KARL SHUKER - THE SMILE ON THE FACE OF THE MANTICORE AND LEUCROCUTA

Karl Shuker presents another excerpt from his latest book, Cats of Magic, Mythology, and Mystery (CFZ Press: Bideford, 2012), this time investigating two smiling but deadly beasts from the bestiaries - the manticore and the leucrocuta.

Read on...

RICHARD FREEMAN SENT THIS: Vintage footage of the Tom Slick yeti expedition

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.

• Frigate birds reappear on Ascension Island after 1...
• Research shows rare hen harrier 'Bowland Betty' wa...

THIS CHRISTMAS FROM CFZ PUBLISHING GROUP: Dark Wear by Tabitca Cope

Dark Wear is the second book of Tabitca Cope’s highly acclaimed Dark Ness trilogy.  In this volume Laura and her friends, together with the mysterious Angels of the Talisman, join forces again, this time around Durham and its environs where they find themselves embroiled in the dark forces of witchcraft, Nazis and ancient history.  As with Dark Ness, this story grips you from the beginning and takes you on an adventure that you are – in a strange way – sorry to see end.  But there is still the final volume to come, and I cannot wait to read it.

DALE DRINNON: Mapinguari, hobbit, Benny's Blog

New at Frontersof Zoology:

http://frontiersofzoology.blogspot.com/2012/12/man-v-monster-attack-of-brazilian.html

http://frontiersofzoology.blogspot.com/2012/12/face-of-hobbit.html

New at Benny's Blog, the Ominous Octopus Omnibus:

http://bennypdrinnon.blogspot.com/2012/12/wanted-but-not-by-me.html

I'M YER GONZO BLOG DOO-DAH MAN

So the week continues. However, I have a cautionary tale for you. Although I am far from being a connoisseur, I do like brandy occasionally. So when I discovered a very cheap variety for sale in Morrison's yesterday I snapped it up. A warning to you all; if it comes in a plastic bottle with a crappy drawing on the label, and costs under £8.00 it is likely to be rather unpleasant. Apart from that, we are all winding down for the holidays, and there is nothing much to tell you.

 

At last here is part one of my three part conversation with the lovely Judy Dyble...
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/12/exclusive-judy-dyble-interview-part-one.html

 

Helen McCookerybook is getting all festive next week
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/12/look-what-helen-is-doing-next-week.html

 

A sneak preview of the new single from Asia featuring John Payne (from two years ago)
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/12/a-sneak-preview-of-new-asia-featuring.html

 

Michael Des Barres hasn't put a foot wrong this year. Herewith another rave write up about his Christmas single
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/12/its-michael-des-barres-christmas.html

 

Our daily visit to Thom the World Poet
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/12/thom-world-poet-daily-poem_12.html

 

Gordon Giltrap on stage earlier this month. Exquisite as always
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/12/before-i-met-this-man-i-thought-i-could.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 same team also do a weekly newsletter called - imaginitavely - The Gonzo Weekly. Find out about it at this link: http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/11/all-gonzo-news-wots-fit-to-print.html

 

*  Jon Downes, the Editor of all these ventures 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, his mother-in-law, 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 1731 Erasmus Darwin was born. Although today he is less well known than his descendant Charles Darwin he was probably the more intelligent of the two, indeed it was Erasmus who was the first Darwin to flirt with the idea of evolution and he also invented many things that have been used in modern times like steering wheels and the associated mechanism and rocket engines for example.

Hypothermic sea turtles rescued on Cape Cod (Logge...

Ranavirus, Turtle- USA (02): WestVirginia - via He...

Hundreds of animals seized at Thai airport

Russia: Lion Cub Found By Children Now At Zoo

South Sudan's elephants face extinction: experts

World's Big Trees Are Dying: Alarming Increase in ...

Moths Wired Two Ways to Take Advantage of Floral P...

Monkey Business: What Howler Monkeys Can Tell Us A...

This song needs more play on radios at Christmas, the Pokemon anime's Team Rocket sing a Christmas song (see what I did there, Erasmus Darwin invented the rocket engine, these aren't just random Christmas songs) :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mv5z2dRMiQA