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Tag: aide

  • Ryan Loskarn: Former Aide Dead, Suicide Likely

    Ryan Loskarn, the former senate aide to Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander, was found dead on Thursday.

    According to the Tennessean, a statement read by Colonel Phil Kasten of the Carroll County Sheriff’s office shared that, “Carroll County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a private residence in the 6900 block of Kenmar Lane for a report of an unconscious male, believed to be deceased. Family members reported finding 35 year old Jesse Ryan Loskarn unresponsive in his basement where he’d been residing with family since this past December.”

    Though the investigation into Loskarn’s death is ongoing, the preliminary investigation by law enforcement officials has lead them to believe that he committed suicide, as his body was found hanging in the basement. The body was transferred to the State Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy that would determine the official cause of death.

    Loskarn had been residing with his parents in Maryland since having been released on his own recognizance. He had been arrested last month by U.S. Postal Service investigators during a federal raid on his Washington, D.C. home and charged with possessing and distributing child pornography. He was fired from his job the very same day.

    Federal prosecutors had argued against Loskarn’s release, saying that he was a potential suicide risk. This was countered by his lawyer, Pamela Satterfield, who felt her client would be vindicated, having no prior criminal record and possessing “deep ties” within the D.C. community.

    Loskarn’s parents, Chuck and Gay Loskarn, were “devastated” by the tragic turn of events. “We loved our son very much…Please respect our privacy at this difficult time and let us grieve in peace. Pray for him, his family and friends.”

    Loskarn’s former employer, Sen. Lamar Alexander said in a statement, “For everyone involved, this is a sad and tragic story from beginning to end.”

    Image via Chattanooga Youtube

  • North Korean Children Aren’t Getting Food or Basic Medicine

    The Associated Press is reporting that millions of North Korean children are deprived of food and basic medical attention, and as a result, are not able to develop mentally and physically. The United Nations says that many of them are suffering from malnourishment and their growth has been stunted as a result.

    Almost a third of North Korea’s children have shown signs of physical stunting, especially in rural areas. These children often suffer from chronic diarrhea from a lack of clean water, which contributes to poor nourishment. Even hospitals in the area lack the basic necessities to support the influx of health concerns. Most are without electricity and clean water, and medicine is in short supply.

    Contributing to the probelm is the lack of media coverage from outside sources, which could lead to diplomatic aide. Cameras are not allowed beyond the relatively prosperous city of Pyongyang. There, children from well-to-do families are selected to attend government celebrations as a form of propaganda, while a more representative demographic is brushed under the rug.

    The report calls further attention to the fact that the North Korean government is spending all of its money on military funding, leaving none for the country’s starving lower class. The United Nations has denounced North Korea’s involvement in building a nuclear arsenal to no avail.

    The United Nations is calling for $198 million in donations this year to help aid the starving children of North Korea. This could not have come at a worse time for Kim Jong Un, who is trying to convey an image of stability after taking power from the now deceased Kim Jong-Il.

    The wide spread famine is also being exacerbated by a severe drought during the spring. There will likely be a reduced harvest, this fall, which could lead to further problems. The North Korean government finally acknowledged the problem, when North Korea’s premiere, Choe Yong Rim, told farmers to do whatever they can to resolve the problem. But a lack of water is not something that anyone can do anything about.

    About two-thirds of North Koreans depend on government rations, which consist of barley, corn or rice, to survive. Because of this, many children are growing up without any protein, a necessary component for normal mental and physical growth.

    In the last few years, The United Nations and the World Food Program have asked for emergency food aid. The U.N. has made the most recent appeal. Back in 2011, The World Food Program asked anyone and everyone to contribute in an effort to reach $218 million in donations. They fell short and only reached $85 million. The U.N. has now taken up the reigns to extend aide.

    The ineffective donation programs are coupled with the North Korean government’s refusal of aide to make a difficult situation worse. The state-run “news agency”, Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), recently accused the west of manipulating food prices as a form of imperialism. The KCNA ran the slogan “Dry bread at home is better than roast meat abroad” in a recent editorial.