Open Sources Show Notes for Thursday January 14, 2016

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we’ll save a spot, and a thought, for David Bowie, a truly unique individual that spanned the realms of music, movies, fashion and culture in incalculable ways. And like the Man Who Fell to Earth, we will forge our way through an alien world we barely understand and hardly comprehend in order to bring you the best analysis of the week’s news. Right to die, the State of the Union, water issues, and el Chapo all make the cut this week. As they say, the show must go on.

This Thursday, January 14, at 5 pm, Scotty Hertz and Adam A. Donaldson will discuss:

1) The Right to Pause Right to Die. The Government of Canada went to the Supreme Court this week to secure a six month extension to the deadline to pass legislation for the regulation of doctor assisted death. The court ruled last February that the government had a year to get the job done, but in an election year and with a Conservative Party less than eager to tackle the issue, it sort of fell by the wayside. Should the court grant the government’s request, or does the suffering of patience take president?

2) Obama’s Last State of the Union. U.S. President Barack Obama delivered his seventh and final State of the Union, and in as much as it outlined his priorities for his final year in office, it was also a statement of mission: accomplished and a backhanded slap to some of the politicians running to replace him. Will Obama’s words have any affect on the race, or is he now, more than before, a lame duck?

3) Don’t Drink the Water. A crisis in Flint, Michigan has reminded us again of the precarious nature of our most important resource: water. The National Guard has been activated to deliver bottled water as the local tap water drunk by thousands of Flint residents has been found to be poisoned by lead. How could the government in Michigan allow the condition of such a vital resource be perverted to disastrous proportions? And how can we stop it from happening elsewhere?

4) Finding el Chapo. Mexico’s Most Wanted drug dealer Joaquín “el Chapo” Guzmán was on the lam for six months, and it seemed that no one could find him… Except Sean Penn. The award-winning actor was able to interview el Chapo (with the assistance of Mexican actress Kate del Castillo) for a Rolling Stone article days before Mexican authorities took the fugitive back into custody. Penn has since taken it on the knuckles for not sharing what he knew with authorities, but is Penn covered by journalistic standards? Does his overly florid article count as journalism?