The fabled oasis in the desert mirage is just one example of the strange things that can happen when light hits the air in certain atmospheric conditions. This captivating volume takes a closer look at mirages and similar phenomena, explaining to elementary readers that there is much more to these natural optical illusions than meets-or doesn't meet-the eye. Topics covered include refraction, the difference between superior and inferior mirages, green...

Land of silence and darkness: Through examining Fini Straubinger, an old woman who has been deaf and blind since adolescence, and her work on behalf of other deaf and blind people, this film shows how the deaf and blind struggle to understand and accept a world from which they are almost wholly isolated. Fata Morgana: footage shot in and around the Sahara desert accompanied by a spoken creation myth and music by Blind Faith, Third Ear Band and Leonard...

Lessons of darkenss: This film shows the disaster of the Kuwaiti oil fields in flames, with few interviews. Hell itself is presented in such beautiful sights and music that one has to be fascinated by it. Little Dieter needs to fly: German-American Dieter Dengler discusses his service as an American naval pilot in the Vietnam War. Dengler also revisits the sites of his capture and eventual escape from the hands of the Vietcong, recreating many events...