The Pour Over Today - Taiwan Earthquake, NATO’s 75th Anniversary, & More | 04.05.24

Episode Date: April 5, 2024

Today, we’re talking about a deadly earthquake in Taiwan, NATO’s 75th anniversary, a significant shareholder vote at Disney, and other top news for Friday, April 5th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over Today. Please support our TPO sponsors! Compassion International: compassion.com/TPO A Jew and a Gentile Discuss: https://links.thepourover.org/JewGentileDiscussPod TUVU: https://www.tuvu.com/tpo Christian Standard Bible: https://links.thepourover.org/ChristianStandardBible_Pod Holman Handbook Series: https://links.thepourover.org/HolmanHandbook

Today, we're talking about a deadly earthquake in Taiwan, NATO's 75th anniversary, a significant shareholder vote at Disney, and other top news for Friday, April 5th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over Today. Here's the quote of the day. Fairy tales do not tell children that dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children that dragons can be killed already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children that dragons can be killed. G.K. Chesterton. Let's get started with some espresso shots.

Taiwan's biggest earthquake in 25 years rocked its east coast on Wednesday. In a rural region all too familiar with earthquakes, the 7.4 magnitude quake and its more than 100 aftershocks triggered landslides, toppled buildings, and sent tsunami warnings as far as Japan and the Philippines. Ten lives have been lost, over 1,000 people were injured, and rescuers are hurrying to rescue 700 who remain trapped. Though tragic, it marks incredible progress in the island nation's disaster prep. A similar quake in 1999 killed 2,000 people and collapsed over 100,000 buildings. Since then, Taiwan has reorganized its disaster response, reinforced buildings and bridges, and implemented strict construction codes. This time, train service and electricity were largely restored within 24 hours, and nuclear power stations and chip fabrication plants were mostly unaffected.

Christians can hold conflicting emotions in tension. When you're called upon to grieve and celebrate simultaneously, look to Jesus, who routinely experienced multiple feelings at the same time. Luke 22, 42 says, Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done. It was a muted celebration at NATO's diamond anniversary. At NATO headquarters in Brussels yesterday, a marching band played and birthday cake was served as they looked back on 75 years of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Formed in the aftermath of World War II, NATO was created to fight the spread of communism, turn nationalist militarism and encourage European political integration. During the celebration, the Foreign Minister of Ukraine, which is not a member of NATO, told members he didn't want to spoil the birthday party but pleaded with them to help provide more air defense for his country's ongoing war with Russia, specifically for U.S.-made missiles. On that front, Ukrainian President Zelensky lowered the minimum conscription age from 27 to 25 in an effort to bolster the army's ranks. Christians don't need to gloss over evil to maintain our joy and hope. Our Savior Jesus confronted darkness directly and overcame it through our joy and hope. Our Savior Jesus confronted darkness directly and overcame it through his death and resurrection. Pray for those suffering as the result of war

with renewed thankfulness for eternal hope in our dark world. John 16, 22, 23, and 33 says, So you also have sorrow now, but I will see you again your hearts will rejoice and no one will take away your joy from you in that day you will not ask me anything truly I tell you anything you ask the Father in my name he will give you I have told you these things

so that in me you may have peace you will have suffering in this world be courageous I have conquered the world. History's most expensive boardroom showdown failed to unseat the Magic Kingdom's king. The majority of Disney's board members were up for re-election at this year's annual shareholder meeting, and a few activist investors wanted fresh faces with fresh ideas. The biggest threat came from billionaire Nelson Peltz. Unhappy with mismanagement and woke messaging at the House of Mouse, Peltz ran a $25 million campaign to win board seats and

redirect Disney. Disney's current board, including CEO Bob Igar, spent almost $40 million campaigning to stay the course. They also hope that recent initiatives like sports streaming and video game investments paired with strong first quarter earnings would secure shareholder confidence. It seems to have worked. Nearly 75% of shareholders voted on Wednesday to keep the board as is. voted on Wednesday to keep the board as is. Here's a verse to consider whether you're going to battle in the boardroom or watching Frozen for the umpteenth time. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you will also appear with him in glory. Col Christ, who is your life, appears, then you will also appear with him in glory. Colossians 3, 2-4. Sometimes it feels like money doesn't stretch very far these days, but when you sponsor a child through Compassion International, just $43 per month is crazy powerful. Sponsorship means education, clean water, healthy food, medical care,

and most importantly, hope. Through local churches in the area, sponsored children build relationships with Jesus-loving adults who can offer the specific support kids need to thrive. Not sure where to start? Go to compassion.com slash tpo or find the link in the show notes and search by birthday to see if there's a child with your birthday that needs a sponsor. In other brews, here's a rapid round of updates. Women's collegiate basketball is shattering records. Monday's Iowa LSU game drew more viewers than any women's college basketball game ever, 12.3 million, and that's not the only record it broke. It was also the biggest women's sports betting event in history, and the tournament's not over. But if you want to attend tonight's final four, tickets are double the price of the men's. According to Forbes, billionaires are billionaring. There are now

2,781 global billionaires, a record worth $14.2 trillion combined, another record. The richest are Frenchman Bernard Arnault, $233 billion, Elon Musk, $195 billion, Jeff Bezos, $194 billion, and Mark Zuckerberg, $177 billion. This year, 141 new billionaires joined the list, including Taylor Swift, $1.1 billion, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman $1 billion. Loving audiobooks may soon affect your wallet. Spotify will reportedly raise monthly rates by

$1 to $2 to cover audiobook costs in some markets, including the UK and Australia this month and in the US later this year. But don't fret yet. Spotify's new basic plan that doesn't include audiobooks will be available at the current $10.99 premium rate. Bird flu has migrated into a Texas plant of the largest producer of fresh eggs in the U.S., CalMaine Foods, prompting a depopulation of 1.6 million laying hens and a production standstill. The virus is unlikely to make humans sick, but may hurt your wallet. Egg prices have cracked their highest point since April 2023. You can't just walk out of Amazon Fresh anymore. The tech that promised to track

customers' grocery purchases with cameras rather than a cashier is being yanked from stores. Consumers didn't love being constantly watched, and humans still needed to verify accuracy behind the screens. Now, Amazon says it's turning to smart carts to offer a self-checkout on wheels. And that's all we have for today. Thanks so much for listening. If you're listening on the Apple Podcast app, give us a five-star rating and drop a review. If you're listening on Spotify,

give us a follow and hit the notification bell to never miss a new episode. We appreciate your support and hope you have a great weekend. We'll see you on Monday.