Latest news with #Revolution
AU Financial Review
23 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- AU Financial Review
Why celebrity watch spotting has become a flex for brands
Nick Gould has an unlikely superpower akin to a horological form of X-ray specs. From the merest glimpse of a watch dial or bezel peeping out from a shirt cuff, he can recognise the brand and model with bewildering accuracy. Interested in watches since childhood when he became entranced by the ticking sound of his mother's Rolex Datejust, the 36-year-old's fascination developed after university. 'I realised I could identify a timepiece and the particular model quite easily,' he says. It may sound more like a party trick than a legitimate skill. But Gould, who's based in Adelaide, has parlayed it into a paid gig as a watch writer and researcher, and become a sought-after authority in the specialist watch media. Revolution hails Gould as 'the king of the watchspotters', he's been interviewed by Collectability, and contributed to a range of watch sites.
Memri
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Memri
Iranian MP Abolfazl Zohrevand: President Pezeshkian's Tucker Carlson Interview Was a 'Catastrophe'; He's Not Worthy of His Office - Why Didn't He Tell Trump He Didn't Have the Right to Attack Iran, to
Iranian MP Abolfazl Zohrevand, who is a member of the Majles National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, criticized President Pezeshkian for his interview with Tucker Carlson in a July 12, 2025 episode of Khate Energy on YouTube. Zohrevand said he felt humiliated by the interview, calling Pezeshkian's positions a 'catastrophe' and declaring him unworthy of the presidency. He criticized Pezeshkian for failing to confront President Trump over his attacks on Iran's nuclear capabilities, his demands for Iranian surrender, and his threats and insults toward Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Zohrevand also denounced Pezeshkian for expressing willingness to negotiate with the U.S. without first demanding an end to American attacks on Iran. He elaborated that Pezeshkian should have read the Iranian constitution, adding: 'I don't know how, despite his oath to defend the constitution and the ideals of the Revolution, he gave such an interview.'
Scoop
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Scoop
KORA Return Bigger, Bolder, And More Electrifying Than Ever With New Album Fifth Season And Nationwide Tour
Kora are back-and sound bigger, deeper and more electrifying than ever. With a long-awaited new album Fifth Season set for release August 22nd digitally and on vinyl and a national tour to match, the iconic Aotearoa band is set to reawaken the hearts of fans both old and new Fifth Season showcases the dynamic range of Kora from the funky, upbeat rhythms of ' Dancing in the Rain ', to the broken-hearted power ballad ' Gone'. ' Falling For You ' taps into the unmistakable Minneapolis sound, while the latest single, ' Revolution ' (featuring brother Laughton Kora) is a compelling reggae anthem for 2025 that cuts right to the heart of political accountability. 'Revolution' rides on a buoyant groove, driven by punchy guitar skanks, a bass-heavy groove and soulful vocals, making it as danceable as it is politically charged. Pre-save / Pre-order Fifth Season D igitally and on Vinyl. Listen/Purchase ' Revolution ' – thanks to the the support of NZ On Air. The Fifth Season Album Release Tour sees the band hitting the road for a run of unmissable headline shows across the country. Kicking off in Hamilton at The Factory on Friday 20 September, followed by a night at Auckland's iconic Powerstation on Friday 3 October, before wrapping up in the capital at Wellington's newest venue, Meow Nui, on Saturday 11 October. Tickets for all dates go on sale Monday 21 July at midday. Known as one of Aotearoa's most powerful and dynamic acts fusing elements of roots, reggae, funk, rock, dub, and electronic music into a sonic identity that is entirely their own. Kora's music is heavy and melodic and grounded in kaupapa Māori, driven by innovation, storytelling, and groove. Their breakout hits ' Politician ', 'Burning', and ' On My Mind ' propelled Kora to the top of the charts, with their debut album going double Platinum and Light Years cementing their status as innovators. Recent singles like ' Secret Lover ', ' Weekend ', ' Dancing In The Rain', and ' Gone ' have kept Kora's sound fresh and their fanbase growing, blending bass-heavy grooves with soulful hooks and sharp production. The current live ensemble, consists of core members Fran and Stu Kora, Dan McGruer and Richie Allan, along with new additions Darren Mathiassen (Trinity Roots, Shapeshifter) on drums, Marika Hodgson (Hollie Smith, Troy Kingi, Alae) on bass, and Karlos Tunks (Troy Kingi, MMQ) on rhythm guitar and BVs. Long renowned for their explosive live shows, Kora remain one of Aotearoa's most formidable headline acts on stage, wowing crowds at the likes of The Big Day Out, Rhythm & Vines, Rhythm & Alps, One Love, Synthony In The Domain, Electric Avenue, Homegrown, and Splore. Their performances bring together heavy bass, soaring vocals, and raw energy, blending musical mastery with raw power to create an immersive experience. Whether headlining major festivals or packing out venues around Aotearoa, Kora's ability to move a crowd is unmatched. 01 – Revolution 02 – Dancing In The Rain 03 – U Wanna Give This Up 04 – Gone 05 – Wrong 06 – Sandbox 07 – Falling For You 08 – Bull Rush 09 – Easy Now (Final Season) 10 – Azza Content Sourced from Original url
Scoop
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Scoop
KORA Return Bigger, Bolder, And More Electrifying Than Ever With New Album Fifth Season And Nationwide Tour
Kora are back-and sound bigger, deeper and more electrifying than ever. With a long-awaited new album Fifth Season set for release August 22nd digitally and on vinyl and a national tour to match, the iconic Aotearoa band is set to reawaken the hearts of fans both old and new Fifth Season showcases the dynamic range of Kora from the funky, upbeat rhythms of ' Dancing in the Rain ', to the broken-hearted power ballad ' Gone'. ' Falling For You ' taps into the unmistakable Minneapolis sound, while the latest single, ' Revolution ' (featuring brother Laughton Kora) is a compelling reggae anthem for 2025 that cuts right to the heart of political accountability. 'Revolution' rides on a buoyant groove, driven by punchy guitar skanks, a bass-heavy groove and soulful vocals, making it as danceable as it is politically charged. Pre-save / Pre-order Fifth Season Digitally and on Vinyl. Listen/Purchase ' Revolution ' - thanks to the the support of NZ On Air. The Fifth Season Album Release Tour sees the band hitting the road for a run of unmissable headline shows across the country. Kicking off in Hamilton at The Factory on Friday 20 September, followed by a night at Auckland's iconic Powerstation on Friday 3 October, before wrapping up in the capital at Wellington's newest venue, Meow Nui, on Saturday 11 October. Tickets for all dates go on sale Monday 21 July at midday. Known as one of Aotearoa's most powerful and dynamic acts fusing elements of roots, reggae, funk, rock, dub, and electronic music into a sonic identity that is entirely their own. Kora's music is heavy and melodic and grounded in kaupapa Māori, driven by innovation, storytelling, and groove. Their breakout hits ' Politician ', 'Burning', and ' On My Mind ' propelled Kora to the top of the charts, with their debut album going double Platinum and Light Years cementing their status as innovators. Recent singles like ' Secret Lover ', ' Weekend ', ' Dancing In The Rain', and ' Gone ' have kept Kora's sound fresh and their fanbase growing, blending bass-heavy grooves with soulful hooks and sharp production. The current live ensemble, consists of core members Fran and Stu Kora, Dan McGruer and Richie Allan, along with new additions Darren Mathiassen (Trinity Roots, Shapeshifter) on drums, Marika Hodgson (Hollie Smith, Troy Kingi, Alae) on bass, and Karlos Tunks (Troy Kingi, MMQ) on rhythm guitar and BVs. Long renowned for their explosive live shows, Kora remain one of Aotearoa's most formidable headline acts on stage, wowing crowds at the likes of The Big Day Out, Rhythm & Vines, Rhythm & Alps, One Love, Synthony In The Domain, Electric Avenue, Homegrown, and Splore. Their performances bring together heavy bass, soaring vocals, and raw energy, blending musical mastery with raw power to create an immersive experience. Whether headlining major festivals or packing out venues around Aotearoa, Kora's ability to move a crowd is unmatched. 01 - Revolution 02 - Dancing In The Rain 03 - U Wanna Give This Up 04 - Gone 05 - Wrong 06 - Sandbox 07 - Falling For You 08 - Bull Rush 09 - Easy Now (Final Season) 10 - Azza
Indian Express
a day ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Bastille Day: How literary writings see the French Revolution
— Mohammad Asim Siddiqui France celebrates Bastille Day to commemorate the storming of the Bastille prison on July 14, 1789, a defining event in the French Revolution. The Bastille was originally built as a castle in Paris in the 14th century to protect the city. But it was later used as a prison and came to symbolise the brute and arbitrary powers of the king. The historiography of the French Revolution offers varied perspectives on the events, with some celebrating its revolutionary character and others highlighting the violence that accompanied it. For instance, British historian Eric Hobsbawm in Echoes of the Marseillaise: Two Centuries Look Back on the French Revolution (1990) focuses on the positive takeaways of the Revolution – Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité (liberty, equality and fraternity), the spirit of the Enlightenment, and the overthrow of aristocracy by the middle class. He also laments many historians' and writers' emphasis on the violence and destruction associated with the Revolution. Hobsbawm considers historian Simon Schama's bestselling book Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution (1989), which highlights the violent nature of the Revolution through an engaging narrative. He sees it as part of a tradition in England established by Edmund Burke's Reflections on the Revolution in France (1790), Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities (1859), and many other popular works. But how do Romantic poets like William Blake, William Wordsworth, and P B Shelley depict the French Revolution? Why does Albert Elmer Hancock say that the French experience 'humanised' Wordsworth? Why does Jane Austen deliberately avoid discussing directly the events of the French Revolution that so disturbed her world, but incorporate many of her responses to those events in her writing? The French Revolution was not a single event but a series of developments, including the Fall of the Bastille and the succeeding Reign of Terror lasting from September 1793 to July 1794 when mass executions took place across France. These developments affected writers, poets, painters and other creative minds. William Blake, a precursor of the Romantic movement in England, always raised his voice against Church authority in his poems and wrote a long poem, 'The French Revolution', in 1791. In the first book of the poem, which was intended to be a series of seven books, Blake exhorted the people of France to destroy the Bastille: Seest thou yonder dark castle, that moated (See that dark castle which has a moat around it) Around, keeps this city of Paris in awe. (and which keeps the city of Paris frightened) Go command yonder tower, saying, Bastille (Go and conquer that tower saying' Bastille) William Wordsworth visited different parts of France in 1790 and 1791 during which he developed a close relationship with a French woman, Annette Vallon. Three books of his long autobiographical poem The Prelude (1850), book ix, x and xi, present his poetic account of the time spent in France. Initially welcoming the Revolution, Wordsworth recalled his early enthusiasm for it in Book xi with the famous lines: Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive, But to be young was very Heaven! But the Reign of Terror that followed the Revolution disillusioned him. Unlike Wordsworth, the younger Romantic poets like P B Shelley and Lord Byron, who were born after the Revolution, imbibed the emancipatory lessons of the Revolution. In his book The French Revolution and the English Poets: A Study in Historical Criticism (1899/1967), Albert Elmer Hancock describes Shelly and Byron as 'partisans of revolution to the end', and Wordsworth and Coleridge as 'lost leaders'. Shelley's ideas of liberty, freedom and revolt against authority were largely shaped by the French Revolution. His famous poem 'Queen Mab', writes Hancock, 'records the period when the doctrines of the French Revolution were inoculated into his thinking'. However, despite Wordsworth's loss of interest in the Revolution, Hancock observes that the French experience 'humanised him' and shifted his poetic focus to the presence of man from nature that earlier dominated his concerns. English novelists, too, did not remain unaffected by the French Revolution. Though Jane Austen's novels largely focus on love, romance, marriage and family life, she was aware of the cataclysmic developments taking place in neighbouring France. Concerns over England's war with France following the French Revolution feature in both Mansfield Park (1814) and Persuasion (1817). In his book Jane Austen and the French Revolution (1979), Warren Roberts discusses 'the impact of the Revolution and its ideology on England and Austen, and not just from 1789 to 1799, but to the end of her life'. Elaborating on the role of politics and religion, particularly Evangelicalism, he argues that Austen 'made a deliberate choice not to discuss directly the events that so disturbed her world, and yet incorporated many of her responses to those events in her writing'. Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities documents the chaos, violence and executions in France during the Revolution, including references to people boarding tumbrils which took them to the guillotine – the two most brutal symbols of the Reign of Terror. Drawing on Thomas Carlyle's The French Revolution: A History (1837), which itself reads like an interesting novel, Dickens presents London as a peaceful city, contrasting it with a turbulent Paris. Many characters in the novel represent different aspects of the Revolution. Doctor Alexandre Manette is imprisoned in the Bastille for 18 long years for simply providing medical help to a peasant family – Madame Defarge's brother and sister – after they were wronged by the aristocratic Marquis St. Evrémonde family. Marquis St. Evrémonde, representing the French aristocracy, in A Tale of Two Cities, believes that 'repression is the only lasting philosophy'. He throws a coin at Gaspard, a peasant, whose child is crushed by his carriage. Marquis's nephew Charles Darnay is so revolted by the inhuman attitude of his family towards the peasantry that he disowns his family name. The Defarges lead the crowd in storming the Bastille. Chapters titled 'Echoing Footsteps' and 'The Sea Still Rises' show a surging crowd in the district of Saint Antoine, dominated by the working class population, which played a key role in the storming. It dramatises the capture and lynching of Foulon, a wealthy aristocrat based on Joseph-Francois Foulon, and the burning of a chateau. A Tale of Two Cities inspired many cinematic and stage adaptations and even influenced filmmakers like Christopher Nolan, who included allusions to the novel in his film, The Dark Knight Rises. At the economic summit in Paris in 1989, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher presented the original 1859 copy of A Tale of Two Cities to French President Francois Mitterrand. But the gesture caused a controversy, as it came shortly after Thatcher denied the significance of the French Revolution in conceiving human rights and rather asserted that Britain's Magna Carta (1215) and the US Declaration of Independence (1776) predate the French Revolution. Many other famous literary works, even when they refer to the French Revolution cursorily, reflect broader attitudes towards its events. In Act 1 of Oscar Wilde's famous play The Importance of Being Earnest (1895), Lady Bracknell mentions the excesses of the French Revolution in her conversation with Jack Worthing. In this reference, which equates an ordinary incident of Worthing's birth in a handbag to big changes brought about by revolutions, Wilde satirizes Victorian fixation on propriety and noble lineage. Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace (1869), set during the Napoleonic Wars and Napoleon's invasion of Russia and using French language in dialogues in many scenes, portrays the impact of the French Revolution on European society and politics, particularly Russian aristocracy. Though the novel takes a critical view of war and violence and challenges the greatness of heroes, Pierre Bezukhov's comment in the novel, 'The French Revolution was a splendid thing', reflects the attitude of the Russian aristocracy towards the Revolution. The French Revolution continued to inspire works in the twentieth century. Baroness Orczy, an advocate of aristocracy and upper classes, wrote a series of historical novels featuring the French Revolution. The first in the series, The Scarlet Pimpernel (1905), which evolved from her highly successful play with the same title, was co-written with her husband, Montagne Barstow. The novel introduced the character of Sir Percy Blakeney, who leads a double life as a foppish English aristocrat and as an expert swordsman and master of disguise. He saves aristocrats from the guillotine during the Reign of Terror, leaving behind a scarlet pimpernel, an annual flower, as his calling card. The series features important French historical figures, including Robespierre, Georges Danton, Louis Antoine de and Jean-Paul Marat. How did the storming of the Bastille prison on July 14, 1789, a defining event in the French Revolution, come to symbolise political rebellion? The French Revolution was a series of developments, including the Fall of the Bastille and the succeeding Reign of Terror lasting from September 1793 to July 1794. Comment. How does the French Revolution affect writers, poets, painters and other creative minds? Illustrate with examples. Liberty, equality and fraternity, the spirit of the Enlightenment, and the overthrow of aristocracy by the middle class are seen as positive legacy of the French Revolution. Evaluate. In 1989, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher presented the original 1859 copy of Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities to French President Francois Mitterrand. But the gesture caused a controversy. Why? (Mohammad Asim Siddiqui is a Professor in the Department of English at Aligarh Muslim University.) Share your thoughts and ideas on UPSC Special articles with Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter and stay updated with the news cues from the past week. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – IndianExpress UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X.
