Friday, December 14, 2007

Phillips Philes Welcomes New Contributor: Dan Eisner!

Phillips Philes warmly welcomes new contributor Dan Eisner! Dan has been a reader of Phillips Philes for a couple years now who has also been commenting on various posts from time to time.

Dan is the creator and author of the blog Eye of the Storm. He is from Massachusetts, and is a liberal. He wanted to join Phillips Philes in a personal effort to help end divisive partsianship in the United States between the political left and right both on and off the beltway. Dan, is a decent liberal American who when posting uses reasoning, compromise, and better understanding in his approach.

Welcome again, Dan and have many interesting posts!


UPDATE 10/3/2023: Phillips Philes severed ties with Dan Eisner as a contributor to this blog as his personal FaceBook post from July 16, 2018 was recently discovered. The statement posted showed a violation of the standards and spirit of this blog to have civil discourse. Eisner's comment was unAmerican, extremely offensive, slanderous and misguided. We respectfully end our association with him and wish him well in his day job.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Phillips Philes WANTED: Volunteer Contributors

IMAGE from http://mcalabre1.wordpress.com/armchair-traveler-how-to-create-a-travel-blog/

Phillips Philes is looking for volunteer contributors who can post posts both of original writing and noteworthy articles. A flair for coherent, witty, logical, historical, pithy, creative, and of course politically conservative writing is wanted. If you also know how to bloglist, add site meters, You Tube and RealPlayer video, and more, please comment on this post with your actual e-mail so that we can formally invite you to be an admistrator contributor. You may add any links you want, and free features to Phillips Philes as an administrator that would improve the blog. Phillips Philes reserves the right to remove or bounce any admistrator that hurts the integrity of the blog.

Phillips Philes started in July 2004 and is based in Southern New Jersey in the suburbs of Philadelphia. No money is exchanged, this is a super dooper blog in the making run by regular grassroots conservatives, who will gladly accept Blue Dog Democrats as well, aiming to be informative, persuasive, and at times activist. This is for the closet hobby writer or person who has an eye for interesting news that catches your eye. Posts do not have to be just about the Delaware Valley area, you are welcome to post the news, or an interpretation of news from your area too even if it counters or instigates supportive posts on the Philadelphia sports teams.

Reply now and get started!


PHILLIPS PHILES FACT SHEET

Budget.....$0.00
Writing experience.....Amateur to professional, all welcome
Blog design.....moderate to advanced
Reference.....Valuable to list Phillips Philes on your resume, demonstrates experience online
No to minimal censorship.....on Phillips Philes you could have free reign to post almost anything within reason. This becomes your blog too when you join. Nudity, pornography, and SPAM ads are prohibited here. Exclusives and original research are welcome!

UPDATE 6/6/2016: Phillips Philes, according to Blogger, averages thousands of hits a month! In our heyday, before addictive interactive alternatives became popular online, we received an impressive amount of daily hits for a small blog! Potential contributors please contact Joyce for an invitation to post directly to Phillips Philes.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Ike Turner dies in San Diego at age 76

Ike Turner dies in San Diego at age 76

By ELLIOT SPAGAT, Associated Press Writer
12 minutes ago



Ike Turner, whose role as one of rock's critical architects was overshadowed by his ogrelike image as the man who brutally abused former wife Tina Turner, died Wednesday at his home in suburban San Diego. He was 76.

Turner died at his San Marcos home, Scott M. Hanover of Thrill Entertainment Group, which managed Turner's career, told The Associated Press.

There was no immediate word on the cause of death, which was first reported by celebrity Web site TMZ.com.

Turner managed to rehabilitate his image somewhat in later years, touring around the globe with his band the Kings of Rhythm and drawing critical acclaim for his work. He won a Grammy in 2007 in the traditional blues album category for "Risin' With the Blues."

But his image is forever identified as the drug-addicted, wife-abusing husband of Tina Turner. He was hauntingly portrayed by Laurence Fishburne in the movie "What's Love Got To Do With It," based on Tina Turner's autobiography.

In a 2001 interview with The Associated Press, Turner denied his ex-wife's claims of abuse and expressed frustration that he had been demonized in the media while his historic role in rock's beginnings had been ignored.

"You can go ask Snoop Dogg or Eminem, you can ask the Rolling Stones or (Eric) Clapton, or you can ask anybody — anybody, they all know my contribution to music, but it hasn't been in print about what I've done or what I've contributed until now," he said.

Turner, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, is credited by many rock historians with making the first rock 'n' roll record, "Rocket 88," in 1951. Produced by the legendary Sam Phillips, it was groundbreaking for its use of distorted electric guitar.

But as would be the case for most of his career, Turner, a prolific session guitarist and piano player, was not the star on the record — it was recorded with Turner's band but credited to singer Jackie Brenston.

And it would be another singer — a young woman named Anna Mae Bullock — who would bring Turner his greatest fame, and infamy.

Turner met the 18-year-old Bullock, whom he would later marry, in 1959 and quickly made the husky-voiced woman the lead singer of his group, refashioning her into the sexy Tina Turner. Her stage persona was highlighted by short skirts and stiletto heels that made her legs her most visible asset. But despite the glamorous image, she still sang with the grit and fervor of a rock singer with a twist of soul.

The pair would have two sons. They also produced a string of hits. The first, "A Fool In Love," was a top R&B song in 1959, and others followed, including "I Idolize You" and "It's Gonna Work Out Fine."

But over the years their genre-defying sound would make them favorites on the rock 'n' roll scene, as they opened for acts like the Rolling Stones.

Their densely layered hit "River Deep, Mountain High" was one of producer Phil Spector's proudest creations. A rousing version of "Proud Mary," a cover of the Creedence Clearwater Revival hit, became their signature song and won them a Grammy for best R&B vocal performance by a group.

Still, their hits were often sporadic, and while their public life depicted a powerful, dynamic duo, Tina Turner would later charge that her husband was an overbearing wife abuser and cocaine addict.

In her 1987 autobiography, "I, Tina," she narrated a harrowing tale of abuse, including suffering a broken nose. She said that cycle ended after a vicious fight between the pair in the back seat of a car in Las Vegas, where they were scheduled to perform.

It was the only time she ever fought back against her husband, Turner said.

After the two broke up, both fell into obscurity and endured money woes for years before Tina Turner made a dramatic comeback in 1982 with the release of the album "Private Dancer," a multiplatinum success with hits such as "Let's Stay Together" and "What's Love Got To Do With It."

The movie based on her life, "What's Love Got To Do With It," was also a hit, earning Angela Bassett an Oscar nomination.

But Fishburne's glowering depiction of Ike Turner also furthered Turner's reputation as a rock villain.

Meanwhile, Turner never again had the success he enjoyed with his former wife.

After years of drug abuse, he was jailed in 1989 and served 17 months.

Turner told the AP he originally began using drugs to stay awake and handle the rigors of nonstop touring during his glory years.

"My experience, man, with drugs — I can't say that I'm proud that I did drugs, but I'm glad I'm still alive to convey how I came through," he said. "I'm a good example that you can go to the bottom. ... I used to pray, `God, if you let me get three days clean, I will never look back.' But I never did get to three days. You know why? Because I would lie to myself. And then only when I went to jail, man, did I get those three days. And man, I haven't looked back since then."

But while he would readily admit to drug abuse, Turner always denied abusing his ex-wife.

After years out of the spotlight his career finally began to revive in 2001 when he released the album "Here and Now." The recording won rave reviews and a Grammy nomination and finally helped shift some of the public's attention away from his troubled past and onto his musical legacy.

"His last chapter in life shouldn't be drug abuse and the problems he had with Tina," said Rob Johnson, the producer of "Here and Now."

Turner spent his later years making more music and touring, even while he battled emphysema.

Robbie Montgomery — one of the "Ikettes," backup singers who worked with Ike and Tina Turner — said Turner's death was "devastating" to her.

"He gave me my start. He gave a million people their start," Montgomery said.

Accolades for Turner's early and later work continued to come in as he grew older, and the once-broke musician managed to garner a comfortable income as his songs were sampled by a variety of rap acts.

In interviews toward the end of his life, Turner would acknowledge having made many mistakes, but maintained he was still able to carry himself with pride.

"I know what I am in my heart. And I know regardless of what I've done, good and bad, it took it all to make me what I am today," he once told the AP.

___

Associated Press Music Writer Nekesa Mumbi Moody in New York and Associated Press Writer Robert Jablon in Los Angeles contributed to this story.

___

On the Net:

http://www.iketurner.com/

Copyright © 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Sunday, December 09, 2007

The 5 Biggest Dating Mistakes That Men Make

The 5 Biggest Dating Mistakes That Men Make

By Andrea Syrtash, ONDating

Special to Yahoo! Personals
Updated: Dec 9, 2007

Andrea Syrtash gets the scoop from daters -- females and males -- about the top mistakes men make when they're dating. See how to avoid those mistakes.

How many times have you gone on what you thought was an amazing date only to find that the person never calls back or doesn't seem interested when you try to book another date?
Dating can be awkward, and everyone makes mistakes. Of course, there are some instances in which the person you like doesn't follow up and it has nothing to do with you (e.g,. an ex comes back into her life...don't you love that?). But often it's simple things we do (or don't do) that prevent us from making a connection.
During the past few years, I've interviewed hundreds of daters and asked them what they were looking for, and it's amazing to hear the same themes. Women have certainly complained to me about the biggest mistakes they feel that men make in dating, so I thought I'd share the secrets. (
Don't worry -- I have plenty of material on the mistakes women make, but that's for a future installment.

Top Five Dating Mistakes That Men Make

1. Men Show Off or Try to Impress Too Much. Don't offer your resume, your earning potential, and tell us how you'll change our lives the first time we meet you. Instead of talking about yourself the whole night, ask questions! Don't come on too strong right away. Let us figure out if we want to be with you, instead of telling us we do.

2. Men Don't Listen to Us When We're Talking. We notice if you stop listening to us, if you ask us questions we just answered, or if you keep interrupting us when we're opening up. This drives most women nuts! Unless you're on call, don't check your Blackberry at dinner and don't check out other women.
Focus on the woman across the table from you and listen to what she has to say.

3. Men Aren't Chivalrous. The lines here are not always clear. We want you to treat us like equals, but we also want you to treat us like women. It's nice when a man picks up the tab or makes sure his date gets home safely. It may be old-fashioned, but a number of women report that dating a gentleman matters.

4. Men Don't Take Initiative. Men, how many times have you caught yourself saying, "I don't know" or "Whatever you'd like" when planning a date? If you've asked a woman out, a better approach is to give a few fun and creative date options and ask her to pick one.
Initiative doesn't mean ordering for a woman at a restaurant or ordering a woman around! It does mean confidently approaching your date with ideas, passion and interest. It also means you can be flirty and forward, letting her know how amazing you think she looks or how much you want to kiss her.

5. Men Say They'll Call and Then Don't. It's no surprise that acting like you're going to follow up when you're not bothers most women (and never underestimate the way word travels about you not keeping your word!). Better to end a date by saying, "It was nice to meet you. Have a good night." Don't act like you're going to follow up if you're not. If you've gone out more than a few times, be honest that while you enjoy your date's company, you don't feel a romantic connection.
Just remember, communication is usually the way to go with a woman.
There are always exceptions, so I don't believe there are absolute rights and wrongs in dating -- but there are strategies. If you follow these simple steps, you'll be ahead in the dating game. At least you'll get an 'A' for effort.
Andrea Syrtash gets the scoop from daters -- females and males -- about the top mistakes men make when they're dating. See how to avoid those mistakes.