Books

Knollenbergs’ Flap: It Was A Peahen

A peahen, shown here, is the female of the peafowl, which can refer to any of three species of bird in the genera Pavo and Afropavo of the pheasant family. Scott Maruna, the new energetic editor of The Anomalist (www.anomalist.com), treks into uncomfortable country on October 8, 2006. With an unfortunate blog on the Lawndale Thunderbird, here, Maruna introduces some details of the July 25, 1977 event where a large bird reportedly lifted Marlon Lowe into the air, then writes: One particular contemporary event that has been complete [sic - LC] ignored might just hold the clue that could explain [...]

NPR

As many of you know, as a consultant and volunteer, I am extensively involved in preventing and solving a significant Homo sapiens behavioral mystery – suicide-related school shootings. Unfortunately, I have been very busy during the last several weeks. Keeping young people, all our children, safe is extremely important to me. For those that wish to hear my thoughts in this realm, there are two National Public Radio (NPR) programs with interviews with me, to be broadcast on October 6th and October 7th. These will be online for later downloads, as well as on the radio. On the Media (from [...]

Where is Cassie?

I look forward to seeing folks at the closing reception at Bates’s exhibition “Cryptozoology: Out of Time Place Scale,” on October 7th. In the meantime, I will be pondering why it has been so many years since anyone has seen Cassie, the Casco Bay Sea Serpent. Cassie, the local name I coined long ago in a magazine to characterize these cryptids seen near Portland, Maine, was bestowed in the same tradition that many freshwater and marine creature monikers are given – with passion, humor, and a nod to Nessie. As it turns out, of course, Portland is not alone in [...]

Happy Birthday!

October 2nd is my father’s & my grandfather’s birthday, and October 3rd is my brother Jerry’s birthday. Jerry’s the last one alive in that triad. But there’s another one. The three Coleman brothers. Happy 55th, bro. As to the Brothers Coleman, they are Bill, Jerry, and that’s me holding the ball. Click on image for a larger version. Here’s Jerry’s take on "Growing Up Coleman", followed by his book covers. And for just fun, this cartoon again, as it reminds me of all the picnics with my family in the Midwest. Click image for full-size version

By George: Schaller, A Misquoted Cryptozoologist?

Has Bigfoot’s newest spokesperson stumbled or been grossly misquoted? How factual is the popular reporting on what famous people say about cryptozoological topics or animals they discover? How much can you rely on the background facts apparently noted in a newspaper in India or a foreword in a book to tell us what famed mountain gorilla researcher and promoter George B. Schaller (above) thinks about Bigfoot? I guess it depends on what you feel is more closely reflecting George Schaller’s past statements and the actual realities. In a new biographical sketch of Schaller in The Hindu Times, examine this selection [...]

Creature From The Black Lagoon

There is a new cryptofiction novel, Creature From The Black Lagoon: Time’s Black Lagoon. Book Description In 1954, an expedition found what seemed to be a missing link in the evolutionary chain: an ancient, immensely powerful amphibian creature. Scientists tried to tame it, break its will, and even change its very being with surgery and torture, but the beast rebelled, killing nearly all in its way. But was the creature truly a throwback, a freak survivor of some prehistoric era — or was it something more? Six decades later, one scientist attempts to find out, using a time machine to [...]

Bring On Kraken!

Modern images of the Kraken come via Jules Verne’s book and from remembrances of the 1954 sci-fi movie named after his book, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. That’s about ready to change, in a small way, after the September 23nd broadcast of Kraken on the Sci-Fi Channel. Early reviews are what might be expected, as people sometimes make more fun of the name than the subject. Take for example, Kevin McDonough of United Features Syndicate in his contribution, with the oddly headlined "’Kracken’: Well, the title’s good" : You have to love a movie called "Kraken: Tentacles of the Deep" [...]