Friends of Erowid,

Happy New Year! 2007 has been off to a brisk start, with a major content project underway [to be announced soon] and progress being made with the some necessary nuts and bolts server issues.

A New Year, A New Matching Grant
In this generous and challenging "3K in Three Weeks" offer, an Erowid supporter is matching donations of $300 or higher made before Valentine's Day (Feb 14), up to a total of $3,000 in matching funds. Donors at this level are eligible to receive a glass molecule or other membership gift.

The details of the matching grant are described at:
Erowid.org/donations/membership_special1.php

We welcome submissions, suggestions, criticisms, or corrections at submissions@erowid.org.

peace,
fire & earth

1. Sorrow and joy, one brush -- Mitsui Suzuki
   Erowid.org/characters/hofmann_albert/hofmann_albert.shtml
   Erowid.org/characters/wilson_robert_anton/
   
   Albert Hofmann, discoverer of LSD, turned 101 on January 11. We wish him Happy Birthday! In the early morning hours of the same day, beloved writer-philosopher and countercultural icon Robert Anton Wilson died peacefully from natural causes at his home in California. Rest in weirdness, Bob.
   
   
2. The Value of Experience: Erowid's Collection of First-Person Reports
   Erowid.org/experiences/exp_info3.shtml
   
   A current perspective on the Experience Vaults, by Earth & Fire Erowid. Originally published in the June 2006 issue of Erowid Extracts.
   
   
3. Communicating Experience
   Erowid.org/experiences/exp_info5.shtml
   
   Commentary and tips on writing good experience reports, by Jon Hanna. Originally published in the June 2006 issue of Erowid Extracts.
   
   
4. Surfing the Matrix
   Erowid.org/experiences/exp_info4.shtml
   
   A description of a semantic analysis project examining the Experience Vaults, by Jeremy Coyle and Matthew Baggott. Originally published in the June 2006 issue of Erowid Extracts.
   
   
5. Ethchlorvynol Vault
   Erowid.org/pharms/ethchlorvynol/ethchlorvynol.shtml
   
   With Chief Justice Rehnquist's Ethchlorvynol (Placidyl) use recently in the news, we've added a new vault for the substance including legal information and links.
   
   
6. New Law & Policy Vaults
   
   Romanian Drug Laws & Policy
   Erowid.org/psychoactives/law/countries/romania/
   
   China Drug Laws & Policy
   Erowid.org/psychoactives/law/countries/law_china.shtml
   
   
7. New Image Vaults
   
   Eyebright
   Erowid.org/herbs/eyebright/eyebright_images.shtml
   
   Albizia julibrissin
   Erowid.org/herbs/albizia/albizia_images.shtml
   
   
8. An Entheogenic Journey in the Heart of the Beast, Part 2
   Erowid.orgcharacters/hardison_casey/hardison_casey_2006_entheogenic_journey2.pdf
   
   Casey Hardison writes from prison about his experience and legal challenges.
   
   
9. New Image Vault Additions
   Thirty new images were added, including:
   
   Budding and flowering Salvia divinorum
   Erowid.org/plants/show_image.php?i=salvia/salvia_divinorum__i2006e0941_disp.jpg
   
   Dried P. semilanceata
   Erowid.org/plants/show_image.php?i=mushrooms/psilocybe_semilanceata_dried__i2006e0263_disp.jpg
   
   Bag of Methamphetamine Crystals
   Erowid.org/chemicals/show_image.php?i=meth/methamphetamine_crystals__i2003e0628_disp.jpg
   
   Hops
   Erowid.org/herbs/show_image.php?i=hops/humulus_lupulus__i2006e1044_disp.jpg
   
   DXM Cough Syrup Bottle
   Erowid.org/chemicals/show_image.php?i=dxm/dxm_syrup__i2005e1482_disp.jpg
   
   Large Cluster of Peyote
   Erowid.org/plants/show_image.php?i=peyote/lophophora_williamsii__i2002e0630_disp.jpg
   
   
10. Art Vaults
    Erowid.org/culture/art/
    
    One artist was added to the Visionary Art Vaults this month.
    
    January Featured Artist: John Grunwell
    Erowid.org/culture/art/artists_g/art_grunwell_john.shtml
    
    
11. The Erowid Review
    Two new book reviews were published:
    
    "The Mind in the Cave", reviewed by Mike Jay
    Erowid.org/library/review/review.php?p=220
    
    "Bringing Yoga To Life", reviewed by Midevil
    Erowid.org/library/review/review.php?p=219
    
    
12. Eight New Book Added to the Library/Bookstore, including:
    Erowid.org/library/books/
    
    A Brief Tour of Human Consciousness, by V.S. Ramachandran
    Erowid.org/library/books/brief_tour_human.shtml
    
    A History of the World in 6 Glasses, by Tom Standage
    Erowid.org/library/books/history_world_glasses.shtml
    
    The Quest for Consciousness: A Neurobiological Approach, by C. Koch
    Erowid.org/library/books/quest_for_consciousness.shtml
    
    Spice: The History of a Temptation, by Jack Turner
    Erowid.org/library/books/spice_history_temptation.shtml
    
    
13. 318 New Experience Reports
    Erowid.orgexperiences/exp.cgi?DateRange&Y1=2006&M1=12&D1=17&Y2=2007&M2=01&D2=23
    
    

For a more complete listing of What's New at Erowid go to:
Erowid.org/new.php

Conducts laboratory testing of street Ecstasy tablets.

Between Dec 17 and Jan 23, no new results were posted.

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Erowid.org/donations/

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