Saturday, August 02, 2014

NEWS FROM NOWHERE - SUNDAY

ON THIS DAY IN 1492 - 
Christopher Columbus left Palos, Spain with three ships. The voyage would lead him to what is now known as the Americas. He reached the Bahamas on October 12. 

  • Investigators probe whether ferry killed humpback ...
  • For bats and dolphins, hearing gene prestin adapte...
  • Rare seahorses spotted for first time in Philippin...
  • Can Ants Save the World from Climate Change?
  • Scientists name new species of cetacean: The Austr...
  • South African giraffe dies after 'hitting bridge'
  • Black bear sighting in Vietnam indicates conservat...

  • Selective logging takes its toll on mammals, amphi...

  • 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)

    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 Big Butterfly Count 2014

      Join Sir David Attenborough and take part in the Big Butterfly Count.

      Just spend 15 minutes on a sunny day and keeping track of what butterflies you see.

      Submit your sightings at www.bigbutterflycount.org


      Join the big butterfly count and help us take the pulse of nature


      ********************************************************************************************
      Dr Martin Warren
      Chief Executive
      *******************************************************************************************
      Butterfly Conservation
      Manor Yard 
      East Lulworth
      Wareham
      Dorset BH20 5QP

      Tel: 01929 400209

      THE GONZO BLOG DOO-DAH MAN MAKES FRIENDS WITH THE ERINACEINAE

      The Gonzo Daily - Saturday
      It rained nastily last night, but the two hedgehogs have shown that they have a fair degree of common sense and were both curled up happily in their little house this morning, which is gratifying. However, it turns out that their mildly expensive house is less than waterproof, so Graham has added more sheltering to their run. As an ex Civil Servant who dropped out of a degree in Biochemistry, he is a bloody good enclosure builder. The male is called Mr Fezziwig by the way, and the female is Cherry Pecksniff. Both chosen by Corinna who is of a Dickensian frame of mind at the moment. But there is something Dickensian about the way these charming little fellows bumble about their business...
      The latest issue of Gonzo Weekly (#89) will be available to read or download at www.gonzoweekly.com very soon. It has the legendary Judy Dyble on the cover and an interview with her inside. It has an interview with Oliver Kersbergen from Sleepyard, and an interview with Lou Stein, the director of the theatrical adaptation of Hunter Thompson's 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas'. It also includes our second exclusive extract from the new Waterboys biography by Ian Abrahams. Jethro Tull fans will find a critique of the new box set of 'Passion Play', critiqued by Doug Harr. There are also new shows from the wonderfully eccentric Jaki and Tim on their Submarine, and from the multi-talented Neil Nixon at Strange Fruit and from M Destiny (hopefully fully recovered from his recent illness) a collection of more news, reviews, views, interviews and tree kangaroos (OK, no arboreal macropoda, 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!!!
      Read the previous few issues of Gonzo Weekly:

      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!
      To make sure that you don't miss your copy of future issues make an old hippy a happy chappy and subscribe
      http://eepurl.com/r-VTD
      As well as the Gonzo Weekly, there is a daily service called - wait for it - The Gonzo Daily, and you can subscribe for free HERE:
      http://eepurl.com/OvPez

      *  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.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 54 who - together with an orange kitten named after a song by Frank Zappa puts it all together from a converted potato shed in a tumbledown cottage deep in rural Devon which he shares with various fish, and sometimes a small Indian frog. 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 kitten?

      KARL SHUKER; Giant Spiders - Monstrous Myth or Terrifying Truth?


      Arachnophobes look away now - Karl Shuker unveils reports of gargantuan spiders from around the world, as big as washtubs, puppies...and people!

      Read on...