Benjamin Ryan
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Blog

My Web Site: Time Travel Through the Archives

9/4/2015

17 Comments

 
After 14 years of working at a reporter, I figured it was finally time to get serious and build a web site. It’s been quite the ride amassing all my archives and organizing them for this site. As it turns out, I’ve done a lot of typing over the years. This makes me think of that line in The Miracle Worker: after Mrs. Keller asks Annie Sullivan how long until Helen learns what a word is.

“Maybe after a million words.”

Plenty of my work is easily accessible on the respective publications' web sites; but once you go back to the mid-2000s or earlier it gets harder to dig things up. Luckily, I’ve saved a paper rendition of just about everything I’ve ever written, dating back to my first college articles for the Columbia Daily Spectator in 1998. So I've been able to add scanned copies of such relics to my own web site.

Yes, I’m talking about traveling back in time to a dusty era when plenty of publications still hadn’t discovered this thing called the Interwebs. I wrote about New York City community boards for The New York Observer from 2001 to 2003, at a time when the salmon-colored paper was still laid out by hand—and I mean with scissors and glue. When I interned at George magazine during the summer of 1999 (yes, that summer), only one or two computers in the entire office actually had the capacity of getting online; and even then, succeeding in making the T-1 line come to life involved a baffling level of sorcery. George had no web presence beyond the dreaded “AOL keyword” effect (millennials, ask your grandparents). My snarky review of Orrin Hatch’s Christian music CD survives, thanks to the magic of an ink-jet printer, as does a hokey list of tips of how to prepare for Y2K (kids, ask your elders).

I’ve arranged my archives into six main sections (some of which have subsections), including: HIV, New York City, LGBT, Hepatitis C, General Health & Science, and Profiles and Arts & Entertainment. You can click on any of the hyperlinks in the previous sentence to go to those pages. Or run your mouse over “Archives By Topic” in the toolbar at the top of this site; then you’ll see all the available categories and subcategories. 


My home page comprises a scroll of featured recent work, as well as mentions of an award I recently received for my HIV-related coverage, and a recent radio interview I gave on the topic.

An editor at large at POZ magazine, where I cover the science of HIV and hepatitis C, I have been involved with the HIV field for 20 years, spending the first six doing volunteer work and the rest of the time working as a reporter. (My full bio is here.) My first article about HIV, a profile of a Columbia student living with the virus, ran in November 1998 in the Spectator. It’s fascinating to see what a history piece the article has become: the vast quantity of pills the fellow had to take throughout each day (today he’d likely need just one); and his desire to remain anonymous (it’s doubtful I’d now have much trouble finding someone on campus who wanted to go on record about his HIV status).

From 2003 to 2010, I was an editor at large at HIV Plus magazine, where I largely covered sociocultural aspects of the disease: the transition into society after incarceration; profiles of inspiring HIV-positive individuals; repeated looks at how HIV affects different ethnicities; and mental health-related coverage, etc.

After assuming the same title at POZ in 2012, I moved to the scientific beat. My tenure has coincided with a resurgence in the general public's interest in HIV, thanks to the advent of Truvada as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) against HIV, as well as the recent understanding that HIV-positive people who have a fully suppressed viral load thanks to antiretroviral treatment are very unlikely to transmit the virus to others. I’ve written about PrEP a great deal and have a page devoted to that reporting, one that I hope will serve as a resource for people who are looking for the latest scientific data and analysis. Then there’s another page for people living with hepatitis C who want to know about their ever-evolving treatment options.


On the lighter side of things, I found quite a few old clips of mine that made me howl with laughter, if for no other reason than I found I’d somehow gotten away with being utterly politically incorrect. Or maybe it's just that the political-correctness dial has been turned up to 10 in recent years. (A difference, I find, between right-wingers and the leftists who lean a bit closer to the center is that these two groups disagree on where to draw the line delineating where contemporary demands for political correctness become excessive.) Reporting for New York magazine about a major protest march during the 2004 Republican Convention, I was clearly in desperate need of the yet-to-be-coined term “hipster” when I tried to characterize a “latter-day hippie” crowd that was itself still pining for not-yet-popularized terms such as “wealth inequality” and “the 99 percent.” Check out more of my outrageously silly reporting on the more-mild-than-wild (but still outrageous) 2004 convention party scene on my New York City-related reporting page.

The zany times continued in articles such as: a profile of my now-friend Michael West’s inimitable alter ego, the brassy songstress “Pee-Wee Merman”; as well a recounting of the premier party of Nicole Kidman’s The Others, in which I got away with describing the freshly-divorced Tom Cruise and his then-girlfriend Penelope Cruz as a “homonymically-named duo." Not having left my room in college, I was so out of it at the time I attended that party that I interviewed a delightfully sweet Jimmy Fallon and thought that he was rocker Dave Navarro. I was baffled when he told me he was working on a comedy album. The article makes me sad because of my mention that the great Kevyn Aucoin did Kidman’s makeup. I always found he was a very kind and warm fellow when I used to see him out and about in the early 2000s before his untimely death.

Recently, I’ve started to branch out as a freelancer a bit more, landing my first article in The Atlantic (about a study finding that it really does appear to “get better” for LGBT teens after all), and getting back in New York magazine after a lengthy absence (reporting on a study finding that racial conflicts appear to rise at the “fuzzy” ill-defined barriers between segregated neighborhoods). Then of course there is my riveting reporting about the (supposed) horrors of the balding wonder drug Propecia. (To quote Steve Martin in L.A. Story, the article is “a real weenie-shrinker.”)


Another history piece that provides an interesting, and sobering, source of reflection on contemporary times is my spring 2000 article profiling various women who were sexually assaulted while students at Columbia. They recounted how they negotiated the university's dreadful disciplinary system in pursuit of justice. It seems that not a lot has changed on that front in the 15 years since.

I’ve included a photography page on my web site as well. I’ve always been a shutterbug, and was the family documentarian growing up; but I didn’t get a swanky digital SLR until a few years ago—a Canon 5D Mark II. I’ve included albums of: marches for civil rights and the environment; gay-rights victory celebrations at Stonewall; trips to Western Europe; Broadway Bares (a benefit show for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS); the weddings of a few friends and family members (shooting in an unofficial capacity); and a series I’ve been working on involving looming skies.

Then there’s my YouTube section, which takes a turn for the especially zany, including: my ode-to-cinematic-hysteria montage video, “GET OUT!!!”; my viral It Gets Better video; various appearances on TV and in film from my acting days (yes, I was a hand model, and open a mean box of pizza as you’ll soon learn all too well); and a video I put together of my late mother’s life on Super 8 film.

Thanks for checking out my site.

Cheers,

Ben

(No one calls me Benjamin, PS. When I first started writing I decided to go with Benjamin as a nom de plume, since Ben Ryan is the world’s most diminutive name.)

17 Comments
Julie Paschkis link
9/13/2015 10:28:26 am


It's great to see the depth and seriousness of your writing. I knew that you danced this issue into our consciousness. It's good to see your writing too.

Reply
jokia
11/21/2018 04:51:10 pm

God bless Dr. ozman for his marvelous work in my life, I was diagnosed of HIV since 2010 and I was taking my medications, I wasn’t satisfied i needed to get the HIV. out of my system, I searched about some possible cure for HIV i saw a comment about Dr. ozman, how he cured HIV with his herbal medicine, I contacted him and he guided me. I asked for solutions, he started the remedy for my health, he sent me the medicine through UPS SPEED POST. I took the medicine as prescribed by him and 8 days later i was cured from HIV,thank you dr.ozmanspellhome@gmail.com Dr ozman ONCE AGAIN THANK YOU SIR contact him whatsapp number +2349061515609
1 cancer cure
2 HPV cure
3 ringing ear
4 herpes cure
5 fabriod
6 HPV cure
7 diabetes cure

Reply
wwest brown
7/18/2020 05:53:27 pm

I want to inform the public how i was cured of herpes  Virus by a Doctor
called Dr ishiaku. i visited different hospital but they gave me list of
drugs like Famvir, Zovirax, and Valtrex which is very expensive to treat
the symptoms and never cured me. I was browsing through the Internet
searching for remedy on Herpes and i saw comment of people talking about how Doctor ishiaku cured them. I Was scared because i never believed in the
Internet but i was convince to give him a try because i was having no hope
of been cured of herpes so i decided to contact him on his email, i searched
his email on net and i saw a lot of people testifying about his goodness.
when i contacted him he gave me hope and send a Herbal medicine to me that
i took and it seriously worked for me, am a free person now without
problem, my HERPES result came out negative. You can contact him on his
Email: ishiakuherbalcure@gmail.com or whatsapp him via +2348180828544
 and get all your problem solved.
1)Sickness of any kind
2)Help to CURE Hepatitis B, herpes, HIV/AIDS CANCER and BIPOLAR
3)Divorce, Breakup problem and To Re-unit
4)Pregnancy problem
5)Financial problem and Job promotion
6)To get a good and rich life partner
7)To Lose your wrath
8)to enlargement of penis

Reply
Hannah Pandl
12/27/2020 01:24:36 pm

Herbal treatment is 100% guarantee for HSV cure, the reason why most people are finding it difficult to cure HSV is because they believe on medical report, drugs and medical treatment which is not helpful to cure HSV. Natural roots/herbs are the best remedy which can easily eradicate herpes forever, for more information about herpes cure Please write Dr. Shaibu Abacha for any health challenge. God bless you.Email: drshaibuabacha@gmail.comWhatsapp: +2349061521409

Reply
Jennie Aniston
11/13/2018 03:26:47 pm

Hello everyone, i want to share a testimony on how, Dr Idahosa was able
to restore my life back with his herbal medicine, my good friends i have
been Hiv/Aids positive for 2years and everyday of my life i cry to God as i
was
a Mother of 2 cute kids who were looking up to me, I was on taking my
medication from the hospital, I also did some prayers to God that he should
do some miracle in my life, my friends this is a life touching story i am
sharing with you all on net today, Few Months ago i was browsing on net
when i found some good testimonials about Dr Idahosa Herbs, and someone
recommended that he has cured Hiv/Aids by Dr Idahosa, i always had faith
that
God could use someone to heal me, i contacted Dr Idahosa and i told him
concerning my problem he told me not to worry that with God all things are
possible and also that he was going to prepare for me some herbal herbs
which i am to take and he is going to send the medicine to me, well after
all the guidance and medication from Dr Idahosa he advice that i go for
check again to see my status result and he assured me of good result, i was
afraid at this point cause i never wanted someone to tell me again that i
am positive, after 2days i went to the Hospital for check up and they said
the result was to come out by Friday, at 11:00am on Friday the hospital
Doctor called me and told me that the result was out and i am Negative, i
was shocked and could not believe it, i immediately called Dr Idahosa and
told him about the good news he told me to rejoice and make sure i share my
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friends you can contact Dr Idahosa today on {
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Dr Idahosa is also specialize in curing with the following diseases.....
(1) CANCER
(2) DIABETES,
(3) HERPES SIMPLEX DISEASE,
(4) URINARY TRACT INFECTION,
(5) HPV, INFECTIONS
(6) IMPOTENCE,
(7) BARENESS/INFERTILITY
(8) DIARRHEA
(9) ASTHMA...
10) HE ALSO HAVE SPELL TO BRING BACK YOUR EX

Reply
Roy link
4/22/2019 11:28:10 pm

Welcome to 14 years of being online in one place ;)

Reply
Christina N
7/10/2019 11:03:20 pm

I found out, that taking herbal treatment is the best to get rid of hpv as soon as i feel the symptoms of hpv is appearing, i took the healing process by contacting Dr onokun for natural treatment it works wonders, amazingly ever since I had the herbal treatment i have not feel these horrible disease anymore and my doc told me the virus is gone, i am glad i finally got cured out from this horrible disease. every hpv or herpes patients should also get in touch with this herbalist Dr to get ride of these disease forever his email address;
dronokunherbalcure@gmail.com

Reply
lara
7/16/2019 05:40:28 am

God bless Dr Omohan for his marvelous work in my life, I was diagnosed of HERPES SIMPLEX VIRUS since 2010 and I was taking my medications, I wasn't satisfied i needed to get the HERPES out of my system, I searched about some possible cure for HERPES i saw a comment about Dr Omohan, how he cured HERPES with his herbal medicine, I contacted him and he guided me. I asked for solutions, he started the remedy for my health, he sent me the medicine within 3days. I took the medicine as prescribed by him and 2weeks later i was cured from HERPES contact him via email dromohanherbalmedicine@gmail.com once again thanks to you Dr . omohan cure the flowing virus, contact his email or add him on whatsapp +2348164816038)

cancer cure
diabetes cure
ringing ear
herpes cure
warts cure
HPV cure
HIV cure
get your ex back
pregnancy herbal medicine
prostate enlargement
Hepatitis

Reply
Grateful to Dr LOSA for all his help for my life, my partner was having Herpes Simplex Virus, and we were planing on getting married on early December, when we decided to get ourselves tested first and we found out that my Girlfriend was HSV 2 Positive,
1/15/2020 02:18:12 am


Grateful to Dr LOSA for all his help for my life, my partner was having Herpes Simplex Virus, and we were planing on getting married on early December, when we decided to get ourselves tested first and we found out that my Girlfriend was HSV 2 Positive, my Girlfriend was so unhappy, because this was a barrier for us to get married, so i went out to search out a remedy for my partner, and it was so surprising how Dr LOSA has been a blessing and healing to the masses, after reading about his work on a blog i immediately emailed him: dr.losaherbalhome@gmail . com and he wrote back to me that my Girlfriend will be OK and that we we get married this same year, i couldn't believe it, after doing all that is needed to be done, i was surprise that after 2weeks of using his medicine my Girlfriend went to the doc and was diagnose negative. For more info contact his

Whatsapp 2349056464736.OR

email dr.losaherbalhome@gmail . com and you will get your illness cure and also beware of scams Good Luck

He cure listed diseases

CANCER

HEPATITIS A AND B

DIABETIC.

HERPES

https://drlosaherbslhome.wordpress.com

Reply
mary morgan
3/8/2020 08:44:47 pm

Never give up in life they all say no cure to HSV 2 which is a big lie I have pass through many process also i never believe there is really cure to HERPES until I meet Dr.Ehiaguna the doctor that have been helping many people for many years, I come across this doctor online when I was searching for cure online I found out about this man, and to my greatest surprise this man have the herbal medicine which I have been looking for years I explain my problem to him through the email I found on someone who testify about him also, Dr.Ehiaguna write me a reply and explain how the process work so after ordering for the medicine I got it within 4 days and I took it according to the way Dr.Ehiaguna instructed, I was so happy after two week I took the medicine there was very big change in my health when I was done with the process I go for test, I found out I am negative that was the day I have the tears of joy you can also get in contact with my doctor through his email now drehiaguna@gmail.com or you can also WhatsApp him +2348073908953. And He also have herbs medicine to cured the following diseases; eczema,urethra wart,chronic problems.Herpes, Cancer, Als,Hepatitis, Diabetes, HPV,Infections,ulcer  ETC

Reply
west brown
7/18/2020 05:55:48 pm

I want to inform the public how i was cured of herpes  Virus by a Doctor
called Dr ishiaku. i visited different hospital but they gave me list of
drugs like Famvir, Zovirax, and Valtrex which is very expensive to treat
the symptoms and never cured me. I was browsing through the Internet
searching for remedy on Herpes and i saw comment of people talking about how Doctor ishiaku cured them. I Was scared because i never believed in the
Internet but i was convince to give him a try because i was having no hope
of been cured of herpes so i decided to contact him on his email, i searched
his email on net and i saw a lot of people testifying about his goodness.
when i contacted him he gave me hope and send a Herbal medicine to me that
i took and it seriously worked for me, am a free person now without
problem, my HERPES result came out negative. You can contact him on his
Email: ishiakuherbalcure@gmail.com or whatsapp him via +2348180828544
 and get all your problem solved.
1)Sickness of any kind
2)Help to CURE Hepatitis B, herpes, HIV/AIDS CANCER and BIPOLAR
3)Divorce, Breakup problem and To Re-unit
4)Pregnancy problem
5)Financial problem and Job promotion
6)To get a good and rich life partner
7)To Lose your wrath
8)to enlargement of penis

Reply
sam
8/26/2020 09:14:48 pm


I can’t believe this. A great testimony that i must share to all HERPES patient in the world, i never believed that their could be a complete cure for HERPES or any cure for HERPES,i saw people’s testimony on blog sites and comment section about DR VOKE a herbal doctor and the efficiency of his herbal medicine.I had to give him a try because i my self have been suffering from the same virus, and i was not disappointed. It took just few weeks i started using it i started noticing changes. I was cured . You can also contact him on his email: (doctorvoke1@gmail.com) or Whatsapp him on:+1 (773) 349 2820

Reply
Rita
12/29/2020 10:16:44 pm

I'm 40 years old female I tested genital herpes (HSV1-2) positive in 2016. I was having bad outbreaks. EXTREMELY PAINFUL. I have try different kinds of drugs and treatment by the medical doctors all to know was avail. Six months ago I was desperately online searching for a helpful remedies for genital herpes (HSV1-2) cure, which I come across some helpful remedies on how Dr OYAGU have help so many people in curing genital herpes (HSV1-2) with the help of herbal treatment because I too believe there is someone somewhere in the world who can cure herpes completely. At of the past 2 months, however, I've been following his herpes protocol Via oyaguherbalhome@gmail.com or +2348101755322 and it stopped all outbreaks completely! To my greatest surprise I was cured completely by following the protocol of his herbal medicine . Don't be discouraged by the medical doctors. There is a cure for HSV with the help of herbs and roots by a herbalist Dr call Dr OYAGU he is so kind and truthful with his herbal treatment, kindly contact him for more information Via oyaguherbalhome@gmail.com or WhatsApp DR on +2348101755322 or visit his website https://oyaguspellcaster.wixsite.com/oyaguherbalhome you will be lucky as I am today

Reply
Aaron Jeremy
1/12/2021 11:20:08 pm

CHIEF DR LUCKY HERBAL TREATMENT   Thank you very much Chief Lucky for curing my Human Papillomavirus (HPV) totally. You are really a Godsent, I promise you that I will always recommend you. and to share your testimony to people. Contact him now thanks all. CHIEF LUCKY CAN AS WELL CURE THE FOLLOWING DISEASES:-
1: HIV/AIDS2: HSV3: LUPUS4: ALS5: HEPATITIS B6: DIABETES7: HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS (HPV)8: CANCER 9: PAD10: PENIS ENLARGEMENT 11: THYROID ETC..  WhatsApp him on +2348132777335 or email (chiefdrlucky@gmail.com).

Reply
Manasvini Verma
1/13/2021 05:07:21 pm

*Herpes is a serious and recurring disease which can't be cured through drugs or injections by the American doctors but the best way to deal with Herpes is by taking natural herbs medicine for it and is only few American doctors that know about this herbal medicine from Dr oliha.. I have read about Dr oliha the great herbalist doctor from African who can cure Herpeewith his powerful herbal medicine. for the people suffering from the following diseases Hiv, Herpes, Cancer, Als,Herpatitis, Diabetes, Hpv,Infections ETC should contact him for his herbal medicine because i am a living testimony and i was cured of Herpes. Although, i sent him what he requested and he sent me his medicine which i took for two weeks and today when i went for test i was tested Herpes negative and he can also cure herpes etc you can reach him through his WhatsApp number:+2349038382931 he will help you out or email oliha.miraclemedicine@gmail.com or https://olihamiraclemedicine.webs.com/ *

Reply
Emma Nuel
1/23/2021 10:00:32 am

Am really happy that i have been cured from HSV1&2 DISEASE with the herbal medicine of Dr otaigbe have been suffering from this disease for a long time now without solution until i came across the email of this doctor who have cure so many people with his herbal medicine, i also choose to give him a chance to help me, he told me what to do and i kindly did it, and he gave me his herbal medicine and direct me on how to use it, i also follow his instructions for use and he ask me to go for a check up after 3 months which i did, to my greatest surprise my result came out as negative, i am really happy that there is someone like this doctor who is ready to help anytime any day. To all the readers and viewers that is doubting this testimony stop doubting it and contact this doctor if you have any disease and see if he will not actually help you. I know that there are some people out there who are really suffering and hurting their family just because of these diseases. you can get to him through email:DROTAIGBESPELLHOME@GMAIL. COM or WhatsApp him +2349066103332 .

Reply
MAXWELL
2/14/2021 03:23:36 pm

We prepare Natural Herbal Medicine that cured all kind of disease/problem that affect the human system. Contact us through email:kofispellcaster394@gmail.com
Contact BABA KOFI on +27788635586 Our cure is within the duration of 9 – 30 days depending on the stage of the disease.

We can send our medicine to you anywhere around the world.
Our medicine is %100 guarantees to cure you.
Our herbal medicine is %100 safe for consumption and it has no side effect.
We have herbal cure to the below problem.

HIV/Aids,
Herpes – Oral and Genital herpes
Genital warts (HPV).
kidney ston.
Heart Failure.
Diabetes.
Cancer.
Low Sperm count.
Stroke.
Obesity.
Eye problem.
Weight Management.
Weak Erection.
Mouth Ulcer.
Epilepsy.
Lassa Fever.
Pregnancy Problem.
Skim Disease.
Fibroid Tumor.
Hypertension.
Asthma.
Infertility / Impotency.
And many more.
Contact us with your problem today and get it solved. Below is the Information needed to contact BABA KOF

Contact Details.
EMAIL : kofispellcaster394@gmail.com
BABA KOFI on Whatsapp; +27788635586

Reply



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