CRYPTOZOOLOGY ONLINE: Still on the Track: 03/05/13

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...

Tuesday, March 05, 2013

CLASSIC ANIMAL MUTILATION CASE

http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83032011/1897-09-30/ed-1/seq-4/;words=mysterious+beast?date1=1836&sort=relevance&sort=relevance&rows=20&searchType=basic&state=&date2=1922&proxtext=mystery+beast&y=13&x=20&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=2&page=3&index=15

ORANGE CAT EMERITUS ANNOUNCED

What is this who looks at me?

and is living in my library

Who is this who looks like that?

Could it be an orange cat?

And just when you'd given up hope

the orange cat is like The Pope

Can I claim that? Of course I can

'cos the CFZ is like The Vatican

THE GONZO BLOG DOO DAH MAN DOES THINGS

Last night was exciting. The new cat (who is probably called Leo) escaped and went AWOL for about half an hour in the wee small hours. Corinna and I looked everywhere, and we thought that we had lost him. But eventually he came trotting across the lawn to Corinna at about 2:30 in the morning. He had his tail in the air and was completely unaware that he had caused so much trouble. I have a sneaking suspicion that this is an animal who is going to cause trouble for the next fifteen years. He will get lost, get into fights, and fall off things. He will probably terrorise the dog and rule the household with an iron fist.

Today's Gonzo Track of the Day is from Michael Des Barres
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-gonzo-track-of-day-michael-des.html

Our daily visit to Thom the World Poet
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2013/03/thom-world-poet-daily-poem_5.html

Chris Squire in Reno
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2013/03/chris-squire-in-reno.html

Off Topic but interesting: Despite a whole slew of personal problems besetting Wayne Coyne, the new 'Flaming Lips' single is a cracker
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2013/03/off-topic-but-interesting-fabbo-new.html

John Payne in Vegas
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2013/03/link-john-payne-in-vegas.html

Another interview with Alan White: this time he talks about his work with John Lennon and others
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2013/03/link-yes-drummer-alan-white-recalls.html

Robert Wyatt pays tribute to Kevin Ayers
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2013/03/robert-wyatt-pays-tribute-to-kevin-ayers.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 - imaginatively - 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

* We should probably mention here, that some of our posts are links to things we have found on the internet that we think are of interest. We are not responsible for spelling or factual errors in other people's websites. Honest guv!

* Jon Downes, the Editor of all these ventures (and several others) is an old hippy of 53 who - together with his orange cat (who is currently on sick leave in Staffordshire) puts it all together from a converted potato shed in a tumbledown cottage deep in rural Devon which he shares with various fish. He is ably assisted by his lovely wife Corinna, his bulldog/boxer Prudence, his elderly mother-in-law, and a motley collection of social malcontents. Plus.. did we mention the orange cat?

CRYPTOLINK: The historical basis of Lycanthropism or: where do Werewolves come from?

A word about cryptolinks: We are not responsible for the content of cryptolinks, which are merely links to outside articles that we think are interesting, usually posted up without any comment whatsoever from me.

Introduction: Werewolves, Lycanthropes or Man-Wolves appear in many German, French and Scandinavian stories. Nowadays there exists an image of these creatures, which combines almost all the aspects of the werewolf-myths around the world, that was brought to us by Hollywood. By means of the legendary disinterest and the demonstrative ignorance towards European culture and folklore there was created an image of a dangerous monster in the dreamfactory of California.

The modern werewolf is a man which was either bitten by a werewolf or has an ancestor with this disease. Werewolves live among us and change into wolves at full moon. They are stronger and faster than any man, are covered with fur and their teeth and fingernails elongate during these nights just to get back to normal when the night is over. These werewolves hunt men and celebrate feasts in full moon nights at which they eat men they have tricked to their cave. The only thing that can stop such a werewolf is a silver bullet. All other weapons are of no use.

Read on...

FORTEAN BIRD NEWS FROM THE WATCHER OF THE SKIES (C...

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.

World's Largest Bird Nests: Photographer Dillon Ma...

DARREN NAISH: Some birds with killer tits

Dead redpolls, victims of tit attacks! Photo by Lassi Kujala.

Thanks to Ville Sinkkonen, I’ve just learnt of this Finnish news article: it reports wildlife photographer Lassi Kujala’s discovery of more than ten Common redpollsCarduelis flammea killed by Great tits Parus major. A Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella was killed as well. I understand that tits are called titmice in some parts of the world. So, seriously, would you call this species the ‘Great titmouse’? Well, I’m sticking with tits, thank you very much. Tits all the way.

Read on...