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...

Friday, October 26, 2012

ANDREW MAY: Words from the Wild Frontier

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

From Nick Redfern's World of Whatever:

Beware of the Wendigo — The Creature of the Month...

TODAY'S IMPRESSIVE POULTRY STORY: Birds without feathers kitted out in woolly jumpers

A lack of feathers won't be a problem for these two chickens this winter after their owner kitted them out in woolly jumpers to keep them warm.

Related Tags:: Gloucester

Sage and Onion were dressed in knitted jumpers after losing their feathers (Picture: SWNS)

Best of hens Sage and Onion were kept in such poor conditions on a battery farm that they lost all of their feathers.

However the duo can now look forward to a warm future together after being rescued by caring new owner Sue Christy and are now well on the way to a recovery.

'I did try making the jumpers but it was a complete disaster,' said the Gloucester resident.

'Surprisingly I managed to find some on eBay, it's amazing what you can find on there.

'They seem very happy with their jumpers, I think they like being warm again. They seem happy enough.'

The featherless pair would have struggled to cope with the wintery conditions after being neglected by their previous owners when they stopped laying eggs regularly.

VIDEO: Chickens get knitted jumpers to keep them warm

Read on...

KARL SHUKER ON DIVINATION

http://eclectariumshuker.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/is-divination-more-than-just-smoke-and.html

CRYPTOLINK: More on the East Texas bigfoot pics

KLTV.com-Tyler, Longview, Jacksonville, Texas | ETX News

Wildlife officials say the possibility of bigfoot existing in East Texas is extremely remote. The key element, is tangible evidence.

"My opinion is they're not all animal as most people think they are, they're not human as we know it either," says the Dallas area photographer who claims he caught bigfoot on film.

The man is convinced that its proof bigfoot exists in East Texas.

"I've been out there I've seen them," he says.

Researchers think his photographs do show something is there.

"You have something interesting and very compelling, in an area that there's been known activity, its not definitive," says Mike Hall of Texla Cryptozoological Research.

But there are some down to earth scientific questions that need to be answered. What does a 4-to-500 pound , 8-to-9 foot animal need as far as habitat , food, and water? And how can something that big simply vanish in the East Texas woods?"

Ag agent Hugh Soape , viewed the video , and has questions

Read on...

DALE DRINNON: Bigfoot/Cedar & Willow

New on Frontiers of Zoology:

One of three continuing discussions on facebook arising from recent FOZ posts, but the first one from which there have been substantial results:
http://frontiersofzoology.blogspot.com/2012/10/giant-skulls-discussions-continuing.html

And Here is today's Cedar and Willow link:

http://cedar-and-willow.blogspot.com/2012/10/more-on-batman-and-chickie-silver-st.html

TODAY'S BIG CAT ROUND UP

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.

SIGHTINGS USA: St Elmo's Lion

NEWSLINK: Conservation of snow leopards

SIGHTINGS: Lancashire

FORTEAN BIRD NEWS FROM THE WATCHER OF THE SKIES (CFZ)

In an article for the first edition of Cryptozoology Bernard Heuvelmans wrote that cryptozoology is the study of 'unexpected animals' and following on from that perfectly reasonable assertion, it seems to us that - whereas the study of out of place birds may not have the glamour of the hunt for bigfoot, or lake monsters - it is still a perfectly valid area for the Fortean Zoologist to be interested in. So, 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.

I'M YER GONZO BLOG DOO DAH MAN

Our new intern arrived last night. She is a delightful young lady from Yorkshire, and I have an idea that I shall tease her unmercifully all week. She and Dave B-P came to dinner last night, but sadly Jess H was ill or we should have had a full compliment. Hopefully she will be with us this afternoon, cos we miss her and its not the same without her. I think that the week ahead is looking to be rather an impressive one..

Hawkwind music in an advert for the new Ford B-Max. What's going to be next? Magic Michael promoting marmalade? Do I approve? Or do I not approve? I'm not sure. But as Graham points out it is from their years with EMI, and the decision was probably nothing at all to do with the band. I hope they get a few quid from it..
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/10/hawkwind-in-ford-ad.html

I haven't forgotten to do the video of Jefferson Starship and Auburn live in Southampton last week, but life has been immeasurably complicated this week. Hopefully, however, it will be returning to normal soon. In the meantime piccies by Graham of Liz and the boys on stage..
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/10/there-will-be-more-video-of-auburn-live.html

A link to a peculiar article about Annie Haslam's extraordinary vocal range. I love minutae, and I love the idea that someone has sat through all of Annie Haslam and Renaissance's albums making notes. Stuff like this makes me happy:
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/10/link-annie-haslams-vocal-range.html

These guys are rather nifty I think. They are called Enochian Theory and they are supporting Gong on their forthcoming tour...
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/10/enochian-theory-i-think-this-bunch-are.html

I think Peter McAdam is one of the funniest people around, and I cannot recommend his book The Nine Henrys highly enough. This week we shall be running a series of Henrybits that are not found in his book about the nine cloned cartoon characters who inhabit a surreal world nearly as insane as mine...
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-daily-henry-see-jungle-see-jungle.html

I don't think I have posted this great Michael Des Barres review before, but it bears repeating if I have...
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/10/link-great-review-of-michael-des-barres.html

Our daily visit to Thom the World Poet...
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/10/thom-world-poet-daily-poem_26.html

And whilst on the subject of Texas Thom, here is the gloriously portentious trailer for a documentary on the Austin TX poetry and arts scene...
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/10/thom-world-poet-sent-me-this-gloriously.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 1984 American surgeons and scientists transplanted a baboons's heart into a baby human for the first time. Sadly, though it initially appeared to be a success the baby died in 21 days from a kidney infection.

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