TEENAGE SCRIBBLER OWES HIS DOG A BONE
THIS is the face of the “teenage scribbler”, the 15-year old Morgan Stanley intern who set the world on fire, sort of anyway, earlier this week with his musings on media consumption among his peers.
Young Matthew Robson must be wondering what has hit him since Morgan Stanley published the paper he wrote in the two weeks he spent with them, How Teenagers Consume Media. The note itself may not have been quite the illuminator it was cracked up to be, but one truly touching surprise has emerged from the episode.
If, like me, you assumed that the youngster got his foot in the door of the world’s largest investment banks through a spot of nepotism, think again. It was Rudolph that sealed the deal.
Rudolph – the whippet, not the reindeer – became friendly with another dog while being walked by Robson’s mum in their local Greenwich Park. As luck would have it, the other dog belonged to Morgan Stanley media analyst Patrick Wellington. Apparently the two got talking – the humans, not the dogs – about how hard it was for Matthew to find a good work experience placement.
Wellington encouraged him to apply to Morgan Stanley and the rest, as they say, is history.
EVERYONE’S AT IT
It’s not just dogs getting involved in unlikely occupations this week, as was proved by the protesting lemmings at BA’s annual meeting yesterday.
Trade union GMB, not content with waving placards outside the Queen Elizabeth II Centre, brought along 12 live lemmings in cages.
“It is essential that the BA management change their lemming like behaviour and get down to serious talks to reach an agreement with their staff on savings,” said GMB on its website.
The stunt by GMB may have amused the crowds, but it did not impress the RSCPA, which initially threatened to take the union to court if it went ahead with its plans.
In the end, the society settled for sending along an officer to oversee proceedings and check that the Cambridgeshire-based rodents were not too distressed by their journey to the big smoke.
But I am sure they will all be straight onto their union if they were.
BORIS QUACKS US UP
Mayor of London Boris Johnson has put his full weight behind the England cricket team, taking time out to record a message for the boys ahead of the second Ashes test tomorrow.
Never one to miss the chance to have a dig, our Mayor made a cheeky reference to the MP expenses scandal as he quipped: “I would much rather be out for a duck than a duck house.” Here, here Boris.
You can see the full message, and ones from Stephen Fry, Piers Morgan and other celebrity cricket enthusiasts at fan community site Twelfth Man.
While we’re on the subject of cricket, a little bird told The Capitalist that a certain well-known City financier cashed-in on the first test and won £100,000. after he placed a £1,250 buy at a price of 20 via Spreadex’s fixed odds spreads – meaning he would have lost £25,000 should the Aussie’s have won.
Phew. Who said there was no appetite for risk left in the City?
GET FIT FOR FREE
With just a day to go until the Standard Chartered Great City Race, the City A.M. team are already limbering up. But if all of this talk of sport makes you feel guilty, here is a chance to make amends.
Standard Chartered is offering City A.M. readers the chance to win a year’s Black Label membership to Fitness First. That’s right, that’s the top level membership, for free. To enter the prize draw, just email the answer to the following question to the address at the top of the page.
Which is the official charity for the Standard Chartered Great City Race 2009?
The winner will be announced in Monday’s paper. Good luck everyone…