Luke Ryan

Monsoons have struck Myanmar/Burma, pouring relentless rain and causing massive flooding all across the country. Reports indicate that approximately 120,000 people have been displaced, driven from their homes in hopes of seeking shelter elsewhere; so far 11 people have been confirmed dead as a result of the flooding. I spoke to several aid workers in […]

If you haven’t seen the movie, don’t spoil it here — watch it first, then come back. There are a substantial amount of films with the same rough outline: a protagonist is caught up in some violent conflict, is forced to stay or live among a more “tribal” people, and learns that what many consider […]

War, corruption, and poverty have plagued Afghanistan for generations. These have generally led to a myriad of exacerbating issues like a lack of healthcare infrastructure, education, and political unification. Now another devastating obstacle has struck the country: the worst drought in decades. Droughts of this magnitude are going to affect any country severely, but this one […]

In contrast to the devastating drought in Afghanistan, Myanmar/Burma has been experiencing intensely heavy monsoons recently. The rainy season comes every year around this time, and every once in a while it is particularly bad — in 2015, 100 people were killed, and 330,000 people were driven from their homes. This year, so far approximately […]

The U.S. Secretary of Defense, Jim Mattis, recently met with the Omani Foreign Minister, Yusuf bin Alawi, at the Pentagon recently. They primarily discussed security concerns, such as the ongoing conflict in Yemen — Mattis also conducts these meetings frequently with politicians from around the world to bolster their relationships with the United States. Pentagon […]

California has been suffering from severe wildfires which have claimed countless structures and several lives. Thousands upon thousands have been evacuated — the Carr Fire alone has driven almost 40,000 people out of their homes and has killed a grandmother and her two grandchildren, as well as two firefighters. The fires are also prevalent in […]

People are far more likely to become victims of human trafficking when they are at their most vulnerable. This is why instances of the crime generally skyrocket during times of mass upheaval — a large hurricane, refugee crisis or armed conflict can all be catalysts for instances of trafficking. Children in foster care, for example, […]

Edgewood, WA — A 2-year-old boy, Thorin Hess, was wondering about and stepped on the cover of a septic tank which gave way. He fell inside — down 10 feet — and his mother and sister ran to the tank to rescue him. After locating the boy they attempted to pull him out, the boy’s […]

Like “love,” the word “respect” is fairly limited. It’s another good example of why the English language can only take you so far, and why we must use other tools in order to understand and investigate these concepts a bit further. You can love your best friend, you can love your kids, and you can […]

Horrific violence has affected Myanmar/Burma for longer than any civil war in modern history. The violence has its own obvious effects — the people who suffer the incredible trauma of, for example, having their infant children dashed across trees. And in these domestic conflicts, there are many tangential effects. For example, when violence plagues an […]

If you haven’t seen the movie, don’t spoil it here — watch it first, then come back. “You Were Never Really Here” is a brutal, slow-burn film by Lynne Ramsay, starring Joaquin Phoenix as Joe. It’s about a military veteran with a troubled past that extends beyond his service — when he’s not taking care […]

It’s no secret: many people tend to start adding on the pounds as they get older. They often chalk it up to their waning metabolism — after all, the same pattern seems apparent in everyone around them, and it seems to be a natural progression with age. They hit somewhere around 30, start gaining weight […]