"Happy Little Clouds": Bob Ross Auto-Tuned [Video]

I loved Bob Ross. A painter on PBS, he made painting look magical. With a flick of his brush, he would create clouds, trees, mountains, and streams. More than his skill at painting, Ross also made painting look fun with his constant refrain that you were the creator, and the way he would always described his creations as "happy, little" objects. He also managed to be somewhat of a philosopher when he would explain that there were no mistakes, only happy accidents. Ross was about an affirmation of the joys of life, not just painting. I never painted, but I could watch Bob Ross for hours. That's why I loved this remix of Bob Ross by PBS Digital called "Happy Little Clouds."

To The Lady Who Honked at Me When My Car Stalled in the Middle of an Intersection [Open Letter]

Dear Lady Who Honked at Me When My Car Stalled in the Middle of an Intersection,

What is your freaking problem?! I'm driving through the intersection after the light turns green, and my car stalls right in the middle of the street, okay? The light changes red, and I'm still stuck there trying to get my car to start, and you come up at full speed on my passenger side, glaring at me like you're on a dare, then stop and blast your horn. Did you not hear me starting and revving my engine, trying to get going again? Are you so stupid that you can't grasp the concept of a malfunctioning car? Or are you so self-centered that you think your attitude will magically make my car start again? Or do you seriously think I was just driving along and just decided to stop and sit there in an intersection for the fun of it? Like what I want is to get hit by on-coming cars? How can one human being be so unsympathetic to another person's problem? What would have happened if I'd been a pedestrian who'd been hit by a car and lay there bleeding to death in the street? Would you drive up to me, then blast your horn at me like, "Let's go! Don't just lie there! Get up! The light's green! I have things to do!" I hope your car blows all four tires in the middle of the freeway while you're going eighty like you always do, because you're an insensitive witch who thinks the world belongs to you, and your car tips over and crashes and you lie there in the smoking wreckage while all the other cars honk at you instead of calling 911.

Signed,
Nigel

Rihanna and Chris Brown Are NOT a Cute Couple! [Celebrity]

Okay, so the rumors have been pretty much confirmed that Rihanna and Chris Brown are at least hanging out again, if not an outright couple. I'm not surprised, given the flood of appearances and comments the two have about and for each other. But I am surprised by articles like this one at Hollywoodlife entitled "Chris Brown & Rihanna Dating Again - Going Public With Their Love." I was disgusted to read something like this:

And you two need to be mature about having a far better, more mature and safe relationship than you had before. You really should be in counseling together to ensure that you have a healthy and completely non-violent relationship from now on. You need to learn to not push each other’s hot buttons and to resolve your differences when you argue, in a mature way...We’ve heard at Hollywoodlife.com that you, Rihanna, have been in regular therapy. That’s terrific, and I’m sure very helpful, but we don’t know about Chris.

The comments in the article are similarly oblivious with comments like:

My thought is that she almost destroyed chris brown and his career and i think that he nees to take it slow with her. Now that he is back in business and doing good she want him back.

RIHANNA almost destroyed Chris Brown?! CHRIS BROWN almost destroyed Chris Brown by beating up Rihanna...unbelievable. But it gets worse with:

Rihanna and Chris Brown need to get back togther becuase they where good couple together because it semms like when they brake up something is not right they know that they love each other Rihanna still loves Chris Brown and Chris Brown still loves Rihanna so they need to go ahead and get back together and go ahead and get married!!!!!!!

What is wrong with you people?! Do you all have amnesia? Why is everyone talking about their relationship, including the author of this article, like they're just another cute celebrity couple who had a lover's tiff? Chris Brown and Rihanna broke up, because he beat and left her for dead on the side of the road. Just to jog your memory, here's a description from the police report:

Remember this?

A verbal argument ensued and Brown pulled the vehicle over on an unknown street, reached over Robyn F. [Rihanna] with his right hand, opened the car door and attempted to force her out. Brown was unable to force Robyn F. out of the vehicle because she was wearing a seat belt. When he could not force her to exit, he took his right hand and shoved her head against the passenger window of the vehicle causing an approximate one inch raised circular contusion. Robyn F. turned to face Brown and he punched her in the left eye with his right hand. He then drove away in the vehicle and continued to punch her in the face with his right hand while steering the vehicle with his left hand. The assault caused Robyn F.'s mouth to fill with blood and splatter all over her clothing and the interior of the vehicle. Brown looked at Robyn F. and stated, "I'm going to beat the *** out of you when we get home! You wait and see!" Robyn F. picked up her cellular telephone and called her personal assistant, Jennifer Rosales...After Robyn F. faked the call, Brown looked at her and stated, "You just did the stupidest thing ever! Now I'm really going to kill you!" Brown resumed punching Robyn F. and she interlocked her fingers behind her head and brought her elbows forward to protect her face. She then bent over at the waist, placing her elbows and face near her lap in attempt to protect her face and head from the barrage of punches being levied upon her by Brown. Brown continued to punch Robyn F. on her left arm and hand causing her to suffer a contusion on her left tricep that was approximately two inches in diameter and numerous contusions on her left hand. Robyn then attempted to send a text message to her other personal assistant, Melissa Ford. Brown snatched the cellular telephone out of her hand and threw it out of the window onto an unknown street... Brown continued driving and Robyn F. observed the cellular telephone sitting in his lap. She picked up the cellular telephone with her left hand and before she could make a call he placed her in a head lock with his right hand and continued to drive the vehicle with his left hand. Brown pulled Robyn F. close to him and bit her on the left ear...Brown [began] punching her in the face and arms. He then placed her in a head lock positioning the front of her throat between his bicep and forearm. Brown began applying pressure to Robyn F.'s left and right carotid arteries causing her to be unable to breathe and she began to lose consciousness. She reached up with her left hand and began attempting to gouge his eyes in an attempt to free herself. Brown bit her left ring and middle fingers and then released her. While Brown continued to punch her, she turned and a [sic] placed her back against the passenger door. She brought her knees to her chest, placed her feet against Brown's body and began pushing him away. Brown continued to punch her on the legs and feet causing several contusions. Robyn F. began screaming for help and Brown exited the vehicle and walked away.

Not exactly a lover's quarrel. And Rihanna has already admitted it wasn't an isolated incident.

Rihanna getting back together with Chris is not because they're in love, it's a classic case of an insecure and emotionally manipulated woman who returns to her abuser. As for Brown, he's the one who needs therapy. Serious therapy. And Rihanna needs to be publicly called out as setting a bad example to other women and young girls in abusive relationships who can now point to the two of them as "proof" that an abuser can change. I'm not going to blame the victim, but we as a society need to set the tone that what Rihanna is doing is unhealthy and dangerous.