NOTICE

Dear Friends, 

I have been doing blogs on Blogger/Blogspot for so long that it seems really strange not to be doing them anymore, but as many of you will have found out, dear Louis - who really is a Saint among men for putting up with me during the full-moon - has done a magnificent all singing all dancing website for us. You can find it at cfz.org.uk…

As Pete Townshend would have said “meet the new blogs, the same as the old blogs, except they are not, they are much better." These blogs on Blogspot will remain as legacy sites, so never fear that all the stuff that you have read over the years should still be available for you to read, up to and including the day when either the sun goes supernova or the ice caps finish melting and we sink graciously beneath the sea.

Jon

CFZ PUBLISHING: The Song of Panne ebook

The world's leading publishers of cryptozoology, forteana and fortean fiction, with over a hundred titles currently in print.

The latest post on the CFZ Publishing Group blog begins as follows:

The Song of Panne (Being Mainly about Elephants), the surreal new novel by CFZ director Jonathan Downes, is now available as a Kindle ebook as well as a paperback...

Click here to read the whole article.

CFZ PUBLISHING: Special Offer on The Song of Panne

The world's leading publishers of cryptozoology, forteana and fortean fiction, with over a hundred titles currently in print.

In the latest special offer from the CFZ Publishing Group, you can get your SIGNED copy of the surreal new novel from Jonathan Downes, The Song of Panne (Being Mainly about Elephants), for just £6.99 (postage free within the UK).

Click here for full details of the offer and how to order your copy..

CFZ PUBLISHING: Out now! The Song of Panne

The world's leading publishers of cryptozoology, forteana and fortean fiction, with over a hundred titles currently in print.

The latest post on the CFZ Publishing Group blog begins as follows:

As you can see from the photo, CFZ director Jonathan Downes has a new book out! The latest entry in our Fortean Fiction line, it is a novel called The Song of Panne (Being Mainly about Elephants)...

Click here to read the whole article.

Mark interviews Jon

WEIRD WEEKEND 2013: Guess who

LIZ BITAKARAMIRE: Day Four at the Weird Weekend 2013

And so to the final day. As we bid farewell to Woolfardisworthy, but only for a year at the most, what have we learnt? Sarah and Maya taught us about orbs and how to catch them on camera ourselves. Ronan told tales of leprechauns and Irish kings. We had James Newton on Bigfoot and Lars on the cryptozoology of Greenland as well as that of Jon's garden, a talk he co-hosted with Nick Wadham. 

At the end of Ronan's speech Jon was presented with a signed Weird Weekend poster as a thank you for all the hard work he had done, and then the man himself delivered his customary keynote speech. Many were moved as he spoke of the passing of Mick Farren, and excited when Jon announced that there would indeed be a Weird Weekend 2014 if he had anything to do with it. Unlike the Pope, Jonathan Downes will not be abdicating his throne just yet, dudes....

LIZ BITAKARAMIRE: Day Two At Weird Weekend 2013

We got off to an amazing start with a vegetarian fry-up for breakfast. Starting with amazing food is always a good plan. Becky at Higher West Town B&B is a great cook. I also had some of the best coffee of my life. The coffee in Devon must be stronger than up north because it just took two small cups and I was as wired as a rock star on acid. 

While Paul rested up I decided to use my artificial energy wisely and set off to the village and Jon's house to see if I could be of assistance. Everything, however, was in hand, so instead I got to catch up with old friends again and make a couple of new ones. I also met Prudence for the first time and she is as adorable in the fur as she is in her pictures. 

We discovered Atlantis in Bideford in the afternoon, of all places next door but one to Asda. This, of course, is notthe Atlantis but a children's nautical theme park, which if I'm honest, I wish I wasn't passed the age restriction to enjoy. Adults can sample the lovely food, though, which was consolation enough. 

Next was Hartland Quay. Words cannot describe the beauty, hence the pictures. 

We're still in shock with the road widths in this part of the world and how it can be justifiable to set the speed limit on such dangerous stretches at 30 and 40! But we are still in one piece.

And lastly, we come to the talks themselves. I made it to all of them and all of them were very interesting. My favourites have to be Ronan Coghlan on the church and evolution (what he said made perfect sense to me and was refreshingly unbiased) and Lars Thomas on the natural history of trolls. 

The volunteers in the canteen are to be applauded. I didn't sample much of the food last night but the crumble was heavenly. 

So for reasons that must be obvious, I'm really rather looking forward to day three. And in about to have my third coffee just because I'm daring....

IS THERE A KIND PERSON OUT THERE THAT CAN HELP WITH OUR NEW MAGNUM OPUS

Believe it or not, our long-awaited new book recounting our adventures in Texas a couple of years ago, and going through seven years of blue dog research, is well under way and I think that the end might even be in sight. All indications are that it is going to be bloody big as well.

Is there anyone out there who would like to help? I need some interviews transcribed. If I email you a mp3 file would one of you good people like to transcribe it for me?

What NICE folk you all are.

P.S. Tabitca thinks the cover is scary. I was only going for a cute Miles Davis reference

JON DOWNES: Yesterday's News Today

I had a telephone call from Oliver yesterday evening. He has been on holiday with his girlfriend in Plymouth since Wednesday, but - bless his little pointy head - he has been doing YNT each evening. However, apparently his internet access, and that of much of Plymouth, is down, and so with many apologies he hasked whether I could do it today...

So I have.

Lizard Point choughs under 24-hour guard
Cougar sighted in Victoria area park

And for no particular reason:

UNCONVENTION 2010: Jonathan Downes - Texas Blue Dogs

JONATHAN DOWNES: Tell me Y

The Silver Y moth (Autographa gamma, previously known as Plusia gamma) is one of the most well known migratory moths on the British list. The larvae are extremely polyphagous and according to Nancy Fraser (2000), have been recorded feeding on at least 224 plant species, and furthermore she claims that they have also been recorded damaging many crops, especially those of the cabbage family.

They have a complicated life cycle. The adults make seasonal northward migrations into areas where – due to climatic conditions – they are unable to establish a full-term presence. As Fraser writes: “For example, individuals migrate into Britain each spring, and after, one, two or three generations, descendants of the spring migrants return to over-wintering sites in North Africa and the Middle East”.

The species is widespread across Europe, parts of Asia and North Africa and the northerly migrations can reach as far as Iceland, Finland and Greenland – the latter, as far as I can tell, being its only known incursions into the New World. In the United Kingdom they are present in significant numbers from the middle of May until they are killed off by frosts in the late autumn. Many individuals, however, fly south again and winter around the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.

In 2007 the Vermont Co-operative Agricultural Pest Survey (CAPS) reported that although they had not actually found any specimens “the likelihood and consequences and establishment by A. gamma have been evaluated in a pathway-initiated risk assessment conducted by the Department of Entomology from the University of Minnesota, published 2003.

Autographa gamma was considered highly likely at becoming established across the US if introduced: the consequences of its establishment for US agricultural and natural eco-systems were also rated high (ie., severe).”

As far as I am able to ascertain, there have been no records, however, of this species in mainland North America. That is, until – possibly – now.

As editor of an increasingly popular online daily magazine; which covers amongst other things natural history, cryptozoology and out-of-place animals; I often receive photographs for me or our readers to identify. These pictures were sent on 8th August 2010 by my friend and colleague D.R. Shoop in Minnesota. They had been taken the previous Monday (the 6th). My first thought was that they were indeed a Silver Y moth. I have been familiar with this species since I first became interested in British moths at the age of 11 – 40 years ago. My second thought was that they couldn’t be because Silver Y moths are not found in North America. Upon investigation I found that there are forty-three species in the genus Autographa, of which at least fifteen are recorded in North America, and some of these; particularly Autographa californica, Autographa bimaculata, Autographa buraetica, Autographa pseudogamma, Autographa v-alba, and Autographa corusca; are not only found in North America but bear a remarkable resemblance to the Eurasian Silver Y.

I would originally have placed a fair amount of money upon the moths pictured here being the Silver Y species with which I have been familiar for four decades. However, now I am not so sure. I would be very interested in reading the comments of any expert in the North American noctuidae.

REFERENCE

Cirsium Palustre (Marsh Thistle) literature search and habitat potential risk analysis (Nancy Fraser, Canadian Ministry of Forests, Vancouver, 2000)

WEIRD WEEKEND 2010: Jonathan Downes (Keynote Speech)

WEIRD WEEKEND SCRAPBOOK: 'Sean S'

It was an overcast and miserable day when I approached the great community hall of Woolsery. The programme looked exciting and I was overcome with great excitement at hearing the likes of such luminaries in the world of Forteana as Richard Freeman, Ronan Coghlan and especially Jonathan Downes. The day started with a short introduction to cryptozoology by Mr Downes and Mr Freeman. Rather than answer the question themselves, they elected to find an answer from the audience – and got the right one - everyone was pleased! This was followed by an outstanding talk by young 'zoologist' Max Blake on species that are known from one specimen. He went through worm-amphibians, sea hedgehogs, birds, wallabies and peccaries. The technical content was extensive and I took many notes.

Loads of other stuff happened. I had a great time. The bar was excellent. I fell over.

JON IS IN THE WARS AGAIN

Apologies to anyone who was supposed to see me this weekend, most notably the launch bash for The Bideford Post (a new monthly newspaper for which Corinna and I are writing a column) but not only have we been overtaken by events, and I really don't feel like going out in public, but I have managed to hurt myself again.

I really am the most accident-prone klutz in the history of cryptozoology, but early yesterday morning I was answering a call of nature when I trod (all 23 stone of me) on the plug of the vacuum cleaner, which had become detached from its customary place.

I was barefoot.

I am now hobbling around the place like a character from some dreadful pre-war horror movie, and everyone is being very nice to me, and (though I deserve it) no-one has told me that I really should look where I am going. But bloody hell, it hurts whenever I walk....

RONAN COGHLAN: ALLONS, ENFANTS

Napoleon Bonaparte, a figure well known to historians, was unable to mount his horse at the Battle of Waterloo (1815). The reason: piles.

I understand our gallant leader, Jonathan Downes, is similarly afflicted. One would think with such an ailment he could put his troubles behind him, but this is perhaps an a posteriori idea. However, as he shares a condition with such a notable historical personage, perhaps he should now be entitled to being called the Napoleon of Cryptozoology.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Mr Coghlan, you are an evil man. Actually I always thought Richard F. looked a little like Napoleon, but that is another story. In the meantime I recommend this factual book about the historical period in question.

Check it out

THE LATEST FROM HOLLYWOOD errr WOOLSERY

I am really rather proud of the new movie that we are making. Although this will be my eighth film, it is only the second one that will I have directed from start to finish in the conventional manner, and the first of such to be feature length. The first film, The Case for Crop Circles (1997) was avant garde nonsense from start to finish, and the least said about the Owlman movie the better.

Most of the crypto films were shot on location by two or more camerapeople whilst I was back in England. I would then take the thirty or forty hours of rushes, and painstakingly cut and paste different bits together to make something that - hopefully - works as a cohesive whole.

The only exception to this was the 2006 film Eel or No Eel which was filmed mostly by me or Mark North under (mostly) my direction. However the new film is different, and I am actually enjoying doing it ore or less conventionally.

The top picture shows me, the leading-lady (the eponymous `Emily` of the title), and my dear, sweet and long suffering wife in the office looking at the day's rushes and trying a brief rough cut to make sure that the sound and lights are roughly in continuity. As you can see from the middle and lower pictures I am breaking every child labout law in the book (as well as all the film-making ones) by having an eleven year old lighting technician.

To be honest (and I usually try to be) this is not exactly the truth. Oll has been doing most of the lighting tech, and doing it very well indeed - some of the scenes we have filmed indoors look wonderful. However, for those not in the know, Oll (like me) is somewhat portly in figure, and is not physically able to kneel, crouch, and fit into small spaces like young Jessica here. Jessica is, by the way, the younger sister of Emily, and also has a series of cameo roles in what is rapidly turning into the CFZ's analogue of Mutiny on the Battleship Potempkin.

By the way: Thank you to everyone who responded to my call for animators the other day. I have received a number of calls, and am presently talking seriously to three animators..

JON AND NICK IN PUERTO RICO

This will, I think, amuse you... Now go and read Island of Paradise

Paranormal is just a cop out

I just want to set the record straight about something. Over the past few weeks I been receiving letters from friends, and strangers alike. They all asked me the same thing. How come, when you have made your life's work the investigation of strange things, are you so resolutely against "the paranormal". Well the answer is, that I'm not. After all my most famous book, The Owlman and Others is unquestionably set within the twilight realms. It is not the investigation of things unknown that irritates me, but the misuse, and indeed abuse of the term "the paranormal".

When I was much younger I had a distant cousin who was a nun. My cousin Barbara joined a holy order, and became Sister Ignatious. I met her at various family gatherings over the years, but I was always somewhat in awe of her, and never got to know her very well. However, she always seemed to be a kind, devout lady, and to be all that one would expect one's cousin who happened to be a nun to be. However, I will always remember a family occasion of some sort which occurred in about 1971 when I was 11 or 12. Some smaller children belonging to one of the more obscure scions of my mother's family were milling about, and talking generally smutty nonsense in the way that small children are wont to do. I cannot remember the details, but one little girl went up to my cousin Barbara, sorry, Sister Ignatious, and asked her a question which was obviously intended to embarrass the poor lady.

Again, I cannot remember the details of the question, but I can remember the answer. My cousin looked down her lorgnettes and said, with all the moral authority that came from being not only a bride of Christ, but the daughter of a long line of minor Sussex gentry:

"I wouldn't know about that dear. It is all part of the majesty of our Lord God".

That would have been a remarkably apposite answer if it had been in answer to some obscure question of theology, but it wasn't. It was in answer to a smutty and wholly inappropriate question of lavatorial tediousness aimed purely at making a sweet old lady embarrassed. However, from her point of view, as she believed implicitly in the majesty of Creation, even the reproductive and excretive organs were the work of The Lord, and therefore not to be questioned or examined too closely - literally, or euphemistically.

Even at the age of 11, I realised that this was a cop out. At the age of 50 (next August) I see exactly the same cop out being used regularly by so-called paranormalists. Now, don't get me wrong. I am not, for one moment, trying to say that all the mysteries of the universe will eventually be solved. Some things - whether there is life after death, for example - are essentially unknowable. However, I for one am getting tired of the catch-all phrase "well its all paranormal innit" being used to describe mysteries from the whole gamut of the fortean canon. The concept of the paranormal has become almost a religious one in some people's eyes, and for some people, and worse for some investigators, the concept that something is "paranormal" is enough, and replaces any concept of rational investigation. When forteana, or worse forteanism, becomes a religion, then it is time for me to bail out!

So, of course I am interested in "the paranormal". A large chunk of my career has been built on it. I just believe, however, that the vast majority of unsolved fortean mysteries are either solvable using currently accepted models, or are defined by laws of physics that we just don't understand yet. And although I accept that some of the great mysteries of the universe will never be solved, there is certainly the possibility, in my eyes at least, that the things which I look into will eventually be solved, hopefully by me.

OUR FIRST GRANT MUSEUM APPEARANCE LAST MAY

"We really enjoyed the film of your lecture at the Grant Museum" writes Lindsey and Yvonne from Bolton. "But you appeared there a year ago, and we were in the audience on that occasion. Was that ever filmed?"

Indeed it was...