So, what actually happens when you get that winning scratch-off ticket? You just wait and get a check in the mail? Or maybe you just get one of those jumbo checks and a photo goes out to all of your friends and family so they can be… more chummy than usual to you.
As it turns out, there are actually quite a few paths you can take in between you purchasing the winning ticket and receiving your winning bounty in Texas.
First off, Texas lottery winners who have won $600 or more have the option to gift portions to friends or family. This is actually one of the best options to reduce the amount of taxes on the bulk total.
The Annual Gift Tax Exclusion of 2023 limits all gifted portions of a lottery total to $17,000. This means that you can have, at most, $17,000 sent to someone per year from your lottery winnings, free of federal gift taxes.
Your other options are more straightforward. You could always collect the total amount up front, but this has some pros and cons. First, you can choose to remain anonymous if you go this route. The downside is that this option will be heavily taxed.
Thanks to Uncle Sam taking a whopping 24% through the IRS and other deductions when filing federal income taxes, you normally end up taking about half of your winnings home.
Your other option is to receive the total amount through a series of payments over a period of time. This typically is distributed over the course of 30 years with each installment more than the previous. This way certainly requires more patience, but the plus side is that you end up receiving more of the original total than if you were to accept the lump sum.
So, if you ever win the lottery, remember this story… and keep me in mind.
Gallery Credit: Billy Jenkins
Gallery Credit: Daniel Paulus
The second season of the global streaming sensation “Squid Game” introduced viewers to several new characters.
One of the most intriguing has been “Players 044” due to her strong religious beliefs and the impact she’s had on the players around her.
Player 044 – whose name is Seon-nyeo (played by Gook-hee Chae) — is a shaman whose role was to curse others and deliver prophecies as the players moved from one deadly game to another in a quest to win the large cash prize.
The series and its bloody games — a commentary on greed, class and savagery — have captivated the globe by becoming Netflix’s No. 1 show ever.
While the anxiety-inducing “Squid Game” has never shied away from injecting religion into the storyline (and specifically its critique of Christianity in South Korean society), this season adds Korean shamanism to the mix.
It should come as no surprise since an increasing number of young Koreans are consulting shamans for guidance. Lee Kyoung-hyun, a 29 year old practitioner of Korean shamanism, said “tough” societal issues in the country, like economic anxiety and political turmoil, have been a factor driving this resurgence.
“Shamanism is deeply rooted for Koreans,” she told Reuters. “It was believed to be an invisible, mysterious and spiritual world, but now, with all of these YouTube videos, people are finding it more approachable.”
Approximately half of the South Korean population of 51 million reported being part of no religion, with the remaining religious affiliations being roughly 20% Protestant, 17% Buddhist and 11% Catholic.
Christians have criticized the practice, Reuters reported, but even people who attend church are known to visit shamans. Nonetheless, about 20% of South Koreans, regardless of tjeir religion, engage in shamanistic practices. Photo courtesy of Netflix
Shamanism in South Korea — also known as Muism – is a religion with a long history, deeply interwoven with the country’s spiritual and cultural fabric.
Shamans (called mudang for women and baksu for men) serve as intermediaries between humans and the spirit world. The relationship between humans and spirits is seen as reciprocal, with humans seeking the favor of spirits for health, wealth and protection.
Dating back thousands of years (even before Buddhism, Confucianism and Christianity), it is a belief system that focuses on the interaction between humans and the supernatural. And despite the growth of major religions, Korean shamanism persists.
In addition to “Squid Game 2,” the highest-grossing film in South Korea last year was the supernatural horror movie “Exhuma,” which follows a shaman and her apprentice as they attempt to lift a curse placed on a wealthy family. At the same time, the popularity of a reality TV show called “Possessed Love,” which features eight shamans in search for love, is yet more proof how this ancient tradition has entered the modern era.
Google Trends has also shown that searches on YouTube for “shaman” and “fortune-telling” in Korean have nearly doubled over the last five years.
An eight-part docuseries, released last summer, called “Shaman: Whispers from the Dead” follows real-life cases of people suffering from unexplainable paranormal phenomena and the shamans who intervene to explain it all.
“In Korea, it’s evident there’s a world where shamanism actually operates, but we questioned why it couldn’t be exposed and why the media didn’t cover it. Triggered by these questions, we began developing [the series] with the intention to delve into our country’s traditional beliefs and shamanism,” the show’s producer Lee Min-soo told The Korea Times. Wikipedia Commons photo
Evidence suggests that it dates as far back as the Neolithic era, around the year 5000 BCE, with archaeological findings indicating that Koreans practiced forms of animism, which is the belief that all natural objects and phenomena possess a spirit.
These ancient religious practices evolved over time and became deeply embedded in Korean society. Indeed, shamanism was the dominant religion in Korea before Buddhism and Confucianism in the the 4th and 5th centuries CE.
As a result, the prominence of shamans across the peninsula and their rituals began to decline. Buddhism – with its focus on monastic life and meditation – offered an alternative path to spiritual salvation.
In a collection of myths, the origin of the shamans is linked to a mother goddess associated with a mountain and presented as either the mother or the spiritual daughter of the “Heavenly King.” She has different names, according to different regions and associated mountains.
A Southern Korean culture ministry agency estimated in 2022 that there were between 300,000 and 400,000 shamans and fortune-tellers in the country.
Shamanism is an “important and powerful part of the Korean character,” the agency wrote on its website. Wikipedia Commons photo
In the 20th century, Korean shamanism faced significant challenges. Japanese colonial rule, which lasted 25 years and ended in 1945, sought to suppress traditional Korean practices as part of a broader campaign to eradicate Korean culture.
After the Korean War, shamanism saw a rebirth. The connection between humans and the dead remains a major part of Korean shamanism. In fact, a major component of this faith tradition is both superstition and the veneration of ancestors. This practice is often linked to the belief that the spirits of the ancestors continue to influence the lives of the living.
Divination — a centuries-old practice of using a variety of techniques to gain insight into a situation, often by attempting to foretell the future — is another key practice. Shamans use various methods (such as fortune-telling or examining dreams) are used to gain insight into one’s life.
“As I observed the rituals, it made me think that the true function of shamanism is healing,” Lee said. “Scientifically or medically unexplainable practices have persisted for thousands of years, and when you think about it, I think it’s because they were effective in terms of healing.”
In “Squid Game 2,” player 044 uses her powers to deliver prophecies on the fate of her fellow players. Whether those predictions will come true remains to be seen. Netflix said the show’s third, and final, season is slated to be released later this year.
“In the past, no one could openly talk about shamanism,” Lee said. “It was a taboo, criticized as promoting superstition, but recently the views have shifted to entertainment rather than religion. It gives more of a comforting sense rather than being perceived as rigid, scary or heavily religious so the younger generations are getting curious about it.” Clemente Lisi is the executive editor of Religion Unplugged. He previously served as deputy head of news at the New York Daily News and a longtime reporter at The New York Post. Follow him on X @ClementeLisi. 5965 Village Way, Ste 105 255
San Diego, CA 92130 info@themediaproject.org Religion Unplugged is part of The Media Project and a member of the Institute for Nonprofit News.
EIN: 83-0461425 Site design by Peter Freeby
The estimated jackpot is $220 million with a $98.4 million cash option after a recent winner reset the prize pool late last month.
If no winner claims the top prize, the jackpot will continue to roll until the next drawing at 10:59 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 8 with an even larger prize.
The winning numbers for Monday’s drawing were 17-34–46–66–67 with a Powerball of 14 and the Power Play was 2X.
Lottery players have a 1 in 292,201,338 chance of winning a Powerball jackpot by matching all five balls plus the Powerball, according to officials. Prizes then range from $1 million to $4, which can be multiplied by the Power Play option. Click here to follow Daily Voice Gettysburg and receive free news updates.
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China is experiencing a rise in human metapneumovirus (HMPV) cases, causing hospital overcrowding and heightening public fears of a potential epidemic. The surge coincides with the winter season, a time when respiratory illnesses commonly increase due to colder temperatures and more indoor gatherings that promote virus transmission.
For those of you who have been on Planet Earth for more than three years, this may give you whiplash. Indeed, similar to the current surge in HMPV cases in China, the coronavirus saw seasonal spikes, particularly during colder months.
Just as hospitals are now overwhelmed due to HMPV, healthcare systems faced immense pressure during COVID-19 outbreaks. The combination of indoor gatherings and lower temperatures created conditions that accelerated viral transmission, highlighting a broader pattern where respiratory illnesses, including coronaviruses, tend to peak during colder seasons, straining public health resources and raising concerns about widespread outbreaks.
According to official global reports, an estimated 6.9 million deaths have been attributed to COVID-19 since the pandemic began in late 2019, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). However, studies indicate that the actual toll may be significantly higher, with some estimates suggesting over 20 million excess deaths during the pandemic period, taking into account underreporting and indirect fatalities linked to strained healthcare systems.
Israel’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic was characterized by rapid actions, a highly effective vaccination campaign, and a mix of strict lockdowns and evolving public health policies. It made life, in a word, harsh.
A woman is seen preparing a dose of the COVID vaccine. (credit: FLASH90)
Israel implemented one of the world’s earliest and strictest lockdowns. The first national lockdown began in March 2020, following a rapid increase in cases. Non-essential businesses were closed, schools shifted to online learning, and citizens were restricted to staying within 100 meters of their homes except for essential activities such as purchasing food or receiving medical care. Borders were closed, and mandatory quarantines were imposed on returning citizens.
This initial lockdown was largely successful in flattening the curve of infections, but it came at a significant economic cost, with businesses shuttered and unemployment rates soaring.
The second national lockdown occurred in September 2020, just as Rosh Hashanah, Sukkot, and Yom Kippur were approaching. This lockdown was triggered by a sharp surge in COVID-19 cases after a rapid summer reopening, with mass gatherings contributing to the rise in infections. Restrictions during this period mirrored those of the first lockdown but were even stricter in some areas.
The third national lockdown was implemented in late December 2020 after yet another wave of infections, this time driven by the more contagious Alpha variant. The surge coincided with delays in the early stages of the vaccination campaign, prompting the government to reintroduce strict measures. By February 2021, Israel’s high vaccination rates allowed for a gradual easing of restrictions, which many credited with preventing the healthcare system from becoming overwhelmed. Nevertheless, that left the country in a health and economic crisis for nearly a full year, and the impact of that is still felt today.
A reason to worry?
So now, with the new spike in HMPV infections in China, everyone’s a little on edge. While Beijing has downplayed the situation as a routine seasonal trend, new monitoring measures have been implemented, including a pilot program to track pneumonia cases of unknown origin.
Stay updated with the latest news! Subscribe to The Jerusalem Post Newsletter HMPV, first identified in 2001, is a respiratory virus that spreads through droplets and contact with surfaces, causing symptoms such as cough, fever, and fatigue. Although usually mild, it can lead to serious complications in vulnerable populations like children, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems. Unlike COVID-19 but much like the peak of the coronavirus pandemic, HMPV has no vaccine or specific antiviral treatment, with care focusing on symptom management.
So, do we have another coronavirus on our hands? It is hard to say, but despite growing attention, officials stress that HMPV is not a novel virus-like COVID-19. It has been circulating globally for years, with populations developing partial immunity. But if there is going to be a global medical crisis once more, Israel’s leaders – who are busy enough as is with another life-threatening crisis – must learn from their past choices, both positive and negative. Prevent panic, maintain safety, and avert collapse.
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