Rihanna Caught 'Off-Guard' By 'Birthday Cake' Controversy

Esquire U.K. covergirl talks about collaborating with her ex Chris Brown: 'It never occurred to me how this was going to be a problem.'
By Jocelyn Vena

Rihanna and Chris Brown in 2008
Photo: WireImage

Rihanna might appear topless on the cover of Esquire U.K., but it's what she's talking about on the inside of the magazine that's grabbing all the headlines.

In a lengthy back and forth with the reporter, Rihanna grows progressively more annoyed when asked about recording two tracks with her ex Chris Brown, given their history, including a 2009 assault. "Some love it, some hate it, some love it but still hate that we did it. But the response in the end has been incredible," she tells Esquire, but soon tries to steer the conversation away from the topic and toward her meal.

When asked again about the collaborations — remixes to the songs "Birthday Cake" and "Turn Up the Music" — Rihanna says it was "definitely" controversial: "The whole thing caught me a little off-guard to be honest ... especially the amount of ... negative attention. Because it never occurred to me how this was going to be a problem. It really didn't."

She later insists, "I thought people were gonna be surprised that we finally did a record together, but I didn't see how people could think it was a bad thing. In my mind, it was just music."

RiRi then notes she was surprised that because they recorded songs together, people jumped to the conclusion she and Brown were dating again. "OK. In a completely professional environment. And on a complete professional note. I mean, if I went back to him [as a girlfriend], then that's a whole different discussion," she said. "And if I ever do, then that's something that y'all have to talk to me about when — if — that ever happens. Until then, look at it for what it is.

"I think a lot of people jumped to an assumption that was incorrect, and they ended up looking stupid. Because of a song. How stupid. If I was together with every collaborator I worked with ... f--- my life."

In the end, Rihanna once again reiterated she didn't have much else to say on the questions regarding her relationship, professional and personal, with Brown and how it relates to their work together.

In a less-abrasive interview with Ryan Seacrest back in March, shortly after Ri and Brown dropped the two tracks, she called their work together "innocent." "We did two records — one for my fans, one for his fans — and that way our fans can come together," Rihanna explained at the time, brushing off the criticism even then. "There shouldn't be a divide. It's music, and it's innocent."

Are you surprised Rihanna collaborated with Chris Brown? Sound off below!

Related Artists

• Rihanna
• Chris Brown

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Union: Labor deal averts strike before Belmont

Horses run through a morning fog as they round the fourth and final turn during training at Belmont Park, Wednesday, June 6, 2012 in Elmont, N.Y. The Belmont Stakes horse race is Saturday. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

Horses run through a morning fog as they round the fourth and final turn during training at Belmont Park, Wednesday, June 6, 2012 in Elmont, N.Y. The Belmont Stakes horse race is Saturday. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

New York Racing Association President Ellen McClain, addresses a news conference in New York, Tuesday, June 5, 2012. A mediator was trying to settle a labor dispute at Belmont Park that threatens to scratch I'll Have Another's chance of winning thoroughbred racing's first Triple Crown in more than 30 years..(AP Photo/Richard Drew)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Belmont racetrack workers have struck a labor deal with the New York Racing Association to head off a possible strike on the eve of a Triple Crown bid, the union and state officials said Wednesday.

Vincent McElroen, financial secretary for Local 3 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, said he didn't have specifics of the pact but that 80 maintenance workers and starters will be working Saturday.

"The race will go on with normal starters and normal maintenance crew represented by Local 3," he said.

I'll Have Another will try to become the 12th horse to win all three legs of the Triple Crown: The Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes. It's been 34 years since Affirmed became the last to capture the crown.

"Now, together, we can focus exclusively on this Saturday's Belmont Stakes and I'll Have Another's historic attempt to become the first Triple Crown champion since Affirmed in 1978," NYRA president and chief operating officer Ellen McClain said in a statement released by Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office.

The workers at Belmont, Aqueduct and Saratoga tracks had been without a contract since February 2011. A mediator was called in to try to settle the dispute.

NYRA has weathered years of scandal and government investigations. Last month, its president was fired and the state took over its board. The racing overseer had called the union's strike threat self-serving and "very troubling" because it could have disrupted a race expected to draw about 100,000 fans to the track, plus a worldwide television audience in the millions.

Of the 150 workers IBEW represents, about 80 work at Belmont, including pari-mutuel clerks not involved in the dispute, McElroen said. Those who are involved include the starting gate workers, who get the horses into their assigned positions at post time.

The major issues were overtime and the structure of the tracks' work week. NYRA runs races Wednesday through Sunday, but the contract covers a Monday-through-Friday week, which means union workers earn built-in overtime on weekends. NYRA was seeking to immediately take away overtime for working Saturdays and Sundays, a move the union said would cut some workers' pay by 30 percent.

The agreement addresses all major economic issues, including shift schedules, benefits for active employees, as well as pension and retiree medical benefits. The contract runs through Feb. 28, 2014.

Last month, Cuomo took power away from NYRA, creating a temporary board to run racing for the next three years. The move came 18 days after NYRA fired its top executive, Charles Hayward, and its chief counsel as the state investigates why $8.5 million in winnings wasn't paid to bettors.

Associated Press

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Moody's cuts German, Austrian banks on euro risks

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Coinstar to install Seattle's Best Coffee kiosks

Coinstar

"Hi. I'm your new robobarista. May I take your order?"

By msnbc.com staff

????Betting, perhaps, that Americans just can?t drink enough coffee, Coinstar announced Wednesday it would have 500 automated kiosks serving Seattle?s Best Coffee in the Northeast and West Coast by year's end and ?thousands? across the country in the coming years.

Coinstar has experienced success with its Redbox movie rental machines in supermarkets and convenience stores. Seattle?s Best Coffee is owned by Starbucks.

The machines will also serve coffee drinks such as lattes and mochas. Prices will begin at $1.

It will be a new business model said Nick Montano of Vending Times, an industry trade publication. The coffee vending business is established, but no company yet has tried the placement Coinstar may use.

?The mainstream vending industry serves workplace locations,? Montano said.?The operators are primarily regional.

?Is this something new? No. But how they are doing it? Yes,? he said. ?They aren?t going outside of a 7-Eleven that sells coffee inside. But maybe inside a Wal-Mart or supermarket ? places that have no coffee service.?

In a press release, Coinstar said the kiosks would be in ?grocery, drug, and mass merchant locations. As Coinstar expands geographically with its coffee kiosk, it will also pursue additional channels as part of an ongoing roll-out.?

Coinstar CEO Paul Davis told CNBC the company has been testing the product for ?a year-and-a-half to two years? and was optimistic about success.

?We?re convinced there?s a terrific business opportunity there,? he said.

Below, Davis discusses the company's moves and strategy with CNBC.

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Google purchases the multi-platform Meebo chat and social networking service

Will this deal be the shot in the arm Google+ needs?

The?chat world is about to get a lot more compact. Internet heavyweight?Google has entered into an agreement to purchase chat-consolidation and social sharing platform?Meebo for an undisclosed sum.

Launched in 2005, Meebo?is a chat service that allows you to sign in to your Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger, AIM, Facebook Chat, and other chat services, all with one web-based login. An estimated 62.7 million people use Meebo. With the purchase, Google no doubt hopes to better compete in an increasingly socially connected world, putting?Google+ on more solid ground.

"Together with Google, we're super jazzed to roll up our sleeves and get cracking on even bigger and better ways to help users and website owners alike," explained Meebo in a?blog entry announcing the Google deal. "We've had a blast building Meebo so far and we're really excited to start the next leg of our journey."

(Source)

This article was written by Fox Van Allen and originally appeared on Tecca

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Senior Home Care: A New Avenue in Home Based Medical Provision

Senior home care has attained major significance from the perspective of modern nuclear family structures. This specialist service area involves a care provider who comes at the house of the affected family where a senior member is having some physical or mental ailments. The professional caregivers extend their service to look after the day-to-day activities of the elderly people under domestic set ups. It is imperative to say that the rate of the professional service varies as per level of the service provision as well as the training level of the caregiver.

It is quite uphill task to identify and hire top-grade medical care givers at home. People generally look for those nurses who possess multi-tasking capacity. However, not all of them are trained enough to carry out personal care activities of the elderly patient. So, it needs great focus and deep research into the profiles of the caregivers before selecting the most appropriate one.

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One of the key tasks of the home based care providers is to assist the aged patient to perform his/her general home=-based activities, including bathing, eating, dressing, cooking and so on. Depending upon the physical condition, the elderly person is even assisted to perform some other domestic activities, such as managing the room and keeping it neat and clean. Since, old age is regarded as the ?second childhood? of a person? he gets hurt when he is kept within the boundary of the home due to lack of companion to assist him in walking. The professional attendants appear as their benign angels when they take them out on strolls.

There is no denying the fact that the insurance companies bear a portion of the total cost involved in arranging elderly home care facilities. However, the amount depends upon the physical condition of the patient as well as the type of service availed in this regard. The insurance coverage is based on proper medical diagnosis. So, it needs to be ensured that the family members of the elderly patient avails proper medical records regarding the details of the ailments and the treatment or care provided thereafter.

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It is to be accepted that senior home care is the best solution for majority of the families to relocate the senior ailing person to a costly medical center, such as nursing home, old age home or other long-term care centers. The home based service provision is not only cost-effective but also quite effective in protecting the cheerful spirit of the patient.

Home-based care provisions for the elders are simply great in their own merit. It has positive psychological aspects too. Most people want to live in their own homes till their last breath. Moreover, it becomes quite difficult for elders to relocate to new residential zones and make new associations. Since, professional senior home care service looks after all the requirements of the elderly people, one can easily avail this service at home. No doubt, medical support for the elders has gained momentum through quality senior care facilities at home.

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Want to know more about alzheimer?s care, dementia care and home health care then visit http://www.caresensehc.com

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You Can Light Yourself on Fire If You Apply Sunscreen Right Next to Your Grill [Video]

Wear sunscreen. Slather it on. SPF 200 if you need it. But do not, in any circumstances, immediately walk over to an open flame, lest you want to end up like Brett Sigworth, who actually caught fire after putting it on because he got to close to his grill. More »

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