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...




Sunday, May 12, 2013

TONY ECCLES REVIEWS FILM AND PLUGS THE CFZ - WELL DONE THAT MAN!

the-bigfoot-tapes-dvd-coverThis is the story of three film-makers who go out in search of the Bigfoot due to a recent alleged sighting, the characters are very much like those characters in the Blair Witch Project; these are film-makers who are no different in that they are of low intelligence and are irrational. For adults they lack even the basics of common sense, they were annoying and very unconvincing. They also did no research into the subject matter they’re supposed to be investigating. Writer, producer and director Stephon Stewart should have picked up the phone and called Richard Freeman or someone from the CFZ first (Britain’s most famous cryptozoology group)! It would have resulted in a film worth watching, especially if you want interesting characters.

Read on...

THE GONZO BLOG DOO-DAH MAN HAS RECOVERED

Sundays I try to push the parameters
and compose the blog in barbarous hexameters
which sometimes get close to the knuckle
but composing rhymes always makes me chuckle
 
And each week therefore I try and explain
that the rhymes don't mean that I've gone insane
cos I'm mad already as you can see
and writing rhymes like this amuses me
 
So to start, let's go to Austin Town
where Thom the World Poet can be found
today he writes to say goodbye
to Ray, the stop-motion animation guy
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/thom-world-poet-daily-poem_12.html
 
And now our Gonzo Track of the Day
is from a favourite of us all so shout WAYHAY!
it's the man I listen to in my car
Ladies and Gentlemen: Michael Des Barres!
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/gonzo-track-of-day-michael-des-barres.html
 
Go to the Green Man (you should try it)
cos Julian Cope and Robert Wyatt
are doing spoken word this year
which is something I really would like to hear
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/robert-wyatt-julian-cope-and-james.html
 
Now check this out, I think you'd better
issue 25 of our weekly newsletter
which is now almost a magazine
has just gone out if you know what I mean
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/gonzo-weekly-newsletter-25.html
 
Now I think you all should understand
that Zenit are a groovy band
which I cover regularly on this blog
cos I like their brand of neoprog
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/zenit-reviewed-at-all-about-jazz.html
 
Crosby Stills and Nash go jazz
and if you've got their records (nearly everyone has)
you will understand when I say then
this is quite a departure for these men
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/link-crosby-stills-and-nash-get-jazzy.html
 

Byeeeeeeeeeeeee
 

*  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:
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/11/all-gonzo-news-wots-fit-to-print.html
 
* 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 53 who - together with his orange cat (who is currently on sick leave in Staffordshire) and his new orange kitten 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 the orange cats?
 

DALE DRINNON: Patty, Giant Gibbons, Benny's Blogs

New at the Frontiers of Anthropology:
 
New at the Frontiers of Zoology:
 
New at Benny's Blog for Thelma Todd:
 
New at Benny's other blog, The Ominous Octopus Omnibus:
 
Best Wishes, Dale D.

FORTEAN BIRD NEWS FROM THE WATCHER OF THE SKIES

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. So after about six months of regular postings on the main bloggo Corinna took the plunge and started a 'Watcher of the Skies' blog of her own as part of the CFZ Bloggo Network.


KARL SHUKER - A KINTAIL KAPYBARA?? I DON'T THINK SO!!



Karl Shuker dons his deerstalker and takes out his magnifying glass to pursue the curious case of the Celtic capybara...that wasn't!

THOM THE WORLD POET: Tribute to Ray Harryhausen























STOP MOTION STOPPED
(my tribute to Ray Harryhausen!!)
"There would be no LORD OF THE RINGS if it were not for Ray" (PETER JACKSON)
"There would be no STAR WARS if it were not for Ray" (GEORGE LUCAS)
Small,just when black and white turned gaudy TECHNICOLOR!
eye saw the art of Ray in Jason &The Argonauts.The jump cut monsters scared me
with a certain unreal cartoon almost 3D feeling that made mythology into reality
More Saturday Matinees due to Ray-always making monsters that even Steve Reeves believed
It was no way to learn Greek Myths-many liberties were taken via Hollywood
yet the gaudy brightness captivated me right up to Godard's BREATHLESS
Now screens are awash with cartoon movies-DREAMWORKS to PIXAR
yet the original KING KONG still captivates more than its many remakes
and his bold brave claymation suffuses WALLACE & GROMMIT
as well as so many Film Festival cartoon shorts.Ray made clay magic-like Bob Mud
Original always the best-the rest can follow after with Ray's laughter
echoing down those creative individual cycles round one sun..
(what an IDEA for a new claymation nation-EARTH! THE FIRST 7 DAYS.!!...

OLL LEWIS: Yesterday's News Today



On this day in 1976 the actor Jason Biggs, who voices Leonado in the latest remake of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, was born. Yes, it's a fairly slow news day for Fortean related anniversaries, but if a show partially inspired by urban legends about abandoned reptiles growing large and mutating in the sewers of New York doesn't qualify as Fortean then the world (also the remake is quite good).
And now the news:
  • New Deep-Sea Fish Species Found in Antarctica
  • Biologist Maps the Family Tree of All Known Snake ...
  • Pets May Help Reduce Your Risk of Heart Disease
  • Just What Makes That Little Old Ant… Change a Flow...
  • Humans Evolved Flexible, Lopsided Brains
  • What Color Were Dinosaurs? Test Of Ancient Skin Sa...
  • Navy sonar 'most probably' to blame for mass dolph...
  • Police dog eats pet hamster during raid on home

  • A stop motion animation made by a 12 year old using his turtle figures... don't run, this is actually rather well made: