The Struggle For Control Of The Sierra Club; Funding Terror; Spirituality Meets Science
The Struggle For Control Of The Sierra Club
There is a serious power struggle going on inside the Sierra Club, the nation’s oldest and largest environmental organization. Opposing factions with distinctly different philosophies are vying for control over the Sierra Club board of directors. A group challenging the status quo and calling themselves “grassroots activists” and “independent directors” are promoting among other things, more aggressive protection of natural resources and population control while the so-called “old guard” opposes what they term as “anti-immigration activists” and claim that outside influences are attempting to highjack the very heart and soul of the venerable San Francisco-based organization. Larry Mantle talks with Ben Zukerman, PhD., professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at UCLA and member of the Board of Directors of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and the Sierra Club and is vice president of Californians for Population Stabilization, and Robert Cox, former President (2001-2000) and member of Board of Directors of the Sierra Club about the issues.
Funding Terror
Dr. Rachel Ehrenfeld directs the American Center for Democracy, which focuses on international money laundering and political corruption. Her new book is called Funding Evil: How Terrorism is Financed--and How to Stop It (Basic Books). In it, Ehrenfeld follows the money, tracking how terrorists finance their operations, much like the Mafia, with money from drug trafficking, diamonds, prostitution and arms dealing. She contends that stopping terrorists’ money supply is a crucial factor in the war on terror. Rachel Ehrenfeld joins Host Larry Mantle to discuss her book.
Spirituality Meets Science
Is there a scientific explanation for religious mysteries and feelings of transcendence during meditation? In his new book Rational Mysticism, science writer John Horgan investigates a variety of fields---neuroscience, psychology, theology and anthropology as well as a numerous “mystical technologies” in order to find the possible neurological underpinnings of the mystical experience.