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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Friday, November 08, 2019

Gonzo Weekly #363/4

Gonzo Weekly #363/4
THE HOCUS POCUS ISSUE
http://www.gonzoweekly.com/
In this peculiarly harem scarem outing, we say goodbye to our friend and colleague John Brodie-Good, Alan goes to see Focus, Mad Iccy goes in search of Keith Richard's lost footwear, Doug watches Jesus Christ Superstar, Jon gets all weird while considering artificial life, there is more animal rescue with PAART, we visit Regency Romances, and the new Watchmen TV Show.
Now THAT's what I call eclectic!
Hail Eris!
And there are radio shows from Mack Maloney and Friday Night Progressive AND Strange Fruit AND Merrell Fankhauser, there is a column from Kev Rowland, and one from Mr Biffo, and one from C J Stone, and one from Neil Nixom but Roy Weard, is 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:
John Brodie Good, Steven Levy, Artificial Life, Hawkwind, The Beatles, Abbey Road, Rick Wakeman, Kenneth Womack, Marillion, Yes, Richard Freeman, Strange Fruit, Friday Night Progressive, The Merrell Fankhauser Radio Show, Mick Maloney's Mystery Hour, Gebriel Mary "Gay" Byrne, Leo Iorga, Jan Erik KongShaug, Paul Barrere, James Joseph Paulsen, Walter Franco, Nicholas P. Tosches, Timi Hansen, Gerry Beckley, The Waterson Family, The Fall, Richard Wright and Dave Harris - Zee, Chasing the Monsoon, Richard Stellar, Princess Diana, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Icarus Ruoff, Doug Harr, Jesus Christ Superstar, PAART, Alan Dearling, Focus, Kev Rowland, The Night Flight Orchestra, Not My Master, Various Artists, Arca Progjet, Babal, Bla Lotus, Tony Klinger, Mr Biffo, Digitiser, Beanus, Chris Stone, Martin Springett, Thom the World Poet, Georgette Heyer, Jane Aiken Hodge, Neil Nixon, Vincent Gallo
And the last few issues are:
Issue 359-60 (Robert Hunter)
https://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo-359-60.html
Issue 357-8 (King Crimson)
https://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo-357-8.html
Issue 355-6 (Elfin Bow)
https://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo-355-6.html
Issue 353-4 (Melanie S Jane)
https://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo-353-4.html
Issue 351-2 (Royal Affair)
https://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CE…/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.
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MUIRHEAD`S MYSTERIES: Some mid 20th Century cryptids from Minnesota

A friend from Minnesota (Greg Brick) sent me a  few pages quite recently from a magazine  whose title wasn`t included, however the story was ` Wildlife fables` by Philip D.Jordan then (1950) a professor of History at the University of Minnesota. I include here the most interesting parts of the essay

" Story-telling flourishes best when pine-knots blaze and when, after lines are dried and guns cleaned, weary men of the out-of-doors relax. Then the tall tale, America`s own unique contribution to world yarning, reaches out from the imagination to tell of fabulous folk heroes...Old timers tell also of strange animals that once roamed Minnesota`s north country and now are scarce and rare because the state has given them no protection...Plum Nelly today knows more about the Swamp Auger,Snow Snake,Agropelter and Hodag than any living naturalist.his long life in the woods has brought him into close contact with the Hidebehind and the Tote-Road Shagamaw.  He is not concerned with any conservation program for the Gamehog...

"A distressingly ugly animal , the Hodag,as described by old-timers...has a knobby head from which two prominent eyes bulge. Two heavy lateral horns, like those of a male stag-beetle, make him a fierce foe. The claws are stout and powerful, and the saw-toothed tail terminates in a hook. A row of dorsal spines runs from tip of nose to end of tail...A group of Kabekona county sportsmen, including local Isaac Walton League,made definite plans during the winter of 1949 to preserve Minnesota`s few remaining Snow Snakes. According to all accounts, the Snow Snake ( Aestateesommus hiemepericulosus) first was recognized during the year of Two Winters, when temperatures in August dropped to 71 degrees below zero...Pure white in color, the Snow Snake blends so harmoniously against its white background that no one has distinguished its shape or size.

The author then mentions the Agropelter (Brachiipotentes craniofractans),or "forest monkey", tame enough to be carried in a shirt pocket and able to darn socks."Needleeye, an Agropelter from Stillwater, took a blue ribbon at the state fair in 1861 for the best bit of embroidery - a covering for the deacon`s seat.Agropelters were then described as being so sort after that they were trapped and sent to work in spinning mills in the southern U..S.A. They became unpopular as they were trained by Minnesotans to become violent to prevent their enslavement in the southern mills.

A curious bit of folklore is attributed to a mystery snipe, in that when it becomes excited it emits sparks. "Competent naturalists for years have insisted that the great Hinckley fire of 1894 was started with such sparks... Like the Snipe, the Filla-Ma-Loo bird (Fulica stultusregrediens) ,never has been caught, but its numbers are increasing in Minnesota...Known variously as the Flu-fly Bird and the Goofus bird, the Filla-Ma-Loo has a Turkey-like head on a long bottle-green neck that is spangled with large,silvery scales. A black right wing and a pink left one makes a color combination hard to miss...All Filla-Ma-Loos are male." 
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THE GONZO BLOG DOO-DAH MAN IS VERY TIRED

The Gonzo Daily: Friday/Saturday
Today is another one of those days that all sorts of things have happened, but nothing that would be even of slight interest to anyone else. A half hour conversation with Devon Carers about Mother would be of no possible relevance to anyone outside my immediate family and household. Corinna is still poorly, but better than she has been for some weeks. Your thoughts and prayers are appreciated far more than you will ever know.
YER EDITOR SEZ: THE DIGITAL PRAYER FLAG
You guys have been doing massive amounts of praying for Corinna. I believe that the outpouring of good vibes transmitted electronically, being a little like a Tibetan prayer flag. Find out more:
https://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/p/a-prayer-flag-lung-…
Blessed be.
CHECK OUT THE GONZO STORES:
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/…/a-notion-of-shopkeepers…
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 #361/2
THE GARDENING ISSUE
http://www.gonzoweekly.com/
In this peculiarly horticultural issue, Kev meets the legendary Martin Springhett of the Gardening Club, Doug critiques the King of the Wild Frontier, Adam Ant, Alan talks Tau, Steve investigates the music scene in Portugal, there is more animal rescue with PAART, Jeremy talks about Jim Bob and Alice Cooper, and Jon gets all paranoid and Kafkaesque.
Now THAT's what I call eclectic!
Hail Eris!
And there are radio shows from Mack Maloney and Friday Night Progressive AND Canterbury sans Frontieres AND Strange Fruit AND Merrell Fankhauser, there is a column from Kev Rowland but Mr Biffo, C J Stone, and Roy Weard, 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:
Extinction Rebellion, Leonard Cohen, PETA, Paul McCartney, Elton John, John Lennon, Gentle Giant, The Who, Tommy, Ginger Baker, Kofi Baker, Iggy Pop, Kevin Rowland, Dexy's Midnight Runners, Stevie Wonder, Mick Fleetwood, Fleetwood Mac, Ronnie Wood, Strange Fruit, Friday Night Progressive, Canterbury Sans Frontieres, The Merrell Fankhauser Radio Show, Mack Maloney's Mystery Hour, Peter Hobbs, Garry Koehler, Milcho Leviev, Dr. Kadri Gopalnath, Malcolm "Molly" Duncan, Steve Douglas Cash, Choi Jin-ri, Jay Frank, Kenny Dixon, George Chambers, Humberto Vicente Castagna, Hossein Dehlavi, Márta Kurtág (née Márta Kinsker, often Marta Kurtag, Raymond Santos, Michael Flaksman, Raymond John Leppard CBE, Hans (Johannes Wolfgang) Zender, Rolando Panerai, Rick Wakeman, Gerry Beckley, The Waterson Family, The Fall, Richard Wright and Dave Harris-Zee, Chasing the Monsoon, Kev Rowland, Martin Springett, Steve Andrews, Music of Portugal, Piece of Cake, Captain Boy, Marinho, Time for T, Museum Museum, Rope Walkers, Carrie Tree, Doug Harr, Adam Ant, PAART, Alan Dearling, Tau, Alice Ancient, The Butterfly Wheel, Jeremy Smith, Tim Rundall, Ferocious Dog, Jim Bob, Fruitbat, Alice Cooper, The Stranglers, MC50, Mark Wingfield, Blind Justice, Barros, Axegrinder, Yagull, Michael-Alan Taylor, Tony Klinger, The Baader Meinhof Complex, Jonathan Downes, The Wild Colonial Boy, Thom the World Poet
And the last few issues are:
Issue 359-60 (Robert Hunter)
https://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo-359-60.html
Issue 357-8 (King Crimson)
https://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo-357-8.html
Issue 355-6 (Elfin Bow)
https://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo-355-6.html
Issue 353-4 (Melanie S Jane)
https://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo-353-4.html
Issue 351-2 (Royal Affair)
https://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CE…/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 60 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?
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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.



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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




  • THE PORTSMOUTH SEA SERPENT
  • JAWS IN PADSTOW?
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    NEWS FROM NOWHERE: Friday/Saturday

    ON THIS DAY IN -  1793 - The Louvre Museum, in Paris, opened to the public for the first time.
    And now some more recent news from the CFZ Newsdesk


  • Stranded whales: Numbers on the rise around UK sho...
  • Chasing the tiger with stealth, smarts and science...
  • These albino lizards are the world's first gene-ed...
  • Squirrels listen in to birds' conversations as sig...


    • 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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