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Glossary of Eye Conditions on Such A Site
The following massive list is from the American Foundation of the Blind's Website. They state this may be shared and that is the list I am sharing below. It is a list of all the Eye Conditions which Might Cause a person to have Low Vision.
Rare, inherited vision disorder in which a person has little or
no ability to see color. People with achromatopsia also commonly experience some
vision loss, especially in bright light, to which they are extremely sensitive.
The severity of achromatopsia varies. Although there is no cure or treatment for
this disorder, people with achromatopsia can manage its symptoms. For example,
they can wear sunglasses or tinted contact lenses to cope with bright light.
They can use magnifiers and other devices for
low vision to help them read, and telescopes to
help them see distant objects.
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Acute Zonal Occult Outer Retinopathy (AZOOR)
Acute zonal occult outer retinopathy (AZOOR) is a retinal disease characterized by sudden onset of flashing lights and visual field changes in an individual with a normal retinal exam. It affects women 3 times more frequently than men; most people affected are Caucasian, middle-aged, and myopic. A viral illness has preceded many of the reported cases. Initially only one eye is involved but the other eye may be affected months to years later.
Age-related macular degeneration (ARMD)
macular degeneration.
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Age-Related Macular Degeneration
A hereditary condition characterized by a variable lack of
pigment in the eyes, skin, or hair. People with albinism may have pale pink skin
and blond to white hair, but there are different types of albinism, and the
amount of pigment varies. The irises of their eyes may be white or pinkish. They
are sensitive to bright light and glare and commonly have other vision problems.
While some people with albinism can see well enough to drive, many have impaired
vision or may even be legally blind. Albinism is often accompanied by
nystagmus or
strabismus. People with albinism are sensitive
to bright light and glare and may wear tinted eyeglasses. Bifocals, magnifiers,
and other optical devices can help people with albinism.
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A condition in which a person's vision does not develop properly
in early childhood because the eye and the brain are not working together
correctly. Amblyopia, which usually affects only one eye, is also known as "lazy
eye." A person with amblyopia experiences blurred vision in the affected eye.
However, children often do not complain of blurred vision in the amblyopic eye
because this seems normal to them. Early treatment is advisable, because if left
untreated, this condition may lead to permanent vision problems. Treatment
options include vision therapy exercises or prescription eyeglasses. People with
amblyopia may need to wear an eye patch over their stronger eye in order to
force the affected eye to function as it should.
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Partial or complete absence of the iris of the eye. This rare
condition, usually present at birth, results in impaired vision and sensitivity
to light. People with aniridia are also at high risk for certain other eye
conditions, such as
nystagmus, and
cataracts. People with aniridia may benefit
from wearing tinted contact lenses or sunglasses, using magnifiers, and avoiding
intense or glaring light.
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Rare condition in which one or both eyes do not form during
pregnancy. When both eyes are affected, blindness results. There is no cure for
anophthalmia. Prosthetic eyes can promote proper growth of the eye sockets and
development of facial bones and also serve cosmetic purposes.
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Absence of the lens of the eye. Aphakia is usually associated
with the surgical removal of a
cataract but may also result from a wound or
other cause. Without the lens, the eye cannot adjust its focus for seeing at
different distances. Contact lenses or eyeglasses are used to correct the vision
of someone with aphakia. In cataract surgery, an artificial lens is inserted to
replace the lens removed. A person with aphakia will benefit from good, but not
excessive, lighting and high-contrast reading materials.
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Common vision condition, usually present from birth, caused by an
irregularly curved cornea or lens. People with astigmatism may experience
blurred vision, eyestrain, or headaches. Two-thirds of Americans who have
myopia also have astigmatism. Astigmatism can
be corrected with eyeglasses or contact lenses. Corrective surgery is another
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Best's Disease
Rare, inherited condition that affects the macula, the area in
the middle of the retina, and can cause blurred or distorted vision or a loss of
central vision. Best's Disease, also known as Vitelliform Macular Dystrophy, may
affect both eyes. The disease's effects on sight vary and may not become severe
for many years, if ever. Most people are not significantly affected until after
age 40. There is no treatment for Best's Disease, but a person whose vision is
impaired by this disease may benefit from devices for
low vision.
Suggested resource:
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A condition in which the lens of the eye, which is normally
clear, becomes cloudy or opaque. Cataracts generally form slowly and without
pain. They can affect one or both eyes. Over time, a cataract may interfere with
vision, causing images to appear blurred or fuzzy and colors to seem faded. Most
cataracts are related to aging. In fact, cataracts affect more than 50 percent
of all adults by age 80 and are the primary cause of vision loss in people 55
and older. People with early cataract may benefit from new eyeglasses, bright
lighting, anti-glare sunglasses, or magnifying lenses. If, despite such devices,
cataract interferes with daily activities, surgery is the only effective
treatment. Cataract surgery, which is common, involves removal of the cloudy
lens and replacement with an artificial lens.
Charles Bonnet syndrome
Visual disturbances usually occurring in people who have
experienced visual impairment or sight loss later in life, as through
macular degeneration. People with Charles
Bonnet syndrome may see a wide range of images, from simple patterns to people,
animals, and buildings. The visual disturbances associated with this syndrome
are not signs of mental illness, and people realize that the images they are
seeing are not real. There is no cure for Charles Bonnet syndrome. However, the
symptoms often stop on their own. People who have Charles Bonnet syndrome should
consult with an eye care specialist because treatment for vision disorders may
Suggested resources:
Charles Bonnet Syndrome
Chorioretinal Atrophy
Chorioretinal atrophy is, as the name implies a degeneration, or atrophy of the retina. It affects males more than females. It is an autosomal dominant disorder caused by mutations in the CRB1 gene.
Choroidal Neovascularization
Choroidal neovascularization refers to new and abnormal blood vessels that grow, multiply, and develop into a cluster beneath the macula. The macula is the part of the retina that provides the clearest central vision.
Rare disorder that causes progressive loss of the choroid, an
important layer under the retina that is responsible for some of its blood
supply. Choroideremia is an inherited disorder that generally affects males
only. It commonly begins as night blindness in childhood and gradually advances
to increasing vision loss. Most people with this disorder are able to retain
good vision until age 40 or 50. There is no treatment for choroideremia, but
people who have the disorder may find it helpful to use optical, electronic, or
computer-based devices for
low vision.
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A cleft or gap in some part of the eye, such as the iris, lens,
or retina, that is caused by a defect in the development of the eyeball. How
much coloboma affects a person's vision depends on the size and location of the
cleft and on whether it occurs in one or both eyes. For example, someone with
only a tiny defect in the iris may have normal vision. However, a person with
large defects in the retina and optic nerve may have limited vision. Children
whose vision is impaired by coloboma may benefit from using reading materials
that have large black print and well-spaced letters and words. They may also
find it helpful to read one line at a time with the aid of a cutout reading
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Color blindness
A vision problem in which a person has difficulty distinguishing
certain colors—most commonly red and green, but sometimes blue and green or blue
and yellow. Color blindness is not really a form of blindness, but rather a
deficiency in color perception. It usually affects both eyes and is much more
common in males than in females. There is no treatment or cure for this problem,
but a color-blind person can learn to adapt in various ways. For example, a
color-blind driver can remember that the light positioned at the top of a
traffic light is the red one. It is beneficial to diagnose color blindness in
children at an early age so that steps can be taken to avoid learning problems
related to color perception.
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Cone-rod dystrophy
Inherited disease that, over time, causes deterioration of the
specialized light-sensitive cells of the retina. People with cone-rod dystrophy
typically experience decreased sharpness of vision followed by a loss of
peripheral vision and color perception. The most common form of cone-rod
dystrophy is
retinitis pigmentosa. There is no treatment or
cure for this disease, which is also referred to as cone-rod degeneration,
progressive cone-rod dystrophy, and retinal cone dystrophy.
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Congenital eye defects
Any of various conditions present at birth that affect the eyes or vision. Some congenital eye conditions, such as retinitis pigmentosa, are passed on through genes. Others, such as vision loss due to German measles, result from a disease or deficiency during pregnancy. Sometimes, as in the case of coloboma, the cause of a congenital eye defect is not known. Congenital eye defects can impair vision or even cause blindness. Some conditions are immediately apparent in an infant, while others may not become known until later in life.
Conjunctivitis is inflammation of the conjunctiva, which is the
thin translucent tissue that lines the inner surface of the eyelid and the outer
surface of the sclera, which is the white part of the eye.
Conjunctivitis is usually associated with redness of the white part of the eyes,
light sensitivity (photophobia), excessive tearing, ocular discomfort (gritty
sensation, itching, burning), and/or discharge.
There are many different causes of conjunctivitis. Some types of conjunctivitis
are infectious, while others are not. These can generally be differentiated from
one another based on history and an examination by an eye doctor.
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Corneal disease
Disease or disorder that affects the cornea, the clear, curved
surface that covers the front of the eye. The effects of corneal disease vary.
Some corneal conditions cause few, if any, vision problems. For example,
infections of the cornea can often be treated with antibiotics. However, if the
cornea becomes cloudy, light cannot penetrate the eye to reach the retina, and
severe visual impairment, or even blindness, may result. Corneal dystrophies are
usually inherited conditions in which one or more parts of the cornea lose their
clarity due to a buildup of cloudy material.
Keratoconus is the most common corneal
dystrophy in the United States. When corneal disease causes the cornea to become
permanently clouded or scarred, doctors may be able to restore vision with a
corneal transplant—surgical replacement of the old cornea with a new one.
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Cortical visual impairment
Visual impairment caused by damage to those parts of the brain
related to vision. Although the eye is normal, the brain cannot properly process
the information it receives. The degree of vision loss may be mild or severe and
can vary greatly, even from day to day. Also known as cerebral visual
impairment, cortical visual impairment (CVI) may be temporary or permanent.
People with cortical visual impairment have difficulty using what their eye
sees. For example, they may have trouble recognizing faces, interpreting
drawings, perceiving depth, or distinguishing between background and foreground.
Children with cortical visual impairment are often able to see better when told
in advance what to look for. Cortical visual impairment is also known as
neurological visual impairment (NVI).
Suggested resources:
Cortical Visual Impairment, Traumatic Brain Injury, and
Neurological Vision Loss — www.afb.org/cvi
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De Morsier's Syndrome
Rare disorder, present at birth, in which the optic nerve is underdeveloped, the pituitary gland does not function properly, and often a portion of brain tissue is not formed. De Morsier's Syndrome, also known as septo-optic dysplasia, may cause blindness in one or both eyes and is also often accompanied by nystagmus and various other symptoms. Some children with De Morsier's Syndrome have normal intelligence, while others may be developmentally delayed, learning-disabled, or mentally retarded. Some symptoms of this disorder can be treated, but the visual impairment usually cannot be corrected. Visual devices, such as a magnifier or a computer designed for visually impaired users, may benefit some people with De Morsier's Syndrome.
Diabetic retinopathy
Eye condition that results from the damaging effect of diabetes
on the circulatory system of the retina. The longer someone has had diabetes,
the greater the person's likelihood of developing diabetic retinopathy. Changes
in the tiny blood vessels of the retina can lead to vision loss. People with
diabetes should have routine eye examinations so that diabetes-related problems
can be diagnosed and treated as soon as possible. Maintaining strict control of
blood sugar levels helps to prevent diabetic retinopathy. Surgical and laser
treatments can help many people affected with this condition.
Suggested resources:
Diabetes and Diabetic Retinopathy
Dry eye syndrome
Persistent dryness of the eyes resulting from too little
production of tears or too rapid evaporation of tears. People with dry eye
syndrome may experience such symptoms as itching, burning, or stinging eyes.
Some people feel as though something is caught in their eye, causing an
irritation. Dry eye syndrome has many causes. For example, it may be linked to
wearing contact lenses for long periods of time or to living in a dry or dusty
climate. It may be a side effect of medication or a symptom of certain diseases.
An eye doctor may recommend the application of special eye drops—"artificial
tears"—to moisten the eyes or the use of a humidifier to increase humidity in
the air. Not rubbing the eyes and avoiding such irritants as tobacco smoke can
also help persons with dry eye syndrome.
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Floaters and spots
Specks or strands that seem to float across the field of vision.
Floaters and spots are actually shadows on the retina cast by tiny bits of gel
or cells inside the clear fluid that fills the eye. Floaters and spots usually
are normal and harmless. However, in some cases they may warn of serious
conditions such as
retinal detachment,
diabetic retinopathy, or infection. Someone who
experiences a sudden decline in vision accompanied by flashes and floaters or a
sudden increase in the number of floaters should consult an ophthalmologist
Suggested resources:
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Disease in which the pressure of the fluid inside the eye is too
high, resulting in a loss of peripheral vision. If the condition is not
diagnosed and treated, the increased pressure can damage the optic nerve and
eventually lead to blindness. Vision lost as a result of such damage cannot be
restored. A person who has glaucoma may not realize it at first, because the
disease often progresses with no symptoms or warning signs. Early detection
through regular eye examination and prompt treatment is essential to prevent
vision loss. Daily medication (usually eye drops), surgery, or a combination of
both enables most people to control their intraocular pressure and retain their
Suggested resources:
Visual Impairment and Glaucoma
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Blindness affecting half of the field of vision. Hemianopia, also
known as hemianopsia, may be caused by various medical conditions, but usually
results from a stroke or brain injury. It may affect either the right or left
side of the visual field and is usually permanent. Hemianopia can produce
various effects, from minor to severe. For example, a person may be able to see
only to one side when looking ahead, or objects that the person sees may differ
in clarity or brightness. Such visual impairment can make it difficult to
perform daily tasks, from reading to crossing streets. There is no specific
treatment for hemianopia, but
low vision rehabilitation specialists can help
people learn to make the most of the sight that they have. In addition, some
people with hemianopia benefit from the use of magnifiers or special prism
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This common vision problem, also known as farsightedness, occurs
when light rays entering the eye focus behind the retina, not directly on it.
People with hyperopia are usually able to see distant objects well, but close
objects appear blurry. Hyperopia may cause eyestrain or headaches, especially
with reading. Eyeglasses or contact lenses can correct hyperopia. For people who
do not want to wear glasses or contact lenses, laser vision correction is
sometimes possible.
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Rare condition, often inherited, in which the cornea becomes
progressively thinner and gradually bulges outward, causing blurred or distorted
vision. Keratoconus usually affects both eyes. At first, people with this
condition can correct their sight with eyeglasses. However, as symptoms worsen
over time, specially designed contact lenses are needed to improve vision. Most
people with keratoconus will not experience severe visual impairment. However,
as many as one in five will eventually require a corneal transplant (surgical
replacement of the old cornea with a new one).
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Late-Onset Retinal Degeneration (L-ORD)
A genetic retinal disorder. Onset typically occurs in the fifth to sixth decade of a person's life. Symptoms include night blindness, progressing to severe central and peripheral degeneration with choroidal neovascularization and chorioretinal atrophy. Because it is late onset, it is often mistaken for regular macular degeneration. Note, however, that this disorder, in its severest state, affects both central and peripheral vision and thus leads to total blindness, unlike some of the more common macular disorders.
Laurence-Moon-Bardet-Biedl Syndrome
Rare, inherited disorder affecting many parts of the body. People
with this condition have
retinitis pigmentosa accompanied by mental
retardation, paralysis of the legs, and various other symptoms.
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Leber's congenital amaurosis
Inherited condition, probably caused by degeneration of the
retina, in which an infant is born blind or develops severe vision loss soon
after birth. Children with Leber's congenital amaurosis typically also have
nystagmus, and some also have mental
retardation and hearing disorders. At present, there is no treatment for this
Suggested resources:
Foundation for Retinal Research
Legal blindness
A level of visual impairment that has been defined by law to determine eligibility for benefits. It refers to central visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with the best possible correction, or a visual field of 20 degrees or less.
Low vision
Vision loss that may be severe enough to impede a person's
ability to carry on everyday activities, but still allows some functionally
useful sight. Low vision may be caused by
macular degeneration,
glaucoma, or other eye conditions or diseases.
Low vision may range from moderate impairment to near-total blindness. It cannot
be fully corrected by eyeglasses, contact lenses, or surgery. However, a person
with low vision may benefit from any of a variety of available optical devices,
such as electronic magnifying glasses or eyeglass-mounted telescopes. In
addition, special software developed for computer users with low vision can
display type in large size or read text aloud.
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Macular degeneration
Disease that causes dysfunction of the macula, the area in the
middle of the retina that makes possible the sharp central vision needed for
such everyday activities as reading, driving, and recognizing faces and colors.
The condition is commonly known as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and is
the leading cause of visual impairment among older people. However, there are
also other types of macular degeneration, such as
Stargardt's Disease and
Best's Disease. Macular degeneration causes
blurred, distorted, or dim vision or a blind spot in the center of the visual
field. Peripheral vision is generally not affected. This condition is painless
and may progress so gradually that the affected person at first notices little
change. There is no cure for macular degeneration, but drug therapy, laser
surgery, or other medical treatment may in some cases be able to slow the
disease's progression or prevent further vision loss. People with macular
degeneration can also benefit from the use of various devices for
low vision, such as magnifiers, high-intensity
lamps, and pocket-sized telescopes.
Suggested resources:
Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD)
Macular hole
A macular hole is a full thickness hole in the central part of
the retina called the macula. It may be caused by injury or inflammatory
swelling of the retina, but most commonly occurs as an age-related event without
any predisposing conditions. Macular holes are thought to be caused by
tractional forces associated with the vitreous gel separating from the retina in
the macula and around the central macula called the fovea. Surgery is the
treatment of choice for full-thickness macular holes.
Suggested resources:
Macular Hole
Marfan Syndrome
Disorder of the connective tissue, affecting the heart and blood
vessels, skeletal system, eyes, and other parts of the body. The condition is
present at birth. Symptoms vary from person to person, ranging from mild to
severe. People with Marfan syndrome are often nearsighted (see
myopia), and about half have dislocation of one
or both lenses of the eye. There is no cure for Marfan syndrome. Treatment
depends on which body systems are affected. Early eye examinations can detect
vision problems related to the disorder, which can usually be corrected with
eyeglasses, contact lenses or eye surgery.
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Rare disorder, usually inherited, in which one or both eyes are
abnormally small. The degree of visual impairment varies, from reduced vision to
blindness. Extreme microphthalmia resembles some forms of
anophthalmia. There is no treatment or cure for
microphthalmia. In certain cases, artificial eyes can be used to promote proper
growth of the eye sockets and to help with cosmetic appearance.
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This condition, commonly known as nearsightedness, occurs when
light rays entering the eye focus in front of the retina, not directly on it.
People with myopia are usually able to see close objects well, but objects in
the distance—such as highway signs or writing on a chalkboard—appear blurred.
People with this condition may squint to see distant objects and experience
eyestrain or, sometimes, headaches. Eyeglasses or contact lenses can correct
myopia. Surgery is another alternative.
Suggested resource:
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Neurological visual impairment (NVI)
cortical visual impairment.
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Neuromyelitis optica (NMO)
Neuromyelitis optica (NMO), also known as Devic's disease, is an autoimmune disorder in which immune system cells and antibodies mistakenly attack and destroy myelin cells in the optic nerves (neuritis) and the spinal cord (myelitis). NMO leads to loss of myelin, which is a fatty substance that surrounds nerve fibers and helps nerve signals move from cell to cell. The syndrome can cause blindness in one or both eyes and can be followed by varying degrees of paralysis in the arms and legs. Most individuals with the syndrome experience clusters of attacks months or years apart, followed by partial recovery during periods of remission. The onset of NMO varies from childhood to adulthood, with two peaks, one in childhood and the other in adults in their 40s. The syndrome is sometimes confused with multiple sclerosis (MS) because both can cause attacks of optic neuritis and myelitis.
Non-24-Hour Sleep-Wake Disorder (Non-24)
Non-24-Hour Sleep-Wake Disorder (Non-24) is a serious, chronic,
and rare circadian rhythm disorder that affects a majority of totally blind
individuals who lack light perception and cannot reset their master body clocks
to the 24-hour day. Non-24 is most commonly found in blind individuals who
cannot perceive light, the primary environmental cue for synchronizing their
circadian rhythm to the 24-hour day. In the United States, this disorder affects
approximately 80,000 totally blind individuals who lack the light sensitivity
necessary to reset their internal "body clocks." In general, individuals with
Non-24 suffer from a variety of clinical symptoms as they cycle into and out of
phase, resulting in disrupted nighttime sleep patterns and/or excessive daytime
Suggested resources:
FDA Approval for Drug That Regulates Sleep Patterns
Discovering That I Had Non-24
Condition that involves involuntary, rapid, repetitive movements
of one or both eyes from side to side, up and down, or in a circular motion.
Nystagmus may be present at birth or, less commonly, may result from disease or
injury. In some cases, the condition can reduce or interfere with vision. For
example, children with nystagmus may frequently lose their place when reading.
Placing a cutout reading window over words or using a card to "underline" text
can be helpful.
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Optic nerve atrophy
Degeneration of the optic nerve, which carries vision information from the eye to the brain. People who have optic nerve atrophy may have dimmed or blurred vision as well as a reduced field of vision. They may also have difficulty seeing contrast and fine detail. Vision loss through optic nerve atrophy is permanent. However, if the underlying cause can be identified and successfully treated, further vision loss may be prevented. Bright lighting, high contrast, and bold colors can help children with optic nerve atrophy see more clearly.
Optic nerve hypoplasia
Condition, present at birth, in which the optic nerve is
underdeveloped, so that adequate visual information is not carried from the eye
to the brain. The effects of optic nerve hypoplasia have a broad range, from
little or no visual impairment to near-total blindness. The condition may affect
one or both eyes. There is no treatment or cure for optic nerve hypoplasia.
However, depending on the degree of visual impairment, a person with this
condition may benefit from the use of devices for
low vision.
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The eye's gradually decreasing ability to focus on nearby
objects. Presbyopia is a normal part of aging and affects virtually everyone,
usually becoming noticeable after age 40. People with presbyopia typically hold
reading materials at arm's length in order to bring the words into focus. They
may experience headaches or eyestrain while reading, viewing a computer screen,
or doing close work. Presbyopia can be corrected with reading glasses, bifocal
or variable focus lenses, or contact lenses. Using bright, direct light when
reading is also helpful.
Suggested resources:
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Retinal detachment
Separation of the retina from the underlying supportive tissues.
Retinal detachment may result from injury, disease, or other causes. A person
with retinal detachment usually does not experience pain, but may see floaters
floaters and spots) or bright flashes of light,
may have blurred vision, or may see a shadow or curtain over part of the field
of vision. Retinal detachment requires prompt medical attention to prevent
permanent vision loss. There are several methods of treatment for retinal
detachment, including laser surgery.
Suggested resource:
Retinitis pigmentosa
Degeneration of the retina, resulting in decreased night vision,
a gradual loss of peripheral vision, and in some cases, loss of central vision.
The degeneration progresses over time and can lead to blindness. Retinitis
pigmentosa is a rare, inherited disease for which there is as yet no treatment
or cure. Some ophthalmologists believe that treatment with high doses of Vitamin
A can slow the progression of retinitis pigmentosa, and that taking Vitamin E
makes it worse. Early diagnosis enables a person with the disease to plan and
prepare for its progression. In addition, depending on the degree of vision
loss, electronic magnifiers, night-vision scopes, and other such special devices
for impaired vision can provide some benefit for people with the disease.
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Malignant tumor (cancer) of the retina, generally affecting
children under the age of 6. Usually hereditary, retinoblastoma may affect one
or both eyes. Retinoblastoma has a cure rate of over 90 percent if treated
early. Without prompt treatment, the cancer can spread to the eye socket, the
brain, and elsewhere, and can cause death. Depending on the size and location of
the tumor, treatment options include laser surgery, cryotherapy (a freezing
treatment), radiation, and chemotherapy. In some cases, the affected eye may
need to be removed.
Suggested resource:
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP)
Condition associated with premature birth, in which the growth of
normal blood vessels in the retina stops, and abnormal blood vessels develop. As
a result, the infant has an increased risk of detachment of the retina (see
retinal detachment). Retinopathy of prematurity
can lead to reduced vision or blindness. Laser therapy can help this condition
if diagnosis and treatment occur early. Children who experience minor effects
may benefit from the use of devices for
low vision as they get older. Retinopathy of
prematurity was formerly called retrolental fibroplasia.
Suggested resources:
Retrolental fibroplasia
See retinopathy of prematurity.
Rod-cone dystrophy
Cone-rod dystrophy.
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Gap or blind spot in the field of vision that may result from
damage to the retina. How much a scotoma impairs sight depends mainly on whether
it affects central or peripheral vision. Common causes of scotoma include
macular degeneration,
glaucoma, and inflammation of the optic nerve.
People who experience significant vision loss because of scotomas may benefit
from the use of magnifiers, bright lighting, and large-print reading materials.
Suggested resource:
Septo-Optic Dysplasia (SOD)
De Morsier's Syndrome.
Suggested resources:
Stargardt's Disease
Inherited disease that causes gradual degeneration of the macula,
the area in the middle of the retina that makes possible the central vision
needed for reading, driving, recognizing colors, and other activities of daily
life. Effects of Stargardt's Disease, which start at an early age, vary from
minor to total loss of detail vision. Over a period of years, people with the
disease typically lose sharpness of vision, experience decreased color vision,
and may have blind spots. However, peripheral and night vision usually remain
unaffected, and complete loss of sight is rare. There is no cure or treatment
for Stargardt's Disease, but such devices as magnifying screens and binocular
lenses can help people cope with vision limitations.
Suggested resource:
Condition in which the eyes are not both directed toward the same
point simultaneously. Strabismus occurs when eye muscles are not working
together properly. It is most commonly an inherited condition, but may also be
caused by disease or injury. If diagnosed early, strabismus can usually be
corrected. The condition may be treated with corrective eyeglasses, eye-muscle
exercises, surgery, or a combination of these approaches. Young children with
this condition may need to wear an eye patch over their stronger eye to force
their weaker eye to function correctly. Children whose strabismus is not
corrected may develop
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Sturge-Weber Syndrome
Disorder, present at birth, characterized by a facial birthmark
and any of various neurological, visual, and developmental symptoms. People with
Sturge-Weber syndrome may, for example, experience seizures,
glaucoma, partial paralysis, and learning
disabilities. There is no cure for Sturge-Weber syndrome, but many of the
symptoms can be treated. For instance, medications may be prescribed to control
seizures, and surgery or eye drops may be used to treat glaucoma.
Suggested resource:
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Contagious eye infection, caused by bacteria, that affects the
eyelid and cornea. Trachoma can lead to scarring and blindness if not treated.
The infection is spread by contact with discharge from the eyes or nose of
infected persons and also transmitted by certain flies. Trachoma is rare in the
United States, but it affects millions of people around the world, many of them
children. Antibiotics are generally an effective treatment for trachoma,
especially if used early in the infection. In certain cases, eyelid surgery may
be needed.
Suggested resource:
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Usher Syndrome


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Five years ago this week, on December 13, 2001, the Indian parliament was in its winter session. The government was under attack for yet another corruption scandal. At 11.30 in the morning, five armed men in a white Ambassador car fitted out with an improvised explosive device drove through the gates of Parliament House. When they were challenged, they jumped out of the car and opened fire. In the gun battle that followed, all the attackers were killed. Eight security personnel and a gardener were killed, too. The dead terrorists, the police said, had enough explosives to blow up the parliament building, and enough ammunition to take on a whole battalion of soldiers. Unlike most terrorists, these five left behind a thick trail of evidence–weapons, mobile phones, phone numbers, ID cards, photographs, packets of dried fruit and even a love letter.
Not surprisingly, prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee seized the opportunity to compare the assault to the September 11 attacks in the United States only three months previously.
On December 14, 2001, the day after the attack on parliament, the Special Cell (antiterrorist squad) of the Delhi police claimed it had tracked down several people suspected of being involved in the conspiracy. The next day, it announced that it had "cracked the case": the attack, the police said, was a joint operation carried out by two Pakistan-based terrorist groups, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad. Three Kashmiri men, Syed Abdul Rahman Geelani, Shaukat Hussain Guru, and Mohammad Afzal, and Shaukat's wife, Afsan Guru, were arrested.
In the tense days that followed, parliament was adjourned. The Indian government declared that Pakistan–America's closest ally in the "war on terror"–was a terrorist state. On December 21, India recalled its high commissioner from Pakistan, suspended air, rail, and bus communications, and banned air traffic with Pakistan. It put into motion a massive mobilization of its war machinery, and moved more than half a million troops to the Pakistan border. Foreign embassies evacuated their staff and citizens, and tourists traveling to India were issued cautionary travel advisories. The world watched with bated breath as the subcontinent was taken to the brink of nuclear war. All this cost India an estimated $2.1 billion of public money. About 800 soldiers died in the panicky process of mobilization alone.
The police charge sheet was filed in a special fast-track trial court designated for cases under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA). Some three years later, the trial court sentenced Geelani, Shaukat, and Afzal to death. Afsan Guru was sentenced to five years of "rigorous imprisonment." On appeal, the high court subsequently acquitted Geelani and Afsan, but upheld Shaukat's and Afzal's death sentences. Eventually, the supreme court upheld the acquittals and reduced Shaukat's punishment to ten years of rigorous imprisonment. However, it not just confirmed, but enhanced Mohammad Afzal's sentence. He was given three life sentences and a double death sentence.
In its judgment on August 5, 2005, the supreme court admitted that the evidence against Afzal was only circumstantial, and that there was no evidence that he belonged to any terrorist group or organization. But it went on to endorse what can only be described as lynch law. "The incident, which resulted in heavy casualties, had shaken the entire nation," it said, "and the collective conscience of the society will only be satisfied if capital punishment is awarded to the offender."
Spelling out the reasons for giving Afzal the death penalty, the judgment went on: "The appellant, who is a surrendered militant and who was bent upon repeating the acts of treason against the nation, is a menace to the society and his life should become extinct." This implies a dangerous ignorance of what it means to be a "surrendered militant" in Kashmir today.
So, should Afzal's life be extinguished? His story is fascinating because it is inextricably entwined with the story of the Kashmir Valley. It is a story that stretches far beyond the confines of courtrooms and the limited imagination of people who live in the secure heart of a self-declared "superpower." Afzal's story has its origins in a war zone whose laws are beyond the pale of the fine arguments and delicate sensibilities of normal jurisprudence.
For all these reasons it is critical that we consider carefully the strange, sad, and utterly sinister story of the December 13 attack. It tells us a great deal about the way the world's largest "democracy" really works. It connects the biggest things to the smallest. It traces the pathways that connect what happens in the shadowy grottoes of our police stations to what goes on in the snowy streets of Paradise Valley, and from there to the malign furies that bring nations to the brink of nuclear war. It raises specific questions that deserve specific, and not ideological or rhetorical, answers. What hangs in the balance is far more than the fate of one man.
For the most part, the December 13 attack was an astonishingly incompetent "terrorist" strike. But consummate competence appeared to be the hallmark of everything that followed: the gathering of evidence, the speed of the investigation by the Special Cell, the arrest and charging of the accused and the three-and-a-half-year-long judicial process that began with the fast-track trial court.
The operative phrase in all of this is "appeared to be." If you follow the story carefully, you will encounter two sets of masks. First, the mask of consummate competence (accused arrested, "case cracked" in two days flat), and then, when things began to come undone, the benign mask of shambling incompetence (shoddy evidence, procedural flaws, material contradictions). But underneath all of this–as several lawyers, academics, and journalists who have studied the case in detail have shown–is something more sinister, more worrying. Over the past few years, the worries have grown into a mountain of misgivings, impossible to ignore.
The doubts set in as early as the day after the parliament attack, when the police arrested Geelani, a young lecturer at Delhi University. His outraged colleagues and friends, certain that he had been framed, contacted the well-known lawyer Nandita Haksar and asked her to take on his case. This marked the beginning of a campaign for the fair trial of Geelani. It flew in the face of mass hysteria and corrosive propaganda that was enthusiastically disseminated by the mass media. But despite this, the campaign was successful, and Geelani was eventually acquitted, along with Afsan Guru.
Geelani's acquittal blew a gaping hole in the prosecution's version of the parliament attack. The linchpin of its conspiracy theory suddenly tuned out to be innocent. But in some odd way, in the public mind, the acquittal of two of the accused only confirmed the guilt of the other two. There was bloodlust that had to be satiated. When the government announced that Afzal, Accused No 1 in the case, would be hanged on October 20, 2006, it seemed that most people welcomed the news not just with approval but with morbid excitement. But then, once again, the questions resurfaced.
To see through the prosecution's case against Geelani was relatively easy. He was plucked out of thin air and transplanted into the center of the "conspiracy" as its kingpin. Afzal was different. He had been extruded through the sewage system of the hell that Kashmir has become. He surfaced through a manhole, covered in shit. (And when he emerged, policemen in the Special Cell pissed on him. Literally.) The first thing they made him do was a "media confession" in which he implicated himself completely in the attack. The speed with which this happened made many of us believe that he was indeed guilty as charged. It was only much later that the circumstances under which this "confession" was made were revealed, and even the supreme court was to set it aside, saying that the police had violated legal safeguards.
From the very beginning there was nothing pristine or simple about Afzal's case. His story gives us a glimpse into what life is really like in the Kashmir Valley. It is only in the Noddy book version we read about in our newspapers that security forces battle militants and innocent Kashmiris are caught in the crossfire. In the adult version, Kashmir is a valley awash with militants, renegades, security forces, double-crossers, informers, spooks, blackmailers, blackmailees, extortionists, spies, both Indian and Pakistani intelligence agencies, human rights activists, NGOs, and unimaginable amounts of unaccounted-for money and weapons. There are not always clear lines that demarcate the boundaries between all these; it is not easy to tell who is working for whom.
Truth, in Kashmir, is probably more dangerous than anything else. The deeper you dig, the worse it gets. At the bottom of the pit are the Special Operations Group and Special Task Force (STF), the most ruthless, undisciplined, and dreaded elements of the Indian security apparatus in Kashmir, which play a central role in the Afzal story. Unlike the more formal forces, they operate in a twilight zone where policemen, surrendered militants, renegades, and common criminals do business. They prey upon the local population, particularly in rural Kashmir. Their primary victims are the thousands of young Kashmiri men who rose up in revolt in the anarchic uprising of the early 1990s and have since surrendered and are trying to live normal lives.
In 1989, when Afzal crossed the border to be trained as a militant, he was only twenty years old. He returned with no training, disillusioned with his experience. He put down his gun and enrolled himself in Delhi University. In 1993, without ever having been a practicing militant, he voluntarily surrendered to the Border Security Force. Illogically enough, it was at this point that his nightmares began. His surrender was treated as a crime, and his life became hell. Afzal's story has enraged Kashmiris because what has happened to him could have happened, is happening, and has happened to thousands of young Kashmiri men and their families. The only difference is that their stories are played out in the dingy bowels of interrogation centers, army camps, and police stations where they have been burned, beaten, electrocuted, blackmailed, and killed, their bodies thrown out of the backs of trucks for passers by to find. Whereas Afzal's story is being performed like a piece of medieval theater on the national stage, in the clear light of day, with the legal sanction of a "fair trial," the hollow benefits of a "free press," and the all pomp and ceremony of a so-called democracy.
In documents submitted to the court, Afzal describes how, in the months before the attack on parliament, he was tortured in the camps of the STF–with electrodes on his genitals and chilies and petrol in his anus. He talks of how he was a constant victim of extortion. He mentions the name of Deputy Superintendent of Police Devinder Singh, who said he needed him to do a "small job" for him in Delhi. (Singh has subsequently admitted on record to having tortured Afzal in exactly the ways Afzal has described.) Afzal has also said that from the time he was arrested up to the time he was charged (a few months), his younger brother Hilal was held in illegal confinement in a police camp in Kashmir. As ransom.
Even today, Afzal does not claim complete innocence. It is the nature of his involvement that is being contested. For instance, was he coerced, tortured, and blackmailed into playing even the peripheral part he played? In a gross violation of his constitutional rights, from the time he was arrested and right through the crucial phase of the trial when the real work of building up a case is done, Afzal did not have a lawyer. He had nobody to put out his version of the story, or help him or anyone else sift through the tangle of lies and fabrications and propaganda put out by the police. Various individuals worked it out for themselves. Today, five years later, a group of lawyers, academics, journalists, and writers has published a reader (December 13th: The Strange Case of the Parliament Attack, published by Penguin India). It is this body of work that has fractured what, only recently, appeared to be a national consensus interwoven with mass hysteria.
Through the fissures, those who have come under scrutiny–shadowy individuals, counter-intelligence and security agencies, political parties–are beginning to surface. They wave flags, hurl abuse, issue hot denials, and cover their tracks with more and more untruths. Thus they reveal themselves.
The essays in the Penguin book raise questions about how Afzal, who never had proper legal representation, can be sentenced to death without having had an opportunity to be heard, without a fair trial. They raise questions about fabricated arrest memos, falsified seizure and recovery memos, procedural flaws, vital evidence that has been tampered with, false telephone records, false testimonies, legal lacunae, material contradictions in the testimonies of police and prosecution witnesses, and the outright lies that were presented in court and published in newspapers. They show how there is hardly a single piece of evidence that stands up to scrutiny.
And then there are even more disturbing questions that have been raised, which range beyond the fate of Afzal. Some of these are critical for a country that is claiming to be a responsible nuclear power. Here are thirteen questions regarding December 13:
Question 1: For months before the attack on parliament, both the government and the police had been saying that parliament could be attacked. On December 12, 2001, then prime minister A.B. Vajpayee warned of an imminent attack. On December 13, it happened. Given that there was an "improved security drill," how did a car bomb packed with explosives enter the parliament complex?
Question 2: Within days of the attack, the Special Cell of the Delhi police said it was a meticulously planned joint operation of Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba. They said the attack was led by a man called Mohammad who was also involved in the hijacking of flight IC-814 in 1998. (This was later refuted by the Central Bureau of Investigation.) None of this was ever proved in court. What evidence did the Special Cell have for its claim?
Question 3: The entire attack was recorded live on closed-circuit television (CCTV). Two Congress Party members of parliament, Kapil Sibal and Najma Heptullah, demanded in parliament that the CCTV recording be shown to the members. They said that there was confusion about the details of the event. The chief whip of the Congress Party, Priyaranjan Dasmunshi, said, "I counted six men getting out of the car. But only five were killed. The closed-circuit TV camera recording clearly showed the six men." If Dasmunshi was right, why did the police say that there were only five people in the car? Who was the sixth person? Where is he now? Why was the CCTV recording not produced by the prosecution as evidence in the trial? Why was it not released for public viewing?
Question 4: Why was parliament adjourned after some of these questions were raised?
Question 5: A few days after December 13, the government declared that it had "incontrovertible evidence" of Pakistan's involvement in the attack, and announced a massive mobilization of almost half a million soldiers to the Indo-Pakistan border. The subcontinent was pushed to the brink of nuclear war. Apart from Afzal's "confession," extracted under torture (and later set aside by the supreme court), what was the "incontrovertible evidence"?
Question 6: Is it true that the military mobilization to the Pakistan border had begun long before the December 13 attack?
Question 7: How much did this military standoff, which lasted for nearly a year, cost? How many soldiers died in the process? How many soldiers and civilians died because of mishandled landmines, and how many peasants lost their homes and land because trucks and tanks were rolling through their villages and landmines were being planted in their fields?
Question 8: In a criminal investigation, it is vital for the police to show how the evidence gathered at the scene of the attack led them to the accused. The police have not managed to show how they connected Geelani to the attack. And how did the police reach Afzal? The Special Cell says Geelani led them to Afzal. But the message to look out for Afzal was actually flashed to the Srinagar police before Geelani was arrested. So how did the Special Cell connect Afzal to the December 13 attack?
Question 9: The courts acknowledge that Afzal was a surrendered militant who was in regular contact with the security forces, particularly the STF of Jammu and Kashmir police. How do the security forces explain the fact that a person under their surveillance was able to conspire in a major militant operation?
Question 10: Is it plausible that organizations such as Lashkar-e-Taiba or Jaish-e-Mohammad would rely on a person who had been in and out of STF torture chambers, and was under constant police surveillance, as the principal link for a major operation?
Question 11: In his statement before the court, Afzal says that he was introduced to "Mohammed" and instructed to take him to Delhi by a man called Tariq, who was working with the STF. Tariq was named in the police charge sheet. Who is Tariq and where is he now?
Question 12: On December 19, 2001, six days after the parliament attack, police commissioner S.M. Shangari identified one of the attackers who was killed as Mohammad Yasin Fateh Mohammed (alias Abu Hamza) of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, who had been arrested in Mumbai in November 2000 and immediately handed over to the Jammu and Kashmir police. He gave detailed descriptions to support his statement. If police commissioner Shangari was right, how did Yasin, a man in the custody of the Jammu and Kashmir police, end up participating in the parliament attack? If he was wrong, where is Yasin now?
Question 13: Why is it that we still do not know who the five "terrorists" killed in the parliament attack are?
These questions, examined cumulatively, point to something far more serious than incompetence. The words that come to mind are complicity, collusion, involvement. There is no need for us to feign shock or shrink from thinking these thoughts and saying them out loud. Governments and their intelligence agencies have a hoary tradition of using strategies such as this to further their own ends. (Look up the burning of the Reichstag and the rise of Nazi power in Germany in 1933; or Operation Gladio, in which European intelligence agencies created acts of terrorism, especially in Italy, in order to discredit militant groups such as the Red Brigades.)
The official response to all of these questions has been dead silence. As things stand, Afzal's execution has been postponed while the president considers his clemency petition. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (now in the opposition) announced that it would turn "Hang Afzal" into a national campaign. But it does not seem to have taken off. Now other avenues are being explored. The main strategy seems to be to create confusion and polarize the debate on communal lines. In the business of spreading confusion, the media, particularly television journalists, can be counted on to be perfect collaborators. On discussions, chat shows and "special reports," we have television anchors playing around with crucial facts, like young children in a sandpit. Torturers, estranged brothers, senior police officers, and politicians are emerging from the woodwork and talking. The more they talk, the more interesting it all becomes.
One character who is rapidly emerging from the shadowy periphery and wading on to center stage is deputy superintendent Devinder Singh. He was showcased on the national news (CNN-IBN), in what was presented as a "sting" operation with a hidden camera. It all seemed a bit unnecessary, however, because Singh has been talking a lot these days. He has done recorded interviews, on the phone as well as face to face, saying exactly the same shocking things. Weeks before the sting operation, in a recorded interview with Parvaiz Bukhari, a freelance journalist, he said, "I did interrogate and torture him [Afzal] at my camp for several days. And we never recorded his arrest in the books anywhere. His description of torture at my camp is true. That was the procedure those days and we did pour petrol in his ass and gave him electric shocks. But I could not break him. He did not reveal anything to me despite our hardest possible interrogation … He looked like a bhondu [fool] those days, what you call a chootya [idiot] type. And I had a reputation for torture, interrogation and breaking suspects. If anybody came out of my interrogation clean, nobody would ever touch him again. He would be considered clean for good by the whole department."
This is not an empty boast. Singh has a formidable reputation for torture in the Kashmir Valley. On television, his boasting spiraled into policy making. "Torture is the only deterrent for terrorism," he said. "I do it for the nation." He did not bother to explain why or how the "bhondu" that he tortured and subsequently released allegedly went on to become the diabolical mastermind of the parliament attack. Singh then said that Afzal was a Jaish militant. If this is true, why was the evidence not placed before the courts? And why on earth was Afzal released? Why was he not watched? There is a definite attempt to try to dismiss this as incompetence. But given everything we know now, it would take all of Singh's delicate professional skills to make some of us believe that.
The official version of the story of the parliament attack is very quickly coming apart at the seams. Even the supreme court judgment, with all its flaws of logic and leaps of faith, does not accuse Afzal of being the mastermind of the attack. So who was the mastermind? If Afzal is hanged, we may never know. But L.K. Advani, the leader of the opposition, wants him hanged at once. Even a day's delay, he says, is against the national interest. Why? What is the hurry? The man is locked up in a high-security cell on death row. He is not allowed out of his cell for even five minutes a day. What harm can he do? Talk? Write, perhaps? Surely, even in Advani's own narrow interpretation of the term, it is in the national interest not to hang Afzal? At least not until there is an inquiry that reveals what the real story is and who actually attacked parliament?
A genuine inquiry would have to mean far more than just a political witch-hunt. It would have to look into the part played by intelligence, counter-insurgency, and security agencies as well. Offences such as the fabrication of evidence and the blatant violation of procedural norms have already become established in the courts, but they look very much like just the tip of the iceberg. We now have a police officer admitting–boasting–on record that he was involved in the illegal detention and torture of a fellow citizen. Is all of this acceptable to the people, the government, and the courts of India?
Given the track record of Indian governments (past and present, right, left, and center) it is naive–perhaps utopian is a better word–to hope that today's politicians will ever have the courage to institute an inquiry that will, once and for all, uncover the real story. A maintenance dose of pusillanimity is probably encrypted in all governments. But hope has little to do with reason.
ARUNDHATI ROY is the author of An Ordinary Person's Guide to Empire, Power Politics, War Talk, The Cost of Living and The God of Small Things.
Copyright 2006 ARUNDHATI ROY.

subset: commoncrawl


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The MP3 movement is one of the most amazing phenomena that the music industry has ever seen. Unlike other movements -- for example, the introduction of the cassette tape or the CD -- the MP3 movement started not with the industry itself but with a huge audience of music lovers on the Internet. The MP3 format for digital music has had, and will continue to have, a huge impact on how people collect, listen to and distribute music.
Not everyone is happy with the rise in popularity of the MP3 format. Some audio enthusiasts say that most MP3 files can't compare to a CD or vinyl album version of the same song. Others go so far as to claim that the way sound engineers mix music is changing because of MP3s, and not necessarily in a good way.
If you have ever wondered how MP3 files work, or if you have heard about MP3 files and wondered how to use them yourself, then this article is for you! In this article, you will learn about the MP3 file format and how you can start downloading, listening to and saving MP3 files onto CDs!


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The requirements below were effective through May
31, 2015, when the Cub Scout advancement program was completely revised.
For the current Bobcat Badge requirements, Click here.
These requirements appeared in the 2001 edition of the Tiger Cub Handbook (34713), and the 2003 editions of the Wolf Handbook (33450), the Bear Handbook (33451), and the Webelos Handbook (33452). The only substantial change from the 1998 version was the addition of the "Honesty Character Connection" in the first requirement.
The wording of requirement 8 in the Tiger Cub Handbook and the wording of requirements 4 and 8 in the Webelos Handbook were slightly different from those in the Wolf and Bear Handbooks, but effectively all the versions required the same thing. The alternate wordings are shown in square brackets [ ] below. However, what was required was the same in all cases.
Effective June 1, 2006, Boys had to earn the Bobcat Badge before they began working on the Tiger Cub rank.
Bobcat Requirements
The first rank that EVERY boy MUST earn when entering the Cub Scouting Program is the Bobcat rank.
To earn the Bobcat rank the new Cub Scout must do the following:
- Learn and say the CUB SCOUT PROMISE and complete the
Honesty Character Connection.
- Know: Discuss these questions with your family. What is a promise? What does it mean to "keep your word?" What does honesty mean? What does it mean to "do your best?"
- Commit: Discuss these questions with your family. Why is a promise important? Why is it important for people to trust you when you give your word? When might it be difficult to keep your word? List examples.
- Practice: Discuss with family members why it is important to be trustworthy and honest and how can you do your best to be honest when you are doing the activities in Cub Scouting.
"I .....(name).... promise to do my best
To do my duty to God and my country,
To help other people, and
To obey the Law of the Pack. " - Say the LAW OF THE PACK. Tell what it means.
"The Cub Scout follows Akela.
The Cub Scout helps the pack go.
The pack helps the Cub Scout Grow.
The Cub Scout gives goodwill." - Tell what WEBELOS means
"WE'll BE LOyal Scouts "
- Show the CUB SCOUT SIGN. Tell what it means.
[Webelos: Make the CUB SCOUT SIGN. Tell what it means.] - Show the CUB SCOUT HANDSHAKE. Tell what it means.
- Say the CUB SCOUT MOTTO. A motto is a guiding principle.
"Do Your Best"
- Give the CUB SCOUT SALUTE. Tell what it means.
- With your parent or guardian, complete the exercises in the booklet,
How to Protect Your Children from Child Abuse.
[Tiger Cub: With your adult partner, complete "A Bobcat Requirement" in front of the Contents pages of this handbook.]
[Webelos: With your parent or guardian, complete the Bobcat Requirements section of "How to Protect Your Children from Child Abuse: A Parent's Guide"). (The guide is a pull-out section that came in the front of this book.)]
The above items are the basic information that ALL Cub Scouts must learn, which is why EVERY boy who enters into Cub Scouting MUST earn the Bobcat Badge.


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High Gradient Magnetic Separator
High Gradient Magnetic Separator
GTCX series high gradient magnetic separator is the best performance and the most technologically advanced high intensity magnetic separation equipment at home and abroad. This machine uses the swivel vertical rotation, recoil concentrate, and pulsating bodies, which is a fundamental solution to the world technical problems that the magnetic media between the flat ring strong magnetic separator and flat ring high gradient magnetic separator is prone to clogging. It has a large enriched ratio, a strong adaptability to the feeding size, concentration and taste, reliable, convenient to operate and maintain. This machine has reached the double advantages of high concentrate grade and high yield in separating weakly magnetic ores.
Output size : Depends on the material
Production capacity : 0.03-250 T/H
iron ore, gold ore, silver ore,cooper ore magnesite ore,magnetite ore,etc
ore benefication,mineral processing,coal, aggregate,ceramic industry,etc
High concentrate grade and high yield in separating weakly magnetic ores


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SAN FRANCISCO, April 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Today UBM Tech, the global media business that brings together the world's technology industry through live events and online properties, announces a strategic shift in the company's focus toward a unique business model. UBM Tech will combine its industry leading event brands with its industry leading digital brands in a community-driven business model underpinned by deep analytics illustrating community interests and behaviors. This proven community model supports peer-to-peer learning and education, industry information and training and provides marketing solutions for the industry.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130409/SF90954LOGO)
Industry research shows that technology professionals value peer-to-peer content and networking, and the traditional media approach is not meeting those needs. UBM Tech's events are proven to generate strong customer engagement, delivering relevant content, education opportunities and peer-to-peer sharing. Now, UBM Tech's online communities are following suit, providing relevant, expertly curated content along with user-generated content and peer-to-peer engagement opportunities by migrating all of its media brands to its proprietary, award-winning DeusM community platform. With this move, UBM Tech will provide integrated, continuous access to live and online communities 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
"Traditional BtoB media has changed dramatically in recent years. A lot of what worked in the past is no longer viable," said Paul Miller, CEO UBM Tech. "UBM Tech is deploying a model that is truly relevant to today's technology professionals. It meets the needs of our communities with rich and authentic engagement opportunities and provides significant growth opportunities for customers and for our own business."
The UBM Tech DeusM-driven community platform provides engagement, interaction and conversation, combining the user-driven features of social communities with the high quality, expertly curated content UBM Tech audiences have come to expect. UBM Tech's online communities extend the networking, content sharing and information gathering opportunities its live event attendees value to a year-round experience. Integrating live event and online communities based on shared interest in specialized topics not only results in stronger, more unified communities, it paves the way for continued profitable growth for UBM Tech by driving increased participation across both settings.
A recent example illustrating success is the integration of the 2013 Game Developers Conference (GDC), the world's largest and longest-running event serving game development professionals, with Gamasutra.com, a vibrant community of over 1 million unique site visitors each month, generating an average 3.5 million page views per month. UBM Tech's content directors for this topic cross-promoted relevant content across Gamasutra.com, the GDC website and the event itself. The result was record-setting attendance of more than 23,000 professionals and more than 350 exhibitors. Gamasutra.com was also the second largest referrer to the GDC event website, and doubled the viewership of GDC-related content over the event site alone. This successful model will now be applied across all UBM Tech event and online brands.
UBM Tech is also investing significantly in several growth areas, specifically around data analytics capabilities. UBM Tech's Customer Insights Team will utilize these tools to build a better understanding of the needs of our communities, allowing us to foster deeper relationships with our customers by providing them with the right products and services at the right time.
UBM Tech will also focus on growing owned media events and content marketing services driven by market trends and customer demand. Two established owned-media examples of multi-platform programs produced for UBM Tech's valued customers though the company's Partner Solutions group are Signum (ARM Holdings) and Smart Enterprise (CA Technologies).
As a result of these investments, certain legacy areas of the business that no longer resonate with the market or meet the needs of the communities will be eliminated. UBM Tech will cease to provide print publications as of July 1, 2013. InformationWeek will continue online, where its strong brand and loyal audiences will benefit from the new community model for greater engagement. UBM Tech will discontinue the Test and Measurement World and Advanced Trading brands and will close four smaller conferences and events.
These changes do not impact the UBM Channel business which is going through a separate strategic review.
About UBM Tech
UBM Tech is a global community-driven media business that provides information, events, training, and marketing solutions for the technology industry. Its communities inform, educate and inspire decision makers across the entire technology market—serving engineers and design professionals, software and game developers, solutions providers and integrators, networking and communications executives, and business technology professionals. UBM Tech's industry-leading brands include EE Times, Interop, Black Hat, InformationWeek, Game Developers Conference, Byte, and DesignCon. The company's information products include research, education and training that accelerate decision making for technology buyers. UBM Tech also offers a full range of marketing services based on its content and technology market expertise, including custom events, content marketing solutions, community development and lead nurturing programs designed to help its clients identify and participate in technology buying decisions. UBM Tech is a part of UBM plc.
About UBM plc
UBM plc (UBM.L) is a leading global events-led marketing services and communications company.
UBM helps businesses do business and helps professional people around the world succeed by enabling them to connect with each other and with the markets and communities they serve. For more information, go to www.ubm.com; follow us at @UBM_plc to get the latest UBM news.
SOURCE UBM Tech


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Watch 13 year old Piper Allman compete in her first Crankworx
"I want to be a professional mountain biker when I'm older"
"I want to be a professional mountain biker when I'm older"
13 year old Vancouver resident Piper Allman takes on the world's largest mountain biking event – Crankworx.
>>> How to get paid to ride (without winning a race!)
This video titled "How to become a pro mountain biker" is part 5-point-plan and part life-story (or story so far at least).
Magnificently bearded Zack Allman has two kids. A boy and a girl. They both ride mountain bikes. But the girl – Piper – has big dreams. She dreams of becoming a professional mountain biker. This is her story.
A couple of years ago, Piper's brother made a video of her riding her bike and posted it online. Chromag pro rider Claire Bouchard saw the vid and got in touch with Piper & Co.
Piper is now affiliated with Chris Kovarik's race team.
How does she get on at the races? Podium? Crashed out? Victory? Mid-pack mechanical?
You'll have to watch the vid.
Follow 13-year-old Sooke, B.C. resident Piper Allman on her quest to become a pro mountain bike athlete.
"Everybody is there, so you get to ride with all your friends, and the pros are everywhere… Watching the events, and seeing all the different types of riding there is, it's really cool," says Allman, whose eight-minute video, "Inside Crankworx: How to Become A Pro Mountain Biker", culminates in two Crankworx medals.
Piper was born just as the Crankworx festival took flight, is a rising talent whose story shows how the right inspiration can launch a career.
Professional racer Claire Buchar, who runs the development team, Kovarik Racing, with her partner and fellow racer Chris Kovarik, provides motivation and support for the young rider, based on her successful career as a UCI World Championship medalist and national team member.
"I learn a ton from them," says Allman, who admits going pro has been on the agenda since she was eight years old.
Allman started by following her father and brother out on rides, getting a push to the top of the hill and following her bliss down. She connected with Buchar after her short edit, Dream Chaser, came across Buchar's desk, and is now pushing for the finish line on that goal to ride professionally. This year, she hit the podium twice at Crankworx, competing in the Canadian Open DH presented by iXS and Fox Air DH, and all while learning the ticket to success is all about knowing how to have fun.
"Mountain biking is more than a sport, it's more of like a lifestyle. It's just you and your bike and you don't really need much else to do it," says Allman.


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Verderflex peristaltic pumps are now being incorporated by a leading international wastewater instrumentation manufacturer, as part of its wastewater sampler systems.
The pumps provide reliable and accurate performance, which helps the Hydrocell sampler systems produced by Halifax-based Smart Storm to measure the volume and toxicity of wastewater effluent.
As a leading provider of water and wastewater equipment, Smart Storm needed a pumping solution which offered reliability, accuracy and the ability to lift trade effluent up to 7m, prior to it being measured and analysed, without a secondary pump being required.
The company chose Verderflex R3DC OEM peristaltic pumps to fit the bill, as these compact, easy-to-maintain pumps combine the required performance with a proven track record gained in a wide variety of industrial waste applications.
In 2013, Smart Storm embarked on a design exercise to replace their existing waste water sampler with a new state-of-the-art product that would meet the harsh demands of industrial wastewater sampling. The new product, known as the Hydrocell sampler, included the Universal Smart Instrument (USI) as its instrument controller, which offers the only wastewater sampler on the market with a graphical user-friendly interface and Windows CE programming.
"To ensure that the new product exceeded the specification of the existing product and that of our competitors we also required the pump to perform to a higher standard than that of the old sampler pump," said Smart Storms managing director, Dr John Duffy.
After exhaustive tests on numerous pumps, the Verderflex R3DC OEM pump was chosen. We choose the Verderflex pump because its vertical lift capacity of 9m far exceeded that of other manufacturers pumps, its reliability was very impressive and it was extremely robust everything we required," added Dr Duffy.
Often the pump is the weakest part of a wastewater sampler so reliability is paramount. Sending engineers to site to repair pumps is extremely costly and time consuming. We have now been using Verderflex pumps on our samplers for two years and we have not had a single failure. We use the pump across our complete sampler range from single bottle samplers to multibottle refrigerated samplers. The Verderflex pump, along with the advanced USI controller, made this Hydrocell range of waste water samplers the most advanced on the market.
"Our R3DC pump is ideal for this type of demanding application," adds Neil Thomas of Verderflex.
"It features a robust design with thick-wall tubing, and in addition to its high lift capability and a DC motor, which can accommodate speed and flow-rate variations, it can handle flow rates up to 3.4 l/min."


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There are many reasons that a child may need a tracheostomy, a surgical procedure used to create an opening through the neck into the trachea (windpipe). For example, when a child's airway is permanently blocked, cannot be cleared of secretions or must be supported by a ventilator (breathing machine) for a long period of time, a tracheostomy may be necessary. This opening into the airway helps a child to be able to breathe.
A tracheostomy is performed using a team approach that includes head and neck surgeons, speech and swallowing pathologists, respiratory therapists, specially trained nurse practitioners, physicians assistants and nurses, clinical educators and care management coordinators who work together to provide the most comprehensive care for your child and family, during and after your stay.


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Location |
500 1st Street , in the Davis Commons |
Hours |
Mon - Sat 10am - 9pm, Sun 11am - 7pm |
Phone |
(530) 750-2706 |
Websites |
http://www.gap.com/ |
http://www.gapinc.com/ |
Located in the Davis Commons shopping center, Gap is one of but a handful of major clothing retailers in Davis.
The first Gap store was opened by the Fisher family on Ocean Avenue in San Francisco in 1969.
Gift Cards are available for purchase.
Gap is the largest specialty retailer in the United States and offers a range of classic and trendy clothing options that are particularly appealing to many young adults, and quite often, students. Gap was founded in San Francisco in 1969 and also operates the brands Banana Republic and Old Navy. They do not carry clothes for larger people, even those of reasonable weight with large frames. Very few of their tops fit large chested women (DD and up).
The Davis Commons location offers a selection of clothing in Women's, Men's, Children's and Baby lines. There are frequent sales and promotions, and bargains can always be found on the clearance rack. The store is bright, plays entertaining music, and is staffed by a friendly group of employees who are mostly students at UC Davis.
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2011-02-19 20:25:28 I love the customer service here. No matter when I go, I consistently receive friendly and helpful customer service. I don't know how to explain it, the sales people here are awesome. —ChocolateFrogs
2013-01-20 17:21:43 Is this going to be one of the GAP stores closing across the country? I heard on the news they were closing about 100 of them. I hope this one doesn't go. —TheBlackSnorlax
- They recently posted to Facebook about a remodeling of the store, so I don't think so. —cp
2013-04-16 01:09:48 A day ago, I had to return some shirts I bought (they fit great in the store, but really were too tight in a biking position). This store was incredibly helpful — one employee talked about how they changed their shirt cuts and the other took care of my return. I was incredibly impressed by both employees. Great customer service! —VinceBuffalo


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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The man accused of abandoning his adopted daughter after having her age changed says the girl was really an adult who had tried to hurt and kill him and his wife on multiple occasions.
Michael Barnett and his now ex-wife, Kristine, have been at the center of an Indiana case that has the world's attention. The pair are accused of adopting a young girl from the Ukraine back in 2010, who was allegedly 6 years old, and then having her age changed two years later to 22 years old. Court documents filed in Tippecanoe County claim the pair then rented an apartment for the girl in Lafayette in 2013 and left her there, alone, while they moved out of the country with the rest of the family.
Michael says there's more to the story than what's been told and that "young girl" isn't really as young and innocent as she looks.
But since the charges were filed against the Barnetts in September, the rest of the story has begun to slowly unfold in the public eye.
Now, Michael Barnett is sharing his side and says he hopes that it can shed some light on the situation his family has been dealing with for over seven years.
"There are a lot of things out there that are just inaccurate," Michael told WRTV.
The Adoption
The story began in 2010. Michael says he and Kristine, who were married at the time, had a large home and extra rooms to spare. Michael says they felt "blessed" and were willing to share that blessing with those in need.
The couple got the call on April 22 that a 6-year-old girl from the Ukraine, who was special needs and suffers from a rare form of dwarfism, was in need of a family. Michael says the adoption agency gave them 24 hours to make a decision and they were given very little information about the girl.
"You've got 24 hours, we're not giving you any information, it's a closed adoption," Michael said he was told. "So here's all you're going to get. Here's two pictures, here's a Ukrainian Birth Record and here's one single doctor's visit."
Michael said he and Kristine were "thinking with their heart" when they agreed to the adoption. The girl officially joined their family on August 26, 2010.
The Signs
Michael says they quickly noticed suspicious behavior from the girl, including developmental changes consistent with adults.
"It wasn't long after that that Christine discovered evidence of a monthly menstrual cycle that (the girl), when confronted, stated that she did have one and she had been hiding it from us," Michael told ABC News.
Then the girl began doing odd things.
"(She) would do things like place clear thumbtacks on the stairs face up so that when we would walk up the stairs we would be stepping on thumbtacks to pain and injure ourselves," Michael said. "Very shortly thereafter, (the girl) ends up attempting to poison Kristine. She was pouring a bottle of Pine Sol into her coffee mug."
That wasn't the only attempt Michael says the girl made on their lives.
"She had attempted to kill my wife for a second time, this time by trying to pull her into an electric fence," Michael said.
And each time it got worse, Michael said they tried to get help, but the police kept pushing the girl back into the system.
"We were asking police, please, after the second attempt, we would like to press charges. Please arrest her," Michael said. "And they kept pushing her into the hospital system instead of pressing charges."
READ | Attorney says man accused of abandoning adopted girl was the victim of a fraud
Which Age Is True?
He claims doctors and other testing proved that the girl was much older than they were told, and a court system even ruled, based on that evidence, to change her age.
"In 2012, based on evidence presented to the court, the Marion County Superior Court ruled that her birth year would be changed from 2003 to 1989, effectively changing her from eight to 22 years old."
Michael claims another judge in Hamilton County came to the same ruling.
That same year the girl spent nine weeks at the state mental hospital, according to Michael. He said when she was done, they let her go just like they would have with any adult.
From there, she was sent to a half-way house where she was surrounded by drug users.
"She was unsafe there," Michael said. So they went and got her out. The couple then found the girl a home in Westfield where she could live on her own as an adult.
Even then, the Barnetts wanted to make sure the girl was safe and could take care of herself.
"During that time, when she was first placed there, my wife and I — at the time — were still a bit concerned about what is she capable of, can she handle this? We sent a home health aide out to here, she billed us with 260 hours of time to notate that [the girl] could be on her own," Michael said.
About a year later, Michael said his 15-year-old son got an offer to attend a university in Canada that the family couldn't pass up. But because of his age, they had to make the decision to move with him.
It was around that time that the girl moved to Lafayette, which is where everything else began to unfold.
In 2016, Michael said a family filed a motion in Tippecanoe County to have the girl's age reversed.
"Tippecanoe County said, 'hey, this has already been decided. It was decided in Marion County court. If you want to pursue this, go there,'" Michael said. "So in 2017, Marion County Superior Court, once again, different judge - same courtroom. We had a four-and-a-half hour hearing. Expert testimony was provided. There was an exam, cross examination. (The girl) was represented by two different attorneys who were working pro-bono. At the end of that hearing in 2017 the judge once again ruled, 'based on evidence presented, that you are an adult.' Her last words were: "[The girl], we do recommend that you start living as an adult.'"
Michael said the attorneys in that case appear to have accepted the decision and have not filed any kind of appeal.
READ | Indiana couple accused of abandoning adopted daughter and moving to Canada | Couple accused of abandoning young girl turn themselves in
The Current Case
Two years later, it appears the entire situation has blown up again for the Barnetts.
It's still unclear exactly how old the girl is. Based on the Ukrainian Birth Certificate that the Barnetts were originally given at adoption, she would be about 16 years old. But if the court system's decision to change her birth year was accurate, she would be around 30.
According to those court documents filed in Tippecanoe County back in September, the girl said she lived with the couple for two years after her adoption until they rented her an apartment, alone, and moved the rest of the family to Canada.
Those documents claim the Barnetts rented the apartment in Lafayette "because the child had no other contacts or affiliations in the county or surrounding area." And that the girl was alone between July 2013 and February 2016.
Those same court records describe medical records from Peyton Manning Children's Hospital that show the child was examined on June 3, 2010 and was estimated to be approximately eight years old. It also describes medical records from 2012 that show the girl had a "skeletal survey" completed at Peyton Manning CHildren's Hospital which estimated her to be approximately 11 years old.
It is unclear what impact the girl's form of dwarfism could have on those types of tests.
The documents filed against the Barnetts also claim they told the girl to "tell others that she looks young" but was actually 22, and they claim Michael admitted to knowing what the medical records said and that he believed the girl was a juvenile when she was left in Lafayette.
Right now, Michael and Kristine are both facing charges of neglect including endangering a dependent's life and abandoning or cruelly confining a dependent.
Michael's lawyers have filed a "motion to dismiss" the case based on inaccurate information.
The filing states the first count should be dismissed "with prejudice" because the charges fall out of the statute of limitations in the state of Indiana. He says the second count should be dismissed because the information provided in the charge is inaccurate. The state would then have the option to refile with "sufficient specificity."
The motion also claims a "law enforcement agent," who was believed to have been with the Tippecanoe County Sheriff's Office, was present and provided sworn testimony at the hearing in 2012 where a judge ruled that the adopted girl's age and birthday would be legally changed to reflect her adult status. He also claims the state attempted to open a "Child in Need of Services" case in May 2013, but the state ruled that they could not "meet its burden of demonstrating that (the girl) is a child under the age of 18..." and the case was dismissed.
A hearing has been set for October 15, 2019 on that motion.
Michael says the only thing he regrets about the entire situation is not thinking a little more on the circumstances before he and Kristine jumped to adopt the girl.
"My regret is thinking all with my heart, back at that time, and none with my mind and none with my head and not doing my due diligence. Not taking a step back and realizing... something is wrong, something is not correct here. My regret is not thinking through it and just leaping in and saying 'yes we want to open our home to this person who we have no information about and we're going to go on blind faith.'"
If the case is not dismissed, the jury trial is scheduled for January 28, 2020.
This story was originally published by Rafael Sánchez and Katie Cox at WRTV.


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Organic Cherry Coffee and Tea Flavoring
Nature's Flavors Organic Cherry Coffee and Tea Flavoring System is a unique recipe specially tailored to penetrate coffee beans, tea leaves, and any other dried herbs. This Organic Flavoring System can also be used to flavor any type of water soluble liquid. All of our Certified Organic Coffee and Tea Flavors are all natural, Kosher, Vegan, Gluten Free, and contain NO Allergens!
Nature's Flavors Organic Coffee and Tea Flavoring Systems are water soluble, in addition they will mix into Glycerin, and Propylene Glycol solutions even better than our Organic Flavor Extracts. To add Cherry Flavor to your own Coffee Beans, Tea Leaves, and other dried Herbs, simply take one pound of roasted coffee beans and one-half of a teaspoon of your favorite Nature's Flavors Organic Flavoring System for Coffee and Tea and sprinkle it over your beans. For the most even distribution we use a sprayer, instead of sprinkling. Once you have distributed your Flavor over your Coffee, we recommend that you place these newly flavored beans within a seal-able container like a mason jar, old coffee can, or a zip lock back, then shake it up to help spread the flavor out, and then let the sealed container sit for 24 hours to allow the flavors to permeate the coffee or tea. Nature's Flavors has recently renamed our Organic Flavor Oils for Coffee and Tea (Organic Coffee and Tea Flavoring Oils) to Organic Flavoring Systems for Coffee and Tea (Organic Coffee and Tea Flavoring Systems) due to the fact that the name Flavor Oil was misleading. Nature's Flavors Coffee and Tea Flavoring Systems are not set in an oil base, and are not oil soluble. They are a direct evolution from our Flavor Extracts. Like our Flavor Extracts they are set in an alcohol base, in addition, these Organic Flavoring Systems also include a vegetable glycerin component to help the flavors permeate the coffee beans and/or tea leaves. It will evaporate out of the beans or herbs usually with in the first 24 hours you will smell a little alcohol when you first open the sealed container, any remaining alcohol will burn off immediately when you brew the coffee or tea. These flavors have no nutritional value as used in this application are calorie, carb, and sugar free. There is no fat. Enjoy. Ingredients: Organic Flavors, Vegetable Glycerin, and Organic Ethyl Alcohol. The processes for making organic flavors are much the same as for making natural flavors. The ingredients are organic rather than just natural. You start by using only certified organic ingredients when available and when not you may use naturals provided they fit with in the definition of natural and only comprise less than 5% of the total amount when calling it 95% organic. When calling it 100% organic you must use only certified organic ingredients and nothing else. Nature's Flavors carries both 95% and 100% certified organic flavors. It is our goal to produce only 100% organic flavor concentrates and extracts as the ingredients become available. In many instances we produce our own organic ingredients to satisfy our strict quality control requirements. Because the industry is still very young the technology's to make these ingredients are still evolving. The only solvents that we use in the development of organic and natural flavors are filtered RO water and organic alcohol. If we can't extract the ingredients through these methods then we don't do it. Steam distillation is another method we employ. Fortunately this is in most cases the only methods needed to manufacture these unique flavor concentrates and extracts. A simple and common process for making vanilla extract is to take organic vanilla beans and grind them to a pulp then allow them to soak and extract in an organic alcohol/water mixture for a period of time sometimes for up to several months. Normally for a standard organic vanilla extract you would extract for a period of not less than fourteen days. That's how long Nature's Flavors allows its organic vanilla extract to age and extract. This method is common for our citrus and other fruit flavor extracts as well. There are usually some filtering and clarifying techniques that follow the extraction process before being bottled or packaged. There are no chemical residues because there are no chemical solvents used. Many of the organic flavoring ingredients are derived this way first before being incorporated in to water based or oil based organic flavor concentrate. To make the organic flavor concentrates water soluble you must emulsify the oils that were derived and separated from the extraction process or steam distilling and that usually involves using an organic gum or starch and under high pressure and shearing. This process forces the oils and gum's to be broken into very small particles and cling to one another with out reforming into there basic building blocks again. The entire process is safe and effective for producing the finest organic flavor oils, flavor concentrates, and flavor extracts. Nature's Flavors has pioneered many of these methods for producing these organic products. We are proud of our flavorings, spices, coffees, and all our organic products. We hope they bring you much enjoyment and satisfaction.


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For centuries people learned about the Christian faith through paintings, sculptures, objects, and gestures. Simple images still convey deep messages if we learn how to see and understand them. Award-winning children's author Amy Welborn has created a friendly and fascinating sourcebook on the signs and symbols of the Catholic faith. The exquisite illustrations throughout will inspire conversation and prayerful reflection for readers of all ages. Each image appears with a brief, child-friendly explanation coupled with a more detailed description on the opposite page.
From the sign of the fish to the Stations of the Cross, from the palm branch to Our Lady of Guadalupe, Loyola Kids Book of Catholic Signs and Symbols will enable children and adults to experience faith with curiosity and wonder.


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It makes cosmic sense that Sun Structures, the debut album from Temples, arrives at the height of the current nostalgia wave associated with the 50th anniversary of Beatlemania and the British Invasion.
Like many young bands before it, the four-piece from Kettering in Northhamptonshire embraces — and proudly plays up — the influence of The Beatles and other '60s legends, notably The Byrds. But Temples' music claims its own place, weaving these inspirations into crazy-beautiful and richly idiosyncratic music. This type of inspiration/innovation circuit ran hot during the 1970s (see Badfinger, Harry Nilsson, et al), and Temples' iteration can be read as more proof of the enduring strength of the Fab Four's foundational ideas. Sun Structures proves that even after all these years, it's possible to reconfigure the songcraft details we know by heart — the graceful and surprising chord progressions, the buoyant close-knit vocal harmonies, the clever middle eights, the tambourines — into stunningly modern arrays of sound.
For Temples, one key lies in "Day Tripper"-style two-measure guitar motifs; though the band's early press notices contain copious references to "new psychedelia" (whatever that is), the strongest musical cues suggest Revolver with buckets of reverb. The opening track, "Shelter Song," is built on a terse, perfectly catchy riff that every School of Rock songwriting teacher wishes he'd written. There are at least seven such guitar-code gems on the album, and each operates in a different way: Some function as recurring punctuation a la the Stones, while others, like the one that underpins "Move With the Season," serve to launch the music into breathtakingly open, spacious refrains. Surrounding these lead lines are blurry synthesizer pads and more commonplace guitar textures; here, the 12-string is used not to outline chords, but to conjure drifts of hazy, high-up-in-the-mountains fog.
The misty, ever-evolving sonics suit Temples' lyrical themes, which tend toward the occluded and the mystic. Sprinkled throughout the verses of "The Guesser," "The Golden Throne" and the title track are metaphysical riddles and meditations on devotion, references to Eastern religion and fantastical stoner-rock nature imagery. Another indication of Temples' songwriting smarts: That woo-woo stuff is usually confined to the verses, and often gets obliterated by the crisp, businesslike focus of the refrains. Temples' sound is hardly nostalgic, but it does exhibit one clear link to the past: the crisp discipline of the classic pop hook.
Temples began as a duo — singer/guitarist James Bagshaw and bassist Tom Warmsley — in the summer of 2012, drawing attention almost immediately with the single release of "Shelter Song." That led to a label contract and appearances on big-time shows (including one with The Rolling Stones), as well as two or three enthusiastically received subsequent singles. Those songs and everything else on Sun Structures were recorded in Bagshaw's house — a mixed blessing. The performances are vivid and relaxed, but the overall sound registers as just a bit blurry, lacking definition. In pure audio terms, Sun Structures doesn't get anywhere near the exacting sound of an album that's been frequently mentioned as similar in spirit, Tame Impala's wonderfully detailed Lonerism. But that shouldn't prevent musicheads from discovering Temples, because, as we learned 50 years ago, pop music this incandescent can overcome just about anything.
-Tom Moon, NPR
Track List:
1. Shelter Song
2. Sun Structures
3. The Golden Throne
4. Keep in the Dark
5. Mesmerise
6. Move with the Season
7. Colours to Life
8. A Question Isn't Answered
9. The Guesser
10. Test of Time
11. Sand Dance
12. Fragment's Light
Photo courtesy of the artist