Michael Woods

Even before Vatican Council II, individuals like Virgil Michel and Catholic social movements like the National Catholic Rural Life Conference attempted to promote greater social justice by reconnecting rural life in the United States with the liturgical life of the church. Efforts to remedy this dislocation between agrarian life and church liturgy meshed the liturgical year with the rural agricultural cycle. The introduction of devotions, sacramentals,...

What is "piddling"? What does it mean, and does it really matter? And, what does it have to do with ants? By reading this book, you will learn a very simple-truth that can have a significant impact on your life. (By the way, the author was piddling when he wrote this book.)

Explores seven natural wonders from the continent of Europe.

An introduction to the people, places, and beliefs behind seven creations of ancient Central and South America.

Did you know . . . • Ancient Romans invented a machine to harvest grain? • Farmers in ancient China destroyed the pests that harmed crops by bringing in their natural predators? • The ancient Mayans restored nutrients to the soil by planting corn and beans together? People learned to farm more than twelve thousand years ago. The first farmers used simple technology. They carried water to their crops by hand. They made farm tools from wood and...

Air disasters don't happen often, but when they do, they take a terrible toll. Airplane crashes usually lead to death and destruction. But quick thinking on the part of pilots, passengers, airport workers, and rescuers can help more people survive air disasters. With dramatic images and firsthand survivor stories-plus the latest facts and figures-this book shows you some of the world's worst air disasters up close.

Did you know . . . • Ancient people used bows to drill holes and start fires? • The ancient Chinese built a machine to detect earthquakes? •The ancient Romans operated a factory for milling grain? Machine technology is as old as human society itself. The first humans on Earth used basic machines. They used stone axes to butcher meat. They use levers to pry roots and rocks from the ground. Over the centuries, ancient peoples learned to make more...

Imagine watching a space shuttle on the launchpad, ready to blast off into orbit. Astronauts have embarked on some of the most amazing adventures and made incredible discoveries. Yet sadly some the most well-planned launches have ended in tragedy. In fifty years of space travel, space disasters have claimed the lives of more than twenty astronauts and one hundred space workers. In two of the worst disasters, space shuttles exploded, killing all the...