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...




Wednesday, December 20, 2017

TODAY'S BIG CAT NEWS

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 are publishing a regular round-up of the stories as they come in. 

The worldwide mystery cat phenomenon (or group of phenomena, if we are to be more accurate) is not JUST about cryptozoology. At its most basic level it is about the relationship between our species and various species of larger cat. That is why sometimes you will read stories here that appear to have nothing to do with cryptozoology but have everything to do with human/big cat interaction. As committed Forteans, we believe that until we understand the nature of these interactions, we have no hope of understanding the truth that we are seeking.

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.


‘Puffarazzi' clue to decline in puffins

THE GONZO BLOG DOO-DAH MAN IS HOLDING IT TOGETHER

The Gonzo Daily: Wednesday
 
And so it is Wednesday,
and what have you done?
the week is half over
and its time to have fun,
I went into Bideford
to have things cut off my feet,
and then limped to Lidl,
and my shopping's complete...
 
(sing to the tune of John and Yoko's song, and be impressed that I managed to get a visit to the podiatrist, and a shopping trip to the cheapest supermarket done in derivative rhyming couplets).
 
OFFICIAL NOTICEY THING
Although it is not a time of the year of which I am fond, I do like to take the opportunity to spend some time with my loved ones (as well my friends Mr Smirnoff and Mr J. Daniels and Mr Tesco Budget-Priced-Brandy-Flavoured-Gutrot), and so neither the Gonzo Weekly office or the CFZ office will be fully functioning for the remainder of the year, but I will be in most days for an hour or two and can be contacted should anything urgent arise. The blogs (albeit in a slightly truncated jollity fashion, and some will be in rhyme) will continue as normal, unless something nasty happens, episode 86 of OTT will be out later today, and I have every expectation that the next issue of A&M will be out before the end of the year.
 
Forgive me for always banging on about our webTV show, but it matters a lot to me, and I would be grateful for as many people as possible to see it, and spread the tidings of it far and wide:
 
 
And if you fancy supporting us on Patreon:
 
But for now, here is the news:
 
CAPTAIN BEEFHEART IN THE NEWS
THOM THE WORLD POET: The Daily Poem
LEONARD COHEN IN THE NEWS
THE GONZO TRACK OF THE DAY: John Lennon - Happy X...
ERIC BURDON NEWS
 
Gonzo Weekly #265/6
THE CHRISTMAS DOUBLE ISSUE
 
As we approach Christmas, we present a special double issue in which we talk to Tony Klinger about his work with The Who, on ‘The Kids are Alright’ and print an exclusive excerpt from his book, Alan gets all Christmassy with Charlie Manson, and the legendary Jim Dickinson, John has a Martian Christmas with Paul Kantner and looks back over the 60th anniversary celebrations of the Summer of Love, Jon waxes lyrical about The OA, Timothy leary and Stranger Things, Richard writes about Steve Kimock, and Amy explains Yuletide plants.
 
Hail Eris!
 
And there are radio shows from Mack Maloney AND Strange Fruit, AND Friday Night Progressive. We also have columns from all sorts of folk including Neil Nixon, Roy Weard, C J Stone, Mr Biffo and the irrepressible Corinna. There is also a collection of more news, reviews, views, interviews and southern dibblers who have blown a fuse (OK, nothing to do with small marsupials who are not good at household electrics, 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:
 
The OA, Stranger Things, The Beatles, John Lennon, Trevor Horn, Jools Holland, Eric Clapton, Lili Fini Zanuck, Cecil Williamson, Patti Smith, John Prine, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Bon Jovi, Jimi Hendrix, Paul McCartney, Status Quo, Francis Rossi, REM, The Cure, Strange Fruit, Friday Night Progressive, Mack Maloney's Mystery Hour, Keith Chegwin, Maxwell Frank Clifford, James Marcellus Arthur "Sunny" Murray, Sir Christus (Jukka Kristian Mikkonen) Magnus Bergdahl, Leon Rhodes, Patrick Michael DiNizio, Willie Pickens, Warrel Dane, Barbara Dickson, Jessica Lee Morgan, Rick Wakeman, Billion Dollar Babies, Tangerine Dream, Tony Klinger, The Who, Alan Dearling, Phil Bayliss,  James Luther Dickinson, John Brodie-Good, Country Joe McDonald, Hot Tuna, Paul Kantner, Jefferson Starship, Richard Foreman, Steve Kimock, Charles Manson, Dennis Wilson, Phil Kaufman, Terry Melcher, Bobby Beausoleil, Catherine Gillies,  Charlene Cafritz, Marilyn Manson, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Cabaret Voltaire, Nick Redfern, Defending the Realm: MI5 and The Shayler Affair, Mark Hollingsworth, Nick Fielding, Sex Pistols, David Shayler, The Clash, UB40, Kev Rowland, Silhouette, Tankard, Threat Signal, Antisect, Trojan Horse, Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats, 36 Crazyfists, The Walking Dead, Whitewater, With the Dead, Wobbler, Zud, Aosoth, Atoll, b.o.s.c.h., Bigfoot, Blaze of Perdition, Charcoal Tongue, Curse the Fall, Hawkwind, Xtul, Martin Springett, Amy Phillipson, John Higgs, Timothy Leary, Kylie Minogue
 
And the last few issues are:
 
Issue 264 (John McLaughlin)
Issue 263 (The magic Band)
Issue 262 (DikMik)
Issue 261 (Leonard Cohen)
Issue 260 (Amsterdam Squat Festie)
Issue 259 (Out come thee Freaks)
Issue 258 (The Devil's Jukebox)
Issue 257 (Judge Smith)
Issue 255/6 (John Lennon)
Issue 254 (Mr Biffo)
Issue 253 (Dana Gillespie)
Issue 252 (Cropredy)
Issue 251 (Scott Walker)
Issue 250 (Jamms)
Issue 249 (Bill Bruford)
Issue 248 (The Selecter)
Issue 247 (Don Airey)
Issue 246 (Steve Hackett)
Issue 244-5 (Summer Special)
 
 
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 58 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?

CRYPTOLINK: Yowie article

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 (sometimes for the wrong reasons), usually posted up without any comment whatsoever from me. 


The Yowie is Australia's version of Bigfoot. The ape-like creature was originally a symbol of the Indigenous Dreamtime, before settlers joined in and began reporting sightings of the animal from around 1870. Depending on who you ask, the beast is between five-and-a-half and 12 feet, very hairy (or only ...

BIGFOOT NEWS IN BRIEF




... been staying closer to the house and yard than is typical for him. It may be that there are still one or more Bigfoot present, but they are remaining away from the house and doing nothing that would draw attention to their presence. Updates will appear if and when new information becomes available.

Bigfoot Statue Gives Notoriety to Whitehall
A 1,000 pound statue of Bigfoot is drawing attention in Whitehall, NY. According to the Saratogian, thousands of people have been stopping to see the giant Bigfoot statute off Route 4 in Whitehall in front of Marble, Granite, Slate and Soapstone Company. Store owner Paul Thompson had the statue ...

Frozen Bigfoot Head Examined
If some guy told me he had a frozen Bigfoot head sitting at home I'd assume he was talking about some kind of frozen confection shaped like Bigfoot's head, you know, the ones with the bubblegum eyeballs?Well, in this case the frozen Bigfoot head in question is "real", that is to say, YouTuber Peter ...

Incredible! Man comes forward with physical proof of Bigfoot
Our mind was blown when we stumbled upon these videos today. Peter is a brave individual and was generous to share his fathers discovery from back in the 1950s, who allegedly killed and preserved a genuine Bigfoot creature shot dead back in September 23, 1953. He has shared videos of not only ...

THE LAST WEEK AT THE CFZ-USA BLOG

CFZ-USA


  • LEGEND OF SANTA CLAUS
  • MARI LWYD - WELSH MIDWINTER CUSTOM
  • CREATURES IN FOLKLORE OF CORNWALL
  • ARE THESE BIGFOOT TRACKS?
  • LAKE NORMAN MONSTER
  • MAPINGUARI IN BRAZIL
  • IS BIGFOOT INTERDIMENSIONSL?
  • WEIRD HUMANOID IN PENNSYLVANIA
  • MERMAID SIGHTING 1811
  • PLANT ANIMAL OF AFRICA
  • MISSOURI GARGOYLE
  • YOUR CAT PROBABLY LOVES YOU
  • HEADLESS HORSEMAN OF CONNECTICUT
  • PTERODACTYL IN ILLINOIS
  • HUMANOID IN ILLINOIS
  • FLATHEAD LAKE MONSTER
  • BIGFOOT FORAGING IN CITIES
  • BIGFOOT AND THE RANGER
  • WEIRD AREA IN SIBERIA
  • DRAGONS OF LUCERNE
  • ELVES - A HISTORY
  • HORNED SERPENT
  • A DOGMAN BEHIND HIM
  • FAMILY AND BIGFOOT
  • MONSTER OF LAKE ERIE
  • SEA MONSTERS OF LONG ISLAND SOUND
  • DOWNS ROAD MONSTER
  • PARTIALLY PRESERVED DINOSAUR
  • CRYPTID BEARS
  • DO MERMAIDS EXIST?
  • 1962 - WAS A BIGFOOT CORPSE FOUND?
  • TONY GROVE LAKE BIGFOOT
  • LOST MOTH SPECIES REDISCOVERED
  • CURIOUS ENCOUNTER WITH HUMANOIDS
  • FAMILY BIGFOOT ENCOUNTER
  • REPTILIAN ESPIONAGE
  • WEIRD ANIMAL LAWS
  • COMEDIAN CLAIMS TO HAVE BIGFOOT'S HEAD
  • CHRISTMAS TREES
  • MONGOLIAN DEATH-WORM
  • MUSKRAT LAKE MONSTER
  • VAMPIRES AND FAIRIES IN AMERICA
  • BIGFOOT IN FLORIDA
  • DID BIGFOOT KILL HIKERS?
  • FLYING COCOON
  • ARE ALIEN BUILDINGS ON THE MOON?


  • HUMAN-LIKE ANIMAL
  • NEWS FROM NOWHERE - Wednesday

    ON THIS DAY IN - 1699 - Peter the Great ordered that the Russian New Year be changed from September 1 to January 1. 
    And now some more recent news from the CFZ Newsdesk


  • 2 kiwi birds are rare bright spot in grim extincti...
  • Nations agree to ban fishing in Arctic Ocean for a...
  • Feces from entangled North Atlantic right whales r...
  • Bearded dragons become smarter at cool temperature...


  • 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).