Abhijeet Chavan

<p>Pittsburgh couple sues Google for invasion of privacy after photos of their home are published on Google's "Street View" mapping feature.</p>

<p>The nation's gentrified neighborhoods are threatened by new trend.</p>

<p><br /><img src="/files/u2/20080211_1.jpg" alt=" " title=" " width="234" height="112" align="right" />The <strong>Strange Maps</strong> blog is an eclectic collection of maps, diagrams, and cartoons. Some graphics featured on this blog are informative, some are creative, and others are completely bizarre.The website is maintained by an anonymous blogger. The posted graphic is often accompanied by informative notes. Here is a list of 21 maps that I found interesting:</p>

<p>On the 10th anniversary of Getty Center art museum in Los Angeles, architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne examines how architecture and its relationship with the city have changed over the past decade.</p>

<p><img style="width: 200px; height: 150px; float: right" src="/files/u2/20071214-toy-train.jpg" alt="Toy train" title="Toy train" hspace="30" vspace="2" width="200" height="150" align="right" />Metrolink is Southern California&#39;s <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrolink_%28Southern_California%29">regional rail</a> system linking several counties. The 15-year old system with 7 lines, 54 stations, and 388 route miles serves over 40,000 passengers in the Southland. <a href="http://www.metrolinktrains.com/about/">Metrolink</a> says its mission is &quot;to provide the people of Southern California safe, reliable and environmentally friendly commute option.&quot; Sure, but can it also serve as an interesting venue to host a 4-year old&#39;s birthday party?</p> <p>One birthday boy in particular loves trains and is a fan of a popular <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_the_Tank_Engine_and_Friends">TV series</a> featuring trains. His mother told me that their family trips were often planned around using rail transit to get to destinations in Central and Southern California. So what better way to celebrate his birthday than to invite his friends -- accompanied by parents of course -- for a trip on a commuter train? Children that age are probably more used to birthday parties where they are entertained by clowns or magicians. Would these children, growing up in Southern California&#39;s car-centric culture be entertained at a party where the view through a train window was the main attraction? </p>