CRYPTOZOOLOGY ONLINE: Still on the Track: February 2012

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

DAVY JONES (1945-2012)

Now he, Frank and the cow are re-united!

HAUNTED SKIES: Daily Mirror 13.11.65.

http://hauntedskies.blogspot.com/2012/02/daily-mirror-131165.html

OLL LEWIS: Yesterday's News Today

http://cryptozoologynews.blogspot.com/

On this day in 1893 Tesla gave the first public demonstration of radio.
And now the news:

Massive litter of valuable puppies
Two-Headed Trout Causes Controversy In Idaho (PHOT...
Terrified Banstead family confronted by 'dark figu...
Walter Kidd Loses Venomous Snakes And Exotic LIzar...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2107521/Br...
Mysterious 'Dog-Headed Pig Monster' Terrorizes Afr...
Villagers kill leopard in Kurnool
Was there really a vampire who fed on dinosaur blo...
Extraordinary 298-Million-Year-Old Forest Discover...
Protection for Golden poison frog, the world's mos...
BIG CAT STORIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD, WITH ONE SM...

One of Richard Freeman’s favourite bands:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t63_HRwdAgk

CRIPTOZOOLOGIA EN ESPAÑA: Black dogs in the mythology of Canary Islands.

Courtesy of our new friend Walter Cantero, we will now be featuring a digest (in English) of each posting on the prolific and popular Spanish language cryptozoology blog Criptozoologia En España. A big thank you to Walter and to Criptozoologia En España main man Javier Resines....

* http://criptozoologos.blogspot.com/2012/02/perros-demoniacos-en-la-mitologia.html ( dogs vampire in the mythology of the Canary islands )
* http://criptozoologos.blogspot.com/2012/02/chupacabras-mito-o-realidad-la.html (my conference on the precedents of the chupacabras in Latin America in First Ufo Meeting, Guadalajara 2012)

http://criptozoologos.blogspot.com/

Best regards!!

Javier ResinesCriptozoología en España

http://criptozoologos.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

CRYPTOFICTION: The Beast of Essex

Dear Sir,

My name is Martin Black, I live in Essex and I am the author of ‘Beast – The Beast of Essex’ a book which has recently been published on Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=beast+of+essex

The book is a novel based upon big cat sightings in and around the county of Essex. It draws upon factual information and eye witness accounts extracted from local and national newspaper/magazine articles, web based forums, similar to your own and my own experiences in the Essex countryside.

The story is in two parts, the first provides the background information which is based upon carefully researched information as mentioned above. The second part is the main story. I think you and your members would find it quite interesting.

I have set up a website www.beast-home.co.uk to publicise the novel and to allow people to contact me and get more information about the book and its content. The site also has links to Facebook and Twitter accounts.

I’ve included a page which has related links to other useful or interesting websites like yours. I would like to include a link to your website and in return wonder if you would publicise my book on yours. You might like to read it first of course (it is only short (49,000 words) and sells for only £1.40 on Amazon. Let me know what you think.

Hoping to hear from you soon.

Regards, Martin P Black.

Web~ www.beast-home.co.uk

DALE DRINNON: Kappas and Bunyips

New postings on Frontiers of Zoology:

More on Tyler's Kappas and integrating them into my own world view:
http://frontiersofzoology.blogspot.com/2012/02/freshwater-monkeys-and-other.html

And getting to the meaty part of Bunyip stories:
http://frontiersofzoology.blogspot.com/2012/02/beastly-bunyips.html

After online discussions with Tyler Stone, I came upon some supporting evidence that I had to rush to include:
http://frontiersofzoology.blogspot.com/2012/02/honey-island-swamp-monster-monkeylike.html

BOB TRUBSHAW: How the Anglo-Saxons Found Their Way

Hi

As the 'Souls, Spirits and Deities' PDF seem to go down well last month I've followed it with another free-to-download PDF 'booklet' called 'How the Anglo-Saxons Found Their Way.'

Before maps were commonplace people had been getting from place to place successfully for many millennia. How did they find their way?

I've taken a fresh look at how place-names may have sufficiently descriptive to have acted as route markers - and how legends could be used to create mnemonics to remember places in the correct order.

This new work is based on ideas in one chapter of 'Singing Up the Country' (see http://www.hoap.co.uk/general.htm#sutc) but brings in further academic research that I was not aware of when writing 'Singing Up the Country' and which provides direct evidence for such 'narrative cartography' in the records of Anglo-Saxon England.

Available as a free PDF download only. See
http://www.hoap.co.uk/general.htm#ssd for more details and the link
to the PDF download.

Feel free to promote this publication in any way you think would be helpful.

All best wishes

Bob

BIG CAT NEWS: A Suffolk Tiger, and the Beast of Smallthorne's crinkly ears

I haven't been to Sudbury since the two blokes who found a tiger in a municipal flower bed were in their nappies. Back in the day I worked for a famousish pop star who used to live there. It was

a nice little town..

I thought the other day was a slow news day, but this particularly feeble story about a toy tiger in Suffolk is about as feeble as they come.

However, what I can report is that we have put out the trail cameras again on an area of privately owned woodland near Huddisford where there have been a string of sightings over the years. We will leave them up for at least a month.

Regular readers will remember all the gubbins about The Beast of Smallthorne the other day. We received two more handwritten letters from the bloke who claims to have taken the photographs. They both came in the post today:

Dear Jonathan Downes,

Thank you for your letter. I read Dr Shuker's hypothesis comparing the picture I took with the poster. Yes, they do look almost the same, but the difference needs to be taken into account. It is a fact that black leopards look similar, but there is a slight difference. The leopard has got crinkly ears. The leopard I saw on the 18th of this month is darker, and the eyes are lighter. If Dr Shuker took two photos of two pet black cats sitting in the same similar position, does that mean one of the photos is a crude cut and paste hoax?

And the other one reads:

Dear Sir,

Thank you for putting the photo I took of a big black panther Friday 18th February 16:09 2012, Ford Green Nature Reserve, Smallthorne, Stoke on Trent.

I have read the comments about the photo. Yes the image on the poster, does look like the photo I took, however a close-up shows a difference, the cat in the poster has got crinkly ears, markings are not as dark. The Photo is not a 'crude cut and paste hoax' and not been horizontally flipped. How did I get so close, as the comment says? Simple, I cropped the photo for close-up. You can magnify the photo, the photo is authentic.

Yours sincerely.

One has to admire the person's tenacity, as well as the fact that he seems so guile-less that we have his name and address, which we are not posting in order to preserve his privacy.

We are writing back tomorrow asking him to email the original, not a print, so that we can get an expert to have a look at it. In the meantime, and in the absence of any better evidence, I have to say, that I am pretty darn convinced that Doctor Shuker is correct!

THE CANVEY ISLAND MERMAID

This story was a real cause celebre nearly sixty years ago, but this is the first time that I had ever seen the photograph in question.

How could anyone have thought that this was anything other than an angler fish? Perhaps the tjhing that I often bemoan - how our increasingly sedentry and housebound society is ever more divorced from the reality of the natural world isn't quite as modern a phenomenon as I had supposed.

Thank you to Andrew Gable, author of our forthcoming book about the mystery animals of Pennsylvania for sending me the cuttings.

And I suppose this had to be done:

MORE ON THE JOURNAL OF CRYPTOZOOLOGY

Karl Shuker and I have had lots of correspondence over the past day and a half. People seem very interested in the JoZ.

The biggest question seems to be how does one subscribe? The answer to this one is simple - you don't.

We are compiling a mailing list, and whenever an issue is available, we shall email you with the price and how to get it. In addition it will also be available on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk and various other on-line outlets.

If you want to know more about the JoZ then Karl Shuker has started a Facebook Group in which the progress of this project can be monitored.

Please feel free to get involved...

HAUNTED SKIES: Daily Mirror 11.9.65

http://hauntedskies.blogspot.com/2012/02/daily-mirror-11965.html

OLL LEWIS: Yesterday's News Today

http://cryptozoologynews.blogspot.com/

Today is ‘leap-day’ which means that traditionally ladies can propose to their men (in my opinion there is nothing to stop a lady proposing on any date, but that is frowned upon by romance and chick-lit writers who would otherwise loose a useful plot device or something)

And now the news:

Polysternon Isonae, a New Species of Turtle That L...
Ancient tracks are elephant herd
RNA Interference Cancer Treatment? Delivering RNA ...
Big Bird: Fossils of World's Tallest Penguin Disco...
Bird Flu, Swine Flu … and Now Bat Flu?
318 wolves killed in Idaho – Because they eat deer...
New road risk to Iran’s cheetahs & leopards
Pine marten fear for capercaillie
Otter poo reveals surprising facts about otter's d...
CAT NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
BIG CAT NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Talking about weddings, have a clip from Gavin and Stacey:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGK3sZoOsis

DALE DRINNON: Freshwater monkeys/bunyip variations

One being another update on the Freshwater Monkeys theory by Tyler Stone:

http://frontiersofzoology.blogspot.com/2012/02/more-kappa-news-from-tyler-stone.html

And then another launching a series on varieties of Australian Bunyips:

http://frontiersofzoology.blogspot.com/2012/02/dead-bunyip-preserved-in-outline.html

BIGFOOT EYE-SHINE VIDEO: Hmmmmmm

POSSIBLY THE BEST THING I HAVE EVER SEEN

Many thanks to Corinna who knows the way to my heart better than anyone else.

Monday, February 27, 2012

BIG CAT NEWS: Wiltshire and Cheshire

Two more sightings today, one in Wiltshire and one in Cheshire..

Have you spotted the Birchwood big cat?
This Is Cheshire
The pair said they were 'gobsmacked' when the cat, which was the size of a labrador, climbed up a tree before leaping down 15 minutes later. It is the second big cat sighting in the Gorse Covert mounds area. Bernadette said: “I'm going to pursue this ...

ANDREW MAY: Words from the Wild Frontier

News and stories from the remoter fringes of the CFZ blogosphere...

From Nick Redfern's "There's Something in the Woods...":

Owlman & Max Ernst — A surrealist painter with cryptozoological connections...

From CFZ Australia:

Big cats stalking the bush? — Australian Big Cats gets a thumbs-up from Dr Naish...
The weirdest weekend ever — The CFZ's 20th anniversary conference in August...

HAUNTED SKIES: Daily Mirror 10.9.65

http://hauntedskies.blogspot.com/2012/02/daily-mirror-10965.html

OLL LEWIS: Yesterday's News Today

http://cryptozoologynews.blogspot.com/

On this day in 1978 Fortean and Sci-Fi writer Eric Frank Russell died.

And now the news:

Zoo needs help with unique frog conservation effor...
Top Houston Toad Experts Help Drive Bastrop Recove...
Zimbabwe Tortoises Eaten By Chinese Tourists via H...
Rainforest Science: Researcher Licks Frogs to Tell...
Stone Age pebble may be oldest engraving ever
Snapping Turtles in Canada facing triple threat (v...
Can a whale's nose lead it to food?
Killer bees kill mother of 8 in Guyana
Key to Growth Differences Between Species
Rat danger for rare bird filmed
Snakes use sponge action to drink. (via Herp Diges...
Bird Brains Follow the Beat

A reading of Eric Frank Russell's short story “Sole Solution”:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbfYMYRMnxs

IS THIS BIGFOOT IN THE COLORADO SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS?

"Something I couldn't explain from my vacation in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. This ia all I could get on my camera. I thought it was a bear then a very large man

DALE DRINNON: Mound builders and moas

New on the Frontiers of Anthropology, a long and involved posting that took a lot out of me:
http://frontiers-of-anthropology.blogspot.com/2012/02/brazillian-moundbuilders.html

With some rather surprising results about skulls from Brazilian Shellmounds. Incidentally, the initial notices did say that the lowest levels showed evidence for a catastrophic sea wave, so I'm still also holding them to that statement. These mounds run for nearly the entire Atlantic seaboard of Brazil.

New on Frontiers of Zoology, a note about a peculiar situation in George Eberhart's Mysterious Creatures, our standard reference for Unknown Animals:
http://frontiersofzoology.blogspot.com/2012/02/3-kinds-of-moas.html

WW SPONSORS: Aren't Matthew and Emma doing well?

http://forteanzoology.blogspot.com/2012/02/sponsors-of-2012-weird-weekend.html

The list of sponsors who are donating things to the Weird Weekend raffle grows daily. Matthew and Emma are heroic in their effots. Well done, guys!

CORINNA FOUND THIS DODO CAKE

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/879461-the-dodo-returns-as-a-cake-in-a-weird-food-exhibition

Sunday, February 26, 2012

CALL FOR PAPERS FOR THE INAUGURAL VOLUME OF THE JOURNAL OF CRYPTOZOOLOGY

CALL FOR PAPERS FOR THE INAUGURAL VOLUME OF

THE JOURNAL OF CRYPTOZOOLOGY.

With the demise of Kraken, and in particular, Cryptozoology (published by the now-defunct International Society of Cryptozoology), there has been no peer-reviewed scientific journal devoted to cryptozoology for quite some time. Consequently, the Journal of Cryptozoology is launched herewith to remedy this situation and fill a notable gap in the literature of cryptids and their investigation. For although some mainstream zoological journals are beginning to show slightly less reluctance than before to publish papers with a cryptozoological theme, it is still by no means an easy task for such papers to gain acceptance, and as a result, potentially significant, serious contributions to the subject are not receiving the scientific attention they deserve. Now, however, they have a journal of their own once again, and one that adheres to the same high standards for publication as mainstream zoological periodicals.

To that end an impressive peer review panel has been assembled, currently numbering ten members in total (although this may increase in the future), consisting of some of the world's most eminent zoologists and associated researchers in their respective fields. And I am honoured to have been invited by the journal's originator and publisher, CFZ Press, to become editor - an invitation that I am delighted to accept.

It is planned that each volume of the Journal of Cryptozoology should contain at least four papers. These can be discussion or review articles concerning a given cryptozoological subject, research-related papers, or field reports. Details concerning the required presentation formats for these contributions can be found on the journal's inside back cover and are also included below.

Down through the decades, cryptozoology has been defined in different ways by different researchers, with some definitions much more restrictive than others. Consequently, it is important to make clear the definition – and therefore the scope of subjects available for papers – to which this journal adheres. For the purposes of relevance to this journal, a cryptid is a creature that is known to the local people sharing its domain (ethnoknown) but unrecognised by scientists. Such a creature may be any of the following:

1) A species or subspecies allegedly unknown to science, including alleged prehistoric survivors (e.g. mokele-mbembe).

2) A species or subspecies presently unknown to science in the living state, but which is known to have existed in historical times and allegedly still persists today (e.g. thylacine).

3) A species or subspecies known to science but allegedly existing as a natural occurrence in a location outside its scientifically-recognised current geographical distribution (e.g. puma in the eastern USA).

4) A species or subspecies known to science but allegedly existing as an artificial occurrence (i.e. due to human intervention) in a location outside its scientifically-recognised geographical distribution (e.g. alien big cats in Britain).

5) An unrecognised non-taxonomic variant of a known species or subspecies (e.g. Fujian blue tiger).

In addition, papers dealing with fabulous, mythological beasts will be considered for publication in the journal if their subjects have direct relevance to cryptids (e.g. reviewing the similarity between a given lake monster from folklore and cryptids reported in that same lake in modern times).

Some cryptozoological researchers prefer to impose a lower size limit for cryptids, arguing that a crucial aspect of a cryptid's definition is that it should be of unexpected form. However, as I have revealed time and again in my various books documenting new and rediscovered animals, some very notable, unexpected cryptids were also very small. This is exemplified by Kitti's hog-nosed bat Craseonycteris thonglongyai, scientifically described in 1974 but already known to the local Thai people, and so dramatically different from all other bats that it required the creation of an entirely new taxonomic family to accommodate it – yet it is no bigger in size than a bumblebee. Consequently, although this journal is primarily interested with 'classic' cryptids, i.e. those of large or relatively large size, whose apparent continuing existence undiscovered by science is therefore particularly surprising, papers dealing with interesting, unusual, or potentially significant cryptids of smaller size will also be considered for publication.

Please note: unidentified animal-like (zooform) entities of an apparently paranormal nature, e.g. spectral Black Dogs, fall outside the scope of subjects with which this journal is concerned.

It is always exciting to be part of a major new development, and I believe that the Journal of Cryptozoology marks a major new development in the advancement and mainstream awareness of cryptozoology. I hope that you will too.

Consequently, I now wish to take this opportunity to make a formal call for papers for publication in the journal's inaugural volume, scheduled for publication later this year. Below are guidelines concerning requirements for the submission and presentation of manuscripts of papers to the Journal of Cryptozoology that must be adhered to by contributors.

All submissions must be original manuscripts not previously published elsewhere or submitted elsewhere simultaneously with submission to this journal. All submissions will be sent to two members of the journal's peer review panel for their opinions concerning content, clarity, and relevance to cryptozoology. Their comments will then be studied by the editor whose decision is final concerning whether or not the manuscript is published, subject if necessary to amendments by the author(s) suggested by the reviewers. The copyright of all published papers belongs to this journal.

All manuscripts submitted should be one of the following three types of paper:

Discussion/review article: Its subject should be a discussion or literature review of a given cryptozoological subject, and should not include original, unpublished research. It can be of 1000-3000 words in length, and can also include clearly labelled and numbered b/w photographs, artwork, tables, or maps, provided that the copyright of these falls into one of the following three categories:

(1) owned by the author(s);

(2) has been granted to them in writing by their copyright owner(s) - a copy of such permission will need to be submitted with the manuscript and artwork;

(3) expired, i.e. in the public domain.

The article should be preceded by a 200-word abstract, and should be divided into relevant subtitled sections. A reference list can be included at the end of the article; if so, this and the accompanying in-text citation style should correspond with the preferred version outlined below.

Research article: Its subject should be original research (but not fieldwork) conducted by the author(s). It should be of comparable length to or shorter than discussion/review articles, but with a minimum count of 1000 words. It can also include clearly labelled and numbered b/w photographs, artwork, tables, or maps, provided that the copyright of these falls into one of the three above-listed categories. The article should be preceded by a 100-word abstract, and its main text should be split into four sections – Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion. A reference list can be included at the end of the article; if so, this and the accompanying in-text citation style should correspond with the preferred version outlined below.

Field report: Its subject should be fieldwork conducted by the author(s). It should be of 1000-2000 words in length. It can also include clearly labelled and numbered b/w photographs, artwork, tables, or maps, provided that the copyright of these falls into one of the three above-listed categories. The article should be preceded by a 100-word abstract, and its main text should be split into four sections – Introduction, Description (in which the fieldwork undertaken is described), Results, Discussion (which should also include details of any future plans). A reference list can be included at the end of the article; if so, this and the accompanying in-text citation style should correspond with the preferred version outlined below.

Style of reference citation required:
All in-text citations should be: author(s) surnames, comma, year of publication, all in parentheses. If the cited reference has more than two co-authors, give only the first surname followed by et al. Examples: (Jones, 1987), or (Jones & Jones, 1987), or (Jones et al., 1987).

For books, the style required for the reference list should be: Author surname followed by given names with first (or legal) given name in full and others as initials, followed by the year of publication in parentheses, and a full stop/period. The title of the book should be italicised, with its principal words beginning with a capital letter, and should end with a full stop/period. The publisher's name should then be given, with the town or city of publication included in parentheses. If the book is co-authored by two authors, their names should be separated by an ampersand; if co-authored by more than two, all but the last name should be separated by commas, and the last name should be separated by an ampersand. Here are some hypothetical examples:

Smith, John C. (1987). The History of Cryptozoology. Jones & Son (London).

Smith, John C. & Jones, James A. (1987). The History of Cryptozoology. Jones & Son (London).

Smith, John C., Taylor, Paul B., & Jones, James A. (1987). The History of Cryptozoology. Jones & Son (London).

For journal articles, the style required for the reference list should be: Author surname followed by given names with first (or legal) given name in full and others as initials, followed by the year of publication in parentheses, and a full stop/period. The title of the article should not be italicised, and should not be capitalised (other than the first word). The title of the journal should be given in full, not abbreviated, with its principal words beginning with a capital letter, it should be italicised, and should end with a comma. Volume numbers should be given as figures, issue numbers also as figures (preceded by no.) but included in parentheses following the volume number (together with date of issue if relevant, and separated from issue number by a semi-colon), followed by a colon, and then the page numbers, given in full. If the article is in a newspaper, the town or city of publication in parentheses should follow the newspaper's title, and instead of volume numbers, the full date of publication will suffice, followed by the page number(s) if known. Here are some hypothetical examples:

Smith, John C. (1987). Investigation of an unidentified lizard carcase discovered in Senegal. Journal of Lizard Studies, 33 (no. 2; September): 52-59.

Smith, John C. (1987). Mystery cat on the loose in Wales. Daily Exclusive (London), 4 February: 23.

For online sources, if an author name is given, it should be presented in the same style as for books and articles, followed by the title of the source, which should adhere to the style format given above for a hard-copy journal article, followed by the complete URL, date of posting if given, and the date upon which it was accessed by the paper's author(s). Here is an example:

Shuker, Karl P.N. (2012). Quest for the kondlo – Zululand's forgotten mystery bird. http://www.karlshuker.blogspot.com/2012/02/quest-for-kondlo-zululands-forgotten.html 21 February. Accessed 24 February 2012.

If no author is given, simply begin the reference with - , then give the article title, etc as above.

I look forward to receiving your submissions.

Dr Karl P.N. Shuker, the Editor, the Journal of Cryptozoology, February 2012.

HAUNTED SKIES: Daily Express 25.8.65.

http://hauntedskies.blogspot.com/2012/02/daily-express-25865.html

OLL LEWIS: Yesterday's News Today

http://cryptozoologynews.blogspot.com/

On this day in 1973 Bill Everett died. Everett co created the superheroes Daredevil and Submariner

And now the news:

Tiger skins, elephant ivory and bones seized in Ma...
Vigil saves rare birds
A New, Beautifully Colored Lizard Discovered in th...
How the Tiger Got Its Stripes: Proving Turing's Ti...
Eat and Let Die: Insect Feeds On Toxic Plants for ...
Ancient Warming Shrunk Horses to Housecat Size
Quake claims more victims as rare birds die
Illegal Orangutan Trader Prosecuted
Rare birdies check into top green
Invasive plant saving Australian lizards (via Herp...
Tassie Tigers sighted locally
Rare black eagle spotted after 90 years

The trailer for the movie based on 'Daredevil':

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpOcO08dHvo

Saturday, February 25, 2012

DALE DRINNON: Bunyips and Mound Builders

New on the Frontiers of Zoology, More on Bunyips, Australian Sea Serpents and Plesiosaur-shaped Beasts:
http://frontiersofzoology.blogspot.com/2012/02/wierd-australia-bunyips-sea-serpents.html:

And New on the Frontiers of Anthropology, another look at the "Lost Race" of Mound-Builders:
http://frontiers-of-anthropology.blogspot.com/2012/02/american-cromagnons-archaics-and.html

BIG CAT NEWS: Slow day

There are actually only two stories today. The one above reprises the tale of the survey being carried out by the Countryside and Community Research Institute (CCRI) based at the University of Gloucestershire. The second story cannot really be accused of being up to date because it is covering a story that happened in 1750. It's not about a big cat either, but I thought it was sweet, and I am the editor so I am ruddy well posting it.

The Pet Museum: "monumental" mystery cat?

By curator

Shugborough Hall in Staffordshire, Britain, was until recently the estate of the Anson family, the Earls of Lichfield. It's now held by the National Trust. But back in the day around 1750, one of the Ansons had a cat he liked so much that he built a ...

BIGFOOT PRINTS IN OREGON

South of Eugene, over 120 footprint tracks were found in a clay-mixed substrate that was a perfect material to capture and record footprints. We believe the tracks were made as recently as Saturday February 11th, although the first few prints were not discovered until Sunday the 12th.

http://bigfootlives.blogspot.com/2012/02/oregon-footprints-discovered-and-cast.html

GOLLY, I WANT ONE OF THESE

http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/120515/chupacabra-survive-the-night

WEIRD WEEKEND 2012 NEWS

So the Weird Weekend machine is trundling into action. Matthew and Emma Osborne came over on Saturday afternoon and bullied me into sorting out the Weird Weekend website, http://www.weirdweekend.org/ which I have to admit I had neglected for a couple of years.

Tickets are now on sale (see advert at the top of the page), and we are well chuffed to announce a new addition to the line-up: our old mate Neil Arnold who will be talking about the mystery animals of Kent and London.

We will also be seeing the world premiere of a film about The Hexham Heads - more details as we get them.

Many thanks to Matthew and Emma for their sterling work in getting sponsors for this year's event. However, there is always room for more. Please check out the sponsorship page HERE.

SPONSORS OF THE 2012 WEIRD WEEKEND

These companies and organisations are donating (or have promised to donate) money, goods or services to the Weird Weekend 2012. Everyone has been remarkably generous. Thank you, guys.

If you would like to sponsor the 2012 Weird Weekend, check out our Sponsorship Page

On this day in 1564 Christopher Marlowe was born. Marlowe was the author of the play Doctor Faustus and an early English spy. He died in VERY mysterious circumstances.

And now the news:

New moth species invades Italy's vineyards
Feral pests decimate birds on Fraser Island
Why staying warm in winter is a bit more complicat...
Paleontologists reveal ancient Arctic ecosystem te...
Bird Flu More Prevalent, Less Deadly Than Expected...
Pregnant Monkeys Miscarry to Avoid Infanticide
What Can Animals' Survival Instincts Tell Us About...
Twelve per cent of marine species in tropical east...
New species of sea snake in Australia
Road Runoff Spurring Spotted Salamander Evolution ...
New iridescent lizard species found in Cambodia
Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust 2011 sightings a...
Venomous banana spider in Edinburgh Asda supermark...
27-pound lobster: They call this monster crustacea...
Puerto Rico plans massacre of invasive iguanas, ex...
CAT NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

A fantastic clip from a silent movie based on the play:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TCfNFckx6Q

IS THERE A KIND PERSON OUT THERE THAT CAN HELP WITH OUR NEW MAGNUM OPUS

Believe it or not, our long-awaited new book recounting our adventures in Texas a couple of years ago, and going through seven years of blue dog research, is well under way and I think that the end might even be in sight. All indications are that it is going to be bloody big as well.

Is there anyone out there who would like to help? I need some interviews transcribed. If I email you a mp3 file would one of you good people like to transcribe it for me?

What NICE folk you all are.

P.S. Tabitca thinks the cover is scary. I was only going for a cute Miles Davis reference

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

In a debate with Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, atheism poster boy Richard Dawkins admitted there's a god. Well, a chance of one. A very small chance. To be specific, Dawkins said, according to the Independent, "the probability of any supernatural creator existing is very, very low, so let's say I'm a 6.9." (That was "on his own atheism scale of one-to-seven," seven being the most certainly atheist.)

That seems to me akin to Nick Griffin coming out and admitting that he is grieving for Whitney Houston.

DALE DRINNON: Cryptid whales, hairy dwarfs, and Cedar + Willow

New at the Frontiers of Zoology,A bit on Cryptid whales and including size comparison for Carcharodon megalodon:

http://frontiersofzoology.blogspot.com/2012/02/whale-scale.html

And more on the possibility of some reports od "hairy dwarfed hominids" being freshwater monkeys similar to Kappas, as per Tyler Stone's hypothesis, and finishing up with a mention of the Shropshire Man-Monkey (that apparently lived under a bridge):

http://frontiersofzoology.blogspot.com/2012/02/pukas-pukwudges-and-tylers-fw-monkeys.html

New on Cedar and Willow, the second of two blog postings linked to my brother Benny's blog:

http://cedar-and-willow.blogspot.com/2012/02/jeepers-of-wwii.html

Friday, February 24, 2012

ONE OF THE NICEST BLOGS I HAVE SEEN IN AGES

Creating a mini "wildlife habitat" on a tiny balcony in Hulme, inner-city Manchester UK

I plan to regularly update this blog with practical details of how I created a mini “wildlife garden” on my tiny balcony, together with regular photos of the wildlife I’ve attracted so far.
I hope it inspires readers to think about how all of us can take practical steps to encourage and support our urban wildlife, and to see how easy it is to bring our fascinating “natural world “to the bleakest window box or inner-city balcony.

http://valiantveggie.wordpress.com/about/

JON'S JOURNAL: We shall pick up an existence by its frogs

As regular readers of my rambling will know, I have been following the progress of the poor unfortunate froggies of two areas just outside the village - Kennerland and Huddisford. Lots of them jollily tripped out to procreate at the end of January, and all the resultant spawn was killed in the bitterly cold snap a few weeks ago and is now rotting away.

The resultant yucky mess (to use the official scientific terminology) is now rotting away and in some cases appears to acually be fouling the water of the little ponds and ditches where it was deposited by Mr and Mrs Frog the other week.

Now Mr and Mrs Frog seem to have got in the romantic mood again (or at least one couple have - perhaps because it was Valentine's Day last week), because there is one lone batch of frogspawn in the Huddisford ditch. Ironically (if this is the word) it has been laid next to a piece of decaying dead spawn.

It seems to be developing normally, which is good news. However, could the decline in the frog population be due to the fact that so many of them pursue their biological urges too early in the year for the spawn to hatch?

Isn't it a pity that it seems to be illegal now to collect spawn from the wild; because it might be a boost to the population as a whole if someone collected some of the January spawn (which is doomed anyway), raised it in captivity and released the resulting tadpoles when the cold weather is over?

What a pity there aren't any anarchist zoologists about who have a healthy disregard for the law and want to do something good for the environment. Hmmmm

Oh, BTW I was wondering the other day: if I was to post a picture of a pair of Rana temporaria whilst in amplexus would that count as "Frog's porn"?

IS THIS THE BEST PHOTOGRAPH OF BIGFOOT EVER?

A blogger by the name of Melissa Hovy has been maintaining a Bigfoot blog for quite some time now. It wasn’t until recently that the Sasquatch community caught wind that Melissa could be holding the ultimate photo of all ultimate photos depicting the big guy.

The story goes than four years ago Melissa was contacted by someone who claimed to have a clear picture of Bigfoot on a trailcam. The witness sent Mellisa the picture but wouldn’t allow her to publish it…until now, that is.

Here is the photo along with commentary from Melissa herself:

In early 2008 I was contacted via email by a person claiming to have photographed a Bigfoot. The photo is posted above.

The American Bigfoot Society holds the copyright for this image for any and all purposes. As stated in the last article, if and when the true owner of this photo steps up, we will turn the copyright over to them, and they can cover this.

Read on...

BIG CAT NEWS: Gloucestershire and Carlisle...and Wisbeach

The hunt for British Big Cats attracts far more newspaper column inches than any other cryptozoological subject.

There are so many of them now that we feel that they should be archived in some way by us, so we should have a go at publishing a regular round-up of the stories as they come in.

It takes a long time to do, and is a fairly tedious task, so I am not promising that they will be done each day, but I will do them as regularly as I can. JD

Secret cameras poised to film big cat
Heart
Last month, scientists at Warwick University disappointed believers in the mystery animal, by revealing that deer remains found on land near Woodchester Mansion actually contained fox or dog DNA. Since then, the Countryside and Community Research...

Another round-up of Gloucestershire news including quotes from Frank Tunbridge and the Countryside and Community Research institute (CCRI) survey. Rhiannon Fisher, a lecturer at the Royal Agricultural College and a part-time PhD student in the CCRI said: “ We are not saying that there is or is not a wild cat in the area. We are interested in people’s opinions about what might be out there, what sort of thing might count as proof, and what their thoughts are about it".

And now, another Frank Tunbridge story:

Spy cameras set up to catch Gloucestershire big cat
This is Gloucestershire
SPY cameras are being set up at a secret location today to capture footage of an elusive big cat. Tracker Frank Tunbridge was contacted by a resident whose trip camera captured a still photo of what he believes is a big cat at an undisclosed location ...

Frank Tunbridge is one of the good guys. He talks sense, and his research is - as far as we can tell - carried out on straight and logical lines. We wish him all the best in the world. And here he is again, accompanied by another good guy, Rick Minter...

Public talk will examine evidence for big cats in Gloucestershire
Stroud News and Journal
AN ILLUSTRATED talk examining the evidence for big cats in Gloucestershire will be held in Stroud. Experts Rick Minter and Frank Tunbridge will discuss the implications of feral big cats for people and other wildlife at St Laurence Church Hall from...

And now another outing for the other main big cat stories of recent days, the Carlisle one that so attracted Jan Edwards' oppropbrium yesterday.

I don't think this is claws for concern
News & Star
“And they're rarer than black panthers in cat-flaps.” But hey – hang on there just one little minute. There's apparently something rustling in the nether regions of old Carlisle. Around Rockcliffe's rural bits, to be more precise, a big cat is ...

Oh dear; it's a humourist. That ol' "Claws for Concern" quip, whilst not quite as hackneyed as the "Paws for thoughts", or the "Unidentified Furry Objects" ones, or the "Chaus Theory" (OK I made the last one up), is still the mark of a light hearted romp through local sightings, which may be mildly amusing but is unlikely to add much to the canon of belief in mystery cat lore.

But now a new sighting:

BREAKING NEWS: 'Black panther' spotted in Holbeach
Spalding Today
Louise (42), of Washway Rood, Holbeach, was driving from home towards Boston Road South when she glimpsed the big cat in a field not far from the Bull's Neck pub at about 8.35am. She said: “It was in between Washway Road and Penny Hill.

BIG CAT NEWS: Indulging Nick Redfern's whims

The saga of The Beast of Smallthorne refuses to quietly go away. Nick Redfern writes: 'I'm very glad to see the majestic New Street Station got a mention. May we please see the cat at the foot of the Rotunda?'

Well, of course the CFZ, being the world's largest mystery animal research group, has nothing better to do than to indulge the stupid whims of ex-patriate Brummies with no hair.

Perhaps you would like to see 'The Beast of Smallthorne' in some other well known West Midlands landmarks. How about in an industrial estate in Dudley, or outside B&Q in Wolverhampton...

HAUNTED SKIES: Daily Express 14.4.65

http://hauntedskies.blogspot.com/2012/02/daily-express-14465.html