Newfound Raptor Dinosaur had 'Switchblade' Killing Claws

Battle damage linked to the fearsome curving talon of a newly discovered dinosaur relative of Velociraptor is shedding light on how it was used as a weapon, scientists find.

This research also adds to the mysterious complexity seen in the lost continent where this fossil was found, researchers added.

The newfound 75-million-year-old dinosaur is a feathered raptor named Talos sampsoni — "Talos" in homage to a winged bronze giant in Greek mythology that could run at lightning speed and that succumbed to a wound to his ankle, "sampsoni" in honor of Scott Sampson of the PBS series "Dinosaur Train," and a research curator at the Utah Museum of Natural History.

Fossilized remains are all that's left of the once mighty dinosaurs that dominated our planet. Here, the most recent finds from these ancient beasts.

The raptor dinosaurs, made famous by the book and film "Jurassic Park," all possessed unusually large, sickle-like claws on the second toes of each foot, which they held off the ground like folded switchblades.

A famous discovery made in Mongolia 30 years ago seemingly of a Velociraptor locked in mortal combat with prey — fossils dubbed the "fighting dinosaurs" — suggested these talons were used as weapons. Now the injured claw of Talos sheds even more light on how they lived with these weapons.

Wooly Rhino Fossil Found in Tibet

High on the Tibetan Plateau, paleontologists have discovered the skull of a previously unknown species of ancient rhino, a woolly furred animal that came equipped with a built-in snow shovel on its face.

This curiosity, a flat, paddle-like horn that would have allowed it to brush away snow and find vegetation beneath, suggests the woolly rhinoceros was well-adapted for a cold, icy life in the Himalayas about 1 million years before the Ice Age. Those adaptations may have left the rhino perfectly poised to spread across Asia when global temperatures plummeted, ushering in the Ice Age.

"We think that the Tibetan Plateau may be a cradle for the origins of some of the Ice Age giants," said study author Xiaoming Wang, a curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles. Such large, furry mammals ruled the world during Earth's cold snap from 2.6 million to about 12,000 years ago. "It just happens to have the right environment to basically let animals acclimate themselves and be ready for the Ice Age cold."

Wang and his colleagues uncovered the complete rhino skull and lower jaw, along with a neck vertebra, in southwestern Tibet. The 3-foot-long (1 meter) skull is 3.7 million years old. It would have belonged to an animal that weighed 1.2 to 1.4 tons (1,090 to 1,270 kilograms), Wang said. That's close to the size of modern rhinoceroses and about 10 percent smaller than the woolly rhinos found a million years later during the Ice Age. The new rhino has been dubbed Coelodonta thibetan.

No impressions of hair were found, but based on rhino hairs preserved in permafrost in Siberia, the researchers believe this rhino would have been covered with long hairs much like the fur of a modern yak. But the most notable feature of the rhino skull was its large front horn, which was flattened to form a paddle.

"The horn is leaning forward; it's tilting forward from the nose," Wang said. "That is in line with the adaptation of snow-sweeping, so the animal does not have to strain its neck as much as it tries to sweep the snow."

The rhino had another feature that would have made it a master of winter weather. The teeth have high crowns, making them more durable and able to handle tough, high-altitude vegetation.

Julian Pavone is World's Youngest Professional Drummer

Guinness World Records has recognized a U.S. boy as the youngest professional drummer. Julian Pavone was certified as of March 21, 2010, when he was 5 years 10 months and 3 days old, Guinness announced Tuesday.

The rules for London-based Guinness say a drummer must play on at least one commercial record and be paid for the work. The drummer also must have given at least 20 concerts of 45 minutes or longer within five years. Julian is 7 and lives outside Detroit.

His drummer-father, Bernie Pavone, said Julian's percussion background dates back before birth.

“I used to play music on my wife's stomach all the time when she was pregnant with Julian,” Guinness quoted the father as saying.

Julian has appeared on about 150 television and news shows, including “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” “Good Morning America,” “Martha Stewart,” “The Maury Show,” “FOX News Dayside” and “Inside Edition.”

The previous record holder was Tiger Onitsuka of Japan, who was recognized at age 9 years, 9 months.

Hamid Karzai advisor, lawmaker shot dead in Kabul

Jan Mohammad Khan, an advisor to Afghan President Hamid Karzai and a former provincial governor, was shot dead along with a visiting lawmaker during a raid on his home by gunmen, Xinhua reported.

The attack occurred around 8:00 pm on Sunday. MP Hashim Watanwal who was visiting Khan's home in Kabul's kartai Char area was also killed, an official said requesting anonymity. One of the attackers died in the firefight between his guards and the militants. A police officer was injured.

Witnesses said there were two or three attackers. Afghan and Nato-led troops cordoned off the area. Zabiullah Mujahid, purported Taliban spokesman, said in an email statement to the media that his group carried out the attack. He said Khan was killed as he was helping the coalition forces in carrying out raids against the group.

Khan, a member of Popolzai Pashtun tribe, was governor of southern Uruzgan province from January 2002 to March 2006. Khan's killing comes less than a week after Karzai's half-brother Ahmed Wali Karzai was assassinated by Taliban militants at his home in Kandhar on Tuesday.

Ukrainian Artist Constructs Wooden Miniature Bikes By Woodcarving

The Lvov-based artist dreamed of owning a motorcycle ever since he was just a kid, and rode his first one in the seventh grade. At the same time he was always fascinated in hand-made miniatures, and developed a passion for woodcarving. So even though he couldn’t afford to buy himself a real motorcycle, he found that he could create his own perfect wooden replicas.

The idea of making his first 1:12 scale wooden motorcycle first came to Vyacheslav a year and a half ago, and it promptly turned into a hobby. He was motivated by some other motorcycle miniatures he had seen online, and wanted to see if he could make his own, from wood. In the beginning, he had some doubts he could really pull it off, but after figuring out what kind of wood to use for each component, things started going smoothly. He finished his first bike and noticed that every new one he created looked enhanced than the last.

Vyacheslav Voronovich believes the choice of the right wood spirit is crucial for his art, because every type of wood has its own exclusive characteristics. Pine is easier to work with than oak or beech, but it doesn’t even come close to them in terms of aesthetics. The most hard task is to create the tiny components (handlebars, rear-view mirrors, gear shifters, turn signals, brake discs, etc.), because they often tend to break when they’re nearly completed, and he has to start all over again. But seeing as he only works with a common cutter with disposable blades, he does a pretty splendid job.

The artist’s collection already numbers three choppers he made based on his own taste, and two sports bike replicas of the Honda CBR1000 RR and the Suzuki GSX-R600. He is at present working on a wooden replica of the Honda VT1300 CS cruiser, for which he’s using a new wood-bending expertise to make the handlebars and the frame.

China Unveils High-Speed Beijing-Shanghai Rail

It took Chinese engineers only 39 months to build the country's grandest yet infrastructure project — a $33 billion, 1,318 km high-speed railway line that links the capital with its financial centre.

Starting Thursday morning, trains running at 300 kmph will barrel out of Beijing's ultramodern and sprawling South Railway Station, making the journey to Shanghai — cities as far apart as New Delhi and Mumbai — in only 4 hours and 45 minutes, less than half the duration of the current 10-hour journey.

On Monday, Chinese railway officials unveiled a test-run of the most ambitious segment of their already impressive and fast-expanding high-speed rail network, which stretches across more than 8,000 km and will double by 2020.

The landmark project will open to the public on Thursday, a day before the Communist Party of China marks its 90th anniversary.

“This is the pride of China and the Chinese people,” said He Huawu, chief engineer of the Ministry of Railways. “It took just 39 months to build such a high-standard and world-renowned high-speed rail line, which is a gift for the 90th anniversary of the Party.”

Mr. He said the trains were completely safe, and would travel well below maximum speeds, at around 250-300 kmph. Chinese airlines are already cutting air-fares between Beijing and Shanghai, anticipating heavy patronage for the rail line.

The cheapest ticket costs 410 Yuan (Rs. 2870), around half as much as the fare for the two-hour flight, and minus the hassles of air travel.

The financial viability of the line — and the high-speed rail network in general — has also been a source of much debate. China plans to spend 2.8 trillion yuan ($ 430.7 billion) on its railway network in the next five years.

Wang Mengshu, a leading expert on China's high-speed rail network at Beijing Jiaotong University and a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, told in an interview that in the long-term, the project would bring benefits to economic development, and the government did not expect the high-speed lines to break even. “All passenger transportation loses money, and this is a form of social welfare.”

“There is a very high demand from all destinations to Beijing, and between provincial capitals,” he said.

“In India, where there is greater pressure on roads and space than in China, a similar system, where trains are built on elevated bridges, makes perfect sense.”

Michel Lepire Wins Hampton Beach Sand Sculpting 2011 Award

The 11th Annual Master Sand Sculpting Competition in Hampton Beach, NH completed its competition on Saturday. The first place winner was Marc Lepire from Charlesbourg, Quebec, Canada with a sculpture titled "Phase Shifter." Lepire wins a cash prize of $3,000 and a trip to the World Solo Championships in Fort Myers Beach, FL.

Karen Fralich from Bulington, Ontario, Canada took second place with the sculpture, "There Was an Old Woman Who Sends Her Kids to Summer Camp." Third place went to Justin Gordon from Groveland, Massachusetts, for his sculpture "And they Ride Among us." Fourth place was the sculpture "Morphobia" made by Guy-Olivier Deveau of Quebec City, Canada. And fifth place went to Carl Jara of Lyndhurst, Ohio with the sculpture "Lamb."

The "People's Choice" Award was given to Michel Lepire from Charlesbourg, Quebec, Canada for the intricately designed sculpture, "Prestine Nature."

The "Sculptor's Choice" reward was given to Marc Lepire for his piece, "Phase Shifter."

The sculptures this year ranged from a gratifying set of hands holding baby's feet to a depiction of the Old Woman in the Shoe to a nod to Boston Bruins' with a sculpture of M.V.P. Tim Thomas.

The sculptors carved over three days, from June 23-25, to full their own private sculpture using 10 tons of sand. Voting took place and awards were given out on Saturday, June 25 and the Awards Presentation took place at 8 p.m. on the Sea Shell Stage. The band the Continentals provided musical entertainment.

The sculptures will stay on display through June 29th, and will be lit for night viewing.

Yoda Crowned World's Ugliest Dog 2011

A 1.8-pound scruffy mutt named Yoda who has been mistaken for a rat won the World's Ugliest Dog title for 2011 t at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma.

Yoda won a trophy 15 times her size and $1,000. The beady-eyed pooch also gets a picture shoot and an overnight stay in the Loft Suite at the Sheraton Sonoma County, according to fair officials.

Her owner, Terry Devine Schumacher, said her daughter found Yoga in a grassland 14 years ago when the pup was 2.

"I told her to put it down because I thought it was a rat," Schumacher said.

Fair officials permitted the spectators to vote this year via text. Other favorites in the 23rd annual contest were Icky, Cuda, Handsome Hector and Ratdog.

$2 Million Worth Of Antique Dolls Collected By Doll Addict

Kathy Libraty, an antique doll collector from Brooklyn, New York, has spent the last 25 years searching for antique dolls, and now has an inspiring collection of over 1,000 objects that’s worth around $2 million.

Believe it or not, Kathy’s attraction with dolls didn’t start when she was a little girl. In fact she remembers she was more of a tomboy and had no real interest in dolls or any girly stuff. Born in France, she and her parents immigrated to the US when she was only 4. After graduating from Brooklyn College with a BA in Art, her zeal for photography took her to Europe and the Middle East, where she took a real concern in history and old art. When she and her husband, Frank, bought an old Victorian house, Kathy decided to pursue her love for antiques and started attending country auctions. She was intrigued that people sometimes remunerated large amounts of money for wigless doll heads, broken limbs and crooked-eye dolls, but not enough to start spending money on them, herself.

It wasn’t until one day, 25 years ago, that Kathy Libraty actually became addicted to collecting antique dolls. She and Frank were driving around the neighborhood when they saw a man emptying boxes of antiques into a dumpster. She saw a doll’s leg sticking out and told Frank to stop the car. They went up to the man and asked him if he was going to chuck all those things away, and he just replied “Yeah, it’s all grimy old junk”, so they offered to take it off his hands. When they got home and looked through the “junk” they found a rare 24″ George Borgfeldt doll, numerous composition mama dolls, and a broken bisque Cuno and Otto Dressel Shoulder head doll. She often wondered what other treasures that man had thrown away in the dumpster that day, but the wonders she managed to get her hands on stimulated her to go out into the world and discover her own priceless treasures.

New Lytro Light-Field Camera Allows You Focus After You Shoot

An American company says it has developed a camera that can focus pictures - after they have been taken.

Californian firm Lytro says its camera uses a light field sensor to capture more visual information from a scene than a traditional camera.

By capturing all existing light data emitted from a scene, including the direction of light rays, photos can be manipulated with computer software to change the focus from foreground to background, or to change the image from 2D to 3D.

Bringing the image into focus later also avoids "shutter lag" - the small delay between pushing a shutter button and a picture being taken - caused by mechanical focusing.

Capturing more light information should also permit for clearer photos in dark rooms and other low-light situations, they said.

"To make an analogy with a music-recording studio, taking a conventional photograph is like recording all the musicians playing together, rather than recording every instrument on a separate audio track," company founder Ren Ng wrote in his PhD dissertation on the technology.

Prototypes of the camera are being tested but it is not yet accessible to consumers.

Rocket Ruin’s A Family's Life In Libya's Misrata

Twelve-year-old Faraj Abu Shaiba is burned and in distress but somehow he manages a weak smile from his hospital bed.

Monday evening, a rocket fired by forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi slammed into his home in Misrata's Ruwaisat neighborhood.

Faraj's 14-year-old brother, Ibrahim, was killed instantaneously washing his hands at the sink before evening prayers.

"I found this place was on fire," said Ibrahim's uncle, Abdallah, who rushed to the house when he heard the blast. "I threw water on him, and then took him to the ambulance. But he was already dead."

Three rockets hit Misrata Monday evening in quick sequence all packed with metal balls.

"We were sitting at home, the whole family," said Ibrahim's father, Ali. "We didn't know what happened."

The father received burns to his arms and legs. Ibrahim's mother, Fatima, was also wounded in the attack.

"She has got second degree burns to both legs. Both limbs and the face," said Dr. Mohammed Froka. "She has first degree burns on the face. But her situation when she was brought here was a little bit critical."

The day before the attack, the mother gave birth to a son. The family has named him Ibrahim, after the brother who died in the attack.

The older Ibrahim was buried Monday night, just hours after he was killed -- the latest grave in this city's rapidly growing cemeteries.

Atomic Reactor Turns Into Popular Amusement Park

Wunderland Kalkar is an exclusive amusement park built on the site of a never-used power plant, complete with a fast breeder reactor, in Kalkar, Germany.

Construction of the Kalkar nuclear plant began in 1972, but was constantly delayed due to technical difficulties and protests from those anxious about the security of nuclear power. When it was completed, over 10 year later, authorities decided to pull the plug on the project, and the $4 billion complex was dismantled in less than a decade. The fast breeder reactor remained in place, and in 1995 Dutch entrepreneur Hennie van der Most bought what was left of the Kalkar plant for a mere €2.5 million and managed to turn it into a lucrative amusement park visited by over 600,000 people, every year.

Wunderland Kalkar has around 40 rides, for children and adults alike, and a 400-bed hotel. Among the most motivating features of the park are the swing ride set up inside the cooling facility, and the climbing wall on its outer walls. Also, chairoplanes, quad bikes, go-karts and a whole bunch of other fun gadgets make trips to Wunderland Kalkar a blast for the entire family.

Floating Japanese Photographer Captures Herself ‘Levitating’

Japanese photographer Natsumi Hayashi has created a new brand of photography, with pictures that seem to challenge gravity. Though it may look like she's floating naturally in the air, it took hard work to pull off these pics.

At a young age, Natsumi Hayashi had a revelation: Keeping both feet on the ground is hyped.

“I got a thought from an English idiom that says ‘to have one’s feet firmly planted on the ground’ applies to a practical type of person,” Hayashi said in an interview. “In Japan, we have the exact same idiom. But I am not a practical person at all. Therefore, I try not to have my feet on the ground in my self-portrait photos to show my true self.”

Her self-portraits are so fanciful and unforgettable that they’re sparking an Internet sensation and garnering attention all over the globe. What makes them so unusual? Well, for starters, in each photograph Hayashi appears to be levitating.

She achieves this state of mid-air wizardry by jumping up and down.

Man Married To A Mannequin Out Of His True Love

Ned Nefner, 38, is gladly married to his 6-foot-tall mannequin wife, Teagan. The two met back in the ‘80s when Ned spent some time in a Children’s Home. Teagan was just a head when they began their relationship. Over time, he built her a body and ultimately the two were married in 1986.

There are a couple of Facebook pages for Nefer, including the "Syracuse Mannequin Man" and "The guy pushing the manequin." Everyone seems to want to help him, giving him food and noting where they've seen him. And many people talk about Ned's love of Teagan.

A social welfare auditor told the paper, "This is definitely one of the very oddest things I've ever come across, but he seems very happy. I wouldn't sort him as dangerous at all. He seemed quite happy in his own little world."

Artist Larry Moss Recreates Famous Icons Using Balloons

If Japan is famous for Origami paper folding art show originality and creativity, but now Americans are pompous to variations in this art with balloons, to create files named Airigami very soul, according to news. One of the authors of the balloon was "twisted" Larry Moss is from Rochester (New York, USA).

The Rochester-based artist creates Airigami, which translates as the fine art of folding air, and his delicate masterpieces are by far the most detailed balloon sculptures I have ever seen. Moss uses latex balloons to create all kinds of installations, from giant sculptures to wearable fashion objects, and even intricate replicas of some of the world’s most famous icons and Spinosaurus (Dinosaur Entirely of Balloons.

Among his most impressive works are recreations of Boticelli’s Birth of Venus and Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.

Singer Lily Allen Weds Sam Cooper In England

Radiant Lily Allen beamed with joy as she tied the knot then revealed she’s expecting a baby.

Ecstatic Smile singer Lily is pregnant – six months after she suffered a miscarriage. The cheering news was announced by her husband Sam Cooper to guests at their wedding breakfast.

“It was so very, very touching – and ­completely the icing on the cake for them,” one guest revealed. “The day was always going to be wonderful, but when Sam said Lily was­ pregnant there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. There were tears of joy for Lily and Sam.”

The singer was told the pregnancy was healthy at her 12-week-scan. Lily lost her much longed-for baby boy six months into a pregnancy in November last year.

Unfortunately, it was her second ­miscarriage after she lost a baby at four months in 2008 when she was dating The Chemical ­Brothers’ Ed Simons.

Now a traumatic chapter of her life appears to have finished – to the delight of friends and family. As relatives and pals toasted the welcome news in bright sunshine, she beamed with delight. Celeb pals ­congratulated the couple on Twitter.

Singer Boy George tweeted: “Ah, congrats to Lily Allen & Sam! Long may you love & prosper!”

Lily proudly showed signs of a bump at St James the Great church in the Cotswold village of Cranham, near Stroud, Gloucs. The 26-year-old wore a eye-catching vintage-inspired ivory lace dress by Delphine Manivet.

The designer said: “You can see of course the little stomach – it looked very cute with the dress.”

Junrey Balawing Titled As World's Shortest Man

A teenager from a poor family in the rural Philippines has been confirmed the world's shortest man as he turned 18.

Guinness World Records offered Junrey Balawing, who is 59.93cm (23.6 inches) tall, with a certificate at his birthday party.

Mr Balawing stopped growing when he was two, his father said. He is more than 7cm shorter than the earlier record holder, Khagendra Thapa Magar from Nepal, who had held the record since last October.

Relatives say he has difficulty standing and walking, but the community was caring of him.

"Officially he is the world's shortest man," declared Guinness World Records official Craig Glenday in front of cheering relatives and friends at his birthday party in the rural town of Sindangan on Mindanao island in the southern Philippines.

Well-wishers, including politicians, presented him with cash gifts which his family said would add to their meager savings. "Thank you to all of you for supporting my son, the world's shortest man," Mr Balawing's father said.

Mr Balawing blew out a candle on his birthday cake and said "I'm exhausted". His father said he had been a weak child and doctors had not been able to say why he stopped growing. His three siblings are all of normal size.

The World's Most Pierced Woman Gets Married In Scotland

Elaine Davidson is a Brazilian-born nurse, living in Edinborough, Scotland, who has made a name for herself by decorating her body with over 6,000 piercings.

Looking at her, you’d possibly think most normal men would run for the hills the minute they laid eyes on Elaine Davidson, the world’s most pierced woman, but she actually got a civilized looking civil servant named Douglas Watson, who doesn’t have any visible piercings, to wed her. The 42-year-old former nurse was dressed in a classic white wedding dress that covered all of her body, excluding the face which was painted green and covered with 192 piercings. In case you’re wondering, no, she didn’t scare off the minister.

Most of Elaine Davidson’s piercings are in her genitalia, over 500, located both on the outside and on the inside. The total weight of her “jewelry” adds up to three kilograms. Doctors say this type of extreme modding involves serious risks, such as infection and transmission of diseases like hepatitis or AIDS. Despite her bizarre appearence, Elaine wants the public to know she doesn’t do drugs, drink alcohol or smoke cigarretes. Her only vice is Coca-Cola.

Brazilian-born Davidson first broke the record for most piercings in 2000, when Guinness examined her body and found 462 piercings, counting 192 on her face. She’s come a long way since then and the last count exposed she now sports 6,925 piercings, weighing around three kilograms. Believe it or not, she never takes off any of her piercings.

Aelita Becomes The Youngest Professional Painter In The World

A four-year-old Melbourne girl is drawing fans in New York with her first solo art exhibition. Aelita Andre is said to be the youngest proficient painter in the world, and has been compared to the likes of artistic giants Picasso and Jackson Pollock.

Her work is previously commanding top dollar, with a Hong Kong collector last year shelling out $24,000 for one of her pieces. Now her colorful paintings are on show at the Agora Gallery in Manhattan.

Gallery director Angela di Bello says Aelita, who produced her first significant body of work before turning two, is a talented artist.

"What's interesting about her work is that I also I find that it is conceptual expressionism, but that she's also surrealist in the way she includes objects in her works and how she includes those objects," she told.

It seems inspiration runs in the family, with Aelita's parents - Nikka Kalashnikova and Michael Andre - both artists in their own right. And her father cannot wait to see what his daughter does next.

"So here she is totally and absolutely innocent, just with an innocent eye almost coming to a canvas," he told.

"I'm looking at it from an opposite and thinking, 'let's see what she does'. I'm just so interested to see what somebody in that position produces."Andre's solo exhibition, aptly named The Prodigy Of Colour, runs until June 25.

Miss USA 2011 Contestants Meet In Las Vegas

Despite the apparent glamour, the beauties that have come to Nevada from all around the United States to compete for the title of Miss USA 2011 face a wonderful few days.

Based at the Planet Hollywood hotel, the girls are tied into a heavy program of 16-18 hours of interviews with judges each day.

Then there are back-to-back photo shoots at diverse Sin City hotels, not to mention the filming of segments to form part of the NBC live broadcast on June 19th.

They're an eclectic group, too - last year's winner Rima Fakih was the first Muslim to ever win the competition, and she's back this year to motivate the new crop.

Las Vegas's own queen, Miss Nevada, Sarah Chapman, 27, is even a director at a local pre-school, and as the oldest contestant, feels she brings a different slant to events.

This year's theme is described as a 'high fashion concept salute to America.'

The 23rd Miss Asia USA pageant will attract contestants from 58 Asian countries. The finale will be held on August 19-20, at Redondo Performing Arts Center, California.