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...




Saturday, September 15, 2012

MIKE HALLOWELL ON RICHARD FREEMAN

RICHARD Freeman is a long-time pal of mine.

Over the years we’ve shared conference platforms together, chased hairy ape-like monsters and generally engaged in a variety of other pursuits, both mundane and bizarre.

Richard is one of the world’s greatest experts in the field of cryptozoology – the study of mystery animals – and as regular readers know has written quite a few books on the subject.

His latest contribution is entitled Orang Pendek: Sumatra’s Forgotten Ape.

In it, he details his ongoing search for one of the earth’s most enigmatic and elusive creatures.

When people think of hairy bipedal mystery animals most picture Bigfoot, but, as Richard points out, “for every Bigfoot there’s a Littlefoot”.

What on earth could he mean? Well, the Orang Pendek fits that description perfectly, for most estimates place it at around 5ft in height.

With its nut-brown hair and immensely powerful limbs, the Orang Pendek roams the jungles of Sumatra and has, up till now, managed to avoid being captured and taxonomically classified.

Some scholars deny that the Orang Pendek exists, but they are slowly dwindling.

Some experts have actually seen the Sumatran mystery ape themselves, and are interviewed by Richard in his book.

The creature, if not seen, is nevertheless often heard. Those who have been so privileged say that it utters something akin to a long groan followed by two short grunts.

Read on...

DIPU MAREK: Humungous fungus

Greetings from Garo Hills.

Here I am attaching few pictures of the giant mushroom discovered at our town in Tura. The mushroom is still growing but the upper surface is gradually drying up. The owner says, it was "wet" and shiny few days ago.

Also please not that, this mushroom grew through the cemented house floor and not from any decaying wood. It grew from under the ground through the thin cemented floor. The owners first noticed it last Sunday, it's 1 week old now.

Another interesting fact is that, there are signs of white powder on the floor under the mushroom. Maybe the cement is reacting to some chemical present in the fungus. Take a look at the pic and you'll see.

The owners has decided to hand over the mushroom to us (after it withers away) if we need to do further studies.

Write to me if you need anything else. Please help us to identify this mushroom and also please let us know if this is poisonous or not (For safety reasons).

Another 1.5ft mushroom is growing nearby this giant. We'll keep you updated.
Thanks
Dipu Marak
Tura
Garo Hills, INDIA





WATCHER OF THE SKIES: Today's news

After about six months of regular postings on the main bloggo, Corinna has taken the plunge and started a 'Watcher of the Skies' blog of her own as part of the CFZ Bloggo Network. For some unknown reason the automated anti-spam device from Blogger has highlighted Corinna's Fortean Bird Blog as being a spam site. I am sure that it will be sorted in a day or two, but in the meantime you will have to go past a page that reads:

'This blog is currently under review due to possible Blogger Terms of Service violations.
If you're a regular reader of this blog and are confident that the content is appropriate, feel free to click "Proceed" to proceed to the blog. We apologise for the inconvenience. If you're an author of this blog, please follow the instructions on your dashboard for removing this warning page.'


I am confident that it will be all sorted out in a day or two (but last time this happened it took six weeks).

Greetings one and all. I feel like a social pariah having this blog under review. It has ruffled my feathers so to speak, but I shall plod on regardless, and am happily humming Monty Python's song about Spam to myself as I list below the latest offerings from around the world:


BIG CAT NEWS...


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 by us in some way, so we should have a go at publishing a regular round-up of the stories as they come in. In September 2012, Emma Osborne decided that the Mystery Cat Study Group really deserved a blog of its own within the CFZ Blog Network.



Here is the latest tranche of news...





HAUNTED SKIES: Sun (The) 29.3.68.



DALE DRINNON: Bigfoot DNA/Cedar and Willow

New at the Frontiers of Zoology:

I'M YER GONZO BLOG DOO-DAH MAN

Each week upon the Sabbath Day,
Gonzo readers round the world say:
"another week gone, now wouldn't you know it?
Now Jon Downes plays at being a poet".
Yes, every week about this time,
I do the Gonzo blogs in rhyme,
and each week I try and explain
that I'm not sure why (but it keeps me sane)
So let's start off with a link too far
to the maestro of the acoustic guitar
you've heard the music and whispered 'Wow'
now Gordon Giltrap's teaching how
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/09/gordon-giltrap-guitar-produced-perfectly.html
Last week I heard from the World Poet,
in response to my rhymes (wouldn't you know it?)
he explained that poetry's all blank verse
and that it doesn't have to scan as long as the feelings are there if you know what I mean dude.
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/09/thom-world-poet-daily-poem_15.html
Michael Des Barres, the rocking Marquis
is a chap who is quite dear to me,
his album 'Carnaby Street' is so damn good
I hope it sells the wayI know it should
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/09/michael-des-barres-review.html
And now the wizard of the keys
who always writes music to please
the ear of folk who are just like me
here's a review of Wakeman's live CD
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/09/rick-wakeman-review.html
Chris Thompson had a master plan
as the lead singer for Manfred Mann
but he never really had a choice
(blessed with such a fantastic voice)
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/09/chris-thompson-review.html
A real treat for you all now
from Anderson Bruford Wakeman and Howe
I hope you will be as chuffed as me
with this brand new archive live CD
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/09/link-gonzo-multimedia-releases-vintage.html
I have clutched in my sticky hand
a DVD of Dylan and The Band
Chrome Dreams have sent it out to me
its an excellent documentary
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/09/bob-dylan-down-in-flood.html
And finally I have found a space
so I can make a silly face
and show you some of the stuff I've said
we'll be featuring in the week ahead..
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/09/mr-postman-wait-and-see.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...
The Gonzo Daily is - as the name implies - a daily online magazine (mostly) about artists connected to the Gonzo Multimedia group of companies. But it also has other stuff as and when the editor feels like it. The Editor is an old hippy of 53 who - together with his orange cat - puts it all together from a converted potato shed in a tumbledown cottage deep in rural Devon. He is ably assisted by his lovely wife Corinna, his bulldog/boxer Prudence, and a motley collection of social malcontents. Plus.. did we mention the orange cat?

OLL LEWIS: Yesterday's News Today

http://cryptozoologynews.blogspot.com/


On this day in 1977 Marc Bolan died in a car crash. The T-Rex singer allegedly never learnt to drive himself because of a premonition that he would die in a car crash.

And now the news:

Bang a gong...

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