WELCOME TO THE CFZ BLOG NETWORK: COME AND JOIN THE FUN

Half a century ago, Belgian Zoologist Bernard Heuvelmans first codified cryptozoology in his book On the Track of Unknown Animals.

The Centre for Fortean Zoology (CFZ) are still on the track, and have been since 1992. But as if chasing unknown animals wasn't enough, we are involved in education, conservation, and good old-fashioned natural history! We already have three journals, the largest cryptozoological publishing house in the world, CFZtv, and the largest cryptozoological conference in the English-speaking world, but in January 2009 someone suggested that we started a daily online magazine! The CFZ bloggo is a collaborative effort by a coalition of members, friends, and supporters of the CFZ, and covers all the subjects with which we deal, with a smattering of music, high strangeness and surreal humour to make up the mix.

It is edited by CFZ Director Jon Downes, and subbed by the lovely Lizzy Bitakara'mire (formerly Clancy), scourge of improper syntax. The daily newsblog is edited by Corinna Downes, head administratrix of the CFZ, and the indexing is done by Lee Canty and Kathy Imbriani. There is regular news from the CFZ Mystery Cat study group, and regular fortean bird news from 'The Watcher of the Skies'. Regular bloggers include Dr Karl Shuker, Dale Drinnon, Richard Muirhead and Richard Freeman.The CFZ bloggo is updated daily, and there's nothing quite like it anywhere else. Come and join us...

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Unlike some of our competitors we are not going to try and blackmail you into donating by saying that we won't continue if you don't. That would just be vulgar, but our lives, and those of the animals which we look after, would be a damn sight easier if we receive more donations to our fighting fund. Donate via Paypal today...




Thursday, June 07, 2012

THE LAST LIVING THYLACINE?

THESE PEOPLE ARE SCUM

Today Wildlife Extra has posted one of the most upsetting stories I have read in a long time. Apparently, as a protest against their monkfish catch having been predated upon by seals, local fishermen decided to stage their own protest.

"As the staff of international and local volunteers arrived at the Dingle Wildlife and Seal Sanctuary they found the heads of a common seal and a Grey Seal nailed to the entrance sign into the Sanctuary, with the words Cull and RIP written in red alongside."

Whoever is responsible for this are complete scum, and deserve the worst kind of punishment. The only good thing that I can say about the imminent eco-death of the world's oceans is that it will force these filthy people onto the dole. Except that the inate greed of people like them across society has wrecked Europe's financial stability to such an extent that there won't be any dole.

It is time that we, as a so-called civilised society pulled a plug on unsutainable exploitation of what is left of our oceans, and realised that if we as a species are going to survive then we need to change. And if we are going to change then the first thing that we have to do is deal with filth like this.

HAUNTED SKIES: Daily Telegraph 25.10.67.


OLL LEWIS: Yesterday's News Today

http://cryptozoologynews.blogspot.com/

On this day in 1949 George Orwell's novel 1984 was published. 1984 shows the fruition of the wet dream of the political right wing so if you're voting in an election this year you might want to think about that.

And now the news:

Here's a trailer for the 1984 film version of 1984 (do you see what they did there?) :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4rBDUJTnNU

I'M THE GONZO BLOG DOO-DAH MAN


I hope that everyone will forgive me being in somewhat of a rush this morning, but I have a Doctor's appointment in 40 minutes and I am doing my best to get the Gonzo Daily stuff done before I leave.

First up today is a real exclusive. Finally we have the promo video for 'Pain Killer', the single from Michael Des Barres' forthcoming album 'Carnaby Street'. You heard the song here first months ago, and have been following the progress of the song, video and album, and so today is a very exciting time for me:
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/06/michael-des-barres-pain-killer.html

Next, we have another exclusive. In fact I think I shall stop saying that because everything is exclusive today to a greater or lesser degree. Here is part one of an interview with the mighty Judge Smith about the 'Curly's Airships' double CD:
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/06/judge-smith-curlys-airships-interview.html

Now a lullabye from Mimi Page:
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/06/mimi-page-all-is-not-lost-lullaby.html

How I nearly get imprisoned in the Tower of London for treason whilst making a Merrell Fankhauser video (OK I exaggerate slightly):
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/06/in-which-our-hero-is-once-again.html

And finally, my postbag is interesting again thanks to the lovely Liz Lenten:
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/06/my-postbag-gets-interesting-again.html

See you tomorrow when I hope not to be in quite such a rush...

RICHARD FREEMAN: Remembering Ray Bradbury

Ray Bradbury passed away on 5th of June in his California home at the grand old age of 91. He was one of the most influential science fiction writers of the 20th century. But it could actually be argued that much of what he wrote was horror and fantasy, rather than hard science fiction in the mould of Asimov. His childhoon influences included Edgar Allen Poe and Edgar Rice Burroughs as well as H G Wells and Jules Verne. He was also greatly effected by early silent horror movies.

Some of his early work was published by companies such as the famous Arkham House (set up to publish H.P Lovecraft’s work after his death) as well as in the pulp magazines of the early 1940s.

His first major work, The Martian Chronicles follows mankind’s collonization of Mars after atomic war has devistated it. The Martian’s themselves are wiped out by germs carried by the invading eathmen, who in time become the new Martians. Bradbury himself insisted that the book was fantasy rather than science fiction.

In, arguably his only hard science fiction novel, Fahrenheit 451 Brabury depicts a near future when books have been outlawed by the anti-intellectual government. TV, radio and other mediums have entirely replaced the written word, and books themselves are burned. The work has a particular resonance as in the real world there seems to be a strong,and growing anti-intellectual feeling. Only recently a report in the UK found that young black men equated intelligence with ‘being gay’. With the government closing library after library and the public seemingly addicted to proletarian reality TV and ‘talent’ shows I would recommend the Fahrenheit 451 sould be on the English syllabus in each and every high school.

Alarmed by the rise of the e-book he once wrote…

"We have too many cellphones.We've got too many Internets. We have got to get rid of those machines. We have too many machines now."

His main contribution to cryptozoology was the short story Fog Horn about a sea serpent that mistakes the fog horn on a light house as a mating call. It was the inspiration for the film The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms. The monster in the movie was famously animated by Ray Harrthausen a lifelong friend of Ray Bradbury.

RAY HARRYHAUSEN WRITES TO RICHARD

The other day, Alan Friswell wrote this to Richard Freeman:

Hi Rich.

I visited Ray on Thursday, and gave him your book. He loved it, and asked me to pass this on to you:

'Hello Richard. I was delighted to recieve your book. It was very kind of you to send it to me. Alan tells me that you are involved in zoology as well as writing, and I'm very flattered that you include me in your introduction. It's very gratifying when someone was influenced by our films to be creative in their own lives, as it proves that we were doing something more than just producing an entertaining picture. Thank you again for the book, I will enjoy reading it.'