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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...




Friday, October 26, 2018

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.

BIGFOOT NEWS IN BRIEF



When Laura Krantz, a Denver-based journalist, used to hear the word ”Bigfoot” — as in the elusive, hairy creature that stalks forests and quite a few ...
Bigfoot. Sasquatch. Yeti. The Abominable Snowman. Stories of large, hairy creatures appearing to be half man and half ape have been told around ...

Leading up to Halloween night, the fifth annual Bigfoot Haunt lecture series, Spooks Real & Imagined, is offering free, daily presentations at Spokane ...

THE GONZO BLOG DOO-DAH MAN CONTINUES TO PRAY

The Gonzo Daily: Friday/Saturday
 
YER EDITOR SEZ:
 
And here we are at the end of another week, and—to be brutally honest—I have absolutely nothing to say, because my whole existence is completely wrapped up in Corinna’s illness, and—like I say in the song of the same title, “nothing really matters except you (her)”
 
Carl has been here all week and has been working very hard,  and—despite the fact that he was looking for something else that he was unable to find—he did manage to find the DVD containing Ken Campbell’s awesome School for Clowns which nobody else that I have ever met has any appreciation for.
 
It is notable how Ken Campbell keeps on reappearing in my life, even years after the old bugger died.
 
However my external camera microphone, and about thirty feet of cable is still lost in limbo somewhere.
 
Corinna is still largely pain free, and continues to be the magnificent woman I have always known that she was, however we STILL do not have a definitive diagnosis. Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Being at the receiving end of such a torrent of positive vibes is a truly wonderful and humbling experience, and it is one of the main things that keeps us going.
 
I do have good news to impart: Lars Thomas' book about the mystery land animals of Scandinavia and the Baltic States has been uploaded, and over at Gonzo the first volume of Kev Rowland's The Progressive Underground is also imminent. And at Fortean Fiction, my latest novel - 'Zen and Xenophobia' - vaguely a sequel to 2015's 'The Song of Panne', has finally been uploaded, and both mine and Lars' books will be available to buy this week (unless something horrid happens). I would warn you that if you are of a nervous disposition, or easily offended, you will find parts of my novel both offensive and upsetting. There is sex, violence, drug abuse, occultism, pornography, firearms, politics, religion, and not a little sociology. But there is also love, kindness, faith, and redemption. And it's a cracking good yarn. Or I think so, at any rate.
 
All I would say on the subject before bidding you farewell is Caveat Lector. And I'm not gonna explain what that means, because because if you don't know what that means then you probably shouldn't be reading the book in the first place.
 
ALL TODAY'S GONZO NEWS WOT'S FIT TO PRINT:
 
THOM THE WORLD POET: The Daily Poem
THE GONZO TRACK OF THE DAY: Supper's Ready Illustr...
UNCLE RICK'S ODYSSEY
HAWKWIND REVIEW
 
OTHER IMPORTANT STUFF FROM THE GONZOVERSE:
 
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 #307-8
THE I ONCE HAD A CAT CALLED CORNELIUS ISSUE
 
In another fantastically fab issue, We meet Michael Moorcock and talk about his new collaboration with Spirits Burning, Richard is shocked by a hologram of Roy Orbison, Alan goes to see Toots and the Maytals and Lee 'Scratch' Perry, King No One and Beth McCarthy, and Rob goes to see Corky Laing of Mountain, while Graham brings us up to date with the world of Hawkwind.
 
#Hail Eris!
 
And there are radio shows from Strange Fruit, Mack Maloney, AND Friday Night Progressive, AND there is a columns from Kev Rowlands,  though Neil Nixon, C J Stone, AND Roy Weard AND Mr Biffo AND the irrepressible Corinna are on hiatus.  There is also a collection of more news, reviews, views, interviews and red kangaroos who've lost their shoes (OK, nothing to do with the largest extant macropods who are in a quandry with regards 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:
 
Jamie Margolin, Chris Packham, Jilted John, Ken Worthington, Glenn Hughes, Bart Lancia, Marillion, David Bowie, Ike and Tina Turner, Peter Hook, Prince, Corky Laing, Richard Freeman, Strange Fruit, Friday Night Progressive, Mack Maloney's Mystery Hour, Martin Ash, Joseph Kamaru, Hugo Raspoet, John Von Ohlen, Geoffrey E. Emerick, Charles Aznavour (born Shahnour Vaghinag Aznavourian), Peggy Sue Gerron, Jerry González, Charles Geoffrey Hayes, Kim Melius Flyvholm Larsen, Tulsidas Borkar, Otis Rush Jr., Zang Tianshuo, Marty Balin (born Martyn Jerel Buchwald), Mike Weiley, John Wicks, Maria de Montserrat Viviana Concepción Caballé i Folch OIC OAXS OMFRG LH OMIR, Hamiet Bluiett, Bernadette Carroll (born Bernadette Dalia), Al Atkins, The Chad Mitchell Trio, Spirits Burning and Michael Moorcock, The Gardening Club, Michael Moorcock, Alan Dearling, Alexandra Palace, Toots and the Maytals, Don Letts, Richard Stellar, Roy Orbison,Jimi Hendrix, Tupac, Billie Holiday, Michael Jackson, Ronnie James Dio,  Hemelvaart Bier Café, Zach Lount, King No-one, Beth McCarthy, Kev Rowland, Deafening Opera, Godsticks, Anthrax, Hawkwind, Jon Downes, The Coldharbour Diaries, The Wild Colonial Boy, Martin Springett, Hugh Walters
 
And the last few issues are:
 
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 (Straqngelove)
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: Friday/Saturday

ON THIS DAY IN -  1905 - Norway gained independence from Sweden. 
And now some more recent news from the CFZ Newsdesk



  • Adaptable lizards illustrate key evolutionary proc...
  • Why leaf-eating Asian monkeys do not have a sweet ...
  • Kidnapping' in the Antarctic animal world?
  • Success for Cambridge conservation charitybattling...


  • 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)