Pope visits mosque in Istanbul, Turkey

BBC reports:

During his tour of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, the pontiff paused in silent prayer alongside senior Muslim clerics.

It marks only the second papal visit in history to a Muslim place of worship.

Google Maps Satellite view of Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque) in Istanbul, Turkey

Killer Whale attacks Sea World Trainer

Kasatka - A Killer Whale attacks the trainer at Sea World in San Diego, CA. The whale drags the trainer down under water and holds him there for about a minute. According to CNN

Other trainers were able to persuade the whale to surface, allowing the trainer a breath of air, but enacted emergency procedures in place for such instances.

The other trainers got a net in the pool, and the trainer, who also has years of experience, was able to calm the whale, swim to the other side of the net and get out of the pool.

Google Maps Satellite view of Sea World in San Diego, CA

UTAH - America's Safest State to Drive

Business Week has a list out for the Safest Driving States in America. Here's a look at those states on Google Maps.

Washington D.C. - Deadliest Drunk Driving place in America

Business Week has a list out for the Deadliest Drunk Driving States in America. Here's a look at those states on Google Maps.



Related: America's Drunkest Cities

Bhopal Disaster - 22nd Anniversary on December 3rd, 2006

This weekend (December 3rd) is the 22nd Anniversary of the greatest environmental disaster ever, which struck Bhopal, India. According to BBC, 3000 people died initially followed by 15,000 from related illness. Greenpeace claims that a total of 20,000 people died.

Related:BBC News on December 3rd, 1984

Google Maps Satellite view of Union Carbide plant site in Bhopal, India where the accident took place (Source:Wikimapia)

US to North Korea..Better behave or else no IPOD's for you

Maybe this will get North Korea's attention. According to CNN

The Bush administration wants North Korea's attention, so like a scolding parent, it's trying to make it tougher for that country's eccentric leader to buy iPods, plasma televisions and Segway electric scooters.

Whatever works!

$1500 jar of Spaghetti Sauce

Make sure you get what you paid for. A Perryville, MO couple purchased a $1500 SONY Camcorder from a Cape Girardeau BEST BUY store. At home when they opened the package they found a jar of CLASSICO Spaghetti sauce instead of a Sony Camcorder.

More on this story.
(UPDATE: Sony has agreed to ship a new Camcorder to the couple and they will let the couple keep the CLASSICO Spaghetti Sauce).

Peace on Earth - Not in this Colorado Sub Division

A Home Owner's Association in Pagosa Springs, Colorado has threatened a resident of the sub division with $25.00 a day fine for putting up a Christmas Wreath with "PEACE ON EARTH" sign. The sign according to some is an anti-Iraq war protest or a symbol of Satan.

According to CNN

Lisa Jensen said she wasn't thinking of the war when she hung the wreath. She said, "Peace is way bigger than not being at war. This is a spiritual thing."

Jensen, a past association president, calculates the fines will cost her about $1,000, and doubts they will be able to make her pay. But she said she's not going to take it down until after Christmas.

"Now that it has come to this I feel I can't get bullied," she said. "What if they don't like my Santa Claus?"

(Update: The Homeowner's Association has backed off from their threat of $25.00/day fine. PEACE ON EARTH retuns to PAGOSA SPRINGS)

Groom Shot Dead by NYPD on his wedding day

Sean Bell (23 years old) is shot dead by NYPD on his wedding day outside the Kalua Cabaret Club in the Jamaica Section of Queens, New York. According to news reports:

At a news conference Saturday, Kelly said the department was still piecing together what happened, and that it was too early to say whether the shooting was justified.

The car, driven by Sean Bell, was struck by 21 of the police bullets after the vehicle rammed an undercover officer and hit an unmarked NYPD minivan. Other shots hit nearby homes and shattered windows at a train station, though no one else was injured.

Police thought one of the men in the car might have had a gun but investigators found no weapons. It was unclear what prompted police to open fire, Kelly said. It was also not clear whether the shooters had identified themselves as police, Kelly said.

For more on this story check out CNN.

Here's a approximate location of the shootings on Google Maps

Political Turkeys of the Year (2006)

Here's a look at Political Turkey's of 2006. Source CNN

Missing Brothers from Red Lake, Minnesota

Two Brothers Anthony White, 4, and Avery Lee Stately, 2 from Red Lake, Minnesota went missing on November 22nd. As of this morning there is no trace of them. (CNN)

Here's a look at the location on Google Maps where the brothers went missing.

Nevada Town bans foreign flags

Pahrump, Nevada bans display of foreign flags.

According to CNN:

The town council voted last week, 3-2, to approve an ordinance that makes it illegal to display a foreign flag -- unless an American flag is flown above it.

Pahrump resident Michael Miraglia proposed the ban because, he said, he got upset when he saw immigrant activists marching through U.S. cities last spring, waving Mexican flags. Mr. Miraglia told USA Today that he was especially miffed that "we had Mexican restaurants closed that day."

So that's what started all this -- the fact that some guy couldn't get his burrito fix...

Deadliest day in IRAQ

More than 140 people perished in Sadr City, IRAQ today (November 23rd, 2006) in a series of bombing attacks. Officials are describing this as a "deadliest single strike in Iraq since the war began more than three years ago".

Source CNN

92 year old Woman killed in a shootout with Atlanta Police

This one does not make sense. A 92 year old Atlanta Woman, Johnston was killed in shootout with Atlanta Police at 933 Neal Street, Atlanta (Satellite Map shown below) on 11/21/2006. This happened when the Atlanta Police broke down Johnston's front door while serving a search warrant.

Quoting State Rep: Mable Thomas (D-Atlanta)

"A confrontation with police and a 92-year-old woman don't go together."

For more on this check out CNN

Huntsville, Alabama School Bus Tragedy

Three teenage girls were killed this morning (11/21/2007) when a school bus plunged 30 feet from I-565 ramp in Huntsville, Alabama

For more on this check out:
CNN
WAFF

Satellite View of the Accident Location on Google Maps:

Suez Canal opens to Traffic on this day in 1869

Suez Canal opens to traffic on this day (November 17th) 1869.
Here's a look at Suez Canal on Google Maps showing a ship heading North to Mediterranean Sea from Red Sea

Michigan at Ohio State (November 18th, 2006)

University of Michigan faces of Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio this Saturday (November 18th, 2006). Here's a look at Ohio Stadium on Google Maps along with Sports News RSS Feeds (Yahoo) and YouTube Video of both the teams.

eBay Motors and Google Maps

I had created a Google Maps Mashup with eBay Motors sometime back. Have made some minor changes from the original mashup.

This time I have drawn a circles around a given latitude and longitude. Circle varies based on distance in miles from the center of the Zip Code.

Here are couple of Screen Shots:

Hummer Sales within 100 miles of the Detroit Area:



Lexus Sales within 100 miles of Toronto, Ontario

This day - Greatest Disaster in College Sports History

November 14th 1970 - Ceredo, WV
A chartered Southern Airways DC-9 crashed in Ceredo, WV. All 75 passengers were killed. The plane was carrying thirty-seven members of the Marshall University football team, eight members of the coaching staff, and twenty-five boosters home. Five crew members also lost their lives.

We are Marshall, a motion picture chronicling the aftermath of the crash and the effort to build the football team from scratch, is all set to release on December 22nd. Here's the trailer from We are Marshall.

Gerald Ford - Longest Living United States President

Gerald Ford the 38th President of United States is the longest living US President having surpassed Ronald Reagan yesterday November 12, 2006.

Born: Omaha, Nebraska
Date: July 14th, 1913

Related: US Presidents on Google Maps

San Francisco - Oakland Bay Bridge opens for Traffic 11/12/1936

San Francisco - Oakland Bay Bridge

Edmund Fitzgerald - 11/10/1975

Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior during a gale storm on November 10th 1975. All 29 members of the crew perished.

America's Most Wired Cities

Here's a look at America's Most Wired Cities (2006) on Google Maps, as mentioned in FORBES.

The pop up window above the markers also shows nearby Starbucks locations along with Videos tagged with the ranked city.

America's Most Expensive Colleges (2006)

Here's a look at America's Top 10 Most Expensive Colleges mapped out on Google Maps.
Source: CNN Money

Related:
Top High Schools
Top Business Schools
Top Engineering Schools
Top Medical Schools

India Related Google Maps Mashups

Mike Pegg has a post on India Related Google Maps Mashups at GoogleMapsMania. Do check it out.
He has a couple of my India related Google Maps Mashups mentioned:

Men in Blue (Indian Cricket Team)
Channel 4 (UK) Investigative report on Indian Call Centers.


Also do check out my other India Related Google Maps Mashups:
Indian Bride, Groom on Google Maps
Sachin Tendulkar's Record Breaking Test Cricket Centuries
Latest News from India
Bollywood Best Actors and Actresses
Trusted Indian Celebrities
Happy 33rd Birthday to Indian Beauty Aishwarya Rai
Happy 41st Birthday to King of Bollywood Shahrukh Khan
Happy 64th Birthday to the Legendary Amitabh Bachchan
About Me - My life's journey from New Delhi, India (my birth city) to Present Day - Detroit, MI