Earthrise tells the remarkable story of the first photographs of Earth from space and the totally unexpected impact of those images. The Apollo “Earthrise†and “Blue Marble†photographs were beamed across the world some forty years ago. They had an astounding effect; Robert Poole explains; and in fact transformed thinking about the Earth and its environment in a way that echoed throughout religion; culture; and science. Gazing upon our whole planet for the first time; we saw ourselves and our place in the universe with new clarity. Poole delves into new areas of research and looks at familiar history from fresh perspectives. With intriguing anecdotes and wonderful pictures; he examines afresh the politics of the Apollo missions; the challenges of whole Earth photography; and the story of the behind-the-scenes struggles to get photographs of the Earth put into mission plans. He traces the history of imagined visions of Earth from space and explores what happened when imagination met reality. The photographs of Earth represented a turning point; Poole contends. In their wake; Earth Day was inaugurated; the environmental movement took off; and the first space age ended. People turned their focus back toward Earth; toward the precious and fragile planet we call home.
#479507 in Books imusti 2009-05-26Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.25 x 1.87 x 6.12l; 2.55 #File Name: 0300140967752 pagesYale University Press
Review
30 of 30 people found the following review helpful. How the historical Jesus relates to usBy Patrick C. MoweryThis is the 4th of a projected 5-volume series investigating who Jesus was and how he was perceived as he walked this earth some 2000 years ago. This volume provides an exhaustive evaluation of what is known currently about the Mosaic Law and Judaism in the 1st centure of the Christian era; and how well Jesus followed that law. Like the previous volumes; Fr. Meier provides exhaustive scholarship. The footnotes are as long and fact-filled as the main text. Thus; reading is not for the beginner or faint-of-heart. But for those of us who are avid students of christology; it is an invaluable source of material for understanding the historic Jesus; and the relevance of this understanding to modern problems facing us. The 5th (and last??) volume is eagerly awaited.15 of 15 people found the following review helpful. A Work of Originality and Broad ScholarshipBy Tom ManteuffelJohn Meier has done it again. Coupling exhaustive textual analysis with broad knowledge of extra-Biblical contemporaneous sources; he shines important new light on the relationship of Jesus to the halakah or Jewish law of his day. This is important to understanding the materials within which Jesus engaged in arguments with scribes; Pharisees; elders and others. This is a work of originality; and thus worth the five stars. That said; there are some basic questions I have after reading this one through. Meier; on the basis of textual analysis and contrast with extra-biblical source materials; distinguishes between what he concludes is the genuine teaching of the historical Jesus (the prohibition on divorce; the prohibition on oaths; the linking of passages from the OT into the 'first' and 'second' commandments (love God; love neighbor) in Mark; the concise statement 'love your enemies' in Q) and what he concludes are later Christian accretions (the 'love one another' commandment in John; the Golden Rule). He emphasizes that the historical Jesus engaged in Halakic disputes; because that is what other contemporaneous sources did (the Dead Sea Scrolls; which were earlier; and the Mishna; which was later; Philo; Josephus; etc). Oddly then; his principal methodological tool for distinguishing real Jesus materials from later Christian accretions; is that of 'discontinuity;' or the absence of a view presented as Jesus' in other sources. To the extent that Jesus' message was in fact the rather uninspiring view that divorce and the making of oaths are prohibited; to that extent is it not fairly necessary to conclude that Jesus was a 'marginal Jew'? But by all means; read this book; if only to dispel the simplistic and all-too-common view that Jesus' message was that the Law has been superseded by the new commandment/covenant to love. Both Jesus and Paul need to be firmly set within the context of their fully observant Judaism.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A worthly continuation of Meier's studyBy CustomerWhile this volume of Meier's study of Jesus' life and teachings can be read on its own; I suspect it is a much more comprehensible work in the context of his earlier volumes. The title is a summary of what is; clearly; a greater study of what it is that the author thinks that we can say with some confidence about Jesus. I recommend along side it the work of N T Wright as a corrective.
