{"id":8917,"date":"2015-04-02T13:32:44","date_gmt":"2015-04-02T19:32:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/barbadamslive.com\/?p=8917"},"modified":"2015-04-04T20:15:24","modified_gmt":"2015-04-05T02:15:24","slug":"april-4-2015-john-j-higgins-barb-adams-rfra-then-and-now-dr-leong-ying-from-newton-einstein-to-god-and-abdullah-sharif-sardar-from-afghanistans-golden-age-to-carnage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/barbadamslive.com\/?p=8917","title":{"rendered":"April 4, 2015 – John J. Higgins & Barb Adams, “RFRA – Indiana’s So-Called “Fix,” Dr. Leong Ying, “From Newton, Einstein, to God,” Abdullah Sharif, “Sardar: From Afghanistan’s Golden Age to Carnage,” and Ken Goldstein Comments on “RFRA: Are Businesses Becoming More Socially Conscious?”"},"content":{"rendered":"

April 4, 2015 – Archives\/Pod Casts\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hour 1<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 –\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hour 2\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0 –\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hour 3<\/a><\/p>\n

Hour 1:\u00a0 OPEN DISCUSSION with John J. Higgins and Barb Adams on Religious Freedom Restoration Act:\u00a0 Indiana’s So-Called “Fix”<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Call\u00a0 800-259-5791\u00a0 to join the discussion!<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Credit:<\/a>
Credit: Doug McSchooler\/AP Photo abcnews.go.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On March 26, 2015, Indiana Governor Mike Pence signed into legislation Indiana Senate Bill 101, allowing individuals and businesses to assert their religious rights as a defense in legal proceedings. Based on the 22-year-old federal law known as the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), Indiana\u2019s \u201cfix\u201d expands the reach of the RFRA to the point where discrimination may be justified in the name of religious freedom.<\/p>\n

Opponents of Indiana\u2019s SB101 believe it is targeted against the LGBT community. Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, is among those in corporate America including Subaru, Gen Con, Angie\u2019s List, Levi Strauss, Gap, Eli Lilly, Roche Diagnostics and others voicing concerns about the legislation\u2019s intent. William Oesterle of Angie\u2019s List called the fix to the Religious Freedom Law \u201cinsufficient,\u201d and Angie\u2019s List became the first major company to reject the legislation, halting plans for further expansion in Indiana. A similar bill was vetoed by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer in 2014, but Utah and Arkansas both have their own versions of RFRA up for passage (Arkansas in 2015, Utah in 2017).<\/p>\n

Although Indiana Governor Pence claims the \u201cfix\u201d to the RFRA was not meant to discriminate against the LGBT community, the act does appear to be political, causing further polarization and division.<\/p>\n

Indiana\u2019s legislation appears in opposition to the growing trend of Fortune 500 companies that include \u201csexual orientation\u201d in their nondiscrimination policies. Harry Brunnius of The Christian Science Monitor <\/em> writes, \u201cToday, 89 percent of Fortune 500 companies include \u2018sexual orientation\u2019 in their nondiscrimination policies with 66 percent including \u2018gender identity,\u2019 according to a 2015 report by the Human Rights Campaign. Two-thirds of the nation\u2019s top businesses now offer full equivalent benefits to same-sex spouses or partners, and more than a third now offer transgender-inclusive health care benefits, even in states that do not require them.\u201d<\/p>\n

UPDATE: Saturday, April 4: <\/strong><\/span>According to USA Today,<\/em> Governor Mike Pence on Thursday signed into law an “amended” version of the controversial Indiana RFRA.<\/p>\n

(From USA Today: <\/em>“The amendment means that for the first time an Indiana law will include the language ‘sexual orientation’ and ‘gender identity.'”<\/p>\n

This newest revision “…could quell concerns that have made Indiana the focus of national derision for one very intense week.”<\/p>\n

JOIN<\/strong> Barb Adams and John J. Higgins as they discuss RFRA and social consciousness in America!<\/p>\n

CALL 800-259-5791 TO JOIN THE DISCUSSION!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hour 2:\u00a0 Dr. Leong Ying<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Joining Amerika Now during the second hour is author\/poet, nuclear physicist, and patented inventor Dr. Leong Ying<\/strong>, who will be discussing his new book, From Newton, Einstein, to God.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Dr. Leong Ying became an atheist after deciding that science made more sense than religion, and he remained that way for many years.\u00a0 His curiosity about the world, however, eventually led him to combine both science and religion to discover the Twin Universe Theory, which Ying says is direct proof that God exists.<\/p>\n

Listen in as Dr. Ying shares his journey and evidence of God as presented in his book,\u00a0From Newton, Einstein, to God \"\"<\/a><\/em><\/strong>(Greenleaf, January 2015), a poetic memoir that follows his life and work all around the world.\u00a0 Born poor in Singapore, Ying’s family soon emigrated to England, where Leong turned away from spirituality and towards the logic of science.\u00a0 After visiting America for work, Dr. Ying decided that was where his destiny lay, and he began a long series of jobs from Santa Barbara to Pennsylvania while seeking permanent residence.\u00a0 Finally, while residing in Hoboken, NJ, Dr. Ying discovered the Twin Universe Theory, which he believes proves the existence of God and answers many questions about the universe, such as Dark Matter and Dark Energy.\u00a0 As a scientist, Dr. Ying knew that a theory held true only after being tested \u2013 and he found that he was able to test his scientific hypothesis with physical experiments.\u00a0 His results have been published in peer-reviewed science journals, and he invites anyone to debate his theories, experiments, and findings with him.<\/p>\n

Dr. Leong Ying<\/b> was born in Asia, educated in Europe, and now resides and works in the U.S.\u00a0 He is a marathoner who has run across all seven continents, a nuclear physicist by academic qualification, and also a patented inventor and skilled engineer in the fields of cryogenics, superconductivity, and radiation technologies.\u00a0 Ying is also a science fiction author, stage director, and poet.<\/p>\n

For more information, visit http:\/\/limying.com<\/a>\u00a0 or\u00a0 http:\/\/twinuniverse.com.<\/a><\/p>\n

CALL\u00a0 800-259-5791 TO SPEAK WITH DR. LEONG YING.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hour 3:\u00a0 Abdullah Sharif<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Afghan native and author, Abdullah Sharif<\/strong>, joins the show during the final hour to discuss his book, Sardar:\u00a0 From Afghanistan’s Golden Age to Carnage.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The combat mission is over in Afghanistan, but how the once-proud nation return to peace and prosperity?\u00a0 What will it take to rebuild a civil society?<\/p>\n

In order to reconstruct successfully, the new Afghan government must be willing to step up and act as an essential partner in the rebuilding process and the continued fight against terrorism.\u00a0 According to Sharif, a former U.S.\u00a0 diplomat\u00a0and author of\u00a0Sardar: \"\"<\/a>From Afghanistan\u2019s Golden Age to Carnage<\/em>,\u00a0<\/strong>the country\u2019s heavy reliance on foreign entities has contributed to the continued deteriorating situation, along with the lack of physical infrastructure and good governance.Sharif, an Afghan native, will provide insight on what Americans should expect in the years ahead in this volatile but important part of the world,\u00a0tackling several significant topics, including: What Americans need to understand about what confronts Afghanistan in 2015; (2) What needs to be done in Afghanistan to ensure that peace, rebuilding, and growth can flourish; (3) The major setbacks and mistakes made by the U.S.-led peace and reconstruction process, and how the U.S. can better address those problems in the future; (4) What should be done to stabilize the leadership in Afghanistan that\u2019s needed to navigate through many challenges and setbacks; (5) What it was like to grow up during Afghanistan\u2019s Golden Age (the period before the Soviet, Taliban, and American invasions); and (6) What it felt like to return more than three decades later<\/p>\n

Abdullah Sharif spent three decades consulting as an aviation engineer in North America and Europe. Since 2009, he has served as a U.S. diplomat in Afghanistan. His first deployment, from 2009\u20132011, was for the Department of State, with a second, from 2012\u20132013, under the auspices of the Department of Defense working on peace and reintegration. Born in Afghanistan, Sharif spent a happy childhood in Kabul. He moved to Europe in 1976 and eventually to the United States in 1978, avoiding the communist take-over and the eventual Russian invasion of his homeland, the chaos following the Soviet withdrawal, and the Taliban’s oppressive regime. Saddened and heartbroken by the changes in his homeland, Sharif is deeply motivated to assist with reconstruction efforts and build peace bridges between Afghanis and Americans.<\/p>\n

For more information, visit www.abdullahsharif.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

NO CALLS, THIS SEGMENT WAS PRERECORDED.<\/strong><\/p>\n

**KEN GOLDSTEIN COMMENTS ON\u00a0 RFRA:\u00a0 Are Businesses Becoming More Socially Conscious? every hour<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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April 4, 2015 – Archives\/Pod Casts\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hour 1\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 –\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hour 2\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 –\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hour 3 Hour 1:\u00a0 OPEN DISCUSSION with John J. Higgins and Barb Adams on Religious Freedom Restoration Act:\u00a0 Indiana’s So-Called “Fix” Call\u00a0 800-259-5791\u00a0 to join the discussion! On March 26, 2015, Indiana Governor Mike Pence signed into legislation Indiana Senate Bill 101, allowing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19,24],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-8917","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-show_archives","7":"category-guests","8":"entry","9":"has-post-thumbnail"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbadamslive.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8917","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbadamslive.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbadamslive.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbadamslive.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbadamslive.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8917"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/barbadamslive.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8917\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8938,"href":"https:\/\/barbadamslive.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8917\/revisions\/8938"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbadamslive.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8917"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbadamslive.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8917"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbadamslive.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8917"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}