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#04-28: Make Films Politically
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Dmitry Vilensky /// What Does It Mean to Make Films Politically?
01. Old Questions
All those who understand that aesthetics, politics, and economics form a vital nexus believe that art can reveal with particular force the most acute problems of social development. History is a clash between different groups who defend not only their right to speak out, but also their vision of the future. If we wish to continue the political project today we must first pose the old question: Who is the subject of historical development and knowledge? And we must actualize the simplicity of the old answer: the struggling, oppressed class itself (Benjamin).
Contemporary political art strives to be consonant with the search for this subject, not with the mythic subject of previous social revolutions. As in the mid-19th century, we are once again hard pressed to say what this subject will be like. Nowadays we should, rather, speak of a fidelity to the old answer. This doesn't mean that filmmakers, intellectuals, and artists should personally keep faith with the current anti-capitalist movement. They should remain faithful, rather, to the space of subjectivity that gave rise to the movement.
It is this space where one affirms that making film politically means striving towards a historically concrete depiction of reality in its revolutionary development. The artist/filmmaker should discover himself in the process of becoming-"proletarian." He should use his work to further the becoming-artist of the "proletariat," via the participation of the masses in different forms of creativity. The question remains the same, then. It is a question of the artist's political position: Whose side are you on?
Igor Chubarov /// Participation and/or Manipulation: The Communicative Strategies of Eisenstein and Vertov in the LEF
It's all a matter of confronting the visual elements one way or another. It's all a matter of intervals.
Dziga Vertov, "Kinoks: Revolution"
The journal of the Left Front of the Arts, LEF, was where the fathers of Soviet and world cinema, Sergei Eisenstein and Dziga Vertov, first announced their theoretical projects. It was still difficult, however, to sense in these brief manifestos ("Montage of Attractions" and "Kinoks") the principal differences in how the two men saw the nature and tasks of (Soviet) cinema. These would become apparent later, in the late twenties, and would be impartially discussed in the pages of New LEF.
Their approaches might be crudely summarized as affective-manipulative (Eisenstein) and machinic-democratic (Vertov).
These stances made absolute two discrete aspects of the aesthetic doctrine of productionist art as developed within the LEF—namely, a notion of art's goal as the sensual manipulation of the emotions of the viewer, listener, and reader versus the view of art as life-construction involving the creative participation of everyone.
It was no easy task to find a balance between these stances towards leftist art. For the LEFtists, considerations of craft and professionalism marked the limits of democratization, while the limits of professionalization itself were found in democratization's demand that the model of art making as a closed caste of priests and "teachers of the people" be rejected.
Florian Zeyfang /// "The Two Avant-Gardes…"
If one approaches the ubiquitous Jean-Luc Godard from the "other side," the other of Peter Wollen's "Two Avant-gardes," it seems that the experiment is what made it possible (for Godard and others) to make film politically in an ideal film world. What did this mean to experimental filmmakers? In how far is (and was) their work political?
In "The Two Avant-gardes," an essay that appeared in Studio International in November 1975, Peter Wollen describes the discussions between two avant-garde movements. The filmmakers – he mentions the auteurs in France and a few Germans – are on one side, while the co-ops – experimental filmmakers who come from art, most of them from New York and England – are on the other. For the purposes of this small contribution, the debate between these two side can be summed up as follows: the filmmakers accused the co-ops of being elitists; the co-ops refuted this with an attack on the traditional form, whose retention would make real change impossible.
In fact, this debate has its history, if one looks at Eisenstein's rather traditional narratives – only interrupted by short experimental sequences – and reads it in relation to Dziga Vertov, whose films Eisenstein criticizes as being camera games and nonsense. But it was precisely Vertov's enthusiasm for formal experiment that made him into the forerunner of Cinéma Vérité AND experimental film. Eisenstein's influence on Jean-Luc Godard is just as well-known as his love for Vertov, as manifested in the foundation of the Groupe Dziga Vertov (with Jean-Pierre Gorin and others). Godard was to radicalize Eisenstein's concept of montage, breaking it open with camera experiments, though by that time, he had become an unknown to most of the audience.
Christiane Post and Michael Schwarz /// The Desire for Industrialization or the Quest for Happiness
In one of his essays [1], Jacques Rancière asks: what type of fiction is the genre of documentary film? His answer is that a documentary is not the opposite of a feature film only because it presents images of everyday life or evidence from archives instead of falling back on actors interpreting a fabricated story. It is rather a different mode of cinematographic fiction, a different way of constructing a plot, breaking down a story into sequences or assembling shots to form a story, of prolonging or condensing time. According to Rancière, a documentary film is both more homogenous and more complex. More homogenous because the person who conceives the film is also the one who realizes it, documentary cinema is thus the epitome of the author film; and more complex because sequences of heterogeneous image material are usually connected.
Our piece combines sequences from Dziga Vertov's films "ENTHUSIASM (The Donbass Symphony)" (1930) and "THREE SONGS ABOUT LENIN" (1934) with images from Aleksandr Medvedkin's FILM-TRAIN (1932 / 33) and his feature film "HAPPINESS" (1934), setting them in relation to one another by means of montage. [2]
The films of Medvedkin and Vertov document the attempt to directly and also critically intervene in the production process via the medium of film, on the one hand through interviews with workers, film screenings and on site discussions [3], on the other by means of production propaganda. Apparently, both filmmakers were motivated by the desire to pursue "happiness" through rapid industrialization and the collectivization of agriculture, pointing out grievances on the huge construction sites, factories, and kokhoz farms of socialism, working toward their solution, [4] and predicting an idealized future. [5]
Two cycles of our collage are dedicated to this utopian illusion; in them, sequences from Vertov and Medvedkin's film are juxtaposed through cross-fades. [6]
However, the Russian filmmakers' efforts to stimulate the economy in the framework of the first five-year plan remained purely illusionary, especially insofar as happiness is concerned, since they did without any psychological or biological clarification of the mechanisms of desire or happiness in the human organism, either bracketing these out entirely, or relating them to the simplistic model of the conditional reflex. The relationship between economy and hedonistic emotions receives a far more differentiated treatment in Thomas Raab's "Nachbrenner." [7]
Oliver Ressler /// "More visibility to activist practices…"
I began to make films because of I was interested in forms that allow the presentation of artwork beyond the boundaries of art, a field I sometimes find restrictive. The majority of my films could be understood as attempts to afford more visibility to activist practices and social movements by describing actions, organizational forms, possibilities of agency, and underlying theories from the perspectives of the protagonists involved. Since my films do not take a "neutral" stance, they are often accused of being "partisan," and this is something people often hold against me. However, I doubt that this "neutral" stance is even possible, since the very definition of "neutrality" derives from social power relations.
While the choice of interlocutors is influenced by the desire to transfer contents into a film, an equally important aspect is to provide certain people with a strong, self-confident position of the speaker, thus supporting their political concerns and activities. The protagonists speak in produced settings, opening a space of communication and public. A number of my films pursue the conceptual approach of using interview outtakes as the sole carrier of information, consciously leaving out voice-over commentary and bridge texts, producing the film with nothing more than the montage of these outtakes. This method gives some spectators the unintended impression that the interlocutors' statements are overdetermined, and that the film does not question their positions enough.
Kerstin Stakemeier /// Revolutionary Reproduction – Productivism and its Recession
Already in their own times, Russia's revolutionary artistic avant-gardes of the 1910s and 20s offered a highly desirable point of reference for artists outside of Russia. Be it for those who were hoping for a subsequent spreading of the revolution towards Europe, or for those who, after the frustration of those hopes in the early 1920s, believed that artistic practices could proceed to form an independent starting point for revolutionary tendencies within bourgeois capitalism.
Even when the rise of fascism in Europe demanded a drastic change of artistic politics from attacking the petit bourgeois sentimentality to countering the fascist aggression, it was the politics of the popular front, issued by the Comintern in 1934, and exiler's journals like "Das Wort" published in Moscow, which served artists on the left in Europe as points of orientation. This was the case in spite the fact that the avant-gardes in Russia had been dragged into passivity years before. The CPSU's decree of april 1932 "On the adjustment of all literary- and artistic organisations", officially dissolved all autonomous artist associations into the state-run Union of Sovjet Artists and settled the dispute between the constructivist and productivist artist associations and those whose realism was based on artistic traditionalism in favour of the latter. Already since 1928, the state's cultural policies had centralized working permissions for artists so severely, that constructivists like Gustav Klucis had to publicly denounce their commitments and obey to the national union's slogans. In 1938, when Bert Brecht, Ernst Bloch and Alfred Kurella debated the revolutionary capacities of realism for a popular front in Europe in "Das Wort", Klucis was arrested. In 1944 he died in a Gulag.
Stretched between affirmation and contestation, the avant-gardes in the East and West may have shared the abstract will to turn "art into life" (Tatlin), but while in Europe this meant the introduction of everyday objects and subjects into artistic practices without being able to effect an actual challenge of the role art played within bourgeois capitalism, in Russia this possibly meant the dissolution of artistic practices into means-oriented production. Boris Arvatov, one of the major theoreticians of this productivist branch of the constructivist avant-gardes formulated the revolutionary artists' assignment in clear terms: "The work of the artist-engineer will build a bridge from production to consumption and this is why the organic engineer-like diffusion of the artist into production will, amongst all other things, be an indispensable condition of the economic system of socialism, ever more necessary as the course of socialism is completed."
Tom Sherman /// Vernacular Video
What Are the Current Characteristics of Vernacular Video?
― Displayed recordings will continue to be shorter and shorter in duration, as television time, compressed by the demands of advertising, has socially engineered shorter and shorter attention spans. Video-phone transmissions, initially limited by bandwidth, will radically shorten video clips.
― The use of canned music will prevail. Look at advertising. Short, efficient messages, post-conceptual campaigns, are sold on the back of hit music.
― Recombinant work will be more and more common. Sampling and the repeat structures of pop music will be emulated in the repetitive deconstruction of popular culture. Collage, montage and the quick-and-dirty efficiency of recombinant forms are driven by the romantic, Robin Hood-like efforts of the copyleft movement.
― Real-time, on-the-fly voiceovers will replace scripted narratives. Personal, on-site journalism and video diaries will proliferate.
― On-screen text will be visually dynamic, but semantically crude. Language will be altered quickly through misuse and slippage. Will someone introduce spell-check to video text generators?
― Crude animation will be mixed with crude behaviour. Slick animation takes time and money. Crude is cool, as opposed to slick. Slow motion and accelerated image streams will be overused, ironically breaking the real-time-and-space edge of straight, unaltered video.
― Digital effects will be used to glue disconnected scenes together; paint programs and negative filters will be used to denote psychological terrain. Notions of the sub- or unconscious will be
objectified and obscured as quick and dirty surrealism dominates the creative use of video.
― Extreme sports, sex, self-mutilation and drug overdoses will mix with disaster culture; terrorist attacks, plane crashes, hurricanes and tornadoes will be translated into mediated horror through vernacular video.
Hito Steyerl /// The Uncertainty of Documentarism
I vividly remember a strange broadcast a few years ago. On one of the first days of the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, a senior CNN correspondent was riding in an armored vehicle. Jubilantly, he stuck a direct broadcast cell phone camera out of the window. He exclaimed that never before had this type of live broadcast been seen. And that was indeed true. Because one could hardly see anything on these pictures. Due to the low resolution, the only things in sight were green and brown blotches, slowly moving across the screen. Actually, the picture looked like the camouflage of combat fatigues; one could only guess at what these abstract compositions were supposed to depict.
Are these documentary images? If we use a conventional definition of the documentary, the answer to this question is obviously no. They bear no similarity to reality; we have no basis for judging whether reality is being shown here in any objective way. But one thing is clear: they seem real enough. No doubt many people in the audience think they are documentary images. Their aura of authenticity is a direct result of their unintelligibility.
The answer lies in their lack of focus, their uncertainty. This lack of focus does not only give the images the desired feel of authenticity; it is also very revealing, if one looks more closely. Because by now, this type of image has become ubiquitous. We are surrounded by rough-cut and increasingly abstract "documentary" images, shaky, dark, or out-of-focus, images that show little else than their own excitement. [1] The more immediate they become, the less there is to see. They evoke a situation of permanent exception and constant crisis, a state of heightened tension and vigilance. The closer to reality we get, the less focused and jumpier the image becomes. Let us call this the uncertainty principle of modern documentarism.
Ashley Hunt and Katya Sander /// But you, you're not cinema. (Sorry I have to tell you this)
>>> I thought I had written this down somewhere in my notebook, but it's not there. Maybe I wrote it somewhere else.
>>> Maybe you dreamed it, or maybe you should make sure no one's ripping pages out of your notebooks. They could be stealing your ideas.
>>> In any case, I am interested in the camera. Or what it means to see a camera; the frame that is presumed when one sees a camera.
If you catch these thieves, you might ask them how vision is affected by the mass-distribution of images — images captured by cameras, framed by lenses, operated by camera operators and directed by directors and paid for by producers, translated into emulsion, magnetic waves or digital bits, edited by editors and distributed massively by entities with an enormous reach into the spaces we inhabit and travel through?
>>> You're not talking about seeing a camera, you're talking about just seeing, right? Do you mean how they see the world differently because of the images that exist in it as well as of it? In-and-of the world?
>>> And the structure of those images. What they picture and what they conceal; what they postulate and what they shut down; where they place you and who they ask you to be. Similarly, how do these technological images in turn structure how we see the world? Is our vision technologized?
>>> Okay, I'll do that. Should I record their answers?
>>> Please.
>>> By now, most people know how a camera works, how it "sees," or at least most people feel they know this. They don't just see the black piece of equipment on the tripod or the shoulder of the camera-operator, they see something else too: They see a space in front of the camera, a space defined by the framework of the lens and what can be seen through that lens; what can be recorded.
Dmitry Vilensky // Comix Godard comments Tout Va Bien
From kino_polygraphy
British Sounds. Transcript of the film by Jean-Luc Godard
BRITISH SOUNDS*
In a word, the bourgeoisie creates a world in its image.Comrades! We must destroy that image!A spectre is haunting Britain: the spectre of communism. All the forces of the old and new imperialism have entered into a holy alliance to exorcise this spectre: British Petroleum and pop music, the Eurodollar and anti-trade union laws, Elizabeth the dunce and Wilson the traitor.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurodollar
Eurodollars are time deposits denominated in U.S. dollars at banks outside the United States, and thus are not under the jurisdiction of the Federal Reserve. Consequently, such deposits are subject to much less regulation than similar deposits within the U.S., allowing for higher margins. The term was originally coined for U.S. dollars in European banks, but it expanded over the years to its present definition: a U.S. dollar-denominated deposit in Tokyo or Beijing would be likewise deemed a Eurodollar deposit. There is no connection with the euro currency or the euro zone.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Wilson
Hito Steyerl /// In Defense of the Poor Image
The poor image is a copy in motion. Its quality is bad, its resolution substandard. As it accelerates, it deteriorates. It is a ghost of an image, a preview, a thumbnail, an errant idea, an itinerant image distributed for free, squeezed through slow digital connections, compressed, reproduced, ripped, remixed, as well as copied and pasted into other channels of distribution.
The poor image is a rag or a rip; an AVI or a JPEG, a lumpen proletarian in the class society of appearances, ranked and valued according to its resolution. The poor image has been uploaded, downloaded, shared, reformatted, and reedited. It transforms quality into accessibility, exhibition value into cult value, films into clips, contemplation into distraction. The image is liberated from the vaults of cinemas and archives and thrust into digital uncertainty, at the expense of its own substance. The poor image tends towards abstraction: it is a visual idea in its very becoming.
The poor image is an illicit fifth-generation bastard of an original image. Its genealogy is dubious. Its filenames are deliberately misspelled. It often defies patrimony, national culture, or indeed copyright. It is passed on as a lure, a decoy, an index, or as a reminder of its former visual self. It mocks the promises of digital technology. Not only is it often degraded to the point of being just a hurried blur, one even doubts whether it could be called an image at all. Only digital technology could produce such a dilapidated image in the first place.
This special issue of Chto Delat is published in the framework of the exhibition "The Electrification of Brains"
Idea and realization: Dmitry Vilensky (Chto Delat /What is to be done?)
This publication is published in the frame work of the project "The Electrification of Brains",
a project funded by the German Federal Cultural Foundation
the Saxonian Cultural Foundation
the Saxonian State Ministry of Cultus
the City of Dresden, Department for Cultur and Heritage
Co-operators:
Das Projekt "Die Elektrifizierung der Gehirne" wurde gefördert durch:
Kulturstiftung des Bundes
Kulturstiftung des Freistaates Sachsen
Sächsisches Staatsministerium für Kultus
Landeshauptstadt Dresden, Amt für Kultur und Denkmalschutz
Special thanks to all artists, authors, translators, and friends who made this publication possible.


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Q: Animation stops after segueing to different view controller I have an animation in my app that basically just makes a UIButton grow and shrink to make it obvious to the user that they should tap.
The problem is that while it works fine when the view first appears, it doesn't work if I go to a different view controller (with a segue) and then return (nothing happens).
Here is my code:
override func viewWillAppear(animated: Bool) {
    expandAnimation()
}

func expandAnimation() {
    var animation = CABasicAnimation(keyPath: "transform.scale")
    animation.toValue = NSNumber(float: 0.9)
    animation.duration = 1
    animation.repeatCount = 100
    animation.autoreverses = true
    animation.timingFunction = CAMediaTimingFunction(name: kCAMediaTimingFunctionEaseInEaseOut)
    appDevButton.layer.addAnimation(animation, forKey: nil)
}

I'm sure it's a simple fix, but I couldn't find any info online.

A: Remove the animation from the button when you leave the view,
    override func viewDidDisappear(animated: Bool) {
        super.viewDidDisappear(animated)
        appDevButton.layer.removeAllAnimations()
    }

A: Try Solution:
    // Allows the animation to appear on View Controller
    override func viewWillAppear(_ animated: Bool) {
        super.viewDidAppear(true)

        // Function call
        expandAnimation()
    }

    // Allows the animation to disappear from View Controller
    override func viewDidDisappear(_ animated: Bool) {
        super.viewDidDisappear(true)

        // Function call
        expandAnimation()
    }

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Is there a way to force the fan to run as a diagnostic test?
If it's only the fan being checked, hot wire directly from battery - or cig lighter socket.
I think you can tell it to run in Xentry and maybe Delphi if you can find the right setting.
Radiator cooling fan can be tested using a variable resistor wired in to connector for engine coolant temperature sensor.
B = Beta value = 3988 Kelvin, R0 = 3000 Ohm at reference temperature T0 (298K or +25C).
R is measured resistance of thermistor at temperature T (in Kelvin).
.....even when (just about as rarely) 4 blobs show. Which on my car has been twice during fast idle MOT emissions tests and once in snow so deep it was throwing the snow chains off.
Both my 450 and 451 have never run the fan in seven years or so except when I did it deliberately.
Open circuit to air inlet sensor makes intercooler fan run constantly so probably same for radiator fan as more serious if engine overheats.


text:
Appointment of a new Principal Conductor
Hitoshi Suzuki
The Mid Somerset Orchestra is pleased to announce the appointment of Hitoshi Suzuki as our new Principal Conductor.
Hitoshi first worked with the orchestra in May 2018 as a guest conductor. As quoted by Brendan Sadler after this concert, "Despite his youth, Hitoshi Suzuki is clearly a talent to be watched. The orchestra made their feelings plain with enthusiastic applause".
The MSO would also like to thank Tim Pithers, Richard Jones and Dennis Simons who joined us in the last year as guest conductors and for their valued support in our search for a new principal conductor.
Mid Somerset Orchestra
THE MID-SOMERSET ORCHESTRA was founded in 1973 and performs regularly in Street and Wells. From the player's point of view, the aim is to give local amateur orchestral musicians of a high standard the opportunity to rehearse together, and to take part in four concerts during the year. From the music-lover's point of view, we aim to give good performances of the classics for the enjoyment of the residents of this part of the country. For many years now, the orchestra has actively encouraged the support of young people by specially low-priced tickets.
The Mid-Somerset Orchestra rehearses on Wednesday evenings in school term time at
Croscombe Village Hall
Fayreway
Croscombe
BA5 3RA
The orchestra promotes 4 concerts a year, all at Strode Theatre, Street. We also perform once a year at Wells Cathedral for the "Sing for Somerset" carol service (promoted by Somerset Life)
Strode Theatre
THE STRODE THEATRE has been around since the early 1960's and still functions today as an integral part of Strode College and Crispin School. The first ever concert at the theatre was performed by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in 1963 and ever since, the venue has been a prominent location for many professional dramatical companies and orchestras. The stage is well equipped with the latest technology, and the auditorium has recently been refurbished with more spacious seating. The Strode Theatre is a perfect venue for the Mid-Somerset Orchestra.
At the heart of life of Wells Cathedral is the daily pattern of prayer and worship. Music is integral to the worshipping and educational life of this holy place.
A particularly busy time is in December when a number of organisations arrange christmas services. One of these is the "Somerset Life" carol service. The MSO has supported this annual charity event for a number of years now.
There are currently no advertised orchestral vacancies, although new rank-and-file string players will always be considered.
However the orchestra sometimes needs players to cover for absence in all sections, either in rehearsal or concerts. Additional occasional players are also required when larger works are performed.
The chair of the orchestra maintains a list of players that can be called on in such situations. If interested in being placed on this list, please email us with details of your instrument and experience.
Guest Conductor (May 2018) and Principal Conductor (Appointed July 2018)
The highly accomplished Hitoshi Suzuki has studied all over the world including the University of the Arts Tokyo, Royal Northern College of Music, Royal College of Music and is currently at the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles. A prizewinner in many orchestral conducting competitions, Hitoshi will certainly bring a unique international perspective to the MSO's next concert.
Hywel Jenkins
Hywel first performed in the Strode Theatre over fifty years ago in July 1964 aged 11, and started learning the violin that autumn at Elmhurst Grammar School in Street. He joined the MSO on his return from University in 1975 and became Leader in January 1980. He has led every concert since then except for three which he conducted, and has also performed as soloist with the orchestra a number of times.
He taught for twenty four years with Somerset Music, for the last eleven as Head of Strings, then in 2011 moved to take over the Glastonbury Music Shop. He continues to tutor with the County Youth Orchestra and to direct ensembles at COSMiC, the Saturday Morning Music Club in Street.
His violin is a copy of the 'Betts' Strad, made for him in 1994 by his first ever violin pupil, Caroline Crowley of Bowlish, Shepton Mallet.
Biographies of recent Conductors
Dennis Simons (Guest Conductor July 2018)
Richard Jones (Guest Conductor January 2018)
Tim Pithers (Guest Conductor November 2017)
Stephen Smith (2010-2017)
Dennis Simons
Dr. Dennis Simons, F.R.A.M., has been founder leader of the Alberni String Quartet, Co-Leader of the London Philharmonic and Leader of the BBC Philharmonic returning to the U.K. after twenty years as Music Director and Conductor of three orchestras in North America. He has a Ph.D. in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education from the University of North Dakota.
RICHARD JONES was educated in Newtown, Powys , gaining his MA from the University of York, specialising in youth music and received his PGCE from UCNW Bangor. Always a keen advocate for youth and community music, Richard currently works as the Music and Arts Strategy Manager for South Gloucestershire.
Richard took up the post of Music and Arts Strategy Manager for South Gloucester in September 2011. Here he leads a team of 65 teachers who deliver the National Plan for Music Education as Arts Council England's preferred bidder to run the Music Hub in the LA. He is a member of the ACE National Hub Quality Group and the Bristol Cultural Education Partnership.
He is no stranger to the world of the community orchestra as he was associated with the Richmondshire Orchestra for over 25 years as a player and conductor and in the South West was the conductor of the Keynsham Orchestra.
Tim Pithers
TIM PITHERS began conducting in his teens and went on to read Music and French at the University of Exeter. He studied violin with Mary Eade, composition with Joe Duddell and specialised in Musical Direction with Ian Mitchell. Subsequent to his graduation with a double first class degree, he has conducted a wide variety of vocal and instrumental ensembles. He particularly enjoys working with ensembles of varying degrees of experience and is a firm believer that classical music should be made as accessible as possible to both performers and the wider audience. Tim is currently Musical Director of the Exeter University Symphony Orchestra, the Dartmouth Orchestra, the Dunsford Singers and orchestra+, the South West's first LGBT+ symphony orchestra, which he co-founded in Autumn 2016. In August 2015, he established the EX4 Chamber Orchestra, which draws high-calibre players from around the region and beyond. Recent podium highlights include Sibelius' 5th Symphony, Elgar's Cello Concerto in E minor (with Amye Farrell, Théa-Rose Mumford), Brahms' 1st Symphony, Schumann's Concert Piece for Four Horns (with Cara Watson, Andrew Humphreys, Lydia Taylor and Lynn Henderson, Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama), Dvorak's Cello Concerto (with Kieran Carter, Royal College of Music) and Mozart's 40th Symphony.
STEPHEN SMITH joined the Army as an oboist in 1969 and studied at Kneller Hall, during which time he was the school's principal oboist. He returned there in 1977 to take the Bandmaster degree course, graduating in 1980 with seven prizes, including the Worshipful Company of Musicians' Silver Medal for the best student bandmaster of the year. He served seven years as Bandmaster with the 3rd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, in West Germany, Northern Ireland, Berlin and UK.
During this period, he was faced with the challenge of forming a new band during a rationalization of the Army's musical resources. In 1987 he was appointed Staff Director of Music at the Directorate of Infantry, with responsibility for recruiting for 22 of the Infantry's bands. Notable highlights were a period of duty in Swaziland, to train the country's Army Band, and a tour in Turkey in charge of the composite band representing the UK in commemoration of the Gallipoli Landings.
In 1992, he was appointed Director of Music of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps Staff Band, but reorganisation once again obliged him to form a new band, and he was appointed as the first Director of Music of the new Logistics Corps. The next four years included a number of high profile musical engagements, most notably tours to Hong Kong and Australia.
In 1998 he returned to Kneller Hall, joining the Directorate of Army Music, where he had overall responsibility for the design and validation of musical training. After two years, he became Director of Music of the Royal Artillery Band, one of the Army's premier State bands. As principal conductor of the oldest established orchestra in the country, he directed it in public concerts and State events, including at Buckingham Palace. He was honoured to be on parade for the State Funeral of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.
Whilst performing as the Musical Director of the Edinburgh Military Tattoo in 2003, Stephen was appointed Chief Instructor at the Royal Military School of Music, responsible for all musical education and training. After two years in this highly rewarding post, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and appointed to the most senior musical post in the Army, that of Principal Director of Music. As the Army's top musician, he conducted many prestigious and challenging engagements, including concerts, recordings and radio broadcasts. During this time he formed the Army's orchestra and conducted it in concerts in London and across Southern England. In 2008 he gained an M.A. degree (with distinction) in conducting from Salford University, and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Music by Kingston University.
Since retiring from the Army in 2009, Stephen has worked as a freelance conductor and oboist. As well as working with the MSO as music director and principal conductor for five years, he is also conductor of the Corsley Festival Choir.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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County, towns swap roads for safety
Douglas County and the towns of Solon Springs and Bennett are making a road swap -- County Highway AA for Sjoberg and Wasko roads. Douglas County will gain about 1.9 miles of road when it turns over jurisdiction for less than a 1-mile stretch of ...
By Shelley Nelson
Douglas County and the towns of Solon Springs and Bennett are making a road swap - County Highway AA for Sjoberg and Wasko roads.
Douglas County will gain about 1.9 miles of road when it turns over jurisdiction for less than a 1-mile stretch of county highway and takes over jurisdiction for 2.72 miles that make up Sjoberg and Wasko road. Canadian National Railway will pay to upgrade the town roads to county highway standards as part of the swap.
"CN is interested in a long-term solution that improves both safety and convenience," said Jonathan Abecassis, a spokesman for CN. "As we are still in discussions with our partners, we will decline to comment further."
The Douglas County Board approved the exchange last week.
"For us to agree with the transfer, I am recommending that it is upgraded to county highway standards," said Highway Commissioner Jason Jackman. He said while the roads are not designated for truck routes current, truck traffic will be using those roads instead of County Highway AA to reach U.S. Highway 53, and the grade crossing on County Highway AA will be closed.
"What is happening is when the trains are blocking AA, trucks are starting to us Sjoberg and Wasko Road on their own," Jackman said. He said it's a safer alternative than going through downtown Solon Springs where trucks would have to make a 90-degree turn in a tight intersection to stay on County Highway A, where there is another set of train tracks.
"There's not a lot of room there so we don't want them going downtown Solon," Jackman said. "So this would be the bypass up to 53 without them having to hit any tracks or crossings."
Over the years, the amount of time the crossing is blocked by a train and the number of blockages has been on the rise, the highway commissioner said.
"So if they can close that, it's twofold," Jackman said. "It benefits them in their operations and it eliminates any potential for a fatality at that location. It's a big safety improvement and I think that's one of the main reasons they're agreeing to invest in the town roads."
The jurisdictional transfer assures that a future town administration can't change their mind and post Sjoberg or Wasko roads to restrict truck traffic, which would force trucks to travel on County Highway A.
Jackman said after the first of the year, he will meet with railroad officials to select a consultant that will be responsible for designing the project, and acquiring easements and wetland permits where necessary.
"The best case scenario would be to design it in '19 and build it in '20," Jackman said. "I won't close AA until I accept the jurisdictional transfer."
County Highway AA will become a town road on either side of the tracks and Solon Springs will be responsible for maintaining it.
Related Topics: DOUGLAS COUNTY
Superior mayor turns attention to neighborhood business districts
Mayor Jim Paine said the city worked best when people could live, work and play in their own neighborhoods, and his goal is to create an environment where that can happen again.
Superior cattle farm has its work cut out for it
"Watch out for your fingers," said Dan Krisak, part-timer at Litchke Farms. "We haven't lost any yet, but every one of us gets a Band-Aid and keeps going."
By Melinda Lavine


Promotional Giveaways for Mass Publicity – PLR Report Pkg.
Author PLRContentShopPosted on March 6, 2012 Categories business, business marketing, offline business, online business, plr marketing, plr reports, UncategorizedTags business plr, IM plr content, im plr reports, plr marketingLeave a comment on Promotional Giveaways for Mass Publicity – PLR Report Pkg.
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This rubbed me the wrong way. What do you consider "risqué" and what do you consider appropriate? Does it matter?
Share your opinion on this on our Facebook page or text the Sonata Dental talk and tex line at 403-212-1061.
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Patanjali Distributorship, dealership, franchise, Business in India
startupbusinessidea February 28, 2020	Business Idea Leave a comment
The Patanjali Ayurveda Private Limited Company is known by the brand name of Patanjali. Similar to the emergence of 'Make in India' concept, this above said brand is also making its place in the market, giving tough competition to others. It can be considered among the big brands in India. This company produces all basic products that are required in daily life. However, it can be rightly considered as one of the fastest growing FMCG Company in India. In addition to this, it is considered the best business when it comes to opening dealership or franchises. In this way, it is possible to get the best investment from this form of business. As of 2015-2016, the company's production has become over 5000 million. As of now, it is expanding its business in Nepal Village Industries in Nepal.
History of the origin of the company
It is known that Acharya Balkrishna along with Yog Guru Baba Ramdev came up with the idea of the company and founded it in Haridwar in Uttarakhand in 2006. In the initial stage, the company only produced herbal and Ayurveda items. With this initial success of the products, it started to expand the business and began producing personal care items like food and beauty items that grabbed the attention of customers well. It has been produced on a large scale in the FMCG market. Therefore, as you read below, you get to know how by having the company's dealership or franchise, you can run the business smoothly. You can also expect good returns from the investment.
How beneficial is it to run a franchise business?
After the initial stage of success in the first two years, Indian business owners were of the opinion that the success story pertaining to these products could have been better. For this, they thought of reviewing distribution channels, shops, Patanjali distributorship, the total cost involved and expected earn from the same was shocking for the Indian market. In addition to this, it is seen that over 70% of owners have benefited from more than 70% of the total estimated investment from the sale of the products. As a result of this scenario, the margin cost, wholesale price along with profits have been improved. Further, the brand gained great success and benefited from the Indian market.
There is a growing demand for Patanjali distributorship in the market. It is expanding in the market on account of its excellent level of benefit and investment in the initial stage. It products large scale of natural products and most of them are discounted ones. Also, there is no intermediary cost in the business with operating cost benefit amount to 25%. The retailers also work with a good margin of 20% to 10%. Both middle and rich class people of society are attracted to buy Patanjali items. However, all these are reasons enough to consider that Patanjali dealership is the best option when it comes to investing. This form of business offers benefits.
Details of Patanjali products
It is known that the company sells via three different channels. One is Patanjali hospital that has an additional clinic and doctor for a checkup. The second option is the Patanjali Health centre which considered as the welfare centre. The third channel is a non-medical one. However, some categories of Patanjali products are detailed below.
Health products – Amla juice, rose syrup, digestive pomegranate, digestive aspirate tablet, berries vinegar, chyawanprash, ghee, guava juice, mango paste, aloe vera juice making, pure honey and others.
Food products – Basmati Rice, Biscuits, Choco Flex, Bad, Almond Pak, Spices Powder, Seven Marmalade, Bell Marmalade, Jam Making , Save Chutney, Unpolished Pulses, Flour, Noodles, Tomato Ketchup and other household daily items required in the kitchen.
Personal care items – It includes hand wash, face scrub, almond oil, coconut oil for hair, fairness cream, shave gel, herbal mascara, body lotion, herbal mehande, detergent powder and other herbal products, you can check its ingredients when in doubt about its impact on your skin.
Ayurvedic medicine – Crack heal creams, giloy juice gulkand, and others.
Home care items –Detergent, Agarbatti Making, Liquid Detergents, and Detergent Powder Making.
As of now, Patanjali has started to give distributorship for distributing Patanjali drinking water.
What is the eligibility criterion to opt for Distributorship of Patanjali?
It requires a space of 2000 square feet for opening Patanjali's Mega store. In addition, it requires 10 million ventures. Moreover, it should be done in real urban areas.
For any area, the distance of an existing Mega Store without any metro in the city is 5 km. The distance is 2.5 km where there is a metro. It is at a distance of 1 km from Patanjali hospital.
The Patanjali mega store or hospital should maintain a distance of 3 to 5 km to other stores or hospital. This distance is 5 to 3 km from any ineligible centre in the city. This distance becomes 3 to 5 km from the mega store in the city.
If it is an 8 to 12 lakh rupees application, you should have an area backup of 750 to 1000 square feet. Also, you can opt for opening the hospital in a place where the total population is much less than 1 lakh citizens. With a population of more than 2 lakh, more than one hospital can be set up in the locality. This can help the citizens to have easy access to hospital facilities.
To open a Patanjali Health centre, almost 350 to 500 square feet area is required and the project involves near about 6 to 7 lakh rupees. In any village or city area, where the citizen living is less than 1 lakh, the health centres can be opened. If it is seen that number of health products are sold, the Patanjali medical area offers plenty of products for the good of local people.
The individual who wishes to start with the dealership should be a respected person. There should not be any legal complaints lodged before against the person. In such cases, he may not be allowed to opt for Patanjali distributorship. The company shall check necessary conditions when accepting the application for distributorship.
The distributorship should maintain a balance sheet of products. For this, the person should have access to computer or laptop along with internet connection. In addition, a table and chair are also necessary to complete the set up.
What are the processes to apply for Patanjali distributorship?
When opting for the dealership in the same city or state, options for the franchise are available for applicants in India. The Patanjali Ayurveda team will look after the ability of the applicant to invest in the business initially. This shall determine whether the team is willing to sanction the distributorship or not. Apart from the application, ITR history will also be reviewed by the company team before you get final approval for getting the dealership.
Application for dealership or distributorship
For the applicants who wish to get a dealership or distributorship under Patanjali, the following process will help.
Through net banking or NEFT or IMPS, the applicant has to make a payment of rupees 200. In addition to this, they also have to remember the official transaction number that needs to be sent along with the application.
Other than this, the applicant can opt for online payment with the help of the link. In addition, they can opt for an application form by providing details via an official email.
After completion of payment, the applicant has to send the reference details along with payment details to official ID at patanjalidealership@gmail.com. Following this, the higher authority will send the official application along with some related information of the dealership process.
As a transaction fee, you have to pay rupees 10. Make sure that you fill the application form carefully and enter correct credentials. Some of the required information is the applicant's name, company name, address of your office, office email address for a different need, contact details of the applicant. In addition, the applicant also has to provide their experience in FMCG and other field as well.
In case applicant has any other work experience in other industry, they have to show the details of products that they have sold. In case, applicant does not have any such information, the details of current business should be produced.
If the applicant is related with any other company mentioned in the products, they can make a mention of it as well. In fact, the applicant can mention the multiple companies where he or she has worked including the working hours for which they used to work there.
Applicant should mention the amount that he is capable of investing in the initial stage of starting the distributorship. This is essential for getting approval for the distributorship. However, the approval will be granted by state, district or city authorities who are involved in the dealership business.
Application for Patanjali Megastore Dealership
If personal and business partners are planning to start Patanjali megastore dealership, they can opt for it and for the same they have to go through some steps that are mentioned in the following part. The megastore can be started in any city of Indian state. However, it includes opening large distributorship shop in main market area or in any major city locations where large number of customers have access to. The megastore cannot be opened in village areas.
When planning to open megastore, you will get the products Patanjali Ayurveda Center that is located in Haridwar. The products should be maintained properly and the applicant should be responsible for the same. In addition, the applicant will have to look after the management of the shop and carry on its day to day work smoothly. In this regard, applicant have to pay an application free of rupees 300.
Transaction details should be sent to the official id at patanjalidealership@gmail.com giving the transaction reference number.
The application form will be sent to the applicant within few days of sending the online fees. Make sure that the applicant submits the form only after entering correct details in it.
Applications for Patanjali Health Center
Applicants can plan to open health center or hospital that promises to provide healthy life to citizens. Patanjali Ayurveda is accepting such applications that aim in the betterment of the health of common people. An as instance, it should be known that Baba Ramdev along with his friends are successfully running health centers in many parts of Mumbai and Uttarakhand. The process to get access to this health checkup is same as the procedure of Patanjali Hospital.
Details of investment and price for Patanjali distributorship
The investment and cost of the Patanjali franchise will depend on the type of the mega store. In addition, it also depends on amount of inventory stock. The cost also depends on the location where the applicant is planning to open the megastore. In this kind of distributorship, the investment ranges from 5 to 60 lakhs as per Indian currency. Moreover, to set up the business, one should have retail location of around 300 square feet. However, the company will give dealership to applicant who can open megastore in big cities in some major locations of the state.
Details of Patanjali foreign distributorship
There has been a constant request to expand supply of goods in foreign countries. For this, Patanjali Ayurveda has introduced distributorship in different countries. The setup has been planned in such a way so that the products from Haridwar Manufacturing Center will reach the destined location where the applicant has started the megastore. This will help the person to run the megastore smoothly without deficit of goods for the business. Many NRIs are also in want of Patanjali products compared to India where people can get it easily. So with the introduction of the above said type of dealership, people can expect to get some access to Patanjali products from mega stores that are opened.
Even if the Patanjali Ayurveda stores are coming up in some cities outside India, it is important that the owner of the megastore should be an experienced one. This shall help the person to run the business smoothly. Some of the countries where this Ayurveda product are available includes Kuwait, Oman, Canada, USA, Australia, UAE, Middle East region, and New Zealand, Nepal, Japan, UK (London), China and South Korea. However, none of these countries will get permission to open Patanjali store anywhere else due to financial instability. Even if the person is willing to set up the store and run it, he or she has to send application and wait for its approval. For starting this business abroad, one has to pay rupees 400. After this payment, they can forward with further application proceedings.
What are the benefits Patanjali distributorship business?
Patanjali is one of the fastest growing FMCG in India that offers plethora of benefits. As of now, it has near about 47000 retail customers with more than 300 distributors across India. Along with this, there are several godowns in 18 states and several factories have been set up in 6 states. Recently, the company has experienced an increase rate of 130% and with this success rate, the company owners are planning to expand its wings into the global market. This group already expanded its business in some of the European countries such as Russia, Dubai, Canada, USA and others. So, this way, the company is making beneficial movement and spreading its market in other countries as well. However, this company is seen as a prototype for others and due to this, India is turning to a better place offer top quality expansion and development of Ayurveda.
The main reason behind the success of the company is to provide products at reasonable price to common people. Even the company is not up for any promotion to reach out to the target audience. Therefore, for new entrepreneurs, joining hands as dealers or distributor of Patanjali items is a good choice.
What is the profit level of selling Patanjali products?
This is an important factor to know when an applicant is opting for distributorship of the business. They should have proper knowledge about the profit margin of the company. At city level, the margin is near about rupees 2 lakhs. It can change depending on change in customer's demand in the market. However, investment at village level can be expected to be near about rupees 1 lakh per investment. Even if applicant starts the business at district level, the investment option will increase to 5 lakhs. Other than market needs, factors such as product sales and business prospects can also alter the prevailing condition and level of investment of the business. However, it can be expected that the profit margins are huge with each that is being sold. In addition, people get commission of near about 20% on every product that is sold. Therefore, it sums up to almost rupees 20 per 1000 rupees by selling any Patanjali Ayurveda product.
Patanjali Ayurveda contact details
For submitting dealership or distributorship application, one can sent it to Patanjali Ayurved Ltd of Uttarakhand, Haridwar. Along with application form, one has to attach details of income tax returns of last year. In addition, they have to product balance sheet details. Even the above mentioned email ID of Patanjali Ayurveda can also be used for sending application online.
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Forensic Traumatology: Gunshot Wounds, Drowning, and Thermal Injury
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The field of ballistics deals with the study of arms and ammunition, as well as so-called terminal ballistics, the biologic impact of the projectiles.
Types of weapons used in gunshot wounds
Generally, a rough distinction is made between long-barreled weapons, also known as shotguns, and short-barreled weapons, meaning handguns.
The following firearms are long-barreled weapons:
Rifles are guns with a long barrel with spirally arranged grooves (furrows) and ridges (spiral elevations). Rifles shoot bullets.
Shotguns generally have a smooth barrel and shoot shotgun shells.
The following firearms are short-barreled weapons:
Revolvers have a drum-shaped cylinder that revolves around each shot. The number of bullets contained in the cylinder differs according to the manufacturer and type. On the side of the gun, between the cylinder and the barrel, there is a space from which the gunshot residue escapes.
Handguns feature a closed system; the cartridge chamber is located in the front part of the barrel. They can be classified into the so-called single-shot pistols, which have to be reloaded after each shot, and the multi-shot pistols, with repetitive action that is either manually or automatically controlled.
Furthermore, there are flare guns in the sports sector as well as air guns that use pneumatic pressure. The captive bolt guns or cattle stunners, respectively, and powder-activated guns such as nail guns used in construction are not weapons in the legal sense, but their functional principles are comparable and they are potentially life threatening.
Ammunition in gunshot wounds
Ammunition is the projectile that consists of three components: the projectile (the bullet or cartridge), the casing including the primer, and the charge in the form of the priming charge and propellant, which provides the pressure to allow motion of the projectile.
Forensically, the most important types of cartridges are bullets and shotgun shells. Bullets are usually made from lead and possibly have a full or partial metal jacket. Shotgun shells consist of coarse to very fine lead pellets. Between the shells and the propellant is wadding made of felt or plastic; at the top of the case, above the shot load, is a cap.
The charge of the projectile consists of a primer and propellant. The primer contains impact-variable substances with heavy metals such as barium, lead, or antimony; these are the basis for analysis of chemical gunshot residue. The propellant, on the other hand, usually consists of nitroglycerin in the form of powder flakes. After ignition, the nitroglycerin burns explosively and forms gas under extremely high pressure, propelling the bullet through the barrel.
Image: Sectional view of a German 1888 pattern Patrone 88 or M/88 rifle cartridge. 1 denotes the projectile, 2 the case, 3 the propellant, 4 the primer, and 5 the igniter. By Hmaag. License: CC BY-SA 3.0.
Internal ballistics in gunshot wounds
Internal ballistics deals with all the processes within the gun. Once the trigger of a gun is pulled, the firing pin strikes the bottom of the cartridge, meaning the so-called primer. As a result, the impact-sensitive primer compound explodes and in turn ignites the propellant. This burns very rapidly, creating a lot of gas under enormous pressure and thus expelling the projectile at a very high speed through the barrel.
On exiting the barrel, the residue of both the primer and the propellant, the so-called gunshot residue, is released and can settle on the hand that fired the gun and on other objects. The gases can land explosively on the muzzle, causing the loud bang and recoil of the weapon.
Terminal ballistics on gunshot wounds
Terminal ballistics deals with the biologic effects of the projectile in human beings. These include the effect from the entrance, the penetration, and the exit from the tissue as well as the effects of powder combustion gases and load residues.
Note: Gunshot wounds are a special form of blunt force trauma.
Typical findings of entrance wounds are a central substance defect, an abrasion collar, a contact ring (also called a 'gunshot residue ring'), and a contusion collar with blood exiting. The contact ring is regarded as a reliable criterion for a projectile impact. The other features are merely signs of blunt force. An equally important differentiating feature is that the entrance wound defect is not adaptable.
A through-and-through shot produces hole fractures (especially in the skull) and comminuted fractures (especially in the long bones). Hole fractures are usually cone shaped, which can lead to an understanding of the direction of the shot. Also, the bone fragments in comminuted fractures are displaced in the direction of the movement of the projectile.
In soft tissues, hydrostatic shock takes place. The high bullet velocity creates a temporary wound cavity and a cave-like rupture of tissues that contain water, such as the muscles or the brain. A shock wave originating from the temporary wound cavity leads to organ damage in the surrounding area.
Image: Side X-ray of a broken shot to the femur. X-ray on the side. By Herecomesdoc. License: CC BY-SA 3.0.
An exit wound is characterized by a laceration-like defect, which tends to be smaller than the projectile caliber, as the projectile stretches the skin from the inside. Also, there is no central substance defect, no laceration, and no abrasion. Bone fragments can act as secondary projectiles and sometimes cause a large exit wound. The same applies to projectiles with partial jackets that split during penetration.
Special gunshot wounds are the result of the ricochet and the Kroenlein shot. An injury caused by a ricochet is due to a projectile that was diverted outside the body. The Kroenlein shot is defined as a bursting of the cranial cavity due to the increase in intracranial pressure.
Gunshot residue in gunshot wounds
The explosion gases that exit the muzzle immediately after the projectile are composed of unburnt or partially burnt powder flakes; gunshot residue; carbon monoxide; carbon dioxide; elements of ignition such as lead, antimony, and barium; and, possibly, components of weapon care products.
An abrasion collar occurs when the gun barrel is close to the target area. Here, the load residues deposit themselves around the entrance wound like a halo. The firing distance can be determined based on the appearance of the residue image: The greater the distance, the fewer heavy particles reach the skin.
Shooting distance in gunshot wounds
Gunshots are divided into long-range and close-range shots. Furthermore, close-range shots are divided into relative and absolute.
With long-range shots, no residue is found around the entrance wound. With relative close-range shots the residue is found on the skin, and with absolute close-range shots, the residue is even found under the skin.
During an absolute close-range shot, the barrel is placed directly on the skin, causing the explosion of gases to penetrate the skin, spread radially, and rupture the subcutaneous fat tissue. The result is the so-called abrasion collar with powder stippling and carbon monoxide.
Image: Single gunshot wound (point of impact) to the abdomen in a woman in Maracay, Venezuela. By Bobjgalindo. License: CC BY-SA 4.0.
With this shot, the blood that pours out appears bright red and contains CO hemoglobin (carboxyhemoglobin). Simultaneously, the skin distends with a radial rupture in the form of a laceration. As the skin touches the hot barrel, a punch mark in the shape of the muzzle forms.
The punch mark provides important information for crime reconstruction, providing clues about the shape, the type of weapon, the shooting position during the shot, and the handedness (in suicide).
Firearm injuries are classified depending on the velocity of the projectile. Velocities < 600 m/s produce low-velocity wounds and are more commonly seen in civilians. Velocities > 600 m/s produce more severe injury and are commonly seen with military or hunting weapons with a muzzle.
Special case: captive bolt gun
The result of gunshot wounds from a captive bolt gun is a bone punch, without finding any projectile in the barrel.
Shooting hand in gunshot wounds
The determination of the shooting hand provides important clues about the perpetrator. Gunshot residue is found on the thumb and forefinger—especially when using revolvers. Furthermore, blood splatters that are thrown back from the entrance wound can end up on the outer surface of the fingers.
Back splatter can be found on hands and clothes in the form of small bone fragments and tissue shreds. Furthermore, the use of assault rifles frequently results in skin lacerations on the inside of the hands because of the lateral escape of explosive gases.
Note: When a car's airbag opens during traffic accidents, the resulting development of a gas stream can hit the hands and simulate gunshot residue.
Differentiation among crimes, accidents, and suicides in gunshot wounds
Type Crime Accident Suicide
Range of fire Usually a long-range shot, rarely a close-range shot; surprised while sleeping, etc. Often a relatively short-range shot that occurs while manipulating a weapon, such as when cleaning or disassembling it Usually an absolute close-range shot
Terminal ballistics Entrance wound possible on every part of the body; clothing is shot through Entrance wound in chest, face, or open eye Frequently in the forehead, temple, mouth; very rarely in the back of the head; clothing is pushed aside
Type of weapon No weapon present, often only the ejected shell casings The total scene needs to be observed Own weapon and ammunition; weapon in the hand or on the floor
Residue Bullet impact in the wall or floor after a through-and-through shot, mostly not in the ceiling Projectile impact in wall and ceiling Projectile impact often in ceiling
Gunshot injuries to the cranium/brain are often lethal, especially after suicide attempts. For patients with gunshot injuries to the torso, hemodynamic stability is a deciding factor in prognosis/management.
Burns are injuries caused by direct exposure to flames, radiant heat, or hot gases such as steam or combustion gases. Scalds occur from hot liquids such as water or oil; runoff traces on the skin are typical for scalds.
Findings on the corpse or survivor in burns and scalds
Skin: First-degree burns results in redness and heal well in a short period of time. Second-degree burns result in blister formation; complete healing is possible. Third-degree burns produce superficial necrosis, with the defect healing in the form of a scar. Fourth-degree burns result in deep necrosis with charring.
Hair: Hair can burn but cannot scale. When burned, hair will turn crinkly to the point of breaking down.
Soft tissues: The musculature boils and shrinks, resulting in bending of the joints. The corpse takes on the so-called boxer or fencing position.
Teeth: These are very resistant to heat; they can serve in the identification of the body even with strong charring.
Head: Heat hematomas, the result of postmortem bleeding in the skull, are frequent. The bleeding is caused by a contraction of the dura mater with a detachment from the calvaria during which the veins rupture. Furthermore, the heat can blow up the skull.
Signs of vital reactions in burns and scalds
Among the signs of vital reactions is redness of the skin and skin blisters. All the other external findings may also occur on the corpse, for which only an internal autopsy can provide further information.
When respiratory function is maintained, combustion gases such as carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), and hydrogen cyanide reach the respiratory organs and are traceable in the blood of the corpse. Also traceable is the smut on the mouth and the nostrils, sooty material in the trachea, heat changes in the mucous membrane, acid burns from the combustion gases in the respiratory tracts, and with CO poisoning, a bright cherry red color of the livor mortis and internal organs.
Also, crow's feet can form because of a victim squeezing their eyes shut. Because squeezing the eyes shut leads to some areas around the eyes being spared from soot, wrinkles result.
In the following cases vital reactions do not occur:
Flash fire: The result of the heat is a laryngospasm and respiratory arrest.
Heat rigor: A functioning impairment of respiratory excursion is caused by the sudden onset of heat rigor on the chest cavity, resulting in death.
Causes of death in burns and scalds
In general, CO poisoning and lack of oxygen (O2) (O2 loss as a result of the fire) quickly lead to death by suffocation. Delayed death in cases of very strong burns may occur because of a water–electrolyte imbalance, infections, burns to the airways, and pulmonary edema. This is what a lung with acute inhalation injury looks like:
Image: Burn injury. By Yale Rosen. License: CC BY-SA 2.0.
The rule of nines in burns and scalds
The fatal outcome as a result of burns depends on the percentage of the total body-surface area that has been burned and the biologic age of the victim. As a rule, a burn of over 70% of the body surface is fatal.
The rule of thumb is that if the sum of the victim's age and the percentage of the body surface burned is significantly below 100, there is doubt as to whether death occurred as a result of the burns. In this case, an autopsy and a toxicologic examination are necessary.
The rule of nines is a helpful method for estimating how much body surface area has been burned. It states that the head, the chest, the abdomen and the back (the top or bottom, respectively), the front or back of the arms, and the thighs and the lower legs (front and back, respectively) each corresponds to 9% of the body surface. A burn of the size of the palm of a hand corresponds to 1%.
Differentiating among burn occurrences in crimes, accidents, suicides, and postmortem incidents
Type Crime Accident Suicide Postmortem incident
Frequency Rare Frequent Rare Frequent
Characteristics Victims usually unconscious because of stabbing, beating, or strangulation Often surprised in the home by a smoldering fire while sleeping or caused by children/elderly people Mostly outdoors after dousing with an accelerant Occurs by setting fire to an object containing the body to cover up a crime (so-called arson murder)
Injuries and deaths by electrical impact can result if a person becomes a part of an electrical circuit caused by a short circuit or an accidental ground circuit.
Current flow is significant in the biologic effect. This flow is essentially determined by skin resistance, which is in the range of 100 Ω (moist skin) to 100,000 Ω (dry skin). Equally important is the path that the current takes as it travels through the body.
Thermal effects through Joule heat in electricity
Heat damage due to high local current density at electrical crossings appears in the form of redness, blisters, and funnel-shaped burns—collectively referred to as the electric mark (Joule burn). This is a purely thermal effect and not a sign of a vital reaction.
The Joule burn is usually round, dented, and gray-white to black in color. An undulating edge (porcelain wall) is just as typical as a histologically detectable parallel arrangement of basal cells. With a large contact area such as water, the current density at the crossing point is low, and there is no electric mark.
Image: Making contact. By PubMed Central. License: CC BY 2.0.
Direct contact with the current conductor creates a small electric arc whereby the metal component of the current conductor vaporizes and is deposited on the electric mark. This metallization leaves no vital signs. During a current flashover, burn marks appear on the soles of the shoes or the sleeves of jackets.
Specific effects due to depolarization in electricity
Because current can depolarize tissue, heart arrhythmias can be caused, leading to instant death and overstretching and tears of the musculature.
Myoglobin exiting from the muscles can pass via the blood into the kidneys and lead to crushing syndrome in the kidneys with possible renal failure. The contraction of the respiratory musculature can lead to congested bleedings and breathing difficulties.
Other autopsy findings are pulmonary edema, liquid cadaveric blood, and an abundance of the blood of the internal organs, as well as soft-tissue edema.
Dangerous areas with electricity
Even low currents of a few milliamperes (mA) have biologic effects. Effects can occur with the following currents:
Current above 5 mA: muscle traction
Current above 25 mA: releasing is impossible
Current above 80 mA: cardiac arrhythmias
Current above 800 mA: guaranteed fatality
Current from 2A: electric marks and severe burns
Note: Fuses usually blow from 13 A upward. Therefore, electrocution from intact fuses cannot be excluded. A ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) breaker does not necessarily have to jump if the victim is in the current circuit, but has no ground contact.
Differentiating among crimes, accidents, suicides, and postmortem incidents with electricity
Frequency Rare Frequent Rare Rare
Characteristics Hair dryer or power cord was placed into a bathtub; the current is applied to a doorknob Amateur electrician; contact with defective household appliances Mostly death in bathtub Simulated electrocution; electric marks may be present
Special event: electrocution in the bathtub
The condition for damage is a closed circuit. As a rule, the ground fault occurs via a metal shower hose or a metal drainpipe. Because of the low skin resistance, usually no electric marks are found. The fuses will not blow.
It is difficult to provide evidence of killing if the electrical sources have subsequently been eliminated. The absence of typical drowning signs would be suspicious, especially if narcotics are found in the victim's blood. In such cases, an autopsy, as well as criminal and electrotechnic clarification, must take place.
Special event: death in a high-voltage area
In a high-voltage area, i.e. railroad tracks or power lines, a direct conductor contact is not necessary because the current can skip about 1 cm/1,000 V. Hereby, a bright and very hot light arc is created.
Superficial burns, singed clothing, and melted belt buckles or buttons can be found. The bright light leads to the victims squeezing their eyes shut, thus producing so-called crow's feet, with areas with no burns at the outer corners of the eyes.
These kinds of deaths usually happen because of accidents, but the death can also be a crime if someone was pushed into the danger zone.
Special event: death by lightning
In death by lightning, one distinguishes between a direct and indirect lightning effect. The direct lightning effect corresponds with the effects of a high-voltage accident. The indirect lightning effect is produced far from the lightning strike impact. The cause of this is an exponential drop of the voltage around the lightning impact site, the so-called discharge voltage pattern.
If the individual in this area is standing on the ground with spread legs, the feet may be in areas of different voltage (step voltage) and because of this voltage difference, current flows through the body.
Fine, branched reddening, similar to the lightning phenomena in the sky, may appear on the legs of victims; this is referred to as the Lichtenberg figure.
Image: Lightning injury. By James Heilman, MD. License: CC BY-SA 3.0.
Even small changes in body temperature can be dangerous. Heat loss can occur because of radiation (emission), conduction (direct heat transfer to the environment), evaporation (withdrawal of evaporation heat), and convection (ventilation).
Low insulation promotes heat loss with a thin layer of fat or inadequate clothing, a low volume of body-surface area (as in infants), and an increased heat transfer through a moist environment or heat-conducting materials such as wet soil or cold water.
Also, alcohol promotes heat loss due to the increased blood flow in the skin. Hypothermia is when the core body temperature is below 35°C.
If the thermoregulation of the body has been exhausted because of muscle tremors and centralization of the circulation, the body core cools down. Cooled hemoglobin has a higher affinity to oxygen (O2), which results in tissue hypoxia. Thus, death occurs through inner suffocation and consequent cardiac arrhythmias, such as ventricular fibrillation.
Local frostbite is divided into three stages:
First, erythema (dermatitis congelationis erythematosa) and numbness occur.
Swelling (dermatitis congelationis bullosa) and blistering (chilblain) follow.
Finally, necrosis (dermatitis congelationis gangrenosa) with blackening occurs.
Findings on the corpse in deaths by freezing and hypothermia
The brain: Disturbances of consciousness and hallucinations occur.
The heart: At temperatures of 30°C and below, body temperature arrhythmias occur, and at temperatures of 27°C and below, death by ventricular fibrillation occurs.
The skin: Perniones are hemolysis spots (also referred to as 'cold spots') on the extension side of the extremities (usually on the forearms and lower legs); they are reddish and look like traumatic bleeding. They can be distinguished from the latter by the fact that the subcutaneous fat is not pinched. Furthermore, red, itchy, or painful swelling appears underneath the skin (frostbite). These occur particularly in parts of the body with less blood supply, such as toes, fingers, and ears.
The stomach: Wischnewsky spots are hemorrhagic erosions of the gastric mucosa that are typical in death caused by freezing.
The musculature: Small bleedings are located particularly in the musculature of the body core and microscopic tears of the muscle fiber, i.e. in the ileopsoas muscle.
Changes in the blood: High blood sugar, acidosis, and ketoacidosis occur as a result of fat breakdown. The blood has a bright red color due to the stronger binding of O2 to hemoglobin.
Note: There are no findings specific to hypothermia. The diagnosis can be made only based on several particular signs or by excluding other types of damage. Shown here is frostbite on a foot:
Image: Chilblains (frostbite). By Sapp. License: Public domain.
Paradox sensation of warmth in deaths by freezing or hypothermia
It is quite typical to find a partially or completely undressed frozen corpse so that initially suspicion of a sexual offense may occur. People with hypothermia undress because the increased blood circulation in the skin during the dying stage leads to an intense feeling of warmth.
Because these victims also experience hallucinations because of the lack of oxygen, they ignore the reality and dispose of some or all of their clothing. Alcohol intoxication promotes this thought process.
Differentiating among crimes, accidents, and suicides with deaths by freezing or hypothermia
Frequency Relatively rare Frequent Rare
People affected Exposed newborns or abandoned alcoholics Alcoholics, drug addicts, and homeless people who sleep outdoors As part of a mental disorder
Characteristics Cold water is especially dangerous; the rule of thumb for survival: 1 min/1°C
In cases of death in water, one has to differentiate between an indirect and a direct drowning. The indirect or atypical drowning is submersion in water due to circulatory collapse or disturbance of consciousness. This includes the classic death by drowning according to Emminger (sudden death in the water).
Direct drowning, on the other hand, is suffocation underwater comprising the following criteria: gasping for air before going under, holding one's breath after going under (possibly several repetitions of these two processes), shortness of breath with breathing out and inhaling water, and a preterminal pause for breath due to paralysis and death. Overall, drowning takes between 3 and 5 minutes.
Special event: death in the bathroom
Death in the bathroom refers to death while coincidentally being in water. Often, this occurs in the bathtub because of an abrupt collapse of the main vital functions, so that all vital reactions are lost.
Vital reactions during drowning
Coughing and the convulsions during drowning result in the so-called plume of froth at the mouth and nose in recent drowning victims, which can also be seen after it has dried. This whitish foam is produced by the reflective inhalation of water, which mixes with breathing air and the protein-rich bronchial secretions.
Also, a spasmodic inspiration leads to an inflation of the lungs causing bleeding again, the so-called Paltauf spots. These spots are about the size of a fingertip, are subpleural, and are red to brown in color. The macroscopic image of the bloated, red lung is called emphysema aquosum (only when drowning in fresh water). The lung cannot even be collapsed with the pressure of a finger (volumen pulmonum auctum).
Water is found in the alveoli, typically with elements such as plankton and diatoms. With a sediment analysis of the discovery site and an analysis of the composition of the water in the lungs, the drowning site may be reconstructed.
As the water was ingested, it can also be found in the stomach. The stomach contents are therefore typically three-layered: foam is at the top followed by water and finally chyme; this formation is referred to as Wydler's sign.
The reflexive vomiting of water also leads to tears of the mucosa of the cardia, the Sehrt's mucosal tear. Another common finding is Svechniko's sign; it describes the presence of the drowning fluid in the sphenoid sinus.
All these findings prove that the person was alive when getting into the water.
Drowned body and drowning
The sign of a longer stay in water is wet clothing and clothing contaminated with mud, injuries caused by floating, injuries caused by boat propellers, wrinkled hands with nail detachment, adipocere (wax-like formation on the skin), and bloating of the corpse that was fed on by animals.
As the body floats in a facedown position, abrasions occur mostly on the forehead, the back of the hands, the knees, and the toes.
Image: Death by drowning, postmortem. By Wellcome Images, License: CC BY 4.0
Note: Any corpse recovered from water is called a 'drowned body.' This does not mean, however, that the person died in the water. It may well be that death occurred outside the water followed by the corpse being deposited in the water.
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