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(NASDAQ: AMZN)—Following the positive response to its first set of TV pilots, Amazon Studios today announced it will produce five more original pilots for kids, including the first pilots for ages 6-11. The new pilots come from Emmy Award-winning creators as well as a Hollywood newcomer discovered though Amazon Studios' open-door submission process. The pilots will stream on Amazon Instant Video and LOVEFiLM in the U.K. for customers to watch, provide feedback, and help determine which shows should be produced as series. "We're very excited to be able to introduce these five original ideas and their talented creators to Amazon customers. After the success of our first pilots, we look forward to getting lots more fantastic feedback from kids and parents," said Roy Price, Director of Amazon Studios. "For the first time we are offering live-action and animated programming for older children and continuing with entertaining, educational programming for preschool aged children—it's going to be a lot of fun." "I've been dreaming up funny adventures for Gortimer Gibbon for as long as I can remember and it's incredibly thrilling to be working with Amazon to bring these tales to life," said David Anaxagoras, creator of Gortimer Gibbon's Life on Normal Street, one of the new pilots now in production . "With the unique open-door submission process that Amazon Studios offers writers like me, I've been given a chance to make my stories come to life. Instead of trying to 'break through' and get noticed in the traditional Hollywood process, Amazon has helped bring Hollywood to me and that's exciting." "Working through the pilot process with Amazon Studios has been a fantastic experience," said Josh Selig, creator of The Jo B. & G. Raff Show as well as The Wonder Pets and Small Potatoes. "Coming up with shows for kids that will not only entertain them but help them learn and grow is a very rewarding experience. We are so excited to hear what Amazon parents and kids think of our show. We hope Jo B. and G. Raff will be back with a full season of stories very soon." The five kids' shows for Amazon Studios' next pilot season include:
Gortimer Gibbon's Life on Normal Street Gortimer Gibbon's Life on Normal Street is a live-action adventure show created by David Anaxagoras, a first-time writer, discovered through Amazon Studios' open-door submission process. This pilot is a look at the lives of three quirky tweens who live in a surreal world of eccentric characters and strange happenings.Grid Smasher Grid Smasher offers viewers an innovative visual style with a mix of puppetry and CGI and was created by Emmy Award nominee Dan Clark ( Team Smithereen, Yo Gabba Gabba!, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). In Grid Smasher, Johnico and his team of rag-tag aliens compete to win the greatest game in the universe. Hard-Boiled Eggheads Hard-Boiled Eggheads, created by Emmy Award-winner Duane Capizzi ( Transformers Prime, Jackie Chan Adventures, Men in Black: The Series, Darkwing Duck) is an animated action-comedy for children ages 6-11. The pilot features Miles and Quentin, classified special agents who set out to correct the mistakes of science—monsters made of toxic waste, mutants born of lab accidents and the occasional hostile alien. The Jo B. & G. Raff Show The Jo B. & G. Raff Show is an animated series created by multiple Emmy Award-winning writer and producer Josh Selig ( Sesame Street, The Wonder Pets, Oobi) . In this pilot, two best friends, Jo B. and G. Raff, are hosts of their very own TV show, "The Jo B. G. Raff Show" but every day, just when their show is about to start filming, Jo B. realizes that G. Raff can't be found anywhere. This pilot helps teach preschoolers the importance of compromise and how to meet in the middle to resolve disagreements. Wishenpoof!Written by Angela Santomero, creator of Blue's Clues, Creative Galaxy, and the Emmy-nominated literacy series, Super Why, Wishenpoof! is an animated series that helps teach the essentials of problem solving, empathy and making good choices. The pilot revolves around Bianca, who is just like any other little girl—well, almost—Bianca has "wish magic." Bianca's magical powers of wish magic let her make all kinds of wishes come true. This is Santomero's second Amazon Studios pilot. Santomero's first pilot, Creative Galaxy , is currently in production and scheduled to be available on Prime Instant Video and LOVEFiLM in early 2014. Amazon Studios' first pilots launched in April of 2013 with eight comedy pilots and six kids pilots. Of the 14 pilots, Alpha House, Betas, Annebots, Creative Galaxy and Tumbleaf were chosen, with the help of customer feedback, to be produced as series. The shows will stream on Prime Instant Video later this year and in early 2014. Comprehensive cast and crew information, including bios and filmographies, is available on Amazon's IMDb ( http://www.imdb.com), the world's most popular and authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content. About Amazon Studios Since its launch in November 2010, more than 18,000 movie scripts and 4,000 series projects have been submitted to Amazon Studios. There are currently 26 movies and 24 series on the development slate and in the processes of being tested with audiences.
Amazon Studios continues to invite series creators to submit their proposals for comedy and children's programming to Amazon Studios, http://studios.amazon.com/getting-started/series.About Amazon.com Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth's Biggest Selection. Amazon.com, Inc. seeks to be Earth's most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and other sellers offer millions of unique new, refurbished and used items in categories such as Books; Movies, Music & Games; Digital Downloads; Electronics & Computers; Home & Garden; Toys, Kids & Baby; Grocery; Apparel, Shoes & Jewelry; Health & Beauty; Sports & Outdoors; and Tools, Auto & Industrial. Amazon Web Services provides Amazon's developer customers with access to in-the-cloud infrastructure services based on Amazon's own back-end technology platform, which developers can use to enable virtually any type of business. Kindle Paperwhite is the most-advanced e-reader ever constructed with 62% more pixels and 25% increased contrast, a patented built-in front light for reading in all lighting conditions, extra-long battery life, and a thin and light design. The new latest generation Kindle, the lightest and smallest Kindle, now features new, improved fonts and faster page turns. Kindle Fire HD features a stunning custom high-definition display, exclusive Dolby audio with dual stereo speakers, high-end, laptop-grade Wi-Fi with dual-band support, dual-antennas and MIMO for faster streaming and downloads, enough storage for HD content, and the latest generation processor and graphics engine—and it is available in two display sizes—7" and 8.9". The large-screen Kindle Fire HD is also available with 4G wireless, and comes with a groundbreaking $49.99 introductory 4G LTE data package. The all-new Kindle Fire features a 20% faster processor, 40% faster performance, twice the memory, and longer battery life.
Amazon and its affiliates operate websites, including www.amazon.com, www.amazon.co.uk, www.amazon.de, www.amazon.co.jp, www.amazon.fr, www.amazon.ca, www.amazon.cn, www.amazon.it, www.amazon.es, www.amazon.com.br and www.amazon.in. As used herein, "Amazon.com," "we," "our" and similar terms include Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise.Amazon Forward-Looking Statements This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly from management's expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to competition, management of growth, new products, services and technologies, potential fluctuations in operating results, international expansion, outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment and data center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements, acquisitions and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system interruption, inventory, government regulation and taxation, payments and fraud. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com's financial results is included in Amazon.com's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings.


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He's a successful solo artist with a gold-selling debut album to his name, and a sought-after songwriter who's penned hits for Tinchy Stryder and Will Young, but is there more to Taio Cruz than meets the eye? "I'm only gonna break your heart," the 24-year-old Londoner sings on his new single, before adding: "I'm born to be bad and bad to the bone." Oh Taio, say it ain't so!
Are you really a heartbreaker then?
"It's more of a role I'm playing for the song. I'm not a heartbreaker by nature. Maybe I've broken one or two hearts in my time, but never on purpose!"
What's the most heartbreakery thing you've done?
"Well, I may have kissed my ex-girlfriend... while I was going out with my current girlfriend. I took pictures of my ex on my phone and my current girlfriend found them. She was like, 'So you saw your ex then? Anything interesting happen?' I was like, 'Yeah, we kinda kissed each other'. She forgave me pretty much immediately though, mainly because I didn't try to hide it."
You also sing that you're "bad to the bone". Do you have bad boy tendencies?
"I do have a bad boy side, but it doesn't come out that often. It's funny actually because Jade Ewen was saying that she doesn't like bad boys and would prefer to date someone like me. I can understand why she thinks I'm not a bad boy, because I pride myself in being polite, but if I need to be bad I definitely can be."
Could you be a bad boy for Alexandra Burke?
"Haha absolutely! I could be a bad boy for her any time."
Is 'Break Your Heart' a good representation of your new album?
"It's like 50% of it. Half the album is uptempo and dancey, whereas the other half is what I call "full songs". That half's leaning more towards Coldplay and the songs Take That have come back with. I love songs like 'Rule The World' and 'Fix You' that everyone can sing along to."
Do you think your album's got a 'Rule The World' on it?
"I've got a few songs that lead there and maybe on album three I'll go there fully. I think people see me as an R&B singer so I'm going to have to show them piece by piece that I can do other things. I'm not nervous about how my fans are going to respond because I think a lot of them have similar tastes to me. I mean, I played 'Chasing Cars' on my tour and the whole audience sang along, so hopefully they'll like it when I come out with songs in a similar vein."
You also write for other artists. Have you submitted anything for Alexandra Burke?
"Yeah, her record company sent over some backing tracks and said, 'This is the sound we want for her', so I wrote some songs over them. I don't know if they're going to make the album though. With big pop artists like Alexandra, the label might have 100 songs to choose from. The 12 that are going to make the album will change loads and loads during the recording process. A song from Timbaland might come in and push yours out. Sometimes it's not even because his song's better. It might be because it's good from a press point of view to say you've got a Timbaland song on there."
Have you ever written a really good song and had it rejected?
"That happened recently, but I won't say who turned it down because that would be rude! Everyone thought the song was a hit, even the artist thought it was a hit, but they thought it was too much of a hit. They wanted something a bit cooler and more underground, even though they're not a cool underground artist. It's all good though. It's a universally catchy song so someone's going to take it."
Who else have you been asked to write for recently?
"The most recent person is Kylie Minogue. Her label's got some beats that they feel are in the direction of her new album and I'm going to write songs over them. But I haven't heard the beats yet because they haven't sent them through."
You've also been writing with Sugababes. What do you think of their new sound?
"Yeah, I like the new single and I can definitely hear the Roc Nation influence. I know Keisha very well and I know that she really wants to hear some of her music playing in nightclubs. I think they've nailed that with 'Get Sexy' - the verse is so sparse and nightclubby and the chorus has a real kick to it."
Do you think it can beat 'Run This Town' to number one?
"Well, it's a powerful trio that Jay-Z's got going on there so I wouldn't like to bet either way. Sugababes have a lot of fans so they've probably got enough power to get to number one, but do they have more power than the combination of Jay-Z, Kanye and Rihanna? If they can beat them, it will be an awesome achievement."
Taio Cruz releases 'Break Your Heart' on September 14. The album TWO (This Way Out) follows on September 28.

subset: commoncrawl


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Ever heard the expression, "Familiarity breeds contempt"? I think it perfectly encapsulates how many of us feel when forced to be around the same people each and every day.
Don't get me wrong. There are still some kind, generous people out there whom we'd have no problem seeing daily if we had to.
Those of us who work full-time, though, have to spend an awful lot of hours -- 40 or more -- in the presence of people we may not particularly like, from high-strung bosses to drama queens and attention hounds.
The main reason why people leave their jobs is because they don't see eye to eye with someone in their company, usually their supervisor. As we well know, people in the workplace can be quiet vicious. Some will stab you in the back just to get ahead. Others will ask you personal things they have no business knowing, as I emphasized in my post yesterday -- ANNOYING: The nosiest questions people can ask. Still others might just be so different than you -- whether because of age, hobbies, or temperament -- that you could never see yourself hanging out with them outside of work.
Another reason people bolt from their company is because they simply grow bored of doing the same work, in the same place, around the same people. You can only eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and watch your favorite movies so many times before you get tired of them. We bite the bullet at work because we need the paycheck, but how unfortunate is it that we see these people more than we do our own families!
Hopefully, you haven't gotten tired of being around your partner. When it comes to relationships, people may not claim to be tired of the person per se, but of certain unpleasant flaws or habits, like lying or always arriving late. Unfortunately, some of these do eventually become grounds for a break-up. And we usually don't get tired of being around friends unless we hang out with the same ones every single week.
While a few select people are often a source of happiness in our lives, there are many more who drive us up the wall and who we'd rather not have to deal with if given the opportunity.
I find that the things I never tire of don't have to involve people at all. That includes reading, writing, sleeping, immersing myself in nature, and listening to music. Pursuits like these serve as a great escape from the monotony -- and people -- we encounter every day.
Do you ever get tired of being around the same people, whether at work or elsewhere?


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I've just got my first test done . I'm currently taking 1and a quarter grains daily of Nature thyroid . I've been feeling a lot better my joint pains are so much better ,,, but the last couple of weeks I've been sleepy again mid afternoon and have had several migraines that I only used to get when previously diagnosed with Hashi . I can see there is room for improvement my T4 has gone right down ... Was always over top of range ( hence joint pain I reckon ) ..also ferritin in range now always over top .
CRP. 0.40 up to 5
ferritin 145.7. 20 -150
T4 total 70.1. 64.5-142.0
Free t4 13.34 . 12-22
Free T3 3.73. 3.1- 6.8
Anti- thyroidperoxidase H 109.7 Above 34
Anti thyroglobin Abs H 478.2 Above 115
vIt B12 386 ... Deficient below 140 0k up to 250
Serum folate 30.25 10.4 - 42.4 .
I took my last dose of NDT at 3pm on Sunday and had the blood taken at 10 pm on Monday ... Thanks for your help


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"My wife and family received me with great surprise and joy, because they concluded me certainly dead; but I must freely confess the sight of them filled me only with hatred, disgust, and contempt, and the more by reflecting on the near alliance I had to them. For, although since my unfortunate exile from the Houyhnhnm country, I had compelled myself to tolerate the sight of Yahoos, and to converse with Don Pedro de Mendez, yet my memory and imaginations were perpetually filled with the virtues and ideas of those exalted Houyhnhnms. And when I began to consider, that by copulating with one of the Yahoo species, I had became a parent of more, it struck me with the utmost shame, confusion, and horror."(336)
The Houyhnhnms are grave, rational, and virtuous; everything humans think that they are and when they were reading the book they most likely thought that the Houyhnhnms resembled them and that Gulliver was right to think that.
Then with a twist of plot Swift ends up comparing humans to Yahoos because of human faults. The Yahoos are uneasily tolerated and used for menial labor; they are vicious and physically disgusting. Although Gulliver pretends at first not to recognize them, he is forced at last to admit the Yahoos are human beings. He finds happiness with the Utopian Houyhnhnms, but he is only an advanced Yahoo to them. Close examination of this particular passage from Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift shows that Swift's opinion is that humans are no better than the filthy creature called a Yahoo.
Out of all the places Gulliver visited, he only admired the Houyhnhnms. The Lilliputians were too violent and the Brobdignagians were too peaceful and fair. This passage shows that whenever Gulliver got back from his...


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I was intrigued by this concept since in the past I have travelled to two places represented by Novica, Bali and Thailand, and have seen the living conditions of artists whose talent should afford them better circumstances. My own husband designs and builds furniture by hand and I am highly aware of the time and skill required to make these goods and the prices that good quality work should demand. By recognizing the value of artistic goods in the third world we can help artists there to live a better life and contribute to the betterment of their communities. But also I hope that we can raise awareness of the value of artistic goods worldwide so that everyone can flourish.
|Items arrived beautifully gift wrapped
Please take a moment to look at Novica's website for yourself. Then come back and leave me a comment about an item or artist that struck your fancy. A draw will be made and one commenter will receive their own $50 gift certificate for Novica.
Novica has an exceptional amount of hand crafted items in categories such as furniture, rugs, tableware, women and men's jewelry. In addition they have now introduced a program called Novica Live where you can be involved in supporting artists worldwide by throwing Novica parties and introducing Novica to your own friends and family.