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...




Wednesday, December 12, 2012

KARL SHUKER - THE SMILE ON THE FACE OF THE MANTICORE AND LEUCROCUTA



Karl Shuker presents another excerpt from his latest book, Cats of Magic, Mythology, and Mystery (CFZ Press: Bideford, 2012), this time investigating two smiling but deadly beasts from the bestiaries - the manticore and the leucrocuta.

Read on...

RICHARD FREEMAN SENT THIS: Vintage footage of the Tom Slick yeti expedition

FORTEAN BIRD NEWS FROM THE WATCHER OF THE SKIES (CFZ)

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.



THIS CHRISTMAS FROM CFZ PUBLISHING GROUP: Dark Wear by Tabitca Cope

Dark Wear is the second book of Tabitca Cope’s highly acclaimed Dark Ness trilogy.  In this volume Laura and her friends, together with the mysterious Angels of the Talisman, join forces again, this time around Durham and its environs where they find themselves embroiled in the dark forces of witchcraft, Nazis and ancient history.  As with Dark Ness, this story grips you from the beginning and takes you on an adventure that you are – in a strange way – sorry to see end.  But there is still the final volume to come, and I cannot wait to read it.

DALE DRINNON: Mapinguari, hobbit, Benny's Blog

New at Frontersof Zoology:

I'M YER GONZO BLOG DOO-DAH MAN

So the week continues. However, I have a cautionary tale for you. Although I am far from being a connoisseur, I do like brandy occasionally. So when I discovered a very cheap variety for sale in Morrison's yesterday I snapped it up. A warning to you all; if it comes in a plastic bottle with a crappy drawing on the label, and costs under £8.00 it is likely to be rather unpleasant. Apart from that, we are all winding down for the holidays, and there is nothing much to tell you.
 
At last here is part one of my three part conversation with the lovely Judy Dyble...
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/12/exclusive-judy-dyble-interview-part-one.html
 
 
A sneak preview of the new single from Asia featuring John Payne (from two years ago)
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/12/a-sneak-preview-of-new-asia-featuring.html
 
Michael Des Barres hasn't put a foot wrong this year. Herewith another rave write up about his Christmas single
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/12/its-michael-des-barres-christmas.html
 
 
Gordon Giltrap on stage earlier this month. Exquisite as always
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/12/before-i-met-this-man-i-thought-i-could.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 - imaginitavely - The Gonzo Weekly. Find out about it at this link:
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/11/all-gonzo-news-wots-fit-to-print.html
 
*  Jon Downes, the Editor of all these ventures is an old hippy of 53 who - together with his orange cat - puts it all together from a converted potato shed in a tumbledown cottage deep in rural Devon. He is ably assisted by his lovely wife Corinna, his bulldog/boxer Prudence, his mother-in-law, and a motley collection of social malcontents. Plus.. did we mention the orange cat?

OLL LEWIS: Yesterday's News Today



On this day in 1731 Erasmus Darwin was born. Although today he is less well known than his descendant Charles Darwin he was probably the more intelligent of the two, indeed it was Erasmus who was the first Darwin to flirt with the idea of evolution and he also invented many things that have been used in modern times like steering wheels and the associated mechanism and rocket engines for example.
  • Hypothermic sea turtles rescued on Cape Cod (Logge...
  • Ranavirus, Turtle- USA (02): WestVirginia - via He...
  • Hundreds of animals seized at Thai airport
  • Russia: Lion Cub Found By Children Now At Zoo
  • South Sudan's elephants face extinction: experts
  • World's Big Trees Are Dying: Alarming Increase in ...
  • Moths Wired Two Ways to Take Advantage of Floral P...
  • Monkey Business: What Howler Monkeys Can Tell Us A...

  • This song needs more play on radios at Christmas, the Pokemon anime's Team Rocket sing a Christmas song (see what I did there, Erasmus Darwin invented the rocket engine, these aren't just random Christmas songs) :