The Pour Over Today - Monday, November 29, 2021

Episode Date: November 29, 2021

Catching you up on Omicron, the verdict in a racially-charged trial, Canada’s moves to weather a maple syrup shortage, and other top news for Monday, November 29th. Stay informed, while remaining focused on Christ, with The Pour Over.Today's podcast is brought to you by Charityvest.Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday… but we’d love for you to be set up to give more than once a year. With Charityvest, you can create a personal donor-advised fund (DAF) in just 90 seconds. DAFs are like charitable savings accounts; you can make the tax-deductible contribution today and recommend cash grants to any church or charity at any time (immediately, or ten years from now).  Charityvest also makes it easy to donate stock and crypto.  If your stock/crypto has gone up in value this year, then you’re going to pay taxes… unless you donate it. Instead of Uncle Sam taking a cut, the charity will get 100% of the value! Learn more.

Catching you up on the Omicron, the verdict in a racially charged trial, Canada's moves to weather a maple syrup shortage, and other top news for Monday, November 29th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over. Here's the quote of the day. Time is short. Eternity is long. It is only reasonable that this short life be lived in light of eternity. Charles Spurgeon Let's get started with some espresso shots.

in light of eternity, Charles Spurgeon. Let's get started with some espresso shots. It was a racially charged trial with national attention. Three white men, Travis McMichael, Greg McMichael, and William Bryan, killed a black man, Ahmaud Arbery, out on a jog, saying that they were executing a citizen's arrest and that they only fired the shotgun out of self-defense. Last week, a largely white jury disagreed and found all three men guilty of murder. Each faces a minimum of life in prison, while the judge will decide their eligibility for parole. Unlike the polarized response to Kyle Rittenhouse's recent acquittal, there has been widespread and bipartisan support for this jury's decision. Georgia Governor Kemp, who is a Republican, said that he hoped the guilty verdict would create healing and reconciliation,

and President Biden hailed it as the Justice Department doing its job. Christians have a hard job. We must simultaneously celebrate justice and come alongside victims in their pain without letting a guilty verdict lessen our love for those who were convicted. Apart from Christ, we know that we're no better than them, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. They are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Romans 3, 23 and 24. There's a new variant in town. Last Wednesday, epidemiologists in South Africa alerted the World Health Organization, or the WHO for short, of a new COVID variant. The WHO quickly convened and named it Omicron and then labeled it as a variant of concern. Then the world started scrambling. Very little is known, but scientists in South Africa say that Omicron has

more than 30 mutations on the spike proteins, which is the part that binds to human cells. This could mean that Omicron is more contagious and may lead to more reinfections. One South African doctor says that the Omicron patients that he's may lead to more reinfections. One South African doctor says that the Omicron patients that he's seen have had unusual but mild symptoms, with tiredness and sore muscles replacing the classic losses of taste and smell. The potential of being extra contagious was enough for the WHO to slap it with a variant of concern label. Travel bans from South Africa have been issued in at least eight countries, including the U.S. The Dow had its worst day of 2021, dropping 900 points, with airlines dropping as much as 10%. Of course, pandemic stocks like

Zoom and Peloton were up 5%. Health officials worldwide are ramping up testing to learn more about Omicron, specifically trying to discover whether or not it causes more severe illness or is resistant to vaccines. There may be good reasons to be worried or feel hopeless about this day, month, or year. God does not promise us good days. He promises a great eternity. If you stay focused on eternity, it changes everything. I lift my eyes toward the mountains. Where will my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. Psalm 121 verses 1 and 2. the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. Psalm 121 verses 1 and 2.

Today's podcast is brought to you by CharityVest. Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday, but we would love for you to be set up to give more than just once a year. With CharityVest, you can create a personal donor-advised fund, or DAF, in just 90 seconds. DAFs are like charitable savings accounts. You can make the tax-deductible contribution today and recommend cash grants to any church or charity at any time, immediately or 10 years from now. CharityVest also makes it easy to donate stock and crypto. If your stock and crypto has gone up in value this year, then you're going to have to pay taxes, unless you donate it. Instead of Uncle Sam taking a cut, the charity will get 100% of the value. Learn more by clicking the link in our show notes. In other brews, we've got a rapid round of updates.

New unemployment claims dropped from 270,000 to 199,000 last week, the lowest since 1969. The 52-year low seems to be due in part to a surge in seasonal hiring, but even the extra delivery drivers on Santa's payroll can't entirely explain the surprising drop. The trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite and affiliate of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, begins today. Maxwell is charged with six counts related to grooming and enticing minors for Epstein's sexual exploitation, as well as lying to federal investigators. She has vehemently denied any wrongdoing.

Stephen Sondheim, who wrote the music and lyrics to West Side Story, Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods, and a dozen other Broadway musicals, died at the age of 91 last week. His work earned him an Oscar, eight Grammys, and eight Tony Awards, and his death prompted tributes from all around the world. Cities all across the U.S. reported smash-and-grab robberies on Black Friday, including a flash mob

breaking into a Best Buy in Minnesota to steal electronics, and four robbers in Monterey, California stealing $30,000 worth of sunglasses. Canada tapped into 50 million pounds of its strategic reserves, combating a concerning shortage that's been driving up prices. And no, we're not talking about oil. We're talking about another liquid gold, maple syrup.

Bad weather meant a low yield this season. But don't worry, they still have another 50 million pounds stockpiled. Thanks so much for joining us today. If you enjoyed this podcast, we would really appreciate it if you gave us a five-star rating on Apple Podcasts or shared this podcast with a friend. We hope you have a great rest of your day and we'll see you back here on Wednesday.