Analysis of the True Meaning of Magnolia

Warning: This article is an analysis of the movie Magnolia and contains many spoilers.

Everyone who has watched the much-praised film "Magnolia" undetected walked out of the theater with maybe a feeling of awe, but most likely an overwhelming confusion over its ending, especially the scene with the shower of frogs.

A key aspect to interpreting the true meaning of this film lies in its many references of Exodus 8: 2 from the bible. The most obvious reference was in the scene right before the start of the Quiz show. A woman is seen holding a sign that clearly has the words "Exodus 8: 2" written on it, but is soon escorted out of the audience by security.

Below are other examples of references to the numbers 8 and 2 in the movie, as listed in the trivia section of imdb.com

o weather forecast: 82% chance of rain

o a gambler needs a 2 in blackjack but gets an 8

o the coil of rope when the boy commits suicide

o the first temperature reading

o the movie poster at the bus stop on Magnolia Blvd

o the placard on the hung convicts

o Jim Kurring's box number at the date hotline

o Sydney Barringer's mother and father's apartment number is 682

o the forensic science convention starts at 8:20

o Delmer Darion flies over a stack of cards to reveal the 8 through 2 of diamonds

o right after Jim Kurring sees Donnie Smith climbing up the building, you can see a flash of a sign on the side of the road that says "Exodus 8: 2" (it's visible again when the frogs fall and hit Kurring's car)

o the number on the firefighter's plane.

o in Marcy's mugshots, her criminal record number is 82082082082

o in the bar scene there is a chalkboard with two teams, the frog and the clouds, the score is 8 to 2

o spray painted on the cement as graffiti next to the boy.

o member of the game show crowd holds a placard with Exodus 8: 2 written on it

o the kids were two days away from entering their eighth week as champions.

o Quiz Kid Donnie Smith won his 100 000 dollars on 28 April 1968

o The first two numbers of the Seduce and Destroy Hotline (1-877-TAME-HER) are 82.

o one of the hanged men has the 82 on his clothes

o Jim says he gets off work at 8:00, and Claudia suggests they meet 2 hours later for a date

And here is Exodus 8: 2 -

And the Lord spake unt Moses, Go to Pharaoh, and say unto him, So saith the Lord, Let my people go, that they may serve me.
And if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs.

Another important piece of the puzzle comes from Dixon, the young boy who raps to Jim after his discovery of the murders. The following is an excerpt from Dixon's rap:

Check that ego, come off it, I'm the Prophet,

You're living to get older with a chip on your shoulder.

He's running from the devil, but the debt is always gaining,

When the sunshine do not work, the good Lord brings the rain in.

Dixon calls himself the "Prophet" but he could have interpreted an extension of god. He takes Jim's gun after it was lost, yet during the frog shower, the gun falls from the sky along with the frogs - a sign that the boy had some control over the events.

The second and third lines of the rap are warning Jim that he's living to move higher ("to get older") yet there is something burdening him. Dixon is telling Jim that what he is doing is not right and warning him to stop. However, Jim does not listen to the rapper just like how the Pharaoh of Egypt did not listen to Moses. This message is not only meant for Jim, but it also symbolizes the wrongness in the lives of all the other characters. The last line warns that if God is ignored, he will bring on the rain.

An important key note is that the characters all admit their wrong but can not seem to get past them. Claudia, for example, is addicted to cocaine but can do nothing to stop, Linda feet terrible judge for cheating on Earl and attempts to take her name off his will but can not, and even Earl uses his final breaths to admit his mistreatment of his son and wife and pleads for forgiveness from Frank but he does not receive one.

The rain of frogs signifies God's wake-up call to everyone. The rain of frogs - the extremely strange, almost absurd situation - was a way for God to tell everyone that they have done wrong and sinned. However, the shower is his message that he is always watching over the world and can intervene to help when help is needed. After the rain of frogs, the characters appear to either make peace with their problems and have succeeded or, in the example of Jimmy Gator's death, failed. This shows that although god is there to help, not everything always works out perfectly and there are always the ones who are punished instead of saved.

Please note that this is not an official interpretation and the scene of the frog shower is among the most discussed topic in the movie world. Accept my interpretation at your own discretion and form your own opinions on the matter, which is most likely what the writer PT Anderson had intended.

What to Look for in a PDA

Before you begin looking for a new PDA or smartphone, it is a good idea to make a comprehensive list of all the features you want, and come up with a target price range (what you are willing to spend).

One of the most important features to consider in any PDA is its storage space. If you plan to use the device for storing multimedia files such as pictures, videos, or flash movies, this figure is absolutely integral, but even users that are simply looking to save and store documents should take this into consideration.

Processing power and RAM are also important if you intend to run memory-intensive applications, such as photo editors and 3D games. If you are only looking to use the device for word processing and email, however, these features will not be so much of an issue, but they are still worth looking at for comparative purposes.

In this day and age, one feature that nearly every PDA user will want is some sort of wireless internet access. Whether it be built-in Wi-Fi, or a more mobile option like cellular broadband, it is important that your device gives you the freedom to access email and the internet without having to connect to a laptop or external modem.

Once you have established a list of PDAs that have all the features you're looking for, it's a good idea to do some detailed price comparison, and decide which devices offer the best value for money. The main purpose of this step is to avoid paying for extra features that you do not want or need, and to determine which device best meets your specific criteria.

How to Avoid or Fix iPhone X Construction Problems

iPhone X screen burn-in problem

One of the main attractions of the new iPhone is its 5.8-inch OLED panel. If there are long-displayed or very often displayed elements on the screen, it can cause that they are noticeable on the panel even when they are not supposed to be. This is one of the drawbacks of OLED screens. This is not just about the iPhone X but also Pixel 2 XL has the same troubles.

How to avoid iPhone X screen burn-in

Apple knows about the potential risk and therefore released a short manual for iPhone X owners to maximize the service life of the Super Retina OLED panel.

An important point is to update the iPhone to the latest version of iOS as soon as you have it available. Apple also recommends not to overheat the brightness of the panel, ideally set its automatic control (Settings - General - Accessibility - Customizing the Display).

Another point is to activate the phone's auto-lock, which turns off the display. The appropriate settings are found in the Settings > Display and Brightness menu > Automatic Lock. Apple recommends setting the shutdown interval to 30 or 60 seconds. This prevents the phone from lying idle on the desk with the display activated.

Mysterious vertical green lines on iPhone X

Another reported problem is the vertical green lines that appear along the edges of the panel. There is unknown cause of this phenomenon, restarting or restoring factory data will not remove it. According to MacRumors, Apple is swapping the affected iPhones for new ones. The defective pieces are further subjected to an analysis that could reveal the cause of the defect.

Display of the iPhone X is unresponsive in cold temperatures

The display of the latest iPhone X may stop responding at low temperatures. This is probably a software issue because the lock and unlocking of the device eliminate the problem.

How to fix the iPhone X problem with an unresponsive display in low-temperature:

Apple announced that they know about the issue and it will be fixed in next system update (version 11.1.2). The iOS 11.1.2 update can be downloaded for free on all eligible devices over-the-air in the Settings app. To access the update, go to Settings > General > Software Update.

Apple also released the manual that out of the temperature range of 0 to 35 degrees Celsius, called the comfort zone, the iOS device may exhibit certain interactions that adapt to temperature changes.

Crackling or buzzing' sounds from the earpiece speaker of iPhone X

Another repeatedly reported device failure is the crackling or buzzing sounds when the speaker is loud. While some users have noticed noisy sounds at peak volume, others notice them at 70 percent level, which is quite unpleasant. Unfortunately, the problem's not just present for media playback, as it also affects call quality

Good news is, that Apple changes devices with a defective speaker automatically to new ones.

Don't panic

Just as with previous problems, users are asking for a device without their hidden defects, and the widespread problems show that the iPhone X is not a completely trouble-free device. However, it has to be said that several million units have been sold in a short time, so there is nothing extraordinary about the occasional occurrence of anomalies.

Burial Rituals Among the Luos in Kenya

There are more than thirty tribal ethics in Kenya. The two major ones are Luos and Kikuyus. The Luos are generally known in Kenya as a people who are seriously concerned with their burial place, far more than any other ethnic group. Growing up, I witnessed many burials including my own father. Details of the rituals different for all the forbidden, depending on the threatened sex and status in the society. A ritual is performed in certain, fixed ways to reflect how a particular death occurred, the good and bad deeds of the false, and the way the false and the ancientors performed the same rituals. There are some differences that reflect different areas.

For example, a young unmarried woman can not be buried in her fathers' homestead. The Luos believe that her unmarried spirit will follow other living girls in the village and make them not to be married also. This is changing with people who believe or practice Christianity. The Luos attitude towards their burial place evidently shows how they fear and respect the deceased ancestors. They perform more than ten kinds of different rituals for the banned, largely held in their rural homeland in the face of ongoing modernization and urbanization in overall Kenya. People are still buried in the homestead. Graveyard are for people who do not have families or sojourners.

There was a long court struggle in 1986 of a prominent lawyer SM Otieno who was married to a Kikuyu lady and stayed in the city center. Upon his death, his clan insured that his body be transported to Nyanza his birth place for burial. His widow fought for several months for the body to be buried in Nairobi where they had lived most of their lives. The clan won and the Judge ruled on their favor after six months. SM Otieno was transported to the village for burial. His widow did not attend the burial because of some Luo rituals which she was not prepared to go through. It was greatly through this court case that many Kenyans came to recognize and realize how deeply Luo people were preoccupied with their burial place. This is not a myth but a reality among the Luo tribe in Kenya.

Computer Backup: Are You Willing to Roll the Dice?

It is estimated that about 90% of households have at least one computer in the home. Computer Industry Almanac reports that at the end of 2011, there were 310.6 Million computers in use in the US. Studies suggest that the average adult spends between 5 - 8 hours on the computer per day between work and home. I believe that it is safe to say that computers play a huge part in our lives.

Computers are interwoven into just about every aspect of our lives. We use them to pay bills, preform business transactions, connect with our loved ones and the world. We use them to play games, check the weather, gamble, make travel arrangements and the list goes on. In the process of doing all those things, the computer has also become a place where we store important documents and pieces of information, as well as priceless memories, making computer backup essential. We want to keep our cherished memories and data for the long term.

Computer backup is simply the storage of your computers files on a medium other than hard disk. The process is done in order to protect your valuable information in the event it becomes inaccessible or unrecoverable via your computer. Backing up your computer is one of those things that you should just do. You do not want to learn about losing all your invaluable documents the hard way. Trust me.

I'm writing this article because I am one of the unlucky ones. The hard headed ones. I was one of the ones who put of today what I could do tomorrow. Mix that with my "It wont happen to me" attitude and you have the perfect cocktail of disaster. Goes down sweet but leaves a bitter aftertaste. The day of reckoning came and I was completely devastated. Backup your computer people!

I had an online jewelry business on Etsy.com. Building up my site, I had accumulated pictures and documents that I used to promote my business. This vital information was all neatly saved on my laptop. I was going about my business when Mr. Virus decided to pay me a visit. My computer was corrupted with no remedy that I could apply. There were mucho tears. I could not just take the hit and reboot from the factory settings, so I had to bring in the big guns. The Big Guns are NOT cheap. They were able to recover a large majority of my material but not all of it. Do not get me started on the money I lost because I had to close down my shop those few days while my computer was being fixed. It was a major headache and I had a major headache at the end of the ordeal.

This article is your life preserver. I'm trying to save you before you become me. Be smart and save yourself. Save yourself time and more importantly, save yourself money. Backup your computer today.