Dylan considers lending his voice to directional navigation software.  Full story here. 

Posted by Wills Glasspiegel
wills@greenowl.com

via Kassai Allstars 

Posted by Wills Glasspiegel
wills@greenowl.com

Long live "the lion of the senate."  A public servant for 47 years (he entered the senate in 1962 at age 30), Ted Kennedy played a key role in the passing of the Civil Rights act of 1964, the Voting Rights act of 1965 and the Americans with disabilities Act of 1990.   A big proponent of Health Care reform, his endorsement of Barack Obama for president was particularly difficult for longtime friend Hillary Clinton to come to grips with.   Ted Kennedy was 77. 

Posted by Benjamin Bronfman
ben@greenowl.com

Original cover art by BP Konan (Abidjan, Ivory Coast)

We're thrilled to announce the digital debut of WARM HEART OF AFRICA. 
Buy it in the GREEN OWL Store for $8.99 or on iTunes for $9.99.

Posted by Wills Glasspiegel
wills@greenowl.com

Lately the words "federal loan programs" and "bailout" have been tossed around cocktail parties... but just like our sobriety, we're not really sure where our money is at the end of the night. Well, that ends right now.

Today, Manhattan Chief U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska assured that American citizens retain the right to know where our money goes in a ruling against the Federal Reserve. Preska has given The Federal Reserve only 5 days to turn over at least 231 pages of reports and documents it has already admitted are in their possession, and said it must look for more records at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, which runs many of the loan programs under scrutiny - including loans to CitiGroup Inc and American International Group Inc.

Get this - when the Fed refused (yes, refused to the point of Bloomberg LP suing for the information) to name the financial firms it has lent to, or disclose the amounts of assets put up as collateral under 11 programs, Bloomberg LP, majority-owned by New York City's Mayor Michael Bloomberg, sued on November 7 on behalf of it's Bloomberg News unit citing the Freedom of Information Act, which requires federal agencies to make government documents available to the press and public. The Bloomberg suit did not seek any money damages.
Just to drive the point home, that means that Bloomberg LP - a news agency - just footed the lawyer's bill for our right to find out what the Federal Reserve has been doing with our dollars, and didn't ask for any money. Yes, they sued the Federal Reserve simply for the right to bring us our NEWS. Thank you, Mayor Bloomberg.

On the subject, Matthew Winkler, the editor-in-chief of Bloomberg News says: "When an unprecedented amount of taxpayer dollars were lent to financial institutions in unprecedented ways and the Federal Reserve refused to make public any of the details of it's extraordinary lending, Bloomberg News asked the court why U.S. citizens don't have the right to know... We're gratified the court is defending the public's right to know what is being done in the public interest."

Well, Mr Winkler, we the public are gratified as well. And as for conjecture that information about where our money is being spent will cause a run on the banks - the current public climate is less 'depression-era panicky' than simply frustrated with a lack of information. The American public wants to make informed decisions in an honest capitalist market (I swear it doesn't have to be an oxy-moron) and today, because of this ruling, we are better able to.

Lucy Dalglish, executive director of the Reporter's Committee for Freedom of the Press says this: "The public deserves to know what's being done with the money. This ought to be a wake-up call for the public that they need to be far more educated about this." So don't let this be just another blog post you read and repeat. Be voraciously hungry for your news - it's economically sustainable.

The case is Bloomberg LP v. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, 08-CV-9595, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan).
Reference: bloomberg.com article by Mark Pittman

posted by Vanessa Bronfman
vanessa@greenowl.com

yikes.

posted by Benjamin Bronfman

Ben@greenowl.com

via ERVON

Posted by Wills Glasspiegel
wills@greenowl.com

"from an anthropocentric to a biocentric position, from the human-centered to the life-centered.."

South African artist Kai Lossgott's latest project: "Nothing with skin is blind" reminds us that life is not only human. For more on the artist visit kailossgott.com

Posted by Vanessa Bronfman
vanessa@greenowl.com

Yeah, z'looks zike someting from ze futures

Spokesmen from the research firm, Expert Group for Environmental Studies (an independent state body under the auspices of the Swedish Department of Finance) argue that the installation of speed trains, like the two seen above, is a viable and realistic solution for carbon reductions and economic growth. EurActiv representative, Björn Carlén believes that developing carbon trade markets is a more effective way to reduce carbon emissions in comparison with the high-speed trains.  We, however, think the look and sound of futuristic high-speed trains and carbon trade markets both seem pretty solid gold. Check the article here; formulate your own opinion and stay up.

Posted by Ashley Rambo
rambo@greenowl.com

Elaine Morgan, award winning television writer and octogenerian scientist gives a talk on an often buried and little known evolutionary theory - that human beings evolved in aquatic environments, diving for food at least as often as hunting in the plains.

The fact is, over two-thirds (about 70%) of the Earth's surface is water. We rely on water to simply survive (drink your 8 glasses today), and when you get down to it, the use of water has been central to every great civilization in history. Thanks, ted.com -- YES this is news WORTH TALKING ABOUT.

Posted by Vanessa Bronfman
vanessa@greenowl.com

Producer / multi-instrumentalist Alan Wilkis reminds me a bit of his namesake's "supernatural extra brilliant intelligent" line from Footnote to Howl.  Wilkis is a magnanimous mothaf***a, a friend of a friends, someone that probably knows people you know in Brooklyn.  His music ends up in strange places -- bike commercials, Miami hair salons.   We're pleased to link you with the tunes and thankful that Wilkis took a few moments to answer the following questions for this Mugshot Monday exclusive.

Where does funk exist most profoundly in the natural world?
Remember "Electric Avenue"?

What's the strangest place you've ever heard your music played?
Strangest place would definitely have to be a hair salon in Miami. I was visiting my mom down there recently, and she dragged me along to her favorite hair-place and insisted I get a cut with that mighty power that only moms can wield... Now, to set the scene a bit, this salon is full of older Cuban ladies, speaking mile-a-minute rapidfire Spanish all day, gossiping and sipping cafe con leche. And when my mom introduces me as her son, there's an overture of awwwwwws and cheek-pinchings etc... I'm a grown-man, mind you... physically, at least... And my mom proceeds to tell them about my new CD, which she then hands to them, which they proceed to play on repeat 3 times in a row! All while I'm sitting in the chair being forced into a haircut that I didn't want in the first place! Gotta love moms...

This Woodstock revisited thing just came out recently.  If you could have shared a dressing room with anyone at Woodstock, who would it be and why?
Hendrix... he single-handedly opened my eyes to the possibilities of the electric guitar. Until I discovered him, I was all about power-chords... Jimi opened me up to so much, and I'd argue that the majority of my "feel" on the guitar comes directly from him... Granted, quite a few other folks weighed in on my musical development, but Jimi was a major milestone... I would have loved to sit there while he tuned up or re-strung before his legendary set, and just asked him stuff like "ummm... Why are you so awesome?"

What was the first song you ever wrote?
Hard to say. I started playing piano at an extremely young age, and was definitely making up songs using only the black keys, with titles along the lines of "Cherokee War Dance," etc... There are some cassette tapes buried somewhere of me, age 4, performing these songs for my grandma, and my voice sounds like Ralph Wiggum on helium. The first song I ever wrote and recorded, however, would definitely have to be "Greenwich Village Girl." I wrote it with my friend Chris over the course of an epic sleepover. It was about a girl from summer camp that we were both crushing on... The lyrics were: "My greenwich village girl, you are a perfect 10. You really know how to rock my world. When can I see you again?" Yeesh...

What has disco done for you?
It has gotten me out on the dancefloor at many Bar Mitzvahs. It's also taught me that it's ok for grown men to sing in ridiculous falsetto a lot, and I've picked up many a production-technique from the disco era. And lastly, Giorgio Moroder is the man. 

Who is the architect of your soul?
Could go so many ways with this one... But I'd have to say my parents, because at the end of the day they trump everyone else... I'm lucky to have awesome ones, and I wouldn't be who I am without them. They've encouraged me to pursue my dreams, keep an open mind, and develop a voracious appetite for knowledge and new things, especially music.

This or that?
Definitely this.

What do you and Prince have in common that we may not realize?
We both enjoy a good piggyback ride. Please see minute 2:12 of this video >>

Green owls don't exist in nature.  Are you ok with that?
No, it's a travesty. Evolution needs to hurry up already!

What's the relationship between music and politics?
Both influence each other quite a bit. For starters, songwriters are constantly inspired by their surroundings, as much by their favorite tree in the park as by healthcare or war. And the most successful songwriters are the ones that people relate to the most, so in a time or place where politics are more relevant... You get the idea... On the flipside, musicians, at least big famous ones, have MASSIVE sway over politics, at times more so than politicians themselves... Because of the celebrity-culture in which we live, someone like Bono or Bruce Springsteen is a lot more likely to move people to action than your local senator. A friend was just telling me about an artist they work with from Sierra Leone who is so popular at home that were he to run, he would likely win the presidential election over there. And an endorsement from him could sway an election by a landslide. For better or worse, people truly love and trust their favorite artists...

If you could work with anyone right now?
Prince, for sure... Amanda Blank would be a lot of fun to work with, too. And I'd love to form a super-group with Jamie Lidell, Calvin Harris, and James Pants, make some sort of funky-white-boy 4-part-harmony boyband, and I'd want P-Thugg from Chromeo to produce it.

Twitter it: twitter.com/wilcassettes
"Pink and Purple" in the stream

Download it here.

Posted by Wills Glasspiegel
wills@greenowl.com

Posted by Wills Glasspiegel
wills@greenowl.com

via UNVRSE

Posted by Wills Glasspiegel
wills@greenowl.com

Just looking at this picture convinces me that banning plastic bags and using my own cloth bag at the grocery store would be a great idea

Last Wednesday, Mexico City outlawed standard one-use plastic bags, giving stores a year to come up with cost-effective alternatives. All over the world, in Tanzania, Mumbai, Australia - even San Francisco, plastic bags are being banned or consumers are being charged a fee for their use. And I'd like to know - would you pay an extra 6 to 25 cents for a plastic bag to put your eco-un-friendly water bottle into at the local delicatessan? Personally, I think we have a long way to go since obviously paper bags are wasteful too and since my hometown of New York City is still in the planning stages of implementing a fee on plastic bags. 

posted by Vanessa Bronfman
vanessa@greenowl.com