LINK: Reviews – Charles Paxton – The vital statistics of the Loch Ness Monster

Charles Paxton and descriptions of Nessie

Skeptical Cryptozoology

Kraken Rum sponsor Charles Paxton’s research into sea monsters

As we sat, waiting for the lovely and always intriguing Charles Paxton to begin his talk on the stats of Nessie, we were treated to a man in an old fashioned diving suit handing out rum. As you do. So an interesting start.

Charles then dove into Loch Ness Monster stats with a tray of free sample rums nearby, but he showed great restraint! His talk was an interesting diversion from our other talks which for the most part have focused on psychology, secularism and other more mainstream sciences. Charles spoke about Cryptozoology and tried, and I believe succeeded, in pointing out to the audience that cryptozoology is not automatically woo that tries to find bigfoot.

Read on...

CFZ NEW ZEALAND: Where have all the Greyling gone?

Once again it is that time of the year when we see whitebait nets spread along the riverbanks of both islands, faces filled with expectancy of that one mighty haul of rare larval form of Galaxid that were once so common they were dumped on fields as fertilizer or fed to pigs as a food supplement..
With a scarcity of good sites it has even come down at times to armed conflict over the possession of a single site.
It was inevitable that the unceasing supply would eventually dwindle away and protection measures were taken by providing a designated season in which these creatures could be caught. These methods have not done much to help the position as the population of some of the rarest species, whitebait consists of a mixture of Galaxid species, as rarer species showed no sign of recovery.
Read on...

I'M YER GONZO BLOG DOO-DAH MAN

I have no idea what happened to my emails but I suspect that it was something generic that was wrong with my ISP because they were restored this morning without me having to do a damn thing about it. Today's Gonzo Daily is chock full of interviews (none of them done by me). I don't know whether this is just happenstance, or whether it is because today is the first Monday in the month. Either way it works for me.

As regular readers will be aware, every day I send out a digest of what is on the Gonzo Daily to various readers on Usenet and Facebook. For some reason known only to me (and I have forgotten), I do Sunday's notifications in rhyme. Until this morning, the only person ever to reply to my appalling poetry has been the ever lovely Liz Lenten of Auburn. However, today all that has changed.
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/09/another-artist-takes-up-my-poetic.html

The first of today's interviews is a chat with one of my favourite interviewees: the Mighty Marquis, Michael Des Barres. Over the years I have been saddened by the fact that records I consider to be potential classics are usually ignored by the main body of Her Majesty's Music Press, whereas records I think are dross are lauded. It often seems that my tastes and those of the music journo establishment parted company round about the time that Joy Division became New Order. However, all this might be changing. I think that Michael Des Barres's new album is bloody terrific, and so, it seems, does a fair chunk of my music journo peers. Maybe I am hip at last! Michael certainly is.
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/09/link-chat-with-rock-legend-michael-des.html

Our daily visit to the omniverse of Thom the World Poet.
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/09/thom-world-poet-daily-poem_3.html

As regular readers will be aware, I find the ongoing mutations of 'Yes' to be absolutely fascinating, and I watch the comings and goings with great interest. Recently it has seemed to me that most of the press enquiries had been dealt with by the older experienced Yesmen like Chris Squire or Steve Howe. However, here is an interview with the new boy, Jon Davison.
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/09/link-im-not-just-this-tribute-singer.html

In this next interview Rick Wakeman laments the fact that prog rock has not received the acclaim it deserves from Rock historians. I tend to agree; it is ridiculous that an Educationally Subnormal junkie like Sid Vicious who killed cats for fun and couldn't play his instrument has reached some degree of Rock and Roll Sainthood, whilst the genuinely innovative and experimental bands of the era are often vilified. Right on Rick!
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/09/link-rick-wakeman-laments-prog-rocks.html

And finally for today, another interview - this time with Paul Kantner - one of the founding fathers of the psychedelic music movement back in the day. Without this man musical history would have turned out very differently. I am very much looking forward to filming him and Jefferson Starship when they tour the UK next month.
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/09/link-interview-with-paul-kantner.html

The Gonzo Daily is a two way process. If you have any news or want to write for us, please contact me at jon@eclipse.co.uk. If you are an artist and want to showcase your work, or even just say hello please write to me at gonzo@cfz.org.uk. Please copy, paste and spread the word about this magazine as widely as possible. We need people to read us in order to grow, and as soon as it is viable we shall be invading more traditional magaziney areas. Join in the fun, spread the word, and maybe if we all chant loud enough we CAN stop it raining. See you tomorrow

HAUNTED SKIES: Daily Mirror 15.4.68

http://hauntedskies.blogspot.com/2012/09/daily-mirror-15468.html

OLL LEWIS: Yesterday's News Today

http://cryptozoologynews.blogspot.com/

On this day in 1929 Victor Spinetti was born. Spinetti is best known for starring in several Beatles movies and voicing Texas Pete in the classic animated series SuperTed.

And now the news:

• Sea Lights Help Seals Hunt in the Dark
• FLESH EATING GULLS DEVOUR WHALES ALIVE
• Billions of Tons of Methane Lurk Beneath Antarctic...
• Scientist Creates Test, Treatment for Malaria-Like...
• Can Blue Tits Can Save Our Conker Trees?

A fantastic episode of SuperTed:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyvsQBcG9OU

E-Mail Problems

Both my email accounts are down at the moment. Being a Sunday it doesn't really matter and I expect that they will be restored tomorrow. If you really have to get hold of me email me c/o corinna@cfz.org.uk. Otherwise I shall be largely having a day off!

HIT PARADE FOR AUGUST (CFZ PRESS/FORTEAN WORDS)

UK

1. Haunted Skies Volume One by John Hanson and Dawn Holloway (3)

2=. Haunted Skies Volume Five by John Hanson and Dawn Holloway (1)

2=. Haunted Skies Volume Two by John Hanson and Dawn Holloway (5)
4. Haunted Skies Volume Thee by John Hanson and Dawn Holloway (-)

5. Haunted Skies Volume Four by John Hanson and Dawn Holloway (-)

6. Sea Serpent Carcasses - Scotland by Glen Vaudrey (7)

7. Left Behind by Harriet Wadham (-)

7. Quest for the Hexham Heads by Paul Screeton (-)

9. Mystery Animals of Great Britain: The Northern Isles by Glen Vaudrey (-)

10. The Great Yokai Encyclopaedia by Richard Freeman (5)

US

1. The Cryptid Creatures of Florida by Scott Marlowe (-)

2. When Bigfoot Attacks by Michael Newton (1)

3. Haunted Skies Volume Five by John Hanson and Dawn Holloway (3)

4=. Sea Serpent Carcasses: Scotland by Glen Vaudrey (2)

4=. Orang Pendek - Sumatra's Forgotten Ape by Richard Freeman (-)

4=. The Great Yokai Encyclopaedia by Richard Freeman (6)

7. I Fort the Lore by Paul Screeton (-)

8. Haunted Skies Volume Four by John Hanson and Dawn Holloway (-)

9=. Haunted Skies Volume One by John Hanson and Dawn Holloway (3)

9=. Dark Ness by Tabitca Cope (-)

Last month's positions in this pinky colour, which I think is called cerise. Sales in the US were very low this month and they were not much better in the UK. Blame the Olympics, but check out all the hard work Emsy has put in on the Facebook Group. Thank you honey.

MUIRHEAD`S MYSTERIES: THE NOT SO MYSTERIOUS HUANG SHULANG OF BEIJING

In June I found the blog ` New Territories `, (not to be confused with the part of Hong Kong called the New Territories).This blog had an entry which intrigued me, by SHC on October 26^th 2010, about what then was thought to be a mystery, the Huang Shulang. Which turns out to a bit of an urban myth. Read on…

“Several months ago, I saw some kind of furry, long-bodied creature dart under the bushes in an apartment complex in Haidan. A ferret? In Beijing? I even asked the gatekeeper of the complex, who insisted I had seen a cat. I also remembered some friends describing a strange “ squirrel-like” animal native to Beijing – could this be it? Just a few nights ago, I spotted another one, ambling along in the street-light between some cars, and a bit of internet research seems to have solved the mystery. According to Danwei, what I saw was likely a huang shulang…aka the Yellow Weasel (or more technically the Siberian Weasel, mustela sibirica). They are still apparently quite common in Beijing, especially in the hutongs, and a sighting is considered either good luck or bad luck (depending , I think, on whether you raise chickens). I hope I`m lucky enough to see one again.” (1)

The Yellow Weasel turned up in Hong Kong records for the first time in the very late 20^th Century or early 21^st.

On the question of this Weasel and chickens, see: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080722213119AAdVg4G

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_D4xwdEky4&feature=player_embedded#!