#mark beasley

[politicaldilfs]

South Carolina Governor DILFs

Mark Sanford, Fritz Hollings, James F. Byrnes, David Beasley, Robert E. McNair, Henry McMaster, John C. West, Jim Hodges, George Bell Timmerman Jr., Dick Riley, Donald S. Russell, James B. Edwards, Carroll Campbell

[invisibleicewands]

Exclusive first look at Nye rehearsals as Michael Sheen returns to the stage

An exclusive first look at rehearsals of the hugely anticipated “Nye” has been released today as Michael Sheen prepares to reprise his role playing one of Wales’ most influential figures.

The co-production by the National Theatre and Wales Millennium Centre follows sell-out shows and rave reviews.

Nye will return to Wales Millennium Centre’s Donald Gordon Theatre for a strictly limited time this summer from 22 – 30 August 2025.

The production tells the story of Aneurin “Nye” Bevan, who helped to transform the lives of millions by founding the NHS.

He became an inspirational pioneer who believed in creating a better quality of life for the less fortunate.

From one Welsh legend to another, Sheen steps back into Nye’s shoes for the final time – telling the vibrant story of the life of a man who made free healthcare a reality.

Written by Tim Price and co-directed by Rufus Norris and Francesca Goodridge, Nye’s memories take centre stage – from his early days as a coal miner’s son in Tredegar, to the political clashes in Westminster that changed the future of Britain.

Along the way, the audience encounters friends, foes, family and revolutionary speeches in a moving show which is equally full of humour and spirit.

As rehearsals for the show are in full swing, photos exclusively show Sheen and the brilliant cast of performers gearing up for their final curtain call.

The full cast list includes, Gabriel Akamo, Remy Beasley, Matthew Bulgo, Jacob Coleman, Ross Foley, Jon Furlong, Daniel Hawksford, Jason Hughes, Stephanie Jacob, Kezrena James, Tony Jayawardena, Michael Keane, Nicholas Khan, Rebecca Killick, Mark Matthews, Joshua McCord, Hannah McPake, Rhodri Meilir, Ashley Mejri, Lee Mengo, Mali O’Donnell, Sara Otung, Michael Sheen, Sharon Small, and Gareth Tempest.

As the NHS soon celebrates its 75th anniversary this July, there’s never been a better time to learn about its history, which started on Welsh soil.

Don’t miss the chance to experience one of the most powerful Welsh stories ever told.

[zeglyth]

current list of journalists who signed this letter:

Caspar Salmon

Sophie Monks Kaufman

Hannah Strong

Hanna Flint

Amon Warmann

Swara Salih

Clarisse Loughrey

Sarah Cook

Katie Smith-Wong

Christina Newland

Kelechi Ehenulo

Helen O’Hara

Leila Latif

Kambole Campbell

Josh Slater-Williams

Savina Petkova

Caitlin Quinlan

Shaheena U

Iana Murray

Ellen E Jones

Charles Bramesco

Juan Barquin

Jourdain Searles

Flavia Dima

Tariq Ra’ouf

Tim Robey

Ellis Lamai

Edward Hong

John Nugent

Patrick Sproull

Kayleigh Donaldson

Callie Petch

Justine Smith

Lillian Crawford

Douglas Greenwood

Kelli Weston

Glenn Kenny

Luke Hicks

Josh Spiegel

Scott Tobias

Matthew Morlai Kamara

Laura Venning

Hugo Emmerzael

Vikram Murthi

Wendy Ide

Brandon Streussnig

Jason Bailey

Jake Cole

Kimber Myers

Lauren Lola

Maryam Ahmad

Isaac Feldberg

Patrick Heidmann

Catherine Bray

Manuela Lazić

Tom Beasley

Charlie Shackleton

Rory O’Connor

Stephen A. Russell

Tom Huddleston

George Fenwick

Leslie Byron Pitt

Max Borg

Leonardo Goi

Jill Vranken

Scott Davis

Sarah Bradbury

Charlie Brigden

Matthew Turner

Linda Marric

Paul Devine

Kat Brown

Ryan Lambie

Freda Cooper

Jordan King

Sean Wilson

Mel Campbell

Jaime Rebanal

Jenna Mahale

Alistair Ryder

Jesse Hassenger

Mike McCahill

Sean Gilman

Jude Blay Yawson

Alex Milan Durie

Jon Lyus

Clint Worthington

Sean T. Collins

Brianna Zigler

Steph Green

Theo Rollason

Soraya Nadia McDonald

Steven Nguyen Scaife

Billie Walker

Jacob Stolworthy

Robert Daniels

Reuben Baron

Scott Renshaw

Jason Adams

Katie Kasperson

Oscar Goff

David Jenkins

Scott Dagostino

Rory Doherty

Jeremy Smith

Federica Battiato

Marya E. Gates

William Goodman

Debopriyaa Dutta

Devin Meenan

Quinn Bilodeau

Jennie Kermode

Sandy Schaefer

David Daut

Courtney Enlow

Sheila O’Malley

Steven Sloss

Andrew F. Pierce

Brian Tallerico

Katherine Rife

Jordan Maison

Anam Abbas

Andy Greene

Lindsey Romain

Fatima Sheriff

Erin Musset

Lex Briscuso

Joel Robinson

Angelica Jade Bastién

Carmen Paddock

Mark Asch

Johanna Griesé

BJ Colangelo

Billie Melissa

Rendy Jones

Vince Mancini

Jannat Suleman

Sabina Stent

Dana Stevens

Daniella Shreir

Ziyad Saadi

Travis Johnson

Cameron Ward

Saffron Maeve

Edward Frumkin

Tommaso Tocci

Lieven Trio

Ben Rosenstock

Yasmine Kandil

Dennis Tracy

Patrick Cremona

Mattie Lucas

Richard Fink

Danielle Ryan

Fiona Underhill

Jessica Scott

Heather Wilson

Keith Phipps

Jaime N. Christley

Ian Wang

Maria Lattila

David Daut

Hannah Wales

Rose Dymock

Nadira Begum

Amelia Emberwing

Erik Anderson

Matt Cipolla

Kyle Turner

David Willoughby

Pepe Ruiloba

Arjun Persaud

Ricardo Gallegos Ramos

Akash Saran

Rebecca Sayce

Clem Bastow

Briony Kidd

Sarah Manvel

[freshthoughts2020]

FIVE BOLD NBA PREDICTIONS FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE SEASON

Five Bold NBA Predictions for the Remainder of the Season

January 14, 2025

The NBA season is heating up, and as playoff contention tightens, surprising twists and turns are on the horizon. Here are five bold predictions for how the rest of the 2025 season could unfold.

1. Detroit Pistons Will Advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals

After years of rebuilding, the Pistons are poised to surprise the league. Cade Cunningham’s All-Star-level play, combined with the toughness of Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren, has provided Detroit with a foundation that’s both gritty and dynamic. Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr. are hitting threes at a lethal rate, adding a critical outside dimension to the Pistons’ attack.

Though they’re still seen as underdogs, their current momentum could lead to an upset against any team not named the Cleveland Cavaliers. If their young core plays with discipline, Detroit might very well find themselves in the second round or, improbably, the Eastern Conference Finals.

2. Boston Celtics Will Stop Cleveland Cavaliers’ Finals Dreams

While the Cavaliers have dominated much of the season and look like strong contenders, Boston’s experience gives them the edge. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have taken the painful lessons of past playoff losses to heart, much like other eventual champions before them.

Add the Celtics’ balanced roster, including Derrick White and Jrue Holiday, and Cleveland’s lack of playoff-tested depth becomes a concern. The Celtics are well-equipped to grind out victories, making them favorites to edge the Cavs in a potential matchup.

3. Russell Westbrook Will Deliver a Legendary Playoff Performance

Russell Westbrook’s resurgence with the Denver Nuggets has been one of the most captivating storylines this season. As Jokic’s pick-and-roll partner, Westbrook has found his groove, averaging impressive numbers while bringing a burst of energy to Denver’s rotation.

Expect a jaw-dropping 30-point, 10-assist, and 10-rebound performance in a crucial playoff game. Westbrook’s ability to thrive under pressure and his renewed confidence make this not just possible but likely against a formidable opponent.

4. Lonzo Ball Will Shine in the Play-In Tournament

After a long and arduous recovery, Lonzo Ball’s return to action could serve as the emotional spark Chicago needs. Should the Bulls find themselves in a play-in game, expect Lonzo to shine brightly, inspired by his brothers’ success off the court and his own journey back to form.

Whether it’s knocking down threes, dishing precision assists, or locking down on defense, Lonzo’s contributions will be pivotal, even if Chicago doesn’t progress far. His performance will solidify his value as a leader and motivator.

5. A Cavs vs. Thunder Finals Will Mark the Lowest-Watched Series Ever

While both teams have the talent to reach the Finals, their relative lack of superstar marketability could hurt viewership. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Donovan Mitchell are undeniable stars, but they don’t yet have the mainstream appeal of LeBron James or Stephen Curry.

Moreover, the NBA has struggled to build new icons, with SGA lacking a signature shoe and Mitchell overshadowed by the likes of Anthony Edwards in the Adidas lineup. Purists will enjoy the series, but casual fans might tune out, preferring the narrative of proven champions or established dynasties.

Conclusion The NBA thrives on unpredictability, and this season is no exception. From Detroit’s underdog rise to the potential viewing challenges of new-market Finals contenders, these bold predictions capture the drama and excitement of the league. Whether or not these scenarios come to fruition, one thing’s for sure: the rest of the season will be a wild ride.

follow me on x.com/onlyonejaevonn

visit gettothecorner.com

[adm-starblitzsteel-4305]

for mothra astra, who are your favorite and least favorite humans respectively?

Mothra Astra: Favorite and Least Favorite Humans, eh? Well, alright, I'll list down here according to what my Dad and Mom encounters them. Or even Uncle Battra and Uncle Kong and others.

Favorite Humans:

Jia Andrews (despite being adopted by Kong and the human woman Dr. Ilene Andrews, I like her a lot. I can truly understand her ASL and I'm fluent with it. We have a strong telepathic bond and we love talking about interests and even our families. Uncle Kong was the one who suggests to have a playmate with Jia, including Madison too! She's a kind and friendly Iwi girl, but do not mess with her!)

Madison Russell (I once joked Maddie about that she is a Princess because she made a contact with Mom in her larval form and in a deep dream of being revived by Mom too. I do appreciate her and all stuff she wanted to curiously investigate it for the humanity and the Titans. She wanted to be a Monarch Director someday after her father become old. I was Maddie's therapy session and guidance since she has PTSD - that bastard Ghidorah and Alan Jonah, plus Emma bitch - so that she will seek comfort and peace. Mom says that I will have a power to remove her dark aura. Who knows...)

Dr. Ilene Andrews (Jia's adoptive mother. I like her motherly role for Jia ever since she promised her that she will protect her from any threats, plus Kong agrees as long as Jia will have a stable life with them both. Her intelligence with studying cultures and pasts (the Iwis and even science) are her main field of research.)

Dr. Ishiro Serizawa (Dad told me he was a good human. He once explained that he barely sees him and Dr. Graham back in 2014 after he successfully killed the two parasitic MUTOs and he passed out from exhaustion. Godzilla did knows that Dr. Serizawa sacrificed himself for him to be revived back with a nuclear detonator he bravely carried for defeating Ghidorah. A good old friend, he says to me. However, I can interact Dr. Serizawa's soul, saying he too was surprised that I was Dad's and Mom's offspring. He and I went to chat secretly sometimes.)

Bernie Hayes (This guy looooovvveeessss to talk theories of his Titan Truth Podcast! Maddie recommended me to listen to his so called conspiracy theories, which sometimes made me curious if his theories are true or it's just a tall tale make believe stories. We met sometimes with Trapper tagging along. He was amazed by me and would not stop asking questions which thoroughly regret it. But overall, he's a nerd LOL)

Dr. Ilene Chen (Two Ilenes? Now that's possible! Dr. Chen was a cryptomythologist who loves studying myths that encompassed the reality. I mean, her family were a bunch of twin females im every generation. Mom told me that they were descended from her twin priestesses, the Shobijin, I was fascinated by it and although I do not have priestesses (sooner), Mom explains that I will have someday because of a secret. Confusing? Yes. Dr. Chen and her twin sister Ling Chen were working for Monarch followed from their mother's footsteps. Dr. Chen and I were friends, plus she was also the one to adopt Maddie soon! Great choice!)

Dr. Mark Russell (Maddie's Dad. He's a workaholic, and he can be a bit stubborn following the events of 2014 and 2019 due to the deaths of his son Andrew and his wife Emma. Maddie explains that although they have an intense relationship as a father and daughter, Mark still loves her no matter what for her own sake of her future. Mark can be sometimes overprotective to Maddie. Crazy that my Dad was the number one overprotective to me. Anyways, he and I were in good terms.)

Trapper Beasley (I like this guy a lot. He works in Monarch, and he's Kong's Titan Dentist haha. He is sweet and full of humor, but is not afraid of anything he handles of this job. He and Bernie were in good terms (dude Bernie has a small crush on him). Trapper, although he knows I'm the King and Queen's child, was not afraid of how my personality goes. He even built a mechanized armor for me somewhere hidden on the surface world just for sure...Hm...cool!)

Least Favorite Humans:

Alan Jonah (SWORN ENEMY OF HUMANS AND TITANS. I hate him in all my heart, blood, and soul. He's manipulative and calculating, eager to want the Titans be killed because humans are the superior of the Earth. He can be anywhere hidden from an unknown location, which is exactly why I needed to find him and end his life. That bastard son of a bitch awakened Ghidorah and killed my Mom and almost my Dad loses hope, including the world.)

Dr. Emma Russell (ALSO A BITCH. I hate her also. Manipulated by Alan Jonah and the death of Andrew took a toll of her decision into believing that humans are the main superiors of Earth and must kill all the Titans. Maddie explains to me that whenever her bullies taunt her into mentioning her Mom and her dead brother, Maddie passes out in a coma for 4 weeks, her bullies were shocked, believing she is dead. But I also gave them a hard time to teach them a lesson. Yes. Also, to Emma, I hope you listen to me...)

Colonel Diane Foster (Never met her also. I know she's working with Monarch and maybe I shall met with her someday...)

Walter Simmons (Never met him, but I once learned from Maddie that he caused all of the attacks from using Ghidorah's skull to be extracted from MechaGodzilla, a mechanized doppleganger copy of my Dad, who almost getting killed of, plus my Dad getting act angrily of Ghidorah's telepathic calls, Dad almost killed Uncle Kong off. How in the world did Alan Jonah gave a purchase of selling Ghidorah's skull to the Apex Cybernetics' CEO secretly?! I knew he was hiding something sinister! Lucky enough that bastard was dead, including his daughter Maia Simmons.)

Ren Serizawa (Dr. Serizawa's son. Why would he sided with Apex Crybernetics?! He should've follow his father's footsteps! You're not having an initiative mind, you idiot!)

Maia Simmons (Bitch. Just like her Dad. Wants to kill Nathan Lind, Dr. Ilene Andrews and Jia after extracting the radiation from Hollow Earth as a power source of MechaGodzilla! Good thing she's dead!)

Dr. Nathan Lind (Jia says he's a good guy. Never met him. Jia says he is now back to Monarch and is assigned to work on Hollow Earth is he's ready enough. He was almost manipulated by Walter and Ren! I hope he could meet me someday...)

Dr. Rick Stanton (Gonna meet him soon...I learned he's a joker...but eh, he takes it seriously.)

Li Fei aka Belvera the Black Virgin (My OC and is inspired by the evil Elias fairy Belvera from Rebirth of Mothra Trilogy) (This bitch almost makes the world end with life. That's Battra's crazy cult leader and priestess. I know she is Zhan Yu, Li Fei's past incarnation and Uncle Battra's deceased priestess. Also, a hint of Li Fei's backgroud: she was the Chen's adoptive daughter after her parents died in an accident. She and the Chen Twins were great friends until somehow Li Fei was disowned by her adoptive family for some reason, leading Li Fei to seek revenge against them and became Alan Jonah's right-handed woman. After a crazy mishaps, Li Fei is needed to reform herself after forgiving me. But I was not interested unless she must find out of who she was. I took a great deal to end her, but Uncle Battra suggests an even simple punishment. So I agree as long as Li Fei must improve herself. I kinda wonder where she and Uncle Battra was now...)

[feminist-cult-following]

pretty little liars: summer school characters as taylor swift songs

imogen adams: you’re on your own, kid, who’s afraid of little old me?, I can do it with a broken heart

“I looked around in a blood soaked gown and I saw something they can’t take away”

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

“I wanna snarl and show you just how disturbed this has made me / you wouldn’t last an hour in the asylum where they raised me”

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

“I cry a lot but I am so productive, it’s an art / you know you’re good when you can even do it with a broken heart”

tabby haworthe: the smallest man who ever lived, long story short, the manuscript

“I’ll forget you but I’ll never forgive the smallest man who ever lived”

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

“long story short it was bad time / long story short I survived”

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

“then the actors were hitting their marks / and the slow dance was alight with the sparks / and the tears fell in synchronicity with the score / and at last she knew what the agony had been for / the only thing that’s left is the manuscript”

noa olivar: …ready for it?, high infidelity, don’t blame me

“knew I was a robber first time that he saw me / stealing hearts and running off and never saying sorry”

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

“do you really wanna know where I was april 29th? / do I really have to tell you how she brought me back to life?”

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

“don’t blame me love made me crazy / if it doesn’t you ain’t doing it right”

faran bryant: mad woman, this is me trying, the man 

“what did you think I’d say to that? / does a scorpion sting when fighting back? / they strike to kill and you know I will”

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

“I was so ahead of the curve, the curve became a sphere / fell behind all my classmates and I ended up here”

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

“if I was man, then I’d be the man”

mouse honrada: a place in this world, I hate it here, snow on the beach

“but life goes on / oh, I’m just a girl / trying to find a place in this world”

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

“I’m lonely but I’m good / I’m bitter but I swear I’m fine / I’ll save all my romanticism for my inner life”

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

“and it’s like snow on the beach, weird but fucking beautiful”

kelly beasley: would’ve, could’ve, should’v, seven, guilty as sin?

“oh, you’re a crisis of my faith / would’ve, could’ve, should’ve / if I’d only played it safe”

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

“your dad is always mad and that must be why / and i think you should come live with me and we can be pirates / then you won’t have to cry / or hide in the closet”

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

“what if I roll the stone away? / they’re gonna crucify me anyway”

[audiofictioncouk]

New fiction Podcasts - 1st September 2024

Mall Brats Audio RPG Mall Brats is an RPG podcast that’s like if Gangs of New York was a Saturday morning cartoon set in a magical 1980s mega mall. Countless kid gangs make their living in the mall pulling off schemes, selling candy, and causing trouble under the watchful eye of the mysterious Food Court. The Cool Treat Kids are the mall’s most up-and-coming gang of ne'er do wells, featuring Fenton Beasley, Franklin Stein, and Clover Ivy Fern. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240826-01 RSS: https://feeds.megaphone.fm/mallbrats

https://media.rss.com/the-wild-wind-an-american-gothic-tale-by-cor-zim/20240827_010834_8aed79f9ac38e1bcd530f523ffb73e8d.jpg

THE WILD WIND | An American Gothic Tale by Cor Zim Audio Book The Wild Wind is an American gothic tale about a woman born and raised on the grounds of a psychiatric institution—not as a patient but as the daughter of the asylum’s farmer—who learns of love and loss while grappling with the question of what it means to be sane when insanity is the norm. “What’s to be sane in the garden of madness?” That’s the question haunting Sarah, a centenarian writing about her life growing up at the asylum on the bank of the Illinois River. After a long-tormented life, Sarah intends to commit after completing a typewritten manuscript spoken to a man named Sam. Through a lens of lore and myth—the secrets that shaped Sarah’s twisted and mysterious life are revealed. In Sarah’s labyrinthine quest for healing and peace, she painstakingly deconstructs the most transformative moments of her life. Her journey, spanning a century, is marked by profound hardship and survival, leading her to the poignant realization: “Sanity is but paper in a world consumed by fire.” The Wild Wind defies convention, blending plot and character development in a refreshingly unique way. With an equally unusual structure and lyrical prose, Sarah’s account is intellectually intriguing and emotionally compelling. It sheds light on the darker aspects of American society and history, encouraging readers to view themselves and the world from a fresh perspective. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240827-01 RSS: https://media.rss.com/the-wild-wind-an-american-gothic-tale-by-cor-zim/feed.xml

Handwritten Storytime Audio Book I have enjoyed writing to many extents from a young age and not too long ago decided to pursue my dreams within this career. I am starting small by recording my mini novels and posting them as episodes here. These novels are all different sizes, and some are more detailed than others. Follow along with me on a journey through notes and pages! https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240521-06 RSS: https://diannajosteinbauerpodcast.podomatic.com/rss2.xml

https://media.rss.com/coldshivers/20240822_080802_a0dd651eb9e0e423e1b85b060f1dd080.png

Moorish Media Presents Cold Shivers Audio Book Moorish Media Presents: Cold Shivers: A Supernatural Thriller SeriesCalling all horror enthusiasts, supernatural fanatics, and thriller readers! Moorish Media invites you to embark on a chilling journey with our latest masterpiece, Cold Shivers. This captivating series is tailor-made for those who crave spine-tingling experiences and a hefty dose of the supernatural in their literary escapades. Unleash Your Darkest Desires. Cold Shivers is a collection of tales that will transport you to a world where vampires roam, zombies lurk in the shadows, and werewolves howl at the moon. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240822-04 RSS: https://media.rss.com/coldshivers/feed.xml

https://media.rss.com/ahooga-a-dime-store-novel-by-cor-zim/20240827_030811_4d2659452afd62c31fbb6c7dbc58a6f2.jpg

AHOOGA! | A Dime Store Novel by Cor Zim Audio Book AHOOGA! begins as a coming-of-age tale set in rural America. The protagonist, a young boy named Oscar, grapples with his father's strict rules and expectations. Despite this, Oscar forms a friendship with Josefina, a Mexican girl from the impoverished side of the tracks. The story, written in a lyrical style with vivid descriptions of the characters and settings, unfolds against a backdrop of profound societal changes and significant historical events, including the rapid rise of the automobile industry and the looming threat of World War I, culminating in a dramatic bank robbery and a chase that leaves a lasting impact on the town and its people. As Oscar and Josefina's relationship develops, they face adversity, including a violent encounter with a group of boys. This event has lasting consequences, shaping their understanding of societal divisions and personal resilience. Then tragedy strikes, leaving the young girl orphaned and on the precipice of yet another mortal tragedy that leaves Oscar broken and blaming his father personally for the loss. The second half of the novel finds Oscar hopping on a train for the city and the irresistible allure of the jazz culture of 1920s Chicago, where he meets Betty, a woman who introduces him to the hidden world of speakeasies and bootlegging. Oscar becomes enamored with the devil’s music and its flappers, finding solace and escape in the smoky haze of the underground clubs. Oscar's life takes yet another perilous turn when he meets Nevaeh, a talented jazz singer known as "Little Bird." Nevaeh is involved with a dangerous gangster, Silver Dollar Sam. Despite the risks, Oscar is drawn to Nevaeh, and they begin a passionate affair. Oscar's journey reflects the struggles of many during this era as they navigate the complexities of love, identity, and the pursuit of the American Dream. But no matter how hard Oscar tries, regardless of what vice he chases, be it jazz, liquor, or sex, he can never seem to part with the one who got away, young Josefina, and the ever-increasing desire to avenge her death. Written & Narrated by Cory ZimProduced by Radio VertéExecutive Producer, Cory Zimhttps://radioverte.works Cor Zim is the executive producer of Radio Verté and the author of two fiction novels, THE WILD WIND and AHOOGA!, each of which has been adapted into an audio podcast series. He is the author of two nonfiction novels, SPOON RIVER GOTHIC: Narrative of a Double Homicide and DEATH RIDES THE HIGHWAY: A Thrill Ride Fueled by Murder & Terror, both of which have also been adapted into audio podcast series produced by Radio Verté. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240827-02 RSS: https://media.rss.com/ahooga-a-dime-store-novel-by-cor-zim/feed.xml

Dragon Age: Vows & Vengeance Audio Drama In this immersive fantasy series, a pair of heroes brought together by fate embark on a journey of revenge, redemption, and love. Set in the vast world of Thedas, Dragon Age: Vows & Vengeance was created in collaboration with BioWare and based on their award-winning video game franchise, Dragon Age. Nadia, a retired cat burglar, finds herself back on the prowl after scoring the job of a lifetime. Unknowingly employed by the Dread Wolf, Nadia hunts down a powerful ancient artifact and both she and her lover, Elio, find themselves caught in a web of lies that threaten the entire world. When Elio is seemingly banished to the Fade - a mystical magical plane - Nadia desperately searches for answers on a rescue mission across Thedas. On her journey, Nadia finds an unlikely ally in Drayden, a bookish historian and writer with a troubled past and a mysterious connection to the Fade. Their journey to save Elio is arduous, dangerous, and at times, downright foolish. But with the help of some friends, our heroes find some of the answers they are looking for and a few they wish they hadn’t. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240829-01 RSS: https://feeds.megaphone.fm/PDP6704482640

I Need A Miracle Audio Drama Every episode is a prayer, some prayers are answered, and a prayer granted can upend the world. Each episode, each prayer, is a single desperate moment of a life in another world. A world shaped by the divine. The voices we hear know an omnipotent being is listening. They know not all pleas are granted – but some are. And they believe in the benevolence of their god. Desperation and calculation, need and desire render each new character in vivid shades. And episode by episode, a miraculous yet tumultuous world is assembled in glimpses. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240829-02 RSS: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/ineedamiracle

Someone Just Like You Audio Book This is the sound that breaks the silence of the night. The scratching inside the walls. The tapping just outside your window. The whispers in the dark. "Someone Just Like You" is a harrowing journey into supernatural terror not for the faint of heart—or stomach. These handpicked horror stories are frightening, fearless and hauntingly vivid. Brought to life by an extraordinary cast of voice actors including Peter Lewis, Addison Peacock, Méabh de Brún, Graham Rowat, Anusia Battersby, and many more. Listen at your own risk because what happens here could happen to anyone. It could happen to… Someone Just Like You. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240829-03 RSS: https://feeds.megaphone.fm/someonejustlikeyou

Resurrecting Dick Nash Audio Book A jaded lawyer, on the payroll of a nameless corporate entity, travels the backroads of modern day America on a mission to unearth a mysterious object simply called "the Package." The only clues to its whereabouts are a disjointed series of notes and records compiled by an obscure 1980's pulp fiction writer who traveled the same roads half a century ago and wrote under the pen name Dick Nash. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240801-04 RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/f93fec20/podcast/rss

Darkside Tales Audio Book Original horror stories, written and produced in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. All stories written by Vanessa F Penney. Produced, narrated and edited by Roxanne Potvin. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240803-02 RSS: https://feed.podbean.com/darksidetales/feed.xml

Genesis and The Lumenairians Audio Book Genesis and the Lumenairians is an original science fiction podcast created by Elizabeth Manoukian. The year is 2056. In a post-WiFi, analog Los Angeles we follow our hero, Genesis as she tries to find what she has lost to another fold of reality. Genesis and the Lumenairians was inspired by films such as Blade Runner, Interstellar and Francesca Lia Block’s Dangerous Angels book series. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240805-04 RSS: https://feed.podbean.com/Genesisandthelumenairians/feed.xml

Finding Familiars Audio RPG Stories told, adventures had, and familiars found just with the roll of some dice. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240809-03 RSS: https://feeds.simplecast.com/4VXqY4mD

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Dungeons and Drag Queens Audio RPG Hear ye! Hear ye! High-fantasy, high-heeled, high-quality audio from Dungeons and Drag Queens LIVE shows will have you rolling on the floor with HIDEOUS laughter! Since starting in Seattle, Dungeons and Drag Queens LIVE has inspired many. Dungeon Master Comedian Paul Curry and improvisational violinist Carson Grubb will lead a party of fierce local and international Drag Queens on a brand-new storytelling adventure, filled with danger, snark, and audience participation around every precarious corner. Listen and learn, or hear Paul’s carefully crafted fantasy world burn, at Dungeons and Drag Queens! https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240804-02 RSS: https://media.rss.com/dndqlive/feed.xml

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Forge & Fable D&D Podcast Audio RPG Welcome to Forge & Fable, where storytelling meets adventure in the wondrous world of Dungeons & Dragons! Join a band of intrepid adventurers as they journey through magical realms, unravel ancient mysteries, and face formidable foes. Whether you're a seasoned player, a budding dungeon master, or someone just enchanted by epic tales, this podcast will ignite your imagination and bring fresh excitement to your D&D experience. Each episode is a blend of compelling narrative, dynamic character interactions, and thrilling gameplay, brought to life by a passionate team of players and a creative dungeon master. Prepare for laughter, suspense, and the occasional dice roll mishap as we forge our path through fables old and new. Tune in to Forge & Fable and become a part of our ever-growing adventuring party. Your epic quest awaits! https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240811-01 RSS: https://media.rss.com/forge-fable/feed.xml

Public Access: Playback Static Audio RPG Playback Static is an analog/cosmic TTRPG Actual Play Podcast of the game Public Access by Jason Cordova which you can get through DriveThruRPG. It is set in Deep Lake, New Mexico in the year 2004. Ever since the local public access TV station that began production in the late 1970’s, TV Odyssey, quite literally disappeared in the mid 1990’s, odd things have been happening in the town of Deep Lake. Our Latchkeys who grew up in Deep Lake and moved away find themselves drawn back to their hometown to solve the mysteries happening in Deep Lake currently, and the get to the bottom of what happened to TV Odyssey, once and for all. There’s secrets in Deep Lake, one’s that are older than our Latchkeys even know about. The true question is will they survive long enough to find out what happened to the long disappeared station and, if they do, what happens to them? https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240817-04 RSS: https://feed.podbean.com/playbackstaticpod/feed.xml

Five Conversations Before Sleep Audio Drama A series of intimate 15 minute dialogues between two people in a relationship at the milestones that define a couple. Sometimes awkward, oftentimes relatable, this show captures the horror and ecstasy of the search for someone to love — but mainly someone to talk to. Best listened to immediately after waking up. For anyone who has ever said too much or not enough. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240807-03 RSS: https://feeds.simplecast.com/QfPbjT7C

[beethebean]

INTRODUCING BEE!!!!!!!!!

Also, feel free to ask me or Bee anything! I'll do my best to reply either just me or draw out bees reactions to the questions

Name: Bee (Beasley) Bean

Gender/Pronouns: Female she/her

Sexual/Romantic Orientation: unknown

Age: 7 or 10 depending on rp

Birthdate: 01/11/####

Occupation: Nothing

Height: Depends on rp

Build: healthy

Hair: short brown

Eyes: blue

Identifying Marks: NA

Appearance: always in her bumblebee sweater an on top of that she has overalls with a chest pocket that has a bee on the pocket then yellow rain boots

Personality: Trusting, loving an silly

Motivations: sweets and toys

Current Goal: na

Life Goal: na

Motto: na

Best Quality: puppy eyes

Worst Quality: no sense of danger

Fears: ghosts, spiders and being left behind

Hobbies: getting into things

Talents: being cute

Skills: being cute

Group/Organizational Affiliations: na

Family:

Dad(s): Silas(Not my oc) and Demarcus

Sister(s): Angel, Boris, Ophelia(not my oc) and Ripley (not my oc)

Best Friends: Depends on rp

Relationship Status:Depends on rp

Significant Other: na

Other Relationships: Depends on rp

Source of Pride: Her axolotl plushy she ALWAYS has names Mr. Lottle

Backstory: Bee an her sister Angel were in a human/tiny pet shop/breeder but wernt selling so they were both tossed aside to be forgotten

[cynsualc829]

Happening now!

The Rebroadcast of musical smooth grooves. Kick back, reflect on those great moments, and join Bruce Buege for The Smooth Jazz Kitchen Radioshow - Reflections.

🇺🇸 🇬🇧 🇩🇪 🇮🇹 🇬🇷 🇸🇩 🇿🇦 🇨🇦 🇧🇶

𝐖𝐏𝐔𝐑 - 𝐏𝐔𝐋𝐒𝐄 𝐈𝐍𝐓'𝐋 𝐑𝐀𝐃𝐈𝐎

www.pulseintlradio.com

The Smooth Jazz Kitchen Radioshow - Reflections

00:00 Blake Aaron - The Way You Sway

00:05 Walter Beasley - Reflections

00:09 Jeffery Smith - Reflections

00:14 Steve Baxter feat Ellis Hall - Fire

00:17 Lowell Hopper - Reflection

00:22 Les Sabler - Midnight Reflections

00:27 Marcus Adams feat Regan Whiteside - Party Time

00:30 Jeff Lorber - Reflections

00:35 Julian Vaughn - Reflection

00:40 Michael Cates - Newport Nights

00:44 Chris Standring - Reflection

00:48 George Howardeflections

00:53 Kenny G feat Ellis Hall - What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)

00:58 Jim Adkins - Reflections

01:02 Jayson Tipp Music feat Greg Vail - 7th & Main

01:07 Dan Siegel - Reflections

01:11 Kimberly Brewer feat Gerald Albright & Mark Kibble - Tasting Sunshine

01:15 Jonathan Butler - Reflections

01:21 Joey Sommerville feat Phil Perry - Reflections

01:27 Nick Stefanacci Music - Secrets

01:30 Rob Tardik - Reflections

01:36 Vann Burchfield - Reflections Of Long Ago

01:40 Cord Martin - Urban Renaissance

01:45 Keiko Matsui - Reflections

01:49 Brian Bromberg - Last Day of Summer

[eddisonpearson]

CHERUB: The Recruit by Robert Muchamore was published 20 years ago this month by Hodder Children's Books, with a cover and logo designed by David McDougall. This was the start of a long-running series which has sold over 17 million copies worldwide and continues to find new readers today.

Journalist Tom Beasley marks the anniversary with a piece in today's Guardian. "Robert Muchamore’s series of novels about young undercover intelligence operatives with troubled lives shook up the sanitised world of early noughties YA literature ... it felt revolutionary. ... There are fans in all corners, from young offenders institutions to Hollywood".

In a 2007 interview for BBC Four documentary The Return of the Hero, Robert discussed the appeal of CHERUB and how he built the series into a bestseller.

[mincerman]

Is this a list of the same type of people?

Gerald Durrell

Derrick (Fredo Santana) Coleman - rapper - purple drank

Anthony Bourdain (TV Chef) - Heroin, Methadone, Cocaine, Alcohol.

George Herbert Scott (Airship Pilot), d.1930.

Grayson Murray, American golfer

Mark Lanegan, 57

Taylor Hawkins, 50

Steve Harwell, Smash Mouth Lead Singer, liver failure.

Lisa Marie Presley, 54

Raye (Rachel Keen), British Singer

Andrea Dunbar (Playwright, age 29 - brain hem orange).

Robert Louis Stevenson - hence Jeykel and hyde (aged 44, drugs inc alcohol)

Phil Lynott

Paul Walsh, Footballer.

Andy Warhol - “Although not as big a drug-taker as many of his entourage in mid-century New York, Warhol was addicted to Obetrol – marketed today as Adderall – an amphetamine diet pill that has a similar effect to speed.” - https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/mar/24/drugs-and-alcohol-do-not-make-you-more-creative-research-finds?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Jefferson King (Shadow)

Taylor Hawkins (died at 50) Foo Fighters, Drummer.

Jordon Peterson

Ivan Toney (Brentford and England footballer and gambler)

Wasim Akram (Cocaine)

Robson Green

Simon Pegg

Don Whillans, mountaineer

Stanislav Petrov (the man who saved the world)

Samuel Taylor-Coleridge (Laudanum)

Goethe

W.H.Auden, Benzedrine

Jared O’Mara (former MP)

Anne Robinson

Hayden Panettiere, actress https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/22079654/heroes-hayden-panettiere-addiction-alcohol-opiods-nashville/amp/

Jennifer Elliott (daughter of Denholm Elliot)

James Mangan - 19th C. Irish Poet, influenced -

Shane MacGowan.

Sir William Carr (Pissing Billy)

James Gandolfini

Lanre Fehintola

Howard Hughes, OCD, Codeine

Kirkland Laing (Boxer)

Ian Royce, Comedian.

Bobby Liebling (lead singer, Pentagram)

Rory Hamilton Brown

Matthew Mellon (banking heir)

Nora Butlin

David Berman (silver Jews)

Ted Ngoy (the donut king - gambling)

Ernst Udet - German WW1 Ace, responsible for Nazi aircraft manufacture until suicide,1941.

Blair “Paddy” Mayne (famed early S.A.S. Soldier)

David Stirling (famed early S.A.S. Soldier)

Danny Cipriani

William Golding

Luke Sutton, sports agent

Bryony Gordon

Gaddafi

Paddy “Mad” Merrigan (Jockey)

Michael K. Williams (actor)

Robert Webb (British Comedian)

Mark McManus

Brian O’Nolan

Rodney Dangerfield

Tara Palmer-Tompkinson

Marco Pantani

Robin Smith (cricketer)

Dr. John (The Scatman)

Robert Havlin (jockey)

Kenneth Williams

Victor Willis (son of a baptist preacher - Village People.

Stu Ungar

Charlie Parker

Miles Davis

Harold Shipman

Danny Trejo (ends up dead on top of Tortoise in Breaking Bad).

Sandy Ratcliff (Sue Osman, East Enders)

James Hunt

Michael David Weiss (film injustice re safety needles)

Charlie Chaplin Snr. (Cirrhosis, 38)

Oisin Murphy (jockey)

Peter Shilton (gambling)

Marvin Gaye

Robert Young, actor, brother of Roger Moore

Dick Van Dyke

Yuri Gagarin

Christopher Farley (U.S. actor)

Ronald Lacey - played Dylan Thomas (1978) - Harry Ridler in Minder on the the Orient Express

Jordan Peterson

Tanya Sarne (Fashion)

Elizabeth Wurtzel (Prozac Nation)

Bradley Cooper

Tom Maynard (Cricketer)

Bobby Beasley (Jockey)

Toulouse-Lautrec

Baudelaire

Montgomery Clift.

Jay Kay

Mike McCready (guitarist - pearl jam)

Elton John

Heinrich Böll, German Writer, Pervatin, during WW

Andy Fordham (The Viking)

Alice Cooper

Phil Spector

Alan Watts

Mark Lanegan

Rupert Young - Will Young’s brother

Matthew Perry (Friends sitcom)

Susannah Constantine (TV host)

Hugh O’Connor, Actor, -1962-1995. Shot himself in the head on the day of his 3rd Wedding Anniversary.

Deacon Brodie - alcoholic sinner fire-runner and example used by Robert Louis Stevenson in J & H - a hundred years later - and a life that Stevenson tried to pursue himself

Desi Arnaz, American actor

Felicite Tomlinson

Demi Lovato

William Hurt (American actor)

Venedikt Vasilyevich Yerofeyev - Author of Moscow Stations, 1969

Olivia Channon

Willie Carson Jnr

‘Bloody’ Mary Coughlan.

Roy Orbison (yo-yo dieting)

Christopher Hitchens - thinkoholic, alcoholic, smoker

Emma, Lady Hamilton

Jan-Michael Vincent (Airwolf)

Maradona

Keith Gillespie,Footballer, Gambling.

Eddie Van Halen

Richard Kiel (Jaws)

John Bonham

Matthew Perry, American actor.

Stuart Cable - Drummer Stereophonics - choked on vomit.

Cameron Douglas

Chris Langham - cocaine / alcohol. (Went to prison for 6 months for download child pornographic images. Played Orwell in 2003 BBC film.). Career destroyed after that.

Johnny Vegas

Arthur Daley.

Mike Tyson

George Harrison

Alexei Rykov aka ‘Rykvodka’ Rightist Politburo member, Premier and co- ruler with Stalin and Bukharin ‒. Defendant in last show trial

Hans Fallada (Rudolf Ditzen) - German Author

Henry Pierrepoint - executioner father of Albert the executioner.

Bob Hindley (alcoholic father of Myra Hindley)

Simon Day (fast show)

Frederick Nietzsche (Opiu re m / chloral hydrate)

Tennessee Williams

Henry Willson - Hollywood agent (Cirrhosis)

Steve Caulker - footballer aged 25 (alcohol and gambling)

Tim Bergling (DJ Avicii) - aged 28

Verne Troyer (49)

Ashley Mattingly (playmate)

Jean Michel Basquiat - artist, 27, Heroin

Keith Levene, Founder member of The Clash, and Public Image Ltd

Dolores Riordan (46) lead singer of cranberries - died drowned in her bath 2018 Park Lane Hilton. Also anorexic and bi-polar.

Demi Lovato (ex Disney Channel actress)

Charles Baudelaire - laudanum and alcohol

Chris Leben (UFC fighter)

Mike Bell a.k.a. Mad Dog (WWE - wrestler)

Freddie Starr

Irvine Welsh

Dolores O’Riordan (alcohol / anorexia)

Dennis Price.

Shia LaBeouf (actor)

Rhys Thomas (Rugby)

Russell Pearce (Boxing)

David Plunkett Greene (Heroin)

Ron ‘Pigpen’ McKernon (grateful Dead,27)

Annabelle Neilson - Heroin / aristoc

Ray Wilkins

Jeff Hatch (NFL player)

Ryan Cresswell (footballer)

Jon Stewart (guitarist, sleeper)

Alexander || of Russia.

Otto Gross (influenced Jung) - addict - 1877 to 1920. 42.

Oskar Schindler

Phil Lynott

Shaun Ryder

George Brown MP

Paul Ryder (Bassist)

Gary Oldman

Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker, English Drummer.

Mac Miller / U.S. rapper (26)

Jeff Hanneman - Slayer - cirrhosis, 49

Gary Busey (American actor)

Philip Larkin (half a bottle of sherry at sunrise).

Hunter S. Thompson - pro addict - suicide Feb 2005

Gregg Allman, American Singer / Songwriter

Coolio (Artis Leon Ivey)

Martin Gore (Depeche Mode)

Dave Gahan (Depeche Mode)

William Faulkner. (American Writer)

Lord Haw Haw (William Joyce)

Eugene O’Neill. (American Writer)

Anthony Burgess

Donald Maclean

Kim Philby

Ellen Philby - wife of spy Kim Philby (47)

Anthony Blunt

Ringo Starr

Jerry Lee Lewis

Ricky Hatton

John Ford (Film Director)

Jack London (Author of John Barleycorn novel) morphine overdose and alcoholism

Tom Chaplin, Lead Singer, Keane.

Nico - H - velvet underground

Art Pepper

Liza Minnelli

Richard Bacon

Jay Kay (Jamiroquai)

Tobey Maguire

Christian Slater

Chris Cornell (lead singer of Soundgarden)

Max Jacob (French Post)

Malcolm McDowell

Fred Trump Jnr. (Eldest brother 1932-81) - alcoholism aged 42.

Owen Wilson

Gary Oldman

Keith Flint (Prodigy)

Demi Moore - actors

Danniella Westbrook

Roger Ebert (Film critic)

John Cassavetes (great director) - hobnailed liver, 59. Q.v. Under the influence (1974) - starring his co-alcoholic and co-dependent wife, Gena Rowlands (who was nominated for an Oscar for her portrayal of progressive madness).

Bill Evans - Heroin - jazz

Suroosh Alvi - founder of Vice media - ex Heroin

Gary Fraser - Director of T2

Trainspotting - ex Heroin

Keith Floyd.

Ant mcpartlin

Tom Hardy (aa)

Steve Coogan

Kenny Sansom

Dante Gabriel Rossetti - painter -(1828-1882) became addicted to chloral, with whisky chasers

Philip Roth - American Novelist (Halcion sleeping pill)

Lee Marvin

Bryony Gordon - terrible telegraph columnist

‘Mad Jack’ Byron

Chet Baker - Jazz Trumpeter

Berlioz

Ray Charles - Heroin.

Sir Edwin Landseer (Laudinum)

John Hurt (died 28 Jan 16 pancreatic cancer ages 75)

Anthony Eden (Benzedrine) Drinamyl also known as ‘purple hearts’ to take him up and up to four sleeping pills a night to take him down. Eventually they stopped working - he couldn’t sleep and the doctors said the pharmaceutical solution had run its course - and he had to be evacuated to Jamaica for a few weeks - presumably to withdraw, just after Suez and a Sterling crisis. https://academic.oup.com/qjmed/article/98/6/387/1548168 - from Dr David Owen - concluding with the line ‘a fit and well Anthony Eden would not have made all those mistakes’.

Christopher Walken

Alistair Maclean - later on.

Al Pacino

Andrew Symonds (Australian Cricketer)

Margaux Hemingway (grand-daughter / supermodel)

Amy Winehouse (27)

Brian Jones (27) Rolling Stones

Jimi Hendrix (27)

Janice Joplin (27)

Jim Morrison (27)

Rudy Lewis (27) The drifters

Alan Wilson (27)

Dickie Pride (27)

Ron “Pigpen” Mckernon (27)

Kurt Cobain (27)

Dash Snow (27) - artist

Gary Thain (27) Bassist, Uriah Heep

Pamela Courson (27) Morrison’s wife, Heroin overdose, 3 yrs later in ‘74.

See also - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/27_Club

Fred Archer (29) gambling - shot himself.

Dean Martin

Eve Babitz

Pete Townsend

Courtney Love

Kevin Lloyd (Actor, The Bill)

Amedeo Modigliani

Diego Maradona

Brett Favre

Babe Ruth

Paul Merson (drink and gambling)

Bill Werbenuik (Snooker)

Kirk Stevens (cocaine - Snooker)

Mark E. Smith - d.2018. Lead singer of the Fall. 60.

Danielle Westbrook

Mary J. Bilge

Alec Baldwin (actor)

Vince Taylor from Isleworth - inspired Ziggy Stardust.

Douglas Kenney - founder of National Lampoon, 33, probable Suicide. Hawaii.

Alan McGee - Founder of creation records and property developer

Patrick Swayze

John Skipper, (former) president ESPN

David Cassidy

Steven Tyler (alive)

Hubert Selby Jr - author of last exit to Brooklyn - died sober even refused morphine.

Etta James

Slash

Bradley Cooper

Calvin Harris (Scot dj)

Eva Mendes

Colin Farell

Al Pacino

Craig Charles

Davina McCall

Anthony Hopkins

Rob Lowe

Phil Michelson (gambling)

Melanie Griffith

Jamie-Lee Curtis

Moby

W. C. Fields

Jean-Claude Junker

Christine Dolce (queen of MySpace) - cirrhosis

Franklin pierce - us president - cirrhosis

Chernenko - soviet leader 84 - cirrhosis

Jimi Hendrix - cirrhosis?

Billie holiday - cirrhosis

Jack Karouac - cirrhosis

Rob Lowe - alcoholic - 27 yrs sober

Sean Hughes (Irish comic) - cirrhosis

List of people with cirrhosis https://m.ranker.com/list/famous-people-with-cirrhosis/celebrity-lists

Etta James

Francis Bacon

Lucian Fraud (gambling)

Bobby Davro

David Warner - AUS cricketer

Baudelaire

Jesse Ryder - NZ cricketer

Herschelle Gibbs - SA cricketer

Alan Hudson (footballer)

Paul McGrath (footballer)

Kenny Samson (Footballer)

Garrincha (Brazilian Footballer)

Hank Williams aged 29

Marvin Gaye - crack before he was shot by father

Mickey Mantle (baseball player, Cirrhosis)

Joseph McCarthy (anti-communist)

Gilbert Harding - "The Rudest Man in Britain" 1907-1960.

John Paul Getty III

Caroline Aherne

Chris Difford - squeeze / clouds

Gary Shail - spider in quadraphenia

8 Mile actress

NIna Simone

Lord Lucan

Lady Lucan

Goering

Christy Brown

Edward St Aubyn

Rick Stein

Ronnie O'Sullivan (Snooker Player)

Chris Cornell

Denis Johnson (Author of Jesus' Son, 1992)

Dermot Reeve

Joey Barton

Will Self

Charles Kennedy MP (intracerebral haemorrhage)

Eric Joyce MP

Debbie Harry (Blondie)

Sir Anthony Eden - Benzedrine - buried at st Mary's church, alvediston. Un-respected.

Luvo Manyonga SA long jumper Olympic silver medallist 2016 - crystal meth

Ian McShane - Lovejoy, Deadwood - cocaine / alcoholic - 28 yrs since first AA meet.

Colin Milburn (cricketer)

Tom Petty (Heroin)

James brown

General Gordon of Khartoum - alcoholic - (according to Lytton Strachey)

Errol Flynn (absolutely everything) - in secret lives at the end "Errol Flynn made the fatal flaw of confusing his art with his life - in film they applaud Robin Hoods and rascals - in real life they tire of them soon... They stand by to let the person destroy himself". Heart problems and Cirrhosis.

Tyrone Power - 1 yr after The Sun Also Rises aged 44

Charlie Wilson US politician cv.film

Brian Clough

Sean Ryder

Greg Merson 2014 WSOP Main Event winner

Tubby Hayes - British Jazz - Heroin

Phil Seaman - Drummer - Heroin

Rick Parfitt (Status Quo)

Ian Kilminster (Lemmy)

Jack wild (oliver in artful dodger) aged 53 mouth cancer

Joe meek - pills - Telstar

Rasputin (alcohol and sex)

Boris Yeltsin

Paris Jackson (17) Michael's daughter

Jimmy pegg - walker in dads army - 39

Alexei Stakhanov (coal miner)

Seymour Hoffman

Lo ' David Coyle - Mr Bates in Downton Abbey

David Cassidy - 70s singer / heartthrob

Simon Danczuk MP

John Belushi

Whitney Houston

Bobbi Kristina Brown

William S Burroughs - writer, Heroin

William S Burroughs Jr. - Aged 34 - had liver transplant - cirrhosis

Amy winehouse

Brian Epstein - in a totally white bathroom - the only art was a giant picture of El Cordobes. And he wanted to give up managing The Beatles to manage bullfighters in Spain. L. Oo

Dante Gabriel Rosetti (Laudanum), Chloral, Alcohol)

Jimmy greaves

Mary Todd go. F FB

ST Coleridge (both Laudanum)

Sigmund Freud - a lot to answer for - cocaine

Irvine Walsh

Malcolm Lowry 1957

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Michael Phelps - most decorated Olympian

Tony Curtis

Robbie Williams

Mel Gibson

Sir James Chadwick (sleeping pills) sleeping on fear his work on a bomb would lead to mass destruction

Charles James Fox - cirrhosis whilst in office as Foreign Secretary - also Ascites (7 pints of fluid drained at death also 35 gallstones found) - lived in Chertsey and Foxhills, prodigious gambler.

Barry humphries

Daniel Radcliffe

Jack Dee

Jack karouac

Ian Fleming?

William Holden (actor, Bridge on the River Kwai)

Brad Pitt

Len fairclough

Malcolm Lowry (under the volcano)

John le Meisurer

James Beck (Alcoholic) Dads Army

Arthur Lowe - Dad's Army

Clive of India

Frank skinner

Rodney king

RD Laing (Dr)

Richard Hughes (jockey)

Johnny Murtagh (Jockey)

Jeremy Wolfenden

Jockey Wilson

Diego Maradona

John McAfee - dry drunk

Antony Hopkins

Michael Barrymore

Tara fitzgerald

Gazza

Tiger Woods https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/tiger-woods-avoids-jail-on-driving-charge-dp9f6gv7n

Lou reed

Marquis of Blandford

F Scott Fitzgerald

Beethoven

Edgar Allan Poe

Diana Ross

Robin Williams

Elton John

Eminem

Lilly Allen

J.L. Austin, Academic, Lung Cancer, 48.

Johnny Cash

Samuel l Jackson

Frank Sinatra

Buzz aldrin

Ben affleck - gambling / alcohol

Ulysses Grant 18th president

Benjamin franklin

George bush jar

Alexander the Great

David Yelland Former editor of Sun.

David Bowie / Ziggy Stardust (Coke)

Eric Clapton

Bill Wilson

W.C. Fields (died of gastric haemorrhage)

Blondie - whose music is used to advertise baileys

Stephen King

Hermann Goering (Morphine)

Hermoine Norris (yellow card)

Brad davis

Tom Maynard

Alec Baldwin

Morgan Freeman

Charlie watts both recovers

William f Buckley

Charles Kennedy

Jamie lee Curtis (daughter of tony Curtis)

Lana del Rey

Barnaby conrad (bulls)

Yazz Yasmin Evans

Peaches Geldolf

Caroline aherne

King Richard 3rd died 1485 battle of bosworth

James beck (dads army)

Fat boy slim

Calvin Harris

50 cent

Prince (Perocet)

Francis Bacon

Anthony kliedis

Shania twain

Peter Townsend

Leona Lewis

Jessie j

Alice cooper

Moby

Ringo Starr

Asquith?

Constantine Chernenko (Soviet president - cirrhosis)

Chris difford (lead sing squeeze)

George IV - gambling mainly.

Henry VIII - sypillus (food issues - drink - sex)

Ozzy osbourne

Jack osbourne

Kelly osbourne

Steve coogan

Paul Gascoigne

Midge Ure

John Daly

Steven Tyler

Nicole Ritchie

Drew Barrymore

Naomi Campbell

Waylon Jennings

Nick Nolte

Martin Sheen

Keith Moon

Kurt Cobain

Rt Hon George Brown MP, Lord George Brown (1914-1985) Labour Belper, 1945-70, excused by his staff of being ‘tired and emotional

Paul Nicholls (ex Eastenders)

Alan Ladd

Jack Lemmon

David Hasselhoff

Errol Flynn - ended up supporting The (Fid)Del - worst film ever - Cuban rebel girls and the Cuban story doc - 1959 - year he died - revolution for alcohol, cocaine, and heroin - these two pieces of art marked the ego, deciept and denial.

Truman Copote

Billy Joel

Jimmy White (Snooker, Crack)

Stephen King

Ernest Hemingway

Diana Ross

Orson Welles (and father)

Ben Affleck (drink / gambling)

Abi Evelyn t (yellow card)

Trinny Woodall

Don Simpson - producer of top gun bev hills cop

Peter Doherty

Gary Richrath (REO Speedwagon guitarist)

Robert Newton - born Shaftesbury 1905 - died Beverly Hills 1956 - heart attack - Shaftesbury most famous alcoholic. Aged 50.

12th Duke of Marlborough - Ex Marquis of Blandford

Henry VIII

Thomas de Quincey - confessions of an English opium eater. (Actually laudanum).

Pat Eddery

Richard Hughes

Dr William Stewart Halsted - inspiration for Clive Owen's Dr John Thackery (The Knick).

Nero?

Frank Skinner

Alexander the Great?

Eric Joyce (former MP)

Robert Mitchum

Osgood )brother of Peter

Lionel Bart

Ira Hayes (flag man)

John Bonham (Windsor)

Joseph "Joe" McCarthy - commies

Dylan Thomas

James Joyce

James Thurber

Gary Moore (singer, 80s)

Jim Morrison (27)

Franklin Pierce (US President, 1853-1857. Liver cirrhosis 1869 aged 64.

Macaulay Culkin

Michael Jackson

Boy George

Carrie Fisher

Beth Morris (voice contestant) - cocaine

Hitler (Barbiturates)

Mussolini, Stalin, Eichmann.

Mao Zedong (barbiturates)

Jeffrey Dahmer (Alcohol)

Johnny Depp (booze)

Rodney Dangerfield

Mickey Mantle (baseball, booze)

Billie Holiday

Melanie Griffith

Ewan McGregor

Tony Hancock

Guy Burgess (spy)

Diana Ross

Shane MacGowen

Craig Charles.

Paul Verlaine (French 19th C Poet)

Toulouse-Lautrec

Melanie Griffith (Percocet)

Elvis (Percocet)

Cindy McCain (wife of John MCCain, Percocet)

Gerald Levert (Percocet)

Bill Werbeniuk

Ant McPartlin

Prince (Fentanyl overdose)

Lil Peep (Fentanyl overdose)

Alex Higgins

Bon Scott (AC/DC)

Kirk Stevens (Cocaine)

La Galue (Louise Weber) - queen of Momartre - can can dancer.

Jeff Hanneman (singer, Slayer)

Yves Saint-Laurent

Florence Ballard (The Supremes)

Colin Milburn (Cricketer)

John Barrymore (Early Hollywood Actor)

Kemal Ataturk (Cirrhosis)

Gail Russell (Early Hollywood icon)

Helen Morgan (American singer and actress)

Ulysses Grant

George Best

Calum Best

Verne Troyer

Keith Whitley (American Country music singer)

William Falkner (American author)

Caspar Fleming (Novelist’s son)

Anna Nicole-Smith

Yootha Joyce (Mildred)

Jerry Bailey - us jockey)

Joe Namath

Walter Swinburn (both dead) alcohol and also eating disorder

Bobby Fischer (Chess)

Willie Thorne ( gambling)

Kirk Stevens

[dankusner]

When Does an Accident Become a Crime?

It was dark when James Fulton climbed into his white Dodge Ram 1500 pickup on the evening of May 14, 2016.

He and his friends Mark Warren and Dave Monicatti had played eighteen holes that afternoon at the Cascades Golf and Country Club and then met up with Warren’s wife for dinner and drinks at On the Border, a favorite Tex-Mex restaurant in Tyler.

James had lived in the East Texas city for fourteen years before moving to San Antonio, in 2013, but he always looked forward to catching up with his buddies when he returned every month or so.

Though he was forty years old, James maintained a densely muscular frame.

He had played fullback on his high school football team in Oklahoma, and at five foot nine and 230 pounds, he still looked the part.

He was an outgoing guy; he and his wife, Audrey, a radiation therapist, and their four children had been longtime fixtures in the community.

Tyler is a buckle of the Bible Belt, a city with a conservative culture, and the Fultons had loved living there.

James taught for a decade at one of the city’s elementary schools and coached his kids’ football and baseball teams.

Every Sunday, the family attended Green Acres Baptist Church.

In 2001, James, who is prone to restlessness, started a power-washing business on the side.

He enjoyed the extra income, and it offered an excuse to spend more time outdoors.

Then, in 2010, he seized on an opportunity in the booming oil and gas fields of East and South Texas.

He left his teaching job to launch Fulton Oil and Gas Services, which specialized in cleaning pipelines.

Soon, business was thriving, particularly in South Texas.

At its peak, the company employed fifty people and maintained a fleet of fifteen trucks at a facility in Gonzales.

James found himself spending more time on the road, away from his family.

And so, in 2013, the Fultons headed south and settled in San Antonio to cut down on his drive time.

A year later, a sudden downturn in the oil economy gutted the business.

James had to fire all of his employees, and by the spring of 2016, he had shut his company down and begun discussions with a bankruptcy lawyer.

He was able to help keep his family afloat by starting other, less lucrative businesses—painting, welding, building decks—but it felt like things couldn’t get any worse.

In May he took the trip to Tyler for a business meeting, joined his friends for the golf game, and then headed over to On the Border.

Just after 9:30 p.m. he eased out of the restaurant’s parking lot and onto busy Broadway Avenue to head home.

He estimated he’d had seven or eight Miller Lites over the previous seven hours—he finished the bulk of them on the golf course and then had a couple of 19.5-ounce glasses of beer during dinner—but he later said that he didn’t feel impaired.

He made a right turn onto Grande Boulevard, a five-lane east-west thoroughfare that stretches across southern Tyler.

From there he planned to hit Texas 155 toward San Antonio.

James had made the six-hour trip many times—occasionally, he’d stop halfway to take a nap—so he knew the route well.

He’d always been drawn to the natural beauty of East Texas, and he enjoyed the drive, even under cover of darkness.

On his left, he passed the Hollytree Country Club, a course he’d played several times, and settled in for the long journey home.

Less than a mile to the west, on the same boulevard, Haile Beasley idled at a stoplight in her black Ford Focus, on her way to a friend’s house for a late dinner.

A lanky five foot ten, Haile was an ebullient twenty-year-old with long blond hair.

Her mother, Jennifer Whittmore, said that many people joked that Haile looked like a baby giraffe.

Self-deprecating, with a goofy streak, Haile made friends easily, and she was adored by her younger siblings.

She would spend hours doing makeup with her sister, Ashley, and she attended almost all of her brother Sean’s baseball games, sometimes driving forty miles to sit in the stands and cheer for him.

She had recently completed a dental hygienist degree from Tyler Junior College and was eager to begin her career.

She also dreamed of settling down, getting married, and having kids.

According to a witness who was in the lane to her left, Haile was looking at her phone while waiting at the stoplight.

When the light turned green, Haile continued east on Grande and approached an S-curve in the road, a stretch notorious for the many car wrecks that have occurred there over the years, as drivers misjudged their speed or simply missed the curve.

The witness, a young woman named Kirsten Woodard, had continued driving on Grande, and she would later testify that she was checking a text message when her car was abruptly flooded with light.

She looked up, honked her horn, braked hard, veered left into the center lane, and looked over at the black Focus just as a white pickup crossed two lanes of traffic and into a third, slamming into the Focus head-on.

The two vehicles careered across the pavement, over a sidewalk, and into the grass, where the truck flipped onto its passenger side before coming to a halt.

The next thing James knew, a police officer named Donald Schick was peering through his window and asking if he was okay.

“I don’t need any help,” James responded.

He was discombobulated, utterly confused as to what had happened.

He had suffered a bruised nose and a few scratches on his hands, but he otherwise appeared fine.

Another officer helped him crawl out of the truck, and that’s when James noticed the black car, its front end a twisted mass of steel.

He watched police officers and firefighters scramble to extract the driver, and when Schick told him that the woman inside was dead, killed on impact, James started sobbing.

He couldn’t remember anything about the collision.

“Something caught my eye, I looked left, and I’m rolling,” he said. (An hour later, he said that it was a deer he’d seen.)

When questioned by Schick, James admitted to having had a couple of beers with dinner, so Schick escorted him to a nearby parking lot and conducted three field sobriety tests.

James passed them all.

Around that time, Gregg Roberts, a detective with almost thirty years of experience, arrived and took over the investigation.

He asked James if he would consent to a blood draw for a blood alcohol test.

James had always heard that it was a bad idea to give a sample—there’s nothing to gain and everything to lose—so he refused.

Roberts could have secured a search warrant for the blood draw if he felt there was probable cause that James was intoxicated, but he decided against it.

James’s eyes weren’t glassy, nor was he slurring his speech.

And so, a little after midnight, Schick wrote James a ticket for failure to maintain a single lane, and he let him go.

Detective Roberts wrapped up his investigation around 1:30 a.m.

Then he steeled himself for the most dreaded part of the night.

Accompanied by a chaplain, he drove less than a mile away to the modest brick home where Haile’s mom lived (she and Haile’s dad, Brian Beasley, had divorced in 2012).

When Jennifer came to the door, she suspected that Roberts wanted to discuss a close friend of hers who was involved with an abusive partner.

“There was a terrible wreck tonight,” Roberts quietly explained.

“Haile didn’t make it.”

Jennifer fell to her knees, her face pressed to the floor, screaming. Jennifer Whittmore (second from left) with her children, Ashley, Sean, and Haile Beasley, and her stepdaughters Bailey and Tristyn (in front) on Mother’s Day in 2015.

The morning after the crash, James posted on Facebook: “Last night I was involved in a fatal car accident. The young lady I hit did not survive. The family that lost their daughter their sister their niece needs your prayers. I don’t even know the feelings I’m feeling the sadness the agony for her and her family. I wish it had been me and not her.”

Later that day, James drove home to San Antonio.

When he walked inside, Audrey and the children rushed over to hug him, and he started crying.

In the days to come, James didn’t talk much about the wreck.

He told Audrey he was haunted by the fact that the victim shared the name of their only daughter.

Sometimes, he said, he would experience visions of Haile Beasley when he looked at Hailey Fulton.

Haile’s parents, meanwhile, seesawed between feelings of despair and frustration.

The day after the wreck, Brian posted on Facebook: “I lost my baby girl yesterday she is no longer here. I do not know what I will do.”

With tears in his eyes, he told a TV reporter, “You go through being angry, sad. No one sets out to kill someone. I understand, but my daughter’s dead and nothing can bring her back, and if justice needs to be done, it will be. If not, then that’s in somebody else’s hands.”

The local media flocked to the tragic story of the bright young woman whose life had been cut short.

Their reports often featured the same photo of Haile, a selfie in which she grinned broadly, her eyebrows arched playfully over a pair of aviator shades, the very image of the promise of youth.

The community response was impassioned.

Neither of Haile’s parents had much disposable income, and Jennifer was worried there wouldn’t be enough flowers at the funeral.

Yet when she walked into the Stewart Family Funeral Home for Haile’s visitation, “there were flowers everywhere,” she said.

So many people showed up, many of them strangers, that the visitation stretched from two to four hours.

Hundreds came to say goodbye to Haile.

The outpouring offered temporary comfort to her family, but Jennifer and Brian were confounded by the cops’ response to the wreck.

There was no reason James would have crossed over two lanes of a road he knew well, they thought, unless he was doing something reckless.

And James had admitted to drinking.

Why hadn’t the cops ordered a blood draw?

Why wasn’t James in jail?

Texas leads the nation in traffic fatalities.

In 2017 alone, 3,721 people died on the state’s roads and highways, a number that has risen significantly during the past decade.

A similar trend has played out across the country; nationally, road deaths have increased 34 percent since 2010.

Many experts attribute this escalation to the fact that we live in an era of hyperdistraction.

“People are paying more attention to smartphones and fancy dashboards than to the road,” said James Lynch, a vice president at the Insurance Information Institute.

Most car accidents are considered exactly that—accidents—and the drivers at fault are subject to civil liability for negligence, which means they didn’t use the care that an ordinary person would have used in the same situation.

A driver can be charged with the much more severe act of criminal negligence when, according to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, “the seriousness of the negligence would be known by any reasonable person sharing the community’s sense of right and wrong.”

When a death is involved, a driver can be charged with criminally negligent homicide.

To make that charge stick, prosecutors must first convince a jury that the accused should have known that his behavior was putting someone’s life at risk.

And they must also prove that the failure to perceive it was a “gross deviation” from what an ordinary person would have perceived.

In many negligence cases, there’s an awful lot of gray area.

What an ordinary or reasonable person would do in any situation can vary drastically, and there’s no objective rubric for a juror to determine what counts as a “gross deviation.”

When alcohol is involved in a fatal car wreck, these calculations become even muddier.

In Texas, it’s illegal to drive with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or above.

But drivers can be held criminally responsible for a wreck even if they test below that level;

by law, “intoxication” means “not having the normal use of mental or physical faculties” because of alcohol or any other substance, even noncontrolled substances, such as caffeine.

It’s not illegal to drive with the mildest of buzzes, but if you get into an accident, that small amount of substance can get you into big trouble.

Ultimately, it’s not always easy to figure out if a crime has been committed.

Such determinations can even change from one community to another.

“The lines we rely on to identify criminals and figure out how the law applies to people’s actions are surprisingly indeterminate, particularly with homicides,” said Jennifer Laurin, a professor of law at the University of Texas at Austin.

“We rely heavily on the idea that the police, prosecutors, and jurors can accurately figure out from external evidence what’s going on inside someone’s head. We depend on them to make subjective and nuanced judgments about, say, whether the defendant is taking a criminal or a noncriminal risk.”

In other words, as the families of James Fulton and Haile Beasley were discovering, justice is sometimes in the eye of the beholder.

Two months after the crash, Detective Roberts concluded his investigation by confirming his initial findings at the scene.

“This case does not appear to meet the threshold for a criminal prosecution,” he wrote in a July 20 report.

Roberts reviewed the original case file, which cited interviews with James’s golf and dinner partners as well as James’s server at the restaurant;

all of them said James had shown no signs of intoxication.

In addition, Roberts evaluated the data from the computers of the two cars and found that James’s speed wasn’t excessive (51 mph in a 45 zone, though the report did note that there was a yellow caution sign suggesting 35 mph) and that in the moments before impact, he hadn’t braked or swerved.

James was inarguably at fault, Roberts made clear, and “driver inattention” was a contributing factor.

But according to the evidence, his actions didn’t add up to a criminal offense.

Roberts’s supervisor agreed with his findings, and the case was closed.

James was relieved.

Haile’s family was confused and angry.

Jennifer and Brian believed Roberts’s investigation was fundamentally flawed.

They thought that James’s friends were not reliable witnesses, and they believed that James had driven straight into oncoming traffic because he was drunk or looking at a phone screen.

Determined to see James held responsible for his actions, the two hired a local lawyer named Chad Parker and filed a wrongful-death civil suit.

In late August, James agreed to give a deposition.

He told Parker that he was at fault and also that he had consumed seven or eight beers that day.

In addition, he admitted that in the past he had driven away from On the Border intoxicated.

At the end of the interview, Parker asked James, “You understand that you still run the risk of a criminal prosecution, maybe even more so, based on your testimony today?”

Yes, James answered.

He wasn’t concerned, because he was certain the crash was an accident.

A month later, the two parties settled the civil suit for $1 million, the amount of liability insurance James carried through his businesses.

For Jennifer and Brian, the victory was hollow.

It wasn’t James suffering the consequences—it was his insurance company.

They had come to believe that James was the worst kind of driver, one who drank and drove and always got away with it, at least until he killed their daughter.

They took James’s deposition to the office of Smith County district attorney Matt Bingham.

By law, DAs have broad discretion over whom to charge with a criminal offense, and Bingham, who had worked in the district attorney’s office for 21 years, had a reputation as a man who was tough on crime and criminals—and very effective at putting them in prison.

In 2015 his office managed a 94 percent conviction rate in the local district courts, 11 percentage points higher than the statewide average.

Bingham also worked hard, as a supporter in a 2014 campaign ad said, to “aggressively represent the rights of victims.”

He had learned his job from his former boss Jack Skeen, who had been DA from 1983 to 2003, when he left to become a district judge and Bingham took over.

Skeen was a legend as both DA and judge.

“Skeen believes in law and order, and he sees himself as a protector of victims,” said a local attorney who didn’t wish to be named.

For a third of a century, Skeen and Bingham had led the Smith County justice system.

On more than one occasion, though, their philosophy had led to unjust results.

In one of the most notorious examples, Bingham and his assistants prosecuted the so-called Mineola Swingers Club cases, all in front of Judge Skeen, beginning in 2005.

The cases involved allegations from a group of young children claiming they’d been forced to attend a “sex kindergarten” and perform erotic dances at a swingers club.

There was no physical evidence, and the Mineola police found nothing credible in the outlandish stories, so they dropped the case.

Then the foster mother of three of the children involved took the case to Bingham’s office, which indicted seven local adults.

Four of them were eventually convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

By 2010, though, two of the verdicts had been overturned by a higher court, and a year later Bingham released all but one of the adults—including three who were still in jail awaiting trial—after they pleaded guilty to a lesser crime, arguably a tacit acknowledgment of their innocence.

At the DA’s office, Jennifer and Brian met with Bingham and assistant prosecutor Kenneth Biggs.

Please make this right, they implored.

“If it is what you’re telling me it is,” Bingham said, “I’ll do everything I can to try and bring justice to your baby girl.”

Several weeks passed.

Biggs checked in on occasion, telling Brian and Jennifer that the more he learned, the more he came to believe that James had indeed committed a crime.

Then one day Bingham called and asked them to meet him at his office.

Jennifer brought along her father, and Brian arrived with his wife.

Bingham sat them down and explained that his office believed that the police were mistaken on that terrible night; they had had probable cause to take James’s blood.

Then he informed them that he was going to present the case to a grand jury.

The four broke down in tears.

Finally, they thought, Haile would get justice.

On November 28, 2017, James walked into Judge Skeen’s Tyler courtroom wearing jeans, boots, and a new long-sleeved plaid shirt Audrey had bought for the occasion.

He was still baffled that prosecutors had charged him with criminally negligent homicide and accused him of using his truck as a deadly weapon.

But he was optimistic about his chances.

He and Audrey had left their four children under the care of a neighbor, assuming they would all be home together soon.

In fact, James had turned down several offers from the DA’s office: in exchange for pleading guilty, he could have received five years probation.

But he refused to plead guilty for something he felt wasn’t a crime, and he didn’t want to have a felony on his record.

Inside the courtroom, Audrey was wedged between her mother and sister, just behind James and his lawyer, James Huggler.

On the opposite side of the small room huddled Haile’s family.

There were clearly tensions between the two clans.

Haile’s family felt that James had failed to show remorse commensurate with the tragedy, and Brian had aired many of his grievances on Facebook.

The Fultons thought that such accusations were a gross mischaracterization and felt threatened.

From his opening statement, Huggler emphasized one salient point.

“Is Haile’s death a tragedy?” he asked.

“Yes, it is. Is it criminally negligent homicide? No.”

The wreck was an accident, he explained, urging the jury to concentrate on the three seconds leading up to the collision, when James was distracted—focusing, as drivers often do, on things inside and outside their cars.

“This case is going to be about those three seconds,” Huggler said.

The prosecutors, on the other hand, steered jurors’ attention away from that brief interval (the span, they claimed, was closer to five seconds) and homed in on what came before:

James’s drinking.

“Alcohol contributes to a person’s inability to handle distraction,” Bingham declared in his opening statement.

The focus on alcohol only intensified throughout the three-day trial, as Bingham frequently found ways to bring up James’s drinking habits.

He reckoned that James had downed 48 ounces at the restaurant, and he called as witnesses three law enforcement officers, none of whom had been at the scene, who claimed that alcohol would have affected his decision-making.

“Any introduction of alcohol would impair somebody,” said trooper Barry Evans.

James didn’t have to be drunk to be found guilty of criminally negligent homicide, Bingham explained to the jury—although, since the police didn’t do a blood draw, “he might have been.”

(Given James’s size and the amount of Miller Lite he drank with dinner, his blood alcohol concentration was almost certainly below the legal limit; a state’s witness estimated it to have been .04.)

What mattered, Bingham argued, was that James had driven into oncoming traffic.

“I don’t care if there’s a deer there,” he said.

“Could be looking at a fairy-dust unicorn, for all I care. The fact of the matter is, he took his eyes off the road, and he crossed over pretty much the whole Grande extension and he hit a girl and killed her, didn’t he?”

Bingham played heavily to jurors’ emotions, constantly evoking Haile, the twenty-year-old victim who had “her whole life ahead of her.”

At one point, he became emotional himself, explaining that he had become very close to the family.

“I have an eighteen-year-old daughter named Haylee, and sometimes this case hits a little bit close to home.”

Jennifer was impressed by Bingham’s performance.

She also felt that James was living up to her impression of him.

He wore casual attire, which assistant prosecutor James Bullock mocked as “his drinking clothes,” and he did little to endear himself to the jury.

In fact, his only display of emotion came on-screen: he was shown crying on a dashcam video captured the night of the accident.

But later, in the same video, he referred to Haile as “the dead woman.”

Many in the courtroom gasped audibly.

As the trial progressed, Audrey sensed that everything was going horribly wrong.

She was unprepared for the state to place so much emphasis on James’s drinking, which felt like character assassination.

It also seemed to her that Judge Skeen took the state’s side far more often than not, constantly sustaining his former assistant’s objections while overruling Huggler’s.

It didn’t seem fair to her that Skeen hadn’t allowed Huggler to bring before the jury certain witnesses, such as the city’s custodian of records, who would have discussed the high rate of citations issued on Grande for driving into the opposing lane.

Skeen also disallowed the testimony of a firefighter who would have described the many wrecks he’d been called to at that same S-curve.

(Skeen declared the testimony of both witnesses irrelevant.)

The judge had also refused to let Huggler question Detective Roberts about his recommendation that no criminal charges be filed.

(Bingham noted that “there’s a constitutional discretion for the district attorney’s office to decide whether to or whether not to charge a criminal offense in Smith County, Texas.”)

By the time the trial wrapped, Audrey was panicked.

She had never considered that James would actually go to prison, but as the jurors filed out of the room for deliberation, she feared the worst.

When they returned an hour later, her fears were confirmed.

Not only did the jury find James guilty of criminally negligent homicide, it ruled he had used his vehicle as a deadly weapon, which raised the possible maximum penalty from two to ten years.

She still held out hope that James, who had no prior criminal record, would receive probation.

But the following day, during the punishment phase of the trial, the state called as its first witness Kirsten Woodard, the young woman who had been driving in the car next to Haile.

After the crash, she told the jury, she was working as a bartender at the Cascades country club—the course James had played the afternoon of the crash—and on the stand she made a devastating allegation.

James, she said, had returned to the Cascades about six or eight weeks after the crash to drink with friends.

Woodard claimed he’d used his own credit card and that she had recognized his face from local media coverage.

For the next couple of hours, as a series of defense witnesses were called to speak about James’s compassion and selflessness—for example, Audrey’s sister Jamie declared, “His heart is pure”—Bingham repeatedly referred to Woodard’s damning accusation.

“Where’s the regret?” he asked Jamie during her cross-examination.

“Where’s the ‘I’m so sorry’ . . . if you’re back out at the Cascades after you killed her, doing the same thing you did when you killed her?”

The tactic seemed to work.

In his concluding statement, Bingham asked jurors to give James seven years.

But when the twelve men and women retired and came back an hour or so later, they surprised even Bingham.

James would be going away for the maximum: ten years.

“My heart is full of joy,” Brian posted on Facebook later that day. “We finally have JUSTICE FOR Haile Beasley.”

As Audrey lay awake that night at her parents’ house in Tyler, replaying key moments from the trial in her mind, the thing that stuck with her the most was Woodard’s testimony.

It just didn’t add up.

James had told her that he had stayed away from Tyler after the accident, an assertion he repeated to Texas Monthly.

And he wasn’t a member of the Cascades country club; his only access was through his friend Mark Warren.

The statement about the credit card was confounding too; because of their bankruptcy proceedings, Audrey and James had agreed with their attorney to use cash only.

And Audrey wondered how Woodard could have recognized James from the media, when, to the best of her knowledge, news reports didn’t actually show pictures of him until after the November indictment.

Audrey called Warren, who told her he had not gone back to the club with James.

The next day he contacted the country club’s general manager, who told him there was no record of James ever using his credit card there, something the manager claimed she already knew because the DA’s office had subpoenaed those records a month before—and the club had emailed them a letter saying so.

When Warren reported his findings to Audrey, she was furious.

The state had evidence that contradicted its star witness, yet prosecutors still allowed her to testify.

They also failed to turn over the club’s letter to the defense, as they were obligated to do.

She was certain she could spring James with this new evidence. Huggler filed a motion for a new trial, alleging the state had withheld exculpatory evidence from the defense, which is known as a Brady violation.

A month later, in February 2018, Judge Skeen held a hearing to look into the matter.

By then Audrey had fired Huggler and hired John Hodges, a San Antonio attorney she and James had met at church.

In court, assistant prosecutor Biggs admitted that he had not turned over the documents to Huggler, but he insisted it was an oversight.

More importantly, he claimed he had told Huggler on two separate occasions that Woodard was going to make the allegation that James had returned to the Cascades.

When Huggler, who was called as a witness, confirmed Biggs’s assertion, Skeen ruled in the state’s favor.

There had been no Brady violation.

There would be no new trial.

Despondent, Audrey drove home, uncertain what to do next.

The following day she received an anonymous message on Facebook. “What happened this week on your husband’s case is a tragedy to the entire legal system,” the person wrote. “If I were you I would HIGHLY recommend filing a grievance with the State Bar of Texas on all 3 of the prosecutors.”

Successful grievances against prosecutors are rare, especially in East Texas.

One local lawyer, who recently served for six years on a grievance committee that oversees Smith County, said that during his tenure he never received a single grievance against a local prosecutor.

Statewide, between 2013 and 2018, only 24 complaints against prosecutors sent to the Texas Bar went to the litigation phase; just 13 of those cases led to sanctions.

(By contrast, during the past two years alone, the State Bar has sanctioned 332 private attorneys.)

Hodges told Audrey it was probably a waste of time, but she was desperate, so she filed a grievance that accused Bingham, Biggs, and Bullock of withholding key evidence.

She also filed grievances against Huggler and Skeen.

Then she began exploring other ways to free James.

A friend at church suggested she write her state representatives, so she reached out to Donna Campbell and Kyle Biedermann, who replied that they couldn’t do anything since it was a local matter.

She emailed Governor Greg Abbott, and a staffer replied that he couldn’t get involved until after the appeals.

The Texas Rangers told her it was an issue for the appellate courts, and a staffer with the attorney general referred her to the local district attorney, the very person she had accused in her grievance.

She wrote U.S. representative Lamar Smith, who didn’t reply;

Senator John Cornyn, who did (it was a local matter, he said); and Senator Ted Cruz, who recommended she try Campbell and Biedermann.

She called the sheriff, who didn’t call back, and the Innocence Project of Texas, which said it would look into the case after the appeals process.

In a matter of weeks, Audrey found herself attacking not just James’s conviction but the entire Smith County justice system.

She created a website called JusticeForJames.org.

“We have never been face to face with Evil as we have seen in Smith County Courthouse,” she wrote.

Soon, almost every surface of the Fultons’ living room was littered with documents relating to James’s case, from trial transcripts to a report from investigators hired by Hodges, which bolstered her low opinion of Woodard’s trustworthiness by expressing “extreme doubt” about her “veracity and credibility.”

Woodard, Audrey learned, had gotten in trouble with the law numerous times, getting arrested for marijuana possession, “assault causes bodily injury family violence,” and driving with an invalid license.

All of those charges were dismissed, but five weeks after James was convicted, Woodard was arrested for possession of methamphetamines and later pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.

While Audrey knew that Woodard’s legal troubles didn’t mean she was a liar, they raised even more questions about her reliability as a witness.

Audrey developed a new nightly routine: after putting the kids to bed, she would hunker down at her computer, researching and composing posts for the website.

Her youngest child would sometimes call out to her from his room.

“Mom,” five-year-old Owen would yell, “could you just come to bed?”

The stress took a toll on everyone.

Hailey, sixteen, suffered from insomnia.

Her two eldest sons, Reid and Ayden, fourteen and eleven, each went into counseling.

Ayden was eventually hospitalized with severe acid reflux that doctors attributed to high stress.

In her research, Audrey discovered newspaper and magazine stories detailing the long history of overzealous Smith County DAs and judges.

She read about the Mineola Swingers Club cases, in which a high court determined that Skeen had “adopted ad hoc evidentiary rules that operated to assist the State in proving its case, while impeding appellant’s ability to defend himself.”

She found a 2000 Houston Chronicle story in which an attorney accused Smith County prosecutors of “a pattern of lying, cheating, and violations of the law.”

The story noted something Audrey already knew about: how harsh Tyler juries could be.

One man, convicted of stealing a candy bar, got sixteen years.

Audrey’s grievances against Huggler and Skeen were rejected, but in March the State Bar decided that the allegations against the prosecutors had passed the initial threshold.

A formal complaint would determine if there was “just cause” of “Professional Misconduct.”

The Smith County prosecutors responded by claiming that the issue had already been settled at the hearing.

Audrey countered by amplifying her accusations of misconduct, concluding, “The state has lied, concealed, cheated, and done anything necessary to seek a conviction in this case rather than to do their job and SEEK JUSTICE.”

Six months later, the State Bar surprised longtime observers of the Texas criminal justice system when it formally decided to go ahead with the grievance.

Bingham, Biggs, and Bullock would be taken to the litigation phase and tried for professional misconduct.

“The State Bar taking this to litigation even after the trial judge said there was no misconduct—that is very unusual,” said a veteran appellate lawyer who asked not to be named. “I think it’s a big deal.”

A hearing was set for March 7 of this year.

To this day, members of Haile’s family refuse to use the word “accident” to describe what happened that night.

They call it a “wreck”; Brian calls it “murder.”

Almost three years later, they struggle to even talk about it.

“I still can’t get any peace,” Brian said.

“I celebrate her birthday in a chair at the cemetery. She didn’t choose that. I didn’t choose that.”

James was the one who made the choice, he thinks.

Brian and Jennifer believe you have to pay for your mistakes.

It doesn’t matter that everyone drinks beer with their Tex-Mex and drives home.

Not everyone kills someone.

“I don’t think James Fulton is a horrible person,” said Jennifer.

“I think he made a horrible mistake and it cost my daughter her life. The Fulton children having to see grief counselors, being hospitalized—they don’t deserve that. But their dad did something he has to be held accountable for. Their grief doesn’t compare to the agony my children live through every day.”

Brian and Jennifer bristled at the grievance, which they considered a desperate attempt to secure a new punishment hearing.

And they’re angry about Audrey’s allegations against the district attorney’s office.

“It hurts to hear Matt Bingham attacked,” said Jennifer.

“The man I consider my hero is having to suffer because he did the right thing for me and my daughter. I thank him for restoring some faith in the justice system.”

(Bingham retired as DA in January.)

But any sort of lasting solace is elusive.

“People don’t understand what can happen when you get behind the wheel,” said Jennifer.

“It’s not okay to be distracted. I don’t care if it’s alcohol or getting something out of the glove box. It’s so senseless, so pointless.”

Last fall, Audrey decided to put away the stacks of documents that had overtaken her living room.

She felt it was time to put the case in God’s hands as well as those of James’s appellate attorneys, who filed an appeal in which they attacked the legal basis for trying James in the first place.

They drew parallels with a 2017 case involving a fatal traffic accident in which the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals found the driver’s actions were careless but not “criminally culpable risk-creating conduct.”

According to Hodges, criminally negligent homicide wasn’t designed for cases like James’s.

“Turning your head for a few seconds is not enough. If it were, billboards would cause criminal negligence daily, and mothers would be potential criminals when they turn to police their children in the backseat. Turning your head creates an elevated degree of risk, but it’s an ordinary degree of risk.”

Audrey also knew she needed to spend more time with her kids.

Now the tables of her house are once again crammed with puzzle pieces, toys, and schoolwork.

But there’s one thing she’s refused to stash away: the family Christmas tree, which has been up since James went to prison in December 2017.

She and the kids decided to keep it standing until he goes free.

Audrey and the kids visit James every month.

For the first year, he was imprisoned at the Gurney Unit, just west of Palestine, where he helped the chaplain organize a series of Bible classes for hundreds of inmates.

Audrey said that preaching in prison had given him a sense of purpose.

But in December, they got a nasty surprise when he was transferred to the Price Daniel Unit, an hour from Abilene, where he hasn’t been able to preach at all.

Audrey got another unpleasant surprise in early February, when she was notified that the State Bar had dismissed her grievance.

Such a dismissal isn’t unheard of; according to Audrey, the Commission for Lawyer Discipline (which oversees the investigators) agreed with the state’s point that the core issue had already been ruled upon by Judge Skeen.

She was crushed.

The prosecutors, of course, were relieved.

Biggs, who is now in private practice and had failed to hand over the country club’s letter to the defense, probably had the most to lose.

“I felt I was under attack for doing what I thought was the right thing,” he said.

He believes Woodard was telling the truth about James returning to the Cascades.

The whole experience made Audrey even more determined to free James, who won’t be eligible for parole for another four years.

Recently, she stood up in front of four hundred congregants at the family’s church and reflected on her struggle to free James.

She nervously read from prepared notes, pausing occasionally to dab tears. “I really need Him to move mountains,” she said.

“It’s in my prayers and my children’s prayers daily.”

Three crosses sit in the grass on the south side of the S-curve on Grande Boulevard in Tyler.

One is adorned with photos of twenty-year-old Rian Finkie, who died after losing control of his motorcycle and colliding with oncoming traffic on December 22, 2017, less than a month after James was convicted.

Another simply reads “RDK,” planted for Rodney Kolac, a seventy-year-old who died just two weeks after that; he lost control of his Corvette and slammed into a truck.

The third is decorated with eight photos of Haile Beasley.

In each of them, she smiles irrepressibly.

Last spring, the city installed a series of bright yellow plastic poles in the center lane of the S-curve, a temporary measure until a concrete barrier can be installed.

Many citizens felt the measure was a long time coming.

The S-curve has for years been a place where the human capacity for error was greatly amplified.

Jennifer still visits the curve routinely to maintain Haile’s cross, swapping out pictures and adorning it with fresh flowers and, come Christmastime, decorating it with a small tree.

Brian doesn’t want to encounter the site of his daughter’s death, so he avoids the curve altogether.

Audrey drives this part of Grande often, since her parents still live in Tyler.

The kids sometimes ask her to point it out when the family drives into town.

As they lean into the curve, they all say a series of prayers: for Haile’s family, for the other families who have lost loved ones there, and for James to come home soon.

[newmusicweekly]

Beasley Media Group and Key Networks have announced that veteran Country radio personality Elaina Smith is set to join syndicated "Backstage Country." Starting February 17, Smith will co-host the show from Nashville alongside Country star Riley Green and a rotating cast of today's leading Country artists. Smith is known for her role as host of the Westwood One syndicated program, "Nights With Elaina." Known for her voice at events such as the ACM Awards and the People's Choice Country Awards, Smith has also been a prominent figure at the Country Radio Seminar. Her broadcasting career began in television at "Entertainment Tonight" and "The Insider" in Los Angeles before discovering her passion for radio. She has since hosted shows from San Diego to Florida, eventually making her mark in Nashville and capturing the hearts of listeners nationwide, including on Absolute Radio in the UK. In her new role at "Backstage Country," Smith will continue to influence the radio landscape while managing other projects including voiceover work and television hosting. "Joining 'Backstage Country' aligns perfectly with my passion for radio and Country music," said Smith. Read the full article

[vpjdrums]

Post-Grammy Thoughts & Reflections

This past Sunday marked the 67th Annual Grammy Awards and it also marked the first time an album I was involved in was nominated.

I had the pleasure and honor of designing the artwork and layout (with the fantastic, Christoper Kayfield, photographer extraordinaire) for Orrin Evans and The Captain Black Big Band's album, Walk A Mile In My Shoe. It was nominated for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album. This was Orrin's third Grammy nomination and I personally thought he and the band had a good shot at winning. Alas, this year it was again not to be.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little upset about it. Sure, it was a fairly competitive field (I should also note neither John Beasley & Frankfurt Radio Big Band or The Clayton–Hamilton Jazz Orchestra won and I'll leave it at that), but there was no one more deserving to win this year than Orrin. Not only because it is phenomenal album with phenomenal musicians and vocalists, but also because of what this album represents (watch the album epk, which I produced for further background).I may have my opinions on the Grammys and what it denotes in this current state of the music industry, and also have my critiques of the voting mentally of the academy members. However, at the same time we must acknowledge the fact that a small indie label (Imani Records, co-owned/operated by Orrin Evans and his wife, Dawn Evans) with a crowdfunded/DIY everything album attaining a Grammy nomination in and of itself is nothing short of incredible.

This was truly a team effort. From the label operations lead by Dawn Evans, to the in-house marketing run by Derek and Maya Walton at School of the Gifted Productions, to myself with my own small design/production boutique firm, Caspian Seal, to Orrin's manager, Brian McKenna at McKenna Group Productions (I worked closely with Brian and Derek with the social media/marketing campaigns, both of whom are great individuals), to photographer, Christopher Kayfield, to publicist, Matt Merewitz at Fully Altered Media, to radio promo handled by Mark Rini at Groov Marketing, to PR firm, Two For the Show Media owned/operated by Chris DiGirolamo, to Orrin's booking agent, Chris Weller at Big Fish… every piece of a multi-cylinder engine working in concert to ensure the success of this project and still continues to work throughout this album cycle. People like to throw the saying around, it takes a village. Well, in this case it really does.

The album didn't get the big win despite the many accolades it has been getting from various outlets and critics alike. But, this project represents something greater. The triumph over adversity, both in the from of Orrin's personal health issues from childhood all the way to the struggles of breaking from a record contract and embarking on a totally independent path, enduring the subsequent obstacles brought forth. I'm proud to have been part of this team and journey, and to have done my part in bringing this album to world. I know the future holds so much more for Imani Records and I hope to be a part their ever-evolving story. As it's said, upward and onward!

[mrlnsfrt]

Saved to Serve

Not So With You

25 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. 26 Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. — Matthew 20:25-26 NKJV

To get the most out of this text you need to read Matthew 20:17-28. But in summary, Jesus tells His disciples that He is going to be betrayed, condemned to death, mocked, scourged, and crucified. He will be betrayed by His own people and abused by the Gentiles and die a horrible death. Jesus also announces that he will rise from the grave on the third day.

The very next thing that happens is the mother of Zabadee’s sons comes to Jesus and asks that her sons sit on His right and left in His kingdom. I imagine Jesus smacking His forehead with the palm of His hand. Jesus is telling His disciples that He is going to die and their mother is asking Him for positions of eminence.

How could this be? How could anyone miss the point of what Jesus was saying to this degree?

Yet how often do we experience something similar in Christian churches? Jesus is talking about sacrifice and service, and we come expecting power, prosperity, and a life of ease.

Jesus makes things even clearer. He did not come to be served but to serve!

27 And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” — Matthew 20:27-28 NKJV

Sadly the disciples did not learn their lesson. This conversation took place before the triumphal entry when Jesus comes to Jerusalem with the crowd cheering “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD! Hosanna in the highest!” (Matthew 21; Mark 11; Luke 19; John 12) We don’t know exactly how much time goes by, but I don’t think it was very long before Jesus gathered the disciples for the Last Supper.

Last Supper

Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.

2 And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, 4 rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. 5 After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. — John 13:1-5 NKJV

The disciples considered the washing of feet too humble an activity for any of them. The Midrash (and Talmud) are commentative and interpretative writings that hold a place in the Jewish religious tradition second only to the Bible (Old Testament). (Britannica.com) I found an interesting comment on Midrash Mekilta commenting on Exodus 21:2 where it says:

A Hebrew slave must not wash the feet of his master, nor put his shoes on him, nor carry his things before him when going to the bathhouse, nor support him by the hips when ascending steps, nor carry him in a litter or a chair or a sedan chair as slaves do. For it is said: “But over your brethren the children of Israel ye shall not rule, one over another, with rigour” — Jacob Zallel Lauterbach, Mekilta de-Rabbi Ishmael, New ed. (Philadelphia, Pa: Jewish Publication Society, 2004), 358. See also Strack—Billerbeck, I, 707; cited in Beasley-Murray, p. 233 et al.

This gives us the cultural context of Jesus’ act and the reason none of the disciples wanted to do it. This act was so humble that a Hebrew slave was not required to perform. Jesus’ closest followers were too proud to wash feet. Jesus was about to give His life for humanity and those in charge of continuing the work were still too proud.

It should come as no surprise that most churches also avoid the foot-washing aspect of communion. Even though most of us wear shoes and drive cars and therefore our feet are cleaner than what the feet of the disciples must have been, we still shrink back from washing the feet of another. Even in the 21st century USA we resist humbling ourselves to the point of washing the feet of someone else. Are we so different from Jesus’ disciples during the Last Supper?

Saved to Serve

We are saved by grace, through faith. This is a gift we receive from God. (Ephesians 2:8) This is a core biblical teaching, but to stop there would be to miss the mission. To stop at my salvation would be selfish. I am saved by grace, that is incredibly good news! My next question becomes how should I live my life? The answer is we should live a life of service.

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. — Galatians 5:13 NIV

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. — 1 Peter 4:10 NIV

Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. — Romans 12:10 NIV