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, December 28, 2017

TODAY'S BIG CAT NEWS

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.

  • NEWSLINK: Less Than 50 Asiatic Cheetahs Left in Ir...
  • NEWSLINK: Outrage as fat lions and tigers perform ...
  • NEWSLINK: Forest dept study to find out leopard co...
  • NEWSLINK: Profiling the tigers, genetically

  • NEWSLINK: Instagram Takes Stand Against Wild Anima...

  • 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.


    THE HOPPY HEN ON THURSDAY

    The Gonzo Daily: Thursday
     
    (My tribute to Jon and Yoko continues)
     
    And so it is Thursday
    and I picked up my figurative pen
    and spent the day working
    on Animals & Men
    because from tomorrow
    we have visitors here
    and there will be rejoicing
    and maybe some beer
     
    Forgive me for always banging on about our webTV show, but it matters a lot to me, and I would be grateful for as many people as possible to see it, and spread the tidings of it far and wide:
     
     
    And if you fancy supporting us on Patreon:
     
    But for now, here is the news:
     
    THE GONZO CHRISTMAS TRACK OF THE DAY: Sexy Christm...
    Why Is Modern Pop Music So Terrible?
    RICK SPRINGFIELD NEWS
    FRANK ZAPPA NEWS
    THOM THE WORLD POET: The Daily Poem
     
    Gonzo Weekly #265/6
    THE CHRISTMAS DOUBLE ISSUE
     
    As we approach Christmas, we present a special double issue in which we talk to Tony Klinger about his work with The Who, on ‘The Kids are Alright’ and print an exclusive excerpt from his book, Alan gets all Christmassy with Charlie Manson, and the legendary Jim Dickinson, John has a Martian Christmas with Paul Kantner and looks back over the 60th anniversary celebrations of the Summer of Love, Jon waxes lyrical about The OA, Timothy leary and Stranger Things, Richard writes about Steve Kimock, and Amy explains Yuletide plants.
     
    Hail Eris!
     
    And there are radio shows from Mack Maloney AND Strange Fruit, AND Friday Night Progressive. We also have columns from all sorts of folk including Neil Nixon, Roy Weard, C J Stone, Mr Biffo and the irrepressible Corinna. There is also a collection of more news, reviews, views, interviews and southern dibblers who have blown a fuse (OK, nothing to do with small marsupials who are not good at household electrics, 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 OA, Stranger Things, The Beatles, John Lennon, Trevor Horn, Jools Holland, Eric Clapton, Lili Fini Zanuck, Cecil Williamson, Patti Smith, John Prine, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Bon Jovi, Jimi Hendrix, Paul McCartney, Status Quo, Francis Rossi, REM, The Cure, Strange Fruit, Friday Night Progressive, Mack Maloney's Mystery Hour, Keith Chegwin, Maxwell Frank Clifford, James Marcellus Arthur "Sunny" Murray, Sir Christus (Jukka Kristian Mikkonen) Magnus Bergdahl, Leon Rhodes, Patrick Michael DiNizio, Willie Pickens, Warrel Dane, Barbara Dickson, Jessica Lee Morgan, Rick Wakeman, Billion Dollar Babies, Tangerine Dream, Tony Klinger, The Who, Alan Dearling, Phil Bayliss,  James Luther Dickinson, John Brodie-Good, Country Joe McDonald, Hot Tuna, Paul Kantner, Jefferson Starship, Richard Foreman, Steve Kimock, Charles Manson, Dennis Wilson, Phil Kaufman, Terry Melcher, Bobby Beausoleil, Catherine Gillies,  Charlene Cafritz, Marilyn Manson, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Cabaret Voltaire, Nick Redfern, Defending the Realm: MI5 and The Shayler Affair, Mark Hollingsworth, Nick Fielding, Sex Pistols, David Shayler, The Clash, UB40, Kev Rowland, Silhouette, Tankard, Threat Signal, Antisect, Trojan Horse, Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats, 36 Crazyfists, The Walking Dead, Whitewater, With the Dead, Wobbler, Zud, Aosoth, Atoll, b.o.s.c.h., Bigfoot, Blaze of Perdition, Charcoal Tongue, Curse the Fall, Hawkwind, Xtul, Martin Springett, Amy Phillipson, John Higgs, Timothy Leary, Kylie Minogue
     
    And the last few issues are:
     
    Issue 264 (John McLaughlin)
    Issue 263 (The magic Band)
    Issue 262 (DikMik)
    Issue 261 (Leonard Cohen)
    Issue 260 (Amsterdam Squat Festie)
    Issue 259 (Out come thee Freaks)
    Issue 258 (The Devil's Jukebox)
    Issue 257 (Judge Smith)
    Issue 255/6 (John Lennon)
    Issue 254 (Mr Biffo)
    Issue 253 (Dana Gillespie)
    Issue 252 (Cropredy)
    Issue 251 (Scott Walker)
    Issue 250 (Jamms)
    Issue 249 (Bill Bruford)
    Issue 248 (The Selecter)
    Issue 247 (Don Airey)
    Issue 246 (Steve Hackett)
    Issue 244-5 (Summer Special)
     
     
    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 58 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 - Thursday

    ON THIS DAY IN - 1065 - Westminster Abbey was consecrated under Edward the Confessor. 
    And now some more recent news from the CFZ Newsdesk


  • Indian police use elephants to evict illegal settl...
  • Study shows genetic differences between uptown and...
  • Oceans under greatest threat in history, warns Sir...
  • Hunter dies in Germany after wild boar he was tryi...


  • 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).