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...




Monday, September 02, 2019

CFZ NEWSLETTER #47

Dear Friends,

For those of you not in the know, at the beginning of each month we send out a newsletter to all members of the CFZ. The most recent (which went out a few minutes ago) included articles on OTT, carnivorous grouse, albino magpie, collected editions, black squirrels, Richard Muirhead's new book,  Patreon, Notes and Queries, etc.

The infrastructure of the Centre for Fortean Zoology has changed rapidly over the last few years and truthfully doesn’t look like its going to stop changing anytime soon.

The newsletter costs a quid a month (or the equivalent in your currency) and is delivered straight into your inbox by a plethora of tiny invisible elves, or email if you prefer it that way.

You can sign up for it here: http://tinyurl.com/jtsq7ew

If you want to view a sample issue click here: http://tinyurl.com/pw7rw9l

LAKE AND SEA MONSTER NEWS

The hunt for Lake and Sea Monsters is probably the most iconic branch of Cryptozoology. Following our successful Mystery Cat and BHM Study Groups, we feel that these sightings should also be archived and published in a regular round-up of the stories as they come in. Curated by Sally Watts and Richard Muirhead.




BIGFOOT NEWS IN BRIEF



He's a member of the Catawba Valley Bigfoot Research Club in McDowell ... The county's considered a hotspot for Bigfoot sightings, though the path ...
Man films alleged Bigfoot in North Carolina
Man films alleged Bigfoot in North Carolina. Posted on Saturday, 31 August, 2019. Could this be Bigfoot, or something else ? Image Credit: YouTube ...

BIG CAT ROUND UP

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.



LOOK WHAT ANDREW ROSS FOUND AT THE BOLAM LAKE VISITOR'S CENTRE

On the Track (of Unknown Animals) Episode 106 (Trying Translation, Loch Ness, Wodewose lectures )

Here we have the twenty-fifth episode of the relaunched webTV show by the Centre for Fortean Zoology, written and presented by Jon Downes and Charlotte Phillipson (who returned to the fold after doing her exams), their families and other animals. This episode contains: • Corinna offends the parrot community • Lou Cockatoo • Squawk on the wild side • Patreon and Social media • Loch Ness meme • Graham gets all Curmudgeonly • Loch Ness Monster news • The ladies have tea • THAT Azerbaijani video redux • Amazon tries to translate • Looking back at what they have achieved • The new episode of Animals & Men • Matt Salusbury lectures on Wodewose • Guy the Gorilla • The Marshall Family at the NHM • Rescuing battery hens • Ringing the hens • Watcher of the skies...with comedy results • The fires in the Amazon • New and rediscovered: - New and rediscovered: New frog - New and rediscovered: Tympanums and how they work - New and rediscovered: New snake - New and rediscovered: New killifish • Fair use • Coming next month • New members of the OTT Team • Changes at OTT • Charlotte's exam results • The team says goodbye until next month _________________________________ Amazon Emergency Appeal https://support.wwf.org.uk/donate-amazon _________________________________ Some useful contacts: CFZ Website www.cfz.org.uk CFZ Patreon https://www.patreon.com/CFZ OTT on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/OnTheTrack/ Jon on Twitter @cfzjon CFZ Blog Network https://forteanzoology.blogspot.co.uk/ CFZ Publications http://cfzresources.com/publishing/ CFZtv https://www.youtube.com/user/cfztv CFZ Next Generation Initiative https://www.facebook.com/groups/29796...

THE GONZO BLOG DOO-DAH MAN DOES HIS BEST


The Gonzo Daily: Monday/Tuesday
https://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/

Corinna is still a bit poorly. I don't think it is anything serious, but I had a bug of some soprt for a couple of days at the end of last week, and it soon went away. But Corinna, having been ill for over a year now, is - as a result - run down and tired, and so the relatively minor bug has had worse effects on her than would otherwise have been the case.

In more pleasant news, OTT is now out and you can watch it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8IBBMCSwXg&t=16s

I am terrible at this self-promotion malarkey, so I would be very glad if you all could go watch the video, share it, and pass it around as best as you can. Now I feel embarrassed, and am going to hide my face behind the huge model of orang pendek that is sitting on my office desk.

YER EDITOR SEZ: THE DIGITAL PRAYER FLAG
You guys recently did massive amounts of praying for Corinna, and in February, at least, she appeared to be cancer free. I am convinced that these two things are related, with the outpouring of good vibes transmitted electronically, being a little like a Tibetan prayer flag. Having used it once to such good effect - 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:
https://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/p/a-prayer-flag-lung-ta-is-colourful.html

Blessed be.

ALL TODAY'S GONZO NEWS WOT'S FIT TO PRINT:

https://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2019/09/the-gonzo-track-of-day-power-to-people.html
THE GONZO TRACK OF THE DAY: Power To The People - ...
https://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2019/09/on-track-of-unknown-animals-episode-106.html
On the Track (of Unknown Animals) Episode 106 (Try...
https://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2019/09/captain-beefheart-redux.html
CAPTAIN BEEFHEART REDUX
https://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2019/09/leonard-cohen-news.html
LEONARD COHEN NEWS
https://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2019/09/thom-world-poet-daily-poem_2.html
THOM THE WORLD POET: The Daily Poem

THE GONZO PRIVACY POLICY
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/p/privacy-policy-this-privacy-policy.html

And the CFZ Privacy Policy is here:
http://tinyurl.com/y7b9rlog
And, yes,
http://forteanzoology.blogspot.com/p/privacy-policy-this-privacy-policy.html

CHECK OUT THE GONZO STORES:

UK
http://www.gonzomultimedia.co.uk/
US
http://www.gonzomultimedia.com

AND OTHER STUFF FEATURING VARIOUS GONZO CONTRIBUTORS:

Our webTV show:
https://www.facebook.com/OnTheTrack/posts/632561497117057
And if you fancy supporting it on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/CFZ

And by the way chaps and chappesses, a trip to the Jon Downes megastore may seem to be in order:
https://gonzotesting.blogspot.com/2018/07/a-notion-of-shopkeepers.html
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 #351/2
THE STRANGER THINGS ISSUE
http://www.gonzoweekly.com/

In this peculiarly psychedelic issue we meet the lovely Melanie S Jane, Alan goes to see Andrew Weatherall and Luke Vibert , Doug critiques Simple Minds, Kev meets the Bob Lazar Story, Graham brings us news of the new Hawkwind album, Jon watches the Beatles-based fantasyfisck Yesterday, and describes the new book by Green Rupert Read. And there is oodles more...

Groovy eh?

Hail Eris!

And there are radio shows from Mack Maloney and Friday Night Progressive AND Strange Fruit, there are columns from Kev Rowland and Mr Biffo, C J Stone, and Roy Weard, but Neil Nixon and the irrepressible Corinna are on hiatus. There is also a collection of more news, reviews, views, interviews and antichinuses who have lost their shoes (OK, nothing to do with tiny marsupials who are searching for their footwear, 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:

Yesterday, The Buddha of Suburbia, Rick Wakeman, Arthur Brown, Jon Anderson, Raymone Bain, Michael Jackson, Shaun Ryder, Ozzy Osbourne, Noel Gallagher, Paradise 9, Essra Mohawk, Richard Freeman, Strange Fruit, Friday Night Progressive, Canterbury Sans Frontieres, Mack Maloney's Mystery Hour, Anne Grete Preus, Fulati Gidali, Celso Piña Arvizu, Mikhail Borisovich Romanov, Samuel Lawrence Taylor, Peter Henry Fonda, Ange Didier Houon, Freddy Bannister, (sometimes written as Freddie Bannister), Reb Foster (Born James Dennis Bruton, Neal Casal, Mitch Podolak, The Fall, The Fall's Mark E Smith and Ed Blaney, John Denver with the Mitchell Trio, Man, Justin Hayward, Nico, Michael Bruce, Kev Rowland, Matt Deacon, Bob Lazar, Melanie S Jane, Doug Harr, Simple Minds, Alan Dearling, Acid Ketchup, Luke Vibert, Andy Weatherall's Solstice Weekend, Greenrose Faire, Odin's Court, Twelfth Night, Tony Klinger, C J Stone, Graham Inglis, Hawkwind, Jonathan Downes, The Wild Colonial Boy, Martin Springett, "This Civilisation is Finished", Rupert Read, Bon Iver,
Samuel Alexander

And the last few issues are:

Issue 353-4 (Melanie S Jane)
https://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo-353-4.html
Issue 351-2 (Royal Affair)
https://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo-351-2-fvxuatzgf.html
Issue 349-50 (Experimental Sonic Machines)
https://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo-349-50.htm
Issue 347-8 (Gary Duncan)
https://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo-347-8.html
Issue 345-6 (RDF)
https://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo-345-6.html
Issue 343-4 (Auburn)
https://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo-343-4.html
Issue 341-42 (America)
https://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo-341-2.html
Issue 339-40 (Kev Rowland)
https://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo-339-40.html
Issue 337-38 (Zee)
https://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo-337-8.html
Issue 335-36 (Raz)
https://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo-335-6.html
Issue 333-34 (Nepal)
https://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo-333-4.html
Issue 331-32 (Scott Walker)
https://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo-331-2.html


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:
http://www.gonzoweekly.com/pdf/

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, three other cats, 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 elderly mother-in-law, and a motley collection of social malcontents. Plus.. did we mention Archie and the Cats?

NEWS FROM NOWHERE: Monday/Tuesday

ON THIS DAY IN -  1666 - The Great Fire of London broke out. The fire burned for three days destroying 10,000 buildings including St. Paul's Cathedral. Only 6 people were killed. 
And now some more recent news from the CFZ Newsdesk
  • Holy Pleistocene Batman, the answer's in the cave
  • Crabs, lobsters and shrimp now have a family tree ...
  • Scientists find cocaine in shrimps in Suffolk rive...
  • Life-threatening foot disease found in endangered ...
  • 'Russian spy whale': the disturbing history of mil...


  • 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)