Saturday, December 24, 2016
CFZ ANNUAL REPORT 2016
Dear Friends,
2016 Annual Report for the Centre for Fortean Zoology
2016 has been a long and strange year for us all. And it is
one which I am very pleased to say will soon be in the past. I am not
superstitious enough to believe that just because we shall pass through an
arbitrary barrier between December the 31st 2016 and January the 1st 2017 (man-made
labels which have no real bearing upon the workings of the universe) that
anything will necessarily change. However, a new year, for many people is a time
for new hope and new beginnings, and – because we are essentially an optimistic
species - I am going to suspend cynicism and disbelief and indulge in a game of
‘let's pretend’ and look forward to an exciting new year whilst taking stock of
the events of the year just gone.
EXPEDITIONS
The year started inauspiciously with the death of David
Bowie, but a few weeks later, Richard Freeman flew out to Australia to liaise with our friend and colleague
Mike Williams of CFZ Australia for the latest in our series of expeditions to Tasmania in search of
the Thylacine.
Richard has written up a detailed account of the expedition
which can be read here:
http://cfzresources.com/publishing/animals-men/
Richard will be returning to Tasmania in January 2017, and he has
produced the following expedition profile:
“In January of 2017 Mike Williams of CFZ Australia and
Richard Freeman will be returning to Tasmania
as part of the on-going search for the Tasmanian wolf. The expedition will
follow an exciting new lead in the north east of the island as well as
returning to an area of central Tasmania
that has produced many recent reports.
Using new equipment, the team hope to get film of the
thylacine and/or hair/or droppings for analysis. We are hoping to again join
forces with former logger and thylacine witness Jo Booth”.
This is not the only expedition plan for 2017; 9 years after
their last trip, the CFZ expeditionary Force are returning to Russia :
“Back in 2008 the CFZ took a major expedition into the Caucasus Mountains in search of the almasty. Now we are
returning. A group of researchers from England including Chris Clark, Dave
Archer, Richard Freeman, Jon Hare and Jackie Tonks will be teaming up with
Ukrainian researchers Grigory Panchenko and Anatoly Sarendenko in a new search
for the hominin in Karbadino Balkaria.
Set for late July 2017, the trip will return to the area
surveyed in 2008 as well as moving into fresh zones. We also hope to secure a
tooth from the skull of Kwhit, a possible human/almasty hybrid who died in the
1950s”.
PUBLICATIONS
For various reasons 2016 has not been a particularly
prolific year for CFZ Publishing. Unfortunately, the current economic climate
has meant that people, who only a few years ago were able to work pretty much
full time as CFZ volunteers, are now forced into gainful employment, including
me, I'm afraid. However, we have still produced 6 books, 3 hard copy magazines,
a double issue of our Journal which will appear in hard copy next year, the
latest issue of our peer reviewed journal which is edited by Dr. Karl Shuker
and 12 monthly newsletters. This is in addition to editing a weekly magazine
for Gonzo Multimedia, and doing various other products for them.
I am proud of what we have achieved, but with the advent of
my new assistant Chloe Gray, I am confident that our productivity will go up in
2017.
My previous assistant left in February, and although Chloe
joined in July, it took a couple of months to train her up, but I am very glad
to say that she is shaping up very well indeed.
To clarify the situation with regard to Animals & Men, there have been two ordinary digital issues
produced this year, together with a bumper double issue which came out just
before Christmas. The first two of these have also been issued both as hard
copies and as kindle e-books, and the double issue will be issued likewise in
the spring. However, we also produced a hard copy of Animals and Men #55, the digital issue of which was produced at the
end of 2015.
We changed our subscription model, and by inference, our
membership policy in January 2015. We no longer have our Journal available by
subscription. Instead, we issue it digitally free to read online, and then it
is available to purchase in hard copy and kindle E-book a few months later. When
we stopped producing A&M via the old subscription model we were having
something in the region of 170 readers for each issue. Now, audited figures
show a readership of about 15,000 for each issue, something of which I am very
proud.
We produced the following books this year:
PUBLICATIONS - Books
‘The Hidden Folk’ by
S.D.Tucker
Fairies were genuinely believed in right the way across Europe in the not-too-distant past, and not only by
little girls. For many adults, fairies were a part of everyday reality, and
accounts of their alleged interaction with the world of humans are legion. But,
when the 'realm of faery' did intrude upon our own, how did its inhabitants
make their presence known? Apparently, they did so in a variety of different
ways; by rapping, tapping and making loud noises around a person's home, by
throwing pebbles about, by setting fires, moving furniture, breaking plates and
speaking from out of thin air itself. In other words, then, they acted just
like poltergeists are often said to do today.
This is an extraordinary Fortean Treatise from the author of
our highly-acclaimed book about the Tokoloshe. We have another book by him in
preparation, and will be releasing more details next year.
The Centre for
Fortean Zoology Yearbook 2016
- Introduction
- British Wombats and related cryptozoology by Richard Muirhead
- Fire Beasts, Lightning Beasts, and the Elephant of Tiahunaco - Investigating a Crypto- Archaeological anomaly by Dr Karl Shuker
- Monsters and Cryptids of Classical Myth by Ronan Coghlan
- Tiny
Snakes and Giant
- A note on Giant Earthworms by Jonathan Downes
- Crocodile Cults; The worship, mythology and folklore of crocodilians by Richard Freeman
- FROM THE ARCHIVES: Note on the Pterodactyl Tribe considered as Giant Bats by Edward Newman (1843)
- Is the Yowie an Australian Immigrant? By Tony Lucas
- Orang Pendek in the Dutch Press by Loes Modderman
- FROM
THE ARCHIVES: Water Beings in Shetland Folklore as remembered by
Shetlanders in
- FIELD REPORT 16.4.16 Was the Pershore Roe Deer Carcass Really Predated by a Large Unknown Felid? by Carl Marshall
- Mystery
Animals of
- On the 2016 “Chupacabras” carcasses from The Ukraine
- Mystery animals in classic British pulp fiction by Jonathan Downes
- CLASSIC
CRYPTOFICTION: The
- 2015: a Year in the life of the CFZ
Tales of the Damned -
An Anthology of Fortean Horror – edited by Richard Freeman
Here we have a book unique in the annals of horror
literature. This is a book where the stories are penned, mostly, by Fortean researchers.
For those who are unfamiliar with the term, 'Fortean' refers to the works of
Charles Hoy Fort (August 6, 1874 - May 3, 1932).
Fort was an American writer and researcher into strange
phenomena. Fort collected newspaper reports of sightings of strange creatures,
weird light phenomena, falls of fish and other creatures, and poltergeist
outbreaks to name but a few. Fort realised that mainstream science was acting
somewhat like a fundamentalist religion and that any anomalous data that did
not fit into the current scientific paradigm was simply swept under the carpet.
Fort called this 'damned data'.
He published his findings in four books: The Book of the Damned (1919), New Lands (1923), Lo! (1932) and Wild Talents
(1932), all of which are still in print today. Fort has influenced modern
research with magazines like Fortean
Times, which has been recording weird happenings since 1973, and the Centre
for Fortean Zoology, the world's only full time mystery animal investigation
organisation. The publishing wing of the latter is responsible for this book.
- INTRODUCTION: A PARADE OF THE DAMNED Richard Freeman
- ARMY DREAMERS R. R. Lang
- A GHOST? Lars Thomas
- LADY LAKE Neil Arnold
- THE DOOR IN THE FLOOR Neil Arnold
- THE MILK MAN Nick Walters
- YARA-MA-YAH-WHO Richard Freeman
- MIKE Richard Freeman
- IT WAS TIME... A Meeting with the Manananggal Dr Karl Shuker
- MARY’S ANNUNCIATION Bob Trubshaw
- DREAM ACRES Andy Paciorek
- THE FELL FAITH Andrew McGuigan
- THE RIVER UNKNOWN Tania Poole
- DOWSING FOR THE DEAD Allan Watson
- PILOT Chris Lambert
- THE CATALOGUE Chris Lambert
- THE GUARDIAN OF THE TOMB Andrew May
- DR LANTERN’S OUT OF HOURS CALL Corinna Downes
- MARGARITE’S BOX Corinna Downes
- THE
- HOME Hannah Kate
- THE LAST FOOTPRINT Mark Clapham
- NO RACE LIKE GNOMES Ken Shinn
- VOICES FROM THE DARK Nicholas Alexander Cavazos
- DON’T LET THEM IN! Kate Kelly
‘Muirhead’s Mysteries
Vol 1’ by Richard Muirhead
Richard Muirhead is one of the longest standing members of
the Centre for Fortean Zoology (CFZ).
When the CFZ started a daily blog in 2009, Muirhead was one
of the first contributors, and over the intervening years has contributed
hundreds of fascinating articles. A trained librarian, he has what Charles Fort
would have called a 'wild talent'; he has a remarkable aptitude for unearthing
arcane data from obscure archives.
CFZ director, Jonathan Downes, has known him for nearly half
a century, and considers him to be the best researcher he has ever known. Read
this, the first selection of his blog postings to be anthologised and we expect
that you will agree with us.
‘Here's Nessie: A
Monstrous Compendium from Loch Ness ’ by Dr
Karl Shuker
Nessie the Loch Ness monster (LNM) is not only the premier
mystery beast of the United
Kingdom , it also vies with the bigfoot or
sasquatch as the most famous one anywhere in the world. Little wonder,
therefore, that during his many years as a world-renowned cryptozoological
researcher and writer, Dr Karl Shuker should have documented it and all manner
of aspects relating to it in a wide range of publications.
Now, however, for the very first time and in direct response
to popular demand, all of Dr Shuker's most significant but previously disparate
Nessie-themed writings have finally been brought together, and in expanded,
updated form whenever possible too, to yield the present LNM compendium,
covering a fascinating, extremely broad spectrum of pertinent topics.
These include: a comprehensive review of the history and
controversies associated with this exceedingly contentious aquatic cryptid; a
diverse selection of the most – and least – plausible taxonomic identities that
have been proposed for it; the closely-linked traditional Scottish folklore of
kelpies and other water-horses; various Nessie-related hoaxes; an extensive
survey of other Scottish freshwater loch monsters; reviews of Nessie-related
material; a hitherto-unpublished LNM sighting from leading Nessie researcher
and eyewitness Tim Dinsdale; Nessie in philately; the historic LNM conference
staged by the International Society of Cryptozoology at Edinburgh's Royal
Museum of Scotland in 1987; the enigmatic Pictish beast; a tribute in verse to
Nessie; an annotated, YouTube-linked listing of Nessie-themed songs and music
videos; and much more too!
Supplementing these varied subjects is an equally eclectic
selection of illustrations – a dedicated Nessie gallery containing a dazzling
array of spectacular full-colour LNM artwork, including a number of
specially-commissioned, previously-unpublished examples, as well as a wide
range of text images – plus a very comprehensive bibliography of non-fiction
Nessie books, a listing of current LNM-themed websites, and a detailed index.
So, without further ado, welcome to the sometimes decidedly
weird yet always totally wonderful world of Nessie - the mystifying but
ever-memorable monster of Loch Ness.
‘1914-1918 Woolsery
and Bucks Remember’, Compiled by Jane Cann and John Crossman
This last book might seem on the face of it to have nothing
to do with what the CFZ do. However, we would like to place it in context.
Between 2006 and 2013 the CFZ held their annual conference – the Weird Weekend
– at the community centre here in the village. Sales of food and drink at these
events went to village children's charities, many of them based at the school.
The CFZ has been based in Woolsery for 11 years now, and we
have had a lot of help and kindness from the village as a whole. This book,
produced in conjunction with Woolsery
School
"This book is a tribute to those young men from
Woolsery and District in North Devon , who
suddenly found themselves thrust, either by bravely volunteering or by being
conscripted, into the horrors of the First World War. It was a far cry from
their peaceful, but hard, rural life. Their stories are now recorded forever.
They were heroes, one and all. Some would return to the
bosoms of their families, but there were some who never made it back to their
homeland and loved ones, and rest forever young in those foreign fields.
In the famous words from the poem by Robert Laurence Binyon:
“We will remember them”
2016 WEIRD WEEKEND
The 17th annual Weird Weekend
was held, as usual, in the third weekend of August at the Small
School in Hartland, North
Devon .
It was a particularly poignant
one because, although it may not be the last one that we ever hold here in Devon , it is certainly the last one which will be held in
the current format. My announcement of this during my keynote speech on the
Sunday afternoon did, I'm afraid, overshadow the rest of the event to a certain
extent, but I would hate it to detract from what was one of the nicest events
that we have ever held.
The full speaker list was as
follows:
Steve Ignorant: The
hidden history of Punch and Judy
Jackie Tonks: My encounter with Bigfoot
Lars Thomas: The Vikings and their Monsters
Richard Freeman: The Almasty
Steve Rider: Tales from the SUFOG archive
Glen Vaudrey: The Health and Safety Beast
Alan Dearling: Futurology and free cultural spaces around the world
Julian Vayne: Chaos Magick
Music from Stargrace
Richard Freeman: Tasmania 2016 Expedition Report
Richard Muirhead: Weird Fauna: Peculiar and Rarely Observed Animal Behaviour
Matthew Watkins: Retrocausality and other reverse-time phenomena
Shoshannah McCarthy: Vampire dogs
Ronan Coghlan: Robin Hood: Origin of the legend
Jon Downes: Keynote Speech
Jackie Tonks: My encounter with Bigfoot
Lars Thomas: The Vikings and their Monsters
Richard Freeman: The Almasty
Steve Rider: Tales from the SUFOG archive
Glen Vaudrey: The Health and Safety Beast
Alan Dearling: Futurology and free cultural spaces around the world
Julian Vayne: Chaos Magick
Music from Stargrace
Richard Freeman: Tasmania 2016 Expedition Report
Richard Muirhead: Weird Fauna: Peculiar and Rarely Observed Animal Behaviour
Matthew Watkins: Retrocausality and other reverse-time phenomena
Shoshannah McCarthy: Vampire dogs
Ronan Coghlan: Robin Hood: Origin of the legend
Jon Downes: Keynote Speech
As I have
done for the last 17 years, I chose the speakers personally, not only because I
thought that they would be good and the sort of thing that a Weird Weekend
audience would like to witness, but because they were things I would like to
see myself. Many of the speakers are personal friends of mine, and one is
family, so it would be completely inappropriate to single any of them out for
praise or censure (not that anybody deserves the latter). However, I would like
to talk about one particular performer.
Back in 1981,
like so many other young people I was politicised by Crass. Whilst I enjoyed
the records, I was never particularly convinced by the politics of the Sex
Pistols or The Clash. However, I had not found any social or political
philosophy that made sense to me. But when I discovered Crass and their polemic
of vegetarianism, anarchy, peace and freedom I was an immediate convert, and - most
of the time at least - I have followed this philosophy ever since. Certainly,
the CFZ, the Weird Weekend, CFZ Press and other things that I have done over
the years, have been based directly on the Crass business model. Or should I
say the Crass anti-business model!
And so it was
particularly poignant for me that the headline speaker at what may well be the
last Weird Weekend promoted by me was none other that Steve Ignorant from the
very band itself.
I don't know what's going to
happen next. There are going to be Weird
Weekends during 2017 in Cheshire promoted by
Glen Vaudrey, and Copenhagen ,
promoted by Lars Thomas and Margit From. I suspect that there will be others
over the years, and I wouldn't be surprised if Corinna and I do something of
the kind at some point in the future.
But it is the end of this
particular era, and the fact that the man who shaped the philosophy on which
the whole CFZ edifice was built was there with us at this historic event means
more to me than I can possibly say.
I need to apologise to those of
you who attended the Speaker’s Dinner after the event on the Sunday evening. I sloped off without
saying goodbye to anybody for two reasons. Firstly, I was overcome with emotion
at what is certainly the end of an era, and secondly, there was somebody there
who was annoying me badly, (no names, no packdrill) and on both counts, I felt
like slipping away into the night rather than having a whole lot of emotional
goodbyes. I hope you can all forgive me.
ANIMALS
This has been a particularly unsatisfactory year regarding
the CFZ menagerie. As a result of equipment failure, probably after a power
outage in early December, Graham found our entire colony of Rio Cauca
caecilians dead in their tank. It was a horrible shock for us all, because we
had nurtured them for over ten years, and it was - as far as I am aware - the
only breeding colony in the UK .
We are all shocked and terribly upset. It was particularly nasty for Graham who
was "very fond of the little wriggly things".
Poppy, our old cat died in the spring at the age of 17, we
think after having been hit by a car. This was a particular shock to Corinna
and the girls, who had known Poppy since Olivia and Shoshannah where children.
Another sad death this year was Bob the Builder, the African
Nbuna cichlid who had lived in the small tank by the office door for that last
3 years. He was a particularly engaging fish, and showed more personality than
almost any other fish I have known. Also, we are sad to say it, that Oscar (an
imaginatively named oscar cichlid) who had lived in the big tank in the office
also died this year.
Because Graham and his various assistants have been working
pretty much solidly all year on getting my house in Exeter habitable, after the previous tenants wrecked
it, a lot of work has stacked up here at the CFZ. We will not be getting
anymore animals, except for urgent rescue cases, until Graham and his assistant
Peter have carried out the necessary repair work, and Julia and Mother have
done some painting, scrubbing and cleaning.
The CFZ menagerie is fairly insignificant at the moment, but
we will be rebuilding sooner rather than later. At least one new pond is in the
planning stage, as well as major refreshments to the museum and conservatory.
Things have changed massively since I started the CFZ 25
years ago. Firstly, of course, we are much larger than I had ever imagined we
would be. This is very gratifying, and I think that we are, and have been for
many years, the biggest and best cryptozoological research group in the English-speaking
world, and I sincerely hope we will continue to expand next year in what will
be our quarter century.
However, things have not only changed for the good. Economic
reforms in the UK, and the United States, both by this and previous governments
have hit hard, and many people who had previously been able to work voluntarily
for us have now been forced into gainful employment and so, whereas once I had
4 or 5 people working pretty much full time on the CFZ, now even I have been
forced into finding work. As many of you would have noticed, I am working part-time
for my old friend Rob at Gonzo Multimedia. Whilst on the subject, various people
have commented online that the reason that our output has dropped off in recent
years is that I now concentrate on a weekly music magazine rather than on
cryptozoology. This is technically true, but only because I get paid for doing
the music magazine, and that, therefore pays for the mortgage. I am as
interested in cryptozoology now as I ever have been, and it is my sincere hope
that, during the forthcoming year, I will be able to get more volunteers to
become involved.
At the moment, I would not be able to do what I do without
the support of my lovely wife, and my assistant Chloe. I would also like to
thank Dr. Andrew May, Richard Muirhead and Ronan Coghlan, who all work
diligently for the cause.
Reading back over what I have written, it does seem like a
spectacularly depressing report. But there is a lot to be positive about. It is
a matter of adjusting to the changes in society rather than getting hidebound
into a model which had become obsolete. Together we can make this happen.
Blessings on you and your families at this time, whatever
deity you believe in.
Jon Downes
BIGFOOT NEWS IN BRIEF:
Possible Bigfoot Caught On Camera Leaving Area
From
Paranormal Central comes a new series of photos that shows an apparent
bigfoot retreating from the area just a few yards from the team ...
Family
Shot And Buried Bigfoot
A
family had a Sasquatch getting aggressive looking in the windows causing trauma
to the children. The family ended up tracking the Bigfoot down ...
|
|
Midwest
Bigfoot - The Last Hurrah
The
final video episode in the Midwest Bigfoot series. I kayak into the
Mercer Bayou, discover some of the flora and fauna, then we go onward to the ...
|
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Bigfoot
Spotted In The UK
A
bigfoot is seen by an entire family as they drive home from a Christmas
party near Nottingham in England. An error occurred. Try watching this video ...
Two
Groups Of People Observe Bigfoot In The Uinta Mountains
Two
bigfoot sightings in a month. One by two couples the other by 2 men &
6 boys. Combined observations of 14 minutes in the Uinta Mountains of ...
THE GONZO BLOG DOO-DAH MAN ON CHRISTMAS EVE
The Gonzo Daily: Christmas Eve
For some people, Christmas is a lonely and horrible time. I tried to kill
myself on the day before Christmas Eve sixteen years ago, and seven years later
another family member was more succesful. For what it is worth, both the CFZ and
Gonzo blogs will continue each day over what is euphemistically known as the
'Festive Season', and if there is anyone in the Gonzo or CFZ extended families
reading this who is alone and needs to talk, we shall be here.
Love and blessings to you all
And here is the news:
NIF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN SUCH THINGS: The CFZ Annu...
Dalai Lama Extended And Open Interview With Piers ...
Wishing you all a Very Happy Christmas
THOM THE WORLD POET: The Daily Poem
THE GONZO TRACK OF THE DAY: I Believe In Father C...
Gonzo Magazine #213-4
THE SUPER DUPER YULE DOUBLE ISSUE
In this bumper holiday issue, Doug goes to see ARW (Anderson, Rabin and
Wakeman) in words and pictures, Jeremy goes to see Jimbob late of Carter USM,
Alan enthuses over the Bollywood Brass Band, Jon rails about Nostradamus and
presents his top ten records of the year. We also meet the mighty Sensorium
Girliebox, Tony Henderson has more Pink Fairies sculptures, there is a
competition to win ARW tickets, and Doug, Alan and John make some surprising
choices when writing about festive music. And, yes, Corinna tells a story.
And there are radio shows from Strange Fruit, Mack Maloney, and Friday
Night Progressive, whilst Canterbury Sans Frontieres is back ‘cos there was a
full moon last week. We also have columns from all sorts of folk including Roy
Weard, Mr Biffo, Neil Nixon and the irrepressible Corinna. There is also a
collection of more news, reviews, views, interviews and pademelons outside zoos
(OK, nothing to do with small marsupials who have escaped from captivity, but I
got carried away with things that rhymed with OOOOS) than you can shake a stick
at. And the best part is IT's ABSOLUTELY FREE!!!
This issue features:
Sensorium Girliebox, David Bowie, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Kula Shaker,
The Divine Comedy, Shirley Collins, The Rolling Stones, Black Angel Drifter,
Radiohead, Sexwitch, Leonard Cohen, Chic, Thom Yorke, Mick Jagger, CeeLo, David
Bowie, Marillion, Elton John, Yes, Strange Harvest, Friday Night Progressive,
Canterbury sans Frontieres, Mack Maloney's Mystery Hour, Robert Alan "Bob"
Krasnow, Bunny Tekokiri Miha Wahi Walters, Elizabeth Taylor Pecanins,
Barrelhouse Chuck, Mark Fisher, James Ellsworth "Jim" Lowe, Lionel Blue, Zsa Zsa
Gabor, Henry Judah Heimlich, Spirits Burning and Clearlight, Vangelis, Al
Atkins, Atomic Rooster, Rick Wakeman, Martin Stephenson and The Daintees, Archie
Fisher & Barbara Dickson, The Pink Fairies, Tony Henderson, ARW, Alan
Dearling, Gary Glitter, John Brodie-Good, Gary Duncan’s Quicksilver,
Lindisfarne, Lemmy, Bollywood Brass Band, Jeremy Smith, Jim Bob, Chris T-T, Mr
Biffo, Roy Weard, Hawkwind, Xtul, Martin Springett, Muse, Prince, John
Entwistle, The Beatles, Connie Converse
Read the previous few issues of Gonzo Weekly:
Issue 211 (Phil Collins)
Issue 210 (Nico)
Issue 209 (Pink Fairies)
Issue 208 (Leonard Cohen)
Issue 207 (Tibet)
Issue 206 (Raz)
Issue 205 (Pink Fairies)
Issue 204 (Gas Tank)
Issue 203 (The Gardening Club)
Issue 202 (Gong)
Issue 201 (Auld Man's Baccie)
Issue 200 (Deep Purple)
Issue 199 (Yes)
Issue 198 (Steve Ignorant)
Issue 197 (Gilli Smyth)
Issue 196 (Paul May)
Issue 195 (Dave Brock)
Issue 194 (Auburn)
Issue 193 (Genre Peak)
Issue 192 (Rick Wakeman and Brian May)
Issue 191 (Karnataka)
Issue 190 (Erik Norlander)
Issue 189 (Rick Wakeman at the O2)
Issue 187/8 (Yer holiday special)
Issue 186 (Beatles)
Issue 185 (Judge Smith)
Issue 184 (Mick Abrahams)
All issues from #70 can be downloaded at www.gonzoweekly.com if you prefer.
If you have problems downloading, just email me and I will add you to the Gonzo
Weekly dropbox. The first 69 issues are archived there as well. Information is
power chaps, we have to share it!
You can download the magazine in pdf form HERE:
SPECIAL NOTICE: If you, too, want to unleash the power of your inner rock
journalist, and want to join a rapidly growing band of likewise minded weirdos
please email me at jon@eclipse.co.uk The more the merrier really.
* 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: www.gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk
* 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 57 who - together with a Jack Russell called Archie, an infantile
orange cat named after a song by Frank Zappa, and two half grown kittens, one
totally coincidentally named after one of the Manson Family, purely because she
squeaks, 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 Archie and the Cats?
FORTEAN BIRD NEWS FROM THE WATCHER OF THE SKIES
What has Corinna's column of Fortean bird news got to do with cryptozoology?
Well, everything, actually!
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.
- Pet sounds: why birds have much in common with hum...
- Thousands of snow geese die in Montana after landi...
- Arab sheikhs banned from bustard hunts by Pakistan...
- Feathered fathers and mothers have diverse parenti...
NEWS FROM NOWHERE - Christmas Eve
ON THIS DAY IN - 1814 - The War of 1812 between the U.S. and Britain was ended with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent in Belgium.
And now some more recent news from the CFZ Newsdesk
The Emperor's new coats: History of horse coat col...
Whales in the wild: rare gem amid Thailand mass to...
Seeking freshwater pandas: Endangered freshwater s...
And now some more recent news from the CFZ Newsdesk
AND TO WHISTLE WHILE YOU WORK... (Music that may have some relevance to items also on this page, or may just reflect my mood on the day.)
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