World News Behind the Scenes: 10/4/2012

By Ben Forer
@BenForer
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From the cute and cuddly to the unconventional and awe-inspiring, here’s a look at the photos, videos and characters that have our newsroom talking today.

4:39 p.m. ET
New Dinosaur Discovered
Pegomastax, a new and rare species of the “punk-size” dinosaur, is described as a “herbivore with fangs” that looked like a parrot and was about the size of a house cat.

Image credit: Photo and sculpting by Tyler Keillor

3:14 p.m. ET
The Nominees Are…
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced its 2013 nominees:
- The Paul Butterfield Blues Band
- Chic
- Deep Purple
- Heart
- Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
- Albert King
- Kraftwerk
- The Marvelettes
- The Meters
- Randy Newman
- N.W.A
- Procol Harum
- Public Enemy
- Rush
- Donna Summer

2:29 p.m. ET
Cruz Comes Out
Boxer Orlando Cruz announced today that he is “a proud gay man.” Cruz is the first prizefighter to come out while he is still fighting.

Image Credit: David Becker/ZUMAPRESS.com

1:23 p.m. ET
Easy Rider
Preschooler  Malcolm, 4, conquered a treacherous trail at Highland Mountain Bike Park in New Hampshire for the first time. Watch his ride and listen to his cute commentary — it had our whole newsroom smiling.

11:45 a.m. ET
Taj 2.0
Developers have announced a plan to build an exact replica of the Taj Mahal in Dubai. The project will also include a five-star hotel as well as apartments, restaurants and stores. The “Taj Arabia” is expected to cost more than $350 million.

Frans Lemmens/Getty Images

10:12 a.m. ET
1 Billion
Facebook announced this morning that it now has more than 1 billion users each month. Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg took to the site he created to express his gratitude:

“Thank you for giving me and my little team the honor of serving you. Helping a billion people connect is amazing, humbling and by far the thing I am most proud of in my life.”

10:02 a.m. ET
IKEAing
After IKEA was caught removing women from scenes in its Saudi Arabian catalog a Tumblr emerged replacing women in well-known photos with IKEA products.

Image Credit: ikeafiles tumblr