CFZ PEOPLE: The Thomas family

Jeanett Thomas is being buried today. Our thoughts, prayers, love and light goes out to the whole of her family. God bless you all

MUIRHEAD`S MYSTERIES: MONSTER SHOT IN GALWAY

I found the following snippet in The China Mail of June 8^th 1935 today:

MONSTER SHOT IN GALWAY

Creature weighing three tons

Dispatched by Lighthouse Keeper

A monster stated to be 30 feet long and 20 feet in circumference and to weigh three tons was killed in Galway last month.

The creature was first noticed by fishermen in Galway Bay and was seen by Mr John Crowley the Mutton Island lighthouse keeper. It was close to the shore. Mr Crowley fired five shots into the monsters head. It churned the water and caused big waves before it died.

The body was hauled out and large numbers of people visited the island at the week-end to see it. (1)

1. The China Mail June 8^th 1935  

CORINNA DOWNES: Why is there always only one?

I am certain there are plenty of you out there who have noticed the odd shoe, or glove, by the side of the road, be it a motorway, A-road or some little one-track lane that takes you on a meandering (and sometimes  nail-biting, white-knuckle) trip down some long ago-tarmacadammed ancient road.  I am equally certain that of those of you who have noticed,  there a quite a few who have wondered...why just one?  For this rather odd exercise I am going to leave out the question of gloves.  In most cases these have been those large, rubber things that workmen wear so in some respects a single glove may be explained - road workers leaving them behind for example.  

Read on...

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.

• Rare Falcons slaughtered in Nagaland?
• Rare cave swallow sighted over Ottawa River
• Smuggling: 300 rare birds set free, smugglers fine...
• Scotland's seabirds have declined 53% in 25 years
• Rare Little Bunting spotted by Sunderland bird wat...
• Cockatoo shows tool-making skills

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.

FEATURELINK: Smilodon profile

NEWSLINK: Mystery cat in Vancouver

NEWSLINK: Mystery pumas in Illionois

I'M YER GONZO BLOG DOO-DAH MAN

And so it is friday once again. As one grows older time seems to rush past far faster than it did in my younger days. I finished reading Pete Townshend's autobiography last night, and on the whole it didn't disappoint. I am also rather chuffed to note that the first confirmed pine marten in Wales since 1971 has been found (sadly a roadkill), confirming what I prediucted in my 1996 book on the matter. Occasionally us cryptozoologists do get it right.

And what is in today's postbag? A book about the plight facing our nearest relatives, marvellously titled Planet Without Apes and Judy Dyble's latest album. I am looking forward to devouring them both imminently...
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/11/postman-postman-dont-be-slow.html

Did anyone else see Adam Ant on Later with Jools Holland this week ( I think it was this week, but I watched it on BBC IPlayer last night).  He looked refreshingly sane.  Before I go any further, let me point out that I suffer from the same condition as he does, and I’ve been as mad as a bagful of frogs on many occasions in my life (as has Adam). So, I am not being the slightest bit pejorative when I comment on his mental state; the poor bugger has been through the mill in the last ten years and I am very glad to see that he looks like he is finally on the way up again.  http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/11/its-adam-innit.html

EXCLUSIVE: I have to admit that I had never heard of Galahad until, one evening earlier this year my adopted ephew Max and I played their album Battle Scars which arrived together with a heap of other groovy Gonzothings. It was an epiphany, and soon after I interviewed Stu Nicholson, the singer, who is a really nice bloke. Now there is a second album of the year, which is even better. Once again I interview Stu, and have an excuse to play a video featuring two strange men with rhino horns...

http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/11/exclusive-galahad-interview.html

 

You will probably be aware that I have a day job. And that this day job is as Director of the Centre for Fortean Zoology and as such I know an Ailuropoda melanoleuca when I see one. So what is one doing far away from its haunts in China, apparently wearing jeans and an olive green sweater, and sitting a few rows in front of Rob Ayling at the Corky Laing gig in Lancaster the other night. I asked Rob, and all I got was bad puns about Panda-ing to Corky's audience. Someone explain. PLEAAAAAAAAAAASE
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/11/corky-laing-rob-and-corkys-most_9.html

Well sports fans... Gonzo Grande Fromage - Rob Ayling was in Preston at Corky Laings "Best Seat in the House" lecture at Lancaster University. 
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/11/corky-laing-rob-and-corkys-most.html

Totally by accident I found a column of record reviews from seattlepi.com which included two which feature our very own Rick Wakeman...
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/11/two-rick-wakeman-side-projects.html

And once again we make our daily visit to the home of Thom the World Poet
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/11/thom-world-poet-daily-poet_9.html

And finally for today, a video interview with Michael Des Barres, who has - apparently - just recorded a Christmas single and is working on a new movie. I hope to be catching up with him very soon (always a pleasure) to talk to him about them...
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/11/thom-world-poet-daily-poet_9.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 1979 a nuclear war nearly took place. The American early warning systems malfunctioned insisting that there was a massive amount of missiles heading towards the USA from the USSR. Thankfully the Americans checked this on their satellites before launching a counter strike.

And now the news:

Asian big cats in danger - Not just tigers

Wildlife crime whistleblower wins top WWF honour

Scientists searching for answers in fight against ...

Tana River Delta declared a RAMSAR zone

Seven new beetle species identified in Canada

VIDEO UPDATE EXCLUSIVE: Dog Shot By Omaha Police O...

Assemblages of Amphibians, Reptiles, and Mammals o...

Rare skeleton of 'vampire' discovered in Britain w...

How to survive a nuclear attack according to the UK government:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IaeeSKpwSQ