The Paranormal: What's Real?

The paranormal is not an easy subject to research by any means. I scoured news articles, the Internet, people's stories, documentaries, etc. for hours and have come up with nothing but conflicting research. If there is a science for the paranormal it is one that has not yet been perfected by any means. In the end it's what we believe. There are skeptics and true believers. I'm going to discuss a few areas of the paranormal; you decide what you feel is real.

Ghosts

I have my own personal doubts when it comes to ghosts.  I have to question why ghosts are allergic to crowds? Why there aren't many friendly ghosts? Why they like to visit only certain places? And why people don't question any of this? However, I said I have my doubts. I'm not 100% set on the fact that they don't exist even though I've never seen any scientific evidence. Can science really prove they exist? I'm not sure science can.  I think this goes beyond science to be honest.  The theory or relativity explains endless possibilities that Einstein laid out for the scientific community.  We recently discovered that Einstein may have not been right about what he said and disproving the fundamentals of physics.  We can't say that ghosts are not real, but we can't say they are.

Ghosts are defined as the souls or spirits of a deceased person that manifests itself in human form or some other manifestation.  Many believers have claimed to have seen ghosts and even some have snapped photographs that they believe are authentic ghosts captured on film.  Some have even claimed to capture photographs on video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvKZPA8wFPc ). Many photos/videos have been disproved and there are only a handful that cannot be explained.  The following photograph is called "Brown Lady of Raynham Hall" and it is one that has not been disproved or explained yet:

Brown Lady of Raynham Hall

My Family Ghost Story

When I was 8 years old I was living in a house in Rockleigh, NJ. The house was a rather old house and in a very, very safe area that had no crime rate whatsoever.  My father, mother, sister and I lived in the house for only a year.  However, there were some weird happenings in the house that we were never able to explain.  

One night while laying on the top bunk of my bunk bed, with my sister on the bottom bunk, my sister awoke me after having come back from the kitchen extremely frightened.  My sister shook me, screaming as she did.  My sister told me that there was a man with a green shirt, long black hair and an object in his hand standing in our living room.  Our living room was entered through a door-less opening from the kitchen.  It was rather dark at night in the living room but the moon shown through the sliding glass doors usually which helped to illuminate anything that might have been there.  My sister said the reason she went to the kitchen was because the water was running rather loudly.  She said the man stood there and moved his arm slightly but then she ran immediately to wake me.  I went out to my parents room with her, we awoke them and brought them to the kitchen/living room.  The water was on (very weird) but there was no one there and no one had unlocked the doors.  I passed off the story as my sister was dreaming or she saw something that wasn't there.  The next day I went to school.  I sat down in my seat for class next to my best friend at the time, Leah.  Leah looked upset and scared.  I asked Leah was was wrong to which she replied "I'm scared, I had something weird happen to me in my house last night." I was a bit startled and afraid to ask at this point.  I asked Leah what happened and Leah said "I heard someone downstairs from my room really late at night, I got up to go see what was going on downstairs because I thought my mom was asleep.  I started to walk down the stairs and the noise stopped. I peaked down and saw a someone with long black hair and a green shirt, they were holding something too, I didn't see their face though. I woke up my mom and we went downstairs together but the doors were locked and no one was there." My mouth literally dropped.  Leah had no contact with my sister (my sister was younger). Leah had no idea what had happened in our house last night as she had no way of knowing.  To this day no one can explain what happened that night and since then I've been a believer that the paranormal may exist.  

Are ghosts real? It's what we make of the situations we experience and hear.  There is NO scientific evidence of ghosts but as I've said I'm not sure there can be. Here's a site that explains some of the ghost photographs that we typically see online: http://www.ghostresearch.org/ghostpics

My own experience of Astral Projection

I, myself, have projected astrally before.  Whether it had been a dream or figment of my imagination it was extremely (and frightening) real.  I laid in my bed one night and went to sleep.  A few hours later I found myself awake.  I was outside my body and looking in my room. I could see myself asleep but I saw things in my room that didn't quite look the same as when I left.  I then saw a weird figure enter my room. It was at this point that I opened my eyes in my real body but laid paralyzed in bed.  I could not move but I still saw this creature coming toward me. At the top of my lungs (and I tried hard for a while) I was able to finally scream and my father entered the room.  Nothing was there obviously but it had been the most real experience of my life.  I have had 2-3 others since then, but nothing as frightening as that. 

U.F.O.'s  & Aliens

UFO's are REAL. Why? Because there are certain objects that we have seen in the sky that we cannot explain. No, they are not all flying saucers!! There are objects that have been tested by the government and objects that we can't explain fly overhead.  Let's take this footage that is claimed to be authentic (but unexplained, of course): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiEzWHVZskk

There are all those claims that UFO's were discovered around AREA 51. Well guess what? That's true because the military was testing new aircraft's for their own use.  People that saw these couldn't explain what they were.  However, no one at Area 51 has yet either. 

The strangest evidence (and most credible) comes from that of professional Astronauts. During Apollo 11 astronauts saw a UFO flying close to their rocket in an intelligent flight pattern.  They reported this back to NASA.  No one could explain what the astronauts saw, but said that one should take it very seriously considering these are trained professionals who actually saw a UFO in space!

This site lists the 5 pieces of evidence that suggest extraterrestrial life is real: http://www.paranormalhaze.com/5-pieces-of-evidence-that-suggests-intelligent-alien-life-exists

The thought that we are the only ones in this astronomically large universe is pretty ridiculous if you ask me.  I'm not suggesting there is factual evidence of intelligent life beyond us but maybe the life out there is in another galaxy and they are incapable of reaching us yet like we are of reaching other galaxies.  If they are able to reach us, maybe they are scared to identify themselves.  Let's turn the tables. If we went to another planet and knew there was life on it, I think we would be scared to approach it in fear of how that life might respond to us.  Most likely if we saw an alien walking toward us we would react very adversely.  

Bigfoot, Lochness & the Yeti

Unfortunately there are so many spoof videos and photographs on these "monsters" that we really have no way of knowing if they are real or fake.  There have been very few images and/or evidence that can't be explained somehow.  However, the Yeti holds most credible of the three monsters.  Wildlife expert, Sir David Attenbourough, to this day believes the Yeti exists.  A photographed footprint taken in 1951 shows this:

This is an authentic footprint found at 19,000 ft. 

Sketch of a Yeti seen recently roaming the Himalayas

The hair specimen found from the footprint proved that it was not that of a bear but of an ape like animal.  That evidence is pretty conclusive and holds merit.  

Bigfoot has been taken in several photographs which usually end up being a man/woman in an ape costume.  One dressed up as Bigfoot was even shot and killed! The only film that has been widely contested is this one of Roger Patterson's taken in 1967: http://paranormal.about.com/od/bigfootsasquatch/youtube/yt_patterson_bf.htm

Here's the photograph to accompany that: 

Photograph of a Bigfoot in 1967 (real or fake?)

To date there has been no DNA evidence to prove than any of the footprint samples or hair samples are that of a an ape-like creature. 

The Lochness monster is claimed to be real in this video: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x89u9k_paranormal-tv-best-photo-evidence-o_shortfilms

However, many scientists are very skeptical of this evidence.  Many claim the photographs could be doctored. There are many photos including this one that have proven real:

Photo of The Champ Monster (Lake Champlain)

ESP

The most conclusive test done on ESP was that of psychologist Daryl Bern, a professor at Cornell and very respected psychologist.  He ran an experiment that tested people's abilities to see in the future by showing people digital images (mainly non-erotic) and then popping some erotic pictures in the mix.  Students were able to guess when the erotic pictures would show up 53.1% of the time. There are many reasons why this experiment may not have worked though.  And there is no conclusive evidence that ESP is real or not real.  More information from that study here: http://healthland.time.com/2011/01/12/wait-esp-is-real/

Many believe that there are talented psychics that can see into the future and hold what we call "precognition." While there are many skeptics who believe it's all just a lucky guess. My question is: if there are real psychics why are they not working for the government? Military? Or WEATHER CHANNEL? I mean seriously. 

And Harvard scientists have claimed to rule out that ESP does NOT exist with this study here: http://www.science20.com/news_releases/is_esp_real_harvard_scientists_say_they_have_settled_the_debate

Well I've written enough here.  It's time for YOU TO WRITE YOUR STORIES! Please, I'd love to hear if you have any evidence or even just your stories!

-Chris Ryan

DADT is over officially! Look at this wonderful COMING OUT video LIVE!

There isn't a more wonderful way to celebrate the repeal of DADT than having a soldier (cute one at that!) come out to his father LIVE on camera! This is a MOVING video. It brings me back to when I was 17 years old (not that long ago, haha!) and told my father in the living room of our house. Just saying the words "Dad, I'm gay" broke me into tears. And then to hear my father say "I love you and I always will no matter what or who you are, it's now time to be your authentic self." Those words meant the WORLD to me. Seeing how much it meant to this soldier and that his father kept saying that he loves him no matter what is wonderful.  Homosexuality is normal, remember that.

Here's the news article that broke this story: http://www.aol.com/2011/09/20/soldier-comes-out-to-father-on-youtube_n_971994.html

And here's news on a march that occurred to celebrate the repeal: http://westhollywood.patch.com/articles/dont-ask-dont-tell-repeal-ceberated-with-march-and-rally#photo-7850846

See...things DO get better!

Only Love,
Chris Ryan

My Message To Gay Bullies, the Parents, Teachers, Faculty & Friends of the Deceased

This is Jamey Rodemeyer. Jamey was a 14 year old kid from Buffalo, NY.  Now he is a corpse lying six feet underground because he was bullied by pathetic cowards and virtually ignored by all of those surrounding him. Just days before his death Jamey was on the receiving end of hateful cyberbullying posts like "Jamey is stupid, gay, fat and ugly. He must DIE!" and "I wouldn't care if you died. No one would. So just do it, it would make everyone WAY more happier!"

And as a result of this (and I'm sure countless other threats/cyberbullying/etc) Jamey was found dead outside of his house over one week later. He made a point to write on Sept. 8th that "No one in my school cares about preventing suicide, while you're the ones calling me [gay slur] and tearing me down." The people that standby and watch this happen and doing do anything are just as much the criminals as those committing the crimes. As angry as I am, this is not about the anger. This is about doing all we can to ensure that this kind of thing is prevented. Bullies should be expelled from schools after their FIRST anti-gay remark. Not their second, not third, not fourth...FIRST. And if the continue their anti-gay bullying they should be put in a juvenile detention center or a bootcamp to set them right. I will let the gay bullies know that "IT DOES NOT GET BETTER FOR YOU, IT GETS WORSE." And as for the school faculty, open your god damn eyes. Yes, you are not a mental health clinic but do you honestly think you couldn't have done more to prevent this? Did you do anything when Jamey was being bullied in class? Did you do anything when he was being taunted in the lunch room or outside? No, you didn't. Why? Because they're just kids? No they are CRIMINALS and should be treated as such. And PARENTS, if you're aware that your child is on the receiving end of anti-gay bullying then REMOVE them from the school. If you have to home school them or put them in a private school for god's sake do it. And the friends, be there with your friend at all times. Call your friend, even if you have to do it 12 times a day, let them know that you are there for them!

And this is the video that Jamey created promising people it gets better. It's literally too heartbreaking for me to even watch a second time:

I don't know Jamey Rodemeyer but I wish I had. I wish I could have talked to the faculty at his school about the bullying he was receiving or pushed them to do something about the bullying that they were obviously ignoring. I wish I could have talked to his parents to tell them that their wonderful son was going through so much pain and shown them the wonderfully positive video he made. I wish I could have talked to Jamey's friends to tell them how they could have helped Jamey get through his days easier. But most of all I wish I could have been Jamey's friend, because I swear on my life I would NEVER have let this wonderful teenager kill himself.

If you ever see anyone being bullied, even if you don't know them, for the love of God please, please HELP THEM. Please be the voice of those that are afraid to talk and please be a friend to those being bullied. 

-Chris Ryan

CreativitY

Creativity is what drives me, it's what inspires me and it's what attracts me. Creativity is the orb within us all that keeps us young, fresh and motivated.  Everyone has the ability to be creative, it's just to what level is that creativity within us. Can we actually measure creativity on a level of 1 to 10? Can we assess what level exists within us? I personally believe that we can do that.  Based on a series of questions that one would put together and ask we could develop a questionnaire that would allow us to measure the level of creativity within a person.  I have developed my own questionnaire that I will reveal in my next blog. 

But what does that actually say about us? Does that mean we'll be more productive human beings? Does that mean that we'll create more? And what does creativity really entail? Does it mean that it must be something unique or can it be anything?

I tend to think that creative people are more intelligent in nature.  I believe that creativity is a facet of intelligence.  I also believe that creativity drives us to be more productive as human beings. The one thing it definitely does do is give us inertia to do more and I believe that it generates positivity. To be creative has many meanings, but it means that you hold an attribute that only a small percentage of humans hold.

I have many creative outlets that I often utilize. I write songs, poems, stories, blogs, paint, play guitar, create events and more that I can't necessarily think of at the moment.  I absolutely love the process of creation and if I can have someone to bounce my ideas off, even better.

For all of you who read my blog, I'd love to know what your creative outlets are and what you're working on at the moment or what you do on a regular basis to CREATE. Let's create TOGETHER!


-Chris Ryan

Monogamy Doesn't Exist

Now let me preface this blog by saying this is NOT a blog about my experiences or anyone I know. This is a blog about the reality of monogamy. And the reality is; it does not exist within a long term context. There is short term monogamy. I think we need to clearly define each of these so that we can change the current climate of monogamous couples. It's not a bad thing, nor a good thing for our future. It's just the current climate (if not past, and probably future state) of the times. 

Monogamy refers to a form of marriage in which an individual has only one spouse at any one time. However, monogamy may also refer to the more general state of having only one mate at any one time and as such may be applied to the social behavior of some animals.

If I were to go on the street and ask people how many people they know to have been completely monogamous their entire lives, I'm sure I would meet VERY few people that could say that they have.  And even if someone did say, "well my parents or my grandparents have been monogamous their entire lives", how would they really know that to be 100% true? Monogamy may have existed and may still exist for some, but I do feel that it will slowly come to an end. It's valued in many cultures and in some people are imprisoned or punished if they aren't monogamous.  But why is there such a desire for both men and women to act on their sexual desires without much regard for the consequence? Of course there's the feelings of guilt and the worry that you'll be caught, but the adventure and desire overrides those feelings for both men and women.  

How many of you have cheated or thought of cheating? How many of you have even emotionally cheated? When I say monogamy doesn't exist, I don't mean this in strictly a sexual way, I mean it both sexually and emotionally.  If a man is married and starts seeing a woman, taking her to dinner, taking her on trips, sleeping in the same bed but never doing anything sexual (not even kiss) wouldn't you consider that cheating? Most people would say YES.

It's very difficult for us to be monogamous.  And even more so in the gay community.  Why more so in the gay community? Because we're MEN and we're driven by our libido's. And on top of that we're surrounded by all MEN! This complicates things much further for those seaking sexual monogamy. As stated by doctors and professionals in this article, men are much more sexual than women: http://www.webmd.com/sex/features/sex-drive-how-do-men-women-compare

The heterosexual community seems to try much harder at being monogamous but it's only a matter of time before a married couple will experience their first infidelity.  Yes, the older generation may not seek to have sexual experiences outside of their marriage but I believe that's a matter of "availability" and "ability." A lot of older men would love to be with younger women, but how many younger women are going to get with an older man? And if they do, will the older man even be able to perform? 

The gay community also has many couples (like myself) that have try/tried hard to be monogamous but I have to admit that I do not know ONE long term couple that has been completely sexually monogamous and emotionally monogamous.  The older couples usually have some arrangement in which they get to have sex outside their partnership/marriage or sex with others together.  I still don't know one older gay couple that have been completely sexually monogamous to each other throughout their entire relationship. 

And if you don't believe what I'm saying why don't you take a look at this recent article in TIME magazine: http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/01/25/does-monogamy-even-exist-anymore-not-for-young-people/ . The trend is growing. It's only a matter of time before not only the action, but the word doesn't exist.  


Let me also state that location is a variable. A couple living in the backwoods of North Dakota are much less likely to have infidelities than a couple living in New York City. Why? Availability and temptations are less.  You need to have those variables in there. While location is a variable, location does not change desire.

Now don't get me wrong, I do believe in short-term monogamy.  I believe that couples in a relationship for a few years, could in fact remain monogamous for the time being.  Let me reiterate that when I say it doesn't exist, I mean it doesn't in the long-term sense. Youth today are much more sexually promiscuous than they were years ago.  Why? I believe a lot of that has to do with media.  For example, after watching the show "Skins" I can see why a lot of young kids think it's okay to have many sexual partners.  It's surprising to me the amount of sexual promiscuity that is shown on television today among young kids.  Surprising but not completely shocking!

So prepare yourselves and understand, you will have partners, they may not be monogamous and/or you may not even want to be monogamous.  Learn to think outside the box and be more realistic about your long term relationships.  If you believe you can be completely faithful your entire life, please let me know if you feel the same way twenty years down the road.  

-Chris Ryan

My Diet, Work Out Regimen & Slowing the Aging Process.

I've been constantly asked to blog about this over the years and I've been apprehensive to reveal all my secrets, but I will share a few here.

Diet

6 out of the 7 days of the week I eat healthy foods. I eat a lot of Thai food (chicken, cashew nuts, green curry), Mexican food (salads, organic foods & chicken), lean meats, vegetables, salads, nuts, water, *green tea* every day, dark chocolate and the occasional glass of wine. Alcohol has played no roll in affecting my body negatively in any way.  My liver enzymes are extremely healthy and my liver is in perfect condition. I do suggest that no one binge on alcohol and watch their consumption.

Vitamins

Multi-vitamin, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Calcium, Fish Oil w/ Resveratrol (ingredient found in red wines, that kills free radicals), Selenium (cancer preventative), Vitamin B-12 and Baby Aspirin (protects against heart disease).

Work Out Regimen

Work out 4-5 days a week. I do certain muscle groups each of those days and run nearly every day. I use the eliptical a lot to reduce the stress on my knees or kangoo which reduces the stress on knees/joints by 85%. Thanks to Mario Green! When lifting weights I don't overdo myself and I maintain overall tone in my body, but don't look to get too much bigger.

Aging

First thing is I've been using anti-aging products on my skin since I was 18 years old. I use Retin-A (helps to reverse photo-aging aka skin discoloration from the sun). I use shampoos that don't have certain ingredients that cause damage to the hair. I use a system of prescription skin creams that help to produce collagen and keep the skin tight and free of discolorations. I try to prevent the sun at all costs, however I have tanned on occasion because the sun does actually have good affects on the skin and helps to produce Vitamin D. However, it seems that my body is getting younger feeling as I've gotten older and that my overall appearance is as well.  It's odd, but noticeable by my doctors, friends and family. My chem tests show that I have the body chemistry of a 17 year old. It may not be odd as of yet and things may start to change once I hit my 30's, but as of now I've seen no transformations whatsoever.

There are a few more secrets that help to prevent all of this, but those are the top ones that I won't reveal.

If you have any questions regarding my regimen please feel free to ask. I'd love to hear your comments.

-Chris Ryan