Ghostwalker Research Page

Welcome to my research page on the Ghostwalker Series. Over the years I researched a wide range of subjects to help enhance my stories. The Ghostwalker Series continues to keep me busy researching. I intend to share my favorite findings with you on these pages -- the ones that helped inspire elements of the Ghostwalker Series. I hope you enjoy!

~AUTISM~

Autism is a form of Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) that affects the functioning of the brain. This disorder typically shows up in the first three years of life and people afflicted with autism have difficulty communicating and interacting with others. Approximately 1 in 250 children are diagnosed with autism, with a four times greater incidence in boys than girls. It is estimated that 1.5 million Americans suffer from some form of this disease and this number is increasing annually. Treatment for autism is very individualized depending on severity and symptoms. The ultimate goal is to provide highly organized structure to allow the child to communicate better and interact socially with others.

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~TELEKINESIS~

Telekinesis, also referred to as psychokinesis or pk, is ability to affect the property of things or to move them. Some may also refer to this ability as mind over matter. The actual mechanisms of this extraordinary gift are unknown at this point to the scientific world. Some hypothesize that it is a physical manifestation of the brain on the physical world. There is a lot of speculation on telekinesis without much data at this point.

For more information visit:

http://paranormal.about.com/library/weekly/aa031703b.htm

~GENETIC ENHANCEMENT~

Genetic enhancement is a term normally used to describe alterations of genes not related to disease. In other words genetic enhancement is the modification of genes to create better than normal results. For instance, scientists have been able to enhance a cow to overdevelop muscle and produce nearly zero fat. The implications of gene enhancement are huge. Theoretically we may be able to create athletes that can jump farther, run faster, last longer or develop animals that grow more quickly than normal with higher body weight for quicker butchering. The possibilities are limitless and a little scary.

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~PSYCIC ABILITY IN WARFARE~

The possibility of psychic ability has been around for ages. But during the cold war and WWII it is thought that even the government became a believer. In 1995 an experiment called Operation Stargate was de-classified and released to the public. In this experiment the CIA and the US military allegedly used soldiers with psychic propensities to train as remote viewers. They were trained to "see" war bunkers and other secret information from great distances. At the program's peak in the late 70's there were six of these "remote" viewers, also known as The Naturals, working for the United States.

~SUPERCONDUCTOR~

In Shadow Game there is reference to a superconductor. According to http://www.superconductors.org, a superconductor is an element, compound, or alloy that will conduct electricity below a certain temperature without resistance. The key term here is "without resistance", because this means a superconductor can create a virtual seamless flow of electrical current. Superconductivity was first observed in 1911 by Dutch physicist Heike Kamerlingh Onnes of Leiden University. He noticed the phenomenon of superconductivity in Mercury and won a Nobel Prize in 1913 for his research into this field. The possibilities for uses of superconductivity are virtually limitless. There are already great advances into transportaion, medical technologies (such as MRI's) and more efficient electrical generators.

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~LASER GLASS CUTTERS~

A laser glass cutter is a tool that uses light to cut through glass. It focuses light to vaporize material; similar to the way a magnifying glass can be focused to start a fire. These tools are commonly used industrially. Glass cutters can also be portable and subsequently used in cutting through windows to gain access to a building or vehicle.

~SOUND AS A WEAPON~

Sound is a powerful thing. The human ear is capable of hearing only a small range of the available known sound. In fact we are only able to hear between 20 Hz and 20 kHz. Anything below this range is infrasonic and anything above is ultrasonic. It is possible to use this infrasonic and ultrasonic sound as a weapon. A focused sound wave can be used to strike an object. If infrasound hits a human, depending on its concentration and strength it can cause symptoms ranging from mild nausea, dizziness to heart failure and death. There are many sites on the internet with interesting articles on this subject.

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~GENE THERAPY~

Gene therapy is a procedure used to correct the genes that cause disease. There are many approaches that can be used to alter genes. The most common approach is the use of a neutralized virus to insert DNA into the genome. Currently the F.D.A. has not approved any gene therapy for sale, but it does exist experimentally.

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~LOUISIANA BAYOU~

The word bayou has its origins in the word "bayuk", which is the Louisiana French word for a small stream. The definition of a bayou is "a swampy arm or a slow moving outlet of a lake". A bayou is "a sluggish or stagnant creek, frequently flowing through swamp terrain. The term is used mainly when referring to areas in the delta region (the area near the mouth) of the Mississippi River. In comparison, a swamp is low-lying, marshy wetland, and is usually forested and seasonally flooded." The wildlife that can be found in the bayous of Louisiana is abundant. It is not uncommon to see alligators, raccoons, rats, crawfish, crabs or peeps. It is said that the insect and plant species of these areas could fill up a large phone book in and of themselves!

For more information visit:


Sunset		On The Bayou


Shrimp Boat

~NEW ORLEANS~

Mardigras New Orleans is a beautiful and historically rich city located in Louisiana, on the Mississippi River, approximately 110 miles upstream from the Gulf of Mexico. The city was originally named Nouvelle Orleans in honor of Phillippe II, Duc d'Orleans, who was the regent of France under French King Louis XV.

New Orleans, also known as the crescent city (because of it's shape), was founded in 1718 by France and is the only U.S. city where French was the predominant language for more than one hundred years. In fact, there are many unique characteristics to New Orleans. For instance, it is the American city occupied longest by enemy troops during the Civil War. Also it houses the oldest continuosly active Roman Catholic Cathedral in the United States, St. Louis Cathedral. The New Orleans Streetcar line is the oldest continuosly operating rail system in the world. And to top it off this city is known as the birthplace of jazz.

On top of the amazing history of New Orleans, this city is a great place to visit. With multiple festivals, including Mardi Gras, great Cajun food, and abundant attractions, New Orleans is definitely a city not to be missed!


Larcos Bridge		French Market


Grand Island

For more information visit:

City Park

~COTTONMOUTH SNAKE~

Cottonmouth Snake Cottonmouth snakes, also known as water moccasins, are commonly found in the south and like to inhabit marshy areas in particular. They are the only poisonous water snake in North America. These highly venomous snakes are black in color and reach lengths from 3 ½ to 6 feet. Water moccasins are very aggressive and will defend their territory; they will even approach intruding human beings!

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~ALLIGATORS~

Alligators are large reptiles that can be found in the southeastern United States and China. Unlike their cousin, the crocodile, alligators have blunt snouts and are relatively unaggressive. Between 1978 and 2003, there were only 2 alligator attacks in Louisiana, neither of which was fatal, and 13 fatal attacks in Florida. Typically alligators live between thirty five and fifty years and rarely grow larger than thirteen feet in length and six hundred pounds in weight. The largest alligator ever captures was caught in the early 1900's in Louisiana, and measured nineteen feet, two inches!

For further reading on alligators, please follow the links below: