12.31.24 Pro-life rulings and battles of 2024, a 1984 song for Ethiopia, and remembering notable trailblazers

Summary

The World and Everything In It – Episode Summary: December 31, 2024

Hosted by WORLD Radio, "The World and Everything In It" delivers comprehensive news coverage, insightful interviews, and expert analyses grounded in God's Word. In the December 31, 2024 episode, the show delves into the pro-life battles of the year, reflects on a seminal 1984 charity song for Ethiopia, and honors notable innovators who passed away in 2024.

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1. Introduction and Year-End Reflections

The episode opens with hosts Nick Iker and Mary Reichardt extending New Year greetings and thanking listeners for their contributions to the year-end giving drive. They provide a brief overview of the episode's main topics:

• Pro-Life Rulings and Battles of 2024
• The Impact of a 1984 Charity Song for Ethiopia
• Remembrances of Notable Trailblazers in Business and Science

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2. Political News and Developments

a. Speaker of the House Endorsement and GOP Dynamics (00:26 – 02:54)

Mark Mellinger reports on President Trump's endorsement of Mike Johnson for Speaker of the House. Despite this backing, Johnson faces resistance within his party:

Mark Mellinger [01:22]: "President Trump has given Mike Johnson his endorsement to continue serving as speaker of the House. But Johnson still has not secured the support he needs from his fellow Republican lawmakers."

Key Points:

• Republican Division: Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie opposes Johnson despite Trump's support, stating, "I'll pray about it" [01:55].
• Potential Delays: Without sufficient support, Johnson risks delaying the certification of the 2024 election results and the swearing-in of new House members [02:08].
• Criticism Within GOP: Some Republicans, like Tennessee's Tim Burchett and New York Congresswoman Claudia Tenney, criticize Johnson for collaborating with Democrats on a spending deal [02:09–02:21].

b. US Treasury Department Hack by China (02:25 – 02:54)

Mark Mellinger and Nick Iker discuss a significant cybersecurity breach:

Nick Iker [02:38]: "On behalf of the Chinese government breached the US Treasury's online guardrails earlier this month and stole documents..."

Details:

• Nature of the Attack: A major incident described by the Treasury, though none of the stolen documents were classified [02:54].
• Method: Hackers bypassed a third-party security provider by stealing a key or password [02:46].
• Investigation: The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency and the FBI are conducting investigations [02:46–02:54].

c. Ukraine POWs and U.S. Aid (02:54 – 04:25)

Mark Mellinger covers the prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine:

Mark Mellinger [03:23]: "The sounds of tearful reunions as Ukrainian prisoners of war reunite with their families..."

Highlights:

• Prisoner Exchange: Nearly 200 POWs were swapped, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky crediting the UAE for negotiations [03:23 – 04:25].
• U.S. Support: President Biden announced an additional $2.5 billion in weapons for Ukraine, aiming to utilize all available funds before the end of Trump's term [04:25 – 04:29].

d. US Voting Procedure Overhaul (05:31 – 06:56)

Mark Mellinger reports on Republican efforts to revise voting laws:

Brian Stile [06:07]: "I believe the life begins at conception. What we put in certainly says, hey, abortion after the first trimester is not allowed. But it doesn't say it's a fundamental right to abortion."

Discussion Points:

• Proposed Changes: Republicans advocate for photo ID requirements and proof of citizenship for all voters [05:31 – 06:16].

  Steve Waters [06:20]: "Open a bank account. I think it's appropriate that you need photo identification to be able to vote."

• Democratic Opposition: Critics argue these measures could suppress voter turnout, with Michigan Democrat Jocelyn Benson advocating for increased federal funding for election officers [06:16 – 06:56].

• Pentagon's Stance: Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh emphasizes the need for federal support to ensure accessible identification without imposing burdensome requirements [06:40 – 06:49].

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3. Lifebeat: Pro-Life Rulings and Battles of 2024

Mary Reichardt introduces the Lifebeat segment with special reporter Leah Savis, who provides a comprehensive recap of pro-life developments in 2024 [07:37 – 14:19].

a. In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and Supreme Court Ruling in Alabama (08:11 – 13:09)

Leah Savis discusses a pivotal Alabama Supreme Court ruling allowing wrongful death suits for lost embryos during IVF processes:

Matthew Lee Anderson [09:13]: "What does it mean to be a human being frozen in ice in a laboratory?"

Key Events:

• Court Ruling: Parents can sue IVF providers under wrongful death for accidental loss of embryos [08:20 – 08:30].
• Backlash: Misinterpretations led to fears of IVF providers facing severe criminal charges, igniting a national pro-life response [08:30 – 09:31].
• Theological Insights: Theologian Matthew Lee Anderson critiques the burdens placed on reproductive doctors [09:08 – 09:31].

b. Abortion-Related Supreme Court Cases (09:35 – 12:06)

Leah Savis highlights two significant Supreme Court cases:

1. Abortion Pills Case: Pro-life doctors challenged the FDA's safety regulations on abortion drugs but were denied standing [09:35 – 10:43].

2. Idaho's Pro-Life Law: The federal government sued Idaho over the lack of health exceptions in its anti-abortion laws, aiming to compel broader abortion access. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case, a setback for pro-life advocates [10:43 – 12:06].

c. Media Reporting and ProPublica's Coverage (12:06 – 13:13)

Leah Savis addresses ProPublica's reports linking pro-life laws to women's health outcomes:

Dr. Jonathan Scrafford [11:39]: "Where are the examples of people who did give appropriate medical care and then were convicted..."

Insights:

• ProPublica's Claims: Articles suggested that pro-life laws contributed to medical complications and deaths.
• Medical Community's Response: Doctors argue these cases stem from poor medical judgment, not legislation [11:54 – 12:06].

d. Abortion Measures in 10 States (12:06 – 13:09)

Leah Savis reviews ballot measures across ten states regarding abortion:

Pete Ricketts [12:44]: "I believe the life begins at conception."

Outcomes:

• Passes: Seven states, including Missouri.
• Defeats: Three states, with strategies like backing alternative amendments proving successful [12:06 – 13:09].

e. Looking Ahead to 2025 (13:09 – 14:19)

Leah Savis anticipates continued judicial and legislative battles over abortion:

Leah Savis [13:13]: "There’s going to be a lot going on for sure, but definitely fallout from these pro-abortion constitutional amendments."

Personal Note: Leah shares her personal milestone of welcoming her first child, paralleling her professional dedication [13:42 – 14:19].

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4. The 1984 Band Aid Song and the Ethiopian Famine

Mary Reichardt introduces a historical reflection on the impact of a charity song released 40 years ago:

Lindsay Mast: "In December 1984, one song rules the airwaves in Britain."

Key Elements:

a. The Ethiopian Famine and BBC Report (14:35 – 16:23)

Lindsay Mast and Nick Iker recount how a BBC report by Michael Burke brought global attention to the Ethiopian famine:

Nick Iker [15:58]: "Dawn and as the sun breaks through the piercing chill of night on the plain outside Coram, it lights up a biblical famine."

Details:

• Impact of Reporting: Graphics depicted the dire conditions, leading to international awareness and response [15:11 – 16:23].
• Heroic Efforts: Pilot Keith Ketchum's dangerous missions to deliver aid were pivotal [16:53 – 17:04].

b. Bob Geldof and the Creation of Band Aid (16:23 – 21:21)

Lindsay Mast describes Bob Geldof's reaction to the BBC report and the subsequent formation of Band Aid:

Bob Geldof [18:08]: "I was just startled by it."

Highlights:

• Band Aid's Formation: Collaboration among major artists led to the release of "Do They Know It’s Christmas?", raising approximately £8 million for famine aid [18:22 – 19:08].
• Live Aid Concerts: Sold-out events like Live Aid mobilized global support, although critics argue political factors in Ethiopia were underreported [19:08 – 20:25].
• Long-Term Effects: While successful in fundraising, the underlying political instability in Ethiopia persisted, exacerbating famine conditions [20:02 – 21:21].

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5. Honoring Notable Innovators and Trailblazers of 2024

Mary Reichardt and Nick Iker honor several influential figures in business and science who passed away in 2024:

a. Joel Bells (23:11 – 24:01)

• Legacy: Founder of "It's God's World" and "World" magazine, Joel Bells was instrumental in shaping biblically grounded journalism [23:11 – 24:01].

b. Bill Post – Inventor of Pop Tarts (24:01 – 24:42)

Bill Post [24:13]: "I ate Pop Tarts a few times a week until my death at age 96."

• Contribution: Developed the iconic Pop Tarts, revolutionizing breakfast options [24:09 – 24:42].

c. Herbert Cromer and Robert Dennard – Pioneers in Technology (24:42 – 26:51)

• Herbert Cromer: Nobel laureate for semiconductor technology, essential for modern electronics [25:16 – 26:00].

  Herbert Cromer [25:16]: "I did make more money out of this patent than anybody else. I got a hundred dollars for having submitted."

• Robert Dennard: Innovated DRAM technology, crucial for data storage in computers [26:07 – 26:51].

d. Lyudmila Trut – Domestication of Foxes (26:51 – 28:31)

• Achievements: Systematized the domestication of foxes in Russia, transforming aggressive foxes into docile, dog-like animals over 60 generations [26:51 – 28:31].

e. Philip Zimbardo – Stanford Prison Experiment Architect (28:31 – 29:48)

Philip Zimbardo [28:36]: "Intelligent, and we put them in a bad place?"

• Legacy: Famous for the controversial Stanford Prison Experiment, examining the psychological effects of perceived power [28:31 – 29:48].

f. Bernie Marcus – Co-Founder of Home Depot (29:48 – 31:18)

• Impact: Built Home Depot into one of the world's largest home improvement retailers, fostering home-building initiatives [29:48 – 31:18].

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6. Reflections on New Year's Resolutions

Steve Waters shares personal insights on setting and maintaining meaningful resolutions:

Steve Waters: "Our verse for the year ahead comes from Paul's Prayer to the Thessalonians. We always pray for you that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power."

Key Themes:

• Shift from Ambitious Goals to Spiritual Priorities: Emphasizes prayerful resolutions over traditional goal-setting, focusing on spiritual growth and service [31:18 – 36:07].
• Personal Anecdotes: Steve recounts his journey of setting family and ministry goals, highlighting challenges and realizations about the importance of prioritizing faith and commitments [31:48 – 36:07].

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7. Conclusion and Closing Remarks

As the episode concludes, Nick Iker and Mary Reichardt express gratitude to listeners for their support and remind them of the ongoing opportunities to contribute [36:07 – 36:31]. The hosts close with a biblical reflection, citing Revelation 20:11-12, and extend wishes for grace and peace in the coming year [36:31 – End].

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This episode of "The World and Everything In It" provided a thorough exploration of the year's significant pro-life legal battles, the enduring legacy of humanitarian efforts through music, and heartfelt remembrances of innovators who shaped various fields. Listeners are equipped with informed perspectives and inspirational stories as they step into the new year.

Transcript

[Nick Iker]

Happy New Year and thanks to all who've been part of our year end giving drive.

[Mary Reichardt]

Yeah. And depending of course, upon when you're listening, there's just a few hours left to beat the tax man and get your gift in before 2025.

[Nick Iker]

So please visit wng.org yearendgift and thanks.

[Mary Reichardt]

Good morning on this final day of 2024. We continue our coverage of the biggest news of the year. Today, the Lifebeat.

[Nick Iker]

What does it mean to be a human being frozen in ice in a laboratory? It's a very strange condition that we've brought these embryos into. Also today, 40 years ago this month, a pop song raises millions for food and medical aid in Africa. And remembering the lives of innovators in business and science. I did make more money out of this patent than anybody else. I got a hundred dollars for having submitted.

[Mary Reichardt]

It's Tuesday, December 31st. This is the world and everything in it from listeners supported World Radio. I'm Mary Reichert.

[Nick Iker]

And I'm Nick Iker. Good morning.

[Mary Reichardt]

Up next, Mark Mellinger with today's news.

[Mark Mellinger]

President Trump has given Mike Johnson his endorsement to continue serving as speaker of the House. But Johnson still has not secured the support he needs from his fellow Republican lawmakers. Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie says he won't vote for Johnson despite Trump's endorsement Monday. That means Johnson cannot afford to lose any more Republican votes when the new Congress convenes to choose a speaker Friday. But a few GOP lawmakers like Tennessee's Tim Burchett are still non committal. I'll make up my mind Friday or so when we do the votes.

[Sabrina Singh]

I'll pray about it.

[Mark Mellinger]

Some GOP critics are upset with Johnson for working with Democrats to pass a spending deal this month. Johnson allies like New York Congresswoman Claudia Tenney are pushing, pushing back.

[Nick Iker]

What some of these people that are.

[Mark Mellinger]

Frustrating to see my own colleagues say is that, well, why does he work with Democrats? We have to work with Democrats Burchett and Tenney talking to Fox News and Fox Business, respectively. If there's a delay in choosing the House speaker, that could delay the official certification of the 2024 election results and swearing in of new House members. The U.S. treasury Department says it has been hacked by China. Details from World's Travis Kircher hackers acting.

[Nick Iker]

On behalf of the Chinese government breached the US Treasury's online guardrails earlier this.

[Mark Mellinger]

Month and stole documents that according to.

[Nick Iker]

A report by Reuters News service citing a letter the US treasury sent to lawmakers.

[Mark Mellinger]

Reuters obtained that letter yesterday.

[Nick Iker]

In it, the treasury characterized the hack as a, quote, major incident, but said none of the documents were classified. The hackers allegedly bypassed a third party security provider by stealing a key or password, providing access to the Treasury's computer system. The treasury department says the U.S. cybersecurity and Infrastructure agency as well as the FBI are investigating. For World I'm Travis Kercher.

[Mark Mellinger]

The sounds of tearful reunions as Ukrainian prisoners of war reunite with their families. It came after Russia and Ukraine took part in a prisoner swap of nearly 200 POWs each. That's according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Among the Ukrainian POWs soldiers captured by Russian forces from the front lines in places like snake Island. The POWs also included two civilians. This soldier in Russian says he's euphoric. He says he doesn't fully understand that he's really free. Although both he and his family have waited for this moment, he goes on to call this the second birthday of his life. Zelensky credited the United Arab Emirates for negotiating the exchange. President Biden says the U.S. is sending another $2.5 billion in weapons to Ukraine, working to meet the White House's goal of spending all available money for Ukraine before Donald Trump takes office.

[Sabrina Singh]

We are committed to using that full authority that Congress has allotted to us.

[Mark Mellinger]

That was Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh weeks after Trump's election win. The aid package announced Monday lets the military p existing stock from shelves to get weapons to the battlefield faster and also pays for longer term weapons deliveries. Also Monday, the Treasury Department announced it is sending another $3.4 billion to Ukraine to cover the salaries of first responders, school employees, health care and other government workers as that country combats Russia's invasion. Monday was cleanup day for a lot of people after powerful storms roared through the southern US over the week. The National Weather Service says it's confirmed at least 30 tornadoes touched down as it works through about 50 reports of tornado damage spanning from Texas to South Carolina. In Alvin, Texas, Donald Duncan tells KTRK a tornado ripped the roof off his home as he was about to celebrate a late Christmas with family.

[Nick Iker]

One of the boys said, my ears are ringing.

[Leah Savis]

The next thing you know, the glass is busted out. When the glass busted out, the tornado came through. That's when it ripped off the roof.

[Mark Mellinger]

Neither he nor his 10 family members inside were hurt. The storms knocked out power to tens of thousands of people across several states and also resulted in a handful of deaths. Republicans want to overhaul the US Voting procedures and they're planning to act quickly on that in the new Congress, they want all voters to show a photo ID and prove citizenship every time they cast a ballot. Wisconsin Republican Congressman Brian Stile says it's a reasonable way to restore public confidence in elections.

[Nick Iker]

Photo ID is essential. You need it to board an airplane, buy a six pack of beer or.

[Steve Waters]

Open a bank account.

[Nick Iker]

I think it's appropriate that you need photo identification to be able to vote.

[Mark Mellinger]

Some Democrats say the GOP proposals go too far and could make it harder for people to vote. Michigan Democrat Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson would prefer to see more federal funding for election officers.

[Sabrina Singh]

My job is also to make sure everyone has access to identification and gets their license or gets their state id. And so what we really need are.

[Nick Iker]

More resources from the federal government that.

[Sabrina Singh]

Helps us get people IDs before they, you know, implement or add more onerous identification requirements.

[Mark Mellinger]

The proposed changes have the strong support of President Elect Trump. I'm Mark Mellinger. Straight ahead reviewing the top pro life news stories of 2024. Four plus the story behind a popular Christmas song. This is the World and Everything in it.

[Mary Reichardt]

It's Tuesday, the 31st of December. So glad to have you along for today's edition of the World and Everything In It. Good morning. I'm Mary Reichert.

[Nick Iker]

And I'm Nick Icker. First up, a year end recap on the lifebeat. This year, World followed dozens of stories related to the sanctity of life, everything from the 10 ballot measures on abortion to a controversial court ruling on in vitro fertilization. Joining us now to review some of these top stories and to talk about the year ahead is world's Lifebeat reporter, Leah Savis.

[Mary Reichardt]

Leah, good morning.

[Leah Savis]

Good morning. Thanks for having me on.

[Mary Reichardt]

Well, let's just start with a recap of this year. What would you say is the top development on the Lifebeat?

[Leah Savis]

Yeah, so normally I'm really focused on the abortion issue, but this year in vitro fertilization came into the headlines and that was because of a state supreme court ruling out of Alabama ruling that parents who lose their embryonic children to like an accident or just other unfortunate events that happen during the IVF process that they could sue under the wrongful death of a minor act. Now, that didn't mean that, you know, IVF providers could face homicide charges or something, but I think a lot of people thought that's what it meant. So there was this big national backlash, people coming out in support of ivf, specifically Republicans saying, you know, I'm all about this, we need to support ivf. But even though it was misunderstood it did raise a lot of important questions. So here's a theologian I interviewed about the case. His name's Matthew Lee Anderson.

[Nick Iker]

What does it mean to be a human being frozen in ice in a laboratory? It's a very strange condition that we've brought these embryos into. I think the burdens of judgment that it places on reproductive doctors just way too high.

[Mary Reichardt]

Well, let's segue now into abortion stories. What's top of mind there?

[Leah Savis]

Yeah, so there were two abortion related Supreme Court cases this year, and they were the first cases to come to the Supreme Court on the abortion issue since the Dobbs decision. So that was pretty big. One of them had to do with abortion pills. In this case that pro life doctors brought against the Food and Drug Administration, basically critiquing their lax safety requirements on distributing the abortion drug. That case did not go the way pro life doctors were hoping. Eventually, the justices ruled that those doctors did not have standing. And then the other case was out of Idaho. The federal government had sued Idaho over its protections for unborn babies, basically saying, you know, your lack of a health exception in your pro life law is against federal law. So they're trying to pressure the state to require doctors to be able to perform abortions not only to save the woman's life, but also to save her health. And that also did not go favorably for pro lifers. The justices said that they shouldn't have taken the case up at all.

[Mary Reichardt]

You know, this year I saw plenty of stories about women from pro life states who experienced complications or even death. And the way the media reported it was to connect it to those laws passed in pro life states. What can you tell us about those?

[Leah Savis]

Yeah, so there was a lot of coverage specifically from ProPublica. They were publishing all these articles basically saying, you know, here's a case of a woman who died because of the state's pro life law. Well, you know, they were trying to blame it on the laws. Why? You know, for instance, a doctor wasn't intervening to remove a dead baby from a mom who was like, infected, you know, stuff like this. But doctors I interviewed, including in states with similar laws in place, they were saying that this is probably just cases of poor medical judgment. Here's one doctor I spoke with, Dr. Jonathan Scrafford.

[Nick Iker]

Where are the examples of people who did give appropriate medical care and then were convicted or their lives were ruined, they went bankrupt, they lost their job because of these things. There has to be some burden of proof at some point about these concerns.

[Mary Reichardt]

Right. And ProPublica dropped some of those stories really close to the election. Maybe they were hoping to influence voters at that point. Now, earlier we mentioned the 10 states that had abortion measures. Remind us what happened there.

[Lindsay Mast]

Yeah.

[Leah Savis]

So there were 10 states that voted on abortion related ballot measures. They were all slightly different, but each of them would essentially enshrine abortion into the state constitution. Seven of those passed, including in red states like Missouri. But in three other states, pro lifers were able to defeat those pro abortion ballot measures using varying tactics. For instance, in Nebraska, pro lifers actually backed an alternative amendment that succeeded while the pro abortion amendment failed. And a lot of people see this as kind of a path forward for the movement. So here's US Senator from Nebraska, Pete Ricketts.

[Nick Iker]

I believe the life begins at conception. What we put in certainly says, hey, abortion after the first trimester is not allowed. But it doesn't say it's a fundamental right to abortion. So it doesn't open the door to things like funding abortions. I think part of the challenge is we've got a lot of work to do. Winning hearts and minds. Our 434 ballot initiative gives us that opportunity to be able to do that.

[Mary Reichardt]

All right, well, let's look ahead to the new year. Leah, what stories will you be watching?

[Leah Savis]

Yeah, there's gonna be a lot going on for sure, but definitely fallout from these pro abortion constitutional amendments. What actually happens in the courts and in state legislatures related to that. Looking at the US Supreme Court also, recently we found out that they're taking up another abortion related case, this time having to do with whether states pro life states can remove abortion providers like Planned Parenthood from Medicaid funding. So we'll be watching all those things and a lot of other things, too.

[Mary Reichardt]

Plenty of work to do. And Leah, you welcomed new life into your family this year, didn't you?

[Leah Savis]

Yes, we had our first baby this summer. He came the same week as the anniversary of the Dobbs decision. So I was actually finishing up a Dobbs anniversary piece while I was in labor with him. Cause I was bored. So I promise no one was forcing me to do that.

[Mary Reichardt]

But that is dedication and we appreciate it. Congratulations for your new son. You have a lot going on there. Thanks for joining us today, Leah.

[Leah Savis]

Yeah, thanks for having me, Mary.

[Mary Reichardt]

Coming up next, fame and fundraising. Forty years ago this month, British citizens by the millions were buying a song by a charity supergroup known as Band Aid. The effort would go on to inspire musical relief efforts around the world.

[Nick Iker]

The record was in response to shocking footage out of Ethiopia, where a devastating famine was getting worse. It's estimated it ultimately took up to a million lives. World's Lindsay Mast has the story of the famine, the song and relief for the victims.

[Lindsay Mast]

In December 1984, one song rules the airwaves in Britain.

[Nick Iker]

It's Christmas time. There's no need to be afraid at Christmas time.

[Mark Mellinger]

We let in life and we vanish.

[Lindsay Mast]

It, it blends together dark lyrics, synthesizer bells and the voices of some of the biggest pop stars of the time.

[Nick Iker]

There's no world outside your window and.

[Steve Waters]

It'S a world of dread and fear.

[Lindsay Mast]

It spends five weeks at number one on the British charts and and for decades on, it regularly returns to them. This year it hit number eight. The song raises a lot of money for victims of a massive famine in Ethiopia, a famine that just two months prior had been unknown to most of the world. The song and the momentary attention of the world began with a single BBC report on October 23, 1984.

[Nick Iker]

Dawn and as. As the sun breaks through the piercing chill of night on the plain outside Coram, it lights up a biblical famine. Now in the 20th century, it is.

[Lindsay Mast]

Difficult to overstate the impact that BBC journalist Michael Burke's report would have around the world. It showed scores of emaciated people waiting in feeding camps, the bodies of dead mothers and children wrapped together in cloth.

[Nick Iker]

15,000 children here now, suffering, confused, lost. Death is all around. A child or an adult dies every 20 minutes. Coram, an insignificant town, has become a place of grief.

[Lindsay Mast]

Burke was named television Journalist of the Year by the Royal Television Society for his story. An unsung hero in bringing that report to the world's attention is a humble pilot who flew him into Coram.

[Nick Iker]

I landed in addis Ababa on February 4, 1984 and walked through the glass doors of the airport, which had the hammer and sickle motif. And I wondered, what have I done?

[Lindsay Mast]

Keith Ketchum had been a commercial airline mechanic, but went to Ethiopia to work with Mission Aviation Fellowship and its partner, World Vision. Ketchum flew grain, milk, powder and oil to remote places with no roads. Sun up to sundown, sometimes 12 flights a day. It was high stakes work.

[Nick Iker]

I was approved to sign off 747s flying over the North Atlantic. I didn't feel that kind of pressure until I got to Ethiopia and I realized if I can't get this airplane running, people are going to die. The relief agencies do what they can. Save the Children Fund are caring for more than 7,000 babies.

[Lindsay Mast]

Burke's graphic report wakes the world up to the problem. The BBC reports it aired on 400 stations worldwide. But back in Ethiopia, we were completely.

[Nick Iker]

Oblivious because there was a news blackout in Ethiopia. We had no idea of the impact this had.

[Lindsay Mast]

One person who sees Burke's story is British rocker Bob Geldof. The report leaves him deeply troubled. Audio here from a 2004 BBC documentary.

[Nick Iker]

And I was just startled by it. Any sort of notions of records and sales and career and just disappeared.

[Lindsay Mast]

He convinces fellow musician Midge Ur to write a Christmas single to raise money for aid efforts. They come up with a tune and lyrics. They talk a recording studio into donating a single 24 hour period for recording and mixing. Geldof calls up dozens of artists. Sting, Bono, Phil Collins, members of WHAM and Duran Duran. Nearly 40 artists in all help out. The song sells a million copies in its first week and goes on to raise an estimated 8 million pounds for famine aid. That's about 32 million in today's US dollars. It also inspires American musicians to record We Are the World four months later.

[Steve Waters]

We Are the Children.

[Lindsay Mast]

That summer, geldof also organizes two relief concerts called Live Aid. Nearly 2 billion people around the world tune in. But despite that success, some say the political forces that led to the famine were downplayed and lead to continued problems in Ethiopia. The initial BBC report points out drought and years of failed rains, but it doesn't mention the role of the Derg, Ethiopia's communist government. Keith Ketchum Once again I had a saying.

[Nick Iker]

We're fighting the government to help the people. And I think the lack of cooperation or just the hesitancy for them to see what good we were doing and help us.

[Lindsay Mast]

The Derg came to power in part because of how former Emperor Haile Selassie bungled a famine 10 years earlier. But the Derg do no better. Eric Patterson is president of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.

[Nick Iker]

It was using food as a weapon of war and cutting off food supplies from some of the areas that needed it most, but were from different ethnic groups in different parts of the country.

[Lindsay Mast]

Patterson says the Derg failed to put in place policies that would have made the country more resilient during natural disasters.

[Nick Iker]

Frankly, after 10 years of civil war where that government had ruined its own economy and fought against its own people, it was not in a very good position to stand up when it came and help its citizens during the time of drought and famine.

[Lindsay Mast]

Before Burke's report and Band Aid song, Keith Ketchum says he had a dim view of journalists in Ethiopia. They took up space in the plane, space where grain could have gone, but 40 years later.

[Nick Iker]

I love journalists now. Yes, and those who influence and can rally people. I say that Bob Gildof taught a generation that it was cool to be compassionate. I also say every generation needs to learn that.

[Lindsay Mast]

Reporting for world, I'm Lindsay Mast.

[Mark Mellinger]

Additional support comes from Dort University, where.

[Nick Iker]

Students strive to become all that God created them to be and thrive intellectually, socially and spiritually until all is made new. And from Commuter Bible, the Workweek Audio Bible in four annual plans available via podcast, app and Commuter Bible. All right, so it was less than two weeks before Christmas when a German shepherd named Athena left her family home alone. Owner Brooke Comer says she has no clue how Athena got out. So she plastered missing dog posters, she chased down tips and generally came up empty. Then 2:30 in the morning, Christmas Eve, the ring doorbell triggered.

[Sabrina Singh]

Hi.

[Mary Reichardt]

You are currently being recorded.

[Nick Iker]

Guess what? It was Athena announcing her grand return. A Christmas miracle. So what did Athena get for Christmas this year? That bad girl? You guessed it, a microchip. It's the World and everything in.

[Mary Reichardt]

Today is Tuesday, December 31st. Thank you for turning to World Radio to help start your day. Good morning, I'm Mary Reichert.

[Nick Iker]

And I'm Nick Iger. Next up on the World and Everything in it, remembering notable inventors and innovators. But first, a notable inventor and innovator close to home, our founder, Joel Bells. He died on February 4 this year. It was Joel who launched It's God's world back in 1981 and then eventually World magazine. Joel oversaw the growth of World over the decades into the organization that it is today.

[Mary Reichardt]

And following Joel's death, many of our own journalists paid tribute to him, some in print, some online. And Kim Henderson put together a beautiful remembrance for this podcast. We'll provide a link to all of those resources in the transcript for today's program. Outside of World, many other leaders in business and science also died.

[Nick Iker]

Here now is World reporter Mary Muncie.

[Sabrina Singh]

First up, Bill Post, the inventor of a middle schooler's favorite breakfast.

[Nick Iker]

Eat him in the morning, Eat him in the evening. Kellogg's Pop Tarts.

[Sabrina Singh]

Post was Baker in the 60s when he got a call from Kellogg in an interview with Fox. He said the company wanted a pastry for the toaster, so they started work. But trying to get one test product through a 300 foot oven was not easy.

[Nick Iker]

So we had a lot of scrap and debris going through the oven. We sorted them out and let all the debris go to the pig farmer. The pig farmer farmer was the happiest guy in the whole deal.

[Sabrina Singh]

And maybe Post's kids. They were 9 and 13 at the time, and he brought home test products for them. At first they were not good, but just a few months later, the first Pop Tarts hit the shelves in Ohio and sold out almost immediately. Post says he ate Pop Tarts a few times a week until his death on February 10th at age 96. The ones with more next two people who made modern technology possible Herbert Cromer and Robert Dennard.

[Nick Iker]

I've always liked to take ideas to the extreme and fully realizing that this extreme might not be reachable.

[Sabrina Singh]

Herbert Cromer won the Nobel Prize in 2000 for discovering the technology for modern semiconductors. They conduct electricity under some conditions and block it under others, and they're in everything from your cell phone to your car. He told Vegas Science that when he first tried to make one, it did not go well, so he shelved the idea until the 60s, when technology started to catch up to his ideas. When it did, he filed a patent, but it expired in 1985 before there were any significant commercial uses.

[Nick Iker]

So I did make more money out of this patent than anybody else. I got $100 for having submitted it.

[Sabrina Singh]

Meanwhile, Robert Dennard was devising a way to store data on something smaller than the hulking computers of the 60s. He told IBM Research that as a kid he was good at math and science, but he was much more interested in climbing trees and dunking his cat in the pond. Nevertheless, his high school guidance counselor said he should try engineering, and by 1966 he was working with IBM, trying to shrink data storage. He was sitting at home when it hit him.

[Nick Iker]

I called up my boss. I said, wow, I've really developed a great new memory technology for the future. He told me to take two aspirin and call him in the morning.

[Sabrina Singh]

He eventually convinced his boss that storing data in fewer capacitors and transistors was possible, and by the mid-70s, what's now known as DRAM was in almost every personal computer. Dennard died on April 23 at age 91, and Herbert Cromer died on March 8 at age 95. Next the woman who systematized domesticating foxes. Lyudmila Trut was 25 when she agreed to head an experiment in Russia that studied the process of domestication. She says they brought in select silver foxes from all over what was the Soviet Union then. They bred the calmest pups. When she started in 1958, Trut could have been jailed for doing that kind of genetic experimentation, she says. After just A few generations, they turned what were once aggressive, sneaky foxes into animals as friendly as a dog. And they started to look and act a lot like dogs, too. Over the course of more than 60 generations, TRUT and her team documented physical changes as each generation grew tamer. They had fewer stress hormones, floppy ears, and they started wagging their tails, among other things. Trut died in October at 91 years old, after more than 60 years of living with her foxes. Next, another more infamous scientist, Philip Zimbardo, the architect of the Stanford prison experiment.

[Nick Iker]

We wanted to ask the question, what happens if you take people, all of whom are good, normal, healthy college students.

[Mary Reichardt]

Intelligent, and we put them in a bad place?

[Sabrina Singh]

So Zimbardo simulated a prison in the basement of Stanford University. He paid college boys to be prison guards and prisoners for two weeks. He told the Scavlin TV show about the results.

[Nick Iker]

On the first day, nothing happened.

[Sabrina Singh]

The prison guards felt awkward in their uniforms.

[Nick Iker]

But then the next morning, the prisoners rebelled.

[Sabrina Singh]

Suddenly, the students in the prison uniforms weren't classmates. They were dangerous prisoners. And the guards started psychologically demeaning them. Halfway through the experiment, Zimbardo invited colleagues to interview the subjects. The first one who came was a woman he was dating.

[Nick Iker]

She starts crying. I said, what's the matter with you? She said, it's terrible what you are doing to those boys. They're not prisoners, they're not guards, they're.

[Lindsay Mast]

Boys, and you are responsible. And she runs out.

[Sabrina Singh]

He stopped the experiment shortly after that, about a week early. Other scientists have questioned the ethics of the study, and its implications are still being studied. Zimbardo died on October 14 at age 91. Finally, a man who built a business to help other people build their homes.

[Nick Iker]

Home Depot. Home Depot.

[Sabrina Singh]

Bernie Marcus told Job Creators Network that he grew up in a fourth floor tenement in New Jersey.

[Mark Mellinger]

We were poor.

[Nick Iker]

We had nothing. We had nothing.

[Sabrina Singh]

On a walk around a different neighborhood, he decided that when he grew up, he wanted to live in a house with a porch.

[Nick Iker]

And I wasn't envious. I just said, how do they do it?

[Sabrina Singh]

So he went to school and worked various jobs until he was eventually put in charge of a home improvement chain, where he met his future business partner. The two were fired from the chain at the same time in 1978 and started planning. A year later. They opened the doors of Arrival. The company is now one of the world's largest home improvement retailers, doing business in the U.S. canada, and Mexico. Marcus died on November 4th. He was 95 years old. Reporting for World I'M Mary Muncie.

[Nick Iker]

Today is Tuesday, December 31st. Good morning, this is the World and everything in it from Listener Supported World Radio. I'm Nick Iker.

[Mary Reichardt]

And I'm Mary Reichard. Up next Starting the New Year well, almost a third of Americans say they will make resolutions or set goals for 2025, but world opinions contributor Steve Waters encourages a resolution that goes beyond those we often fail to.

[Steve Waters]

A recent YouGov survey found 58% of Americans under 30 say they make resolutions, but less than a quarter of those older than 30 do. Drive Research speculates that the over 30 crowd may have already met many of their life goals, and those who haven't have likely grown cautious after failed resolutions in the past. One study reports less than 10% of those making resolutions keeping them My own experience matches these findings. In our first year of marriage, my wife and I got away for a New Year's Eve stay at a family cottage in Michigan, and as we looked out over a frozen lake covered with snow, the fire popping in the big rock fireplace, we were inspired to dream up a new young adults ministry that we then launched the following year. The next Christmas, I gave her an engraved door knocker and announced optimistically, lets accessorize this with a house. And on New Year's Eve we headed back to the cottage for fresh inspiration. In the process, we decided to add the goal of starting a family. A year later, we skipped the cottage and had our planning time in our newly built home with our two week old son. This big goal thing was really paying off. The next December, we went back to the cottage and tried to dream up some bigger goals like start a business and write a book. We also added goals for exercise, reading, vacations and major purchases. This time we climbed up onto the kitchen counter and hid the list on a ledge above the sink. We thought it would be fun to go back the next year and see how much we had accomplished, but it wasn't fun. When we reviewed the list a year later, we had missed our big goals as well as many of the new, smaller goals we had added. We headed out from the cottage to a local restaurant to try to rally and do better on a plan for the next year. After we got our two year old son busy with crackers and crayons, we turned over a paper placemat and started jotting down our goals, including preparing for another baby due in two months. As we struggled to keep our son occupied, we realized that one reason it was hard to achieve new goals was because previous ones, like growing our family, were making it difficult to add anything else. We also realized that some of the objectives we had added may not have been worth pursuing. In the spirit of self improvement, we had taken on a lot of to do items that ultimately made our lives busier rather than better. Back at the cottage after our son went to sleep, we paused our goal setting and instead spent time praying, asking God to show us what he would have us prioritize and to help us to do what was most important. That was a turning point for us. We still believed it was important to plan for the new year as a couple and to be willing to sacrifice for shared priorities. But our focus shifted from setting big goals to making prayerful resolutions. That night we started a new list of priorities that has guided our planning every year since. We came up with things like seek to know and do God's will, do work that has eternal value, and steward our lives in ways that serve others and glorify God. Praying about these priorities each year has prompted some big new goals at times, but more often it has helped us bring fresh resolve to the commitments we already have in our marriage, family and church. That has also helped us protect important investments like family Discipleship and Teaching, 5th Grade, Sunday School opportunities that might have otherwise gotten squeezed out by work, school, school and extracurricular activities. That year we were also prompted to start adding a guiding verse to our annual plan and to display the plan on our refrigerator throughout the year. Our verse for the year ahead comes from Paul's Prayer to the Thessalonians. We always pray for you that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power. That's a big goal we know God is prepared to help us all keep I'm Steve Waters.

[Nick Iker]

Tomorrow, analysis of the biggest political news stories of the year on Washington Wednesday. That and more tomorrow. And as we say goodbye for the last time in 2024, I'd like to say thank you to all who gave to our year end giving drive and remind you if you haven't yet, there are just a few hours left. Wng.org yearendgift I'm Nick Eicher.

[Mary Reichardt]

And I'm Mary Reichardt. The world and everything in it comes to you from World Radio. World's mission is biblically objective journalism that informs, educates and inspires. The Book of Revelation says, then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence, earth and sky fled away and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead great and small, standing before the throne. And books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books according to what they had done. Verses 11 and 12 of Revelation, chapter 20. Go now in great grace and peace.