I mean, there are a lot of vague and contradictory stories in the Bible but this one is as clear as could be.
Tax season is beginning and already I'm seeing posts where a spouse starting work on taxes enters one W-2 into tax software and sees a promising "refund" number displayed before all information has been added. Then after adding the other spouse's W-2, there's a disappointing nose-dive of the "refund" number. Confusion ensues about whose withholding is wrong and whether settings at the second spouse's workplace need to be fixed.
tldr: This is an outcome of misinterpreting interim numbers displayed by tax software before you've entered all information.
I've written a parable below that examines why it happens, in the hopes it will ease marital discord about it, and prevent people from taking actions that aren't warranted as a result of buying into this illusion.
Suppose a husband and wife make 60K and 30K, respectively. They file married jointly.
Here is one fact: The tax on married filers with 90K income is 7484.
Suppose they see this and decide it makes sense to arrange things so husband withholds 5000 and wife withholds 2500. Together they pay in 7500, so they won't owe at tax time. They decide it seems fair for them to divide the tax in this 2:1 ratio because their incomes are in a 60:30 ratio.
Would you agree that if they arrange their withholding so 5000 and 2500 are taken out of their paychecks, they are in good shape? Neither spouse would criticize the other's job as not taking enough tax out of paychecks, right?
Suppose everything goes as planned and they do have 5000 and 2500 of withholding. They have actually overpaid their tax by 16, so they'll get a small refund.
Let's look at what happens when the husband sits down with his tax software, TwerpoTax.
A few facts need to be stated about our tax system.
- The tax on a married couple with just 30K income is 560.
- The tax on a married couple with just 60K income is 3884.
- The tax on a married couple with 90K income is 7484.
If you are surprised that those numbers don't add up, you can verify it by learning how the standard deduction and tax brackets shape the tax owed.
So husband fires up TwerpoTax and enters his W-2 form in. His wages are 60000 and his withholding was 5000.
TwerpoTax sees the income is 60000 and filing status is Married Filing Jointly. It thinks the tax is 3884 but he has paid 5000.
"Your Refund Is $1116," TwerpoTax says.
Husband is happy and excited about his refund.
Then he adds wife's W-2 next. Her wages are 30000 and her withholding is 2500.
"You
... keep reading on reddit β‘
I've crafted an argument concerning the parable of the Good Samaritan that I would appreciate feedback on here and here.
Essentially, I think a strong case can be made that the parallels between the parable of the Good Samaritan and the story of the prophet Oded in 2 Chronicles 28 suggest that Jesus was directing the lawyer to consider the aforementioned scripture.
According to the Chronicler, the victorious Israelite inhabitants of Samaria (the Northern Kingdom) showed their defeated captive Judean kin mercy at the behest of the prophet Oded. They did so in obedience to their Torah obligation to love their covenant brethren/neighbor (Leviticus 19:18-19). Though they intended to make permanent slaves of their brethren, this was prohibited by the Torah (Levticus 25:39-46, Jeremiah 34:8-16).
I think Jesus alludes to this story in his parable in order to retell it; the Samaritan standing in for the merciful Israelites and the man who fell among thieves standing in for the captive Judeans. The estranged Samaritan loves his battered Jewish kin just as the estranged Israelites did long ago, thus fulfilling the Law of brotherly/neighborly love.
Jesus' point then is not that one's neighbor is everyone, but that the priests, Levites, and lawyers of Israel have failed to love (both spiritually and materially) the brethren put under their charge, that is, Jewish sinners, prostitutes, tax collectors, and the sick (cf. Ezekiel 34). The religious elite represented by the priest and Levite have hoarded the material blessings meant for all the people of Israel and for this they have become wicked tenants. In this they have failed to follow Torah even as well as a severely Torah-deficient Samaritan. They are put to shame.
The lawyer knows full well who his neighbor is but Jesus accuses him and his ilk of hardheartedness.
Edit: fixed the links up top.
We need to talk about this track. Holy shit. Some of the best melodies and mixing in the AC catalog. The pristine guitars, the bouncy beat, the deep fuzzy bass that crashes in...it's a masterpiece.
In this parable we are meant to feel that the older brother is being unreasonable and unworthy.
However according to the internal logic of the story he is a fool for working so hard, an even bigger fool if he does not also demand his own inheritance forthwith the instance his brother presents his visage.
His father says "all that I have is yours". This is demonstrably false. The inheritance is already minus one calf, minus one ring, minus one robe and a lot of food given to the younger brother with him only finding out after the fact.
The elder brother is in a losing situation the moment the younger brother arrives, the only rational course of action is to demand his whole inheritance that moment to minimise loss.
If he ever loses everything in the future he can be the second prodigal son since his brother has already set a precident
i know this parable was aimed at the Pharisees and Scribes to value love over works but what about the practical matters
The expert source from the post who worked for the IRS thinks this could be a big deal but the source for Deseret, a writer who writes about taxes for a magazine, says it's not a big deal. Combine that with the parable of the talents and this is a non issue. Everyone settle your tithing before new year
The most popular reading of the Good Samaritan maintains that Jesus is indicting nationalistic, ethnocentric Jews who refuse to acknowledge that their "neighbors" include all people and that they are thus obligated to provide for the material well-being of everyone. Though the lawyer who prompts the parable wanted to believe only other Jews were his neighbor, Jesus teaches him that even a hated foreigner like a Samaritan is his neighbor. Jesus thus universalizes the term "neighbor."
I want to argue that this reading is for the most part a modern construct. The parable in its Lukan context strictly concerns the failure of Israel's religious elite to abide by the Law of brotherly love.
Thesis: The parable of the Good Samaritan is an indictment against Israel's leaders for failing to provide for the spiritual and material well-being of other Jewsβthose marginalized Jews who, though under the care of the priests and lawyers, are now turning to Jesus. This reading becomes apparent when we examine the subtext of the parable, 2 Chronicles 28.
In telling the parable of the Good Samaritan Luke alludes to the story of the prophet Oded. According to the story God gives Judah's army into the hand of Israel and Israel proceeds to take many Judeans captive, stripping the prisoners of their clothes and possessions. En route with the captives to Israel's capital city, Samaria, the prophet Oded speaks a word from God. God says he is enraged by Israel's treatment of their "kin" and by their intention to sell their brothers as slaves (cf. Leviticus 19:17-18 anf 23:39-43 where the Hebrew people are commanded to love each other and to not take each other as slaves). In fear and reverence Israel releases the captives:
>[They] got up and took the captives, and with the booty they clothed all that were naked among them; they clothed them, gave them sandals, provided them with food and drink, and anointed them; and carrying all the feeble among them on donkeys, they brought them to their kindred at Jericho, the city of palm trees. Then they returned to Samaria. (2 Chronicles 28:15)
This maps well onto Luke's description of the merciful Samaritan:
>He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, βTake care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you what
... keep reading on reddit β‘
Previous Post in the Series: Volume VI, Viral Fraudulence https://redd.it/dgh587
The pub was poorly lit and sparsely populated. At a corner table, The Bald Fraud was taking his time sipping a Bloody Mary, occasionally glancing at the entrance.
He was waiting for a guy named Brandon, an employee at FPL Headquarters, algorithm department. He had built quite a stellar reputation for himself when it came to price manipulations, and his work behind the scenes in preventing last year's Lovren price drop was a testament to his efficiency.
The pub door swings open and a nerdy-looking guy in glasses rushes in, scans the interior and walks towards The Bald Fraud.
βOh hey, Brandon. Glad that you could make itβ, The Bald Fraud greets the visitor.
βI'm on lunch-break and can't spend too much time. Have you brought what I asked for?β, Brandon pulls up a chair and plops himself down.
βYes, Yes; its all in here. How's work in the FPL Towers? Busy?β, The Bald Fraud passes a package in a brown envelope to Brandon.
Brandon accepts the package and takes a peek inside.
βThis looks light, Pep. I charged Klopp 50 grand for Lovren price-lock last year and I made myself clear over the phone that KDB's would be double that. If you try to get fraudulent on me, it won't end well for you Pep. Take my word for itβ, Brandon is in no mood for small talk.
βHey, I would never shortchange you, Brandon. Why would I? I have my mini league on line here. Half the managers in my league dropped Kevin, the greedy bastards. I can't let him go downβ, The Bald Fraud defends himself.
βI looked over the data, Pep and it doesn't look good. A lot more people are selling KDB than I thought. I have to manipulate all kinds of injury flags and what not and it still may not be enough. There are more eyes on me too, especially after I misclassified Lundstram at the start of the season. I have very real chances of getting caught this time. I can't be doing all that and also watch over you, Pep. If you fuck me over payment, I never work with you again.β, Brandon lays out the rules of the game out to The Bald Fraud.
βYou said 100 grand, I gave you that. Don't try to wriggle out of the deal now, Brandon. Maybe I sweeten the deal next time but that's all I have with me for now.β, The Bald Fraud wasn't going to be dragged into renegotiating a finalized deal.
βOkay, okay. I didn't know it would be this tou
... keep reading on reddit β‘I got back to this comment by /u/kneeltothesun and realized Parable of the Sower (the book that Karim buys Dr. Rhodes, also a parable from the Bible) represents another way a 4th wall is being broken in this show. /u/kneeltothesun describes the book's Earthseed religion which began as fiction but which has inspired several real-world movements. In the same way, The OA community, criticized to be a cult, has been inspired by a fictional cult. :)
Hi guys,
Mid way through an assignment and stumped on this one.
Looking to build an equation that defines the mass of my empty elevator.
It includes 4x walls of tempered glass (Ag), one sheet of steel for the floor (As), and variable length of RHS (L).
These all depend on the dimensions I decide on going with, but I may end up having to work this out with A LOT of different variations, hence having a formula/equation would be a bloody life saver.
Cheers!
Previous Post in the Series: Volume V, Fraudoholics Anonymous - https://redd.it/daopvj
The Bald Fraud refreshed the FPL website to see what transfers Brenda Rodgers made.
βThank God we didn't have the early kick-off this GW or I would've been in dark when I announce my line-up.β, he thanks heavens for City's Sunday kick-off.
The Bald Fraud sees that Brenda Rodgers sold De Bruyne for Mahrez for a one-week punt and captained him too. His eyes lit up and his overworked brain starts devising evil plans to win over the mini-league top spot back from Brenda.
βI love it when my FPL destiny in my hands. You won't know what hit you, Brendaβ, The Balf Fraud mutters under gritted teeth.
βRiyad, Riyad; come hereβ, The Bald Fraud beckons Mahrez from the training pitch to the sidelines.
βYes Boss, What's up?β, Mahrez jogs towards The Bald Fraud.
βListen, I know you've been raring to go and score some goals but you need to look at the big picture, you know. I need you to not try to score vs Wolves. Do you get what I'm saying?β, The Bald Fraud lays it out for Mahrez.
βWhy you don't want me to score, Boss? If I'm on the pitch, I want to score.β, Mahrez is indignant.
βNo, No, No; you don't understand Riyad. I'm playing a very deep mind-game here. Haven't I always delivered the goods? Made this team better? Made you better? Trust me, you want to be playing the pass before the assist but not assists or goals. Is that clear?β, The Bald Fraud retorts, somewhat irritably.
βWhy even play me then? I'll stay home and watch.β, a baffled Mahrez presents an alternative with a furrowed forehead full of questions.
The Bald Fraud thinks about this proposition but then shudders at the thought of Brenda's vice captain getting the captain points as well as first sub's points coming in which he had no control over. The Bald Fraud has always been afraid of things that were out of his control. He fondly remembers his sex-doll who he could make do anything he pleases and salivates at fond memories.
βBoss, are you listening?β, Mahrez looks at The Bald Fraud who's now about to drool from the corners of his mouth.
βOh yes Riyad. Where was I? Ah, yes. No, I meant. You start the game and then you play the pass before the assist and go hard in the tackles, maybe enough for a yellow. In any case, I'll withdraw you at 59 minutes. And make sure you get off the field before 60 mins mark. Run
... keep reading on reddit β‘Theory: The OA was sent to prevent an apocalypse caused by a technological singularity. This mechanical enemy is controlled by some sort of engineer or big bad, similar to the gnostic creator god, that is not Hap, unless hap is also an avatar. The OA sent herself, in her true goddess form like the gnostic Sophia, she sent an avatar of herself (OA) with limited knowledge and scope to the earth's many timelines to fight this coming apocalypse.)
The Parable of the Sower (sometimes called the Parable of the Soils) is a parable of Jesus found in the three Synoptic Gospels in Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, and Luke 8:4-15. In the story, a sower sows seed and does so indiscriminately. Some seed falls on the path (wayside) with no soil, some on rocky ground with little soil, and some on soil which contained thorns. In these cases the seed is taken away or fails to produce a crop, but when it falls on good soil it grows, yielding thirty, sixty, or a hundredfold.
Jesus then (only in the presence of his disciples) explains that the seed represents the Gospel (the sower being anyone who proclaims it), and the various soils represent people's responses to it (the first three representing rejection while the last represents acceptance).
Parable of the Sower is also a science fiction novel by American writer Octavia E. Butler, published in 1993.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parable_of_the_Sower
Within the novel is the idea of the Earthseed....
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthseed
The word "Earthseed" comes from the idea that the seeds of all life on Earth can be transplanted, and through adaptation will grow, in many different types of situations or places.
The Terasem Movement seeks the development of humanity through technology, and to bridge the gap between science and religion. Terasem comes from the Latin Terra ('earth') and sΔmen ('seed'). Like the fictional Earthseed, Terasem Movement attempts to "shape God", but through technology.
Like the book, but through technology: https://www.reddit.com/r/TheOA/comments/b5kng7/the_parable_of_the_sower/?st=jtprmm2s&sh=8709160d
There is also a humanistic pagan website called Earthseed, and a social movement named SolSeed.
The Terasem Movement is a group of three organizations based in the United States. The name (TeraβEarth, SemβSeed) was inspired by Earthseed, a fictional religion from the works of Octavia Butler. The movement was founded by Martine Rothblatt and Bina Aspen Rothblatt, and is guided by p
... keep reading on reddit β‘Brigham Young said, "Now, where a man in this Church says, "I don't want but one wife, I will live my religion with one," he will perhaps be saved in the celestial kingdom; but when he gets there he will not find himself in possession of any wife at all. He has had a talent that he has hid up. He will come forward and say, "Here is that which thou gavest me, I have not wasted it, and here is the one talent," and he will not enjoy it, but it will be taken and given to those who have improved the talents they received, and he will find himself without any wife, and he will remain single for ever and ever." (Journal of Discourses V16, page 166)
Just curious, with the return of Trials and all.
LDS, Inc uses the parable of the talents to justify their growth and hoarding of money. However I don't agree with their interpretation of the parable.
The unprofitable servant stuck his talent in the ground and refused to use it. I believe stashing away this money for it to never be used (even though it grows) obtains the same results as sticking it in the ground.
When we are taught to develop our own talents (music, sports, etc) we display our talents for the benefit of mankind. If I became a concert pianist but never played for anyone I would be like the unprofitable servant.
