Rolex Watches: Melrose Jewelers Launches Its New Customer Loyalty Program, MJ Dollars

June 25, 2010 By Leave a Comment

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, Jun 24 (MARKET WIRE) —
Melrose Jewelers (MelroseJewelers.com), USA’s #1 online Rolex watch
retailer, today announced a new program to reward customers with a
discount on their next purchase. The program automatically awards
customers 3% cash back in “MJ Dollars” good for all future purchases from
Melrose Jewelers.

How it works: Once a customer purchases a product from the Melrose
Jewelers website, he or she will automatically receive 3% cash back in MJ
Dollars. It is important to note that MJ Dollars are as good as real
currency when making a purchase from Melrose Jewelers. For example, if a
customer purchases a Men’s Champagne String Dial Rolex Day Date President
for $9,225, he or she would then receive $277 in MJ Dollars good towards
his or her next Rolex watch purchase from Melrose Jewelers. To clarify,
one MJ Dollar is the equivalent of one US dollar, so customers can treat
the MJ Dollars stored in their account on MelroseJewelers.com as if they
were real currency.

“We instituted the MJ Dollars program because we really wanted to show
our appreciation for loyal customers,” explains Vanessa Puzio of Melrose
Jewelers. “What better way can we give thanks to our customers,”
continues Puzio, “than give them a significant amount off their next
Rolex watch purchase.”

In addition to the MJ Dollars Rewards Program, Melrose Jewelers strives
to set the standard in quality customer service. To this end, every
luxury watch purchased from Melrose Jewelers comes with a comprehensive
2-year warranty, a Lifetime Authenticity Guarantee, a full authentication
and appraisal by the Associated International Gemological Laboratory, and
a 3-day inspection period so that customers can feel as comfortable as
possible with their purchase. As the #1 online used Rolex watch retailer
in the world, Melrose Jewelers believes that quality customer service
should be expected when buying Rolex watches.

About Melrose Jewelers

Melrose Jewelers is the nation’s leading online retailer of Rolex wrist
watches including mens watches and ladies luxury watches and its
associates have, collectively, over 220 years of experience in importing,
restoring, and retailing Rolex and other luxury watches. Melrose Jewelers
was founded with one simple premise: Buying a Rolex or other luxury watch
shouldn’t be mysterious or complicated. Similar to the innovative yet
simple business models of Progressive Insurance, CarMax, or Blue Nile,
Melrose Jewelers provides customers with low, no-haggle pricing, luxury
wrist watches that are either new and unworn or pre owned and restored to
original factory specifications both inside and outside, and a
comprehensive 2-year warranty. Melrose Jewelers also employs a staff of
top university-educated Trained Experts that provide customer service
that extends from your initial sales call until years after you’ve
received your purchase. Melrose Jewelers is a proud member of the
Jeweler’s Vigilance Committee, the Manufacturers and Jewelers Association
of America, the International Watch & Jewelry Guild, the National
Association of Watch Collectors, and the California Sheriff’s
Association. Melrose Jewelers uses only Conflict-Free Diamonds and those
imported through the Kimberley Process as signed into act by U.S.
Congress in 2003. Melrose Jewelers is not an authorized agent or
affiliated with Rolex USA, Rolex S.A., Rolex International, Breitling, or
Patek Philippe luxury watches. Rolex Day Date, Rolex President, Rolex GMT
Master, Rolex Daytona, Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust, Rolex
PearlMaster, Rolex Masterpiece, Rolex Super President, Rolex Submariner,
Rolex Yacht-Master, Rolex Explorer and Rolex Sea Dweller are all
trademarks of Rolex S.A. Melrose Jewelers’ watches contain custom,
aftermarket diamonds which will void the warranty of new Rolex watches.
Melrose Jewelers warranties its watches directly and Rolex S.A. has no
obligation to warranty any watches sold by Melrose Jewelers.

Melrose Jewelers also hosts the Melrose Jewelers (MJ) Rolex Watch Blog.
The MJ Rolex Watch Blog is the world’s largest independent forum website
about Rolex events and Rolex and other luxury watches in pop culture.
With over 300 user-posted articles and new articles and commentary
updated daily, the Melrose Jewelers Rolex watch blog contains articles
about Rolex watches owned and popularized by Barack Obama, Condoleezza
Rice, Warren Buffett, Colt McCoy, Steve Jobs, Elle Macpherson, Cristiano
Ronaldo, Sienna Miller, Sean Penn, Courtney Cox, Andy Roddick, Sam
Bradford, LeBron James, Tara Reid, Danica Patrick, Matthew McConaughey,
Steven Wynn, Calvin Klein, Jamie Lynn Sigler, Eva Longoria Parker, Tokio
Hotel, Tobey Maguire, Michael Dell, Ashton Kutcher, the Jonas Brothers,
Michael Jackson, Arnold Palmer, Tony Soprano, Lindsay Lohan, Eddie
Murphy, Tom Selleck, Jennifer Garner, Donald Trump, Skepta, Jennifer
Lopez, Lance Armstrong, John Mayer, Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, Brad
Pitt, Drew Barrymore, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Adam Lambert, Matt
Lauer, Sophie Marceau, Tim Tebow, Jay-Z, Zara Phillips, O.J. Simpson,
Madonna, Ana Ivanovic, Jennifer Aniston, Paris Hilton, Orlando Bloom,
Tupac Shakur, Cuba Gooding Jr, Lily Allen, & Wiley. Blog postings on the
MJ Rolex Watch Blog are submitted by independent Rolex enthusiasts and
not by Melrose Jewelers.

Contact:
Vanessa Puzio
323-650-2311

Copyright 2010, Market Wire, All rights reserved.

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J.Lo’s list of demands for WMA includes diamond-encrusted headphones!

May 19, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 19 (ANI): Latino Singer Jennifer Lopez has agreed to sing at the World Music Awards but that has come with a huge price.

As part of her demand list, she has asked for a helicopter ‘on stand-by’.

She has also demanded a custom-fitted speedboat – complete with love seat, faux leather seats and a champagne fridge.

The 40-year-old has also asked for a pair of 3,000-pound-diamond-encrusted headphones to keep the noise of the boat”s motor.

“Jennifer was partying on board Sir Philip Green”s yacht in Cannes before being transferred by speed boat to Monaco for the WMA,” the Mirror quoted a source as saying.

“Her people requested that she have an entire floor of the hotel to herself to ensure she wasn”t hassled. Privacy was a main concern so she had a piece of beach roped off, too.

“She spent the morning playing there with the kids. But she declined the offer of a butler, insisting she was happy to do things for herself,” the source added. (ANI)

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LiLo parties hard after $10k Mother”s Day interview

May 4, 2010 By Leave a Comment

New York, May 4 (ANI): Lindsay Lohan enjoyed late night partying on Sunday after making a quick buck over the weekend.

On Friday, Lohan and her mother, Dina, taped a Mother”s Day-themed segment for ‘Entertainment Tonight.’

And according to sources, Lindsay was paid a whopping 10,000 dollars for the interview.

However, a rep for ET said: “We didn”t pay her a dime.”

Lindsay partied at Juliet in Chelsea Sunday with 10 people, reports the New York Post.

An insider said that the ‘Mean Girls’ star arrived at 3 a.m., ordered beer, vodka and champagne for the table and danced on banquettes. (ANI)

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”King of Champagnes” bought in UK bar for £35k!

April 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, Apr 17 (ANI): At 35000 pounds, a vintage Dom Perignon has become the most expensive bottle of champagne ever sold in a British bar.

Dubbed the ”King of Champagnes”, the methuselah of 1996 Rosé Gold was sold at a top London hotel, reports The Telegraph.

A receipt from London”s posh Westbury Hotel shows the drinker paid a 4,375-pound service charge and left a 10,625-pound tip.

That puts the total bill for the bottle at 50,000 pounds.

The buyer, thought to be a Russian billionaire, spilled at least three glasses within minutes of the purchase on Tuesday.

Elias Yiallouri, the bar manager, refused to reveal the buyer”s identity.

But he said: ””Dom Perignon is famed for being the ”first” or ”stars” Champagne”, but Rosé Gold is the finest of all its brands – the champagne of kings.

””The 1996 vintage is regarded as one of the finest in the 20th-Century and with only 35 bottles produced per year, its incredibly rare and sought-after.

””Each bottle is like a piece of fine art – stunningly beautiful, extremely valuable and highly collectable.””

The Rose Gold methuselah – the equivalent to eight standard-sized bottles – is produced by French winery Moët et Chandon and is prized for its ””excellence and elegance””.

The bottle itself has a metal casing dipped in rose gold, and is worth almost 20,000 pounds alone. (ANI)

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Sydney pubs luring young women with cheap shot deals

April 5, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Melbourne, April 4 (ANI): Sydney bars are openly flouting liquor laws by trying to attract young women with offers of free champagne and 3-dollar shots.

On the eve of Good Friday nearly 10 bars were offering free shots, 3-dollar glasses of champagne and two-for-one cocktail deals.

However, these Easter specials have angered hospital authorities who have had to deal with trauma from alcohol-related violence.

“If there’s lots of alcohol being given out freely or people are being allowed to get trays of 10 drinks … that’s wrong,” the Daily Telegraph quoted St Vincent’s Hospital head of emergency Gordian Fulde, as saying.

Fulde added: “We’re really stupid drinkers and we’re stupid in as far as we drink far too much, too quickly.

“I believe the community themselves shouldn’t want to get drunk all the time … the people serving the alcohol by law should not be allowing people to buy or get alcohol so they get into a drunken state.

“The publican in the first instance really has to have a look at that.”

High discounts, two-for-the-price-of-one offers and a time frame for discounted drinks of more than two hours are all considered “unacceptable” in the liquor activity assessment guide released by the NSW Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing (OLGR).

OLGR spokesman Mark Nolan said they would come down heavily on pubs and clubs which did not promote sensible drinking behaviour.

He added: “OLGR has the power to ban irresponsible liquor promotions which lead to rapid and excessive consumption and alcohol-related violence and antisocial behaviour.

“The licensee has been reminded of his obligations to ensure the responsible service and consumption of alcohol.

“OLGR will continue to monitor promotions and liquor law compliance at the venue.” (ANI)

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Ashley Cole makes his post-split social debut

March 31, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, March 31 (ANI): It looks like Ashley Cole is trying to move on after being dumped by his wife, Cheryl.

The football star was out on the town for the first time since his sensational alleged sex-texting cheating scandal.

He made a ”post-split social debut” at his brother Matthew”s top-secret birthday party in Essex, over the weekend.

“All eyes were on Ashley when he was ushered through by two burly bouncers on the door. Everyone rushed to hug him,” the Mirror quoted a party guest as saying.

“Ashley said as long as he has his family nothing else matters. It was the first time he was really smiling. Ashley”s main priority is now getting fit and helping England win the World Cup. He stuck to soft drinks and orange juice while everyone else had champagne and beer at the top security venue.

“Everyone was patting him on the back and saying how worried they had been about him and how it was the happiest they had seen him. He looked relieved that things were finally moving on,” the guest added. (ANI)

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Polish vodka, Cuban cigars and Uma Thurman for Warne’s 40th birthday

September 10, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Melbourne, Sep 10 (ANI): Australian spin legend Shane Warne will celebrate his 40th birthday with 200 mates, a bottle of Polish vodka, a Cuban cigar – and possibly Hollywood actress Uma Thurman.

Warne turns 40 on Sunday.

Speculation mounted on Wednesday that the Hollywood superstar of Kill Bill fame will join the 200-strong invitation list including Sam Newman, Garry Lyon, Eddie McGuire, Jeff Fenech, poker ace Jo Hachem and a host of business leaders and media chiefs.

Ex-wife Simone Callahan will also be there in the latest sign their roller coaster romance is back on track.

Cricket legends Allan Border and Ian Chappell have been invited, but Steve Waugh and Adam Gilchrist are not on the list.

Best mate Aaron Hamill, who played for Warne’s beloved Saints, will lead the AFL contingent.

Warne has booked a ritzy Chapel St cocktail lounge for tomorrow night’s bumper bash. And the party is tipped to extend well into the early hours of Saturday morning thanks to a 7 a.m. liquor licence, the Daily Telegraph reports.

It is believed Warne’s only request to venue management was for a regular flow of his preferred drink of choice – “Belevedere vodka and Red Bull”-and somewhere to enjoy a celebratory smoke.

On offer are 1500 dollars bottles of French champagne and a range of pricey seafood and Asian dishes, but no baked beans or pizza. (ANI)

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Simon Cowell planning lavish £250k party for 50th b’day

September 10, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Washington, Sept 9 (ANI): Celebrity judge Simon Cowell is planning an extravagant birthday bash for himself when he turns 50 next month.

Cowell is all set to shell out 250,000 pounds for a glamorous party to celebrate his birthday on October 7, say reports.t is believed 400 celebrity friends of Cowell will descend at Hertfordshire’s Wrotham Park to join the celebrations.

Contactmusic quoted a source as telling the Daily Mirror: “Simon’s been planning this party for months and the guest list is phenomenal – a ‘Who’s Who’ of the celebrity world.

“It’s going to be the highlight of the showbiz calendar. Simon’s not a massive party person, so when he says he’s going to do something, he does it in style.”

Stars expected to attend the party include music maestro Sir Elton John and his partner David Furnish, actor Kevin Spacey, actress Denise Richards, supermodel Kate Moss, Aussie pop princess Kylie Minogue, his co-judges from talent shows and most of his recording artists.

The insider added: “All his recording artists have been invited.And all the judges on his shows from both sides of the Atlantic.

“He’s always incredibly composed but he’ll definitely be toasting his birthday properly. There will be champagne on tap, plus a three-course banquet.

“But he can’t get up to too much, as his mother Julie is the guest of honour.” (ANI)

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Londoners given chance to eat sushi off naked female models

August 21, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, Aug 21 (ANI): ‘Nyotaimori’, a ‘female body presentation’ that involves the eating of sushi off naked females, and which is a favourite of the Japanese elite, is now being offered to Londoners also.

The dish, which comes at a high cost of 250 pounds per head, is being introduced in London by an enterprising British duo, founder Nigel Carlos and Japanese-raised Nick Hepburn.

And despite the credit crunch-defying price, Carlos said that there was a “need in the market for it”.

“There are obviously high end Japanese restaurants out there, however there is no mainstream, or anybody doing it right or authentically in the UK,” the Telegraph quoted Carlos as saying.

“We saw an opportunity to bring this kind of traditional dining to London for adventurous London diners,” he said.

He admitted the high price tag, which includes champagne on arrival, a 10-course authentic sushi dinner prepared by a genuine Japanese chef, all eaten off the female body, and unlimited alcohol, limited the number of people who could partake in it.

“That basically narrows it down to high net worth individuals, people who are adventurous and want to try something new, people who are following celebrities…also businessmen from abroad wanting to entertain clients,” he said.

Carlos said the tradition was getting an “underground” following in the US, with celebrities like Brad Pitt and George Clooney taking part in Nyotaimori experiences.

“People might not want to travel over there, or Japan, so they can have it here for one year now,” he explained.

“It’s nothing like a strip club or nothing along those lines, it’s very smart, very discreet and in the best venues that you can think of (that you can hire out privately), the best drinks, everybody is looked after and it’s pure luxury,” he said.

To ensure privacy and “exclusivity”, the experience is a clandestine one, diners will arrive at various locations around London, from a grand mansion to unoccupied warehouses.

Once there, they join 12-24 other thrill-seekers around a table adorned with the Hadaka (naked) models.

“You’ve probably never eaten sushi of this quality, let alone presented in this way, and I guarantee you’ll be talking about it for many years to come,” he said.

He insisted the gloomy economic times have not affected business.

“It doesn’t impact the high net worth individuals, if anything some people are getting richer during the recession, property developers, etc,” he said.

“You know there will be some people who will always have money and some people who are willing to try new things, so it hasn’t actually had any negative impact since we started it,” he stated.

And as to the models, who will be taking part in the whole event, there are only two requirements from them – they have to have good skin and be beautiful.

“There are equal opportunities. They don’t have to be like catwalk models, as long as the skin is wonderful, and they are basically beautiful girls, that’s it,” he added.

Flash Sushi offers a limited number of places and only has one dinner sitting per month, until March 2010, when the organisers plan to bring it to a close. (ANI)

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Peter Andre cosies up with ‘Big Brother’ winner Chantelle Houghton

July 4, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, Jul 4 (ANI): Brit singer Peter Andre was reportedly spotted cosying up with ‘Celeb Big Brother’ winner Chantelle Houghton at a plush hotel, after they left a champagne bash together.

Andre, 36, played down claims that he was dating the 25-year-old, and said on Radio 1′s Chris Moyles Show that he and Houghton shared the same manager and that she was a “very nice person”.

“I don’t think there’s even one little bit of my head that could even think of anyone else at the moment,” the Daily Star quoted him as saying on the show.

But just hours later, he was pictured with her again at the Silver Clef awards at the London Hilton. (ANI)

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European champions land in Barcelona to kick off triumphant parade

May 28, 2009 By Leave a Comment

European champions land in Barcelona to kick off triumphant paradeBarcelona – Barcelona returned home Thursday with the Champions League trophy, to kick off a triumphant parade through the streets of the Catalan city, flanked by thousands of euphoric fans.

From the plane that took footballers back from Rome – where they beat Manchester United 2-0 Wednesday in the Champions League final – fluttered the club’s red-and-blue flag.

Coach Josep Guardiola and captain Carles Puyol were the first to leave the aircraft, bearing the trophy. Behind them came club president Joan Laporta.

He proceeded to open a huge bottle of Champagne which all the players used to soaked themselves as they launched into celebrating an historic treble, with titles in La Liga and the King’s Cup as well as the Champions League.

The players were to tour Barcelona’s main streets – festooned with Barça’s colours – before entering the Camp Nou stadium to be acclaimed by 100,000 fans. (dpa)

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Ronaldo may quit Man U in 70 million pound move to Real Madrid

May 23, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, May 23 (ANI): Manchester United ace striker Cristiano Ronaldo plans to quit this summer for a 70 million pound move to Spanish club Real Madrid.

Ronaldo has told friends and teammates to forget stories that he is staying at Old Trafford. After a hat trick of titles and two Champions League finals, he feels he has achieved what he wanted.

Now he is keen to revive Real Madrid’s fortunes in a record-breaking switch to the Bernabeu, The Sun reports.

A United source said: “He looks to have made up his mind again. He is not saying it publicly with such a big game coming up next week in the Champions League final. But in his mind that will be his last. The fact Real trailed Barcelona in La Liga this season only makes the challenge more exciting for him.”

Ronaldo made his feelings clear to those close to him as recently as last Saturday, when champagne was still flowing after United’s title-clinching home draw with Arsenal.

The Sun reports that a number of senior players have been trying to talk round the Portuguese wizard, but he is having none of it.

And manager Alex Ferguson, who won the same fight last summer, will now find it very difficult to keep the World Player of the Year. (ANI)

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Fish and chips supper, kiss at doorstep sealed Gurkhas’ victory in UK

May 22, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, May 22 (ANI): A fish and chips and champagne supper at her London home followed by a goodnight kiss is said to have sealed a deal between actress Joanna Lumley and the British Government to ensure the Gurkhas got residency rights in the United Kingdom.

Lumley played host to Immigration Minister Phil Woolas and is said to have convinced him to end the stand-off over Gurkha residency rights.

“I’m pleased to say we kissed on the doorstep, so there we are. A great injustice has been righted. The Gurkhas are coming home,” The Independent quoted Lumley, as saying.

The Gordon Brown Government’s effective surrender on the issue in the face of a hugely popular campaign came in a Commons statement by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith on Thursday afternoon.

A little later, surrounded by more than 100 former soldiers the Prime Minister talked of his “great privilege” in welcoming the “bravest of all” to Britain.

Gordon Brown also paid tribute to the actress Joanna Lumley who has been the high-profile public face in the fight for Gurkha rights.

He said: ” She has been very persuasive and she has charmed not only the Cabinet, but the whole country.”

She said: “I would like to pay tribute to Gordon Brown the Prime Minister, a brave man who has made a brave decision on behalf of the bravest of the brave. This is a fantastic day for my brothers and sisters. It is so thrilling to have overcome something which has gone on for so long. We knew it would be something good – but this is the best.”

Some campaigners felt kissing Mr Woolas went way beyond the call of duty, but the veterans said they appreciated the work done by the actress, whose father served with the Gurkhas, in securing their victory.

Mohan Bahadur Rai, who had been in the Army for 11 years, said: “We went through some very difficult times on this, and Miss Joanna was always there with us, so we want to thank her for her help. We feel this has been a great achievement for everyone.”

Samser Jang Khastri, 58, who lost a foot after stepping on a landmine in Bosnia in 1997 said yesterday’s decision has made “all my pain worthwhile.” (ANI)

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Booze is ‘killing’ Gazza’s daughter Bianca’, say doctors

May 16, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, May 16 (ANI): Bianca Gascoigne, the estranged step-daughter of former England football great Paul Gascoigne, has been warned that she is a “borderline alcoholic” in danger of ending up like the latter.

The 22-year-old tearaway, burst into tears when the medics also revealed drink had left her with the brain of a 64-year-old.

Party-loving Bianca underwent several tests on BBC show Make My Body Younger to determine how much damage she is doing to herself.

“I’m living an unhealthy life. On a typical night I drink 12 vodka mixers and three glasses of Champagne,” the Sun quoted Bianca, as saying.

Doctors also told Bianca her body’s biological age was already 35. (ANI)

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Strong social networks benefit baboons

May 9, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Washington, May 9 (ANI): A monkey communication expert at the University of Pennsylvania has suggested that baboons benefit from strong social networks.

Robert Seyfarth came up with this proposition while delivering a lecture on May 5, the kick-off of the University of Delaware’s Year of Darwin celebration, where he told a true story about a female baboon that herded goats in an African village.

He revealed that the baboon knew all of the relationships between the goats so well that at night she would carry a bleating kid from one barn directly to its mother in another barn.

“For all the centuries we’ve bred dogs, no dog has exhibited this knowledge of kids and mothers. The question is where does this mind come from?” said the Psychology professor at the university.

Seyfarth revealed that he and his research partner Dorothy Cheney, who happens to be his spouse, studied the baboons of Botswana’s Okavanga Delta from 1992 to 2008.

He said that his study suggested that the baboon’s ability to recognize social relationships was due to natural selection.

The researcher revealed that the baboons studied live in groups of 80-90 individuals. Males would leave the group in which they were born, while females stayed in the group for their entire lives, with close bonds to female relatives.

He said that the females were arranged in a matrilineal hierarchy of families, with ranks maintained for years. Although once in a while a coup was attempted, such moves were not often successful.

In their experiments, the researchers observed that baboons with names like Sylvia, Champagne, and Helen, and recorded their language, which consisted of no more than 18 sounds, and the interactions of their families.

They found that baboons used certain calls only in certain contexts. Screams and fear barks were only given from a lower-ranking to a higher-ranking baboon, while threat grunts were given only from a higher-ranking to a lower-ranking baboon.

The researchers recorded the various calls, played them in situations that “break the rules”, and determined from the animals’ behaviour that baboons were able to put together the discrete elements of identity, kinship, and rank.

“The animals somehow see this world in all of its complexity. It’s an innate property of the baboon mind — done instantly and unconsciously,” Seyfarth said.

He and Cheney were also able to measure the animals’ stress levels by analysing faecal samples for gluccocorticoid stress hormones. They found that pregnancy and incidences of predation to be major stressors.

Also, some high-ranking males practice infanticide, targeting infants by rank. Mothers may form relationships with lower-ranking males who will help look after their babies.

“Females respond to stress by associating with their closest grooming relationships. They turn to their support network if they lose someone. They broaden and extend to replace old relationships with new ones. Female baboons with strong social bonds survive better,” Seyfarth said.

Seyfarth and Cheney’s work is highlighted in the award-winning book Baboon Metaphysics: The Evolution of a Social Mind, published by the University of Chicago Press in 2007. (ANI)

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UK’s Labour Government has spent 7 million pounds on wine since coming to power

April 24, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, Apr.24 (ANI): Since Labour came to power in Britain in 1997, it has spent an astonishing seven million pounds on wine through the Government Hospitality Unit.

According to the Daily Mail, the incredible tab emerged a day after Chancellor of Exchequer Alistair Darling’s Budget revealed Government borrowing of 175 billion pounds this year and a national debt of 1.4 trillion pounds within four years. It was also a budget that slapped an extra two per cent on the cost of beer, wine and spirits.

Last night, the excess was labelled as the final insult to recession-hit households dealt by a political elite out of touch with reality.

The figures were unearthed by front bench Conservative MP Grant Shapps. Schapps also found that there is a Whitehall committee charged with picking the finest vintages.

Favourite tipples downed in Whitehall include vintage champagne, wines from Burgundy, Bordeaux and the Loire Valley. It also has the pick of New World wines from Australia, New Zealand, Argentina and Chile. (ANI)

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Jade Goody to get ‘boozy farewell’

April 23, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, April 22 (ANI): Jade Goody’s friends and family are to gather at a posh London club to bid a “drunken farewell” to the late reality star.

Star will meet at Embassy Nightclub to honour the 27-year-old, a month after she lost her battle to cervical cancer.

Club-owner Mark Fuller said he would place a glass of champagne and Jade’s favourite “bubblegum cocktail” at her usual table in her memory.

“I thought what would make Jade really, really proud is if we said one final goodbye,” Sky News quoted him as saying.

“We’re all going to have a big knees-up, dance to Michael Jackson – and hopefully we’ll all wake up the next day feeling very hung over.

“She was larger than life and even in death we’re finding it difficult to say goodbye,” he added.

The evening will also see the launch of a picture book, entitled Remember Me This Way, dedicated to her boys Bobby, five, and Freddy, four.

Jade had begun putting the album together after learning about her fatal disease.

She had penned a foreword that read: “To Bobby and Freddy – I have asked for this book so that when you are older you can remember just how much fun we had together.”

While profits from the book sale will go to the young lads, proceeds from the club night will be divided between them and Marie Curie Cancer Care. (ANI)

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Is Jennifer Aniston dating Gerard Butler?

April 20, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, Apr 20 (ANI): Looks like Jennifer Aniston is all set to get rid of her ‘unlucky-in-love’ tag and has thus started dating RocknRolla star Gerard Butler, according to sources.

Reports suggest that the pair hit it out well at last year’s Toronto film festival, “drinking champagne and talking”, but the camaraderie didn’t prevail further because Jen was dating John Mayer.

However, after breaking up with Mayer, Aniston is reportedly keen on romancing the RocknRolla heartthrob and even co-star with him in two upcoming movies.

According to sources, the duo has been meeting up at the former ‘Friends’ star’s New York apartment.

“She said that in their film meetings, the chemistry was intense and physical,” the Sun quoted a source close to Aniston, as telling a US magazine.

The 40-year-old star has struggled to find love again after her divorce from Brad Pitt in 2005.

She first dated her co-star in ‘The Break-Up’, Vince Vaughn, and then John Mayer, with whom she broke-up last month. (ANI)

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LG launches two music centric phones – GM200 and KM335 – in India

April 19, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Superb fusion of “music, style, design, and exclusive features,” the GM200 and the KM335 are the two new phones that LG has recently launched in the Indian market. The LG GM200 and the LG KM335 are the music centric phones offering unique and unexampled audio experience.

Let’s start with the LG GM200, the first Dolby Mobile with powerful bass extensions from LG. Offering high class music experience with rich surround sound, the GM200 features 2.1 Channel woofer stereo sound, with subwoofer and dual side speakers. The wireless FM radio feature, which facilitates listening songs without the hassles of a headset, is one of the remarkable features the phone. The GM200 phone also allows users to record their favorite songs from the FM and set them as ringtones.

The GM200 is equipped with a 2-megapixel camera, with video recording capabilities and video playback feature. The GM200 also features amazing profiling with auto ringtone level and ambient noise sensor. The other features of the phone include MP3 hot key, document viewer, Bluetooth connectivity, GPRS, 3.5mm jack, and 1GB of memory. The battery of the phone offers a talktime of upto 10 hours and a standby time of upto 600 hours. The LG GM200 is priced at Rs.8250.

The LG KM335 is the phone that amplifies music entertainment with its unique AM/FM radio feature and dual stereo speaker. The KM335 allows users to tune into their favorite radio station and keep themselves in touch with the latest music. The phone features shortcut hot keys for FM radio and MP3 player offering instant access to music features.

The LG KM335 features a 2.0 inch TFT LCD screen and a 3 megapixel camera with flash, capable of video recording at 15 fps, playback at 30 fps. The phone offers 90 MB of internal memory, which can be enhanced upto 8GB. The phone is powered by 1100mAh battery, capable of offering talktime of upto 9.5 hours and a standby time of upto 600 hours. Priced at Rs.9,250, the LG KM335 is available in three different colors – champagne, wine and black.

The LG GM200 and the LG KM335 are the latest to join the ever-swelling LG lineup of the mobile phones in India. The LG GM200 and the LG KM335 are available at the LG retail outlets throughout the country.

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