Nephilim Explained

The Nephilim (sing. נָפִיל, Naphíl or Naphil) were offspring of the "sons of God" and the "daughters of men" before the Deluge according to 2 Genesis; the name is also used in reference to giants who inhabited Canaan at the time of the Israelite conquest of Canaan according to 2 Numbers. A similar biblical Hebrew word with different vowel-sounds is used in 2 Ezekiel to refer to dead Philistine warriors.

Etymology

The Brown-Driver-Briggs Lexicon gives the meaning of Nephilim as "giants".^[1] Many suggested interpretations are based on the assumption that the word is a derivative of Hebrew verbal root n-ph-l "fall". Robert Baker Girdlestone ^[2] argued the word comes from the Hiphil causative stem, implying that the Nephilim are to be perceived as "those that cause others to fall down". Adam Clarke took it as a perfect participle, "fallen", "apostates". Ronald Hendel states that it is a passive form "ones who have fallen", equivalent grammatically to paqid "one who is appointed" (i.e., overseer), asir, "one who is bound", (i.e., prisoner) etc.^[3][4] According to the Brown-Driver-Briggs Lexicon, the basic etymology of the word Nephilim is "dub[ious]", and various suggested interpretations are "all very precarious".^[5]

The majority of ancient biblical versions, including the Septuagint, Theodotion, Latin Vulgate, Samaritan Targum, Targum Onkelos and Targum Neofiti, interpret the word to mean "giants".^[6] Symmachus translates it as "the violent ones"^{[7] [8] [9]} and Aquila's translation has been interpreted to mean either "the fallen ones"^[7] or "the ones falling [upon their enemies]".^[9] [10]

In the Hebrew Bible

The term "Nephilim" occurs just twice in the Hebrew Bible, both in the Torah. The first is 2 Genesis, immediately before the story of Noah's ark.

Genesis 6:4[11]
width=50% style="border-right:solid 1px;"	Hebrew (MT)	width=50%	English (JPS)
ד הָיוּ בָאָרֶץ, בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם, וְגַם אַחֲרֵי-כֵן אֲשֶׁר יָבֹאוּ בְּנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים אֶל-בְּנוֹת הָאָדָם, וְיָלְדוּ לָהֶם: הֵמָּה הַגִּבֹּרִים אֲשֶׁר מֵעוֹלָם, אַנְשֵׁי הַשֵּׁם.	4 were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bore children to them; the same were the mighty men that were of old, the men of renown.
width=50% style="border-right:solid 1px;"	Latin (Vulgate)	width=50%	English (KJV)
4 autem erant super terram in diebus illis postquam enim ingressi sunt filii Dei ad filias hominum illaeque genuerunt isti sunt potentes a saeculo viri famosi	4 There were in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare [children] to them, the same [became] mighty men which [were] of old, men of renown.

The second is 2 Numbers, where ten of the Twelve Spies report that they have seen fearsome giants in Canaan.

Numbers 13:33[12]
width=50% style="border-right:solid 1px;"	Hebrew (MT)	width=50%	English (JPS)
לג וְשָׁם רָאִינוּ, אֶת- בְּנֵי עֲנָק--מִן-; וַנְּהִי בְעֵינֵינוּ כַּחֲגָבִים, וְכֵן הָיִינוּ בְּעֵינֵיהֶם.	33 And there we saw, the sons of Anak, who come of ; and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.'
width=50% style="border-right:solid 1px;"	Latin (Vulgate)	width=50%	English (KJV)
33 ibi vidimus quaedam filiorum Enach de genere quibus conparati quasi lucustae videbamur	33 And there we saw, the sons of Anak, [which come] of : and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

The nature of the nephilim is complicated by the ambiguity of Genesis 6:4, which leaves it unclear whether they are the "sons of God" or their offspring who are the "mighty men of old, men of renown". Richard Hess in The Anchor Bible Dictionary takes it to mean that the nephilim are the offspring,^[13] as does P. W. Coxon in Dictionary of deities and demons in the Bible.^[14]

Interpretations

There are effectively two views^[15] regarding the identity of the nephilim, which follow on from alternative views about the identity of the sons of God (Bənê hāʼĕlōhîm):

• Offspring of Seth: The Qumran (Dead Sea Scroll) fragment 4Q417 (4QInstruction) contains the earliest known reference to the phrase "children of Seth", stating that God has condemned them for their rebellion. Other early references to the offspring of Seth rebelling from God and mingling with the daughters of Cain, are found in rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, Augustine of Hippo, Julius Africanus, and the Letters attributed to St. Clement. It is also the view expressed in the modern canonical Amharic Ethiopian Orthodox Bible.
• Offspring of angels: A number of early sources refer to the "sons of heaven" as angels. The earliest such references^[16] seem to be in the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Greek, and Aramaic Enochic literature, and in certain Ge'ez manuscripts of 1 Enoch (mss A–Q) and Jubilees^[17] used by western scholars in modern editions of the Old Testament Pseudepigrapha.^[18] Some Christian apologists, such as Tertullian and especially Lactantius, shared this opinion. The earliest statement in a secondary commentary explicitly interpreting this to mean that angelic beings mated with humans can be traced to the rabbinicalTargum Pseudo-Jonathan and it has since become especially commonplace in modern-day Christian commentaries.

Fallen angels

See main article: Fallen angel. The New American Bible commentary draws a parallel to the Epistle of Jude and the statements set forth in Genesis, suggesting that the Epistle refers implicitly to the paternity of nephilim as heavenly beings who came to earth and had sexual intercourse with women.^[19] The footnotes of the Jerusalem Bible suggest that the biblical author intended the nephilim to be an "anecdote of a superhuman race".^[20]

Some Christian commentators have argued against this view,^[21] [22] citing Jesus's statement that angels do not marry.^[23] Others believe that Jesus was only referring to angels in heaven.^[24]

Evidence cited in favor of the "fallen angels" interpretation includes the fact that the phrase "the sons of God" (Hebrew, בְּנֵי הָֽאֱלֹהִים; literally "sons of the gods") is used twice outside of Genesis chapter 6, in the Book of Job (1:6 and 2:1) where the phrase explicitly references angels. The Septuagint's translation of Genesis 6:2 renders this phrase as "the angels of God".^[25]

Second Temple Judaism

See main article: Book of Enoch, Book of Jubilees and Watcher (angel).

See also: Second Temple Judaism. The story of the nephilim is further elaborated in the Book of Enoch. The Greek, Aramaic, and main Ge'ez manuscripts of 1 Enoch and Jubilees obtained in the 19th century and held in the British Museum and Vatican Library, connect the origin of the nephilim with the fallen angels, and in particular with the egrḗgoroi (watchers). Samyaza, an angel of high rank, is described as leading a rebel sect of angels in a descent to earth to have sexual intercourse with human females:

In this tradition, the children of the Nephilim are called the Elioud, who are considered a separate race from the Nephilim, but they share the fate as the Nephilim.

According to these texts, the fallen angels who begat the nephilim were cast into Tartarus (2 Peter 2:4, Jude 1:6) (Greek Enoch 20:2),^[26] a place of 'total darkness'. However, Jubilees also states that God granted ten percent of the disembodied spirits of the nephilim to remain after the flood, as demons, to try to lead the human race astray until the final Judgment.

In addition to Enoch, the Book of Jubilees (7:21–25) also states that ridding the Earth of these nephilim was one of God's purposes for flooding the Earth in Noah's time. These works describe the nephilim as being evil giants.

Targum Pseudo-Jonathan identifies the nephilim as Shemihaza and the angels in the name list from 1 Enoch.^[27] b Yoma 67, PRE22 and 1 QapGen ar ii 1 also identify the nephilim as the angels that fell.

There are also allusions to these descendants in the deuterocanonical books of Judith 16:6, Sirach 16:7, Baruch 3:26–28, and Wisdom of Solomon 14:6, and in the non-deuterocanonical 3 Maccabees 2:4.

In the New Testament Epistle of Jude 14–15 cites from 1 Enoch 1:9, which many scholars believe is based on Deuteronomy 33:2.^{[28] [29] [30]} To most commentators this confirms that the author of Jude regarded the Enochic interpretations of Genesis 6 as correct, however others^[31] have questioned this.

Descendants of Seth and Cain

Orthodox Judaism has taken a stance against the idea that Genesis 6 refers to angels or that angels could intermarry with men. Shimon bar Yochai pronounced a curse on anyone teaching this idea. Rashi and Nachmanides followed this. Pseudo-Philo, Biblical Antiquities 3:1–3 may also imply that the "sons of God" were human.^[32] Consequently, most Jewish commentaries and translations describe the Nephilim as being from the offspring of "sons of nobles", rather than from "sons of God" or "sons of angels".^[33] This is also the rendering suggested in the Targum Onqelos, Symmachus and the Samaritan Targum which read "sons of the rulers", where Targum Neophyti reads "sons of the judges".

Likewise, a long-held view among some Christians is that the "sons of God" were the formerly righteous descendants of Seth who rebelled, while the "daughters of men" were the unrighteous descendants of Cain, and the nephilim the offspring of their union.^[34] This view, dating to at least the 1st century AD in Jewish literature as described above, is also found in Christian sources from the 3rd century if not earlier, with references throughout the Clementine literature,^[35] as well as in Sextus Julius Africanus,^[36] Ephrem the Syrian^[37] and others. Holders of this view have looked for support in Jesus' statement that "in those days before the flood they [humans] were… marrying and giving in marriage" (Matthew 24:38).^[38]

Some individuals and groups, including St. Augustine, John Chrysostom, and John Calvin, take the view of Genesis 6:2 that the "Angels" who fathered the nephilim referred to certain human males from the lineage of Seth, who were called sons of God probably in reference to their prior covenant with Yahweh (cf.Deuteronomy 14:1; 32:5); according to these sources, these men had begun to pursue bodily interests, and so took wives of the daughters of men, e.g., those who were descended from Cain or from any people who did not worship God.

This also is the view of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church,^[39] supported by their own Ge'ez manuscripts and Amharic translation of the Haile Selassie Bible—where the books of 1 Enoch and Jubilees, counted as canonical by this church, differ from western academic editions.^[40] The "Sons of Seth view" is also the view presented in a few extra-biblical, yet ancient works, including Clementine literature, the 3rd century Cave of Treasures, and the ca. 6th Century Ge'ez work TheConflict of Adam and Eve with Satan. In these sources, these offspring of Seth were said to have disobeyed God, by breeding with the Cainites and producing wicked children "who were all unlike", thus angering God into bringing about the Deluge, as in the Conflict:

Arguments from culture and mythology

In Aramaic culture, the term niyphelah refers to the Constellation of Orion and nephilim to the offspring of Orion in mythology.^[41] However the Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon notes this as a "dubious etymology" and "all very precarious".^[1]

J. C. Greenfield mentions that "it has been proposed that the tale of the Nephilim, alluded to in Genesis 6 is based on some of the negative aspects of the apkallu tradition".^[42] The apkallu in Sumerian mythology were seven legendary culture heroes from before the Flood, of human descent, but possessing extraordinary wisdom from the gods, and one of the seven apkallu, Adapa, was therefore called "son of Ea", despite his human origin.^[43]

Ezekiel's "mighty fallen" or nophlim

Ezekiel 32:27 speaks of "the fallen mighty (gibborim nophlim, גִּבֹּורִים נֹפְלִים) of the uncircumcised, which are gone down (yardu, יָרְדֽוּ) to the grave with their weapons of war"; a change to the vowels would produce the reading gibborim nephilim.^{[44] [45] [46]}

Misidentification of fossil remains

Cotton Mather believed that fossilized leg bones and teeth discovered near Albany, New York, in 1705 were the remains of Nephilim who perished in a great flood. However, paleontologists have identified these as mastodon remains.^[47] [48]

Related terms

In the Hebrew Bible, there are a number of other words that, like "Nephilim", are sometimes translated as "giants":

• Emim—the fearful ones
• Rephaim—the dead ones
• Anakim—the [long]-necked ones
• Gibborim—the mighty ones

Popular culture

See main article: Nephilim in popular culture.

In Cassandra Clare's book series The Mortal Instruments, the Nephilim are a special race of humans with the blood of angels running through their veins. The job of the Nephilim in the series is to rid the world of evil demonic activity.

In Becca Fitzpatrick's quartet book series, Hush, Hush, the Nephilim are offsprings of fallen angels and humans. According to the information in the books, the Nephilim can be made to swear fealty to a fallen angel, during the Jewish month of Cheshvan, the only month that does not have any holidays or specialmitzvot. The Nephilim would then become the vassal of the fallen angel to which it swore fealty, thus allowing the fallen angel to possess it during the month of Cheshvan.

In Richard Kadrey's Book Series "Sandman Slim" The Main Character, James Stark aka: Sandman Slim is a Nephilim.

See also

• Cain tradition
• Cambion
• Demigod
• Gigantes
• Grigori
• Kenites
• List of giants in mythology and folklore
• Quinametzin
• Serpent seed
• Titan (mythology)

External links

• Jewish Encyclopedia: Fall of Angels
• Catholic Encyclopedia: Angels

Notes and References

1. Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon p. 658; Strongs H5307
2. Girdlestone R. Old Testament Synonyms p. 54
3. Hendel R. ed. Auffarth Christoph; Loren T. Stuckenbruck The Fall of the Angels Brill (22 Feb 2004) ISBN 978-90-04-12668-8 p. 21, 34
4. Marks, Herbert "Biblical Naming and Poetic Etymology" Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 114, No. 1 (Spring, 1995), pp. 21–42
5. Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon p. 658
6. Book: Van Ruiten, Jacques. Primaeval History Interpreted: The Rewriting of Genesis I-II in the Book of Jubilees. 189. Brill. 2000. 9789004116580.
7. Book: Wright, Archie T.. The Origin of Evil Spirits: The Reception of Genesis 6.1-4 in Early Jewish Literature. 80–81. Mohr Siebeck. 2005. 9783161486562.
8. The Greek text reads 'οι βιαιοι; the singular root βιαιος means "violence" or "forcible" (Liddell & Scott. Greek-English Lexicon, 1883.)
9. Book: Stackhouse, Thomas. A History of the Holy Bible. 53. Blackie & Son. 1869.
10. Salvesen. Alison. Symmachus Readings in the Pentateuch. Origen's Hexapla and Fragments: Papers Presented at the Rich Seminar on the Hexapla, Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies, [July] 25th-3rd August 1994. 190. Mohr Siebeck. 1998. 9783161465758. The rendering "he fell upon, attacked" [in Symmachus, Genesis 6:6] is something of a puzzle...If it has been faithfully recorded, it may be related to the rendering of Aquila for the Nephilim in 6:4, οι επιπιπτοντες..
11. Web site: Genesis 6 / Hebrew - English Bible / Mechon-Mamre. 5 June 2015.
12. Web site: Numbers 13 / Hebrew - English Bible / Mechon-Mamre. 5 June 2015.
13. Richard Hess, article "Nephilim" in Freedman, David Noel, ed., The Anchor Bible Dictionary, (New York: Doubleday) 1997, 1992.
14. P. W. Coxon, article "Nephilim" in K. van der Toorn, Bob Becking, Pieter Willem van der Horst, "Dictionary of deities and demons in the Bible", p. 619
15. G. Milton Smith Knowing God in His Word—Genesis 2005 Page 140 "The other view holds that the sons of God were fallen angels who had some sort of union with the women of Noah's"
16. paleographically dated by Milik as c150BC see Michael E. Stone Selected studies in pseudepigrapha and apocrypha 1991 p. 248
17. either stolen or purchased from street vendors by the British in the reign of Tewodros
18. compare: R. H. Charles 1 Enoch 7:2 "And when the angels, (3) the sons of heaven, beheld them, they became enamoured of them, saying to each other,Come, let us select for ourselves wives from the progeny of men, and let us beget children. Ethiopian Orthodox Bible Henok 2:1–3 "and the Offspring of Seth, who were upon the Holy Mount, saw them and loved them. And they told one another, "Come, let us choose for us daughters from Cain's children; let us bear children for us."
19. New American Bible, footnotes page 1370, referring to verse 6.
    The angels too, who did not keep to their own domain but deserted their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains, in gloom, for the judgement of the great day. Likewise, Sodom and Gomorrah, and the surrounding towns, which, in the same manner as they, indulged in sexual promiscuity and practiced unnatural vice, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.
    —Jude 1:6–7, New American Bible.
20. The author does not present this episode as a myth nor, on the other hand, does he deliver judgment on its actual occurrence; he records the anecdote of a superhuman race simply to serve as an example of the increase in human wickedness which was to provoke the Flood.
    —Jerusalem Bible, Genesis VI, footnote.
21. Web site: Who are the sons of God and the Nephilim?. 5 June 2015.
22. Web site: Ken Raggio teaches Did Angels Breed Giants?. 5 June 2015.
23. Web site: Matthew 22:30. BibleGateway.com, from the New American Standard Bible translation.
24. Bob Deffinbaugh, Genesis: From Paradise to Patriarchs, The Sons of God and the Daughters of Men
25. Book: Swete, Henry Barclay. The Old Testament in Greek according to the Septuagint (Volume 1). Cambridge University Press. 1901. 9. Greek text: 'οι αγγελοι του θεου
26. R. H. Charles A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Revelation of St John p239 "He may be Uriel, if it is legitimate to compare 1 Enoch xx. 2, according to which he was the angel set over the world and Tartarus (ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ κόσμου καὶ τοῦ Ταρτάρου). In 1 Enoch, Tartarus is the nether world generally.
27. Archie T. Wright The origin of evil spirits: the reception of Genesis 6.1–4 6:1–4 in Early Jewish Literature. 2005 Page 82 "Targum Neofiti's rendition of nephilim follows that of Onkelos ... Targum Pseudo-Jonathan interprets the Genesis 6.4 passage with significant changes, which indicate a strong negative"
28. "1.9 In 'He comes with ten thousands of His holy ones' the text reproduces the Masoretic of Deut. 33² in reading אָתָא = ἔρχεται, whereas the three Targums, the Syriac and Vulgate read אִתֹּה = μετ' αὐτοῦ. Here the LXX diverges wholly. The reading אתא is recognised as original. The writer of 1–5 therefore used the Hebrew text and presumably wrote in Hebrew." R.H.Charles, Book of Enoch: Together with a Reprint of the Greek Fragments London 1912, p.lviii
29. "We may note especially that 1:1, 3–4, 9 allude unmistakably to Deuteronomy 33:1–2 (along with other passages in the Hebrew Bible), implying that the author, like some other Jewish writers, read Deuteronomy 33–34, the last words of Moses in the Torah, as prophecy of the future history of Israel, and 33:2 as referring to the eschatological theophany of God as judge." Richard Bauckham, The Jewish world around the New Testament: collected essays. 1999 p276
30. "The introduction.. picks up various biblical passages and re-interprets them, applying them to Enoch. Two passages are central to it The first is Deuteronomy 33:1 .. the second is Numbers 24:3–4 Michael E. Stone Selected studies in pseudepigrapha and apocrypha with special reference to the Armenian Tradition (Studia in Veteris Testamenti Pseudepigrapha No 9) p.422.
31. e.g. Michael Green The second epistle general of Peter, and the general epistle of Jude p59
32. James L. Kugel Traditions of the Bible: A Guide to the Bible As It Was at the Start of the Common Era (9780674791510)
33. "The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of the nobles would come to the daughters of man, and they would bear for them; they are the mighty men, who were of old, the men of renown."—Genesis 6:4 (chabad.org translation)
34. Later Judaism and almost all the earliest ecclesiastical writers identify the "sons of God" with the fallen angels; but from the fourth century onwards, as the idea of angelic natures becomes less material, the Fathers commonly take the "sons of God" to be Seth's descendants and the "daughters of men" those of Cain.
    —Jerusalem Bible, Genesis VI, footnote.
35. Web site: KITĀB AL-MAGĀLL OR THE BOOK OF THE ROLLS. ONE OF THE BOOKS OF CLEMENT.. 5 June 2015.
36. Web site: ANF06. Fathers of the Third Century: Gregory Thaumaturgus, Dionysius the Great, Julius Africanus, Anatolius, and Minor Writers, Methodius, Arn. 5 June 2015.
37. Commentary in Genesis 6:3
38. Rick Wade, Answering Email, The Nephilim
39. http://www.mahiberekidusan.org/Default.aspx?tabid=98&ctl=Details&mid=371&ItemID=75 Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, Sunday Schools Department: The "Holy Angels"
40. The Amharic text of Henok 2:1–3 (i.e. 1 En) in the 1962 Ethiopian Orthodox Bible may be translated as follows: "After mankind abounded, it became thus: And in that season, handsome comely children were born to them; and the Offspring of Seth, who were upon the Holy Mount, saw them and loved them. And they told one another, "Come,let us choose for us daughters from Cain's children; let us bear children for us."
41. e.g. Peake's commentary on the Bible 1919
42. J. C. Greenfield, Article Apkallu in K. van der Toorn, Bob Becking, Pieter Willem van der Horst, "Dictionary of deities and demons in the Bible", pp.72–4
43. J. C. Greenfield, Article Apkallu in K. van der Toorn, Bob Becking, Pieter Willem van der Horst, "Dictionary of deities and demons in the Bible", pp.73
44. W. Zimmerli, Ezekiel vl.2 Translated J. D. Martin; Hermeneia; Philadelphia: Fortress, 1983 p168, 176
45. RS Hendel, Of Demigods and the Deluge: Towards an Interpretation of Genesis 6:1–4, JBL 106 (1987) p22
46. Web site: Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible. 5 June 2015.
47. Book: Rigal, Laura. American Manufactory: Art, Labor, and the World of Things in the Early Republic. Princeton University Press. 2001. 91. 9780691089515.
48. Rose. Mark. When Giants Roamed the Earth. Archaeology. 58. 6. November–December 2005. 15 October 2014.

What Is The Best Home Security Checklist

The issue of home security and its importance cannot be stressed enough. Sure, you may live in an idyllic neighborhood with hedge lined sidewalks and smiling neighbors. You may catch yourself thinking that home security is an issue which doesn’t apply to you. You’d be wrong in thinking along those lines though. Crime can occur anywhere; often in places where you least expect it to. In order to prevent theft, break-ins and damage to your home and property, home security is something you have to think about.

If somebody asked you to define what a home is, you’d likely have an answer along the lines of ‘a safe and secure environment for my family and me.’ In order to ensure that your home continues to serve that purpose, it is important to take all steps necessary to ensure that your home is not in any way vulnerable to crime or damage.

Here is a home security checklist you should frequently refer to so as to make your home as safe of an abode as possible:

Home Security Considerations

• Have you carried out a security inspection of your whole home to detect any vulnerability?
• Make sure your property is well-lit. This means that lighting should be directed towards your driveway, walkways, backyard, and any side alleys.
• Install motion-activated lighting in and around your home which is vandal-proof.
• Consider installing floodlights outside for ample illumination.
• Are your front and back doors made of strong material which is hard to break through? Solid hardwood or metal clad is recommended.
• Are your doors equipped with a 180 degree viewer? These are very important as they will give you a clearer idea of who’s outside your door.
• Make sure all doors have at least two locks installed.
• Is there a window on or very near to your door which can help someone break in?
• Do you have a mail slot or pet entrance on your door which can allow access to the lock?
• Is your porch clearly visible from the street? Are there any natural or artificial items which could provide concealment for burglars trying to break in?
• Is your garage door strong and resistant to break-ins?
• Is there a button on the exterior of your garage which can open it?
• Are there large shrubs or trees on your lawn or in your backyard which could provide cover to potential burglars?
• Are there any bushes under your windows? If so, have they been adequately pruned?
• Large bushes are an ideal hiding spot for burglars and should be eliminated.
• Do you have a shed outside? If so, ensure that it is adequately locked and secure to prevent burglars from hiding inside it or using your garden tools to help them in their crime.
• Consider installing break resistant glass on all of your windows to reduce the likelihood of a burglary.
• Make sure all of your windows have adequate and functioning locking mechanisms.
• Secondary locks can be installed on windows to compliment a manufacturer’s latching system.
• Consider planting very thorny or sharp bushes right underneath windowsills.
• Make sure your house number is clearly displayed and visible to the public in the event that you need to call for help.
• If you have a basement, make sure your basement windows are adequately secured against entrance.
• Place all outdoor valuables such as grills or bikes away after you use them. Don’t leave anything lying around which could tempt thieves.
• Is your home security system serviced and working properly?
• When you’re away from home, make sure you have lights switched on with automatic timers to make your home appear occupied.
• Do You Have a Smoke Detector in Your Home? This is essential in order to prevent fires.
• Fire and Carbon Monoxide Alarms?
• Make sure you get these detectors checked at least once a month.

Home security is important. The safety of you and your family is an extremely important concern and should be addressed by routinely carrying out a home security inspection of your home. This can help you identify any potentially weak spots which need to be taken care of. Use the above list to help you determine the current state of your home. You may also add more points to the list depending upon your particular home and your specific home security considerations.

See More:Top 10 Alarm Companies

How to Properly Use "S" Video Cables

"S" video cables and inputs are widely misunderstood, not hooked up, or misused. Here is what you need to know.

Steps

1

Assure the component you want to hook up has a "S" video output as well as making sure your TV has an "S" video input/s.

2

Purchase a good quality "S" video cable. Most components have one included, but they are typically not of the best quality. One with gold plated connections is best. They can go for $20 and up.

3

Connect "S" video cable from component (Digital TV Receiver, DVD, Game system and etc.) directly to your TV.

4

Do not connect any other video cables. Connecting any other video cable will override the digital "S" video signal and it will be useless. It is a popular misconception that connecting more cables is better. It is not. Many instruction pamphlets will advise to connect all cables. Don't You Believe it!

5

Turn on your digital source and TV and see what you have been missing. Your quality of resolution will increase anywhere from 20 to 80% depending on how you had things connected in the first place.

*Once the hardware / software is recognized > Control Panel > Display and you'll see in the left hand task bar, "Change Display Settings". At this point most systems you can duplicate, clone or mirror your desktop or craptop and adjust resolution so on and so forth.

For my neph, "Mr. Marlon Brown".

The same basic principles apply to an HDMI cable.

How to Set Up Your Own Home VPN Server

VPNs are very useful, whether you’re traveling the world or just using public Wi-Fi at a coffee shop in your hometown. But you don’t necessarily have to pay for a VPN service — you could host your own VPN server at home.

Your home Internet connection’s upload speed will really matter here. If you don’t have much upload bandwidth, you may want to just use a paid VPN service. Internet service providers usually offer much less upload bandwidth than they do download bandwidth.

Why You Might Want to Do This

HTG Explains: What is a VPN? (And Why You Might Want to Use One)
A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, allows you to create a secure connection to another network over the Internet. VPNs... [Read Article]

A home VPN gives you an encrypted tunnel to use when on public Wi-Fi, and it’d even allow you to access country-specific services outside the country — so you could use US Netflix when you’re traveling outside the US. It would also give you access to your home network and any file shares or other servers from anywhere.

You could also allow other people to connect to your home network, making it easy to give them access to servers you’re hosting on your home network. This would allow you to play PC games designed for a LAN over the Internet, too — although there are easier ways to set up a temporary network for PC gaming.

Get a Router With VPN Capabilities

Rather than attempting to do this yourself, you can buy a pre-built solution. Higher-end home routers often come with built-in VPN servers — just look for a wireless router that advertises VPN server support. You can thenuse your router’s web interface to activate and configure the VPN server.

Be sure to do some research and pick a router that supports the type of VPN you want to use.

Get a Router That Supports DD-WRT or Other Third-Party Firmwares

Custom router firmwares are basically new operating systems you can flash onto your router, replacing the router’s standard operating system with something new. DD-WRT is a popular one, and OpenWrt will also work well.

If you have a router that supports DD-WRT, OpenWrt, or another third-party router firmware, you can flash it with that firmware and get more features. DD-WRT and similar router firmwares include built-in VPN server support, so you can host a VPN server even on routers that don’t come with VPN server software.

Be sure to pick up a supported router — or check your current router to see if it’s supported by DD-WRT. Flash the third-party firmware and enable the VPN server.

Make Your Own Dedicated VPN Server

You could also just use VPN server software on one of your own computers. But you’ll probably want to use a computer or device that’s on all the time, not a desktop PC you turn off when you leave home.

If you have a computer that’s on all the time, you could just install an OpenVPN server or a similar server and host a VPN server on there. VPN servers are available for every operating system, from Windows to Mac to Linux. You’ll just need to forward the appropriate ports from your router to the computer running the server software.

Windows offers a built-in way to host VPNs, and Apple’s Server app also allows you to set up a VPN server. Be careful that you know what you’re doing when setting up a server with these — you might just want to use an OpenVPN server for more security.

There’s also the option of rolling your own dedicated VPN device. You could take aRaspberry Pi and install OpenVPN server software, turning it into a lightweight, low-power VPN server. You could also install other server software on it and use it as a multi-purpose server.

Bonus: Host Your Own VPN Server Elsewhere

There’s one more do-it-yourself option that’s halfway between hosting your own VPN server on your own hardware versus paying a VPN provider like TunnelBear to provide you with VPN service and a convenient app.

You could host your own VPN server with a web hosting provider, and this may actually be a few bucks cheaper a month than going with a dedicated VPN provider. You’ll pay the hosting provider for server hosting and install a VPN server on the server they’ve provided to you.

Depending on the hosting provider you’ve chosen, this can be a quick point-and-click process where you add the VPN server software and get a control panel to manage it, or it may require pulling up a command-line to install and configure everything from scratch.

When doing this, you’ll probably want to set up dynamic DNS on your router. This will give you an easy address you can access your VPN at, even if your home Internet connection’s IP address changes.

Be sure to configure your VPN server securely. You’ll want strong security so no one else can connect to your VPN. Even a strong password might not be ideal — an OpenVPN server with a key file you need to connect would be strong authentication, for example.

Full > http://www.howtogeek.com/221001/how-to-set-up-your-own-home-vpn-server/

The Five Percent Nation: A Brief History Lesson w/ Video

The Five Percent Nation medallion worn by hip hop moguls such as Jay Z and Jay Electronica tends to raise a bit of controversy. We unravel the history behind this piece and what it exactly means to be a part of this Five Percent Nation.

Last week, at the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival, Jay Electronica gave fans a set to remember as he brought out labelmate Jay Z, Mac Miller, J. Cole, and Talib Kweli. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, Jay is an elusive rapper and producer who joined Jay Z’s Roc Nation roster label in 2010. While it was impressive that Hov made a guest appearance during Jay Elect's set, something else stood out even more. It was the thing hanging around Jay Electronica’s neck: the Five Percent Nation medallion.

Today we're giving all the HNHH users a history lesson, on what exactly the Five Percent Nation is.

The Five Percent nation (sometimes called the Nation of Gods and Earths) is an organization created by Clarence Smith in Harlem, New York in 1964. Clarence, a former member of the Nation of Islam, was originally a student of Malcom X, who was an African American minister and human rights activist. The Nation of Islam is a religious movement whose goals were to improve the economic, mental, and social condition of African Americans in the US. Clarence left the movement after an unresolved dispute with the Nation’s leaders over the definition of God. 

Those who followed the Nation of Islam believed that their founder, Wallace Fard Muhammad, was God. Smith disagreed. He believed that God was “purely black,” while Muhammad was bi-racial. On top of that, Smith believed God was not a supernatural being, but rather something found in all black males. He believed women were subordinate to men, and therefore did not possess God.

Members of the Five Percent Nation subscribed to the idea that all white people are “weak, wicked, and inferior,” as stated by Michael Muhammad Knight, who has written two books on the Five Percenters. As he put it, whites were described as an “errant child who needs to be corrected.” While Smith claimed that black women did not contain God in them and were seen as subordinate, he still believed they held a higher standing than white people.

The name Five-Percenters comes from the notion that only a mere five percent of all of humanity know the real truth about existence. They describe themselves as “poor righteous teachers” whose goal is to tell everyone in the world the truth. They believed another ten percent of the people in this world also know this truth of existence, in which those elites propagate a theory of a “mystery God” to the remaining eighty-five percent, of whom they consider ignorant and under their control. Being the remaining five percent and the nation’s only hope, they were determined to enlighten the rest of the world.

In the beginning, the Nation of Gods and Earths were seen as a little more than a branch of the Nation of Islam. Representatives taught that Islam is a natural way of living. Moreover, they taught that Asiatic black people (the non-whites) were the original human beings on earth, deeming them the fathers and mothers of civilization. They believed the Asiatic black man is God, and goes by the name Allah, which is “God” in Arabic.

Members of this group must learn the Supreme Mathematics and Supreme Alphabet. These are powerful tools that are used to interpret the meaning the universe. Each letter and number will yield a concept. For example, 1 is knowledge, 2 is wisdom, A is Allah. The number 7 that appears on Jay’s medallion represents God.

Clarence Smith passed away in 1969 after being murdered in his housing project in Harlem. He certainly left his mark, as the Five-Percenters are active to this day. They also picked up many followers in the rap world- Busta Rhymes, the Wu-Tang Clan, and Lord Jabar of Brand Nubian to name a few. 

On February 5, 2010, amongst a blizzard storm, hundreds of people converged for “The Legends of Hip Hop: Return of the God MC’s” show in Trenton, New Jersey. The headliners were Rakim, Brand Nubian, Cappadonna and Masta Killa of the Wu-Tang Clan, and Wise Intelligent of Poor Righteous Teachers. 

As the rappers took the stage and showcased their talent through the mic, the show eventually began to turn another direction. The emcees started to touch on a more spiritual level. It became much more than the music, and even more than a message. It became a manifestation for what we now know as hip hop culture. 

With Five Percenter vibes riding with them along the way, these lyricists incorporated the teachings of the Nation of Gods and Earth into their songwriting. Some of the best to have ever been on the microphone have either been students of, or have been influenced by, the teachings of the Five Percenters. 

This includes a wide range of artists- Jay Z, Nas, Rakim, Busta Rhymes, Wu-Tang Clan, Brand Nubian, Poor Righteous Teachers, Gangstarr, Big Daddy Kane, LL Cool J, Big Pun, and even Erykah Baduh. 

“Radios on card tables, Benetton. The Gods building. Ask for today’s Mathematics, we Allah’s children. And this was going on in every New York ghetto. Kids listen, Five Percenters said it’s pork in Jello-O,” Nas raps in “No Idea’s Original.” 

Popularity of the group is prominent among many African-American male youth, mostly in poor, urban areas. This popularity is helped along by many rap and R&B artists. The rappers mentioned above have their lyrics laced with the Five Percent doctrine, whether you've noticed it or not. In addition to implementing their beliefs into their music, they also have used the Five Percent flag on their album covers. The vast majority of the Five Percenters appears to be on the East Coast, not coincidentally also the birth place of rap and hip hop music. 

Russell Simmons, a founding father of the rap music industry, labels the Nation of Gods and Earths as an “important influence” in the history of hip hop that has been overlooked.

“During the period when the gangs I hung with in the '70s gave way to '80s Hip Hop culture,” Simmons writes in his autobiography. “It was the street language, style, and consciousness of the Five Percent Nation that served as a bridge.”

Two of hip hop founder’s Kool Here and Afrika Bambaataa personally studied the works of the Five Percenters as well. Of course, as we've already mentioned, Jay Z is another rapper to help the cause.

The Brooklyn native was seen sporting the same medallion, an eight-pointed star with the number seven in the middle, at a Nets game in early April of this year. This event raised many eyebrows at the Barclay’s Center where the game took place. The photograph of the power couple began to circulate social media and turned many heads. An article was even written with the title “Jay Z’s bling from ‘whites are devils’ group.”

According to the Daily Mail, when a reporter asked if the medallion was meaningful to him, Jay Z responded, “A little bit.”

Note this is not the first time Jay Z was spotted representing the group. Last summer, he was linked to the organization during his promotional tour for his most recent album Magna Carta Holy Grail. He was again photographed while giving radio interviews wearing a medallion very similar to the one worn during the Nets game. 

Additionally, he references the group on his track “Heaven,” which is from the album. Going into the first verse, he spits the Five Percent Nation’s acronym for Allah. “Arm, leg, leg, arm, head- this is God body. Knowledge, wisdom, freedom, understanding- we just want our equality.”

While this sighting turned audience’s heads, it more importantly caught the attention of members in the group. Some followers took offense as they believed Jay Z was using their symbol as a fashion accessory. 

Saladin Allah is a representative of the group’s upstate region. “Jay Z is not an active member- no one has vouched for him,” Allah told The Post. “It was always understood that you don’t wear the regalia if you don’t totally subscribe to the life.”

Returning to Jay Electronica, whose real name Timothy Thedford, the connection to the Five Percent Nation becomes clearer after reading about his childhood and upbringing. He was born on September 19, 1976 in the Mangolia Projects of New Orleans, which is well known for holding some of the highest crime rates in the country. At the age of 19, Jay left the city to pursue his music career. The struggles of living a nomadic life came into play as he bounced around from city to city. Time after time he was booed off stage due to his Southern accent and dialogue. 

“Not in general, but as a rapper because of all of the negative things that people in the States put on the South,” Jay states. 

His career finally went under way as he settle in the city of Detroit and linked with J. Dilla and Mr. Porter. His big break came after he released Act I: Eternal Sunshine (The Pledge), which was available via MySpace in 2007. This project was considered a “timeless classic.” In 2009, he released two singles “Exhibit A” and “Exhibit C,” both produced by Just Blaze. 

To this day, Jay Electronica is an active member of the Five Percent Nation. While this group’s views may be taken to the extreme by many, Jay’s decision to represent his involvement the group is a harmless way of standing up for what he believes, a positive message that shouts racism should not exist. 

Tags: Features, News, five percenters, racism, Jay Electronica, Jay Z, five percent nation

Zeitgeist: The Movie - by Peter Joseph

*I don't subscribe to the first segment of this documentary concerning religion. I have my own view which differs yet the rest...

http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/

Are you aware of the GMO Obama signed in to Law?

The Future of Food distills the complex technology and consumer issues surrounding major changes in the food system today -- genetically engineered foods, patenting, and the corporatization of food -- into terms the average person can understand. It empowers consumers to realize the consequences of their food choices on our future.

Click here for video

http://www.thefutureoffood.com/

Obama signs Monsanto Protection Act! It's Time to Label GMOs!

We regret to inform you that President Barack Obama has signed H.R. 933, which contained the Monsanto Protection Act, into law. President Obama knowingly signed the Monsanto Protection Act over the urgent pleas of more than 250,000 Americans who asked that he use his executive authority to veto it. President Obama failed to live up to his oath to protect the American people and our constitution.

Today we’re calling on President Obama to issue an executive order to call for the mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods.

Not only is GMO labeling a reasonable and common sense solution to the continued controversy that corporations like Monsanto, DuPont and Dow Chemical have created by subverting our basic democratic rights, but it is a basic right that citizens in 62 other countries around the world already enjoy, including Europe, Russia, China, India, South Africa and Saudi Arabia.

Join us in demanding mandatory labeling of GMO foods. Now's the time!

Article > http://tinyurl.com/d6j5j5k