Courtesy of Huffington Post/Black Voices

I am writing this response to a YouTube video circulating widely on the internet in in which Eddie Long, the troubled pastor of the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta GA is apparently crowned king with the ritual use of a Jewish Torah scroll. (The reader may know him for the recent scandal in which he was accused by five young men of sexual misconduct. After initially denying the allegations, he went into settlement talks with them.) A number of specious claims are made during the ritual which I would like to refute.

The unidentified man who, (in the YouTube video to which I had access he is identified subsequently as Ralph Messer), represents himself as a Jew. He may well be some sort of Messianic Jew, a person who claims Jewish heritage and recognizes Jesus as the Son of God, but who is not part of one of the major Jewish movements: Orthodox, Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist, Reform, Renewal. He does not, however, represent recognizable Jewish thought or practice in his (mis-) representations of the Torah and other Jewish sancta — or for that matter, New Testament and Christian biblical interpretation and theology.

1. The claim that Holocaust Torahs cannot be insured “because there are no more” is patently false. They are regularly insured as are other one of a kind objects d’art, i.e. the works of Picasso.
2. The Torah cover is not a “foreskin.” Hyper-masculine, hyper-sexualization of the Torah reduces the holy Torah to a problematic phallic symbol — God’s? or Long’s? — and categorizes the most destructive behaviors associated with New Birth ministries in recent years. Grammatically and symbolically, the Torah is feminine in Hebrew and is personified as “She,” as in “She is a Tree of Life,” in Prov. 3:18.

Continue reading at Huffington Post/Black Voices

Justin Combs

Related: 8 Celebrity Kids To Watch This Football Season

The 18-year-old cornerback signed his letter of intent to the University of California, Los Angeles with his proud poppa by his side. Justin accepted the offer Tuesday that grants him a full Division 1 scholarship totaling $54,000 a year.

The Daily Mail reports Justin turned down offers from Wyoming, Virginia and Illinois.

The new 5’9″, 175-pound Bruin told reporters he got chills signing the papers and that he is ready to put in the hard work to win.

“It’s going to be surreal at first but then at the end of the day you’ve got to go to work and you’ve got to get what’s yours and show why you’ve been working hard,” he said to the Daily New Rochelle. “So I’m ready for that. I can’t wait.”

Diddy released a statement earlier this week detailing how proud he was of his son’s accomplishments. He told ESPN LA:

“This is everything a father could want for his son, for him to excel at what he loves to do and is truly passionate about. Justin is a shining example of what hard work, determination and a strong mentality can achieve. I am honored to call him my son and am happy that he is fulfilling his dream.”

Social media can be an amazing tool to stay connected with friends and family. From a branding point of view, it allows you to increase your followers, gain more exposure and create brand expanding opportunities by keeping in touch with the masses with one key stroke. Unfortunately, it can also be a breeding ground for opportunists, weirdos and the worst of them all, stalkers. This is all quite easy with one specific tool called FourSquare.

Courtesy of Madame Noire

If you’re in your 50’s and he’s in his 70’s, no big deal. And lucky him by the way. You’ve both basically done all the personal growth you’re going to do. You’ve both gotten your wilder years out of the way, and you’ve both lived full lives with satisfying careers and plenty of travel (hopefully). But, when you’re younger, every year, even every half year, changes come, meaning different concerns, different priorities and overall different mentalities. You want someone whose knowledge and experience will complement—even supplement—your own. And it’s a very particular aged man who can do that. To be a cougar or try your hand with an older man? If you miss the mark, you’ll be dealing with these issues:

Too young to know

To bring you soup when you’re sick. To be your date to your parent’s anniversary party. To pick you up. To call and ask how your day was. It takes a certain amount of maturity to know how to effortlessly incorporate someone else into your life—and that includes incorporating their needs. A young guy might be a lot of fun and you might relate on a lot of levels, but some just might not know how to be a partner.

Continue reading at Madame Noire

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — American employers substantially stepped up their hiring in January, bringing the unemployment rate down for the fifth month in a row.

Employers added 243,000 jobs in January, the Labor Department reported Friday, marking a pick-up in hiring from December, when the economy added 203,000 jobs.

Meanwhile, the unemployment rate fell to 8.3%. That is the lowest since February 2009.

Hiring was much stronger than expected, and once it was apparent the job gains were broad based across several sectors, economists and investors called it a “nice surprise,” “fantastic,” and even “a touchdown!” Stocks climbed at the market open.

Economists surveyed by CNNMoney had forecast 130,000 jobs added in the month, and that the unemployment rate likely ticked up to 8.6%.

“To show the economy adding this kind of jobs number in a January is amazing,” said Kathy Kane, senior vice president of talent management at Adecco Group North America. “As we talk to clients, they’re very optimistic about continuing to hold jobs throughout the year but also to increase jobs.”

Continue at CNN Money!

By Temisha Palmer

Coming up with cool and inventive gift ideas for Valentine’s Day can cause some serious anxiety, especially when you want to refrain from cliché gifts—roses, heart-shaped chocolates or a teddy bear saying I love you—that scream last-minute shopping. Not only are those gifts boring, they’re also a waste of money. This Valentine’s Day, start early, think a little outside the box, inject some character and give your valentine something useful … And something you know they will love and enjoy!

Another week, another day and another round of outrageous celebrity phrases! This week, the celebrity sound bites making headlines include everything from a gangsta rapper’s prediction for the next presidency to a basketball wife’s public brawl with her former BFF to an icon reportedly beating down his own child. Guess which television father is cursing out black folk again and which Oscar-nominated actress is happiest when she is eating. Plus, an exclusive quote from Atlanta’s most famous Southern belle. And I quote…

The Root
Black People Don’t Kill Themselves, Right?
A much-needed dialogue.

The YBF
Willow Smith Shaves Her Head
Willow won’t be whipping her hair any longer.

ESSENCE.com
Viola Davis Lands Two Films For 2012
Viola keeps the ball rolling!

The Grio
Michelle Obama Shows Off Push-Up Skills On ‘Ellen’
Michelle Obama vs. Ellen DeGeneres: who can knock out more push-ups?

The Frisky
Rolling Stone Mouth-Shaped Urinals Called Sexist
These unique urinals have people up in arms.

EURweb
Don Cheadle’s ‘House of Lies’ Gets Another Season
Showtime orders up another season of the hit comedy.

This week: Updated with Zoe Saldana, Steve Harvey and many more of your favorite celebrities!