Las Cruces High School head football coach Jim Miller will open fall practice this Monday with a proven championship formula in place for his program.
With fall football practices opening Monday, the annual question of which local program will compete for a state championship will be asked, continuously, well into the fall semester.
Las Cruces High's coming off a state title performance last season, and Mayfield should bring back talent, starting at quarterback, where Kavika Johnson returns after opening eyes during his sophomore campaign.
Perhaps O?ate can show improvement, and Gadsden can continue it's progression under second-year head coach Roy Gerela.
With that being said, this district always seems to come down to the Bulldawgs and Trojans. And while there's been plenty of pre-season chatter regarding Mayfield's returning talent, lets not overlook the Bulldawgs successful program, winning ways, or championship pedigree.
This is a team coming off yet another state title in 2013 - the fifth for head coach Jim Miller, who holds a 5-0 record in such championship affairs.
The Bulldawgs do have to replace some key pieces off last season's squad: namely, an offensive line that dominated New Mexico High School competition, and an All-State quarterback in Jonathan Joy. Those two areas were primary contributing factors for Las Cruces High's offense being virtually unstoppable a year ago, a fact that was no more apparent than late in the season, when LCHS
rolled the state playoff competition in it's path.
With that being said, this team does bring back some very good football players to it's roster.
Running back J.J. Granados was a touchdown machine last year, and he'll be asked to carry a heavy load once again. He'll be flanked by some other talented pieces in the backfield: Austin Salas and do-it-all threat J.R. Hernandez to summarize some of the supporting cast.
Sam Denmark is also primed for a monster season, after being a front-line performer at tight end and linebacker a season ago.
Perhaps the Bulldawgs 2013 season could rest on two entities, however: for one, the ability of Miller's sophomore son, Kameron, to replace Joy at quarterback. No doubt the younger Miller has talent, and if he ends up being close to what his father was (a former state-championship quarterback at Roswell High and later a star for the New Mexico State Aggies), he'll be a heckuva player. With that being said, Miller did in fact look like a freshman player last year, and will have to grow up quickly entering his sophomore campaign for LCHS to compete at a similarly high level.
The other will be the Bulldawgs' ability to make up for their losses along the offensive line although, while the unit shouldn't be as dominant as a season ago, perhaps it can pick up adequately enough to protect Miller and company.
Will the 2013 campaign bring back-to-back state championships to the Bulldawgs football program? That could be a tall order. But don't count them out either, as one of the state's top teams. Or as the team to beat in district, for that matter.
Sports Editor Teddy Feinberg can be reached at 575-541-5455
SAN ANTONIO (Aug. 2, 2013) -- A group that got its start in Army Entertainment is the driving force behind the American Military Spouses Choir, an "America's Got Talent" quarterfinalist scheduled to perform Aug. 6 at Radio City Music Hall in New York.
The show will be televised live at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.
The American Military Spouses Choir competing on "America's Got Talent" consists of 37 spouses of active-duty military personnel, including 10 Army wives whose husbands range in rank from sergeant to major general. All told, there are 50 military spouses in the choir, ranging in age from 19 to 54, whose husbands range in rank from corporal to two-star general.
The group is the brainchild of Victor Hurtado, an Army Entertainment veteran who has performed in and directed programs such as the U.S. Army Soldier Show, Operation Rising Star, Military Idol and Stars of Tomorrow, among others, for nearly three decades. Hurtado also founded CAMMO, a non-profit Center for American Military Music Opportunities, which supports the military wives choir.
The group was assembled for a May 6 performance at the 2012 Kennedy Center Spring Gala: An Evening with David Foster & Friends in Washington, where they sang "The Promise That We Make," an original song co-written by Charlie Midnight, who penned "Living in America" for James Brown, and Bernie Herms, who arranged the Natalie Grant version of "Joy to the World."
"They were supposed to do a one-night performance at the Kennedy Center," Hurtado deadpanned. "And, oh, by the way, I put them together over the Internet while directing the last two weeks of Soldier Show last year."
Several clips of Foster introducing the American Military Spouses Choir are available on YouTube, as is footage of them singing "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" on "America's Got Talent."
The lead vocalist for that number, Melissa Gomez, won Army Entertainment's 2010 Operation Rising Star, a military singing contest about to embark on its ninth season.
"Melissa has risen to the top from the very beginning," Hurtado said. "Her training that she got over the years with Army Entertainment was extremely evident."
The military wives climbed their first mountain, which obviously was not high enough, May 10 in Chicago, and advanced to the second round in Las Vegas, where they were told July 16 to pack their bags for a trip to New York City.
"Their performance was strong enough to put them through," said Hurtado, who explained that 60 acts advanced to the "America's Got Talent" quarterfinals in New York, where 12 will perform each week for five weeks. "There were a few that were put through without having to perform again [in Las Vegas]. It's going to keep going because these ladies ain't playin'."
Vicki Golding, Army Entertainment's 2006 Military Idol champion, is the choirmaster for the American Military Spouses Choir.
"She is the reason why we're able to do what we do," Hurtado said. "I send her the arrangements, she writes out the parts, and then Joey [Beebe] checks our work. She has become a real viable music director/choirmaster."
Beebe, another former Soldier Show performer, currently serves as music director of Army Entertainment's marquee program. He also works with Soldiers and military family members competing in Operation Rising Star.
"Joey Beebe is the music director for CAMMO, so that makes him the music director for all the artists that fall under CAMMO," Hurtado said. "When the ladies first met -- they actually met the night before the gig at the Kennedy Center. They had never met before. And Joey has had that choir since that night. He taught them the song. He made it sound amazing. And they performed the next day at the Kennedy Center.
"David Foster said it was some of the best vocal choral work, dynamically, musically, pitch-wise, everything, that he had ever experienced in his life. And he told Joey that himself. Joey just stood there and listened. I've never seen Joey at a loss for words like that before."
Ron Henry, another former Army Entertainment performer and original member of the 4TROOPS recording group, also helps the American Military Spouses Choir.
"He's in line to work with the ladies when one of us is not there," Hurtado said. "Vicki, Joey, Ron and I have all groomed so well that we can all sing, fill in for 4TROOPS, or conduct a choir. To have that sort of stable, that we are all interchangeable like that, is pretty satisfying for someone who had Sgt. Henry coming to Alaska with me, and Spc. Beebe coming to be the first assistant director, or Vicki Golding, who won Military Idol and sings so beautifully and is such a skilled music director. Who knew, right?"
And then there are the ladies getting it done on stage for their troops.
"I have been a military spouse for 34 years and this choir experience validates what I have learned about all military spouses," said Karen Gravlin Bartell of Fort Eustis, Va. "They are strong, loyal, resourceful, supportive, kind-hearted, honest and, of course, talented. "America's Got Talent" and Radio City Music Hall are giving us the chance to show that to America."
"I love being part of a choir that sings in tribute to our military," said Michelle Gable of Fort Meade, Md. "I sing to say 'thank you.' I sing to say 'I love you.' I sing so that those who are silent will be remembered."
"Being in the choir is a dream come true for me," said Gomez, an Army veteran and spouse with the 7th Special Forces Group at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. "I feel I am part of something so special that is afforded to me because I am a military spouse. Being in New York is still surreal! Performing at Radio City Music Hall solidifies our status as true artists in the music industry and our cause is one worthy of recognition."
"First and foremost, I am in total awe, total shock of where we are now: New York City!" said Yari Dominguez of Fort Rucker, Ala. "And we'll be performing at Radio City Music Hall, where the big dogs perform - where legends have paved that path for others' dreams. It's a true honor to be singing with such an amazing group of ladies, knowing we all represent and stand for the same reason. It's a blessing - a once in a lifetime experience."
"This experience for me is more than just a competition," said Crystal Wood of Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C. "This choir has given me a sisterhood and a support system that I have never had. The love and support we have received from not only military families, but also from the public, is incredible. So many times as a military family, we are isolated and struggle alone. Since being on the show, so many families have said that we have inspired them, when in fact their support has inspired us. We are representing not only military families but also anyone who has been separated from their loved ones or experienced difficult situations. We are a beacon of hope for so many, that no matter how difficult the journey may be, you can always find a glimmer of light and the end of even the darkest tunnel. Performing at Radio City Music Hall is affirmation that as a society we all should support each other and we can overcome even our darkest moments."
"What it means to me to be in this choir is that I'm not alone," said Stephanie Holberg of Fort Leavenworth, Kan. "It's a blast being in New York City, beyond a dream to perform at Radio City Music Hall, and a huge honor to give military spouses a voice. In a world where you hear so much negative news, this is such an amazing forum to share our stories and share something positive and patriotic like military spouses singing for their husbands and choir."
The remaining Army wives in the choir: Brandy Albert and Rachael Smith, both of Fort Belvoir, Va., Deidra Lee Stubbs of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., and Sonjia Perry of Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.
Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, dropped by to visit during one of the American Military Spouses Choir rehearsals and his wife, Deanie, personally thanked the ladies.
More than 35,000 auditioned last autumn for this season of "America's Got Talent," which will culminate in September.
Once again the mainstream media has demonstrated in a big way the they are just completely devoid of any ability to report on the Church. Apparently "The Vatican" and Pope Francis have announced that if you follow the Pope's Twitter feed you will go straight to heaven - "do not pass go, do not collect $200." Of course this is ridiculous on its face, but does anyone try to get the facts straight - of course not. Why would we try to get it right when that may get in the way of a sexy headline. Here is just a sampling of the headlines.
Twitter Might Get You Into Heaven a Little Faster, Vatican Reveals ABC News
Pope Francis: Vatican's Twitter Followers Can Now Spend Less Time in Purgatory FOX NEWS
Vatican: Shorten Time in Purgatory By Following Pope on Twitter CBS News
Pope Francis Offers Catholic Forgiveness for Their Sins on Twitter During World Youth Day UK Daily Express
Pope to Grant Plenary Indulgences by Twitter Des Moines Register
And my favorite: Follow the Church on Twitter...Or Burn In Purgatory Huffington Post
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Read this from the Register for the REAL story.
National Catholic Register
LINCOLN, Neb. ? In contrast with media reports of ?time off of purgatory? for Pope Francis? Twitter followers, a canon lawyer explained that indulgences are a way that the Church encourages Christians to prayer.
?Because the Church has the spiritual authority that Christ has given it, the Church can invite us to particularly sanctifying moments and particularly sanctifying opportunities,? JD Flynn, special assistant to Bishop James Conley of Lincoln, Neb., explained to CNA July 18.
An indulgence is defined as the remission of the temporal punishment ? the required atonement by which an individual makes reparation ? due to sins that have already been forgiven.
The Vatican announced July 9 that Pope Francis had mandated that the faithful can receive indulgences through participation in World Youth Day.
A plenary indulgence is offered once a day to those who ?devoutly participate in the sacred rites and exercise of devotion? taking place as part of World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro from July 22 to 29. The announcement was made June 24 by decree of the Apostolic Penitentiary, the Vatican office dealing with indulgences and confession.
Plenary indulgences are also offered to those who cannot attend the event yet who ?participate in spirit in the sacred functions,? provided they follow the rites and exercises by television, radio, or ?always with the proper devotion, through the new means of social communication.?
Some mainstream media outlets proclaimed Twitter followers were getting out of purgatory.
Flynn, who holds a licentiate in canon law from Catholic University of America, explained that ?a better way to say it would be that the Vatican recognizes that the more time we spend in prayer, the less time we spend in purgatory.?
Allowing indulgences to those who follow World Youth Day through ?the new means of social communication,? is ?really an invitation to spend time in prayer with the pilgrims of World Youth Day,? he said.
?And because of the Church?s authority, that prayer comes with the special graces of an indulgence.? Indulgences are based on the Church?s ?special recognition ? that certain activities, and activities especially at certain times, can be particularly sanctifying,? Flynn said.
Source: www.bizjournals.com --- Thursday, July 18, 2013 The region's financial savvy was on display Thursday as the Washington Business Journal honored eight leading chief financial officers at its annual CFO of the Year Awards luncheon. Longtime American University CFO Don Myers received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his three decades at the D.C. higher education post. A former U.S. General Accountability Office audit investigator, Myers, 68, came a long way from his Boy Scouting days when he'd originally thought he'd be a forest ranger when he? ...
Apr. 19, 2013 ? A monoclonal antibody targeting a protein known as SFPR2 has been shown by researchers at the University of North Carolina to inhibit tumor growth in pre-clinical models of breast cancer and angiosarcoma.
In a paper published in the April 19 issue of Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, a team led by Nancy Klauber-DeMore, MD, Professor of surgery and a member of UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, used a monoclonal antibody to target SFRP2 expressed in cells from triple-negative breast cancer and the aggressive blood-vessel malignancy angiosarcoma, reducing the rate of tumor growth. The antibody, created at the University of North Carolina, is the first therapeutic discovered that targets SFRP2.
"We showed in this paper that targeting SFRP2 with a monoclonal antibody in pre-clinical models inhibits tumor growth. This demonstrates that SFRP2 is a therapeutic target for cancer" said Dr. DeMore.
The DeMore lab first discovered the role of SFRP2 in tumor growth while looking to develop an alternative to the FDA-approved anti-angiogenesis drug known as Avastin (bevacizumab). Avastin targets the protein VEGF, which has also been tied to angiogenesis (the production of new blood vessels). Although Avastin is of benefit to some patients with cancer, not all tumors respond to Avastin, and of those that respond, some eventually progress. To find a solution for patients whose tumors are resistant to Avastin, DeMore began looking at other proteins linked to angiogenesis that could be used as therapeutic targets.
"We previously microdissected blood vessels from malignant human breast cancers and compared gene expression to blood vessels microdissected from normal tissue. We found a number of genes that were highly over-expressed in the malignant blood vessels compared to normal. One of those genes was SFRP2," said Dr. DeMore.
The DeMore lab found that SFRP2 is expressed in a variety of human cancers, including breast, prostate, lung, pancreas, ovarian, colon, kidney tumors, and angiosarcomas, DeMore, working with Dr. Cam Patterson, Ernest and Hazel Craige Distinguished Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine, discovered that SFRP2 acted as a potent stimulator of angiogenesis, leading their team to hypothesize that targeting SFRP2 could inhibit tumor growth. In collaboration with Dr. Russ Mumper, the John A. McNeill Distinguished Professor in the Division of Molecular Pharmaceutics, their group developed a drug to target SFRP2.
"Demonstrating that a monoclonal antibody to SFRP2 inhibits tumor growth in pre-clinical models opens up a new potential for drug development. This treatment is not presently available for human studies, but our efforts are focused on obtaining funding for further drug development that would lead to a clinical trial" said DeMore.
This work was supported by National Institute of Health (P50-CA58223, 1R01CA142657-01A1 and R01 HL61656), North Carolina TraCS Large Pilot Award, University Cancer Research Fund, Nancy DeMore Foundation and North Carolina Kickstart Commercialization Collaboration Award.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of North Carolina School of Medicine, via Newswise.
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Journal Reference:
Emily Fontenot, Emma Rossi, Russell Mumper, Stephanie Snyder, Sharareh Siamakpour-Reihani, Ping Ma, Eleanor Hilliard, Bradley Bone, David Ketelsen, Charlene Santos, Cam Patterson, and Nancy Klauber-DeMore. A Novel Monoclonal Antibody to Secreted Frizzled-Related Protein 2 Inhibits Tumor Growth. Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, April 19, 2013 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-12-1066
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Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Microsoft Research, Microsoft?s department for experimental computer science projects, has unveiled the ?IllumiRoom,? a projector system that extends the action in video games beyond the edge of the TV screen. What?s most impressive about it is that it doesn?t require a flat white background to work properly. Microsoft is currently demoing the project at this year?s Consumer Electronics Show (CES). From the Microsoft Research website:
IllumiRoom is a proof-of-concept Microsoft Research project designed to push the boundary of living room immersive entertainment by blending our virtual and physical worlds with projected visualizations. The effects in the video are rendered in real time and are captured live ? not special effects added in post processing.
The system uses a Kinect for Windows camera and a projector to create the effects seen in the video below. It scans the geometry of a room using the Kinect, then uses its measurements to adapt its projected visuals ?in real-time without any need to custom pre-process the graphics.? Microsoft claims the feature can extend the field of view beyond the TV, change the appearance of a room, or induce apparent motion.
It sounds silly, yes, but give the video a look. This is the sort of impressive technology that gamers should hope is part of the next generation of console hardware. Also, it may very well be a precursor to the holodeck-style gaming experiences of the future.
The region's financial savvy was on display Thursday as the Washington Business Journal honored eight leading chief financial officers at its annual CFO of the Year Awards luncheon. Longtime American University CFO Don Myers received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his three decades at the D.C. higher education post. A former U.S. General Accountability Office audit investigator, Myers, 68, came a long way from his Boy Scouting days when he'd originally thought he'd be a forest ranger when he? ...