Closer to the Light is a study of NDE, near death experiences, in children by a doctor.  The theory is that children's interpretations of the phenomenon will be devoid of any sort of exterior influence.  From a rudimentary study of most network programming, people nowadays have a preconceived notion of the whole "light at the end of the tunnel" as much as they do about forensic pathology, courtroom procedure, and surgical technique.  I think watching CBS after 10 PM anymore qualifies most people for some sort of Associates Degree from the University of Phoenix in one of four disciplines including taxidermy and gunsmithing.  

However, young children don't necessarily know that when they have an NDE they're supposed to see a tunnel of light, speak with spiritual beings, or float above themselves.  So there's a certain purity in the research.  

When the book focuses on the scientific study, it's pretty intriguing.  That Morse is a doctor, and approaches this from a purely analytical standpoint, really helps the matters.  At times, the book almost reads like a grant proposal, bemoaning loss of funding or the degradation of his peers.  Morse explains how a certain section of the brain can be electrically stimulated to create NDE.  Which means that when a person goes into the comforting light, it could actually be a self-defense mechanism naturally created by the brain to protect the person against pain and to help them reach a certain state of enlightenment.  That's kind of neat: that the concept of heaven and the warm light is actually biologically inclusive in most human minds.  

Where the book loses me entirely is when it gets spiritual.  I'd be willing to accept the concept of a warm embracing light and perfect peace.  Who wouldn't want that?  However, most of the people who experience this light assume it's God.  They have to put a name on it, so it becomes a religious rather than a spiritual thing.  And I think the book, while not being explicit about it, is playing to the angel crowd on this one.  

The scientific study gets boggled down by an insistence on bringing religion into it.  And I'm not willing to accept that.  I think people use God as a way of explaining things that are beyond the realm of their comprehension.  That children would think this is a perfect example of a parent putting an idea in their heads.  When a child sees a beautiful warm light, the natural instinct isn't to assume that it's God, but that it's light.  God comes into it because that's how the parents teach them.  So a beautiful experience gets used as a means of promoting a religion.  

Of course, I don't know if it is God.  That's the thing.  And so because the book is comprised mostly of children recounting their death experiences, it's rather tedious.  That might be cold and callous, but honestly, I don't need to read 100 accounts of "I smashed my head on a rock and was brain dead, but then I was floating over my body and I saw the doctor's trying to resuscitate me, and then I ended up going down a tunnel where I saw my family and people made of light and so much beautiful light, and then they told me to go back so I could be with my family."  

But the purpose behind the book is that if so many different children can have this same experience despite the difference in their illness and injury, and that the results are uniformly the same, then maybe there is really something to the theory of near-death experience.  Also, it's nice to know that most of these people use the experience to better themselves, and go on to lead enriched fulfilling lives.  I just don't like the fact that it's automatically God's plan and God who's the light.  I always liked the idea of the janitor in the clock tower myself. 

From what I understand there's a second book called Transformed by the Light that's much more scientifically oriented.  I guess the sales of this book were positive enough that he could actually get the funding to perform the more scientifically based experiments, like testing blood for endorphin levels, and using an EEG to test whether that specific portion of the brain is stimulated during the NDEs.  I just have a hard time reading it, because this one truly felt so insistent on assuming light = God.

On a beautiful sunny day in the Coronado National Monument, an elderly couple's car goes off the side of a mountain and into oblivion. The terrain is so rocky that a helicopter must be flown in to retrieve the bodies, and to make matters worse, a thunder-storm is looming on the horizon. Hours later and miles away, the subsiding rain reveals gruesome evidence: two trash bags containing human remains. It's just another day in the life of Cochise County sheriff Joanna Brady. Back at home, Joanna has a newborn baby, a teenage daughter, a writer husband, and a difficult mother to deal with. But in the field, it turns out that she has much more on her hands. The remains are those of a handicapped woman who had wandered away from a care facility with a suspicious track record. Another resident, with whom the woman may have been involved, has also been reported missing. Meanwhile, a note is found in the glove compartment of the car lying twisted down the mountainside, stating that its occupants intended to take their own lives. Yet a contradictory autopsy report surfaces, and when the deceased's two daughters show up to feud over their inheritance, Joanna knows there is more to this case than just a suicide pact. And she will go all out to find the truth&8212;no matter where it leads.

Tag: Damage Control Joanna Brady Mysteries Book 13

tURBINE CELEBRATES THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF the launch of THE LORD OF THE RINGS ONLINE™Month-Long Celebration Marks the Return of the $199 LOTRO Lifetime Subscription Plan

WESTWOOD, MA - April 24, 2008 - Turbine, Inc. announced today a special promotion featuring limited time pricing offers and a series of in-game events to celebrate the first anniversary of The Lord of the Rings Online™: Shadows of Angmar™ (LOTRO), the award-winning massively multiplayer online roleplaying game.

"It's been an incredible year for LOTRO and Turbine" said Jim Crowley, president and CEO of Turbine, Inc. "Winning the 2007 PC Game of the Year, being named 2007 MMO of the Year and the overwhelmingly positive response to the game from fans around the world has been a real validation of our vision*. Our anniversary celebration is a chance for us to take time to gather with our past and present players to enjoy everything that is special about Middle-earth and thank them for their wonderful support with some special in-game events and subscription options."

The month-long celebration of the first anniversary of LOTRO includes:

Ø Launch of Book 13: Doom of the Last-king: Turbine's fifth content update to LOTRO delivers the frosty new region of Forochel, a new Monster Player class plus a host of other enhancements that continue to make LOTRO one of the fastest growing games in the world!

Ø Welcome Back Celebration: Former subscribers are invited to come back to Middle-earth beginning May 8th for five days of free play! Experience the new content added since launch that has increased the size of the world by over 30% including new regions, player housing, the outfit system and a myriad of new raids and instances.

Ø Save Middle-earth and Win: During the anniversary celebration, monsters throughout Middle-earth will drop rare items when defeated. Players can exchange these rare items for a special gift box that will reward the player with one of a variety of in-game items to aid them on their adventures in Middle-earth.

Ø Special Anniversary Pricing: For a limited time, Turbine is offering two new pricing plans for the 2007 PC Game of the Year and the 2007 MMO of the Year! Players can choose to become lifetime subscribers for $199 and never pay a monthly fee again. Players can also choose any multi-month plan (90-days or longer) and lock in a monthly price of $9.99 for as long as they maintain their new subscription plan. **

The Lord of the Rings Online is an award-winning massively multiplayer online role playing game that delivers an interactive experience brimming with life and filled with the familiar people, places and monsters from the most beloved fantasy adventure of all time. From the picturesque surroundings of the Shire to the upcoming expansion to Moria, the most fearsome underground realm ever imagined, players will experience the world of Middle-earth as never before. LOTRO is available for purchase at major retailers across North America and Europe. For more information or to download a free trial, visit www.lotro.com or www.lotro-europe.com.

The first thing I did was run the nVidia stability test which would cause the old card to crash within 30 seconds, regardless of card temperature.

The new card ran through a 10 minute pass without issue.

Then I brought up LOTRO, got out my hunter, and played for a little over an hour.

No issues their either. Plus, my hunter hit level 24. Only one more level until he gets his first horse.

So I am all set to play Lord of the Rings Online again.

And a good thing too.

Within the instance group there has been some renewed interest in LOTRO.

Skronk (Potshot) has been back in the game a bit.

Ula has shown some interest in coming back to play now that housing is available.

And I have had the urge to go back for a while now, which is why I have been griping about my video card issue.

And that urge increased when I read that one of the new Book 13 features is fishing!

Fishing!

For no good reason I end up fishing in almost every MMO I play. (There is no fishing in EVE Online... but mining is pretty much the moral equivalent.)

I like that Turbine has declared fishing a "hobby" as opposed to a profession. Although you can cook your fish and eat them if you have the right profession, the true spirit that seems to be in play here is titles and such, always a strong point in LOTRO.

So look for me on the shores of Nen Harn, fishing pole in hand, some day soon.

A new article was posted on The Lord of the Rings Online's Developer Corner. In it, they give a preview of some of the content that's coming in this next update, titled Book 13: Doom of the Last-King

Highlights:

-The majority of the Chapters in Book 13 will be soloable

-Forochel, the new icy-bay region, will be populated by men known as the Lossoth. You will initially be viewed as "Unfriendly" by them, and you must build up your reputation with them through quests.

-After reclaiming one or more locations for the Lossoth from the invading Gauredain (attacks occur randomly throughout the day), you will be able to run repeatable quests for reputation. You can use those reputation points to earn unique armor sets, weapons, a new mount, housing decorations, and class specific items

-Six new monster types, including moose, winter-worms, and Gauredain war-mammoths.

-Over 100 new quests

-Roughly the size of the North Downs

-Meant to provide solo content for players level 44-50