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...

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Unlike some of our competitors we are not going to try and blackmail you into donating by saying that we won't continue if you don't. That would just be vulgar, but our lives, and those of the animals which we look after, would be a damn sight easier if we receive more donations to our fighting fund. Donate via Paypal today...




Sunday, November 24, 2013

FORTEAN BIRD NEWS FROM THE WATCHER OF THE SKIES

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 took the plunge and started a 'Watcher of the Skies' blog of her own as part of the CFZ Bloggo Network.





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  • DALE DRINNON: Vietnamese monster worm explained, Frontiers of Anthropology, Benny's Blogs

    New at the Frontiers of Zoology:

    I'M THE GONZO BLOG DOO-DAH MAN

    The Gonzo Daily - Sunday
     

    Sundays are the day that I
    do nothing much or at least I try
    and this lunchtime is one of those times
    that, hungover, I try to write some rhymes
     
    Why do I bother? You might well ask
    but I find it an amusing task
    throughout the year, in rain or sun
    I do it mainly just for fun
     
    So let's get on with a groovy scene
    the Gonzo Weekly magazine
    is out once more with news and views
    and some exclusive interviews
    http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2013/11/gonzo-weekly-magazine-53.html
     
    But now an embarrassing surprise
    I really must apologise
    although I hope they might have missed you
    there were mistakes in some copies of this issue
    http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2013/11/a-rhyming-apology.html
     
    My niece who some of you may know
    who starred in Merrell's video
    she's a lovely girl and never mean
    today Jessica is sixteen
    http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2013/11/gonzo-people-jessica-taylor.html
     
    So now let's quaff some lemonade
    and read about Crystal Grenade
    and her fantastic new CD
    which is out on Gonzo now you see
    http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2013/11/miss-crystal-grenade-kindred-spirits.html
     
    Now I'm a fan, and I should show it
    of a dude that's called Thom the World Poet
    we post his words here every day
    cos we like the things he has to say
    http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2013/11/thom-world-poet-daily-poem_23.html
     
    Finally the track of the day, now guess
    that's right, it's acoustic and by Yes
    with a peculiar intro that makes you doubt
    that the song is really 'Roundabout'
    http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-gonzo-track-of-day-yes-roundabout.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 54 who - together with his orange cat (who is currently on sick leave in Staffordshire) and two very small kittens (one of whom is also orange) 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?

    CFZ PEOPLE: Nick Redfern

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DUDE

     

    DAN HOLDSWORTH: Ever wondered about unicorns?

    File:Oftheunicorn.jpgJon,

    Here's one of Charlie Stross's short stories, concerning a bloke by the name of Bob Howard. He works for a branch of government you've never heard of; he didn't have a choice when he was recruited. This organisation deals with things of a troublesome and troubling nature; important stuff, not just terrorists with nuclear bombs.

    Here is Bob, sent to investigate a strange, alien landscape known as Home Counties Countryside; he's a city boy at heart.

    http://www.tor.com/stories/2013/09/equoid

    CFZ PEOPLE: Jessica Taylor


    I really cannot believe that my neice is 16 today. I feel old.

    OLL LEWIS: Yesterday's News Today

    Yesterday’s News Today
    http://cryptozoologynews.blogspot.com/

    On this day in 1974 Donald Johnson and Tom Gray discovered a 40% complete skeleton of Australopithecus afarensis, which they nicknamed Lucy.

    And now the news:
  • Malaysia's 'Lizard King' back in business: report
  • 100 Million Year Old Seawater Discovered Under Che...
  • First wave of England's Marine Conservation Zones
  • Biodiversity Higher in the Tropics, but Species Mo...
  • Fond farewell as aquarium casts out extraordinary ...
  • Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation Pledges $3 Million fo...
  • Major concern over possible release of genetically...
  • Pinto Abalone Slides Toward Endangered Status (Op-...
  • Smaller Islands Host Shorter Food Chains

  • Johnson and Gray named the skeleton Lucy after this song, god knows why but it is a good song:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqXmBy1_qOQ