Showing results by author "Simon Parkin" in All Categories

Politics in the European Union is an accessible and comprehensive introduction to the EU. Unique in its in-depth coverage of the history of the EU, the book explores a wide range of topics, including institutions and policies, making it a complete guide to understanding the complex nature of the EU.

In the summer of 1941, German troops surrounded the Russian city of Leningrad—now St. Petersburg—and began the longest blockade in recorded history, one that would ultimately claim the lives of nearly three-quarters of a million people. At the center of the besieged city stood a converted palace that housed the world’s largest collection of seeds—more than 250,000 samples hand-collected over two decades from all over the globe by world-famous explorer, geneticist, and dissident Nikolai Vavilov, who had recently been disappeared by the Soviet government.

From wild and wacky to knee-slapping, laugh-out-loud fun, these humorous tales represent some of the best of recent seasons of the hit public radio series Selected Shorts. Comedian Wyatt Cenac gives a killer performance of Simon Rich’s hilarious tale of woe from the point of view of a condom in a young man’s wallet. Alec Baldwin gives a delightful over-the-top performance of James Thurber’s wonderfully silly classic tale of the day everybody in a small Ohio town thought the dam broke.

Following the events of Kristallnacht in 1938, Peter Fleischmann evaded the Gestapo’s roundups in Berlin by way of a perilous journey to England on a Kindertransport rescue, an effort sanctioned by the UK government to evacuate minors from Nazi-controlled areas. But he could not escape the British police, who came for him in the early hours and shipped him off to Hutchinson Camp on the Isle of Man, under suspicion of being a spy for the very regime he had fled.

Combining vibrant novelistic storytelling with extensive research, interviews, and previously unpublished accounts, Simon Parkin describes for the first time the role that women played in developing the Allied strategy that, in the words of one admiral, "contributed in no small measure to the final defeat of Germany." Rich with unforgettable cinematic detail and larger-than-life characters, A Game of Birds and Wolves is a heart-wrenching tale of ingenuity, dedication, perseverance, and love, bringing to life the imagination and sacrifice required to defeat the Nazis at sea.

In Canada, volunteers are raising money for charity by playing marathon stints of Penn & Teller's Desert Bus, probably the worst video game ever created. Across the globe, thousands of viewers tune in to Kurt J. Mac's epic but seemingly pointless voyage towards the outer realms of Minecraft's procedurally-generated world. In Iraq, mothers encourage their children to enter Call of Duty competitions to keep them off the bomb-ravaged streets of Baghdad.

"Find out what is happening in the Atlantic, find ways of getting the convoys through, and sink the U-boats!" (Prime Minister Winston Churchill) 1942. Liverpool. The war isn't going to plan. Distinguished admiral Sir Max Horton is in the game room on his knees commanding a fleet of toy German U-boats. Behind a curtain his unknown opponent is manoeuvring the toy British battleships. Five times the pair have played the game and five times Horton's U-boats have suffered defeat. Exasperated, he demands to know his enemy. And from behind the curtain steps a fresh-faced 17-year-old woman.

Drawing on maritime stories from various languages and continents – from Brazil and Southeast Africa to India and the Philippines – Wreckers shares dramatic tales of the sea and the events on land that followed. This offers an alternative timeline for the century after Columbus’ 1492 voyage and sheds light on the fractures and fault lines that accompanied the increasing geographical range of European ships.

In the summer of 1941, German troops surrounded the Russian city of Leningrad - now St Petersburg - and began the longest blockade in recorded history. By the most conservative estimates, the siege would claim the lives of three-quarters of a million people. Most died of starvation. Drawing on previously unseen sources, The Forbidden Garden tells the remarkable and moving story of the botanists who remained at the Plant Institute during the darkest days of the siege, risking their lives in the name of science.

The police came for Peter Fleischmann in the early hours. It reminded the teenager of the Gestapo's moonlit roundups he had narrowly avoided at home in Berlin. Now, having endured a perilous journey to reach England—hiding from the rampaging Nazi thugs at his orphanage, boarding a Kindertransport to safety—here the aspiring artist was, on a ship bound for the Isle of Man, suspected of being a Nazi spy. What had gone wrong?

In My Perfect Console, Simon Parkin, award-winning author video game critic for The Observer invites well-known guests from the worlds of gaming, film and television, music, comedy and more to pick the five video games they would like to immortalise on a fictional games machine. They discuss those five games in chronological order of release, interspersed with biographical chat about the guest’s life and career –– a lens that often leads to new and unexpected insights."Thoroughly modern and ahead of its time...a gift." - NEW YORK'S VULTURE"Charming, insightful." -- THE GUARDIANTIME OUT'S...

Between 2005 and 2012 Eggnog and Stu did a weekly radio so for UKNOVA radio. These are some of the edited highlights, music has been removed because of factors. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ross and Simon former work colleagues, decided to make a podcast during lockdown (who didn't) discussing their top 10 albums, they then decide to carry it on, discussing more top 5's including movies and Elton John songs.This eventually leads to us having guests to discuss theirs.5 series in and still going, not quite as many episodes as during lockdown as life has a habit of getting in the way.

Humorous stories, jokes and entertaining interviews with Cousin Nancy's hilarious Texas Hill Country friends, guests and complete strangers that she has yet to meet. Hosted by Cousin Nancy (Parker-Simons) and recorded @ Big Foot Ranch, in Medina, Texas.

Nel 1941 gli Alleati stanno perdendo la guerra, almeno nell'Atlantico. Migliaia di navi partono dal Nord America cariche di rifornimenti per il Regno Unito, ma viveri e munizioni non arrivano a destinazione: i convogli vengono sistematicamente intercettati e distrutti dagli U-Boot, i temibili sottomarini dei nazisti. La Gran Bretagna è ormai allo stremo, ma il primo ministro Winston Churchill non vuole che la popolazione ne sia informata. I vertici politici e militari mentono sul numero di imbarcazioni affondate e su quello dei morti, pur sapendo che manca poco alla resa.

Join Nic Cage and JCVD enthusiasts Rob, Simon and James as they dig into a vault of underrated movies from yesteryear to see if they are rightly shunned to the bargain buckets of Asda, or whether they do indeed deserve reconsideration. To qualify the week's film must either be classed as Rotten on RottenTomatoes.com, or officially be a box office bomb. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Enjoy this collection of stories about children exploring the world around them. The collection begins with "Nature's Treasures", a poem featuring a young girl who learns about the wonders of the natural world. After this poem, enjoy eight short stories of children looking closer at nature: "Hidden Wonders", "The Building Season", "Weeds and Worms and Things that Squirm"," "A Pond for Maddie", "Flowers that Fly", "The Wasp's Picnic", "Firefly Tag", and "While Alena Was Sleeping".

There are four northern white rhinoceroses left in the world. Will a 360-degree documentary help us preserve them?

The opposite of faith is not doubt...the opposite of faith is certainty. In this podcast we shed light on topics surrounding faith and ask a lot of questions. Where will it lead? Hosts, Simon Milliman and Darian Parker believe it will lead to a much better relationship with faith than the one that is certain about everything. Join us to advance your faith in a fun, strange and informative way.

Simon Parkin beleuchtet ein bisher unbekanntes Kapitel des Zweiten Weltkriegs: Im Mai 1940 ließ Winston Churchill alle männlichen Deutschen und Österreicher zwischen 16 und 60 Jahren ohne Gerichtsverfahren als »feindliche Ausländer« internieren. Die Flüchtlinge waren den Nazis gerade entkommen und wurden nun von Churchill auf die Isle of Man zwischen Irland und England verbannt.