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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Wednesday, April 24, 2019

The best story of the year

Rescue Goat Suffering From Anxiety Only Calms Down In Her Duck Costume

CRYPTOLINK: Bristol Channel "Monster"

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. 


She said what they all saw could 'only be described as something looking like a Loch Ness Monster', motoring along the sea from the direction of the ...

BIGFOOT NEWS IN BRIEF




In November 2017, several decades after Bigfoot first stepped into the public consciousness, a man said he saw the mysterious creature on his train ...

Bigfoot Sighting Filmed In Russia
Residents in a forest in Russia have been giving a fright after filming an unknown creature running through the woods.


CFZ PEOP0LE: Prudence Downes c2005-2019)

Image may contain: dog

PRUDENCE DOWNES
(c 2005 - 2019)

The Power Of The Dog

There is sorrow enough in the natural way
From men and women to fill our day;
And when we are certain of sorrow in store,
Why do we always arrange for more?
Brothers and Sisters, I bid you beware
Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.

Buy a pup and your money will buy
Love unflinching that cannot lie--
Perfect passion and worship fed
By a kick in the ribs or a pat on the head.
Nevertheless it is hardly fair
To risk your heart for a dog to tear.

When the fourteen years which Nature permits
Are closing in asthma, or tumour, or fits,
And the vet's unspoken prescription runs
To lethal chambers or loaded guns,
Then you will find--it's your own affair--
But...you've given your heart for a dog to tear.

When the body that lived at your single will,
With its whimper of welcome, is stilled (how still!);
When the spirit that answered your every mood
Is gone--wherever it goes--for good,
You will discover how much you care,
And will give your heart for the dog to tear.

We've sorrow enough in the natural way,
When it comes to burying Christian clay.
Our loves are not given, but only lent,
At compound interest of cent per cent.
Though it is not always the case, I believe,
That the longer we've kept 'em, the more do we grieve:
For, when debts are payable, right or wrong,
A short-time loan is as bad as a long--
So why in Heaven (before we are there)


Should we give our hearts to a dog to tear?

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.


THE GONZO BLOG DOO-DAH MAN IS BACK

The Gonzo Daily: Wednesday
Well, as many of you have probably already read, the last few days have not been very nice ones here at Myrtle Cottage. At about 5pm on Easter Sunday, we lost a member of the family. A much loved member of the family, who has been with us for the last nine years. Prudence Downes, the very sweet (but not very bright) Bulldog x Boxer, who we took in as a rescue a month after our old dog, Biggles, died suddenly and unexpectedly, left us for the doggy Elysian Fields. She had been asleep with me in the office earlier, and had gone outside for one of her gentle ploddings around the garden, that she liked to do on sunny days. I heard a strange noise, and – not knowing whether it was her or something else – I asked Corinna to go outside and check. She came back to tell me that Prudence was obviously unwell; she was lying on her side on one of the gravel paths, trying to be sick. I immediately phoned the vet and put the wheels in motion to have an emergency call out, but whilst I was on the phone, Prudence died.
It was swift, mostly merciful, and - above all - in the surroundings that she knew. There was no needle in the neck, no smell of antiseptics and scary chemicals of a veterinary surgery, and Corinna was with her until very nearly the end. It was pretty much the death that I would have wished for her.
Because of her size we had to hire a mini-digger in order for Graham to excavate a grave big and deep enough, but this he did last night, and we laid her to rest soon after nightfall yesterday. Just a brief look at my Facebook page will show just how much she was loved by people from all over the world, and I would like to thank everyone who has written such kind things.
But - believe me - my heart is aching considerably today.
I would - by the way - like to offer sincere thanks to Andy Phillipson, and David and Ross Braund-Phillips for their kindness, help, and comfort on Sunday.
Toodle-pip
YER EDITOR SEZ:
THE DIGITAL PRAYER FLAG
You guys out in readership land recently did massive amounts of praying for my wife Corinna. And that now - at least at the moment - she appears to be cancer free. I am convinced that these two things are related. A prayer flag (Lung ta) is a colourful rectangular cloth, often found strung along mountain ridges and peaks high in the Himalayas, used to bless the surrounding countryside and for other purposes. I believe something similar happens with positive vibes transmitted electronically, and - having used it to such good effect with my dear wife's condition - I want to try it on a larger scale. I am still trying to work out the details, so watch this space.
Find out more:
Blessed be.
ALL TODAY'S GONZO NEWS WOT'S FIT TO PRINT:
THE GONZO TRACK OF THE DAY:  John Lennon's origina...
ONLY IN IT FOR THE MONEY, OR OVERNITE SENSATION?
AUBURN: Belgium review translated
THOM THE WORLD POET: The Daily Poem
LEONARD COHEN NEWS
GONZO PEOPLE: Prudence Downes c2005-2019)
For those of you who are interested in such things, the Gonzo Privacy Policy is here:
And the CFZ Privacy Policy is here:
And, yes,
CHECK OUT THE GONZO STORES:
UK
US
AND OTHER STUFF FEATURING VARIOUS GONZO CONTRIBUTORS:
Our webTV show:
And if you fancy supporting it on Patreon:
And by the way chaps and chappesses, a trip to the Jon Downes megastore may seem to be in order:
Meanwhile I continue to pretend that I am a popstar, because now I have sold eight whole copies of my new album Coldharbour. If I continue at this rate I will get a silver disc sometime at the beginning of the next millenium. Coldharbour, by the way, can be found here: https://jondownes1.bandcamp.com/releases
I think it is really rather good, but then again I would say that wouldn't I?
AND THE LATEST ISSUE OF THE GONZO MAGAZINE:
Gonzo Weekly #333/34
THE WONDERFUL WORLD ISSUE
In a groovy globetrotting issue, John takes the hippie trail to Nepal, Alan visits Lindisfarne, Davey catches the Number 21 to Newcastle to see UFO, Jon raves about Connie Constance, and sneers at a particularly strange book by Lobsang Rampa, Graham brings us up to date with Hawkwind and we send Bunty and Nikki to a completely hypothetical desert island.
Hail Eris!
And there are radio shows from Mack Maloney and Friday Night Progressive AND Strange Fruit. AND there is a column from Kev Rowland, and one from C J Stone, and Roy Weard, BUT Neil Nixon, Mr Biffo, and the irrepressible Corinna are on hiatus.  There is also a collection of more news, reviews, views, interviews and rock wallabies who've blown a fuse (OK, nothing to do with the relatively small macropods who are having electrical problems, 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:
Focus, The Specials, Les Claypool, Sean Lennon, Maverick Sabre, Connie Constance, Olivia McCarthy, Tony Klinger, The Beatles, Be Bop Deluxe, Michael Jackson, Stevie Nicks, Fleetwood Mac, Davey Curtis, UFO, Richard Freeman, Strange Fruit, Friday Night Progressive, Mack Maloney's Mystery Hour, Lee Walker, Stephen Fitzpatrick, Audun Laading, Joe Flannery, Nipsey Hussle (ne Ermias Davidson Asghedom), Geoffrey John Harvey OAM, Simaro Massisya Lutumba Ndomanueno, Alberto Cortez, (ne José Alberto García Gallo), Richard Robert Elias, Kim English, Margaret Lewis Warwick, Billy Adams, James William Glaser, Shawn Smith, Davey J. Williams, Einar "Paster'n" Iversen, Tiger Merritt, David Farrant, Pink Fairies, Rick Wakeman, Comic Strip Presents, Iona, Essra Mohawk, Alan Dearling, The Holy Island of Lindisfarne, John Brodie-Good, Kathmandu, Nepal, Kev Rowland, Settke Your Scores, Shields, Skeletal Remains, The Slyde,Spiders, Stone Deaf, Stryper, Unprocessed, Nikki and Bunty, Roy Weard, C J Stone, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Hawkwind, Jon Downes, The Wild Colonial Boy, Martin Springett, T. Lobsang Rampa,
Lama Mingyar Dondup
And the last few issues are:
Issue 331-32 (Scott Walker)
Issue 329-30 (Charlie X)
Issue 327-28 (Hawkwind)
Issue 325-26 (Gonzo)
Issue 323-24 (Irvine Welsh)
Issue 321-22 (Discordianism)
Issue 319-20 (Brix Smith)
Issue 317-18 (Christmas)
Issue 315-16 (Steve Miller)
Issue 313-14 (Hawkwind)
Issue 311-12 (Extinction Rebellion)
Issue 309-10 (Steve Hillage)
Issue 307-8 (Michael Moorcock)
Issue 305-6 (Maartin Allcock)
Issue 303-4 (kOZFEST)
Issue 301-2 (Ringo Starr)
Issue 299-300 (Aretha Franklin)
Issue 298 (Alan in Hungary)
Issue 297 (Shir Ordo)
Issue 295-6 (Robert Berry)
Issue 294 (Bow Wow Wow)
Issue 293 (Stonehenge)
Issue 292 (Rolling Stones)
Issue 291 (Alien Weaponry)
Issue 290 (Frank Zappa)
Issue 289 (Misty in Roots)
Issue 288 (Paula Frazer)
Issue 287 (Boss Goodman)
Issue 286 (Monty Python)
Issue 285 (ELP)
Issue 284 (Strangelove)
Issue 283 (Record Store Day)
Issue 282 (Neil Finn and Fleetwood Mac)
Issue 281 (Carl Palmer)
Issue 280 (Steve Andrews)
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 59 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?

NEWS FROM NOWHERE: Wednesday

ON THIS DAY IN - 1519 - Envoys of Montezuma II attended the first Easter mass in Central America. 
And now some more recent news from the CFZ Newsdesk


  • Review of noise impacts on marine mammals yields n...
  • Tracking turtles with telemetry-New model predicts...
  • Rukwa Rift Basin Project names new Cretaceous mamm...
  • Mowing for monarchs

  • Wolves lead, dogs follow -- and both cooperate wit...


  • 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)