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...




Thursday, March 14, 2013

BBC ON LOCH MORAR (Featuring Richard Freeman/CFZ)

Mermaid/BBC's Little Mermaid
Loch Ness is known all over the world for its legendary monster, Nessie. But it is far from the only creature said to inhabit Scotland's lochs. Could you place the locations of Lizzie or the slug pig?
Researchers had found accounts at the University of Edinburgh library of the mysterious creature from the 1900s.

Yara-Ma-Yha-Who


Yara-Ma-Yha-Who from Blanca Martinez de Rituerto on Vimeo.

RICHARD FREEMAN: Creepy little film on an Aussie monster I've written a short story on.

DAN HOLDSWORTH: Cat Matters

Recently I experienced a bit of a problem with one or two neighbourhood cats which were engaged in a literal pissing match, partly involving my back yard. A new, pure white[1] cat had recently arrived, and was trying to establish territory by scent marking; the residents were resisting by similar methods.

Faced with a back yard reeking of cat pee, I at first tried scent deterrents, making my back yard at first reek of Jeyes Fluid, then of garlic essence. Neither worked for long, and nor did lemongrass oil, or citrus oil (though the yard smelled quite nice). Then I tried putting one of these devices out, a couple of feet away from where a cat jumping down into the yard would land.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Innotek-Ssscat-Cat-Spray-Deterrent/dp/B000RIA95G

The yard is monitored by a CCTV camera, so I was able to see the result. A couple of close encounters with a horrible hissing monster in the dark was enough; the pissing match has been postponed indefinitely.
So, might I suggest deploying one of these things near where you'd prefer the cat not to go? All it does is hisses loudly and unexpectedly close to the cat, which is apparently a hell of a shock for a feline, though it is otherwise harmless. They soon learn to avoid it, though, and it is less intrusive than scent deterrents.

[1] Cats in my neighbourhood have a sadly limited lifespan, mostly due to traffic. A pure white individual, even a widely ranging one, would likely live longer due to being more visible to traffic.



DALE DRINNON: Frontiers of Anthropology, Benny's Blogs, Cedar & Willow

New at the Frontiers of Anthropology:
 
New at Cedar and Willow:

Benny just published one too-
 
New on Benny's Blog, the Ominous Octopus Omnibus:
 

FORTEAN BIRD NEWS FROM THE WATCHER OF THE SKIES (C...

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 has taken the plunge and started a 'Watcher of the Skies' blog of her own as part of the CFZ Bloggo Network.

Birds are target of 'inhumane' abuse

THE GONZO BLOG DOO-DAH MAN IS CONFUSED

We were told that Leo (or sometimes 'Buttons') was supposed to have been kept in for up to five weeks before we let him out. However, he has so far escaped seven or eight times and always came back. So yesterday we gave up the unequal struggle; we bought him a collar with a name tag, and a bell to warn birds, and let him out. It was obviously the right decision because he has been popping in and out ever since, and is much calmer.
 
Last night I watched a Mott the Hoople documentary on BBCi Player, followed by a collection of so-called New York Rock. How they managed to claim that John Cale is a New York rock artist when he is Welsh baffles me, but there was a very good version of Venus in Furs which kept me happy. Sadly no Richard Hell (with or without the voidoids). But I am waffling, so, on with the show....
 
 
Once again we repair to Austin for our daily audience with Thom the World Poet
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2013/03/thom-world-poet-daily-poem_14.html
 
 
 
There's a rockabilly party on saturday night, Helen and Martin will be there, have you got an invite?
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2013/03/hepcats-helen-and-martin-rocking-house.html
 
 
 
*  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:
 
 
* 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 a not very small orange kitten (who isn't) 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?

OLL LEWIS: Yesterday's News Today


Yesterday’s News Today

On this day in 1879 Albert Einstein was born.
And now the news:
  • Large Dogs Age Faster, Die Younger
  • Triumph of the blues - iconic iguana saved by trad...
  • India: Leopards in the Backyard
  • Sniff, Sniff: New Form of Animal Communication Dis...
  • Alligator Nabs New Prosthetic Tail
  • X-ray scans look at changes inside a chrysalis
  • Three Ukrainian Killer Attack Dolphins Are On The ...
  • Sucking salamander uses jaw power to bend prey

  • An account of Albert Einstein's parents' courtship and his birth set to music: