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1977: Larry Tacklyn and Erskine Burrows, for the murder of Richard Sharples
5 comments December 2nd, 2010 Headsman
On this date in 1977, Black Berets Larry Tacklyn and Erskine "Buck" Burrows were hanged in Bermuda for assassinating the islands' police chief and governor.
"During the 1970s, a black power organization in Bermuda conspired to bring about social change 'by any means necessary,' including assassination. This is the first full account of the murders and the Black Beret Cadre, the revolutionary group whose activities resulted in mayhem throughout the island."
–Book's advance publicity
A revolutionary black nationalist organization, the Black Beret cadre took its name from that Che Guevara photograph and its model from the Black Panthers.
The cadres' agenda for early-1970s Bermuda
was 'freedom by any means necessary' which included assassination. Taking their cue from the Black Panthers, whose primary aim was to bait the 'racist cops', the Black Berets exhorted its members and all Bermudian youth to confront the 'English racist police' as frequently as possible and prepare for the coming conflict between blacks and whites …
Its purpose was to indoctrinate young black Bermudians in communist revolution and the ideology of Black Power.
Cadres Tacklyn and Burrows were one part liberators of their oppressed brothers, one part common criminals.
In 1972, they gunned down white police commissioner (a veteran of Britain's colonies) George Duckett; in 1973, they ambushed governor (and former Tory M.P.) Richard Sharples and slew him, along with his aide-de-camp.
Neither perp was apprehended, which meant they went on to kill a couple of supermarket executives before someone I.D.'d Tacklyn. Burrows stayed on the lam long enough to rob a bank of $28,000.
The trials were a sensation — apt for the involvement of sensational Bermudian lawyer and politician Julian Hall — with Burrows convicted all around. He openly avowed the political murders.
Erskine Burrows
The motive for killing the Governor (his ADC was not our objective, he was shot only because he happened to be with the Governor at the time) was to seek to make the people, black people in particular, become aware of the evilness and wickedness of the colonialist system in the Island of Bermuda.
Secondly, the motive was to show that these colonialists were just ordinary people like ourselves who eat, sleep and die just like anybody else and that we need not stand in fear or awe of them.
Finally, the motive was to reveal to black people unto themselves.
This refers to the revealed reactions of many black people during the Governor's funeral, when black people were seen to be standing with tears in their eyes, crying for a man who when he was alive didn't care if they lived or died and here they were crying for a white Governor and yet when many of their own people pass away there is sometimes hardly a tear shed for them.
This shows clearly the evil effects that the colonialist propaganda has had over the long years they have ruled over this little Island.
Tacklyn managed to win acquittals over Duckett and Sharples but was condemned for killing the grocers. With "only" the two murder raps, Tacklyn's appeals against execution might have stood a chance in other circumstances. But his affiliation with Burrows, who so openly avowed the other crimes and declined to mitigate them in court, "hung like an albatross around Tacklyn's neck."
That wasn't the only thing that was hanging.
Massive riots rocked Bermuda after it became known that eleventh-hour clemency bids were rejected; "Fires erupted across Bermuda," Reuters report, "causing millions of dollars in damage as a dusk-to-dawn curfew failed to halt the racial violence." (Per Chicago Tribune, Dec. 3, 1977) British troops were deployed to help quell the riots.
Tacklyn and Burrows were the first people executed in Bermuda in 34 years, and remain the last executed there to this date.
Because all Britain's overseas territories in the Caribbean subsequently abolished the death penalty (Bermuda in a contentious 1999 parliamentary dispute decided by a single tiebreaking vote), Tacklyn and Burrows also hold the distinction of being the last people put to death anywhere under British law. (As distinct from the last executed in Britain.)
1958: Sass Kalman and Istvan Hollos - 2019
2005: Kenneth Boyd, the 1,000th modern execution in the U.S. - 2018
1780: Gerald Byrne and James and Patrick Strange, for carrying off the Miss Kennedy's - 2017
1884: Howard Sullivan, ravisher and murderer - 2016
1302: Audun Hugleiksson, Norwegian nobleman - 2015
1917: Lation Scott lynched - 2014
1644: Goodwife Cornish - 2013
1721: Jean-Pierre Balagny, Cartouche lieutenant - 2012
1715: Four Jacobites including George Lockhart's brother - 2011
1938: Robert Lee Cannon and Albert Kessell, the first gassed in California - 2009
1859: John Brown's body starts a-moulderin' in the grave - 2008
2005: Van Tuong Nguyen - 2007
1936: Rainey Bethea, America's last public hanging
1814: Six slaves in Guyana
1924: Alikomiak and Tatimagana, Inuit
2006: Saddam Hussein
1862: 38 Sioux
1914: Regiment Mixte de Tirailleurs decimated
1878: John Kehoe, king and last of the Molly Maguires
Entry Filed under: 20th Century,Capital Punishment,Crime,Death Penalty,Disfavored Minorities,Execution,Hanged,History,Milestones,Murder,Notable Participants,Occupation and Colonialism,Power,Racial and Ethnic Minorities,Terrorists
Tags: 1970s, 1977, black beret cadre, black panthers, che guevara, december 2, erskine burrows, george duckett, hamilton, larry tacklyn, richard sharples


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With $12M grant, Husker-led team exploiting oilseeds' potential in biofuels, bioproducts
Tiffany Lee, September 14, 2022
Nebraska biochemist Edgar Cahoon will lead an interdisciplinary team representing eight institutions in exploring how camelina and pennycress could help replace petroleum-based products and mitigate the effects of climate change. Craig Chandler/University Communication and Marketing
Camelina and pennycress contain the fatty acids necessary for producing biofuels and biomaterials. They could help replace petroleum-based products and mitigate climate change.
Nebraska's Edgar Cahoon will lead a team representing eight institutions to explore the oilseeds' potential.
January 12, 2023 Cahoon reappointed as director of UNL Center for Plant Science Innovation
October 5, 2022 With Catalyst award, Helikar sets five-year goal for draft of digital immune system
September 14, 2022 With $12M grant, Husker-led team exploiting oilseeds' potential in biofuels, bioproducts
August 5, 2022 Research shows oilseeds' potential for bioproduct creation
June 16, 2022 Husker team leads effort to help sorghum defend itself from aphid attacks
A University of Nebraska-Lincoln researcher is leading a team working to unlock the full potential of two oilseeds that may help meet the escalating demand for renewable fuels, industrial chemicals and other bioproducts. The team will produce genetically enhanced oilseeds, establish the "rules" of oilseeds' metabolic circuitry and develop synthetic biology tools for crop improvement that could help scientists across the country.
With a five-year, $12.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, Nebraska biochemist Edgar Cahoon will lead an interdisciplinary team representing eight institutions in exploring how camelina and pennycress, which contain the fatty acids necessary for producing biofuels and biomaterials, could help replace petroleum-based products and mitigate the effects of climate change. The project will pave the way for wider use of oilseeds in environmentally friendly and sustainable applications.
"Looking to the future, we think that cars will be electrified, but there will still be demand for liquid fuels for jets, tractor-trailers and heavy equipment. We're looking for renewable sources for these types of liquid fuels," said Cahoon, George W. Holmes Professor of biochemistry. "And those feedstocks can also be used for chemical applications, like making bioplastics and lubricants with better properties."
The grant reflects Nebraska's research strengths in plant sciences and biofuels and highlights the ability of university research to help local producers and boost the state's economy.
"This project holds enormous potential to expand the development, production and use of biofuels and advanced biomaterials," said Mike Boehm, NU vice president and Harlan Vice Chancellor for the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. "Just as importantly, development of new oilseed crops represents an opportunity for Nebraska farmers to diversify their operations and expand into new markets. This is exactly the kind of meaningful work we strive for as a land-grant university."
The award also underscores Cahoon's leadership in the plant sciences field.
"Ed has long been a national leader in this area, and this grant underscores not just his research expertise, but his ability to unite an interdisciplinary team toward a common goal," said Bob Wilhelm, vice chancellor for research and economic development. "The team's work will help tackle some of the world's most critical challenges, like climate resilience and energy security."
The project focuses on pennycress and camelina, members of the mustard, or Brassicaceae, family, because these plants do not compete with food crops – an important consideration when the global population is expected to reach nearly 10 billion by 2050. The oilseeds are also resilient, with the ability to grow as winter cover crops or on marginal or underused land.
Pennycress and camelina oilseeds aren't ideal precursors for bioproducts – yet. Their oil content is suboptimal – roughly 30% of their seed weight is oil, falling short of the 40% or more target – and they contain a less-than-ideal mixture of fatty acids. Cahoon's team aims to change both characteristics.
"We're trying to make not just more oil per seed, but oil of a more defined chemical structure to make biomaterials with more uniform and consistent properties," said Cahoon, who is director of the university's Center for Plant Science Innovation.
The project's research component focuses on a cell part called the plastid, which in oilseeds functions as a "biofactory" that controls the amount and types of fatty acids produced. Cahoon's team will explore the innerworkings of the plastid, with a focus on how multiple enzymes work in concert to dictate fatty acid production – an approach that has been overlooked to date. They will use advanced chemical analysis and bioinformatics tools developed by team members.
They're also taking a closer look at an oilseed plant called Cuphea, which Cahoon characterizes as "extreme" because it produces exceptionally high levels of a single type of fatty acid, which has a medium-length carbon chain. Both attributes are desirable: Fatty acid homogeneity is useful because specialty materials like nylon require a uniform starting material. Medium-chain fatty acids are ideal for jet fuels and renewable diesel because producers can sidestep the energy-intensive process of breaking up unusable long-chain fatty acids.
"We want to learn from the extremes like Cuphea, then take that knowledge and overlay it on the typical oilseeds, like pennycress and camelina," Cahoon said.
To conduct the research, the team will use modeling tools developed by collaborator Jerome Fox of the University of Colorado Boulder. They'll apply the tools – originally developed to investigate fatty acid synthesis in E. coli – and apply them to plants.
Cahoon's team will also design synthetic biology tools that enable the rapid, predictable genetic modification of plants. They'll tap into emerging CRISPR gene editing technology to develop sophisticated methods for delivering genes into specific regions of the plant genome, and for precisely controlling gene expression.
By applying CRISPR technology in plants, Cahoon's team is taking a major step forward. While similar methods are frequently used in the genetic engineering of single-celled microbial species, it's more challenging to make the leap to biologically complex plants.
The team will use these tools, in tandem with its research findings, to produce genetically enhanced seed oils. Using high-throughput camera-based phenotyping, the researchers will test the engineered crops under diverse environmental conditions and use that data to improve the new lines. Specialized biocontainment technology will ensure the plants' genetic modifications do not escape into other crops or wild species.
Cahoon expects the team's work to have impact beyond pennycress and camelina. Findings related to the plastid's metabolic circuitry, as well as the synthetic biology tools, will be valuable to scientists pursuing next-generation engineering of other plant oil feedstocks.
"The project really pushes the boundaries because we're gaining fundamental knowledge while also developing advanced synthetic biology tools, and then bringing those two pieces together," he said.
In addition to Nebraska and CU Boulder, the team includes investigators from Washington State University, Kansas State University, Montana State University, University of Minnesota, University of Missouri and the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center.
The grant was awarded under the DOE program "Biosystems Design to Enable Safe Production of Next-generation Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biomaterials."
Biochemistry Climate Change Plant Science

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Li-Fi is 100 times Faster than Wi-Fi Technology: Real-World Tests Prove
November 26, 2015Mohit Kumar
Yes, it's time to shift from Wi-Fi to Li-Fi — an alternative technology that is 100 times faster than the average speeds of Wi-Fi.
Scientists have just field-tested the new wireless technology called Li-Fi for the first time and achieved marvelous wireless speeds that are 100 times faster than current WiFi speeds.
What is Li-Fi Technology?
Li-Fi is a new wireless technology that transmits high-speed data using light (i.e. Visible Light Communication or VLC) rather than radio bands.
In short, Li-Fi is a Super-Fast alternative to Wi-Fi.
Earlier this year, scientists achieved mind-blowing speeds of 224 gigabits per second (Gbps) in the lab using Li-Fi. It's believed that this technology has the potential to change everything about the way we use the Internet today.
And Yes, it will.
Test Results: Li-Fi is 100 times Faster than Wi-Fi
An Estonian startup company called Velmenni took the technology out of the laboratories and into the real-world offices, and industrial environments in Tallinn for the first time and, believe me, it's really, really fast.
The company was able to transmit data at 1GB per second, which is almost 100 times faster than the Wi-Fi speeds.
"We are doing a few pilot projects in different industries where we can utilize the VLC technology," Velmenni's CEO Deepak Solanki told IBTimes UK.
"Currently we have designed a smart lighting solution for an industrial environment where the data communication is done through the light. We're also doing a pilot project with a private client where we're setting up a Li-Fi network to access the Internet in [our] office space."
Unlike Wi-Fi network signals, Li-Fi is based on light and can't penetrate through walls, which makes it more secure from external sniffing. Meanwhile, it also means there is less interference from other devices.
Who Invented Li-Fi?
The Li-Fi technology was originated in 2011 by German physicist Harald Haas, who outlined the idea of using light bulbs as wireless routers during a TED Talk. He demonstrated that with a flickering light from an LED, one could transmit more data than a cellular tower.
You can watch the full video of Haas talk about the Li-Fi technology in 2011 given above.
Fast Internet
Li-Fi Internet
Li-Fi Technology


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Sr. Technical Writer
Fueled by a fundamental belief that having access to financial services creates opportunity, PayPal (NASDAQ: PYPL) is committed to democratizing financial services and empowering people and businesses to join and thrive in the global economy. Our open digital payments platform gives PayPal's 267 million active account holders the confidence to connect and transact in new and powerful ways, whether they are online, on a mobile device, in an app, or in person. Through a combination of technological innovation and strategic partnerships, PayPal creates better ways to manage and move money, and offers choice and flexibility when sending payments, paying or getting paid. Available in more than 200 markets around the world, the PayPal platform, including Braintree, Venmo and Xoom enables consumers and merchants to receive money in more than 100 currencies, withdraw funds in 56 currencies and hold balances in their PayPal accounts in 25 currencies.
Sr. Technical Writer in the Global Professional Services Organization. Authors integration/support docs and merchant-facing technical documentation. We are seeking a candidate who is able to run development tools to use and test APIs and other solutions to verify the accuracy of the information that we provide.
Do you understand how developers think? What they love/hate when it comes to documentation? Do you have a knack for organizing technical content so it's easy to understand? Do you have a passion for empowering developers with the tools they need to be successful?
If so, the PayPal Dev Docs team is looking for you!
PayPal is the industry leader in online and mobile payments, including brands like Braintree, Venmo, Paydiant and Xoom. As a Sr. Technical Writer, you will create experiences that enable merchants to discover, build and maintain financial solutions that allow them to get paid quickly and easily, via web, mobile devices, apps, or point of sale.
In this role, you will work directly with various product and development teams to produce new documentation and update existing documents for the payment solutions we are bringing to market. You will also collaborate with the rest of the technical writing team on an ongoing basis to ensure that our tools, guidelines, and standards are effective and efficient.
Our ideal candidate will be able to:
Understand the different types of PayPal users and develop content to meet their needs.
Write, edit and organize content, including quick starts, integration guides and API references.
Edit documents for grammar, style, voice and tone.
Team up with a wide variety of stakeholders, including product owners, engineers, integration teams, technical support, marketing, UX, etc.
Review site metrics to prioritize updates, and incorporate feedback from internal/external customers.
Ensure the developer experience fits seamlessly into the customer's end-to-end experience with PayPal.
Manage time and projects effectively, juggling multiple projects and deliverables.
Fluent written and spoken English (second language desirable).
Excellent writing and editing skills.
Experience with authoring tools and environments such as HTML, Markdown, GitHub, and Confluence.
Basic ability to work with sample code, such as cURL, JavaScript, PHP, C#, and Java.
Software development skills are a plus.
Five or more years in the technical writing industry.
Ability to work with and communicate effectively to diverse individuals globally.
Ability to work independently, but happy to collaborate with other writers and developers.
Ability to organize your own work with minimal supervision and be able to meet tight project deadlines.
Ability to manage issues effectively, dealing with challenges constructively and positively.
Ability to maintain productivity and high-performance levels under pressure.
Relationship-building skills to collaborate with internal subject-matter experts and external customers.
Willingness to help when needed and actively share knowledge.
Writing samples required.
We're a purpose-driven company whose beliefs are the foundation for how we conduct business every day. We hold ourselves to our One Team Behaviors which demand that we hold the highest ethical standards, to empower an open and diverse workplace, and strive to treat everyone who is touched by our business with dignity and respect. Our employees challenge the status quo, ask questions, and find solutions. We want to break down barriers to financial empowerment. Join us as we change the way the world defines financial freedom.
PayPal provides equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. In addition, PayPal will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.
Director/Sr. Manager, Communications & Strategic Initiatives
Senior Content Designer


There was never any question for dedicated fans of How I Met Your Mother as to whether doubts about marrying Barney would ever be voiced by Robin, the only question was, how soon? Would it be when she called Ted in before her wedding, or would it not come until season 9? Something Old is the opportunity for her to finally voice the doubts and insecurities that have been festering beneath the surface since the engagement.
In tonight's episode, there are a lot of things that are voiced by the characters that we knew were coming. Ted, and the others, are obviously going to be upset about Marshall and Lily heading to Italy and the effects that may have on their friendships in the future. Robin is obviously going to have some doubts about her upcoming marriage, mainly for the fact that she's marrying Barney, but also for the fact that Robin doesn't seem to be the character who's the most suited to be someone's wife.
The way which this episode voices these concerns is a very natural one. Ted's confession of his true feelings about the bean bag chair is a bit corny, yes, but it's also heartfelt, which is what HIMYM has made its following off of.
On the other hand, Robin's confession to Ted is anything but corny. It's scathingly emotional, in a way that's almost too raw, and the result is an extremely powerful scene. As I've already said, these doubts are no secret. We all knew she had them, but for her to voice them to Ted in such a well-acted and well-written way, well that does not bode well for the upcoming big day.
On the note of that scene being well-acted, Cobie Smulders is frequently overlooked when the actors of this cast are talked about. Perhaps that's because Robin doesn't have the humorous moments that the rest of the characters do, but it's episodes like this one that remind us what a talented actress she is, and she definitely deserves to be commended for her exceptional performance in this episode.
The ending of the episode is certainly very interesting, and provides something that completely changes my outlook going into the last episode of the season. Ted and Robin holding hands, and the looks they gave each other, were much more than friendship. Any notion of that simply being a look of her gratitude needs to be snuffed out before it starts. She gave him the googly eyes. But Ted and Robin are not going to happen. Do we really need to deal with another season of this? I for one, want Ted to have moved on, and Robin to move on as well, even if it isn't to Barney for good.
Ted skipping his interview to go comfort Robin is almost too ridiculous though. Perhaps if it was just an interview to design another cowboy hat restaurant, but it seemed like this was a fairly big one. I get that he's trying to be the good friend, and a part of him will always love her, but there's a certain line that has to be drawn in terms of doing things for others above yourself. This moment crossed that line.
Ted does provide some incredible wisdom at the end, a lesson that everyone should heed. There aren't any signs. We don't need the universe to tell us what we really want. We know what we want inside, without the universe's help. That's a realization Ted has long been lacking, but of course, it's going to be some sort of sign from the universe that eventually brings him together with his future wife.
This episode also served as a solid bounce-back in terms of humor. Ted's ability to pack a lot in his fanny was a hilarious way to open up that end of the plot, and there are few things on the show more enjoyable than watching Ted be overly cocky about something as nerdy as possible. Barney and Robin's dad playing laser tag was also great to watch, with a ton of funny moments to give breaks from the two very emotional plot lines.
This episode serves as a definite bounce-back from the weaker ones we've seen lately. The balance of humor and heartfelt moments the show thrives on was back in a way that has been present far too infrequently this season. While not a great episode, this was definitely a quality one, and it looks like a good ending to season 8 may be in store.
How much of Central Park can Robin dig up without someone showing up to stop her?
New York City – It's like Edmonton, but without arts and culture.
Lily and Marshall's King Kong fetish. Nothing else needs to be said.
Marshall's Sasquatch binders would definitely be a quality read.
Check back next week for my thoughts on the next episode in the eighth season of How I Met Your Mother.


I really haven't been to any garage sales lately but I continue to shop at the consignment shops on my lunch hour. Sometimes.
In the summer, I do miss some days with the extra time needed to keep my flowers watered.
I certainly purchased my share of picture frames recently.
First, this fun, rustic frame was $8 at an antique shop. I have it hung up already, next to my front door in a fall vignette. I will show you the rest of the covered patio vignettes as soon as I can find some real pumpkins. None available yet!
These two very large ($8 each) and 4 medium ($3 each) sized frames were sold at the consignment shop for a photo studio that had gone out of business. All of them are wood and well made. I have a gallery wall in my future!
I bought this pair of rustic white shutters with vignette backdrops in mind for $22.50.
I purchased this Coast-Air vintage fan for $18. I have been wanting one for a while. This one is not terribly old, but in very good shape and usable.
I still am drawn to bone china tea cups and saucers (even though I have slowed down). It was my favorite brand, Royal Albert, in the Silver Birch pattern. $4.
I purchased this white vintage runner with solid embroidery work and crocheted edging for $2.
Finally, I know absolutely nothing about this Ansco Flash Clipper Camera, but for only $8, I didn't think I could go wrong. Cameras are a newer collectible of mine.
I am happy with my purchases, and they didn't cost too awfully much!
Ooh, I would have grabbed the camera for sure!
You got some great stuff! Love that fan.
You came home with some great goodies! Love the camera and the fan.
Hi Carlene! Oh, what great things you've found. Now what are you going to do with all of those picture frames? :) The tea cup is so pretty. Thanks for popping in to see my dolls.
Great finds, Carlene, to get your creative juices going! Love the fan you found.
Amazing finds. Love the shutters!!!
Another great haul! Just how big is that consignment store???!!


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Author: Dr. Jack C. Lane
departmentPlaces
DON'T PASS THE GLASS
In addition to its decorative qualities, the rose window at Knowles Memorial Chapel combines spiritual and academic elements to tell a story for the age
By Dr. Jack C. Lane
'That is, in short, I fain would learn The highest sum that I could earn.'
When a Rollins poet sought more dough, did his boss say yes or no?
A Tenure of Depression and Elation
Rollins didn't hire William Freemont Blackman as a fundraiser. But as the 20th century dawned, that's what he became. Between chasing money and dealing with an eccentric philanthropist, the distinguished educator exhausted himself — but kept the college afloat.
Royal Wilbur France was a high-profile crusader for free speech. But his left-wing politics sometimes antagonized and infuriated Winter Parkers.


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Remote Sensing and Clouds
Older Publications
Chilbolton
The Chilbolton Facility for Atmospheric and Radio Research
Our group has close links with the Chilbolton Observatory in Hampshire, which offers a unique suite of active and passive instruments for measuring clouds, aerosols and precipitation. It is home to the world's largest steerable meteorological radar, whose 25m antenna provides an angular resolution four times higher than typical weather radars.
Many instruments are operated 24/7 providing continuous data sets of cloud and aerosol properties, which allow long-term statistics to be analysed, and are particularly valuable for model evaluation. These data feed into the CloudNet and ACTRIS european networks.
Data collected by the Chilbolton instruments is freely available via the British Atmospheric Data Centre, or by contacting the head of the facility.
CAMRA RADAR
The Chilbolton Advanced Meteorological Radar is installed on the 25m antenna, and has an extremely narrow beam (0.28 degrees 1-way FWHM), allowing very high resolution measurements. The transmitter is a powerful magnetron system, which transmits 500kW pulses. The raw range resolution is 75m. The radar has full dual-polarisation and Doppler capability.
A second fully coherent transmitter system is currently being developed. This TWTA system will allow the use of very long pulses and pulse compression techniques
OTHER RADARS
The 35 GHz Copernicus radar operates 24/7 producing profiles of clouds every 30 s. As well as standard reflectivity and Doppler parameters, it records Doppler spectra samples once per minute. The radar has full dual-polarisation capability.
The 94 GHz Galileo radar operates on an "on-demand" basis. Profiles of clouds are recorded once per second, as well as Doppler spectra profiles once per minute. The radar has recently been upgraded to dual-polarisation, and allows for arbitrary spacing of H and V pulses.
The METEK 35 GHz scanning cloud radar is part of the NCAS Atmospheric Measurement Facility. It is based at Chilbolton, but is mounted on a trailer, and can be deployed on field campaigns. It has a powerful magnetron transmitter which makes it sensitive to weak cloud echoes without the need for pulse compression techniques, and can scan rapidly to build up a 3D view of a cloud field.
The NCAS X-band mobile radar is also part of the Atmospheric Measurement Facility, and will be based at Chilbolton when not being used on field campaigns
Vaisla CL51 lidar ceilometer. This lidar operates 24/7 and provides profiles of clouds and aerosols every 30 s
HALO Doppler Lidar. Doppler capability allows vertical velocity measurements, and retrieval of wind profiles.
A powerful UV Raman lidar is available on-demand. The Raman channel allows retrieval of water vapour profiles.
PASSIVE INSTRUMENTS
Radiometrics Microwave radiometer. Uses a range of channels between 22-28 GHz to retrieve water vapour and liquid water paths, and performs scans to derive profiles.
Cimel Sunphotometer. Retrieves aerosol optical depth during clear sky, and cloud optical depth during overcast conditions (retrievals are available through the AERONET website).
GAUGES, DISDROMETERS AND METEOROLOGICAL SENSORS
Fast-response drop-counting rain gauges. These gauges, built in-house, can measure rainfall in increments as small as 0.0019mm, allowing over 100x higher resolution rainfall than standard tipping-bucket gauges (which sample in 0.2 mm increments)
Joss-Waldvogel RD-80 disdrometers. There is one instrument at Chilbolton itself, and another 7 km away at Sparsholt college.
There are numerous other meteorological sensors at Chilbolton for precipitation, temperature, humidity, heat fluxes, and other parameters. More information is available here
Chilbolton has its own set of webpages here
This pathe news film documents the opening of Chilbolton in 1967
Meteorology Building
Earley Gate
RG6 6BB
Chilbolton website


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Questions That Could Change Your Life
A Free Life
By Ha Jin
672 pages; Pantheon
Nan Wu, the main character in Ha Jin's novel A Free Life (Pantheon), is a Chinese immigrant with a wife and son who has made good on the American Dream but who wishes he were a poet instead. He is intensely literary, and late in the book, suffering with dental problems, he recalls Nabokov's comically misunderstood (and similarly afflicted) scholar, Pnin, another èmigrè from tyranny. Jin's evocation of Nabokov is an apt one to cap this long and lovely book, for it was the Russian Nabokov, writing in alien English, who showed us how peculiar America looks to its many resident strangers. Ha Jin, too, has written all his novels in English. A Free Life is the first set predominantly in the United States rather than Ha Jin's native China, and he portrays American life with an edge of surprise and weirdness. The prose is pared down, almost childlike, with a calculated simplicity that mimics the immigrant's consciousness facing life in a bizarre new place. Yet despite its plain surfaces, the story accumulates a stealth complexity: The Wus' marriage, for instance, evolves from a stoical joint commitment to betterment into something far more tender and emotionally vital. The idea of freedom, too, proves nuanced: Even as a dissident in exile, Wu feels imprisoned, not freed, by his American journey toward prosperity. He wants to be a writer, and after many years makes himself one—the book ends with a marvelous epilogue of Wu's journals and poems. The freedom he seeks is the freedom of art, more radical and dangerous than the merely political, and one Ha Jin has confronted with powerful results.
— Vince Passaro


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Interview with Richard McClenaghan
Posted on 8 March 2016 19 April 2016 by Joe Sullivan
Richard McClenaghan is the Development Officer at the Heritage Lottery Fund. Here he sits down with us to talk funding, ziplining and 26 million words of coded diary entries.
Describe your career path?
I originally trained as an archaeologist and then worked as a Site Assistant for private archaeological companies in Northern Ireland on short-term contracts carrying out digs and surveys before taking on a longer term role as an archaeological site assistant in the Fieldwork Centre at Queen's University Belfast.
After this I worked at Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark as a ranger and guide and worked on park surveys relating to the sustainability and expansion of the park. Feeling the need for some adventure I left Northern Ireland and spent a year in New Zealand working as a general skivvy in hostels before getting a job as a guide at a ski resort and subsequently as a Zipline tour guide (which was amazing and horribly dangerous!).
When I returned home I took up a visitor services role at National Museums Northern Ireland and realised that if I wanted to get ahead I would need to get more training and skills under my belt. I studied for a Masters at the University of York in Cultural Heritage Management; this led to a Project Officer role at Calderdale Museum Service working on an ACE funded project which in turn led to a stint as the Collections and Volunteering Officer for that museum service. I left this position to take on my current role as a Development Officer in the London region for the Heritage Lottery Fund.
What have the next 12 months got in store for you?
In the last few months I have had the opportunity to work on major projects which would normally be dealt with by a more senior member of the team. This has been an exciting opportunity from which I have gained invaluable experience. This has occurred as our longstanding Development Manager left at the end of last year for a new role and, in the interim before a new manager can be appointed, my colleagues and I have taken over their duties. Over the next twelve months many of the major projects I am currently working with will reach the application stage at which point they will be assessed and enter the competitive funding decision stage. I'll continue to work with an array of organisations across London over the next year as well as taking on responsibility for projects in Brent as it becomes one of our Priority Development Areas from April 2016.
What Museum would you like to be locked in overnight?
The museum of beds, free Wi-Fi and pork products.
What's the most encouraging thing a visitor or user has ever said to you?
As part of a previous role I managed a team of volunteers. In one instance I was thanked by one of the volunteers who told me that before she began volunteering with the museum service she had no one and spent her days alone; volunteering with the museum service had helped her to make friends, get a part-time job and enjoy her life again.
The openness of this comment shocked me and made me realise the importance of the job I was doing and in turn the significance of local authority museums and their place in communities.
If you could highlight one Museum Object, either in your own museum or elsewhere, what would it be?
Difficult question… There are so many things in collections ranging from things which are downright tedious to downright weird to bloody marvellous; sometimes they're all three at once!
At Calderdale Museums I carried out quite a bit of work relating to Anne Lister who was an eighteenth century gentle woman and former owner of one of the museum's properties, she was also a successful businesswoman, pioneering mountaineer and general bad ass. She kept a detailed, coded diary of nearly 26 million words detailing her adventures; the code was used to keep her intimate relationships with other women secret. Due to the sheer scale of these diaries only parts have been translated and even less has been published about this remarkable person. The diaries are cared for by the West Yorkshire Archives and items relating to her life can be found at her ancestral home of Shibden Hall, Halifax.
What would you have been if you hadn't been a Development Officer?
I have no idea. I grew up in a very rural community in Northern Ireland (there were twelve people in my primary school class and three of them were second-cousins of mine!), as a teenager I used to drive a JCB for farmers, mainly digging slurry pits and draining fields, so perhaps I'd still be doing that.
You can find Richard at @ric_mcc
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