yard box for Matheus Nunes to turn home. 'I was so happy. I have to admit it,' cooed Pep Guardiola. 'If we win the next four games, [this] win will have been so important.' Durban City player Sinamandla Zondi has died after collapsing in the warm-up before their match against Milford in South Africa. 'Sinamandla was more than a talented footballer. He was a teammate, a friend, a brother, a son and an inspiration to all who knew him,' read a club statement. Former Brazil and Flamengo coach Tite is taking an indefinite career break in order to take care of his mental and physical health. 'I realised that there are times when you have to understand that, as a human being, I can be vulnerable and admitting that will certainly make me stronger,' he said. Club World Cup nights … Channel 5 (in the UK). Everton have brought a new investor on board, with American billionaire Christopher Sarofim joining their ownership group. Marcus Rashford will decide his future no earlier than mid-June, with his preference being to leave Manchester United for a club in Bigger Cup … albeit not one in London. Mikel Arteta won't rest Arsenal's players just because there's a Bigger Cup semi with PSG looming on the horizon. 'I think when the players are fit and they are available and they want to play, they have to play,' he cheered. And Barcelona are now seven points clear at the top of La Liga after edging past Mallorca 1-0 thanks to Dani Olmo's winner. Ben McAleer picks over the Premier League trio returning to the second tier and selects those who'll be top of this summer's shopping lists. The stardust at St Andrew's is shining on Birmingham, with Chris Davies's dominant side securing promotion and sights set on the Premier League. Ben Fisher catches up with the jubilant and ambitious Blues. Louise Taylor looks at Leeds's return to the top flight and how they can be smart about their spending to avoid yo-yoing back down. And which managers have followed club legends with instant success? The Knowledge knows. The kits are playing tricks with our mind from this trip to Highbury in January 2003, when Farnborough Town were the 'home' team in their FA Cup fourth-round match against Arsenal. The non-leaguers had switched the tie to a money-spinning date in north London (worth around £500,000) and produced a battling display with 10 men for more than an hour, going out 5-1.
Bloomberg
15-04-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Trade Tensions With China Clear Path for Salt-Powered Batteries
The idea of making batteries from sodium has been around for centuries. In Jules Verne's 1870 novel, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Captain Nemo drives an electric submarine powered by salt. But while researchers have experimented for years with using the cheap, superabundant material for power storage, sodium-ion batteries could never match the energy density of other battery types, particularly lithium-based formulas. Now expanding energy needs and global trade tensions mean the long-overlooked technology is finally breaking through. Born out of founder Colin Wessells' doctoral thesis in 2012, Natron Energy Inc. is among the few companies in the world that mass-produce sodium-ion batteries and is the only one doing it in the US. Its first plant, in Holland, Michigan, opened in April 2024 at a cost of $40 million to retrofit an existing $300 million facility, and is set to produce 600 megawatts of batteries annually by the end of 2025, almost enough to power a city the size of San Diego. The company is lining up funding for an additional $1.4 billion factory in Edgecombe County, North Carolina, that would increase its production capacity by roughly 40 times. Natron says that's needed to meet demand from its customers, which include data centers and cloud computing companies, particularly as artificial intelligence sucks up more and more energy. 'Power demand is going to go through the roof,' says Chief Executive Officer Wendell Brooks.
