The Editor Speaks 22/9/2008

Hello folken,

is it really four months since I last updated ? Yup, it is.

Well I have been busy.

To begin with I've written three new pieces which were for Stoner Magazine, but as it appears they've gone bust and they'll never see the printed page, and I didn't get paid, I've published them here for our Members to read in all their glory.

The first article was inspired by the news that The Pollinator Co. no longer support the use of Ice-o-later or Bubbleator water extraction methods of hash making. You can read what my investigation revealed in the public Ital Bar Smoking Lounge & Library under the heading Ice Cold.

The second piece was written from the few remaining texts from the original story lines for the Fanasy Thread that was part of The Balloon Game in the early days of EDIT 2003.

Well you knew I just couldn't leave Skanks out there cooking breakfast forever ! Anyway inspired by the idea of actually getting paid to write I dusted off the remaining texts and began a whole new story which was to be illustrated as a serial feature story for Stoner Magazine ............, sigh. The first chapter of what one day may become a book, or something, can be read in the public Ital Bar Smoking Lounge & Library under the heading SKANKSTER, El-Dan Province: Chapter One.

The third article is my report on the introduction of the Anti Tobacco Law in Amsterdam and can be read in full in the Members Library under the heading The Last Big Smoke.

On The Forums - After working with DNA Genetics on getting their forums going we were sad to be told that due to legal complications DNA had to shut it down. It was a real shame because things were just starting to take off and a very freindly vibe was being generated amongst the users of the boards. We wish Mark & The Back Room Boys who worked so hard on the forums project well in their next venture. Keep in touch folks. ................ It seems WeedTalk.com has either gone bust, or been busted, because they too are no more. .................... Virtual Dam seems to have died a death since Rez hopped off to Spain(?), which is a shame as this was another place with a very good vibe. That private Members thing slowed down new users though and one of the former Mods over at DNA still hasn't had a reply to his application. ...............

Lee Harris is ever busy and doing some gigs with Angel Headed Hip Hop and has a new MySpace page. After a long and winding path I'm pleased to tell you all that I finally brought about a meet between Lee and John Sinclair, or rather Ferre of the THC Ministry did. Last summer I suggested the idea to John as we took a fish & chip dinner in a Soho pub. He was very keen but has been travelling a lot. However I'd introduced Lee to Ferre, and Ferre is good freinds with John, and so it came to pass that Ferre eventually brought the two together on September 4th 2008. Lee recorded an interview with John and is set to do some music with him in the future. You heard it here first.

Talking of MySpace, in the intrest of communication with others The Lair can now be found at MySpace.com/VernTheViper . Feel free to drop by and add us if you do the MySpace thing.

I was pleased to hear recently, and far too late to attend, that Planet-X has returned from the undead to do two yearly special events for old members and past staff. I never thought Doreen could be talked into it, but I'm so glad she was. Though I missed the first reunion last May, I'll be seeing Doreen for her birthday party on Oct 3rd, and look forwards to Planet-X Mas Dec 28th. I'll also be going to see the Eric's musical and you know I'll have to write a review.

The High Times Cannabis Cup 2008; news on the Cups is that the tour operater sorting out travel for the reggae artists supose to be playing at the Power Zone this year have gone bust, which means at least half the bands expecting to play won't be getting there. So, buisness as usual then.

Unfortunately due to health concerns it looks very unlikely that I'll be making to the Cups this year. Please feel free to send us your reviews and experiences of this years Cups you folken that will be going.

Would you like a poster or T-shirt of your favourite coffee shop ? How about a mouse mat, mug or room clock ? Well, very soon you'll be able to pick from a range of special and Limited Edition Lair merchendise. It's all going to be up to our readers to decide which graphics they would like to see as mugs, mouse mats, clocks, posters, and T-shirts. Only graphics with twenty plus votes will make it onto the various products, so send your top choices to psycho_cat @ psychocat.co.uk before October 17th 2008 and we'll see what can be done for Yule.

Viper 22/9/2008

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Hi folken,

work continues a pace in the office. Now I'm an official free lance journalist there just doesn't seem enough time in the day.

Some of you may have noticed our Index page has changed slightly. We think it looks nicer now.

It seems that the 'Brand 420' Cups went quite well. I hear there was some contorversy around the C99 strain, that there were some sparks flying between Gypsy Nirvana and DNA Genetics, that Greenhouse Chemdog strain isn't theirs, that the Cheese was entered into the wrong catagory (I'm told this came from a U.K. clone), that a lot of folken from the U.K. were there (likely Weed World readers and members of the parasitic 'Brand' UK420 forum), that Soma took up residence at the big table in the Pollinator Co., day passes were free but got you nothing to smoke, there were 25 strains entered, that some regular hardcore attendees were missing, that the Pollinator Co. got very busy, that the Pollinator web site has a statement proclaiming it no longer supports the use of Ice-O-later or Bubbleator resin extraction methods, and that the American's made a special venture over to Haarlem to find a steakhouse.

It seems that Issue 3 of Stoner Magazine will be out in June. My first article for them, '420 Revealed' will be printed in its entirety. Though four years old its lost nothing and remains relevant.

Any of you remember Skankster ? A fictional character I brought to life for a bit of a laugh some years ago now, Skanks is set to ride again. This time in his own serial illustrated feature story in Stoner magazine, coming soon

On the Forums; - The big news is that former EDIT owner Mark and his Tech Team have joined forces with DNA Genetics to produce a spanking new forum. We wondered what Mark was up to. Good luck and best wishes to the new venture. I have little doubt that in a year or two it'll be as successful as past projects. ................ Things have settled down over at EDIT since the departure of the Grow Sections. There was some minor disturbance by members of a rival forum who think they'll continue to get away with taking the piss, but a little Ban Hammer weilding by Admin took care of that. .......................... Over at Virtual 'Dam a mass login was planned and took place Sunday before last. Sadly it being Sunday and most people recovering from being wasted on the Saturday, turn out was poor. Not to worry, there's always next time. ....... .The Evil Girls site is now up and partly running. Looking good girls ! ...............

Best wishes going out to Lee Harris who has begun writting a book. Keep at it Lee. .............. Plans for this year walk to Stonehenge by The True Druid look like they may be shelved due to circumstances beyond control. Never the less David is looking into a new buisness venture. Best of Luck David, don't let the bastards grind you down.

A new recording artist wishing to be know as The Fall-Out Brothers contacted us recently. A review of the first album 'No Key, No Pitch, No Idea' can be found in the Live Lounge of our Members section. The entire 11 track album is freely and exclusivly availible only through this web site and can be downloaded to enjoy at your leisure. Thanks to The Fall-Out Brothers for their generosity of spirit. You can hear 'Yeah' in our Home page Reception, 'Fine Tonight' playing in the Ital Bar Smoking Lounge, and the whole album in the Live Lounge.

Long days and pleasant nights,

Viper 13/5/2008

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28/3/2008

Life seems to move on at a faster pace these days, and it’s difficult to keep up with it all. Where does the time go ?

The Lair continues to evolve. The Members Library has been re-designed with easy use in mind. There are now three separate sections; Amsterdam, The U.K, and newly designed Viper’s Live Lounge. We hope this make it easier for you all to find what your looking for.

I was out and about on the Live circuit again during March and there are three brand new live reviews with exclusive live pictures in the Live Lounge; Siouxsie (of The Banshees) 1/3/2008, Stiff Little Fingers 5/3/2008, and THE M3T3ORS 8/3/2008.

Plans are slowly forming for the ‘Last Big Smoke’. See X.

Other big and exciting news is that Ed the Editor of ‘Stoner’ magazine, based in the U.K. coming out of Scotland and distributed by Avalon Wholesale, has been in touch. Quotes from my Double Dusk review of Lee Harris’s gig last September are to be published in a feature on Lee Harris written by River Styx in the forth coming Issue 3. Ed also asked me to do some regular features in the mag from Issue 4. He even mentioned money. So look out world, among the debauched tales and raconteur reviews that I’ll no doubt be writing in the future, there’s something else. I can hear the distant sound of a familiar motorbike engine and feel the mysterious eye of Eric turning once again in my direction.

High Times Cannabis Cup 2008 News; It seems that the billed induction of the Merry Panksters this year is off. According to reports The Cups will this year feature Reggae. Artists to be featured are not yet confirmed. It appears that the main Expo will again be located at The Power Zone venue, like last year. Plans for the Awards this year seem to include The Melkweg, but its far too early to be sure.

This years Weed World Hemp Fair is to take place in London, in November before the HTCC.

On the Forums; The big news is the removal of the Growing & Mushroom sections of EDIT. It seems the lawyers advised new owner Shaman to make the change. As expected, this was not pleasurably recieved by the EDIT community. Get over it. ................. New-ish Virtual Amsterdam seems to be quietly bubbling along very nicely. It's a welcome change to visit a forum and not have to wade through a bunch of teenager bullshit to find something interesting or usefull. Long may it continue. ........................... After a break for some tech twitching Weed Talk is back online. They like European news, so drop in and let them know what's happening over this side of the world. ............... Over at the Ministry there's a steady steam of interesting and shocking news from the underground as well as community support for members in stressful times. ........................... Across the way at Weed Tracker there's a whole host of splendid information and helpful advise for Medical Marijuana patients across the U.S.A.. This site seems to list the entire country and for those that know nothing about this subject its the best place to be inspired. ................... Drug Runners - the new Round is under way but I'm not playing. I just haven't got the time. Another wonderful waste of time is Kings Of Babylon. Here you can build your very own village, train an army, and attack other players villages. ............... The Evil Girls site opens on April 9th, and looks promising. ...............

I also like to offer my condolences to Lee Harris who recently had to say goodbye to his wife of 32 years due to cancer. A Buddhist ceremony sent Brigitta on boat of love along the river that runs along side the path to the family table in the clearing March 4th 2008. We’re thinking of you Lee, and we send our good wishes. Looking forwards to hearing the new L.P..

Best wishes too for David - The True Druid who continues to fight for his rights against the forces of ignorance and repression. I understand that work and customizations on the new-ish Range Rover (new Druid Mobile) are nearly complete and that plans for this years stroll to Stone Henge from Brighton are under way.

Looks like June is going to be interesting ......

Viper 28/3/2008

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Hello folken,

It’s been an interesting Yule period. Starting off with the Captain’s Cup Tour its been all go. First there was the planning, then the doing, and afterwards the writing. Along came some domestic strife, a slew of seasonal illness, then a tooth abscess.

Never the less the Lair has grown and there are now several sub-sites sharing our space. The Captain has his own site now, as does Miss Jezebel Hurt, and old friends Psycho Cat Designs. We wish them all the very best of luck.

News from Amsterdam says that come 1st July 2008 smoking culture as we know it is over. The Captain is making plans for a Last Big Smoke. Why don’t you join us ?

Viper 12/2/2008

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Hi folken, the all new Viperslair.co.uk is back online and better than ever. We've moved host sites and re-designed the site. We hope you like what we've done. Casual readers may still access selected articles in the public area of the Ital Bar, but regular readers will now have to Register as Members to access our full Library and Viper's Live Lounge. Registration can be simply achieved by filling in the Ital Bar Registration form.

We also have a couple of new helpers here at the Lair, Lean Mean Rollin Machine, and Miss Jezebel Hurt.

Best wishes folken,

Viper 28/10/2007

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Lair Language

In the rush to get published it often happens that we incur type errors and the odd spelling mistake. Our policy has always been more 'Sniffin' Glue' than 'The Times On Sunday' .

The first ever dictionary of the English Language was only published in 1755. It was an attemp to standardise the spelling of words so that everybody could then read what others wrote. Before the dictionary Olde English as it is now known took priority, with spellings changing from place to place along with local pronounciation and accent.

There was no standard way to spell words. So long as the message could be read and its sense was clear, the variation in spelling was unimportant. The dicionary simply marked a point in linguistics from which we are able to agree or disagree on word spelling as we see fit.

English Literature as a topic of study did not come into being until the late 1890's. Occasionally we do use Olde English here at the Lair, and we see no reason why we shouldn't.

Viper 2/6/2006

Fantasy & Fiction Theme Of The Lair

Our home page is and shall continue to be an artistic conception. Though real images have been used to create it, and other pages in the Lair, we stress that our Lair is a fictional creation, in the fictional setting of the Dominion Of El-Dan.

The emphasis here is on interactivity and the conception of the design was intended to stimulate the imagination of the viewer.

We believe that if you're here and reading this then its because you actually want to be visiting our site. If you want to be here, we believe your prepared to spend a little time looking around the place. We aim to make that as interesting and entertaing an experience as possible. Expect regular changes.

Though initially started in embryo over at EDIT Forums during Dec 2002 - 2003 the seeds for the concept of the look of the Lair strech much further back to the time of my youth.

Viper 29/1/2006

Though some artistic liberty may be taken with a subtle blending of fact with fiction in Lair story lines, all articles, essays, features and reviews are free from the fictional theme and concept of our viewer orientated presentation.

Those who helped develop the characters I'll be establishing here, over at EDIT, thank you. Like as not I may include you somewhere at some time.

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