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OnePlus is lining up a surprise networking event at this month's Mobile World Congress. What could the Chinese manufacturer be preparing for Barcelona?
Although there will be many stories, smartphones, software and services that will be launched at MWC for consumers, it's also a key meeting ground for suppliers, manufacturers, carriers, and other business parties. OnePlus doesn't need to have a big flashy stall and capture the media buzz to make its attendance at Barcelona a success.
OnePlus has a number of products in the pipeline - the OnePlus TV was announced during 2018, and the manufacturer has indicated that there will be a 5G-enabled handset released in 2019 that is outside of its normal product cycle.
If the Shenzhen-based company sticks to the same schedule as previous years, the presumptively named OnePlus 7 will be announced late in Q2 2019. It's unlikely that the announcement of the 7 would be brought forward to February - not least because it would immediately Osborne the sales of the OnePlus 6T. OnePlus has always run down the stock on older handsets to clear out the supply chain a few days before a new handset is launched, and there's no indication of this in the distribution chain.
While the TV is a curious addition to the brand, it's not really best suited to MWC, so I doubt that we're about to see the team go big on a smart television.
Which leaves the OnePlus 5G. There are still many questions in the geekerati on what the OnePlus 5G will be - a special edition of the OnePlus 6T? An additional version of the OnePlus 7? A 'standalone' handset tuned for connectivity?
The launch of the OnePlus 5G handset is more down to the timing of the carriers launching 5G networks, something that may not sync up with OnePlus' normal schedule. Hence a 'second' handset for the first half of the year. Would OnePlus announce this on its own at MWC? Perhaps. But it's more likely that OnePlus will be showing the handset off to networks in the myriad of 'behind closed doors' meetings that drive MWC. The carriers will want to see what OnePlus can offer consumers, and OnePlus will want to get the carriers excited with a cutting-edge 5G handset.
There might eve be a momentary sighting of the 5G handset in public to get the faithful OnePlus fans excited.
Now read more about the three key features that will be inside the OnePlus 7…


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Contact paper - 34*29
Tal's cakes original Contact paper.
For decorative surface design cakes.
You can easily upgrade your cake with a decorative surface.
The Contact paper can be glue on a wood, drum, or any other hard surface, and its food safe ,
Usage – Peel the back of wallpaper and glue to the surface
Size : 34 x 29 cm
No products were found matching your selection.

subset: commoncrawl


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7 Pc Manoco wicker chairs teak table dining set – Heritage Extension teak table and Manoco chairs
Agean Zaire Teak Patio dining set offers comfortable design and quality where no detail is compromised. Agean Teak table can extend up to 7 feet when fully extended and can seat 6 Zaire teak chairs. Crafted using Premium Indonesian Grade A teak wood and constructed by tenon and mortise joinery. Please make your selection of Agean Teak Oval or Rectangular double extension Table and Zaire teak chairs from this page.
This 7PC dining set includes
One Aegean Teak Double Extension Rectangle Table
Six Zaire Teak Arm Chairs
Product Name: Teak Agean Double Extension Rectangle Table & Teak Zaire Arm Chairs.
Included in set: Agean Double Extension Rectangle table with Bowed legs, Two Zaire Arm Chairs, Four Zaire Side Chairs.
Product Code: TBLRS06-6
Availability: In Stock And Ready To Ship!
7 Pc wicker chairs & teak table dining set – Heritage Extension teak table and Manoco chairs
The Aegean Zaire Teak Patio dining Collection fills your Outdoor Patio space with classic designs and long lasting durability. Teak Zaire Arm chairs are Ergonomic, sturdy and classy. Crafted out of Indonesian Grade A teak wood, makes sure that you don?t have to replace this Patio dining set for years to come. That?s the beauty of Well built teak furniture.
Aegean Double extension teak table features two 10 inch self storing extension leaves which adds further practical value to your Teak Patio dining table. These extensions folds around and store underneath the table surface. Table has an umbrella hole at the top and bottom, means no need for umbrella base. With dimension of 83″ long and 40″ wide, the sturdy table top is 1.2″ thick and made from Indonesian harvested grade A teak wood. Agean Table easily seats Eight even without extension.
Durable, strong built commercial grade Zaire Teak Arm Chair reflects your esteem style of living. Crafted out of Solid Grade ?A" premium Indonesian harvested teak ensures that it will serve you and your next generation. Ergonomic thicker back and seat slats are sandwiched in the main frame of the chair, bringing superior looks and strength and comfortable seating experience.
Product Name: Teak Agean Double Extension Rectangle Table & 6 Teak Zaire Arm Chair.
Product Code: TBLRS06-6
Availability: In Stock And Ready To Ship!
Assembly: Aegean Table and chairs need little assembly.
Materials: 100% Indonesian Perhutani Premium Grade A Plantation Teak.
Table Dimension: L-63/83, W-40, H-30inches. Table top thickness 1.5 inches
Table Weight: 154lbs
Construction type: Tenon and Mortise joinery
Trees replanted: 2 (Trees for future generations)
Contact us: Call (408) 964 8888 or use our Web Form to write.
Teak Outdoor patio Dining Set – Aegean Rectangle Table & Zaire Arm Chair – Features
- Natural finish Indonesian Forestry Premium grade A teak wood.
- Tenon and Mortise joinery and reinforced by teak dowels.
- Rounded edges for comfortable seating.
- Heavy and thick construction for durability.
- Ergonomic seating and back helps support back.
- No joint in the frame of the chair, ie, made from single teak lumber.
- Natural finish Plantation grown Indonesian teak.
- Table extensions easily folds under the surface.
Aegean double extension table is 63x40x40 (LxWxH) with one extension opened table length extends to 73″ and with both extensions opened table length is 83 inches.
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Pennsylvania Super Lawyers 2014 recognizes 35 lawyers from Philadelphia, Harrisburg, and Pittsburgh offices
May 27, 2014
The national law firm of Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, LLC is pleased to announce that 35 attorneys from the firm's Philadelphia, Harrisburg and Pittsburgh offices were recently selected for inclusion in the 2014 edition of Pennsylvania Super Lawyers and Rising Stars, published by Thomson Reuters.
Eckert Seamans attorneys received additional accolades among the Super Lawyers ranks, including Peter J. Hoffman as one of the " Top 100 in Pennsylvania and Top 100 in Philadelphia" and Roberta Jacobs-Meadway as one of the "Top 50 Women in Pennsylvania."
The complete list of Eckert Seamans attorneys recognized as Pennsylvania Super Lawyers and Rising Stars and the categories for which they were honored include:
Mitchell L. Bach, Business Litigation
William T. Benzing, III, Public Finance
Albert G. Bixler, Civil Litigation Defense
Timothy J. Burke, Professional Liability: Defense
Charles F. Forer, Business Litigation
Stephen M. Foxman, Business/Corporate
Lewis H. Gold, Business/Corporate
Edward A. Gray, Civil Litigation Defense
Peter J. Hoffman, Civil Litigation Defense
Roberta Jacobs-Meadway, Intellectual Property
Bridget Heffernan Labutta, Intellectual Property (Rising Star)
David Laigaie, White Collar Criminal Defense
Jeffrey P. Lewis, Civil Litigation Defense
Jodi D. Oley, Personal Injury Defense: Products (Rising Star)
John E. Quinn, Employment & Labor
Joan N. Stern, Public Finance
Karen Lee "Kitt" Turner, Bankruptcy
Mark A. Fontana, Employment & Labor
Adam M. Shienvold, Personal Injury Defense: Products (Rising Star)
Kevin M. Skjoldal, General Litigation (Rising Star)
Kevin P. Allen, Business Litigation
Stephen A. Bucchianeri, Intellectual Property (Rising Star)
Scott D. Cessar, Construction Litigation
Dorothy A. Davis, Business Litigation
Louis A. DePaul, Jr., Business Litigation (Rising Star)
Sandy B. Garfinkel, Business Litigation
John E. Hall, General Litigation
Stuart R. Kaplan, Business/Corporate
Audrey K. Kwak, Construction Litigation (Rising Star)
John R. McGinley, Jr., Business Litigation
John F. Meck, Estate & Probate
John J. Myers, Employment Litigation: Defense
Christopher R. Opalinski, Construction Litigation
Peter N. Pross, Bankruptcy
Timothy P. Ryan, Intellectual Property Litigation
The Eckert Seamans group joins the top five percent of lawyers in Pennsylvania in receiving this honor from their peers and others in the legal industry. The basis for selection includes noteworthy verdicts or settlements; creativity or innovation within the legal process; the number of cases tried or transactions handled; years in practice; position within the firm; professional activities; writings and lectures; community involvement; professional degrees or training; and academic and employment background.
The full results of the survey will be published in a supplement to Philadelphia Magazine and Pittsburgh Magazine as well as the Thomson Reuters Legal annual publication, Pennsylvania Super Lawyers.


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1 Review
Good product
One of the better ones. This site always has the good stuff.


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Browsing this morning through the latest catalogue from Ashgate, the following titles and abstracts struck me as interesting and relevant to my ongoing work on covenantal hermeneutics:
Barth's Theology of Interpretation
Donald Wood
Series: Barth Studies
Through his single-minded insistence on the priority of the Bible in
the life of the church, Karl Barth (1886-1968) decisively shaped the
course of twentieth-century Christian theology. Drawing on both
familiar texts and recently published archival material, Barth's
Theology of Interpretation sheds new light on Barth's account of just
what it is that scripture gives and requires. In tracing the movement
of Barth's earlier thinking about scriptural reading, the book also
raises important questions about the ways in which Barth can continue
to influence contemporary discussions about the theological
interpretation of scripture.
Revelation, Scripture and Church
Theological Hermeneutic Thought of James Barr, Paul Ricoeur and Hans Frei
Richard R. Topping
Series: Ashgate New Critical Thinking in Religion, Theology and Biblical Studies
How does God's involvement with the generation of Holy Scripture and
its use in the life of the Christian church figure into the human work
of Scripture interpretation? This is the central question that this
book seeks to address. In critical conversation with the influential
hermeneutic programs of James Barr, Paul Ricoeur and Hans Frei, Topping
demonstrates how God's agency has been marginalized in the task of
Scripture interpretation. Divine involvement with the Bible is
bracketed out (Barr), rendered in generic terms (Ricoeur) or left
implicit (Frei) in these depictions of the hermeneutic field. The
result is that each of these hermeneutic programs is less than a
'realist' interpretative proposal. Talk of God is eclipsed by the
terminal consideration of human realities. Topping argues for the
centrality of doctrinal description in a lively theological
understanding of Scripture interpretation for the life of the church.
Rendering the Word in Theological Hermeneutics
Mapping Divine and Human Agency
Mark Alan Bowald
This book proposes an original typology for grasping the differences
between diverse types of biblical interpretation, fashioned in a
triangle around a major theological and philosophical lacuna: the
relation between divine and human action. Despite their purported
concern for reading God's word, most modern and postmodern approaches
to biblical interpretation do not seriously consider the role of divine
agency as having a real influence in and on the process of reading
Scripture. Mark Bowald seeks to correct and clarify this deficiency by
demonstrating the inevitable role that divine agency plays in
contemporary proposals in relation to human agency enacted in the
composition of the biblical text and the reader. This book presents an
important contribution to the emerging field of theological
Bowald discusses in depth the hermeneutics of George Lindbeck, Hans
Frei, Kevin Vanhoozer, Francis Watson, Stephen Fowl, David Kelsey,
Werner Jeanrond, Karl Barth, James K.A. Smith, and Nicholas
My only puzzle is over how the books by Topping and Bowald might be different from each other. Both authors are Canadian, both seem to be arguing the same thesis – were both students of John Webster perchance?


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Quantities Limited ~ Save 40% over pottted plant prices!
Planetree Exclamation 6' Platanus acerifolia'Morton Circle'
Height: 60'
Spread: 45'
Shape: Pyramidal
Foliage: Dark green
Fall Foliage: Yellow
Zone: 5-9
This stately tree was selected for its strong central leader, dense upright pyramidal shape and attractive foliage. Tolerant of difficult urgan conditions such as adverse soils, poor drainage, air polution, and drought. Like all planetrees, it develops an attractive exfoliating bark, which peels back to expose interior bark in shades of cream to white. Bred to be highly resistant to anthracnose. Introduced by Chicagoland Grows Own.


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Dear Friends,
We hope the new year holds good prospects for you. We know that it
promises good music, starting with Myra Melford and Be Bread on
Friday, January 29th. (Look for more info on that show soon.)
Before the old year ran out, though, we decided to look back (at Bob
Doran's request) at some of our favorite recorded jazz of 2009, and we
wanted to share that backwards glance with you. Our Top 10 list is
just one among dozens, but for what it's worth, you can peruse it,
along with links to many others, at http://www.redwoodjazzalliance.org/picks09.html
Finally, we hope you'll remember your favorite local jazz society in
your year-end giving. Donations to the Redwood Jazz Alliance are tax-
deductible (we're classified as a 501 (c) (3) non-profit charity)--and
when you come to our shows, you'll hear the results of your investment
throughout the year. Details at
Our best wishes for a safe, happy, and prosperous--and


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Pando Plush
Round the corner, not far away, Bing and his friends are coming to play! Each of these cuddly toys is approximately 18cm — perfect to hug. Whether it's time for swinging, playing or just one more game of hide and seek, adventurous Pando can be your play mate!
- 15 x 7 x 18 cm
- Ages 2+


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This was the fifth year in a row that I've performed my Comedy Stage Hypnosis Show at BorderFest in Hidalgo, Texas. Each year the Festival theme changes to honor a specific country of the world. This year the theme was, Celebrating the Cultural Treasures of Mexico.
BorderFest is the largest and oldest cultural and musical heritage festival in South Texas. This was the event's 37th year with more than 100 entertainment groups on 16 stages throughout the grounds at the State Farm Arena.
The event includes: stage entertainment, food, crafts, exhibits, strolling entertainers, and illuminated night parades. During that time the attendees saw all the music, costumes, color, fun, and the flavors that Mexico brings to mind.
The event featured a special "Plaza Mexico" area that included a custom built giant pyramid, Mexican artists demonstrating their crafts, Folk Dancers, Mariachis, and the Voladores de Papantla (shown here in a video by Steve Ellington).
BorderFest has been dedicated to cultural enrichment, arts education, and heritage preservation in South Texas since 1977. More than 85,000 people attend this award winning event which has been selected as "Best Festival in the World" for their budget category for five years by the International Festivals and Events Association, and ten years straight by the Texas Festival and Events Association.


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Anchor Necklace
Out of stock
The perfect Summer necklace. The brass anchor measures 2 cm in length and hangs on a 60cm sterling silver ball chain. Perfect over a white T with jeans or layered with other shorter necklaces.
UK Delivery: £5
International Delivery: £8
Free for UK Orders Over £150 (and of course, our digital gift cards).
All deliveries require a signature and will be gift wrapped in Tilly Sveaas packaging.
We promise to refund or exchange any unworn jewellery you are not completely happy with (excluding earrings and sale items) within 14 days of delivery. Please send it to us using registered post as we cannot be responsible for any loss.
Please read our full Delivery & Returns information.


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Printing with Botanicals Weekend
Experimental printmaking using plant matter for use in various art practices including Fine art, illustration and textile design. Also suitable for beginners or those building a portfolio for further study.
Exploring different techniques using plant and foliage to create images and textures. Looking at samples of print, illustration and design for inspiration. We may forage from the local area or students can bring in samples of foliage to use.
Topics covered
- Dyeing paper using plant / vegetable based dyes.
- Using mono printing and *sun printing techniques on a variety of papers to create finished
- Artwork, or textures to use as background in design or collage.
- Making transparent artwork for further methods of printing e.g. screen print
- Investigating how results can be used in subsequent design and image making.
- Preserving plant matter for further use with printing techniques.
- An informal course with room for experiment and a chance to make an assortment of printed artwork to take away with you.
Entry Requirements: Students do not need specialist skills, just design ideas and enthusiasm.
Level: All levels
Please note: This course is for students aged 18 and older
Tutor Description
As a printmaker Liz uses many different techniques in her work. These include photo mechanical Process's using screen print and cyanotype alongside drawing, collage and paper cut outs. She uses a variety of materials ranging from detritus and flora and fauna to super eight film. Her work is constantly evolving, elements of which can be seen in her narrative illustration.
Her practice as an illustrator has included editorial and educational work alongside projects involving animation and teaching. She is a published author/ illustrator and her work is exhibited regularly.


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The Government's chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, has said Defra's upcoming Food Strategy should 'absolutely' encourage people to eat less meat.
Sir Patrick, who previously worked as an NHS consultant and has expertise in the areas of medicinal chemistry and structural biology, suggested a move towards more plant-based diets is 'the right direction to push in'.
Defra's own chief scientific adviser, Professor Ian Boyd, also said recent research showed if people ate less meat environmental impacts would be 'significantly less than they are now'.
The two men were giving evidence to MPs on the Environmental Audit Committee as part of an inquiry on planetary health.
Sir Patrick said: "To lift spirits… [on] trends in diets, things are moving in a unified direction, in other words to a reduction in meat consumption.
"The ability to reduce meat and increase plant-based things does entirely align with the environmental agenda and is one I think is the right direction to push in. It is already happening and there is some movement there.
"It seems to me a food strategy should absolutely cover issues of consumption and how that consumption is modified."
Though Professor Boyd refused to offer advice on whether people should move towards a plant-based diet, he pointed to the Eatwell Guide and recent EAT-Lancet report, which was heavily criticised by farm industry bodies, as evidence of the benefits of reduced meat eating.
"The analyses of both of those types of diets have suggested if we all ate those diets the environmental impacts would be significantly less than they are now and that would be delivered partly through the fact we are producing less meat," he said.
"Meat production does tend to produce greenhouse gases and has other significant effects on the environment through the release of nitrates, for example, and deforestation of tropical landscapes because of the need to grow cattle and that sort of thing."
Last month, Farmers Guardian reported on how the Government's Food Strategy had been delayed by Brexit preparations, with the terms of reference not even having been set out yet.
Defra Minister David Rutley, who has responsibility for the food chain, has now said it will take at least a year to get the strategy in place.


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SARPSBORG, Norway, May 27, 2019 (Press Release) -The following changes in Borregaard's Group Executive Management will be effective as from today:
Tom Erik Foss-Jacobsen will take on the position as EVP Performance Chemicals. He will succeed Morten Harlem, who has left the company. Foss-Jacobsen has more than 20 years of experience with Borregaard and has served as EVP Speciality Cellulose since 2007.Read more
AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands , May 24, 2019 (Press Release) -Surfactants derived from plants, eco-friendly membranes, and miniature sensors were among the eight winning ideas in the 2019 Imagine Chemistry collaborative innovation challenge, organized by Nouryon (formerly AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals). More than 160 submissions from 30 countries were received, and the winners were chosen from 14 finalists at a three-day event at the company's RD&I center in Deventer, the Netherlands.Read more
PLAINFIELD, IL, May 16, 2019 (Press Release) -Veolia Water Technologies Inc. has been awarded a contract by Smurfit Kappa to supply state-of-the-art HPD systems at the Sangüesa mill in Northern Spain.Read more
MELBOURNE, Australia, May 15, 2019 (Press Release) -Cyrene, a bio-based, renewable solvent produced by biotechnology company Circa Group, has won Top Product 2019 at the Environmental Leader (EL) and Energy Manager Today (EMT) Awards. The judges said that Cyrene "[r]eplaces an otherwise toxic substance with a natural, gentler alternative without compromising quality or function. This product has the potential to change the solvent landscape for the better."Read more
AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands , May 15, 2019 (Press Release) -Nouryon has been awarded the 2019 Responsible Care Merit Award by the Association of International Chemical Manufacturers (AICM) in China. The award recognizes the company's performance and contribution to the development of a responsible chemical industry in the country.Read more
STAMFORD, CT , May 9, 2019 (PRNewswire) -First Quarter 2019 Highlights:Read more
WEXHAM SPRINGS, UK, May 7, 2019 (Press Release) -Sun Chemical has launched SunWave Lumina, a new range of high performance, UV LED curing sheetfed offset inks for commercial printing. Suitable for use on all sheetfed press types, the range offers class-leading lithographic performance, delivering fast makeready, highly stable printing with minimal wash-ups and excellent duct flow. This results in increased uptime for presses and increased productivity for commercial printers.Read more
BEACHWOOD, OH, May 1, 2019 (Press Release) -OMNOVA Solutions Inc., a global leader in specialty chemicals has announced an expanded distribution agreement with Maroon Group, a world-class distributor of specialty chemicals and ingredients in the United States.
Effective May 1, 2019, Maroon Group will be the United States distributor for OMNOVA's Chemigum and Sunigum specialty elastomers; building upon their strong existing distribution relationship.Read more


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- Forth Railway bridge, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Dunkeld Village & Cathedral
- The River Tay & Bran
- The Hermitage Forest Walk & Waterfalls
- A Highland Whisky Distillery
- The Victorian Tourist Town of Pitlochry
- Private tour
What to Expect
Our Highland Perthshire 1 Day Tour starts at around 8.45am when we collect you from your hotel and make the short journey to view Scotland's sixth World Heritage Site, the Forth Railway bridge, a truly wonderful sight.
We continue our journey through the county of Fife and make a...
What is included
- The Highlander 1 day tour is a great day out to a lovely part of the Highlands, Perthshire, with something for everyone.
- Expert tour guide
- Collection and drop off from your hotel
- Flat rate 1-6 persons
- Your own private vehicle
What to bring
- Comfortable walking shoes
- A camera
About your Localist
We offer tours and travel for individual small groups of guests. Encounter a more personal experience, more time on the backroads where larger vehicles cannot reach, greater flexibility, Increased levels of comfort and more stops.
All in all, a greatly enhanced and more memorable experience
- English
$ 46 p.p. if 6
Max 6 People
Only {{ seats_left }} Spaces left for this event
At least {{ minParticipants }} seats must be booked!
At least {{ min_adults }} adults must be booked!
|Adults {{ adults }}
|Children {{ children }}
|$ {{ flat_total_price }}


text:
Seeking a composite technician in Dallas, TX
Our client is an FAA Repair Station engaged in repair and overhaul services of radomes, thrust reversers, flight controls, and secondary bonded structures of commercial and regional aircraft.
As an employee of Strom Aviation, you will receive benefits including holiday pay, longevity pay, access to a 401K program and insurance coverage (medical, dental, life, disability). We offer travel pay, bonuses, and other incentives for some positions as well. A referral is the best compliment we can get, and Strom Aviation offers 2 different referral programs for our employees.
Our recruiters strive to connect qualified individuals with opportunities. With hundreds of jobs across the nation, Strom offers opportunities no matter where you are.
Contact: Strom Jobs


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I knew I never should have taken that trip with my old college friend to the Rockies. From the very start when my naturalist chum Harris mentioned camping in those gale-haunted icy-cragged mountains I felt a strong sense of dread and foreboding I haven't experienced before or since. So as a result of the horrible outcome of that trip I submit this statement to you, Detective Morris, to help you in closing the case. I suppose since this will be on the record I had better give you a little background before starting from the beginning of that horrible nightmarish camping-trip.
My name is Carl Echkarten and I am a 29 year old research fellow at Brown University, in Boston. I first met the victim, my friend Daniel Harris, at school for my undergraduate studies in Comparative Religions. We were auditing a class on 'Witchcraft in New England" taught by, I believe it was, Professor Von Mude. Although such a class was far outside the realm of my chum Harris' studies in Conservational Biology, he, thanks to growing up in the area that I was a scholastic visitor, had always had an interest in the outré parts of the area's history. Not only that, but he confided in me later on after we became firm friends that his ancestors, Martha and, Jebediah Harris (married), had been burnt at the stake for witchcraft in the Salem witch-hunt. I suppose such a colourful event did no shortage of good in spurring my friend's interest in the topic. With the passage of the years, our friendship deepened. We spent time studying together, and also going on many camping excursions in New England and the Appalachian areas, which strengthened our respect for each other. Due to his interest in the great outdoors, he was always the more competent on these natural trips, while I contented myself with filling in our trivial and philosophical knowledge. After a time, roughly one month ago, I broached the topic of a camping trip further afield, in my home state of Colorado. While I had, of course, gone back and forth between the two states occasionally during my university days, with the passage of time I felt more at home in the Boston area and started to neglect my immediate family.
I felt a trip to the Rockies would be the perfect solution to first catching up with some familial matters and then both I and Harris could sojourn to those foreboding peaks. The departure date finally arrived and we set off in Harris' little automobile on the long drive. A few days of gruelling cross-country navigating later and we pulled into the drive of my parents' home. After spending a day resting and preparing ourselves, we set off to the far northern part of the state In order to fulfil our yearning for desolation. And desolate it was indeed.
The area we decided to set up camp in we picked through intuition alone. On the map, it seemed the name of the area was Crown Peak. This was called thus after the name of the mountain right near our camp site. The site was covered in at least 3 feet of fresh snow, on top of goodness knows how much packed snow. This was not surprising due to our trip being conducted in the middle of winter. Due to my occult inclinations, unbeknownst to Harris I purposely chose to arrive at our site as close to Candlemass as possible.
Students of forbidden lore will know this date, but I assume gentlemen of your stature have no need or interest in such things. So I will just say we arrived in late January; I think it was around the 30th or so.
After setting up our tents and getting all of our necessities in order such as the fire-pit, kindling, and provisions, since we had arrived fairly early in the day, we proposed to scout around. Our camp-site was on the gentle slope of a mountain side, and in extremely dense pine forest. The previous heavy snows had left a very picturesque blanket of white powder snow on all of the heavily drooping pine boughs, and many hidden snow-hollows lay under trees and rocks, creating a magical atmosphere.
The only sound as we tramped in our boots through knee deep snow was the soft galumphing of the powder underfoot and every once and in awhile the sound of a bird of some sort. I was surprised at hearing avian life so high up in altitude, and at such a freezing precipitous time of year; so I inquired to Harris as to the species of bird. He thought it sounded like a raven "as they often," he said, "spend all winter in the mountains surviving on hibernating insects and of course, carrion."
After discovering some interesting landmarks that we decided to explore later, like a large pine clearing, and a cave, as well as a series of small ravines in the rock, due to the encroaching darkness, we set back to camp for the night.
That first night I recall passed uneventfully (if a tad unnervingly, due to the high shrieking winds buffeting our tent walls about). I remember the wind sounded like an eerie wail of unhappy spirits as they swept over the tops of the ravines nearby and made the pines swishwa-swish all night. It was hard to fall asleep but I finally managed. The next morning too passed without event and if I may move forward in time a bit to our first explorations, I shall.
The first spot on our mental checklist to poke about was the set of small ravines and vertical cracks in the granite near our camp. Due to some twist of aeronautical fate, the wind had left the small granite outcropping under that part of the pine-woods mostly clear of snow. This was all well and good for it would not have done to misstep through the snow and fall down the 20 or so feet into these rocky clefts. We walked a ways round the bare rock down-hill, until we found one small ravine that opened up and allowed us entry back inside the cracks without requiring any climbing. The rough chunky granite walls shone in the sun of that clear day as they presented their sparkly mica and quartz colours amidst the dull grey. We timidly squeezed into the cleft until we were able to walk single-file.
Here it was very damp as the moisture the snow released trekked down during the occasional sun of the day. We felt many soggy pine needles underfoot as we slowly made our way deeper into the ravine, in the direction of our camp site. The first cleft we had entered eventually split into two ways. After following the first, which ended in a rough rock wall somewhat climbable, we turned about and elected to explore the second, left-hand ravine. This went a little farther back than the first, and also curved away from our site.
More interestingly and also a bit wearily for Harris, who unlike me was not too fond of small dark spaces, the way became a kind of tunnel or cave as the snow collected above into a roof. Gradually from what we could tell, the ground proper lost snow, then the curving rock walls became a cave roof verily.
When the darkness became too much for our lack of torches we promised to return later with proper illumination. At the very least because Harris was slightly claustrophobic but definitely afraid of dark eaves, I would return on my own.
Upon reaching the trail back to camp we decided to check out the other two landmarks we had chanced upon yesterday, in order of nearness, which meant first the proper cave we passed, and then the pine clearing. Harris grew visibly shaky when we approached the mouth of the large cave. Despite the somewhat cheery sunlight filtering through the fluffy clouds, and the beauty of the sparkly snow crystals in the sun, the stygian blackness of the cave, which even close to us was nigh impregnable, made even me feel a sense of oppression and native evil lurking patiently. Simply standing there we could feel a sense of total darkness, maybe even pure negation, emanating out of that black maw. Harris was glued to the spot with gaping mouth and wide frightened eyes.
Even so, my curious nature got the best of me, and after telling Harris he could wait there, I explored and climbed up to the cave. The cave was situated on the crest of a small rocky outcropping which jutted out of the larger mountainside facing the foothill of our campsite. I clambered up large granite boulders about 10 feet up from where Harris waited, and then found what appeared to be a man-made, but long disused trail in the frozen dirt, visible where rocks blocked the snow-fall. It went along up the hillside for about fifteen to twenty feet and then led into the cave. When I got to the mouth of that shocking hole, I was taken aback at the size of the thing. I would say you have never seen a more impressive cave opening in your life, especially not one as affecting as this. The air that wafted from it was a pure draft of ice and my unprotected scalp grew numb and goose bumped from the cold and I must admit, fear. The pit of my stomach strangely enough felt like it was dropping out. I found it odd yet I approached slowly.
For what appeared to be ten to twenty feet tall was, upon closer inspection, a cave whose opening would easily allow a thirty foot tall man to enter without stooping, if such a being existed. Likewise its width was equally prodigious and instilled in me a strange sense of fear out of character for one who had a love of eaves and small dark spaces since birth, which our ordeal sadly or perhaps gracefully erased from my psyche. Such a change as occurred in my preferences will be easily understood In due time as I continue with my narrative.
When I stepped but five or six paces into the tartaric gloom I was almost struck blind with the inky blackness. My only sights were the backs of my hands as I held them a foot in front of my eyes and when I turned around for comparison I could faintly see the white shape of the opening. It was surely an odd effect, and nigh irrational for so bright a day, and so wide an opening.
I resolved to turn back and return here too when I had obtained better tools for exploration. Harris was oddly enthused to see me and looked as well somewhat nervous as he clasped his hands in front of his middle with white knuckles, his brow knitted like a scared child. I asked him if there was anything the matter. Disbelief clouded my face as he told me he had been watching me enter the cave, grow invisible in the gloom, and then had seen something flit in front of the cave from behind a rock. He had squinted to get a clearer view but told me that try as he might, even with the sun shining down onto the rocks in front of the cave the thing, whether it be animal or not, stayed but a black shadow, in the shape of a vague blob. As he watched its movements, he said they appeared quick and flitty, like a cat, or maybe even a bird, but the size was both too large, and perhaps too vertical. I must admit that I laughed aloud in his face. I had never heard such unprompted idiocy from him.
Then he told me that with his eyes glued to the black thing he watched it seemingly melt into the blackness of the cave. On hearing such a bizarre story from my highly rational and scientific friend and noting his seeming distress, my irony left me and as his face betrayed no change nor jest, my skin grew cold and not from the wind which had picked up, rather from an inner iciness that upon listening to him had slowly gripped my heart and made it quicken its beating in fear.
I thought to myself then that perhaps the solid blackness in the cave had been a result of that thing blocking the light? That might add some credence perhaps to Harris' story.
With the wind picking up force, the formerly cheery clouds grew denser and darker and seemed to threaten snow. Not surprisingly for Colorado the weather in the ten minutes it took to walk half-way from the cave to the campsite grew from half-way dark and cloudy, to fully grey all through the sky, with nary a stray sunbeam but a faint distant grey glow. Considering the lack of light and possible threat of hypothermia as we hadn't brought our cold gear on our jaunt, we elected to return to camp faster and earlier than planned. The time had flown anyway and it was already far later than I had thought it would be when we returned.
In fact, although I thought it should have only taken us around two hours maximum for our excursion and slight investigations, almost four had passed… That vague sense of unease in the pit of my stomach manifested itself again at realising this but I shook it off as probable error on my part, and went out of the tent to help Harris with cooking up some food.
As I recall, that night passed uneventfully except for a dream of singular portent. In the dream I found myself in a pine wood with snow all about. I realised in my subconscious that this was here, the same area we were camping. I walked through the thick snow and felt it compressing softly underfoot with a satisfying muffled squeaky rrnk-rrrrnk and then I found myself in that pine clearing we had glanced from afar, near the campsite.
I walked through the clearing and up to the nearest pine tree. Its boughs were bent like the rest of its brethren as a result of being heavily laden with white powder snow. Underneath it the forest floor was clear of snow and laden with soft pine needles.
I bent down to look closer at the dream ground and got one of those highly emotional charges one gets in dreams, this one of dark fear and anxiety like being hunted. This feeling puzzled me, for all I spied on the ground there was a small pile of stones. It was obviously placed there with some intelligence, as no stone was nearby. Furthermore, as I peered closer I saw not only were the grey stones in a pile, they were arranged to form a five pointed star! Before I could examine them further, the dreamt fear intensified and I awoke, much to my chagrin. Upon awakening I sat up and looked around the tent. Luckily my dream and awakening hadn't woken Harris who still seemed dead to the world, softly snoring.
The dream did intensify my longing to explore the pine clearing the next day. As I tried to fall back asleep I listened to the pines swishing in the wind as it howled over the rocks. The moon must have been at least near full as the moonlight fully illumined the interior of the tent with a spooky watery glow. The more I lay there listening to the wind with the moon in my eyes the more awake I felt till at length I realised that no matter how tired I felt I wasn't falling asleep. So I resigned myself to exploring the pine clearing then and there.
I quietly dressed and stole out of the tent, hoping I didn't wake my friend. The snow glowed with a soft blue light from the moon overhead, which I saw was almost full. I felt a sense of mystery and expectant possibility as I made my way slightly downhill and towards the clearing.
Just like in my dream, the clearing lay in the soft thrall of the moon, but I could also see very slightly the haze of the oncoming day lighting up the horizon far away. I felt childish curiosity and also a bit ashamed out of a sense of wasting my time at such an odd hour. When I approached the pine I had peered under in dream I was too shocked to cry out. For there just like in my dream lay a small pile of grey stones! Not just any pile too, for when I crouched down above them for a closer look, arranged out of the stones that hatefully uncanny symbol stared up at me: a five pointed star!
As I bent down but a foot above the pile, with the lowest branches brushing my back I could see some sort of shape in the centre of the star as well, but the medium of pebbles did not allow me to make out what it was supposed to be, save that it was pointy. I reached down to clutch the centre stone to examine. By all that is sane and natural, that single centre stone was most certainly carved in the loathsome shape of a star as well; and though I could tell not in the dim light what supposed representation was supposed to be present, it too had a design in its centre!
I decided to pocket it to show Harris in the morning, and also to see what was carven upon it. Thankfully morning came quickly harkened by the glow in the East. Immediately upon waking I heard Harris hurry out of the tent probably to discern whence I had gone at such an ungodly hour. He found me crouched beside the cooking fire, drinking a cup of coffee and staring at the stone I had found. I wasted no time in showing it to him, and his face lit up in a smile. 'That's quite a find you got there Carl!' he exclaimed, 'Where'd you come across such an ancient looking thing?' I went to task hastily filling him in on my dream and thus my surprise at finding the artefact that even I had not expected. Ever the rationalist, he did not believe I had precognitively discerned or even was told about the piles of stones; he explained it away as somehow my having gotten a faraway glimpse of them the other day, though we weren't anywhere near enough to see under the trees then.
When I showed him closely what was carven into the centre of the star-stone he was amazed, for it was a curious symbol. In the light of the morning we could see that in the exact centre of the star was carven an eye, like a human eye. Save for a pupil, instead of the standard dot or circle there was carven a flame.
It was most interesting, he thought, but something about it gave me the darkest feelings. It was as if I had seen it before, perhaps in my occult delving. I definitely got the sense that such a thing as this grey stone artefact was not meant for human hands to touch, nor any human eyes to see. The weathering and feel of the stone was not only immeasurably old, but also strangely dense and heavy, as if not of any stone I knew, but rather a metal. But it definitely appeared to be stone.
After having breakfast we set off to explore the sites of the day before, taking care not to forget both our cameras and sources of illumination for those dark spaces. Harris told me he was not too thrilled about the idea, but ever since he spotted that strange dark shape outside the cave, he would rather explore it inside with me than to be alone out there.
We set off for the first and closest site which was the pine clearing. It appeared just as the night before, save now it was in the golden light of the sun. For me however, it had not lost its sense of heavy dread or foreboding, though the sun cast golden light upon the green of the pine and white of the snow. We crept together to the base of that first tree I had examined just hours before and were shocked. Not due to the strangeness of the stone design, but by the very fact of the stone pile's absence!
Yet how could that be? I had just seen them a scant three to four hours ago… We searched under the other trees whereupon whose ground had laid the remaining stone piles in the shape of a star, in my dream. They too were not there. The ground felt spongier somehow too, and it may have been my imagination, but it also seemed to dip somewhat into a hole that mightn't have been there before.
As if to question my memory and my sanity, I checked in my pocket for the star stone. It still lay there.
'Say,' asked Harris, 'you're not having me on one of your weird practical jokes are you? You didn't just bring that with us did you?' I assured him I had done nothing of the sort, and that I was as perplexed as him, if not more so.
Just then I had a strange idea. I asked him if we had brought any shovels or trowels. He told me we had brought a folding one for a latrine. I bade him please bring it here while I began to dig at the foot of the tree where I had found the stone in dream.
To add a hideous sense of unease to an already strange situation after digging down around 2 feet, through roots and smelly loamy soil, I hit with the shovel blade something hard that clanged. It was a rock. Not surprising, I had been removing them the whole time. I dug around it wider and hit another, and another 'don't you see what this is?' I cried to Harris, 'The star pile is here! I didn't just make it up!'
We dug under five of those trees in the clearing, and as unbelievable as it is, under each one there was not only a group of stones that we could tell were, or had been in the shape of a star, but more maddening still, down in their newly dug pits, all save the one I had retrieved my star stone from in dream, had at their centre, a very same star shaped stone…
We took the four other star stones with us back to camp that day, and from all our exertion a good half of the day had passed. We each ate in near silence, simply astounded by our find. Harris, I could tell, was most shook up, for this put all of his ideas about the nature of time, space, and mans' faculties in them into question.
Round about what I took to be two' o'clock we set off down for the big cave to go exploring. We were both sore and exhausted from digging but did not want to miss the chance for what we felt may well be another unusual excursion. Our hopes had certainly been raised for interesting findings in the rest of the locations due to the star stones.
Harris rambled on about a civilisation that must have lived here years and years ago. On my end I couldn't shake the uncanny sensation that I had seen that symbol of the star with the weird eye before, and it did not bring with it any positive feelings.
We clambered up the slope to the cave and Harris was actually excited to go in. The archaeological find he had made had so piqued his sense of adventure that it was pushing aside his fear of both dark places and his claustrophobia, but also his fear of that unknown thing he had seen in this very location.
The beam of the flashlights we carried seemed to illuminate the space much less than I had expected. It was as if the darkness were not merely the absence of light, but rather a kind of active negation of it. In other words, our torch made the darkness stronger, or such was my strange imagining as we cleft the inky blackness.
In time, after much clambering over stalagmites and squeezing past increasingly sharp stones in ever smaller passages and tunnels we began to notice that the way was changing. The cave was not only getting more cramped and turning into a tunnel; it had also begun to slope gently downward. I remember an increasing sense of both unease and also excitement as I realised we were delving deep inside the mountain.
The other interesting thing I noted as we made our way deeper into the nighted earth, was rather than get colder as most caves do, the temperature which had been frigid was now becoming warmer. It was a very strange feeling being far under the earth In the middle of winter and starting to sweat with the heat. At times I would turn around to face my companion to see how he was dealing with his claustrophobic tendencies.
I admit he was starting to look a bit pale and sickly, but he assured me he was fine, and glad that both I was with him, and that there was enough space to stand and walk. In fact, as we tramped deeper into the depths, the tunnel now seemed to be remaining at a standard circumference, almost as if bored by an intelligence rather than hewed slowly out by water.
Indeed the cave was natural, and the start of our journey back had betokened natural processes, but here it was as if someone or something had one-pointedly dug down in a systematic manner. This was very exciting to me and brought to mind dreams of lost cities and tales of red-litten Yoth and black-litten N'Kai.
As we delved deeper and deeper along this apparently endless tunnel, I filled Harris in on what I knew of those two subterranean realms. They were long-held myths; nothing but myths of course, yet still exceedingly fascinating ones.
For one, the myth-cycles of the Native Americans, I informed him, speak of their fore-bears as having their genesis underground, and emerging into the light of day fairly recently. I told him that in certain reservation areas there was still talk among the Native elders of mounds still leading down tunnels like what we had found, to those lands of Yoth and N'Kai. I told him that in Yoth and N'Kai they were named or pre-fixed red and black litten respectively as somehow they were lit by some natural means in those colours, amazingly enough.
Furthermore I explained how even to this day, certain Native cults, as well as witches and wizards supposedly still worshipped the Great Old One still said to slither and hop for eternity underground. This Old One was called Tsathoggua to the witches and wizards, and to the Abanaki for one, was called Oglebamu the toad monster. It is said in Atlantis he was known as Zothoqqua. He was a giant blasphemy from the stars, shaped like a great toad, but with black fur, the sharp teeth of a crocodile, and claws of a dragon, or so the legend goes.
The myths say that the witches Sabbat on Walpurgis Night and other times was held to worship the great Toad and to sacrifice to him and his helpers like the Black Man. The Black Man was like the dark, a being made of a negation of light.
Such fantastical talk helped pass the time as we talked, and seemed to entertain Harris, for he chuckled and told me it was very 'interesting.' He asked me if Tsathoggua was so powerful then why would he choose to waste away under the earth? I told him he was held prisoner by the Elder Sign, that the old gods had hewn in stone and which looked like stars of stone with a flaming eve. Plus, I remember saying, it seems natural that a toad-like being would like to be in the mud and dirt.
I explained to him then, part of the reason I was so excited to find the stones we had dug out of the ground was because it gave these legends physical backing. At the least they would be of interest to a museum for anthropological reasons and folkloric interest such as I had elaborated on. I recall then he had stopped walking and shined his light on me: 'But don't you find it spooky, all the correspondences between the stories, and these physical things we're finding?'
I laughed and told him I was sure these were not the first or the last thing someone had found dealing with mankind's history and myths. If anything it merely provided proof that early man was more superstitious than we were. I also found it funny, and told him so, that a person of his scientific mind would need reassurance from an occult scholar and mythologist.
I recall checking my watch and being both surprised and a bit wearied by the fact we had been walking down for apparently over two hours. I was very glad that not only were our flashlights holding out, but that we had extra batteries in our backpacks. It was definitely exhausting just to think that for all the tramping downward we had done, we would have to do it again, but uphill.
About a half an hour after checking our time the tunnel began once again to open wider, and level out. It was at that time that after walking for about thirty paces through the large cavern our way had become, that we began to notice two curious changes in the atmosphere and surroundings.
The first change was that where before we had required our lights to see anything at all, we began to notice kind of natural phosphorescence lighting our way, steadily growing brighter. It wasn't your usual green or yellowish glow-in-the-dark lichen but rather an eerie red light that eventually grew so strong as to negate the need for torches altogether.
The way we tread was spookily lit and I whispered to Harris this area must have been what gave rise to myths of red-litten Yoth. He chuckled and said he would only believe it when he saw it. Which is why, Detective Morris, in the interest of time I will now skip over our tedious journeying and spare you the details of the crimson tunnels and caverns we stumbled through until we came upon the ruins.
These ruins were so ancient and crumbled and also so monochromely lit with their surroundings as to be almost invisible at first. I had sat down on a rock in another red-lit cavern for a drink of water when my eyes fell on something I felt was strange looking, a stone. 'Harris, what is that you think?' I asked pointing to the small object.
He laughed and gave me a weary look and didn't say anything, so I sat up with a groan and retrieved the rock. When I peered at it closer I saw it had what appeared to be linear engraved channels, like a piece of column perhaps. This made me eye the near-by ground more carefully and slowly.
Bit by bit the outline of what seemed to be the ruins of a kind of structure became apparent. What had seemed to be merely rocks and stalagmites places here and there in various stages of erosion now took on the appearance of a square outline of ruined walls and stumpy columns. Harris concurred.
'You see!' I cried, 'Yoth was real!'
We must have spent an hour around that largest of caverns we had thus far seen. Slowly the enormity of the find as well as the creepy silence save for our heavy footfalls and laboured breathing started to give both of us a chill of other-worldliness.
It is during that more exerted series of actions that the second odd change I thought I had noticed prior genuinely became apparent. This was the presence of a faint but pervasive stench. I questioned my companion and he too smelt it, and said it smelt like sulphur. The scent, along with the weird red glow surrounding us eventually drove us to seek a way out of that ancient and damned ruin.
Once more we crept through seemingly endless tunnels, crevasses, cracks and caverns. The way again seemed to go down, and continued in its red litten aura. We came at last to a place where the tunnel just ended.
It was made even stranger by the fact that this abrupt dead-end finally made me realise the genuine queerness of the situation and our luck. In specific that suddenly blocking of our way thrust to the forefront of my thought the absolute improbability of our having gone so deep under the earth without ever here-to finding a cave-in or a rock slide, or some other obstacle to our descent. It was almost as if the way had been constantly kept up by constant use. But we knew this was unlikely for we saw no tracks in the dirt and dust save our own.
The other strange thing was that this apparent end of the tunnel should be coupled with, in front of the bare wall, a large and seemingly out-of-place stone. This stone was so bizarre because it also appeared to be manmade. The whole thing lying on the ground was flat like a large pancake, and perfectly flat and smooth on top, as well as on the edges of its circumference. It resembled nothing so much as a cyclopean manhole cover.
We bent down to examine it in the creepy hellish red glow and were chilled by the markings we saw on it. They too appeared carved by some intelligence, as they showed apparent mythical beasts that seemed like giant blobs or viscous oils with an eye here, a mouth there. They seemed to be covering up with their bulk human beings which were fleeing. All the while over this nightmare panorama a huge furry creature in the guise of a toad with a tail and crocodile teeth sat grinning as though presiding over the carnage.
As we peered around the large slab and tapped on it, we could see it was definitely covering up an egress down. It made a hollow sound for one thing, and I even remember seeing some dark indents in the dirt surrounding the stone that were indicative of a space underneath it. The problem was, how on earth were we going to move it?
I asked Harris if he had anything in his pack that could be used as a lever. He rummaged around and found a small trowel which he had used to help dig up the star stones. We shifted the huge stone with a mixture of sliding, shoving, prying and lifting it. It was extremely hard work, to put it mildly.
As soon as the cyclopean lid was moved from the spot it had been covering, we not only saw that indeed there was a circular hole the size of a small car, but we smelt the opening as well. A slightly warm, rank and musty smell assaulted our nostrils bringing to mind necrotic tombs and rotting flesh. While we stood waiting for the smell to hopefully clear out, we peered warily down the pit with our lights. All we could see below was a dusty brown rock face on the side of the wall facing us and the rest was pitch dark.
I crouched on my knees to try and examine the stone more closely and determine if there would be any means to climb down without hurting ourselves.
As luck would have it (or misfortune for that matter) I faintly traced with my torch the ancient remnants of holes and hand holds both carved into and jutting out of the rock face. Neither of us were particularly competent climbers and my palms are sweating now just recalling how we risked that vertiginous cliff. There were a few close slips but after climbing down through the near-dark with only something glowing below with a faint subterranean glow of that familiar red lichen, we finally made the bottom.
Just as we set foot on the red glowing rock below the cliff there came from seemingly both below us and to the front of us, and also more faintly above us a low fearsome rumble. The sound also vibrated faintly and we looked about in alarm for some kind of cave-in but thankfully found nothing.
'I wonder what that could have been.' I asked Harris.
'Probably our escape being cut off,' he joked.
I just glared at him. I did not find any jokes about being trapped in ungodly red-litten Yoth very amusing, nor did it add to my sense of well-being which already had started to erode on realising the existence and truth of these hellish nether-worlds and upon seeing that horrible stone-carved lid.
Upon reflection after thinking of the lid we had moved and that horrible, low rumble as of moving or falling stone, I feared that perhaps the movement of such an obvious barrier had not been the smartest action. After all, what might it have been meant to keep at bay?
To make a somewhat eerie yet definitely tedious journey through more red-lit stink-filled caverns a bit faster-paced I will forego any more details save to say after more trekking downwards through these hellish regions we came upon another sort of barrier.
This one however, had somehow already been broken, though it appeared much the same as the first. Leading down under the broken lid edge we could see this time a kind of chute or circular path.
We followed it down as it led in a corkscrew motion. This time not only was the surrounding rock turning from red-lit brown to black, it was also becoming fouler and more aged in appearance. We also noticed by light of our flashlights that there was a queer channel cut into the stone of the centre of the walk.
Also noticeable was some kind of dried and dusty black residue caking the inside of this channel. The ambiance with the lack of light and these more eldritch black and dusty ways was becoming extremely oppressive and I think both of us wished to turn back soon.
We were feeling weary if only from the unhealthy stink and increase in muggy heat coming from the bowels of the earth.
As we reached the end of the chute and shined our lights ahead we were astonished to gaze upon rows upon rows of more of the mysterious shallow channels out into the rock floor. The stone around us now seemed a kind of black granite, or basalt. We noticed in the near distance a few lumpy but more regular looking stones of black that were also reflecting our torchlight to some extent. With some fascination we approached the nearest of these which seemed carved out of the ground and we saw it was a shiny obsidian statue. It changed my blood to ice as I uncovered the dust from its ancient glassy surface and recognised Tsathoggua the toad-headed, bat-winged and furred behemoth of an Old One. His sharp teeth grinned on his evil lidded-eyed face. Under his clawed forefoot was a writhing human and in the base of the sculpture were carved some strange kind of viscous looking lumps or waves. I had no idea what to make of it.
Then we heard a sound and we both froze with fright. It was like some water suddenly started flowing somewhere, yet it seemed to be getting louder somehow, as if closing in. We both managed to turn around towards the sound and flash our lights on the many channels curving in spirals and straight canals around us, but they seemed filled with nought but shadows.
Then as the sound gained in volume and also some sort of insidious gurgling or smacking quality, so loud as to seem right in front of us, Harris cried out, 'LOOK! IT'S MOVING!' He shakily pointed towards a nearby channel.
Sure enough, somehow the shadows in the channel seemed to be flowing in time with the sloshing sound. Then an impossible sight met our eyes as the shadows there seemed to gain in thickness and began to reflect or glint slightly from our torches and I understood it must be a liquid. Somehow this development seemed vaguely familiar and in my puzzlement and dread I felt a sense of deja-vu. Then the blackness coalesced thicker and in doing so gained height. It slowly and miraculously, hideously drew itself up until we were looking face to face with a kind of shiny black tarry thing, waving or undulating gently like a snake but with no features. It seemed somehow to be exuding intelligent movement, as if regarding us.
We both were so amazed we had almost forgotten our fear of the unknown and were craning our heads forward to gaze closer at the thing, mesmerised. Suddenly a gaping hole opened up in the top of the thing and we gazed some manner of tube like proboscis shoot out as the thing hissed and seemed to leer at us.
That was sufficiently frightening for us to turn tail and run as fast as we could away from it, past the statue, over rocks, tripping over channels and having to scramble up. Once I caught my foot in a channel hidden behind a rock and slammed my knees and hands hard into the rough basalt cutting them and dazedly lifting there and clumsily and full of fear shined my light behind us. I could see the thing quickly trailing us still making that watery slimy sound but I noticed one strange fact; it did not seem able to traverse rough rock very quickly or efficiently as it would become slower. The rock caused it to unwillingly become divided into smaller rivulets. It appeared thus to prefer the cut channels for movement, almost as a necessity.
This gave me hope and I sprang to my feet with the help of Harris and we ran into a small side cavern that turned into a very small tunnel full of stones. I didn't think we could be followed there.
True enough the sentient slime seemed to slow down and eventually we watched it turn around but not until it made one last hiss at us. Gratefully we took a breather and I told Harris what I had discovered in regards to the things' locomotion. It may have come in handy later after all.
For perhaps another hour we followed this small black and horrid tunnel which seemed to open up a bit after slightly sloping down a ways. The large cavern we entered then right away seemed different.
The stench of aeons had lessened and we both said we felt some kind of breeze. We noticed no more idols or channels in this cave. It was far larger than the last however, and our torch light could not see the other side. The ceiling too seemed lost from sight due to height.
The curious thing as we got closer to the presumed far side was that the air steadily became fresher and colder. The draft also seemed to increase and to come from the ceiling. In the distance we could see some sort of rock pile. As we gained in proximity to it we could see it stretched high upwards and also the strange thing was we thought we saw a glint of illumination above our heads on the rockslide as well.
As we noticed no other egresses or tunnels we decided to climb up and hopefully gain our freedom from this subterranean nightmare.
Unfortunately that was where it all went wrong. The climb at first was nondescript, if tiring. We stopped frequently for rests, and also once to change batteries on our simultaneously failing flashlights.
The farther above the cavern we got, the more confined the space became, into a vertical shaft. Also the higher we climbed the more we seemed to notice an increase in both cold air, and illumination.
About what seemed to be half way up the visible rock pile we spotted some form of hole. It seemed recent, perhaps created by the fall in the rock. We saw nothing but a rough cave in the now moist earth. Wanting to reach a more safe position, and also wanting to see if there was a safer way up, as the rocks were becoming extremely loose and unstable, we entered the hole.
It was about twice the height of a tall man and at first we thought it had been made by the removal of a stone from the tunnel, but then we saw it went much farther back than could be explained by a missing stone.
Another strange thing seemed to overcome us too. Harris mentioned it first, but I definitely agreed with him. That was while at first we were both growing exceedingly cheerful at the prospect of reaching the surface, now we both seemed to be experiencing some ever growing and eclipsing dread the further we entered this dirt tunnel.
It was definitely sloping upwards, which was good, but we could not quit the feeling that something was wrong.
The air too, seemed to be growing steadily worse again, but in a new and uncomfortable way. Where before the stench had seemed mostly due to age and disuse, mixed with sulphur and dust, now it seemed to take on a peculiarly damp and odious quality such as one gets In bat caves or reptile-houses.
We were loathe being underground much longer, as the wristwatches we wore told us we had been down there nigh seven hours and night would soon fall. Thus we literally began to jog forward trusting this stray tunnel would continue both its smooth lack of obstacles and its steady upward climb.
Up ahead our torches unfortunately seemed to come upon some sort of wall or blockage. We examined it closely due to the bizarre colour of its surface. Rather than a brown or grey like the surrounding earth and rocks, it was a strange dark mottled green, strangely too were the apparent lichens or fungi growing in a mottled and raised bumpy manner on the surface of this rock. We touched it with our bare hands and recoiled in surprise, as it was not only slimy and wet but seemed to respond to our touch by a springy yielding.
'What a strange manner of fungus.' I said aloud.
'Let's hope it's not sentient like that hellish black ichor down below!' remarked Harris.
'Maybe we had better go back.' I said hesitantly.
'And waste all that time? It will be dark soon and I do not want to be around these caves in the night time, not after seeing that thing!' he cried with a look of near terror on his ghostly-lit face.
With that, he took the spade from out of his belt and jabbed strongly at the fungal barrier before I could stop him.
Then all hell broke loose. For it was not a growth of fungus at all. The 'barrier' seemed to revolve with a slow shifting wobble. What came into view was so unexpected I thought I had gone mad. A huge lidded vertical pupil-ed eye came into view, and then another. And then as those eyes raised upwards on some green mass I saw a huge batrachian mouth below, a malevolently grinning maw…
Then all reason failed me as this huge toad-like face opened its mouth to laugh, showing its razor sharp teeth the length of a man's body. 'IT'S TSATHOGGUA!' I howled.
Harris I'm afraid had already fainted. The next thing I knew the bestial malefic god had raised up to its full height, stooping to fit in the tunnel on its hind legs, and the sight of its horrible bloated fur-covered belly and scrunched batwings against the walls almost made me lose consciousness.
He drew a long sharp-taloned finger towards Harris' prone form and all I could do was watch in horror as Harris was speared clean through on the Old Ones' black claw and lifted towards His gaping maw. Then the horror seemed to release fresh adrenaline and before I could think I dove through the only opening to the rest of the tunnel, which was between Tsathogguas scaly legs and I scrambled ahead.
I ran until I thought my lungs would burst. The tunnel curved occasionally back towards the vertical shaft as best as I could guess. After what seemed like ages I spotted light out at the end of the tunnel. I raced towards it near mad with a mixture of fright and exuberance.
When I found myself outside I was surprised to note I had exited a small shaft in the granite hillside, and what I saw nearly made me faint with shame for I realised then the horrible truth.
What lay ahead of me was not the series of crevices, nor the cave we had entered. Rather I was standing on a hillside overlooking the pine clearing. Or what used to be the clearing. Now, in its stead, were we had dug up the star stones was nothing but a gaping maw. It led down into the earth in an inky black well and was surrounded by the same pine trees.
Then the flapping of huge wings, like a great bat, caught my attention. I saw then what will scar me for life, for flying out of the hole newly-freed, the great maleficent Old One, Tsathoggua, stared me in the eye with a great evil grin and flew off above the Rockies.
How could I have possibly had anything to do with the cave-in and freeing of this evil scourge? As I fell to my knees in horror in the freezing snow, I knew all too well that my bumbling removal of the star stones in 'innocent' mesmerised obeisance to my dream had broken the only thing keeping our Earth from destruction. For only too late did I realise the Dreaming Power of the Old Ones, to make their thoughts your own, and to erase your foreknowledge of the protecting power of the only things the Elder Race had to hold Them at bay: a simple yet powerful spell of a circle of stones, carved in the shape of a star.
That, Detective, was how my friend was killed. I am sure you think I did it, but while I may not have killed him with my own hands, I will never be able to remove my guilt for unleashing this Elder Evil into world, and may God help us all. I take some small comfort that in penance for my easily influenced mind, my incarceration in this cell will probably prove to be my saving grace during the horrific days to come.


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- Anonymous26 March 2018 at 10:27
A mess. I guess they figured our selling the slots was a bad decision considering the demand is there.ReplyDelete
- Anonymous26 March 2018 at 10:40
This shows that what Kucko was saying how this route is unprofitable was complete bull.ReplyDeleteReplies
These are the facts: OU route to LHR had good LF, and decent yield, not great. However, the revenue structure was bad for OU: One World code-share agreement took large portion of ticket revenue from OU. Hence, OU did not get enough revenue from this route in total to cover operating expenses. Generally, smaller companies don't make money at LHR. Larger ones can make it work, due to connecting transfer pax synergies...Delete
So, please stop with the LHR bull propaganda for once and let it go. OU kept part of the slots where operating expenses are lower, and have P2P pax. OU's morning transfer pax to LHR will be rerouted to catch North American connections via Star hubs. That's it.
- Anonymous26 March 2018 at 13:06
- Anonymous26 March 2018 at 16:46
Exactly Petar!Delete
- Anonymous26 March 2018 at 11:56
OU should forget about LHR and focus on LGW. Come on, has anyone been to London before? LGW is so well communicated to downtown London! LHR is an expensive airport in so many ways and not to mention the ridiculous slot competition. OU should follow JP's wise example and JU should do the same to further cut their costs.ReplyDeleteReplies
- Anonymous26 March 2018 at 12:39
JU ima ugovor sa Virgin Atlanticom, a on ne leti sa Getvika. Prvo se raspitaj pa onda deli savete. Nije NYC jedino mesto u Americi. Posebno sada kada nema vise AB. Jedino da potpisu novi ugovor sa Norwegian.Delete
- Anonymous26 March 2018 at 14:40
I OU jos uvijek ima interlining sa VS pa sto to ima ikakve veze?Delete
- Anonymous26 March 2018 at 14:43
Yes Adria was extremely wise. That's why they no longer fly to London at all while other airlines operate 10 weekly flights from London to Ljubljana. Such a wise move...Delete
- Anonymous26 March 2018 at 15:34
14 weekly flights from/to LJU? U2+W6?Delete
- Anonymous26 March 2018 at 16:53
OU uskoro nece vise brinuti o svojim putnicima za London. I deo je Star Alince bice im solidan feeder. Prodace i ove slotove.Delete
- Anonymous26 March 2018 at 16:54
@anon 12:39Delete
Virgin Atlantic operates a number of routes from LGW and yes it would be smart for JU to reconsider moving from expensive LHR.
@anon 2:43
Adria actually has an aircraft that could lend at London City so I would not be surprised if they open that route in near future.
- Anonymous26 March 2018 at 12:00
i dont get it, it says in the text SPU-LHR-ZAGReplyDelete
does it mean: SPU-LHR-ZAG-SPU?Replies
- Anonymous26 March 2018 at 16:55
I understand it is just SPU-LHR-ZAG. The plane is returning to the main base.Delete
- Anonymous26 March 2018 at 18:48
- Anonymous26 March 2018 at 18:49
one way now thats bonkersDelete
- Anonymous26 March 2018 at 20:14
It's not clear to be honest. But I do interpret it as SPUZAGLHR and LHRZAGSPU once a week.Delete
If you look at the timetable, it's actually ZAG-SPU-LHR-ZAG-SPU, so Split is getting a direct departure for LHR, and Zagreb is getting a direct arrival from LHR.Delete
- Anonymous26 March 2018 at 23:41
SPU has had nonstop flight 1 weekly to Heathrow with OU for years but the return flight was nonstop as well. So this is now a downgrade for us.Delete
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text:
TITLE: Ocean of Tears (part of an anthology Never Too Late)
AUTHOR: Phetra H.Novak
SERIES: The Soul Series
PUBLISHER: Beaten Track Publishing
COVER ARTIST: Dee Aditya
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
E-BOOK: Yes
PAPERBACK: Yes
LENGTH: 126 pages
RELEASE DATE: December 27, 2017
PRICE: $2.99 e-book / $6.99 paperback
Karl Meeke—the talented guitarist of Manchester's own pride and joy, Ocean of Tears—is depressed. It's not a word he would usually use for himself, but lately, he's feeling worse. A lot worse. Over the past few months, the music that has been a constant sound inside of him hasn't just grown quieter; it's fallen silent. The love of his life has abandoned him, and at the prime age of fifty-three, he feels like it's all downhill from here. That is, until he meets the young and vibrant Noa.
Noa is attending the Northern School of Ballet in Manchester; his dream is to become a ballerino for the London Royal Ballet. Noa dances into Karl's life from nowhere, and even when Karl shows no interest, Noa will not let him go. Instead, he finds a way to nestle into that lonely slot in Karl's heart, where music once lived, and makes a home there.
Only when things start to change, for the better, does Karl realise what it all means, and by then, he's so far into the deep end he has no choice but to start swimming.
(Part of Never Too Late – a collection of nine stories featuring LGBTQIA characters over the age of fifty).
Karl is 53 years old. He's the guitarist and the songwriter of his group Ocean of Tears. He's also lonely, sad and in a really bad place since he lost his muse, his music. A whole year without anything, Karl is afraid to lose everything he has. His music and his group.
Noah is 21 years-old and a ballet student. He has one dream, becoming a ballerino at the royal academy of London. Noah has worked hard all his life for his dream.
When Noah and Karl meet, something happens. One is at the beginning of his life and dreams, while the other *thinks* is at the end. But what can happen if the futur and the past can become the present?
It was a sweet novella.
Karl is lost, sad, and almost an alcoholic. He sees himself as an old person with his life almost done. But Noah succeeds to bring joy and hope to his life. I liked Karl—he touched me, his distress and sadness put some tears in my eyes, I admit.
Noah is a saint, or he looks like to a saint. This kid is mature, healthy and focuses on his goal. He's also funny, brilliant, sweet and very smart. He's attracted to Karl from the beginning and refuses to be scared off by his attitude, or his self-depreciation. Each time Karl tries to push him away, Noah stays and comes back full force.
Their relationship is beautiful, sweet and calm. It's like a walk on the beach with the waves crashing at your feet…peaceful.
There's no sexual content in this book. Not at all. I knew it when I start my read, but the author was a victim of her talent with me. I was so hooked on the story and the relationship between Noah and Karl, that when I reached the end of the book without any kisses, caress, or sex I was frustrated. I wanted more; I wanted their first kiss, I wanted their first touch, I wanted their first night… In my opinion, it was sorely missed in the story (or I'm greedy).
It's 4 OptimuMMs for The Ballerino and his Bassist.
***I would like to thank the author for the privilege and opportunity of reading this ARC. My review is an honest opinion of the book ***


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Cruises, Activities & Fishing
Saltmarsh Paddle Tour
Hilton Head Island 843-422-3965
Looking for the perfect view of Hilton Head? Join us for an up-close look at what makes Hilton Head so special – our waterways and wildlife! Choose from one of our three tour times. These 2-hour outings are designed with you in mind. With a skilled native or naturalist guide, explore our saltwater estuaries to see dolphins, herons, blue crab and maybe even a sea turtle! Get out in nature and kayak Hilton Head with us!
Outside Hilton Head
50 Shelter Cove Lane 800-686-6996
Outside Hilton Head is the island's premier source for all of your Lowcountry adventures. We enrich lives by connecting people with exceptional places, products, and experiences. Outside has over 35 years of experience in creating and customizing life-changing adventures. Our programs include guided Hilton Head kayak tours, kayak fishing, boat-based dolphin tours, charter fishing, tours of historic Bluffton and Daufuskie, kids and teens camps, stand-up paddle boarding programs, boat rentals, surf lessons, and much more. Mention Sunset Rentals for special discounts!
Dolphin Discoveries Nature Tour
Visitors and locals alike enjoy our "up close" and personal "bird's eye view" from our boat. The waters surrounding Hilton Head are home to several hundred bottlenose dolphins and the dolphin population might even double in the summer months!
Dolphin Seafari Nature Adventure
86 Helmsman Way 843-785-2345
Take a ride on the Dolphin Seafari. Our 30 foot pontoon boat seats 15 comfortably, is covered and has a bathroom on board. We leave the dock at Palmetto Bay Marina on Broad Creek in search of dolphins but that's not all. We may see manatees, sharks, bald eagles, ospreys and much more. You will be sitting close to the water for the best views of the salt marshes surrounding Hilton Head Island. We pull a crab trap and throw the castnet and you never know what we may pull up!
Dolphin Watching Aboard the Gypsy
Come aboard the Gypsy for a relaxing, narrated tour on Calibogue Sound. We guarantee that dolphins will be seen on this trip. Although the Gypsy is 65 feet long, you will be as close to the water as you would be on a small boat. The stability of a large vessel will allow you to walk around the boat for better views of the Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins as they swim and surface in their year round home. Learn more about these friendly creatures and the behavior patterns that are unique to the dolphins of this area. You'll be able to sit in comfort and enjoy a cold drink or snack in the sun or shade as we show you the sights.
Dolphin Seafari
On our 90-minute dolphin tours, we will educate you on our local waters, marshes and Hilton Head Island. We will get up close and personal to the Atlantic Bottlenose dolphin. Not only will you be amazed by dolphin you may see wildlife like; sea otters, manatee, sharks pelicans, egret, osprey and even a Bald Eagle or two!
Spirit of Harbour Town
Vagabond Cruise has been operating in world famous Harbour Town since 1968 providing Hilton Head Island vacationers with a wide range of water bound tours and excursions ranging from; a romantic dinner cruise, a day trip to Savannah, a fully narrated dolphin nature cruise, a once in a lifetime ride aboard a 12 meter racing yacht, and a trip back in time to visit the low country of Daufuskie Island. 843-363-9026
Savannah Riverboat Cruises
Enjoy an evening of dinner, entertainment, and an unforgettable tour of Savannah on a Riverboat cruise. Book tours and tickets online and save or call us toll- free for assistance with reservations, group tour bookings, and private charters. Experience refreshing river breezes on a sightseeing harbor tour, delicious local southern flavors, cultural entertainment, fun filled dinner, magical moonlight, and lavish brunches. Join our captain and award winning crew on board for a unique tour and cruise attraction that is not to be missed!
Captain Hook Party Fishing Boat
The Capt. Hook is a 70 ft. Long 21 ft. Wide Party Fishing Boat. The Capt. Hook is the Largest and Most Comfortable Party Fishing Boat on Hilton Head Island. It has a Galley, Enclosed Cabin, Shaded and Seated Fishing Areas, Two Clean Restrooms and Sunbathing on the Upper Deck. The Capt. Hook is family owned and operated.
Sky Pirate
Welcome to the #1 Parasail destination on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina!! Sky Pirate Parasail and Watersports will be the thrill of your Hilton Head Island vacation!! We offer a Parasailing experience like no other!! Our USCG certified 12 passenger boat will take you high above the Island offering views you can only get by Parasailing. As far as the eye can see, you will view our South Carolina coast like never before!
Integrity Charters
Come Deep Sea Fishing aboard Integrity, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina's finest charter fishing vessel, Integrity is a 38-foot Hatteras Sportfisher located in world famous Harbour Town Yacht Basin only minutes from deep sea fishing in the Atlantic Ocean. Harbour Town Yacht Basin is the closest deep water marina to the Atlantic Ocean so you will spend your time deep sea fishing, not on an extended boat ride.
Sport Fishing
We specialize in providing a fun fishing trip for the entire family! Make a day of it on the 32-foot Stuart Angler "Boomerang"! Leaving out of South Beach Marina, the closest marina to the ocean, the "Boomerang" will put you on the bite in record time. Catch Spanish and King Mackerel, Barracuda, Tarpon, Cobia, Shark, Grouper and more. Because of your proximity to the fishing grounds travel time is much less than others, giving you the most fishing time for your money.
Beach Play Company
The beach has always been a calming and healing place. The natural 12 miles of Island beach provide an oceanfront playground framed by the blue-green Atlantic Ocean.
We have every base covered. We plan every detail, from having the right equipment, to bringing good healthy snacks. And we have years of coaching experience at many age levels.
America's Cup Stars & Stripes
Sail away into the sunset aboard the America's Cup Stars & Stripes. Enjoy the breathtaking views of the sun as it slips into the backdrop of Daufuskie Island and the saltwater marshes. This is the perfect way to end a day on Hilton Head Island. It doesn't matter if you are a novice to the art of sailing or an expert, a trip aboard Stars & Stripes will leave an everlasting memory!
Pau Hana & Flying Circus
These "pure sailing" experiences will change your image of sailing forever! Best Views, 360°, unobstructed visibility all around! Relaxing and stress free.
Alligator & Wildlife Tour
Join us on a one hour guided tour of the freshwater lakes of The Sea Pines Resort Forest Preserve (over 600 acres). Get an up-close view of Hilton Head's indigenous plant and animal life including the native American Alligator. Travel aboard our safe and stable 12 passenger electric boat, narrated by an experienced Lowcountry tour guide. The tour offers phenomenal photo opportunities.H20 Sports *Reservations Required
Kayak Tours
Kayak Hilton Head. Tours Daily from Sunup 'til Sundown. Along with the dolphins there are many other interesting and fun things to see on both our Hilton Head kayak and boat tours.
Paddle Boarding
H2O Sports is thrilled to offer another great way to enjoy the local waters of Hilton Head Island: Stand-up Paddle Boarding! This fast growing sport is easy to learn, an incredible workout, and fun for the whole family.*Reservations Required
Wave Runners/Jet Ski's
Enjoy an hour ride on one of our Yamaha waverunners. Experience the thrill of going fast or relax and take in the sights as you cruise at your own pace. You will be in the largest riding area on Hilton Head Island and free from "no wake zones. *Reservations Required
ZipLine Hilton Head
ZipLine hilton head and Aerial Adventure Hilton Head are just the start of the thrills and family fun you'll find with us in the heart of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Now offering 4 adventures, 1 -3 hours each...plus plenty more cool and hot activities here at Broad Creek Marina Adventures. Great for all ages, birthday parties, corporate outings, thrill seekers, adventurists, and anyone looking for a fun way to enjoy the outdoors.


text: This weekend I had the honor of being a part of the Children's Ministry Program for the Eastern Christian Convention. My friend Joanne and I headed up a service project for the kids - we had them put together shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child. It was a powerful experience for all who witnessed these children being so self-less as they thought of and prayed for these children on the other side of the world. One thing that will always stand out in my mind is the little girl with muscular dystrophy who pulled herself across the floor on her elbows while she went down the line filling her little shoebox for another child. I have so many more things to share about the convention, but you can see a slideshow of that service project by entering the code "ecc" HERE.


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UPDATE: As of 9:30am EST, Twitter is back online. As is Reddit, CNN, the Guardian, Fast Company and a number of other news outlets apparently hit by a massive DDoS attack this morning.
EARLIER: Twitter has been down for at least the last half hour—but what are we supposed to do to share our grief, go on Facebook to complain? According to downdetector.com's map, the outage appears to be limited to the U.S. Northeast and parts of the Middle East.


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Motorola once showed the industry how to build affordable smartphones without compromising on experience. Its Moto G conquered the budget segment, while the Moto X offered high performance without costing a bomb. Unfortunately, though, ever since the Chinese company Lenovo acquired Motorola, there hasn't been any interesting product in the Moto line-up. Fast forward to 2018, and we have the Moto Z2 Force in India. We have to be specific about the region, as this handset was launched in the USA roughly six months ago in August 2017. Priced at Rs 35,000, the phone takes on the likes of OnePlus 5T, Xiaomi Mi Mix 2, and LG G6. Let's see if it stands a chance to win over the consumers.
Design, Build
For Lenovo, the elephant in the room is Moto Z2 Force's thick bezels. The tall screen design with 18:9 aspect ratio and thin-bezels are the way to go. This is precisely why OnePlus swiftly jumped from 5 to 5T. On the other hand, the Moto Z2 Force looks as if it was meant for 2016.
In this price range, the OnePlus 5T looks incredibly sleek. The LG G6 too is quite a looker. The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2, designed by Philippe Stack is a style statement that can even take on the iPhone. Sure, the Moto Z2 Force has a nice metal finish on the back. At 6mm, it is quite thin too. But, let's face it — it has an awfully dull design.
Lenovo has given too much importance to the thinness of the device. So much that it has opted to pack in measly 2730mAh battery. And to address the insufficient battery issue, it has thrown-in a complimentary snap-on power bank. Dubbed as TurboPower Pack, it makes the phone look even worse. Even when the mod is absent, the mod connectors at the rear of the handset are not a pleasant sight. And so is the camera bump.
The phone comes with a durable P-OLED screen. Thanks to the plastic substrate, the screen flexes upon hitting a ground. This saves you from the cardiac arrest triggered by a shattered screen. On the flipside, the screen gets scratched very easily. We strongly recommend investing into a good scratch guard.
The 5.2-inch Quad HD screen inherits all the goodness of OLED panels. It produces deep blacks and pure colours. The pixel dense screen is impressively sharp too. It is ideal for watching movies and playing games.
Performance, Software
The Motorola Moto Z2 Force is powered by Snapdragon 835 chipset. Coupled with 6GB RAM, you get enough firepower to take crunch pixels in the most demanding games. In normal tasks, there's no lag or stutter evident anywhere in the UI.
The software almost feels like stock Android. Lenovo hasn't throw-in any bloat in this device. The phone delivers all the goodness of Android Oreo. The company has added a few gimmicky gesture-based features to fire up a few apps. It is something you would show it off to your friends and never actually use it.
The Moto Z2 Force has good sound output. However, Lenovo has made a huge blunder by axing a 3.5mm universal audio jack. It is called universal jack for a reason.
The phone handles the calling part quite well. It can take up to two nano SIM cards. The call quality is loud and clear and there's no network anomaly to report.
The Moto Z2 Force comes with a dual camera module with two 12-megapixel cameras. Both lens feature identical f/2.0 aperture, with the notable exclusion of optical zoom. One of the modules houses a true black-and-white sensor, which supplies additional depth information for depth-of-field/bokeh effects as well as delivering true monochrome snaps for photography purists. Also missing is optical image stabilisation, but we can't complain since photos come out sharp in both daylight or low-light conditions. The 4K video recording too turns out to be very good.
The camera interface is minimal and uncluttered, with the pro mode proving quite handy for fine turning. What's strange is that despite the laser autofocus and phase detection autofocus, and abundance of processing power, the camera is quite slow to lock on focus. The 5-megapixel front camera is equipped with an LED flash. I'm not a selfie person, but my overtly social friends weren't pleased with the front-facing camera.
The Motorola Moto Z2 Force packs-in a 2730mAh battery. On a single charge, it barely lasts a day. This is where the turbopower battery Mod comes to the rescue. Snap it on the back of your phone, and it charges your phone's battery. You can opt for a quick charge mode, where it juices the phone at an impressive 15-watt and charges it from 0 to 85 per cent in about 90 minutes. The other mode offers trickle charging, where the phone maintains the battery level at 80 per cent. Does it work? Yes. Will we use it? No, because it makes the phone look hideous and we don't like to carry accessories. What Lenovo has done here is create a problem just because it has the solution.
The Moto Z2 Force has a good P-OLED screen. It pulls of good performance. The camera is competitive too. However, for Rs 34,999, there's no chance in hell we would recommend it over the OnePlus 5T (Rs 32,999), which comes with much better design, ergonomics, and battery life. After the recent price cut, the LG G6 offers incredible value for Rs 29,000. Apart from LG's kiddish UI, the G6 trumps or matches the Z2 Force in almost every aspect. The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 is another reason why you shouldn't bother with the Moto Z2 Force. The Mix 2 offers one of the most elegant designs with an exciting take on the screen. It also performs incredibly well. On the other hand, the Moto Z2 Force is as dull a phone can be.
— By Chandrakant Isi
Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter....


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A few months ago, Peter's 93 year old dad was attending a doctor's appointment with his daughter, Peter's sister. There was no parking available near the office entrance so they had to walk a short distance across the parking lot. Peter's dad made it part way and then he ran out of steam and needed to stop and rest. It was pouring rain. That's when Peter and his sister agreed – the time had come for their father to get a wheelchair.
Peter, who works in the mobility equipment industry, knew exactly what his dad needed – a Helio. "I was so adamant. I knew exactly what we needed. I know it's supposed to be all about the patient but for the geriatric patient it's so much about the caregiver." Peter's sister is a nurse and so the responsibility of accompanying their father to his doctor's appointments falls on her shoulders. Put simply, those shoulders need to be able to lift the wheelchair in and out of the car. "With the Helio my sister can lift the wheelchair into the car without even taking the wheels off. She couldn't lift the other wheelchairs…even with the wheels off".
When Peter's dad trialed the Helio, the Occupational Therapist needed to evaluate if his dad could propel the wheelchair independently. Peter recalls the OT being a little skeptical. "When my dad sat in the Helio he immediately rolled across the high pile carpet in the living room. And then, when he got to the hallway, he was gone. The OT turned to me and said "Sold!" She was surprised".
When I ask Peter what he likes most about the Helio he doesn't hesitate. "It's so light and easy to maneuver. The chair did everything we could have asked a chair to do. For my dad and for my sister and for me…it's the perfect chair. And for my mom too. My mom is 90 she can push him in the chair!"
Peter feels strongly about the benefits of the Helio for any user…regardless of age. "Everybody knows this chair [Helio C2] is great for young, active people but I wish more people would consider this chair for the geriatric population. The chair is perfect for older people and their caregivers".
Thank you Peter for sharing your family's story.


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Warning: This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical.
About the JUUL Pod Multipack
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Key Details of the JUUL Pod Multipack
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ALL flavors of JUUL Salts e-liquids are made with the finest selection of ingredients, which have been selected by JUULs team of scientists to deliver the most incredible experience and authentic taste when combined with advanced temperature-regulated vapor technology. Each pod in the Multipack contains a proprietary blend of natural oils, extracts, flavors, glycerol, propylene glycol, benzoic acid, and nicotine. There really is no other vaping pod on the market that compares to the outstanding experience and flavor that JUUL pods provides.
Wonderful will buy more later
I enjoy having the option of buying only 2 pods, but it would be even cooler if you could choose the flavors that came in the pack.
Excellent satisfaction with the delivery time of the product
Very easy to order and fast shipping made this experience Perfect!!!
Fantastic. The orders are always correct and received 2 or 3 days after the order is placed. Prices are fantastic and very reasonable. First class operation.