The Pour Over Today - Wednesday, January 12, 2022

Episode Date: January 12, 2022

Omicron puts schools in a scramble, Grand Theft Auto and Farmville team up, a new College Football Champion is crowned, and other top news for Wednesday, January 12th. Stay informed, while remaining focused on Christ, with The Pour Over.Sponsored by Don Pablo Coffee:Get a 12oz Subtle Earth Organic Decaf thrown in for free when you order a 2-pound bag of Don Pablo’s best-selling Subtle Earth Organic coffee. Use code TPO-3PM before January 18th for the deal:https://links.thepourover.org/donpoblo01_11

Omicron puts schools in a scramble, Grand Theft Auto and Farmville team up, a new college football champion is crowned, and other top news for Wednesday, January 12th. Stay informed while remaining focused on Christ with The Pour Over. Thanks for joining us. Here's the quote of the day. The continual looking forward to the eternal world is not a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do. C.S. Lewis

Let's get started with some espresso shots. In some U.S. cities, Omicron has pitted school districts against teachers' unions, against parents, leaving kids on an extended winter break. The biggest example of this is in Chicago, where schools have been closed for five days while the city and teachers union negotiate COVID protocols. Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced late Monday that schools would reopen today after a new agreement increased the availability of COVID tests and K-95 masks for staff and students. Schools will return to remote learning if 25% of staff contract

COVID at one time. Meanwhile, the number of teachers testing positive has created a scramble for substitutes, forcing principals, superintendents, and office employees into the classrooms. Thanks to everyone who's stepping up, especially since there can't possibly be enough TV carts and Bill Nye VHS tapes to go around. Culturally hot topics frequently make people think, speak, and act poorly, including us. We can respect others and represent God better if we are quick to listen and slow to speak. If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Romans 12.8. If someone starts stealing your Farmville crops, they may have wandered over from Grand Theft Auto. Take-Two Interactive, the maker of Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption, and NBA 2K, agreed to acquire Zynga, the maker of Farmville and

Words with Friends, on Monday in a deal valued at $12.7 billion. Take-Two hopes to leverage Zynga's mobile expertise to make its hit games accessible on phones and PCs, as well as game consoles. The gaming industry has been growing for decades, but exploded during the pandemic. The world spent an estimated $180 billion on video games in 2021, and mobile games are the fastest-growing segment. billion on video games in 2021, and mobile games are the fastest-growing segment. Verse to consider when shopping for video games, or any entertainment. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any moral excellence, if there is anything praiseworthy, dwell on these things.

Philippians 4.8 Congratulations to the Georgia Bulldogs who defeated Alabama in the college football championship, stopping the Tide from back-to-back victories. The Bulldogs were led to their first national title in 41 years by former Tide assistant-turned-Georgia head coach Kirby Smart and former walk-on quarterback Stetson Bennett, who told his dad he'd grow up to be Georgia's QB. Reenactment coming soon as a Disney Channel original movie. On the pro gridiron, the week started with the unofficial kickoff to the postseason, Black Monday. Five NFL head coaches and other various staff were fired. While they set up interviews, 14 teams start on their road to the Super Bowl.

The NFL playoffs start Saturday. Too often, we let eternally insignificant things like sports control our mood and behavior. It's not wrong to enjoy these things, but remember that whether your team wins or loses, nothing of true importance has changed. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever. Hebrews 13.8. This episode is brought to you by Don Pablo. You know the feeling. It hits 3 p.m., your cutoff time for caffeine, and suddenly a mug of hot coffee starts swirling in and out of your vision, tempting you. Don Pablo's got you. When TPO

listeners get a two-pound bag of Don Pablo's best-selling Subtle Earth Organic Coffee this week, they'll receive a 12-ounce Subtle Earth Organic decaf thrown in for free. Their decaf is Swiss water processed, meaning the caffeine is removed without chemicals that compromise the taste. So whether you want a half-caf or an eight-ninth-caf, you can mix it with their regular to reduce the caffeine, but not the taste. Click the link in our show notes and use code TPO-3PM. That's TPO-3PM before January 18th for the deal. In other brews, it's time for a rapid round of updates. In other brews, it's time for a rapid round of updates.

Turns out pigs are good for more than just bacon. In a medical first, Maryland doctors transplanted a pig's genetically modified heart into a human patient who'd run out of options. David Bennett, 57, is doing well several days post-operation. Some scientists see gene-edited animal organs as the solution to long organ transplant waitlists. The tests are coming. The Department of National Health and Human Services announced that private health insurers must cover the cost of eight home COVID tests per covered individual per month starting Saturday. Some insurers are setting up preferred pharmacies where there's no upfront costs. Others will require submitting a claim for reimbursement.

Maya Angelou became the first Black woman to appear on the U.S. Quarter this week as part of the American Women's Quarters program, which will feature up to 20 women over the next four years on newly designed quarters. China has locked down Anyang, a city of 5.5 million, after finding two cases of Omicron. In total, three Chinese cities home to 20 million people are in lockdown as China prepares to host next month's Winter Olympics. The lockdowns, part of China's zero-COVID policy, are the country's broadest since early 2020.

China's zero-COVID policy are the country's broadest since early 2020. Five students are suing 16 prestigious U.S. universities, including Yale, Columbia, Duke, and Notre Dame, of conspiring to limit financial aid. The universities use a shared formula to calculate financial need, which the students' attorneys say allow them to work together to offer less total aid and favor wealthy students. And finally, an update from Monday's episode, we talked about Amy Schneider's Jeopardy winning streak, but missed some important context. Amy is the fourth person and first transgender woman to earn more than $1 million. Schneider is also the first transgender player to qualify for the Tournament of Champions. And that's all we have for today. Thanks so

much for listening. If you think this podcast is helpful or encouraging, please consider giving us a 5-star rating. If you're listening on the Apple Podcast app, drop us a review as well. We do actually read them and take them to heart, like this review from Kate. Thank you for this brief summary of stuff we need to know without the inflammatory twist. You give us hope and perspective and most of all, a little pinch of peace. Kate, thank you so much. We love to hear it and we'll keep doing our best for you. If you're listening on Spotify, there is an option to leave a rating, but it's a newer feature and it's only doable on your phone, not desktop or browser yet. We sincerely appreciate all your support and hope you have a great rest of your day. We'll see you on Friday.