The Statue of Liberty is dubbed as a symbol of freedom to the shackled, a symbol of hope to the deprived, a symbol of refuge to the homeless and beyond all, a glorious symbol of human spirit and its undying faith in a better tomorrow. The planet today is at a delicate and vital turn where every move we make could make or break the future for the beautiful planet that we all call ‘Home’.

This present and the consequential future largely depends on the way we treat our planet and how well we adapt to renewable and clean sources of energy by inviting the alternate power into our homes and lives. It then seems only an obvious matter that the ‘Statue of Liberty’ should also spread the ‘Green Light’ with her eternal golden torch.

Why is the Statue of Liberty green?

First of all - and less relevant to the environment, it has a very well known green tinge largely due to the copper of the statue reacting with the elements to produce the copper salts which give its green hue. Now, it only seems appropriate that the visual green inclination is being backed up by some solid green intent. If the ‘First lady of Freedom’ cannot break the shackles of conventional power and fossil fuel, then it would surely have been indeed a shame!

Secondly, it’s because the Lady Liberty and her flaming light are now being lit up each night with wind power that is being bought by the government from a company that produces wind energy from its farms in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Pepco Energy supplies all the energy that lights up the statue and while it looks strange that New York is not tapping into offshore wind energy that is available in plenty at such close quarters, it seems the wheels are in motion to ensure that the statue is indeed powered by green energy produced in New York.

The Statue of Liberty has always been a symbol to many of a bright future. Perhaps now she can be a symbol to all of a bright green future.

Images courtesy of 1, 2, 3, 4

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We love animals at GP, but this is ridiculous. NYC is hosting a cat show at Madison Square Gardens where cats representing John McCain ask visitors to “vote for your favorite DemoCat or Republicat.” McCain’s cat is called Renegade while the cat representing Obama is called Bombay.

A British shorthair cat named Renegade, representing John McCain

A Bombay cat named Barack Obama sits in his cage

There are cats selling grooming products, like Pocahontas. And a sphynx cat named Masquerade that is sure to hope Halloween will hurry up and get over. Seriously, folks. I think we should let these cats have a turn at dressing up their masters. What do you think?

Pocahontas, a brown patched tabby Persian cat, sits with his grooming products

Sharyn Hauck (R) holds her Bombay cat named Barack Obama, while Robin Beckett (L) holds her British shorthair cat named Renegade, representing John McCain

Images copyright : Sina

The Critical Mass rides are no longer what they used to be, a protest against the bicycle unfriendly cities. Why? Because even though a New York City judge ruled that these people don’t need a special permit to ride, NYPD’s stance remains somewhat adversarial.

Here we have another violent episode of law enforcement excess, from last Friday (July 25), when a policeman kicked a cyclist off his bicycle at the curb at 46th street and Seventh Avenue. Why? No one knows, but we can only speculate. Maybe the guy didn’t have the required lights or maybe he crossed a red light? No!

A Times-up! representative said that the cyclist in the video, Christopher Long, was arrested and held for 26 hours for attempted assault. What am I missing? Who assaulted, who? Can you see the step back the policeman had to take, to “properly” pull the guy down?

Because of his recent behavior, the 22-year-old Patrick Pogan lost his badge and gun (relief!!), and was placed on “desk duty pending the outcome of a department investigation.”

I’m not a fan of crowds and I’m not sure if I would enjoy walking the streets when the mass comes by, but this is obviously the wrong way of law enforcement.

Beijing will follow NYC’s lead, sorta, restricting car traffic on roads during certain periods. The 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games are less than 2 months away. Beijing will ban vehicle traffic with odd and even-numbered license plates on alternate days from July 20th-Sept 20th. The hope is to improve air quality during the Games. Taxis, buses and emergency vehicles will be exempt.

The action is taken to fulfill Beijing’s commitment to host a “Green Olympics.”

Beijing will also ban all motor vehicles that don’t meet European No. 1 standards for exhaust emissions. Trucks not registered in Beijing will be prohibited from entering the city. To compensate motorists, owners will be exempt from taxes and road maintenance fees for three months. I wonder, what will NYC drivers get. Last year, Beijing ran a test that kept about 1.3 million vehicles off the road which in turn cut 5,815 tons of emissions.

So, why can’t the city do that all the time?

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