YANKEE RED KNIGHTS LAY CLAIM TO A NAME
MANCHESTER United’s would-be “Red Knights”, the group of City businessmen currently attempting to wrest the club from the grasp of its US owners, the Glazer family, may well be in for a bit of a headache over their choice of moniker.
The Capitalist last week discovered a very different group bearing the same name over in the States – the Red Knights Motorcycle Club – who were yet to discover the existence of their newly-established British counterparts.
Fast forward a couple of days, and it appears all systems have been put on high alert. Not only have the American Knights already consulted their lawyers over the matter, but they’re also readying themselves for battle over the trademarked name.
“Our website trademarks are already set up worldwide under a number of variations on the Red Knights name, so your British group couldn’t set up a website without infringing that,” muses club secretary Bill Snodgrass, known as “Popeye” (I kid you not) to his friends.
“We’re now waiting to hear back from our attorneys on the name trademark, but our organisation has been around since 1982 and we’ll do whatever it takes to protect our name. We’ve been successful so far in doing so, and we will be successful again…”
Fighting talk indeed.
HIGH FASHION
Among all the high-profile businesswomen who turned up to an International Women’s Day breakfast at Downing Street yesterday morning, hosted by Prime Minister Gordon Brown, it was Burberry boss Angela Ahrendts who really turned heads.
Fashion guru Ahrendts rushed into the breakfast 15 minutes late, apologising profusely – though she stood out like a shining beacon of style among the rest of the demurely-clad ladies in a tight-fitting leather jacket and high-necked ruffle blouse.
A true lesson in how to make an entrance, I’m sure.
SWEET DREAMS
All the stressed traders out there can breathe a sigh of relief when it comes to falling asleep at night.
According to fellow trader James Altucher, who did a video interview for Dow Jones yesterday on how to avoid insomnia in one of the most high-pressured jobs around, the key to getting a good night’s sleep is easy: turning off your computer at 6pm sharp, writing down a list of your actions to round off the day neatly, and most importantly, getting plenty of exercise.
“Say you’re getting mugged,” Altucher explains. “There’s an immediate adrenaline rush where you get that instinct for fight or flight, and that’s how you burn off stress hormones. And now imagine when you’re day trading – it’s like you’re being mugged all day long…”
Crikey. Better get down the gym, pronto.
ALL THAT JAZZ
A rather surprising admission from Andy Brough, the fun-loving Schroders fund manager whose latest extra-curricular venture is presenting a radio show on Jazz FM with City chum and former colleague Paul Kavanagh, now of Killik & Co.
The irrepressible duo are on air every Sunday evening talking to a high-profile business guests for their show, Jazz in the City, which recently featured the likes of Aberdeen Asset Management chief executive Martin Gilbert and Ian Powell, chairman of accountancy giant PricewaterhouseCoopers.
So it does come as something of a surprise to hear that Brough’s passion is not for jazz but for the indie rock scene, where he’s often spotted at concerts for bands like the Killers.
“I’m not a particular fan of jazz, actually,” he chuckles. “I like it where there are words to it but not when its just the music – though I have learnt a bit about it since joining the show…”
The Capitalist should hope so, given the calibre of his jazz-loving City guests.