CFZ Newsletter
29th February 2004 Dear friends,
Its an ordinary Sunday night here at the CFZ. Richard and I are sitting back, drinking tea and listening to Frank Zappa mp3s, and composing the latest newsletter. Things are really beginning to get hectic here, and we hope to be able to make some exciting announcements in the next week or so. We are working hard on the new website which will have many interactive features and is by far the most technically complex thing any of us have ever attempted. We would like to thank Dave Churchill, Scott Horner and Elliot Saunders for their invaluable help.

CFZ Online News Archive.
When I first started the CFZ, twelve years ago, I promised that we would make our archives available online. After months of work we are nearly there. At one time this evening we had Davey Curtis, Mike Playfair, Paul Vella, Elliot and myself ALL entering data. We fairly desperately need some volunteers for added data input, as well as people who have their own electronic archives that they would allow us to plunder. If anyone is interested in helping on this mammoth project please email me and we will take it from there.

Proofreading.
I was overwhelmed at the response to my appeal for proofreaders in the last newsletter. The problem is this. Richard is dyslexic, and as a result, although he is a fine writer, with a good sense of drama and irony, and there is absolutely no doubt if that he knows his stuff as far as dragons and other aspects of cryptozoology are concerned, I've met guinea pigs who are better at spelling than he is.
I am at present ploughing my way through the manuscript. When it is finished - and at the moment I am estimating that this will be in about three or four weeks' time - I would like to send each of you volunteers a copy of the finished Microsoft Word document (probably as a *.rtf file). I would be very grateful if it you guys could each read it, and highlight spelling mistakes, and grammatical errors in red, before sending it back to me - Again by e-mail. If there are any issues which I don't understand I shall contact you for clarification. Equally, if there is some point in the text which you don't understand, please feel free to e-mail us. On this last point, although this book is going to be the definitive reference book on dragons - probably for the next 20 years, it is not intended purely his textbook. If enough of you don't understand something that Richard has written, then obviously it needs to be rephrased to make it accessible to all. Each of you will also be immortalised in Cryptozoological history by having your name listed amongst the credits at the front. Sadly - and I feel a complete heel for saying this - we are not going to be able to give you all copies of the finished book. We are a non-profit-making organisation, and the profit margin is very thin. However - as a way of saying thank you - you're not only, of course, free to do what you want with the typescript (that is anything except printing it off and flogging it yourselves), but all the people have been involved in the proof-reading stage can purchase the book at cost. That is, at the price we pay for them being printed, which has probably something in the region of a quarter of the price you would pay in the shops.

Big Cat Expeditions.
Mark Fraser, who as well as running the Scottish Big Cat Society is also the leading figure of the CFZ Big Cat Study Group has asked me to appeal for help.
He writes:
Two television stations are planning documentaries and what they are looking for are investigators actually out in the field on a vigil. I have arranged a vigil for April in the East Riding / Yorkshire area and are looking for bodies to attend this watch. Obviously your own camping / warmth equipment is essential. Personal costs also to be met by yourself.
The second watch (date to be arranged) will be in Aberdeenshire, again for a documentary. Any persons wishing to come along for a few nights then please let us know.

The 2004 Yearbook.
Its finished! From where I am sitting I can see a nice pile of pristine volumes waiting to be read, dog eared and dropped in the baths of cryptozoologists across the globe. Everyone who has preordered one will be able to rest assured that their books will be mailed out tomorrow lunchtime. Those of you who want to buy a copy can get one for £12.50/$US20 from me at the address below, or preferably by making a paypal payment to jon@eclipse.co.uk.
The contents are as follows:
Introduction
2003: A Year in the life of the Centre for Fortean Zoology
Ireland’s Exotic Felids, by Neil Arnold
Appendix: the Country Antrim Cat-Flap Confusion!, by Neil Arnold
International Bigfoot Symposium – Willow Creek, California September 12-14th 2003, by Paul Vella
The Curious Cast of the Seaham Sea Serpent, by David Curtis
Crypto TV: Caroon Cryptids, Abominable Ads and Monster Movies, by Neil Arnold
The Cusworth Cat, by Dave Baker
The Knight, the Cat and the Poet – The Tale of the Barnboro Wood Cat, by Mark P. Martin
The Great Crocodile Hunt, by Jon Downes
Loch Ness: Steve Feltham Interview
In Search of Giant Bats, by Richard Freeman
Jaimie Maussan Interview
In the Wake of the Monkey Man, by Jon Downes
The Cryptozoology of Dr Who, by Richard Freeman
Mysteries and Monsters of the Great Deep, by Harold T. W Wilkins – a reprint of rare booklet from 1948.
I am sure you will agree that this is remarkable value for the price of a couple of packs of cigarettes!
Ask not what the Centre for Fortean Zoology can do for you but rather…
As always, we are on the scrounge. If there is anyone out there who has any fund raising ideas, or rime, expertise, equipment or cash that they feel like donating to the world’s biggest and fastest growing cryptozoological organisation please do not hesitate to get in touch. We are also on a recruitment drive just now, so anyone who wants to join the CFZ in the next two weeks can have any TWO back issues of `Animals & Men` free with their membership…
Onwards and upwards,
Jonathan Downes (Director, CFZ)
jon@cfz.org.uk
Centre for Fortean Zoology
www.cfz.org.uk
15, Holne Court, Exwick, Exeter, UK EX4 2NA
Telephone +(0044) [0]1392 424811/ Mobile 07901 935443