Friday, April 1, 2011

24 August 410: the date it all went wrong for Rome?

The drama of the sacking as caught by French painter Jean Noel Sylvestre in 1890  
The first sack of Rome in 800 years helped hasten the end of the empire
Tuesday marks the 1,600th anniversary of one of the turning points of European history - the first sack of Imperial Rome by an army of Visigoths, northern European barbarian tribesmen, led by a general called Alaric.

New backstage footage of 'Idol' meltdown

Casey Abrams on 'American Idol' (screengrab courtesy Fox)   

 Cameras capture the aftermath of Casey Abrams's extreme reaction to being saved.

Prince William's hairline fading fast

Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage  

Though he's only 28, the future king contends with a problem many men know well.

Prince William’s hairline is fading fast

Prince William and Kate Middleton at a 

Prince William looks like someone who has it all: royal status, a charming fiancee, good health, and an easy touch with his future subjects. But there is one thing he lacks: a full head of hair.
Casual observers who have not paid much attention to Britain's future king in the years before his recent engagement to Kate Middleton have been surprised by the extent of the 28-year-old's hair loss. William still cuts a tall, imposing figure, but his bald spot has been spreading as his hairline recedes.
It's even more apparent since his 26-year-old brother Prince Harry still sports a luxuriant supply of tousled red hair.
The British tabloids have been merciless in their coverage, constantly punning the "hair to the throne" theme, and comparing his hair loss to that of his father, Prince Charles, and the follically challenged prime minister, David Cameron.
William keeps his hair short, as befits a Royal Air Force helicopter rescue pilot, but the military look only emphasizes the way his hairline has changed.

What a win means for struggling fighter

Justin Wilcox (top) battles David Douglas at Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg on   August 15, 2009 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images)    

A lot is at stake for Justin Wilcox, including a place to live, as he prepares for his big bout.

Wilcox won’t give up on MMA dreams

As Justin Wilcox gets set for a main event Friday night on cable TV, he vividly recalls a moment that epitomized his plight as a struggling fighter.
Wilcox and wife Leslie were broke, as he was trying to establish himself as a pro fighter. They took their baby daughter, Natalie, to a bookstore because they couldn’t afford to take her anywhere else to entertain her. Natalie created a scene and started crying hysterically after finding something she wanted.
“We weren’t going to get it for her because she was crying, but at that moment, the idea I couldn’t get it for her made me say, ‘That’s it, I need to get a 9-to-5 job,’ ” Wilcox said.
His wife, who was a mixed martial arts fan before he even knew of the sport, talked him out of it.
“I’m not going to let you do that,” Leslie Wilcox told him after the bookstore incident. “I don’t want you to be 40 years old and see someone who made it in this sport and always think, ‘That could have been me.’ ”
Wilcox stuck with his career. Now he has a chance to become the winner of the main bout of the first Strikeforce show under the Zuffa regime, a “Challengers” event on Showtime from The Arena in Stockton, Calif.
Wilcox (10-3), a former Division I wrestler and competition bodybuilder, faces Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Rodrigo Damm (9-4) in a lightweight bout.
At 32, Wilcox knows that now is the time to do something in his career. He got a somewhat late and slow start in the sport. With a win, which would be his sixth in a row, he hopes to get on bigger shows and earn himself a lightweight title match.