For our final episode of the year, we look at a yuletide classic from a philosophical and existential angle, gently challenging the fairytale ‘happy ending’ and looking at other inconsistencies within what is close to being a perfect Hollywood tale of darkness rescued by light and hope. George Bailey and the other characters are archetypes that stay just the right side of being clichés, but there may well be more going on than meets the eye…

Following this, Antony makes some other observations about life and asks a few questions (don’t expect the answers!) about our human relationship to the world around us, with further connections made to the ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ film

Enjoy!

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Antony’s John Lennon podcast

https://glassoniononjohnlennon.com

If you are interested in very affordable Life Coaching, or know someone who might be, you can contact Antony on lifeandlifeonlypod@gmail.com

episode links

Some famous scenes from ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’

The opening

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79pIurpNARs&t=9s

George and Mary fall in love

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wABeIIjxmJk

‘You’re worth more dead than alive’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COAnVhYNbTI

George receives a great gift

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNQ76UyurLA

A Christmas miracle

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDQVRxRlGdQ

Film Gold’s review of the film

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1o-yaBhGjY

Scott Phipps’s marvellous festive review for the ‘Stinking Pause’ podcast

https://stinkingpause.libsyn.com/webpage/2018

Is the film’s ending actually happy?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Um3C3GHchZw

SNL’s alternative ending (Potter finally gets it…)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vw89o0afb2A

Scrooge sees the light (1951 version)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FYV0BJJycs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPceYjVQVnw

The Beatles And A Mass of Humanity (life is people)

https://glassoniononjohnlennon.com/the-beatles-and-a-mass-of-humanity

Life

Some famous quotes about life

https://www.azquotes.com/quotes/topics/life.html

The universe is waaay bigger than you think

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy7NzjCmUf0

Recommended books

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/347852.The_Road_Less_Traveled

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16024912-fuck-it

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/197782.Rogue_State

We complete our journey into Axel Rudakubana’s darkness with a look at some of the wealth of information uncovered by the recently-completed first phase of The Southport Inquiry, which has taken place at Liverpool Town Hall.

Special attention is given to the testimonies of Gary Poland, the unfortunate taxi driver who delivered Axel to the place of his atrocity, Axel’s brother Dion and their parents Alphonse and Laetitia.

The timeline is as imperfect as the system that sought to deal with a severe case of a ‘problem child’, as we jump around key events and try to make sense of a 5-year period in the Rudakubana family’s lives that saw an apparently well-adjusted 12 year old with a passion for acting and Doctor Who transform into a monster (as his father admits he now is).

The episode ends with some final thoughts from the Inquiry chairman as we try to build a brighter future

Thanks for listening and see you in December!

Feedback to lifeandlifeonlypod@gmail.com

Facebook page

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Support the show at:

https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/antonyrotunno

OR

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Antony’s website (blog, music, podcasts, life coaching)

https://www.antonyrotunno.com

Antony’s John Lennon podcast

https://glassoniononjohnlennon.com

If you are interested in very affordable Life Coaching, or know someone who might be, you can contact Antony on lifeandlifeonlypod@gmail.com

episode links

Liverpool Echo Inquiry updates in full (latest at the top)

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/live-southport-inquiry-updates-32420881

News reports regarding the testimonies of Gary Poland, Dion Rudakubana and Alphonse Rudakubana

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waoIVeV-ZwY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFz7jTQeBbk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqRT1JtTB-Q

What is Trauma?

https://psychcentral.com/health/what-is-trauma

Axel’s taxi ride, police arrival and arrest

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72kZoJTw5FE&t=6s

Craig Houston on the rather strange Axel arrest video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxWO6gH1Tss

Police interviews with the child killers of James Bulger

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaSq6RPqMrU

We conclude our latest follow-up episodes on Axel Rudakubana and his darkest of deeds on a summer’s day in Southport last July. In this part Antony looks at apparent ‘events’ involving Rudakubana - and the media coverage of them in a world awash with rumours and agendas - since his sentencing hearing in January and the award of a 52-year minimum term life sentence.

Parallel to this is the extraordinary suffering and bravery of the victims’ families and a remarkably poignant day at the London Marathon in April. From there we move on to the ongoing government-commissioned Southport Inquiry, which seeks to clarify the precise events of July 29th and to try to shed light on how an apparently normal if withdrawn 12-year-old child could have been led to his monstrous actions

There will be at least one further update episode as the inquiry continues

We hope you enjoy the show! If so, please subscribe, like, share etc...

Feedback to lifeandlifeonlypod@gmail.com

Facebook page

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Twitter

https://twitter.com/lifeonly75

Support the show at:

https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/antonyrotunno

OR

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/antonyrotunno

Antony’s website (blog, music, podcasts, life coaching)

https://www.antonyrotunno.com

Antony’s John Lennon podcast

https://glassoniononjohnlennon.com

If you are interested in very affordable Life Coaching, or know someone who might be, you can contact Antony on lifeandlifeonlypod@gmail.com

episode links

Original LALO episode on the case

https://lifeandlifeonly.podbean.com/e/episode-57-axel-rudakubana-explaining-the-unexplainable/

Axel’s brother speaks out

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15111537/Brother-Southport-killer-asks-officials-stopped-sibling-going-knife-rampage.html

Dion and Alphonse in the local newspaper

https://sites.google.com/view/freenewsreport/how-dion-rudakubanas-new-wheelchair-transformed-his-daily-life

https://www.southportvisiter.co.uk/sport/other-sport/alphonse-gets-wants---after-9480939

What did the parents know?

https://news.sky.com/story/southport-victims-parents-say-killers-parents-knew-and-ignored-risk-he-posed-to-public-13432889

Sergio Aguiar and David Stancombe run the London Marathon

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1k42p00wlwo

Charlie Bentley-Astor on the case

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sE1p-xnmnfA&t=115s

Ross Kemp in Belmarsh (does this look cushy?)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgGf8u8Vn1Y

‘One Day In Southport’ documentary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4mR2HUeUxE&t=116s

Axel’s Taxi ride and the arrival of the police

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72kZoJTw5FE