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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Monday, September 23, 2019

BIGFOOT NEWS IN BRIEF





For many months, Baden had been watching episodes of “Catching Bigfoot” and any other shows or documentaries he could find on the subject.

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.





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.





  • STEVE FELTHAM STORY
  • LOCH NESS: After boffins finally find the 'real' N...
  • LOCH NESS: Prof. Gemmell vs the Tabloids
  • WYRMS


  • BY THE LION'S MANE
  • 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.



    NEWS FROM NOWHERE: Monday/Tuesday

    ON THIS DAY IN -  1846 - Astronomer Johann Gottfried Galle discovered the planet Neptune.
    And now some more recent news from the CFZ Newsdesk

  • Japanese man prepares for landmark case against do...
  • India's 'Tiger state' reports at least 11 rare cub...
  • Raw ivory sales: Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia ca...
  • 13 wildlife species in danger of disappearing from...
  • North-east squirrel spotters to take note as reds ...


  • 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)

    THE GONZO BLOG DOO-DAH MAN GREETS THE DAWN

    The Gonzo Daily: Monday/Tuesday
    https://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/
    It was, I believe, Harold Wilson who said that a week is a long time in politics. Well I can out do that. Three days is a monumentally long time in my peculiar life. It all started on Friday when I went into Barnstaple for my long scheduled meeting with the people responsible for PIP assessments. Although the chap who assessed me was nice enough, they had rescheduled my appointment by half an hour the day before, and I was kept waiting an extra 15 minutes on Friday, meaning that I was 45 minutes late before we even started. The assessment took 2 1/2 hours which meant that – despite the fact that they knew I had a hospital appointment afterwards – I missed it. The meeting was both humiliating and gruelling, and I suspect that it was deliberately designed that way, and I came away convinced that I failed. Graham, who was with me, said that he was convinced of no such thing and that he had no idea whether I had failed or not. We will just have to wait-and-see, and I will not know for up to 6 weeks.
    I think that it is not impossible that the whole process is designed to make as many people fail as possible in order to keep the government disability allowance bills down.
    Saturday, however, was a completely different ballgame. Richard came up, and we spent two days filming all sorts of things which will appear in forthcoming episodes of On the Track and On the Track Xtra. We are all really excited about this and look forward to sharing it all with you.
    ER 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 #355/6
    THE ELFIN ISSUE
    http://www.gonzoweekly.com/
    This phantasmogorical phaerie issue pheatures: Kev tracks down Elfin Bow somewhere in phaerieland, we hear abour airborne animal rescue from PAART, Steve Andrews eulogises David de Rothschild, we go Crossing the Tyne with Emerald Stone, Doug goes to see the legendary B52s, Alan visits Surplus People, Graham tells us all about the forthcoming Hawkwind album, we visit The Netherlands for the True Music Guide, and believe it or not, Jon praises...wait for it...Taylor Swift.
    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:
    Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Sinead O'Connor, Asia, Peter Hook, Jessica Hook, Melanie S Jane, Emerald Stone, Pittsburgh Aviation Animal Rescue Team, Richard Freeman, Strange Fruit, Friday Night Progressive, Mack Maloney's Mystery Hour, Lavrentis Machairitsas, Camilo Blanes Cortés, Volodymyr Havrylovych Luciv, Jimmy Ray Johnson, Kylie Rae Harris, LaShawn Ameen Daniels, Les Adams, Laurent Sinclair, Adiss Harmandian, Terrance William Dicks, Donald Ray Fritts, Dan Warner, Rick Wakeman, Gerry Beckley, The Waterson Family, The Fall, Richard Wright and Dave Harris-Zee, Chasing the Monsoon, David de Rothschild, Doug Harr, B-52's, Alan Dearling, Surplus People, Nukli, Astralasia, Spacedogs, Dream Machine, Deviant Amps, AOS3, Shom, Sendelica, Captain Starfighter, Lockheeds, Lacertilia, Kev Rowland, Elfin Bow, Tony Klinger, Spock's Beard, Abhorrent Deformity, Omenfilth, Orange Goblin, Ordo Ignis Dei, Violation Wound/Cliterati, Hawkwind, Martin Springett, Christiaan Bruin, Skylake, Hasse Fröberg, HFMC, Jolly, Inventions
    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/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?