North America's Smallest Meat-eating Dinosaur

Canadian researchers have discovered the North America's smallest known meat-eating dinosaur. Termed as 'Hesperonychus', the tiny dinosaur was just half the size of a domestic cat and probably hunted and ate insects, mammals, amphibians and maybe even baby dinosaurs.

Reporting their findings on March 16 issue of journal "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences", Nick Longrich from University of Calgary and Philip Currie from University of Alberta said that Hesperonychus, which means "western claw," a new genus of carnivorous dinosaur prowled southeastern Alberta in Western Canada during the late cretaceous period.

Weighing nearly two kilograms and standing about 50 centimeters tall, Hesperonychus elizabethae ran about on two legs and had razor-like claws and an enlarged sickle-shaped claw on its second toe. So, it looks much like a miniature version of the famous Velociraptor, a hunter with a fierce reputation and a killer claw

Fossilized remains of Hesperonychus, were collected in 1982 from several locations including Dinosaur Provincial Park. But paleontologists had assumed that those remains were of juvenile animals. The fossils remained unstudied for 25 years until Nick Longrich came across them in 2007. One of those fossilized remains was a well-preserved pelvis, which helped in determining that it was actually an adult dinosaur.

Source: http://www.ucalgary.ca/news/march2009/Hesperonychus

Importance of Silence in Life

Do you love to spend some time alone? I am sure that most of you do. People want to spend some time alone, because they want to enjoy the 'silence' and talk to their soul. Silence is an aid to our health and a tonic to our happiness. Like many best things in life, you can get it without spending a dime! Still, people ignore it as they live in the age of noise.

Silence has unseen power. The nightfall creeps silently and the day breaks without noise. The silent snowfall makes no sound and the light passes through hard substances like glass making no noise. But silence, as all other things, has other side of its picture also. While many of its uses are profitable there are few that can cause harm. The silent fall of snow can make a place beautiful. But too much of it can bring destruction. The water that evaporates silently to fall as rain is very useful for crops but too much of it can cause great destruction.

Meditative silence is as essential as food for our growth. To study you need silence, to recoup from illness you need quiet, to have a good change from business life you must run to a quiet resort. We cannot lead peaceful lives unless we think of peaceful thoughts. All the great teachers and sages of the world have taught that truth must be sought in solitude; not in business activities or human affairs but in the desert calm. When we meditate over our weakness we learn to be strong. The time spent in contemplative silence will always be profitable. Meditation will also give you wisdom, which is far superior than knowledge earned from practical life.

Silence is the temple of purest thoughts. So, go to that temple daily, spend a few moments, and there you will hear the whisper of nature, the touch of happiness. And soon you will learn to live a happy life.

Man attends own Funeral!

Ever heard of someone attending his/her own funeral? Believe it or not, a Romanian man from Vadastra in Olt county staged his own funeral while he was still alive to make sure everything went to plan! Take a look at the man.

Marin Voinicu, 73, invited fellow villagers, relatives and friends to his home to mark his "future passing". The village priest also accepted his invitation to officiate a funeral sermon at the Voinicu's home.

"I did everything by the book. I even dug my own grave in the cemetery and laid down in it to see how it feels."Mr Voinicu told.He also said to his relatives to wail at his headstone for a test run.He was fully satisfied with his own funeral.

Mr Voinicu explained the decision to organize his own funeral because he didn't want to leave the task on his family's shoulders. His family also agreed to go along with it because they felt it would be easier to organize the event when they were not distracted by grieving.

Homemade Kawasaki ZXR400!

Love bikes? What about Kawasaki ZXR400? Introduced in 1989, the Kawasaki ZXR400 was one of the first and most popular of the 400cc sportsbikes that swept across Japan and later Europe in the 1990s. It was discontinued in 1999. Well, some people still love it and when they are unable to get one, they try to make their own version of the sportsbike. Take a look at the photograph below. A cool homemade Kawasaki ZXR400. Wanna go for a ride? No, thanks!

Free Books at Bristol Warehouse!

Last week, Bookbarn, the UK's largest used book warehouse gave away books for free. How it happened? Bookbarn's lease on the premises in Arnos Vale, Bristol recently expired and when the firm moved out it left behind thousands of books in the 56,000 square metre warehouse. So, the managers of the Paintworks site have invited people to help themselves in cleaning the space.

When the doors were opened thousands of people arrived to pick their favorite books. Some arrive with boxes, crates, prams and even supermarket trolleys to take whatever they can get there! And the result is thousands of books scattered around the floors of the warehouse in Bedminster, Bristol. It is reported that the giveaway will continue this week also.

Take a look at the picture above and more pictures here.