Happy 2019 And Long Live Freedom of Information
The other day, I found a map describing the state of the freedom of Information, put together by Reporters Without Borders. I haven’t yet been able to suppress the picture from my mind and I thought that my last post for 2018 would have to be dedicated to freedom of information and freedom in general.
A couple of weeks ago, we visited the Arts & Métiers Museum in Paris, and we came across a few copies of the Statue of Liberty which was built in the City and offered to the people of America 133 years ago.
Building the Statue wasn’t a piece of cake. The congress had agreed and paid for the inauguration, the French part of the financing was catered for but the US subscription for the installation was private and money was missing. Joseph Pulitzer made it a matter of national pride and managed to raise enough funds for the statue to be finished and shipped to the US. Phew!
A small version of the statue is still welcoming visitors from the South West on their way to the City. This replica was installed in 1889 (3 years after the NYC statue was inaugurated). It was offered by the French residents in the United States and is a Bronze cast of a plaster version designed by Bartholdi himself.
Happy New Year.
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