Category Archives: Rockall

Charles Darwins frog: Endemic Andaman species breeding in unnatural sites due to habitat loss & competition for limited resources  Down To Earth Magazine

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Charles Darwins frog: Endemic Andaman species breeding in unnatural sites due to habitat loss & competition for limited resources - Down To Earth...

'I won the Treble with Man Utd I'd swap Rasmus Hojlund for Darwin Nunez in a heartbeat'  The Mirror

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'I won the Treble with Man Utd I'd swap Rasmus Hojlund for Darwin Nunez in a heartbeat' - The Mirror

Manicures come in every color of the rainbow. While vivid nail looks tend to reign supreme these days, there are plenty of people who prefer more neutral manis. Typically, white, nude, and pale pink make up these nail looksbut what if we told you that brown polish can come into play, too? And its Jennifer Aniston-approved, to boot.

Nail artist and Nailing Hollywood CEO Mazz Hanna and celebrity nail artist Hang Nguyen are big fans of the oft-overlooked brown manicure. To them, Orlys Dont Be Suspicious ($11) is one of the best brown polishes money can buy. Dont Be Suspicious is the most perfect deep chocolate brown shade that perfectly represents those cozy vibes, Hanna says. Its a deep, rich, dark brown shade, Nguyen adds. I love how pigmented this polish is. You really only need two coats.

Of course, thats just one of many brown nail polishes on the market. Ahead, find 20 examples of beautiful brown nail looks, plus pro polish and design tips.

@lolo.nailedit / Instagram

Prefer dark chocolate? This darker, cooler brown nail polish is Les Mains Herms Nail Enamel($57) in the shade 95 Brun Bistre. Gelcare UV Gel Nail Polish ($20) in the shade Espresso is a close match.

@disseynails / Instagram

We love the look of this warm, almost glowing brown and white tortoiseshell swirl nail look. If you wish you had long nails to showcase this brown nail art, know that the manicurist, Dayanna I. Sapiens created it using the Aprs Gel-X Natural Almond Long Box of Tips ($30).

@thehangedit / Instagram

Nguyen created this fun two-tone brown sparkle emoji manicure. To recreate the look at home, use Orly Nail Polish ($11) in the shade Canyon Clay as the base. "It's a beautiful brown shade with an orange undertone," Nguyen says. "This is great for people looking for a warmer undertone."

As for the lighter brown, consider Manucurist Paris Green Natural Nail Polish ($14) in the shade Orme. "If you prefer lighter tones, opt for a beige or taupe such as Manucurist Orme," Hanna says, noting that the tone works well on its own and with any outfit.

@melanated.mani / Instagram

Remember: Brown nail looks aren't boringthey can be sparkly, too. You can DIY this metallic brown nail look at home with Emily Heather Nail Artist Polish ($30) in the shade Liquid Assets.

@disseynails / Instagram

Speaking of sparkle, how stunning are these amber velvet nails? Sapiens created them using Gelcare UV Gel Nail Polish ($20) in the shades Gold Velvet, Argan Oil, and Jelly Brownthe latter of which is one of Hannas faves.

Jelly shades are really fun to experiment with, and Gelcares Jelly Brown is the perfect chocolate jelly shade, she says. Its a great option for nail art like tortoiseshell nails or as a slightly translucent shade on its own.

@melanted.mani / Instagram

These glossy chocolate nails look downright delicious. They were created using the Orly Flawless Collection ($11 each). Other shades you can work into this kind of multi-tone brown nail look include OPI Nail Lacquer ($12) in the shade Cliffside Karaoke. Its a classic chocolate brown polish with a beautiful formula, Nguyen says.

@nails_and_beauty_by_daisy / Instagram

Looking for some simple DIY nail art? This short brown daisy mani is it. To recreate the look, pick out five brown shades of your choosing (or four and one white). Paint a different brown shade on each nail as the base. Then, use a dotting tool to create five little dots on each nail, with a sixth dot in a separate color to serve as the center of the daisy.

@lolo.nailedit / Instagram

Tired of French tips? Consider a half-moon mani instead. To recreate this one, use Orly Half Moon Guides ($6) to block off the base of each nail, then paint above them using Ella Mila Nail Polish ($11) in the shade Night In. Remove the stickers once dry.

@thehangedit / Instagram

Here's another way to add daisy nail art to your brown mani. We love the yin-yang design.

@melanated.mani / Instagram

Love a metallic brown nail look but craving something a bit more decadent? Check out this bronze mani. It was created using Cirque Colors Nail Polish ($11) in the shade Zeitgeist.

@thehangedit / Instagram

It's simple, it's fun, and kind of nostalgic, too. Remember always wanting to paint every nail a different color as a kid? Well, the technique works in adulthood, too.

@thehangedit / Instagram

Instead of a plain, single-color French tip, check out this two-tone apex style. Nguyen created it using Essie Nail Polish ($10) in the shade Mink Muffs (it's been discontinued, but Crochet Away is a similar shade) and J.Hannah Nail Polish ($22) in the shade Carob. You'll need a nail art brush to perfect the overlap.

@disseynails / Instagram

We're swooning over this muddled milk and dark chocolate illusion French manicure. Sapiens created it using Lights Lacquer Nail Polish ($11) in the shades Espresso and The Butler.

@thehangedit / Instagram

While these negative space star nails aren't super intricate, detailing star cutouts at home can be. With that in mind, we suggest bringing this picture as inspo to your next nail appointment.

@disseynails / Instagram

Reddish brown nail looks are especially rich. Just look at this dark chocolate cherry French mani. Sapiens created it using Lights Lacquer Nail Polish ($11) in the shades Americano and Ouid, along with the brand's Gemstone Charms.

@disseynails / Instagram

We can't stop staring at this coffee and cream-inspired swirl mani by Sapiens. If you have a steady hand, you can try recreating it by starting with classic white French tips and then using a nail art brush to trace the wavy brown borders.

@melanated.mani / Instagram

Another metallic brown nail look to round it outthis time, even richer. Anna created this gorgeous, glowing mani using Mooncat Nail Lacquer ($15) in the shades Dark Horse and Bootlegger.

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20 Brown Nail Looks to Rock All Year Long - InStyle

An open letter penned by the We Mean Business Coalition this week calls upon the Heads of State attending COP28 to commit to phasing out fossil fuels entirely from the global energy system. However, the letter ignores the dangerous implications that a total phase-out of fossil fuels would have on international energy security and local communities.

Signed by over 130 major corporations, the letter neglects to consider the consequences of a total slow-down of fossil fuels. For example, petrochemicals, made possible by oil and natural gas, are the building blocks of the world around us. Petroleum products are part of the fabric of our societies: clothing, tires, digital devices, packaging, detergents, and countless other everyday items are made from petroleum products. Without the oil and gas industry, many of the products sold by the signed corporations would simply cease to exist such as Ikeas furniture, eBays packaging, Unilevers product lines, or Volvos cars, not to mention how each of these companies transports their products around the world.

The letter also instructs world leaders to triple existing global renewable electricity capacity to at least 11,000 GW. As previously explained by EID, petroleum products are vital for the production of wind turbines and solar panels, two of the most readily-deployable technologies for renewable energy generation.

Further, halting fossil fuel production will put global energy security in jeopardy. The intermittency of technologies such as wind and solar mean that when the wind isnt blowing or the sun isnt shining, we still need baseload power like fossil fuels to rely on.

The letter also calls for leaders to support countries in the Global South in diversifying their energy systems. As previously explained by EID, policies aimed at disincentivizing oil and gas, such as the UK windfall tax, serve only to hurt energy security and local communities. This is particularly true for the Global South, where fossil fuels are crucial to propping up underinvested grid infrastructures and act as a lifeline for off-grid communities. The International Energy Agency estimates that over 700 million people do not have access to electricity. Many of these people rely on fossil-based fuels, such as liquid petroleum gas, for heating and cooking.

As James Rockall, the CEO of the World Liquid Petroleum Gas Association, explains:

These off-grid communities are among those most at risk of being left behind by the energy transition. While some areas are already benefitting from renewable energy sources, it remains a distant solution for many. Solar and wind installations require a robust and modern power grid, can be costly to transport and install, and struggle to deliver consistent energy. Operational and maintenance costs can vary significantly, and energy storage continues to pose a tricky problem. These factors all point to a continued demand for liquid gas.(emphasis added)

Similarly, a Center for Strategic and International Studies analysis of United Nations datafoundthat advanced economies, or the Global North, cannot try to impose strict climate actions on the developing world that could negatively impact economic growth.

This points to a continued need for fossil fuels, as underscored by Joe Lassiter, professor of management practice in environmental management at Harvard Business School:

I will be very, very surprised if oil usage peaks in the foreseeable future, meaning a few decades from now. Theres no reason to believe that the global South wont take any barrel thats produced anywhere in the world.

Bottom line: The role the oil and gas sector will play in the energy transition must be acknowledged if COP28 is to be effective. Consultation with all parties especially the industry responsible for supplying the world with critical energy resources and an inclusive dialogue is essential to achieving a truly just and secure energy transition.

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'We Mean Business' Coalition's COP28 Manifesto Neglects Major ... - Energy In Depth

Kardi Somerfield (left) with student Poppy Lloyd

Brainchild of Senior Marketing Lecturer Kardi Somerfield, the I Spy installation depicts hundreds of people, real, or inspired by real people, as well as the architecture and folklore of the town.

Visitors interact by going online and accepting Wheres Wally style challenges to find particular people, buildings or hidden elements in the installation.

Kardi said she has worked over the last few months with the Universitys Catering and Commercial Manager Chris Rockall, and her marketing students who helped with some of the research towards the project.

Born in Yorkshire, Kardi said: This has been all my weekends for the last two months, its been fun collaborating with Chris and the students because everyones got an opinion about what should be in here.

Ive been drawing Northampton for years and what I think my illustrations capture about Northampton and why I was probably asked to do it, therere an affectionate view of this town.

While there are lovely buildings, its not chocolate boxy, but it is interesting. Its quirky, its colourful, and its a little bit rebellious and I think this really speaks about my love of this place and its people.

Anyone who thinks nothing happens in Northampton just needs to look at this, theres so much going on, its really cool town.

Third year Marketing student Poppy Lloyd grew up in Northampton and jumped at the chance to help out. She said: It captures community and characters. Theres an endless number of interesting characters knocking around Northampton, but theres a real community feeling in the town.

Its a very big town and there are a lot of villages, but everyone watches out for everyone else and hopefully this will bring more people into the University and theyll see we are very much part of the community too.

Chris Rockall added: "This interactive element is an exciting addition to The Waterside Restaurant, which was made possible by the recent expansion of a new Games Room.

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The wall is in a space which is open to the public as well as students so we hope it will be a source of enjoyment and engagement for our diners."

The Waterside Bar & Restaurant is located on the University of Northamptons Waterside Campus. With its picturesque views of the Nene Waterside, the restaurant is open to the public.

Locals and visitors are welcome to drop in to enjoy lunch, dinner or one of the student-led events during the week. To learn more about The Waterside Bar & Restaurant, please visit watersidebarandrestaurant.com.

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Affectionate love letter to Northampton - interactive art welcomes visitors to University bar - Yahoo News UK

After falling down by 15 points at halftime, the new-look Golden State Warriors looked like they were heading toward a blowout loss on the opening night of the 2023-24 NBA season. However, with an inspired third-quarter run, led by Chris Paul, the Warriors catapulted into an eight-point lead at the start of the final frame.

Despite their third-quarter explosion, the Warriors still had no answer for Devin Booker, Josh Okogie and Jusuf Nurkic down the stretch. Booker helped seal the Suns 108-104 win in a thriller with decisive playmaking in the final minutes.

The Warriors didnt help themselves against the Suns, with poor shooting, missing 15 layups in the game and only shooting 35.5% from the field and 23.6% from beyond the arc against the Suns.

Following the Warriors loss on opening night, heres a look at some of the studs and duds from Tuesdays game at Chase Center in San Francisco.

This post originally appeared onWarriors Wire! Follow us onFacebookandTwitter!

Theres no doubt Chris Pauls jumper needed to shake off some rust on Tuesday night. The veteran point guard posted an ugly 4-of-15 shooting from the field and an even uglier 0-of-6 from deep against the Suns. Yet, lets look at Pauls performance with a glass-half-full approach.

Paul fueled the Warriors comeback in the third quarter, and we got to see a glimpse of what Mike Dunleavy Jr. envisioned with the 12-time All-Star in Steve Kerrs rotation.

In the third quarter alone, Paul tallied 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting from the field to go along with four rebounds and two assists. Paul also got to the free-throw line twice by baiting fouls in his signature fashion.

Paul finished the game with only one turnover in 31 minutes.

On the other side of the floor, Paul played solid defense to slow down the Suns explosive offense.

Despite scoring 10 points, Andrew Wiggins was essentially invisible on Tuesday night. The former All-Star shot just 4-of-12 from the field and 0-3 from beyond the arc. Wiggins also only registered one rebound with zero assists against the Suns.

Late in the game, with the score tight, Steve Kerr opted to use Jonathan Kuminga in the closing lineup instead of Wiggins.

For the Warriors to contend in the Western Conference, they will simply need Wiggins to be better. To hang with teams like the Suns, the Warriors will need Wiggins to answer the bell.

After a slow start by Golden States veterans, Moses Moody came off the bench and provided a much-needed spark. Moody was one of the few members of the Warriors to shoot the ball well, hitting a pair of clutch 3-pointers.

Shades of Andre Iguodala, Moody also gave the Warriors some juice on defense, swiping a career-high three steals.

The Arkansas product finished with 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting with three rebounds and three steals in 18 minutes off the bench.

The Warriors started the season ice-cold from beyond the arc.

The Splash Brothers backcourt of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson couldnt spark Golden States long-distance attack, finishing a combined 7-of-25 from deep.

Chris Paul, Gary Payton II and Andrew Wiggins combined to go 0-11 from behind the 3-point line against the Suns. Moses Moody and Dario Saric were the only other members of the Warriors to see the ball go through the net from deep.

Whenever Curry and Thompson lead your offense, you will need to rely on 3-point shooting. However, it was nowhere to be found on Tuesday. The Warriors finished shooting a rough 23.3% from deep (23.3%).

With the addition of Chris Paul, there was a heavy emphasis on turnovers during the offseason. Last season, the Warriors lead the NBA with 16.3 turnovers.

On Tuesday, the Warriors only registered 11 turnovers. Through the first three quarters, the Warriors notched only six turnovers. While the Warriors kept the ball tight, the Suns tossed the rock all over the court on Tuesday. The Suns punched 19 turnovers on Tuesday. However, the Warriors turned the ball over five times in the fourth quarter when it mattered most.

Steph Curry only dished out two turnovers. Klay Thompson led the team with only three turnovers. Andrew Wiggins, Dario Saric and Gary Payton II all played over 20 minutes without committing a turnover.

Despite winning the turnover differential battle, it wasnt enough to keep pace with the Suns on Tuesday night.

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Studs and Duds from Warriors' 108-104 loss to Suns on opening night - Warriors Wire

On one hand, the Daily Show guest host carousel is a fun way to see a mix of different comedic personas. On the other, its also a job interview of sorts, with each candidate bringing their own hopes and dreams to the process. For correspondents, maybe that means a chance to show with they can do at the desk. For some other hosts, its maybe about a return to their comedy roots.

This weeks host, Desus Nice, is a little different. For one, he told me that he doesnt know that hes a fit for the full-time job. That doesnt mean he wouldnt happily take it if offered (and hes extremely excited about the opportunity to host the show), but it also creates this idea that hes not approaching it like a candidate so much as hes approaching it as a comic, fan of the show, and someone who just wants to absolutely crush this for crushings sake.

In the following conversation, we get into what Nices Daily Show week is gonna be, the question of expanding perceptions, peoples association of him with his former comedy partner and Desus & Mero co-host Kid Mero, not worrying about the people who arent into him, and how hes New York even when living in LA part-time.

You mentioned being bi-coastal for a time for work and then you were out there during the strike. When youre away from New York, do you still feel like youre like a road team? Are you feeling comfortable in LA?

You know what? It really feels like Im going away for college. I feel like Emily in Paris. It doesnt feel real because one of the weirdest things is Im in LA, but I still have my cable from New York City. So I dont see any LA news. Im just watching New York 1. So Im sitting there in my living room watching Eric Adams just destroy the city and I have no idea whats going on in LA. I know nothing about the weather, traffic, any events, nothing.

Everything that happens, I know about it. Im calling my friends in New York like, Oh, my God. Its going to rain on Friday. Make sure you guys put the sandbag by your door because it might be another flood. And theyre like, How do you know about this before I do? And I was like, I miss home like that. But then also being out in LA, Ive been out there long enough that now Im starting to pick up the vibes of LA, learning neighborhoods, learning restaurants, got a little crew of friends out there. Its cool. Its totally different than my New York experience. Actually, its a good experience. It gives you a lot to make jokes about and references. And then you can reference stuff like you can reference Glendale and Erewhon, Eagle Rock, all these very neat LA references that people were like, Oh, wow. Hes really doing LA.

So youre at home watching, New York 1 in your Emily in Paris beret?

Yes, eating a baguette.

Ive talked to a few people whove done the guest host thing. Roy Wood Jr. had a great take on the responsibility that comes with hosting. Im curious how you view the responsibility of what youre about to step into with that chair.

Well, first of all, shout out to Roy. Roy is a great guy. He hit me up as soon as the announcement came out, and he was texting me, he gave me advice, gave me his blessings. Ive known him for a while, and hes an amazing guy. Hes a comedians comedian. As far as hosting, this is just huge. This is a show I grew up watching. This is a show that is so diverse and so many different people watch it. Theres one point in time when this was how people got their news, people only watching The Daily Show. You cant go on there and not do your homework. You cant go in there and not know information or know whats going on in the geopolitical world. At the same time youre going up there, this is not something that they offer to just subpar people. You look at the list of people who are hosting, its Leslie Jones, Sarah Silverman. These are established people. So Im just like, Yo, I have to do this. I have to do my thing here. But at the same time, its like the people who picked me for this was like, No, youre built for this and we cant wait to see you on this.

Its super exciting and its just also, I havent been on TV in so long that I miss it. Im just so hungry to get back in the studio and get back in front of the camera, and just even filming the man on the street stuff, just being back in the studio, and doing hair and makeup, and talking to the writers and doing the scripts. I miss that so much and that used to make me so happy during on my old shows. Im just so happy to be back doing it, especially on The Daily Show. Thats wild. I was walking through the airport and this guy, I didnt even know him, and he was like, Yo, Desus. You better kill it on The Daily Show. I was like, Yo, people I dont even know are rooting for me. Its an amazing feeling, man.

Obviously, the weight of the show is what the weight of the show is, but like you said, they picked you for this for a reason. Is this, The Daily Show with Desus Nice, or is this Desus Nices version of The Daily Show?

I think this is more The Daily Show with Desus Nice because its more scripted. Im more off the cuff, just kind of freestyling off the top of my head. But sometimes you need actual numbers, you need a little more direction because youve seen some of the last shows Ive done, they just be going everywhere. With The Daily Show, its like, No, you have points to make, you have topics to discuss. But I think shout out to the writers. Working with them, they get me and I get them. Were kind of weaving a narrative that works on both levels. So hopefully, I can add my little je ne sais quoi to The Daily Show.

What are some of the drawbacks and benefits to being forever associated with a comedy partner, like with you and Mero?

I think one of the drawbacks is people tend to think of the group instead of the two individuals, because were both established comedians and we both bring different things to the table. Another thing is sometimes people dont realize people grow and you have to accept the growth. So many people are forever going to compare you to the group versus the individual, so they wont actually give you a chance to be an individual. Theyre going to be like, I want the old thing. I want the old thing. Its like, The old thing isnt there anymore. So this new thing, either accept it or not. It kind of sucks, but thats growth, and thats life. Listen, a caterpillar has to go into a cocoon to become a butterfly. I dont know what that means, but I read that in a book.

Youre a butterfly, absolutely. I agree.

Thank you.

Is this an opportunity for you to broaden the perception of you as an entertainer, as a comedic voice, as a powerful voice on culture? Was that part of the appeal of this also?

Yeah, absolutely, because if you look at my Tweets, Im pretty smart. Ive always talked on a high level. Ive always talked on many diverse issues. I think recently, people, for some reason, have thought Im stupid. People think all I know is, Youre Yankee-fitted, chop cheese and Timberland Boots, and its like, No, I can talk about other things. I used to sell domain names internationally. But this is kind of like Jay-Z said, Allow me to reintroduce myself, and its a chance for people who have never seen me to become introduced to the world of Desus, a very smart person who curses a lot.

For sure. I think anybody whos paid attention knows that, but its going to be great to see you get a chance to blow up and talk about stuff on the international stage. Obviously, the subject matter on The Daily Show is a little bit different than stuff from the old show.

Has a little more meat on the bone. And then also, we got that good Viacom budget so we can actually show videos.

The Daily Show with Desus Nice airs this week, Monday through Thursday, on Comedy Central at 11PM ET

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Desus Nice Interview: 'The Daily Show' And 'Desus & Mero' - UPROXX

Last year the Shady Spring girls and the PikeView boys broke long regional championship title droughts.

Evidently the Tigers and the Panthers enjoy the view from the top.

Coming into the 2023 Region 3 cross country championship as the favorites to repeat, both teams were up to the challenge.

The Shady Spring girls placed all five scoring runners in the top-10 to beat second place Herbert Hoover by 39 points.

I was really proud of my girls. They exceeded my expectations today, Shady Spring head coach Eric Lawson said. I am happy as can be with them. They work so hard and they deserve to reap the benefits of it.

The Panthers on the other hand had to fend off a strong challenge from the Shady Spring boys squad, slipping past the Tigers by seven points to earn their back-to-back crown.

Starting the year I said our boys team was super-duper young, but they were hungry. They made PikeView sweat today and that is what I wanted, Lawson said. We knew PikeView was the favorite and they are such a good team. We wanted to go down fighting and that is what we did.

Just like the Coalfield Conference meet a week ago, Bre Crouse and Gwynn McGinnis led the charge for the Lady Tigers placing second and third, respectively.

I knew once Bre Crouse got going she was going to be hard to stop, Lawson said. She ran 24 minutes at (the) PikeView (Invitational) and two weeks later she was running 21 (minutes). She ran 21 again today. She is an animal. I would go to war with that girl any day. She is awesome.

Junior Journey Wisthoff, who has been a solid rock all year for Lawsons bunch, came home sixth followed by freshman Audrey Justice in seventh place. Junior Abby Honaker rounded out the scoring for Shady Spring in tenth place.

This group is tight. They hype each other up and they have each others backs, Lawson said. They run for each other on both the boys and girls side. It is not an individual thing. They are all happy to have team success. Of course, individual success breeds team success, but they are more worried about how are we doing, not how am I doing.

Herbert Hoover finished second in the girls team competition to punch its ticket along with Shady Spring to the state meet Oct. 28 at Cabell Midland High School.

The Huskies scoring came from five underclassmen including regional champion Jenna Brown.

Crouse battled Brown to the end with the Hoover sophomore holding on for the victory by five seconds.

I knew it was going to be a hard race coming in, so I just stayed focused and tried my best. Brown said. It put everything in me to finish. I could hear them behind me, so I was a little nervous. I was struggling on all of the hills. I also had a soccer game last night, so I was pretty tired from that. It was a little rough.

After a fourth-place finish last year in the regional run, Brown admitted she didnt think she would win the race, she was pushing herself for another reason.

I really wanted our team to qualify (for states), so I was really just running for our team, Brown said.

Freshman Bella Haas was 11th and sophomore Reese Holbert was 12th for the Huskies, while freshman Eden Niewierowski was 21st and sophomore Carli Monk was 25th.

The top-10 finishers that were not on the two qualifying teams also earned a spot at the state meet.

Carli Spade from PikeView was fourth, while Kyndal Lusk from Wyoming East was fifth. Nicholas County teammates Adrienne Truman and Haley Johnson finished eighth and ninth, respectively.

Lusk, who moved over from Westside to Wyoming East to play basketball, saved her best run for just the right time.

This feels really good. I beat a couple of girls today that I havent beat before. I felt pretty good the whole way and I love this feeling, Lusk said, smiling. My goal was to stay with Journey (Wisthoff) and try to get by runners one by one. I hadnt beat her all season.

The Panthers had a couple of holes to fill from graduation last year and the PikeView running factory sent up freshman Tyler Huffman who has been dominate all year.

Huffman finished second Thursday followed by junior teammates Matt Murphy in fifth place and Nate Cook in 10th. Sophomores Jonah Nolan (12th) and Elijah Keaton (16th) added to the Panthers strong effort on the day.

Our boys team has worked really hard. We are very excited that all of their hard work paid off today, PikeView head coach Sandra Webb said.

Murphy, Cook and Nolan were also a key components on last years team, but Huffman has been a difference maker.

This feels pretty good. We came in a little more prepared this year, Murphy said. We lost Braden Ward who is running at Concord and Kaleb Blankenship who was a good runner. Tyler is just a phenomenal freshman and he has been holding us together right now.

Three teams on the boys side qualified for the state tournament, including second place Shady Spring and Nicholas County in third.

Freshman Logan Malott was the first Tiger across the line in sixth place followed by junior Eli Jordan in eighth place. Junior David Hegele raced home in 11th place, while sophomore David Northrop was 13th and junior Vaughn York was 15th.

Nicholas County was powered by a pair of juniors in regional champion Johnny Walkup and Luke Barr in third place.

Junior Isaiah Miner was 26th for the Grizzlies with senior Sam Feinstein crossing 29th and sophomore Maverick Smith was 31st.

Walkup was also the Coalfield Conference champion last week, edging Barr for the title.

This is my first regional win and it feels good. I have won a couple of meets, but this regional meet definitely is the best to be at the top spot, Walkup said. The course was tough. Tyler Huffman from PikeView was really pushing the pace and making us work harder. The course had a lot of deceiving hills. I felt confident coming through at the two, two-and-a-half mile mark. I had faith in myself and I tried to have a strong finish.

With three teams qualifying on the boys side, individual spots were hard to come by Thursday, but three runners worked themselves into that top-10 group.

Sawyer Dobbins from Clay County was fourth, while Hank Marson from Bluefield was seventh and Jadon Acord from Liberty was ninth overall.

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Regional Cross Country: Shady Spring girls and PikeView boys ... - Lootpress

I met Claire Edwards in the Field of Light, a desert vale of 50,000 tulip-like solar-powered electric flowers that bloom by night on the edge of the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in the arid heart of Australia. Shed been working at the Ayers Rock Resort for four years, spending weekends exploring the outback alone in search of the abandoned homesteads of settlers who had tried living in harsh, remote environments, and died trying.

Shed driven 400 miles west into the Gibson Desert, 500 east to the Simpson Desert, 1,000 miles north to Wolfe Creek and to distant, empty places in the south that Google will never find. Clearly a connoisseur of solitude, she was the obvious person from whom to seek advice; how could I have that massive red rock all to myself?

Im not generally so selfish, and at 348 metres high (1,142ft), with a circumference of nearly six miles and weighing 1.4 billion tonnes, Uluru does offer plenty of sandstone to go around. But unlike, say, Everest, which needs tourists for context, or Yosemite, which can absorb a crowd, or the wilds of Namibias Kaokoveld, where the dust plume of a distant car brings more relief than dismay, the fragile spell cast by this 500 million-year-old rock is too easily shattered by a crowd.

Western anthropologists call the indigenous creation myth the Dreaming

KERRIE KERR/GETTY IMAGES

When the English explorer William Gosse arrived here in July 1873 he found the inselberg riddled with holes and riven with gullies down which poured water from rain-fed springs. It was, he wrote, certainly the most wonderful natural feature I have ever seen, and then, in the manner of a typical bloody tourist, he climbed it.

Like the thousands who came after him, he might as well have been scrambling across the roof of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, because just as that is the holiest church in Christendom, so Uluru is the most sacred site in Australia.

In the language of the Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara people, or Anangu, on whose land the monolith lies, Uluru means big stone. And thats exactly what it is a giant lump of sandstone that extends a mile and a half below the surface. Long Tom Tjapanangkas painting Uluru with Shadows strips it back to the elements: red rock, black shadows, yellow land and sky.

Understanding its cultural significance is another matter. When the first colonists arrived on a continent that Cook had 18 years earlier declared terra nullius empty land there were an estimated 750,000 Indigenous Australians living here. Theirs is the longest continuous cultural history of any group of people on Earth, rooted in a creation myth that western anthropologists called the Dreaming.

We are not dealing with a simple word-to-word translation such as yonga equals kangaroo, but with a complex metaphysical and spiritual concept for which there is simply no adequate English rendering, wrote the late Australian novelist Colin Johnson in his book Master of the Ghost Dreaming.

The Dreaming, the artist Wally Caruana once said, is not unreality, but a state of reality beyond the mundane a trance-like state in which contact is made with the ancestral spirits, or Tjukuritja, that arrived in a featureless, pre-human world.

Their conflicts and other interactions created all that we see today, and like the paths they travelled the iwara, or songlines the Tjukuritja are still around today; you just have to know what youre looking for.

So on the one hand Uluru is the most sacred of Aboriginal sites a landmark that offers tangible proof of what is seen in the Dreaming and a physical link to 65,000 years of culture and on the other its a bucket-list tick box best grammed at dusk or dawn and which you could still climb until 2019.

Mutitjulu Waterhole

ALAMY

But I dont want to climb it. Or gram it. I just want a bit of solitude and silence within which I may or may not feel its sacred glow. The problem is that everyone who comes to see Uluru is crammed together in the tourist village at Yulara and apart from the artificial attractions of the Field of Light and the new Wintjiri Wiru drone show there are basically just three things to do: watch the rock at sunrise; go for a walk around the rock after sunrise; watch the rock at sunset.

The first option is a sparsely attended example of the intention-action gap, and the trick is to let whoever else has made the 15-mile drive to the sunrise viewing site Talinguru Nyakunytjaku make the first move. They all head for the nearest viewpoint, so you walk to the furthest. Its not quite far enough to be out of earshot, but its as peaceful as you can get around here at this time of day.

Option two seems like a lovely idea, but is fraught with, well, people wobbling on bikes, panting in Lycra, pouting for pics and even on Segways. I gave up and went to Mutitjulu, the village at the foot of the rock.

The Anangu who live here campaigned for years to regain custody of their sacred rock, but it would be inaccurate to say that theyre getting rich on the back of Australias most famous natural attraction. The community receive 25 per cent of national park receipts, as well as the profits from a souvenir shop, caf and art centre. Park revenue alone is estimated at 13 million for 2023, but that money has to be spent on projects in communities spread across 300,000 square miles. In the meantime, Mutitjulu has a swimming pool, but lacks reliable water, power supplies and sewage disposal.

The National Indigenous Training Academy (NITA) runs apprenticeships for waiting staff, cleaners, receptionists and porters at the Ayers Rock Resort, which is owned by the Australian governments Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation, and while a handful of so-called cultural experiences are on offer, there seems to be very limited locally led involvement in the Uluru tourism industry.

Where were all the indigenous entrepreneurs, tour leaders, nature guides and storytellers? They arent that interested, a member of the national park staff told me. They need the money, but many would rather there were no tourists here.

That raises a moral and ethical dilemma: if the locals dont want us here, why are we still coming?

But maybe Anangu opinions dont matter here. In 2017 the Uluru Statement from the Heart called on the government to change the constitution to include indigenous voices in parliament and establish a truth-and-reconciliation commission. Last week six out of ten Australians voted against that proposal.

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Every public-facing entity in Australia corporations, educational and administrative establishments pays diligent lip service to the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work and live, adding their respect to Elders past, present and emerging. But the majority clearly dont want to hear their voices on matters beyond dot painting, Dreaming or didgeridoos.

Sunset is the final activity at Uluru, and it was now that Edwards advice applied. Everyone leaves for dinner the moment the sun dips below the horizon, she said. You should stay. Youll see why.

She was right. The camper vans, 4x4s and rental cars left moments after dusk, and when the dust cleared Uluru was fading into the darkness but fading slower than the eastern sky, so as the half-moon rose over its right shoulder the rock appeared to glow.

A red centre road in the Australian outback

FELIX CESARE/GETTY IMAGES

The wind picked up and, as the spinifex sighed, Uluru burnt like red-hot iron in the deepening darkness. The viewpoint is at least a mile from the monolith, but it seemed to me that I could feel it radiating the days heat. It faded slowly, like a dying ember, then became one with the night.

Chris Haslam was a guest of Tourism Australia (australia.com). Twelve nights room only from 2,899pp, including flights and car hire, on the Sydney, Rock and Reef tour the classic first-time itinerary, with two nights at Uluru (travelbag.co.uk). Guests must have special permissions in place via Mutitjulu Community Aboriginal Corporation (MCAC) to visit Mutitjulu

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Australia has been slow to promote tourist attractions owned and operated by the indigenous community, but the number of options are increasing. Tourism Australia launched the Discover Aboriginal Experiences initiative in March, offering more than 160 excursions from 45 businesses, all led by Indigenous Australian guides (discoveraboriginalexperiences.com). Here are three of the best.

1. Wajaana Yaam Adventure Tours, New South Wales For thousands of years the Gumbaynggirr people of Coffs Harbour have propelled their canoes standing up, and thus have a credible claim to be the original stand-up paddleboarders. Wajaana Yaams five-hour adventure paddle is a guided tour through the wild hinterland of Coffs, Moonee and Red Rocks creeks, visiting ancient sites, hearing local stories and eating traditional bush tucker (from 183pp; wajaanayaam.com.au). Stay at the Pacific Marina Apartments in the Jetty precinct, close to North Wall beach. Details One nights self-catering for two from 130 (pacificmarina.com.au). Fly to Coffs Harbour

Wajaana Yaam Gumbaynggirr Adventure Tours

2. Wukalina Walk, Tasmania Join guides from the Palawa community for a four-day hike through the Trawlwoolway country, along the northeast shore of Tasmania, climbing Wukalina (Mount William National Park) and wandering the beaches of the Bay of Fires. Youll camp in some comfort, learning local foraging techniques, discovering the wildlife and, by night, listening to the stories of Palawa elders. The hiking is easy 12 miles is the furthest distance covered in one day and the last night is spent at the Eddystone Point Lighthouse. Details Three nights full board from 1,500pp (wukalinawalk.com.au). Fly to Hobart

The Bay of Fires

JOHN WHITE/GETTY IMAGES

3. Wintjiri Wiru, Northern Territory Two hours after the Uluru sunset, lasers light up the bush and 1,100 drones take to the air, forming shapes and images to illustrate the inma, or sacred stories, sung by locals. The tech is supplied by Bruce Ramus, the man behind U2s light shows. The script is by the people of the Pitjantjatjara community. The experience, run by Ayers Rock Resort, is perhaps as close as we will come to the Dreaming (from 100; ayersrockresort.com.au). The Outback Hotel & Lodge at Yulara is the best value of the resorts hotels. Details Room-only doubles from 95 (ayersrockresort.com.au). Fly to Ayers Rock

Wintjiri Wiru

JAMES D MORGAN/GETTY IMAGES

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