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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Thursday, July 14, 2016

BIGFOOT NEWS IN BRIEF




Video and Audio Paranormal Group Looks For Bigfoot In The Sierra's
Bigfoot Evidence ... Video and Audio Paranormal Group Looks For Bigfoot In The Sierra's ... Bigfoot Evidence: Bigfoot Spotted Eating Mussels.

5 Mysterious Bigfoot Sightings Caught On Tape
These clips supposedly show Bigfoot creatures caught on camera. Number 5 - Bigfoot Alaska Number 4 - Paul Freeman Bigfoot Sighting Number 3 ...

Couple Hosts Bigfoot Wedding At Sasquatch Hot Spot
The town of Remer has made a name for itself as a mecca for bigfoot activity. So much so that one couple decided to have their very own bigfoot ...

MAKING BIGFOOT : Web Series
Please check out my "MAKING BIGFOOT" Web series as we're chronicling the creation of my new movie, from the ground-up. Included here are ...

THE GONZO BLOG DOO-DAH MAN DOES HIS OWN IGNITABLE THING

The Gonzo Daily - Thursday
 
Animals & Men #57 is now out. For those of you who are interested in such things it contains the following material:
 
2.  Contents
3.  Faculty
4.  Editorial
8. Newsfile: New and Rediscovered
14. Newsfile: Thylacine
15. Newsfile: Chupacabras/Blue dogs
18.  Newsfile: Man beasts
20.  Newsfile: Mystery cats
22. Newsfile: Aquatic monsters
26. Newsfile Xtra: Utah Nonsense
29.  CARL MARSHALL'S COLUMN: 
Are we the only Human beings
36. Watcher of the Skies by Corinna Downes
53. Gulyabani by Joshua Allen
59. The Ohio Dogman by Colin Schneider
65. The Yeti: An Ape not a Bear by Richard Freeman
71. Zoological Oddities in ‘Forest and Stream’ Magazine, Volume One—Part One 1873-4 by Richard Muirhead
78. Duties for regional representatives—
a discussion document
79. Weird Weekend North by Glen Vaudrey
81. Letters to the Editor
83. Reviews
88.  Recent books from CFZ Press
 
Check it out:
 
And now I am on the want again. It is time, once again, for me to remind you all about this year's Weird Weekend featuring our very own Steve Ignorant, sponsored by our very own Erik Norlander, compèred by me and the return of  Nuneaton's Mr Entertainment, Barry Tadcaster with his pal Orang Pendek, and featuring a whole cornucopia of high strangeness and cerebral silliness. It would make me very happy if I could sell some more tickets..
 
find out all about the Weird Weekend
buy tickets to the Weird Weekend:
 
And now for the news................
 
THE GONZO TRACK OF THE DAY: Al Stewart - Year of ...
“The Beatles and WWII” Featuring Peter Gabriel, El...
Gregg Kofi Brown interview
THOM THE WORLD POET: The Daily Poem
INCLUZY (Jobs for People with Disabilities): The B...
 
Gonzo Magazine #190
 
In this week’s bumper countercultural issue we interview Erik Norlander  about his excellent new album Surreal, John watches Jefferson Starship, Doug attends the same event and waxes lyrical about the Haight-Ashbury Street Fair,  Alan muses on the Free Stonehenge  Campaign and raves about Jimmy Cauty’s ADP Riot Tour (yes, that is Rockman Rock of the KLF as was), we send Martin "The Gardening Club" Springett to a desert island, Jon raves about G P Ching,  remembers the seventies, and eulogises the new XNA album, and Biffo gets involved with Pick’n’Mix!
 
And there are radio shows from Strange Fruit, Mack Maloney, and Friday Night Progressive. We also have columns from all sorts of folk including Roy Weard, Mr Biffo, Neil Nixon although the irrepressible Corinna is taking a week off. There is also a thrilling and slightly disturbing episode of Xtul. There is also a collection of more news, reviews, views, interviews and pademelons outside zoos(OK, nothing to do with small marsupials who have escaped from captivity, 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:
The Who, Syd Barrett, Terry Bozzio, Leonie Scott Matthews, Muhammad Ali, John Blackwell, Paul Simon, Carole King, Prince, Strange Fruit, Friday Night Progressive, Mack Maloney's Mystery Hour,  Caroline Mary Aherne, Robin St. Clair Rimington Hardy, Donald Ernest "Don" Friedman, , Arturo, Rick Wakeman, Arthur Brown, The Beatles, The Golliwogs, James Young, Cymbalic Encounters, Richard Brautigan, Erik Norlander, Haight Street Fair, The Battle of the Beanfield Remembrance, Wally Hope, John Brodie-Good, Jefferson Starship, Mr Biffo, Nick Nicely, FREE STONEHENGE, XNA, Ian Anderson, Tir Na Nog, 71 Sunset, Roy Weard, Xtul, Martin Springett, Neil Nixon, Caravan
                                                                                  
Read the previous few issues of Gonzo Weekly:
 
Issue 189 (Rick Wakeman at the O2)
Issue 187/8 (Yer holiday special)
Issue 186 (Beatles)
Issue 185 (Judge Smith)
Issue 184 (Mick Abrahams)
Issue 183 (Daevid Allen)
Issue 182 (Wally)
Issue 181 (Beatles)
Issue 180 (Beltane)
Issue 179 (Gregg Kofi Brown)
Issue 178 (Viv Stanshall)
Issue 177 (David Gilmour)
Issue 176 (Joey Molland and The Raz Band)
Issue 175 (Larry Sanders)
Issue 174 (Keith Emerson)
Issue 173 (Pink Fairies action figures)
Issue 172 (4th Eden)
Issue 171 (Keith Levene)
Issue 170 (Wildman Fischer)
Issue 169 (Wildman Fischer)
Issue 168 (Wakeman/Bowie)
Issue 167 (Paul Kantner)
Issue 166 (Spirits Burning)
 
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 56 who - together with an infantile orange cat named after a song by Frank Zappa, and two small 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 the infantile orange cat, and the adventurous kittens?

INCLUZY (Jobs for People with Disabilities): The Benefits of Hiring People with Autism


In the UK there are more than 700,000 individuals living with autism, however, less than 15% of these people are in full-time employment. This is a dispiriting figure when you consider the many skills and talents people with autism have, skills which are highly beneficial in the workplace.
Autism Spectrum Disorder is not a disease or illness and it cannot be cured - the unique elements of autism are an integral part of the person’s make-up. As it is defined across a spectrum, people with autism will all experience it in a unique way, however, it usually has some effect on how individuals communicate and interact with others. As well, it is also important to remember that autism is not a visible disability.

In 2010, The Equality Act came into force in the UK and made it unlawful for any employer to discriminate on the grounds of disability. Perhaps this has made some employers reassess their approach to autism, however, employing people with a disability is not a matter of filling quotas. Instead, the focus should be on the value each individual can bring to the prospective role. Those who fall within the spectrum of autism have a huge amount to offer companies. Individuals with autism are often excellent problem solvers; have outstanding concentration and memory skills; pay great attention to detail; and are highly dependable, just some of the traits that companies are looking for in employees.

While every applicant who applies for a job should be treated as an individual, there is common ground amongst people with autism that can be reached, which, when recognised by companies can make the hiring process run much more smoothly.

Things to consider:

Communication
Some individuals with autism will find understanding body language and facial expressions difficult and this can sometimes hinder communication.
Repetitive Behaviours
People with autism will often see the world in a different way and thus they tend to enjoy the security of familiarity and routine. This is a positive trait in a working environment.
Interaction
Interaction concerns how individuals with autism behave in the presence of others. For example, if they are concerned, they may retreat within themselves; or they may sometimes appear insensitive, but only because they find it difficult to read cues from those around them.

The Interview Process
People with autism often develop a keen interest in a particular subject and become hugely knowledgeable about it. If you can discover what this interest is during the interview, and encourage the candidate to talk about it, it can help put them at ease. 
Sometimes jokes and sarcasm are not understood well by individuals with autism, as physical cues are hard for them to read. Therefore, be straightforward and express yourself clearly. Also, if there are gaps in the conversation don’t rush in to fill the silence, the person may just need a little longer to formulate their response.

The Induction Process
Once an individual with autism has been hired, there are simple steps you can take to make their first few days with you as positive an experience as possible.

·         Send induction material to the new employee early so they can take the time to read through and absorb it before they start. This will help to lessen first day nerves.

·         If possible, try to seat the person away from noise or people passing by regularly, as this can be unsettling. It’s also important to build structure into the day so individuals know what to expect.

·         People with autism can be perfectionists so it’s important to give regular feedback on how things are going and provide reassurance where necessary.

Individuals with autism tend to have strong skills in particular areas and can often outperform their peers in these capacities. It’s important therefore to tap into these strengths and allow the employee the freedom to utilise their skill-set within the working environment. When this happens much of the misunderstanding about autism falls away and employers recognise what a valuable asset the individual is to their business.


For more information click here.

CFZ PUBLISHING: Here is Animals & Men #57


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:
Here is the latest issue of Animals & Men to read, absolutely free!...
Click here to read the whole article.

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.



NEWS FROM NOWHERE - Thursday

ON THIS DAY IN - 1430 - Joan of Arc, taken prisoner by the Burgundians in May, was handed over to Pierre Cauchon, the bishop of Beauvais. 
And now some more recent news from the CFZ Newsdesk

  • Monkeys in Brazil 'have used stone tools for hundr...
  • Human hair, bird feathers came from reptile scales...
  • Lynx on the run: Recordings of missing big cat's m...

  • Europe's rarest butterfly discovered in Cumbria


  • 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)