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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Tuesday, July 31, 2012

CHECK OUT THE WEB SHOP FOR ADELE'S ORANG PENDEK ART

adele morse


Check it out

WELL THEY DO LOOK LIKE LAKE MONSTERS...

I didn't even know that ostriches can swim...
See original post

I'M YER GONZO BLOG DOO-DAH MAN

And so another day dawns here at the converted potato shed from which I sally forth to plot world domination. Another exciting day is in store as I wait for a team of Irish radio journalists, and my friend and colleague Richard Freeman (not necessarily in that order)...

I really am very fond of the music of Erik Norlander, who is not only a very talented chap, but also (as far as I can tell from emails and our one conversation) is a really nice chap. His two cd/dvd packages on Gonzo Multimedia are getting a lot of critical acclaim with reviews like this one:
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/link-erik-norlander-review_31.html


Today I am reposting a review of the Gonzo Captain Beefheart DVD. Whereas it is a very good review, it ends with the sentence "For the Captain Beefheart completists, this will be a must have, though at barely 30 minutes there's not much here for the casual fan." I just have one thought. The good Captain wasn't exactly Take That. Are there such things as casual fans of Captain Beefheart?
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/in-1972-captain-beefheart-late-don-van.html


Now, I enjoy writing and compiling the Gonzo Daily very much, and apart from occasional pieces by Davey Curtis, Graham Inglis, Dave McMann and my lovely wife Corinna I do it pretty well single handed. However, the volume of response that we have had proves to me that I am not as much of a lone voice crying in the wilderness as I have always thought. Its world domination time.
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/08/gonzo-daily-needs-you.html


Bloody Hell Michael. He is getting so much good press at the moment that it is impossible to keep on top of it all. I went away for a few days to deal with her Majesty's constabulary in Oakham, and then truncate yesterday to have my ears syringed, and when I come back there are so many bits of Des Barres-related news that I am forced to steal a round-up of latest events from the front page of his website.
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/michael-des-barres-whats-been-did-and.html


For days I have been promising to post a video that Michael sent me last week of Little Latin Lover live on the Andy Dick Show. So today we have two Michael Des Barres stories on the Gonzo Daily. Good innit?
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/michael-des-barres-little-latin-lover.html


There is an awful lot of interesting Jon Anderson news at the moment, and those of us who have been Andersonfans for yonks are like pigs in clover. There are new recordings, gigs and all sorts of stuff. We have already covered most of this stuff on Gonzo Daily, but it does no harm to reiterate it..
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/these-are-exciting-times-for-jon.html


And that's it for today. I will be back with more groovy stuff tomorrow..

KARL SHUKER: SWAMP CRITTERS AND SAND WORMS - INTRODUCING THE SPECTACULAR IMAGINARIUM OF ANDREW SCOTT

One of the chief delights for me in joining Facebook has been meeting and becoming friends with so many interesting people – some of whom, moreover, are gifted with the most extraordinary and wonderful talents. One such person is Andrew Scott from Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada, whose ability to manufacture astonishingly life-like models of real and imaginary animals is truly breathtaking. Using acrylic on PVC gel and iron wire or copper and aluminium for many of them, each of his numerous sculptures has been skilfully created by him with meticulous attention to detail, and the result is never less than mesmerising.

Read on...


HAUNTED SKIES: Times (The) 1.11.67


OLL LEWIS: Yesterday's News Today

http://cryptozoologynews.blogspot.com/


On this day in 1555 Edward Kelley was born. Kelley was an alchemist and occultist chum of the better known John Dee and claimed to be able to summon angels and the spirits of the dead. He also claimed to be able to change base metals into gold, something that he apparently was unable to do when people were watching (hmm...).

And now the news:

Can it be true that I hold in my hands a nugget of purest green?”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkZFuKHXa7w

Monday, July 30, 2012

CORINNA DOWNES: What the hail is going on and why are your shorts wet?

I have to explain right at the beginning of today’s entry,that the last of the above two questions will not be answered on this blog, but I thought that it added a little spice to the heading, without blatantly shouting,“ Roll up, roll up, hear all about it. Come on in and be amazed, shocked or even beguiled by the saga of the wet shorts incident in Tesco”.

Read on...

KARL SHUKER: 'THE GREAT MYSTERY ATLAS' - THE BOOK THAT GOT AWAY

I have been very fortunate during more than 20 years as a full-time author in that virtually every book that I have personally submitted for publication or have been involved with in some capacity has duly appeared in print. During the mid-1990s, however, there was one notable exception to this successful trend. Read on...

DALE DRINNON: Giant Owl/Cedar and Willow


Just a short one posted at Frontiers of Zoology. This has been posted before, but not latelyhttp://frontiersofzoology.blogspot.com/2012/07/an-owl-to-compare-to-mothman.html

And on Cedar and Willow, the vidcaps for the 1960 movie The Lost World are posted.
(Finally! This one has been giving me no end of trouble to put togetrher and get out!)
http://cedar-and-willow.blogspot.com/2012/07/transtemporal-travels-of-jennifer.html

Best Wishes, Dale D.

HAUNTED SKIES: Sunday Telegraph 29.1.67


I'M YER GONZO BLOG DOO-DAH MAN



Please forgive the fairly perfunctory nature of today's postings, but I have a doctor's appointment just after mid-day and I want to get as much done before I go as I can. Hopefully my hearing problems will soon be sorted..

I have to admit that I am feeling quite pleased with myself blogwise today. Yesterday we posted the 1000th story. I am amazed it has gone so quickly...
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/yesterday-we-reached-milestone.html

Chris Thompson really is a smashing artist. I have been an avid fan since early April when the Gonzo grande fromage came to visit, and plonked a copy of Chris' new live DVD/CD package into my sticky little hands and said, 'Listen to this dude' (or words to that effect). From the looks of reviews like this, I am not the only afficianado..
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/link-chris-thompson-review_30.html

It is difficult to know what to say about Rick Wakeman; he plays piano like an angel, he has a ridiculously schoolboy sense of humour (as do I) and he likes cats. He has also just released an archive live album from 2003 which is jolly good.
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/link-rick-wakeman-review.html

Dan Wooding is a jolly interesting chap. He has written a number of interesting biographies inclusing one of Britain's first rock and roll rebel Terry Dene, and 'the caped crusader' Rick Wakeman. The Terry Dene book comes out imminently through Gonzo, and the Wakeman book is out now. Check it out.
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/dan-wooding-great-review.html

As you must have noticed whilst reading these pages over the last few weeks (assuming that you have been reading these pages over the past few weeks) Michael Des Barres has a new album out. He has been doing a lot of major interviews, and I thinmk that this one is possibly the best yet..
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/link-possibly-most-impressive-michael.html

I have always been a big Beatles fan, and I am also a very keen devotee of the work of Captain Beefheart, but it would never have occurred to me to compare them. However, someone has, and today I have done a link to a remarkably incisive article..
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/link-is-captain-beefheart-superior.html

And that is about it for today. I am off to get my ears syringed. Hey Ho!

OLL LEWIS: Yesterday's News Today

http://cryptozoologynews.blogspot.com/
On this day in 1965 J.K. Rowling, writer of the Harry Potter books, was born.
And now the news:

Cull and drought hit feral camels
Vietnam's tiger farms are called trafficking hubs
Lao PDR identified as a key player in illegal ivor...
Divided dolphin societies merge 'for first time'
Experimental Turtle Surgery Performed in NC – via ...
Shark Paradise Discovered
Wildlife Market Surveys in Jakarta Done by Turtle ...
Massive Bigfoot model on eBay
First Photo Evidence of Snub-Nosed Monkey Species ...
South Korea drops scientific whaling plan
New mammal species discovered in Indonesia
Crash cat found after two days in Everglades
Two new areas of marine protection along NI coastl...
Big horned rhinoceros beetles are healthiest
Big Butterfly Count 2012 - Worrying lack of butter...
Ten British species given new names


All the spells from the Harry Potter films in order:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHPqO0UnaW8

CFZ PEOPLE: Lars and Jeanett Thomas

LARS THOMAS WRITES: Dear friends and colleagues in the world of cryptozoology.

So many of you have expressed love and support during the almost six months my wife has been missing, so I feel it is my duty to inform you that the long wait, the months of anxiety and speculating is over – a few days ago I had...

The dreaded visit

On a Wednesday morning

There were two of them

We’re sorry to inform you...

Finally the answer

The gut wrenching answer I had known for months

Drowned, they said

Drifted all the way to the Polish coast, they said

I don’t really care, because now I truly know that you are no longer here, and that some part of me will be for ever lonely

23 years – just like that

But we will survive, the boys and I, we will never get over it, but we will learn to live with it.

But I promise you will be proud of us.
I promise I will give our boys the best life I possibly can.
I promise we will try to be happy again.

My fingers hesitate as my tears fall on the keyboard

So for the very last time
Farewell my love, my sweet, my life

Sleep well.

Apparently Jeanett fell into the water in Copenhagen Harbour and drowned the night in February where she disappeared. It is a small comfort that the weather and the water were blisteringly cold. It must have been over in seconds. And then she drifted all the way across the Baltic to land on the north coast of Poland. She was actually found in early April, but for some reason the Polish authorities didn’t bother to try establishing her identity until now. I have no idea when I can get her home and bury her – the paperwork (of which the Polish authorities are very fond it would seem) could take several more weeks.

Thank you – and please remember her.

ANDREW MAY: Words from the Wild Frontier

News and stories from the remoter fringes of the CFZ blogosphere...

From Nick Redfern's World of Whatever:

From CFZ Australia:

From CFZ Canada:

PYGMY ELEPHANT BLOG

Matt Salusbury is an old friend of ours, and we are very pleased to be publishing his groundbreaking book on pygmy elephants later this year.

























In the meantime there is a blog:

























http://pygmyelephants.blogspot.co.uk/

Sunday, July 29, 2012

DALE DRINNON: Vietnamese Batutut/Cedar and Willow

This just up at Frontiers of Zoology:
http://frontiersofzoology.blogspot.com/2012/07/vietnamese-batutut.html

Blogger and Facebook are both giving me a lot of problems on Sunday, so I can't get as muvch done as I'd like. However I do have two new Cedar and Willow blog postings up:

Next up on Cedar And Willow: Something You Thought You Remembered But All Is NOT As It Seemed!

http://cedar-and-willow.blogspot.com/2012/07/the-sword-in-stone-sword-in-throne.html

Newest on Cedar and Willow, a little excursion into regular reality:
http://cedar-and-willow.blogspot.com/2012/07/victor-von-dooms-latveria-barney.html

Best Wishes, Dale D.

PS, Thanks to our GERMAN fans at Cedar and Willow, consistently the #3 national category of page visits since the beginning of the blog!

Page Visits by country, alltime totals for the blog:

United States 68348
United Kingdom 11635
Germany 9108
Canada 6683
France 4223
Italy 2824
Australia 2737
Brazil 2667
Russia 1338
Egypt

(Spain and Egypt swap places over time and Mexico is also a close runner-up.) 1126

HAUNTED SKIES: Daily Express 7.11.67.


I'M YER GONZO BLOG DOO-DAH MAN


Well, we are back at the ranch, and although it seems very strange without Mother, it is nice to be back in one's own bed. It is back to normal now, and we shall get on with the bloggybits. Life is rather compl;icated at the moment but then when wasn't it?

Veteran psychedelic and proggy keyboard player Tim Blake has undergone emergency surgery. For those not in the know, Tim has played with both Gong and Hawkwind, as well as being responsible for some rather spiffing (or considering the type of music, should that not be 'spliffing') solo records. Get well soon dude.
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/tim-blake-has-emergency-surgery.html

As you may or may not know, I have a day job as Director of the world's largest mystery animal research organisation. Therefore, any story which includes the mighty trio of words LOCH, NESS and MONSTER in it is bound to be of interest. There is a very much sought after Nessie-related record which is available through Gonzo. It was made by Alex Harvey 35 years ago, and - courtesy of those jolly nice people at Goodle News Alerts - here is a rather peculiar AH related rhyme..
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/alex-harvey-tomorrow-belongs-to-alex.html

Whilst on the subject of rhymes, my great inception of the Gonzo Daily conceptual folk club didn't really work yesterday because I didn't make the tune as well recogniseable as I should. So here it is...
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/explaining-my-conceptual-folk-club.html

Acid Mothers Temple are one of the more interesting neo-psychedelic bands currently in operation. They did a strange but very good collaboration with Gong mainfolk Daevid and Gilli some years ago and it was released by Gonzo. So there is every excuse to link to an interesting article about them.
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/link-interesting-article-on-acid.html

Erik Norlander is a massively talented musician and composer and his new cd/dvd packages are well worth a listen. From what I can gather from the calibre of reviews we are getting in from around the world, there are a lot of people who agree with me.
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/a-great-erik-norlander-review.html

And finally.I knew that the story about Hawkwind being banned from a gig at the National Forest because their fans were unsuitable people was too good to be true. Not only does it turn out that the story was never true in the first place, but the folk at the National Forest seem to have a remarkable sense of humour.
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/conkers-folk-are-hawkwind-fans.html

And that's it for today. We will get more and more on track throughout the week.

OLL LEWIS: Yesterday's News Today

http://cryptozoologynews.blogspot.com/
On this day in 1818 Emily Bronte, author of Wuthering Heights was born.
And now the news:

Massive Bigfoot model on eBay
First Photo Evidence of Snub-Nosed Monkey Species ...
South Korea drops scientific whaling plan
New mammal species discovered in Indonesia
Crash cat found after two days in Everglades
Two new areas of marine protection along NI coastl...
Big horned rhinoceros beetles are healthiest
Big Butterfly Count 2012 - Worrying lack of butter...
Ten British species given new names
Room for one more? Baby ducks scramble take shelte...

A video of Kate Bush flopping about in a field:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BW3gKKiTvjs

CFZ CANADA: Snow snakes




Serpentius Niveus (Snow Snake) has been reported in NorthAmerica since before European settlers arrived. It is described as a white snake that lovesthe cold and has eyes that look like ice. When aggravated, the eyes are burning red. The size varies considerably,generally from 3 to 6 feet. It is saidto be covered in a shiny fur of white or pale yellow.

Read on...

KARL SHUKER: WULVERS AND WOLFEN AND WEREWOLVES, OH MY!! - TALES OF THE UNINVITED

One of the most unusual examples of the werewolf movie genre was the film 'Wolfen' (1981), based upon the novel The Wolfen (1978) by Whitley Strieber. Albert Finney starred as a Manhattan detective searching for a mysterious, elusive, and exceedingly intelligent species of highly-evolved humanoid wolf, which has been preying upon humans from the earliest times and is responsible for the werewolf legends but has never been revealed by science. Of course, wolfen are wholly fictional...aren't they?
Read on...

MATT SALUSBURY: Invasion of the Spanish Super Slugs

http://tyneandwear.sky.com/news/article/24676

Invasion of the Spanish super-slugs - they cause car crashes and devaluehomes, etc etc Foreign slugs, they come over here, they take our jobs, etc.

GORDON'S BLACK DOG

Phantom black dog sightings are few and far between in these degenerate days. However, they do occur. We have chronicled a few in these pages, (including one seen by a female friend of Max's), one of my closest friends has also seen one, and over on the CFI blog, Gordon Rutter has discovered another one...

http://blogs.forteana.org/node/178

Saturday, July 28, 2012

DALE DRINNON: Monster Sturgeon/Precolumbian Colonisation

Current Yahoo news item reposted at Frontiers of Zoology, and it gets a mention mostly because of the comment I have added at the endhttp://frontiersofzoology.blogspot.com/2012/07/monster-white-sturgen-caught-yahoo-news.html And

New at Frontiers of Anthropology, evidence for early colonizations of the Americas along both Ocean fronts from before 13 thousand BC:http://frontiers-of-anthropology.blogspot.com/2012/07/spearheads-and-dna-point-to-second.html

Best Wishes, Dale D.

I'M YER GONZO BLOG DOO-DAH MAN


(It is a Sunday, and - as always - I shall be presenting the daily notifications in rhyme. But there are a couple of differences. I am starting off today's venture in my mother-in-law's flat in Rutland, and will finish it off at a motorway services somewhere along either the M6 or the M42, and so I am inspired to do something different. Today's notifications are meant to be sung, but this is where we run into difficulties; I cannot remember the name of the tune. I know it as 'The Old Orange Flute' by The Wolfe Tones, and Corinna remembers it as a song about Bridget McPike from an old cowboy film. But what are little difficulties like that when you are amongst friends?)


So what have we got here to start off today?
Its the rock and roll Marquis who lives in LA
the songs make you dance, (or at least tap your feet)
and the name of the album is 'Carnably Street'
Too-ra-loo Too-ra-lee
We've got Michael Des Barres here in Gonzo Daily..
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/album-review-michael-des-barres-band.html


Rick Wakeman's a talented bloke if you please
and for many years he's tinkled the ivories,
on sessions for everyone that you could guess
and his solo albums, and also with Yes
Too-ra-loo Too-ra-lee
The 'Caped Crusader' is here in Gonzo Daily..
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/link-rick-wakeman-belgian-review.html


Chris Thompson used to sing with Manfred's Earth Band,
one of the best esembles in the land,
and he's done lots of solo suff and it all fits
on this lavish live album of his greatest hits
Too-ra-loo Too-ra-lee
Chris Thompson is also in Gonzo Daily..
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/link-chris-thompson-review_28.html


Jon Anderson sitting upon his front porch
knocked off a fine ditty on the Olympic Torch
Its released as a si9ngle, and its doing fine,
I'm sure it will be first through that ol' finish line
Too-ra-loo Too-ra-lee
sings 'bout the Olympics on Gonzo Daily..
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/jon-andersons-tribute-to-olympics.html

There's actually two stories about this song,
we've got a review here and it won't be long
before Dear old Jon Anderson's a household name
cos like the Gonzo Daily, he's top of his game
Too-ra-loo Too-ra-lee
all the best music news here on Gonzo Daily..
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/more-on-jon-andersons-tribute-to.html

I ORIGINALLY WROTE

But one thing is missing, I choke back a tear,
there's no mention of Lizzy Lenten in here,
cos Indian Summer is a great CD
but without a story, its not here you see
Too-ra-loo Too-ra-lee
There's no mention of Auburn in Gonzo Daily..

BUT I WAS THEN OVERTAKEN BY EVENTS

Checking my emails after this woe of woes,
I found that Alanah's sent two videos
which make me feel proud, and make me feel tall
cos we've got a Lenten-story in after all
Too-ra-loo Too-ra-lee
We finally got Auburn in Gonzo Daily..
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/07/auburn-reviews.html


Now I'm sat in a Starbucks upon the M6
typing away furiously with my caffeine fix
knowing Ive nearly finished, these poems and then
I shall have got away with it all once again

See you tomorrow...

OLL LEWIS: Yesterday's News Today

On this day in 2005 the discovery of the dwarf planet Eris was announced.

And now the news:
Falling lizards use tail for mid-air twist, inspir...
Mystery mass deaths of green turtles in Australia ...
Hundreds Of Turtles Run Away From Georgia Farm – v...
Unchallenged crimes of "rotten apple" palm oil com...
Bats, a Reservoir of Resurgent Viruses

A typical inhabitant of Eris:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyRoLvUVHPc

DALE DRINNON: Cedar and Willow


Last and long delayed part of the Wonder Women, accounting for the non-Wonderwoman stretch when Artemis was WW, Artemis herself, Hippolyta's turn at being WW, and three or more changes on Wonder Girlshttp://cedar-and-willow.blogspot.com/2012/07/wonder-women-in-modern-age-part-5.html

Plus extended appendix section on time travel.Best Wishes, Dale D.

I DO HOPE THAT THIS IS A JOKE (PS I want a pet opposum soooo bad)

My cousin from Kingsville caught this baby Chupa trying to steal a chicken this morning. He said they migrated up to that area from Mexico about ten years ago. Cute little booger ain't he.























http://www.texashuntingforum.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/3405330/Re_Baby_Chupacabra

A VERY PECULIAR BLOG

Hi Jon,

In an act of shameless self promotion I thought I would bring my nascent blog to your attention.

Over the years I have collected a number of odd and interesting photos (well interesting to me) and I have decided to start publishing them via a blog. The blog is not cryptozoological in nature, but does have some Fortean themes.

Hopefully it will be of passing interest to you!

http://unusual-encounters.blogspot.co.uk/

Thanks

Paul

Friday, July 27, 2012

INDONESIAN WINGED HUMANOID? OR TRICK OF THE LIGHT?










http://parabook.wordpress.com/2012/07/24/winged-creature-filmed-in-indonesia-alien-angel-or-hoax/

ANDREW MAY: Words from the Wild Frontier

News and stories from the remoter fringes of the CFZ blogosphere...

From Nick Redfern's World of Whatever:

From CFZ Australia:

I'M YER GONZO BLOG DOO-DAH MAN


So day two of our sojourn in Rutland continues. All things being equal, we shall return to Devon tomorrow. However, I shall miss mother terribly, and have already promised her that I will be back in September to kidnap her. However, I will be glad to be back on a proper computer again. But enough of my ramblings, there are bloggythings to tell you about.

As regular readers will no doubt have gathered, I am a big fan of Michael Des Barres, and I think that his current album 'Carnaby Street' is particularly special. Today, once again, we link to a review..
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/link-michael-des-barres-review_28.html

I have also been a fan of singer Eric Burdon for some decades now. I was very pleased when I found out that there are three releases by him on Gonzo Multimedia, which gives me an excuse to write about him. However, I was sad to hear about his recent health problems...
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/eric-burdon-in-hospital.html

As I have written on a number of occasions in these pages, my younger stepdaughter Olivia has never been particularly impressed with my taste in music, and considers everything that I write about to be hippie hogwash. That being said, she really likes Mimi Page's album and I keep on forgetting to tell her that 'im who plays the Celtic pipes in Nightwish is also one of ours. I know that Nightwish are one of her particular favourites, and so she has probably read this interview before, because I lifted it from their website...
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/troy-donockley-nightwish-interview.html

We have been inolved in animal rescue for years, and so celebrities who work to highlight animal welfare issues are particularly dear to us. Rick Wakeman is one of the stars involved with this year's National Cat Wards. Right on Rick!
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/rick-wakeman-is-real-cool-cat.html

Another one of my favourite bands since I was a teenager - Yes are always a pleasure to write about, or in this case link to. Long may they run...
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/07/link-british-veterans-yes-keep-prog.html

With the third Yes-related story in a row, it is always a pleasure to bring you updates about the activities of our very own Dan Wooding, who - amongst other things - is the author of a new biography of Rick Wakeman.
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/07/dan-wooding-is-busy-chap-these-days_27.html

And that is that for today. I will be back tomorrow, and being sunday it wil be in rhyme..

OLL LEWIS: Yesterday's News Today

http://cryptozoologynews.blogspot.com/

On this day in 1866 Beatrix Potter was born. Potter was an author most famous for her nightmarish tales of terror, usually involving Doctor Moreau like creations that act like humans, including walking on two legs and wearing human clothes, while engaging in immoral pursuits like grand carrot theft and trespass.

And now the news:
Pythons, lorises and a monkey seized at Bangkok ai...
Palm City Equine Rescuers Save Horses On The Edge ...
'Spectacular' Glenmoriston ant nests protected
Girl gives favourite teddy to baby sloth
Active Forest Management to Reduce Fire Could Help...
Indian court bans tourism in tiger reserve 'core z...
Scat-Loving Snakes-disappearance of manure heaps o...
Same Adaptations Evolve Across Different Insects
Biggest ever survey of one of the world’s most end...
Oral Drops for Dog Allergies Pass Another Hurdle
Erard Louw Gives His Sheep Cellphones In Case Of E...
SeaWorld Orlando: Rescued manatee gives birth

The horrific tale of Peter Rabbit, read in a suitably sinister fashion:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqtJt66M0ik

DALE DRINNON: Ten recent mysteries solved

Long delayed, but newly posted at the Frontiers of Anthropology: http://frontiers-of-anthropology.blogspot.com/2012/07/ten-recent-scientific-mysteries-solved.html

Currently I am down with the summer flu but I do have a backlog of unrelease blog postings that I can work on for a while. Best Wishes, Dale D.

KARL SHUKER: Bat winged monkeys and flying death's heads

The following winged wonder only became known to me in mid-October 2007, when Jan Patience, acting editor of the now-defunct British monthly magazine Beyond for which I contributed a major cryptozoology article each issue, brought to my attention a truly extraordinary email that she had just received from a reader. At that time, I was preparing a lead article on lesser-known British mystery beasts for the next issue of the magazine, so the email reached me in time for me to investigate it further and include a full account of the case in my article (Beyond, January 2008), and it is this account of mine that I shall now quote from here.
http://karlshuker.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/introducing-britains-bat-winged-monkey.html

Acherontia atropos, is nothing if not distinctive in appearance. A rare migrant to the UK, with a wingspan that can exceed 5.5 in and a weight that can fall little short of 0.1 oz, it is incontestably Britain's largest species of moth. Its plum-coloured, wavy-lined forewings and rich golden-yellow hindwings, not to mention its bulky body striped boldly underneath in dark brown and primrose bands, also render it one of this country's most attractive moths. Nevertheless, all of these features are eclipsed by a single, but very singular, additional characteristic - one which instantly identities this species and distinguishes it from all others in Britain, which has woven around it a near-indestructible web of folklore and fear, and which has earned it its extremely sinister-sounding English name.
http://karlshuker.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/at-sign-of-deathshead.html

MR AND MRS CARL PORTMAN WRITE...

My dear Jon and Corinna,

Whilst on our honeymoon in the good old county of Norfolk earlier this month we came across a cute village name. It reminded us a little of Woolfardisworthy. It’s not quite as nice but we wanted to share it with you.

Lots of love xx

Carl and Sue

LINK: Dead East River ‘monster’ confounds New Yorkers, animal experts Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/dead-east-river-monster-confo

Photographer Denise Ginley shot pics of the rotting, sand-covered corpse on Sunday while strolling with her boyfriend along the Manhattan side of the East River.

Denise Ginley

Photographer Denise Ginley shot pics of the rotting, sand-covered corpse on Sunday while strolling with her boyfriend along the Manhattan side of the East River.

What the hell IS that thing?
A bloated, pig-like carcass spotted beneath the Brooklyn Bridge over the weekend has spooked New Yorkers buzzing about mutant river “monsters.”
Photographer Denise Ginley shot pics of the rotting, sand-covered corpse on Sunday. “My boyfriend and I were walking along the East River on our way to a farmer's market when we spotted it among some driftwood on a small stretch of sand below the Brooklyn Bridge that you can barely call a beach,” she emailed the Daily News.
PHOTOS: AMAZING ANIMAL ODDITIES
MONSTER26N_8_WEB

Denise Ginley

Photographer Denise Ginley says, "We were horrified by it and we took some camera phone pictures and then finally we decided to come back with my camera and I got up the courage to climb over the fence and get closer to it."

"We were horrified by it and we took some camera phone pictures and then finally we decided to come back with my camera and I got up the courage to climb over the fence and get closer to it," she told the blog ANIMAL New York.
MONSTER26N_7_WEB

Denise Ginley

In the post, titled “We’re Supposed to Believe the New East River Monster Is Just a Pig?” Daily Intel writer Joe Coscarelli tagged the rotting hulk photographed by Denise Ginley, "Wilbur."

Ginley sent the photos to Gothamist, which published them on Monday and sparked furious speculation -- and a few conspiracy theories -- on local blogs and social media.
MONSTER26N_6_WEB

Denise Ginley

Photographer Denise Ginley thinks it is odd that the Parks Department so quickly said the creature was a “discarded cooked pig” and that the department “threw it out.”

Vickie Karp, a spokeswoman for the Parks Department, said the creature was a “discarded cooked pig” and that the department “threw it out.”


Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/dead-east-river-monster-confounds-new-yorkers-animal-experts-article-1.1121889#ixzz21mSy3nv5

Thursday, July 26, 2012

HAUNTED SKIES: Sorry about this


The Haunted Skies daily blog will return on Monday

I'M YER GONZO BLOG DOO-DAH MAN


So, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another edition of Gonzo Daily. Gonzo is as Gonzo does, they say, and I am currently in an Old People's housing complex in Oakham, the county town of Rutland, which is allegedly the most expensive place to live in England. I am drinking brandy and coke out of a coffee mug and typing on an antiquated laptop, which I stole off an immensely fat woman who is currently in prison for having committed over a million quid's worth of fraud. And BT Openzone doesn't work very well, and the laptop keeps conking out.

Tomorrow I shall be confronting the police and asking them why they took it upon themselves to kick my mother-in-law's front door in as if she was a drug dealer (which she isn't). Beat that, Hunter S Thompson...

We at the Gonzo Daily are sentimental folk. OK, most of them are hard as nails, but me and Prudence the dog are massively sentimental, and we like parties, surprises and birthdays. So we shall always celebrate the birthday's of Gonzo folk on these pages when we have a chance. Also it saves me having to write proper copy, so everyone's a winnder baby. Today a big Happy Birthday to Martin Stephenson.
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/gonzo-people-martin-stephenson.html


Some things are constants in life. Like death, taxes, and the fact that Michael Des Barres has just released an absolutely spiffing new album called 'Carnaby Street'. When we return to base on Sunday or Monday we have a fantastic film clip for you of Michael and his band (the keyboard player of whom turns in a completely bonkers performance) doing the track from his new album that Steve Van Zandt likes best. In the meantime - a Portuguese interview.
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/portuguese-interview-with-michael-des.html


Rick Wakeman is undoubtedly one of the greatest rock music keyboard players of all time. Indeed, it is a toss-up between him and Jon Lord in my book, although I believe that there are some folk who would vote for Keith Emerson. It is a good thing (as far as we are concerned, at least) that our Rick is issuing archive live albums like this one from 2003, because otherwise such displays of virtuosity would be lost forever, and that would be a crying shame.
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/link-rick-wakeman-archives-opened.html


Galahad are a really smashing band, and they are another one of those ensembles, of whom I blush to admit that I hadn't heard before I started doing the Gonzo Daily back in March. But I soon rectified that, and am proud to say that I am now very much a fan. So is Allan Jones by the look of this because I have seldom seen such a positive and enthralled review from the veteran rock writer.
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/link-galahad-review_25.html


I am also very fond of an author called Dan Wooding who is just about to issue his second book through Gonzo publishing. He is plugging the first one (his massively cool biography of Rick Wakeman) in his new newsletter, but if I were you I would check out the other things he is writing about as well.
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/dan-wooding-caped-crusader-rick-wakeman.html


Regular readers might find this hard to believe but I am both an anarchist and a bit of an old hippy ("But you look so clean cut and conservative," I hear you shout as if with one voice). This is one of the reasons I am always so happy to write about Hawkwind and Jefferson Starship - two bands who have stayed true to their counter culture ideals...
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/jefferson-starship-live-on-sunday.html


Well that's it for today. I am writing in the wee small hours but will be posting it at the normal hour just in case any of you were gonna complain to Rob that I was drinking brandy at breakfast time, which I'm not (although it wouldn't have been the first time)

Ciaou

OLL LEWIS: Yesterday's News Today


http://cryptozoologynews.blogspot.com/


On this day in 1938 Gary Gygax, the creator of the role playing game Dungeons and Dragons was born.

And now the news:

The intro to the cartoon based on D&D:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YacKar7y3mc

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Twitchers in a flap as two rare white sparrows appear in Moray garden

Double vision: Two rare white sparrows are now feeding in a Moray garden.© Linda Crowther


A Moray woman who photographed a rare white fledgling sparrow in her garden last week was left ‘stunned’ when a second white bird turned up.

Thought to be a ‘one-in-a-million’ rarity, the white sparrows have a condition known as leucism that leaves their feathers either partly or completely white.

While such birds have been spotted before around the world, intensive internet searches have so far revealed no previous instances where more than a single bird has been seen at the same spot.

Read on...

MYSTERY CAT NEWS: Canton, OH

CANTON — Eric Blackshear wasn’t sure what he was going to find when he was called about 8:30 a.m. Wednesday to remove a dead animal from the roadway.

As a 17-year veteran of the Canton Street Department, Blackshear has received his share of calls to pick up different animals — coyotes, foxes, one time even a wolverine: “And I thought, ‘yeah, right.’”

This time, he was told it was a dead leopard that might have been struck by a vehicle in the 1100 block of Navarre Avenue SW.

LINK: The Lachlan Stuart Photograph (Part 1)

In our series on the classic photographs of the Loch Ness Monster we move onto the famous picture taken by Lachlan Stuart in 1951.


At that time, things were pretty quiet at Loch Ness. Sightings of the creature still continued but these were the years of post-war austerity and rebuilding, so it seems that the Loch Ness Monster was not high up on the list of newsworthy items. Indeed, the last photograph of note prior to Lachlan Stuart appears to have been the one taken by F.C. Adams 17 years before in August 1934. Despite the alleged ease with which supposed fake photographs can be made, this seemed a long time to wait for the next one. Either way, this photograph exploded onto the scene on the 16th July 1951 via the pages of the Sunday Express.








The incident had happened the day before and Constance Whyte in her book "More Than a Legend" recounts the tale which we summarise here.

On that Saturday, Lachlan Stuart had arisen at about 6:30am to milk his cow on the croft he and his family occupied about 100 feet above Loch Ness at Whitefield which is almost opposite Urquhart Castle. He glanced out at the loch and noticed what he took to be a motor boat heading north up the centre of the loch.



MORE FROM THE THYLACINE RESEARCH UNIT

HAUNTED SKIES: Sunday Telegraph 29.1.67.


I'M YER GONZO BLOG DOO-DAH MAN


And so we are almost ready to go to Oakham. We are taking Mother home after having spent the last five weeks here, and we are going to miss her terribly. I will be taking my slightly antiquated laptop with me, and I am pretty sure that I will be able to do most (if not all) my daily bloggybits from Mother's house for the next few days. We shall be staying with Mother for a few days to get her settled back in, and will be back on sunday or monday. In the meantime, enjoy today's bloggybits:

We kick off with another great review of Michael Des Barres' new album 'Carnaby Street'. It begins with the words: "Well Michael Des Barres is, without any doubt, a very famous guy. I’m sure that most of you are aware of his work in music & acting generally since the late 60s". No kidding! Not only has Michael had a stellar career but it is far from being over. His new album is not only the best slice of raw rock and roll that I have heard in yonks, but it is getting an overwhelming critical response. I have never seen such a barrage of great reviews...
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/link-michael-des-barres-review.html

Here is a link to an interesting European review of Chris Thompson's magnificent new live CD/DVD package. Chris has one of those unforgettable rock music voices (the sort I have been wishing that I had since I first began to sing) and the album is a joyous romp through his back catalogue, both solo and with he unforgettable Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The review is by someone for whom English is not their first language, and says: "I have not the least objection to Chris Thompson here now to those days raked back, because he does this in a sublime way". Ignoring the grammar, I think that is a charming and elegant
way of putting it...
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/link-chris-thompson-berlin-live.html

I don't usually come over as a patron of the Arts but I really like this painting of the immportal and invisible Captain Beefheart all trouted up to the nines. If I had money it is the sort of thing that I would probably buy. Sadly I not only have no money, but no wall space for any more pictures, as anyone who has ever visited my humble abode will tell you...
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/captain-beefheart-painting.html

I haven't seen Gordon Giltrap in years, but twenty odd (very odd) years ago I saw him many times and even got to know him slightly, and I can attest that he is probably the most amazing acoustic guitarist that I have ever had the privelige of meeting in person with the possible exception of John Renbourn. I own many of his albums, and would probably enter this compy if it wasn't for the fact that working for Gonzo probably means that I would be disqualified.
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/competition-win-tickets-to-see-gordon.html

I have been following the ever changing soap opera which is Yes for many years, and I have to say that I get a little bit anal about the whole thing. I am very much of a Yes fanboy, and interviewing Jon Anderson recently was a career highlight for me. Today there is another interview with the band in which not a lot is said, but a hell of a lot is implied. I have had a few emails from Gonzo Daily readers on this subject. I honestly don't know any more than you do. Just watch this space.
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/he-just-owns-that-role-chris-squire-on.html

Erik Norlander is a phenomenal musician. Boy he can play! The more I hear of his various projects (and there are more of them than you might think) the more of a fan I get of him. Here is another sublime review of the Live in Gettysburd CF/DVD package
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/link-erik-norlander-galactic-collective.html

And that, my dear compadres is that. See you from Oakham tomorrow...

OLL LEWIS: Yesterday's News Today

http://cryptozoologynews.blogspot.com/
On this day in 1984 the notorious murderer and grave robber Ed Gein died. Gein was, to put it mildly, quite messed up and his case inspired the films Psycho and Texas Chainsaw Massacre along with the book and later film Silence of the Lambs. You can read about his misdeeds here (warning: NOT for the faint of heart): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Gein

And now the news:
He's behind you! Starlings form a flipping amazing...
Two-toed sloths' 'lazy' sex life revealed
Basking Shark Sightings on Rise in British Isles
Children shocked as 12-year-old classmate kills ra...
Caught in the Act: Bats Use the Sound of Copulatin...
First map of London's amphibians and reptiles - Ca...
New Species of Ancient Rodents Hint at What Could ...
UK House of Lords debate elephant poaching
GPS sheep tracking supports 40-year-old theory
Ancient Warming May Have Reunited Polar and Brown ...

A shot by shot analysis of the shower scene from Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBAMzmQ2SqQ

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

BIG CAT NEWS: The Beast of Bangor

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 should have a go at publishing a regular round-up of the stories as they come in.
It takes a long time to do and is a fairly tedious task so I am not promising that they will be done each day, but I will do them as regularly as I can. JD


Mystery Animal Caught on Camera Outside Bangor
MPBN News
"This was clearly a big, big black tom cat from a distance and once you took a few moments and had some size referencing, it became fairly evident that it wasn't a big mystery cat, it was just a big kitty cat," Kemper said. The wildlife biologist ...

This is all we have today. A beast which wasn't!

Mummified cat mystery as reader appeals for information about Wisbech curiosity

A WISBECH Standard reader asked today if anyone can explain the mystery of a mummified cat alongside Nene Quay, Wisbech.

Anita Bowles contributed these two extraordinary photos of the mummified cat which after coming across them.

“I was walking along Nene Quay when to my astonishment we passed a mummified cat just leaning against the wall,” she said.

“I’m curious as to how the cat got there? He clearly looks old. I’m wondering if someone has found him in the walls as they were renovating the house due to the old custom of bricking up cats, to ward of evil spirits.”

She added: “I hope someone can shed some light on why and how this cat came to be leaning against the wall?”

Email: john.elworthy@archant.co.uk

“I was walking along Nene Quay when to my astonishment we passed a mummified cat just leaning against the wall,” she said.

“I’m curious as to how the cat got there? He clearly looks old. I’m wondering if someone has found him in the walls as they were renovating the house due to the old custom of bricking up cats, to ward of evil spirits.”

She added: “I hope someone can shed some light on why and how this cat came to be leaning against the wall?”

Email: john.elworthy@archant.co.uk

mummified cat 2

http://www.cambstimes.co.uk/news/mummified_cat_mystery_as_reader_appeals_for_information_about_wisbech_curiosity_1_1455779

BIG CAT STORIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Whilst the focus of the CFZ Mystery Cat study group is predominantly the search for proof of the British big cats, it would be unrealistic to forget that this is only part of a global mystery-cat phenomenon.

Here are a selection of mystery cat related stories from around the world.

Snow Leopard News: Climate Change, Radio Collars, Heart Troubles and a ...
Scientific American (blog)
Wow, this is quite the week for snow leopards (Panthera uncia) with not one, not two, not three but four interesting stories coming out about these endangered big cats. Let's start with the bad news. Climate change, as you might expect, could soon create ...

Leopard strays into village on city outskirts, injures 5 persons
Times of India
The big cats have a tendency to cover long distances during night. In one stretch, they cover about 30-40 km. The stray leopard too might have walked a long distance to reach the city's outskirts. The big cats are also known to walk along the rivers, canals and ...

Cougar spotted in Buffalo County
WQOW TV News 18
He tracked one in St. Croix County back in 2009 when a trail camera captured a photo of the big cat. "We had snow conditions; tracks everywhere," Carstens remembers. "The landowner and myself walked through the strip of corn on the edge of the woods ...

HEMET: 'Mountain lion' likely studly bobcat
Press-Enterprise
Early Tuesday, I was alarmed to spot a massive cat trotting in front of me along Mojo Trail as I ascended into Simpson Park above Hemet on my mountain bike. I was sure I was right behind a mountain lion on the cool and misty morning, though the big ...

HEMET: 'Mountain lion' likely a studly bobcat
Press-Enterprise (blog)
They instinctively chase deer. The wild cat was about the size of a large boxer and was a deep reddish brown. It was much larger than typical house-cat-sized bobcats. I did not see the telltale long tail of a mountain lion. The muscular cat disappeared into the ...

Endangered snow leopards find hope in protective hands
Casey Weekly Berwick
The big cat's secretive and elusive nature, coupled with the treacherous landscape, make dens extremely difficult to locate, according to Panthera. ''We have spent years trying to determine when and where snow leopards give birth, the size of their litters, and ...

India's Supreme Court bans tourism in wildlife parks in effort to save endangered ...
Washington Post
NEW DELHI — India's top court has banned tourism in tiger reserve forests across the country in an effort to save the endangered big cat. Lawyer Wasim Kadri says the Supreme Court has also announced stiff penalties on Indian states that have not created ...

Big cat in Cheshire CT « Connecticut Mountain Lion
By JP
Big cat in Cheshire CT. Yesterday about 10a.m. I looked out the window and crossing the yard was a very large grey brown cat. Weighed about 70-80pounds and was carrying something in it's mouth, an animal that was about 5-10pounds and ...

Micke Grove Zoo forced to euthanize snow leopard
Stockton Record
LODI - Visitors to Micke Grove Zoo might not remember the name of Ling-shan the snow leopard, but they might recognize seeing the big cat lying on the grass at the front of his exhibit. That was one of Ling's favorite resting spots, according to zoo officials, ...

Extra-territorial tales of state's big cats
Times of India
On April 25, the forest team safely tranquilised the big cat and sent it to Dudhwa. A tiger had killed six people in Deoria range of Pilibhit and two in Khutar range of Shahjahanpur forest division between May 3 and August 26, 2011. The big cat from Pilibhit was ...

Spotted! Software Identifies Leopard Previously Seen On Camera Trap
RedOrbit
Scientists identified a familiar leopard in a recent photo showing the big cat dragging the grisly remains of its prey across the ground in an Indian nature preserve. Using a computer program that quickly analyzes and compares the spot patterns of leopards, ...