May 8, 2012  |

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Butterflies waft across a beautiful field of spring flowers. A delightful young family bicycles joyously down a country lane. A couple on a park bench leans sensually into each other. A 40-something woman’s face radiates with both perfect beauty and internal happiness. “All’s right with the world,” is the message… as long as you’ve taken your dosages of Lunesta, Celebrex, Cialis, and Botox.

Welcome to medicated America, where the fix for every problem–from incontinence to erectile dysfunction, stiff joints to mood swings, weight gain to wrinkles– is just a prescription away. Thus the beautiful images, stirring music, attractive actors, and soothing words in the omnipresent, multibillion-dollar kaleidoscope of drug advertising by Pfizer, Merck, Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, and other giants of Big Pharma–all pitching their particular brand-name nostrum directly at us hoi polloi (the industry spends a fourth of its income on ads and other promotions, nearly double its expenditures on research and development). The corporate come-ons typically conclude with a phrase that has achieved cliche status in America’s vernacular: “Ask your doctor if ‘Suprema Wundercure’ is right for you.”

Ask Your Doctor if This Big Pharma Scam Is Right for You: The Dangers of a Drugged Up America | Personal Health | Digg Politics.

Unlike “The X-Men,” theyre not social pariahs on the wrong side of the law, and unlike “The Fantastic Four,” theyre not a family. Theyre government sponsored and government approved. In the movie version, the team is backed by an espionage group know as S.H.I.E.L.D. and its eye-patch-wearing chief Nick Fury Samuel L. Jackson.The membership consists of Captain America Chris Evans, a World War II-era soldier; the Hulk Mark Ruffalo, an ornery creature with super strength; Thor Chris Hemsworth, the god of thunder; Iron Man Robert Downey Jr., a rich, acerbic guy in killer armor; Hawkeye Jeremy Renner, a supremely talented archer; and Black Widow Scarlett Johansson, a Russian spy whose main talent is her disappearing, reappearing accent.

via The Avengers: 5 Things You Need to Know If You Dont Read Comic Books | The Wrap Movies.

Livestreaming from your smartphone or webcam is fine as long as you’re happy with low-quality video. It’s easy, but doesn’t scream professionalism — for evidence just look at most Justin-TV video streams.

For professional-looking video streams, you usually need a high-end camera attached to a computer that handles the processor-heavy tasks of encoding and uploading. But now LiveStream hopes to combine the ease of smartphone streaming with the high quality of prosumer video-capture systems.

LiveStream’s new Broadcaster box provides users with the ability to change the focus and exposure of their fancy video cameras with a turn-key, on-the-go encoding box that also uploads video. The system replaces the PC usually needed to encode and upload high-quality video with a small orange box that can be mounted atop a camera.

via LiveStream Delivers High-Quality Real-Time Video Streaming — No PC Required | Gadget Lab | Wired.com.

by Ian Ruhter

5 days agoThis project was created with the same spirit that america was founded on. Our intentions are to connect everyone in america through the lens of this camera and social networking sites. We cant do this without you. We want to tell your story and show your city or town through photographs of you, and people you know. As we travel around america looking for people and places to shoot you will be able to keep track of where we are going and help us decide where we go next. Join us in our journey by liking our facebook to get yourself photographed by us.

An extra special thanks to Brandon Rein, Scotty Hoffman and Trevor Atwater.

twitter.com/#!/silverandlight

facebook.com/pages/Ian-Ruhter-Photography/

159583283699ianruhter.tumblr.com/

via SILVER & LIGHT on Vimeo.

An American advertising producer in Shanghai tries to sell fast food to the Chinese. An endearing portrait of a modern day “Mad Man.”Directed, Photographed & Edited by Doug  NicholMusic by  Official Selection:True/False Film Festival, DOCNYC, Mill Valley Film Festival, Palm Springs, LA Shorts Fest, SF DocFest, Hot Springs Documentary Festival, Big Apple Film Festival, Woods Hole Film Festival, SF Shorts

via Sunshine on Vimeo.

Richards owned the car while he and the rest of The Rolling Stones were based on the Cote d’Azur of France in 1971 to record the acclaimed “Exile on Main Street” album, according to a Bonham’s news release.When The Rolling Stones arrived on the Cote d’Azur in 1971, the band was joined by a steady stream of visitors, from William Burroughs to Gram Parsons. The car, which features in photographs of the band at the time, has attracted a pre-sale estimate of approximately $28,500 to $31,730. The sale will be held April 30, 2012, at the RAF Museum in Hendon, London.

via Keith Richards 1950 Pontiac convertible heads to auction | Goldmine Magazine.

ereaders

by K.D. Rush

My oldest daughter, now in her early twenties, received a Nook for Christmas. I didn’t buy it for her; it was a gift from her grandmother. If I had known she wanted one, or even thought that she would use it, then I would have gotten it for her myself. But this is my daughter that doesn’t read often. Or to be accurate, she has never shown the same level of passion for reading that I and others in the family have. The Nook changed that.

For the past few months I’ve been surprised at how many times I’ve walked into the living room and seen her sitting in a chair reading an eBook on the Nook. Let me try and convey the magnitude of this. There is a television in that room, as well as an X-Box with a Netflix account, and yet, she was reading a book. It’s like I walked into some alternate reality.

This past week she asked if I planned on seeing the new movie ‘The Hunger Games.’ I told her that I probably would. She then reaches into her purse and pulls out the paperback version of the book.

“This is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time,” she tells me.

via A Hunger for Books is No Game – Blogs – Rush.

via Watch the On The Road trailer online now | TotalFilm.com.

Studio Warner Bros is attempting to court the actor, according to Variety, to squeeze the film in between two action projects he’s slated for. The presumption is that Cruise is feeling confident with his musical side after portraying a famous rocker in the forthcoming “Rock of Ages.”

Not to mention the chance to work with Eastwood.

“It was a near-perfect experience. His level of commitment and enthusiasm, I mean, he becomes this incredible partner for you,” director Shankman 

via Tom Cruise to lead Clint Eastwood’s ‘Star Is Born’ with Beyonce? – latimes.com.

via Video of the Week: Everything Is A Remix: Quentin Tarantinos “Kill Bill” | DanPerezFilms.com.