Sunday, March 22, 2009
Big Cat News
The CFZ's Ohio rep, Brian Parsons, has an excellent new post on Big-Cats in the U.S. This is an excellent post which demonstrates the sheer scale of reports in the U.S., as well as the official reaction to the subject-matter. Check it out!
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Regan Muses
Our Oregon-CFZ rep Regan Lee has a thought-provoking new post over at Binnall of America which, in part, states:
"National and smaller, independent restaurants often promote their food offerings using the very thing they kill and sell to us to eat. On the surface, it's presented as humor, nothing more. The chicken, fish, cow or pig joyfully entices us to partake of him.
"Just below the surface is the idea of the mascot representing another realm where the spirit of the sacrificed animals calls to us, bewitching us to eat its own kind. Below that, however, is a symbolic exorcising of guilt; by using the very animals we're killing and eating as a happy and enthusiastic ambassador, we don't have to deal with our responsibility in the process.
"Our self-indulgence and often times sheer gratuitous is quieted by the use of goofy, dorky, funny, slapstick animal caricatures eating their own and sacrificing themselves, and they're happy to do it.
"Paradoxically, at the same time the use of these animals behaving in ecstasy over their sacrifices gives us justification and the go-ahead to eat away."
And here's the rest of Regan's post.
"National and smaller, independent restaurants often promote their food offerings using the very thing they kill and sell to us to eat. On the surface, it's presented as humor, nothing more. The chicken, fish, cow or pig joyfully entices us to partake of him.
"Just below the surface is the idea of the mascot representing another realm where the spirit of the sacrificed animals calls to us, bewitching us to eat its own kind. Below that, however, is a symbolic exorcising of guilt; by using the very animals we're killing and eating as a happy and enthusiastic ambassador, we don't have to deal with our responsibility in the process.
"Our self-indulgence and often times sheer gratuitous is quieted by the use of goofy, dorky, funny, slapstick animal caricatures eating their own and sacrificing themselves, and they're happy to do it.
"Paradoxically, at the same time the use of these animals behaving in ecstasy over their sacrifices gives us justification and the go-ahead to eat away."
And here's the rest of Regan's post.
Knock Knock: Who's There?
The CFZ's Michigan-based representative - my good friend Raven - has been doing a tremendous amount of work: writing articles, doing on-site investigations, establishing new links with people in the field, as well as setting up websites and blogs.
Does the woman ever sleep?! Probably not!
Anyway, over at her new Into the Shadows blog, Raven has an interesting new post titled Knock Knock Bridge, which is a study of a wealth of weirdness at a particular bridge not far from where she lives.
I like stories like this, as I've done a lot of investigations myself where high-strangeness has occurred at bridges - most famously from my own perspective at Bridge 39 on Britain's Shropshire Union Canal, where a mysterious, spectral ape known as the Man-Monkey was seen in 1879.
And with that said, here's an extract from Raven's post:
"Today Jessica and I took a ride out to the Canton area to do a pre-investigation study of the Denton Road bridge and the surrounding area. There is so much history that lies just beneath the surface of that entire area that we'll have to do many investigations to cover even a portion it.
"As we drove through where the bridge is located,an eerie ambiance fell over the van. It was like we had just slipped into another dimension of time. With the exception of the newly built condos that now dot the land heavily, and the occasional jogger or bicycle, there is a stillness to the place that can only be described as otherworldly.
"We met a gentleman named Don who has lived there since 1963 and was not only able to give us a first-hand account of the folklore,but also had a wealth of knowledge regarding the development of the area as well.
"Don told us that the bridge was called 'knock knock bridge' by all the local children when he was growing up,because, as legend has it, if you knocked three times and waited, something spooky was bound to happen.
"From ghost lights to shadowy dark figures chasing cars,there have always been strange stories passed down from one generation to the next."
And here's the rest of Raven's post...
Does the woman ever sleep?! Probably not!
Anyway, over at her new Into the Shadows blog, Raven has an interesting new post titled Knock Knock Bridge, which is a study of a wealth of weirdness at a particular bridge not far from where she lives.
I like stories like this, as I've done a lot of investigations myself where high-strangeness has occurred at bridges - most famously from my own perspective at Bridge 39 on Britain's Shropshire Union Canal, where a mysterious, spectral ape known as the Man-Monkey was seen in 1879.
And with that said, here's an extract from Raven's post:
"Today Jessica and I took a ride out to the Canton area to do a pre-investigation study of the Denton Road bridge and the surrounding area. There is so much history that lies just beneath the surface of that entire area that we'll have to do many investigations to cover even a portion it.
"As we drove through where the bridge is located,an eerie ambiance fell over the van. It was like we had just slipped into another dimension of time. With the exception of the newly built condos that now dot the land heavily, and the occasional jogger or bicycle, there is a stillness to the place that can only be described as otherworldly.
"We met a gentleman named Don who has lived there since 1963 and was not only able to give us a first-hand account of the folklore,but also had a wealth of knowledge regarding the development of the area as well.
"Don told us that the bridge was called 'knock knock bridge' by all the local children when he was growing up,because, as legend has it, if you knocked three times and waited, something spooky was bound to happen.
"From ghost lights to shadowy dark figures chasing cars,there have always been strange stories passed down from one generation to the next."
And here's the rest of Raven's post...
Monday, March 16, 2009
Moonshadow Investigations
Take a look at Moonshadow Investigations, the new website of Raven, the CFZ's Michigan rep. Raven has some great, ambitious plans for both her website and her general research; so keep checking in at her site for all the new developments.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Regan's Latest
Our CFZ-Oregon rep Regan Lee has a notable new post online, in which she says:
"My husband Jim is writing a novel; it's a conspiracy/sci-fi/paranormal tinged book, and it's wonderful to have him read me the latest every week. It's tentatively titled Product A recent scene in his book has the main character remembering something that happened when he was a child. Staying at the beach with his mother, he is aware of a creature in need. A giant, whale/octopus/leviathan kind of creature, preternatural, that calls to him. The character goes to the creature, who is injured, meets a girl; through a series of telepathic Fortean type events, the creature manages to return back into the ocean."
And here's the rest of Regan's post.
"My husband Jim is writing a novel; it's a conspiracy/sci-fi/paranormal tinged book, and it's wonderful to have him read me the latest every week. It's tentatively titled Product A recent scene in his book has the main character remembering something that happened when he was a child. Staying at the beach with his mother, he is aware of a creature in need. A giant, whale/octopus/leviathan kind of creature, preternatural, that calls to him. The character goes to the creature, who is injured, meets a girl; through a series of telepathic Fortean type events, the creature manages to return back into the ocean."
And here's the rest of Regan's post.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Naomi And Her Pets
Naomi West - who covers the state of Texas for the CFZ, along with me and Ken Gerhard - has a cool slide-show on her animal-pals, and here it is!
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