CRYPTOZOOLOGY ONLINE: Still on the Track: 11/08/12

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...

Thursday, November 08, 2012

LINK: Chupacabra? Missouri hunter bags mystery coyote-type animal

Columbia, Missouri -- It could take up to six months before conservation agents figure out what a Missouri hunter shot when the thought he was bagging an unusually large coyote.

The man -- who asked officials not to disclose his identity -- was hunting for deer Tuesday at Franklin Island Conservation Area when the animal came into range.

The Columbia Daily Tribune reports coyotes are in season and the man had a permit, so he shot what he thought was a state-record coyote.

But when it weighed 81 pounds -- seven pounds more than the national record -- a Cooper County conservation agent ordered it taken to a regional office for testing.

Experts say the animal could be a wolf, a large coyote or a hybrid animal with characteristics of both.

DAN HOLDSWORTH: Toilet football

Jon,
For your delectation I present this:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/10/30/sgtk_japan_toto_toilet_football/

No, I do not understand why these Japanese engineers have re-engineered
a lavatory into a football goalie. I have not a clue in this respect.

However, I salute this level of technical expertise (and I'll be bloody
careful if ever I use a lavatory in Japan).

--
Dan H.

DALE DRINNON: Bigfoot/Cedar & Willow

This just up at Frontiers of Zoology: new purported Bigfoot photo from Bigfoot Evidence:

http://frontiersofzoology.blogspot.com/2012/11/bigfoot-evidence-photo-of-day.html

And on Cedar and Willow, a short reference to late British Actor David Rappaport:

http://cedar-and-willow.blogspot.com/2012/11/extraordinary-gentlemen-1988-simon.html

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.

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.

NEWSLINK: Tiger conservation

NEWSLINK: More on Nepal's man-eating leopard

NEWSLINK: Europe's top carnivores, 9 million years...

I'M YER GONZO BLOG DOO-DAH MAN

So, I have a cold, and am feeling sorry for myself. The Orange Cat is perched upon my knee, and even Pete Townshend;s spectacularly gripping biography is not compensating for the fact that all I really want to do is be tucked up in bed with a bottle of brandy. But I have a jolly day ahead and must get on with it...

One of my favourite music blogs is John Robb's 'Louder than War', and it was this that I held up to Rob Ayling as an example of what I wanted to do with the Gonzo Daily. Today it features our very own Martin Stephenson..
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/11/martin-stephenson-on-louder-than-war.html

Our daily visit to the universe of Thom the World Poet
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/11/thom-world-poet-daily-poet_8.html

A link to an interesting interview with Jon Anderson. By the way the title "Jon Anderson (lead singer of Yes)" was theirs not mine. I sincerely doubt whethere there is anyone reading this who will not know exactly who Jon Anderson is..
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/11/link-jon-anderson-lead-singer-of-yes.html

Off topic, but I am sure that everyone reading the Gonzo Daily will want to know about Roger Waters' forthcoming album and other Pink Floyd related news from those jolly nice chaps at Neptune Pink Floyd
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/11/pink-floyd-news-from-those-jolly-nice.html

Also off topic, but this latest episode of my webTV show might interest you
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/totally-off-topic-but-might-amuse-you.html

I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of Judy Dyble's album, but today all that arrived was the reminder that I need to go to get my eyes tested, and a copy of Invertebrate Conservation News. So, for those of you, who like me are in need of a Dyblefix, here is a review of her recent London show, which she sent me yesterday as background information. Background information sez I? "Ha! I'm a gonna re-post it!"
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/link-judy-dyble-sent-me-this.html

Once again I am wandering off topic, but Neil Young's second new album of 2012 is a corker..
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/11/time-for-psychedelic-pill.html

And finally for today a link to a review of the mighty Chris Thompson
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/11/great-chris-thompson-review.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?