He's the chairman of the bored
Even people who have important or interesting jobs can find going in to work is a bit of a drag sometimes. Even if they're the head of one of the world's biggest banks.
Rory Cullinan was named executive chairman of Royal Bank of Scotland just a month ago, tasked with eliminating "non-core" activities, which included the spinoff of its U.S. subsidiary, Citizens Bank.
Seems Mr. Cullinan is a dedicated family man, keeping in touch with his daughter throughout the day with the app Snapchat, the Independent reports, with which he sent pictures of himself looking bored and grumpy accompanied by captions such as "Not a fan of board meetings," "Boring meeting," and "Another friggin' meeting."
He won't have to suffer much longer. Mr. Cullinan will be departing RBS at the end of April. His departure, insiders say, comes as a result of "a divergence of views over the implementation of a new strategy." The new strategy is presumably to not appear to be a fat cat banker who doesn't take his job seriously.
Hamleys makes a play in Moscow
Mom-and-pop toy stores are disappearing as the world's Santas and other birthday-present givers increasingly migrate online. But that doesn't faze the world's oldest toy shop, London-based Hamleys, which has been exporting its brand around the world and this week saw the opening of a new store in the heart of Moscow.
And if New York's mammoth Toys R Us shutters its doors next year – as reports suggest – due to soaring rents in Times Square, the Lubyanka Square Hamleys will take the crown of world's biggest toy store.
At 73,000 square feet, there will be plenty of room for the store's signature items, such as life-sized stuffed animals, which happily have not been subjected to Western sanctions. And no doubt the Moscow branch will have a great selection of spy gadgets, too – it's just around the corner from the Soviet-era KGB building.
RSA kisses 'booth babes' goodbye
Welcome to the 21st century, RSA Conference. The annual tech shindig focused on information security has decreed there will be no "booth babes" at next month's event.
The term is well known throughout the tech industry to refer to the promotional models fronting exhibitors' booths to lure in the overwhelmingly male attendee base.
"Attire of an overly revealing or suggestive nature is not permitted," the RSA says, listing examples such as tops displaying excessive cleavage, miniskirts, offensive costumes or just body paint, according to Fortune.
The Consumer Electronics Show has also had its share of booth babes over the years, including models clad in just pasties and thongs. But they were art, said a representative for the CES.
Buffett has one sweet portfolio
Warren Buffett is the king of junk. Foods, that is, not bonds. His penchant for eating the stuff your mother always tried to keep away from you is well known, and it extends right into his investing strategy.
And Mr. Buffett nailed the title down last week with Berkshire Hathaway's participation in a massive deal to acquire Kraft Foods.
The Berkshire portfolio is now a dentist's dream, owning Dairy Queen, See's Candies, Mars Inc., Coca-Cola and now Kraft (purveyor of brands including Jell-O, Kool-Aid and Fudgee-O cookies.)
And, as Fortune reports, no one can say Mr. Buffett doesn't put his mouth where is money is: "If I eat 2,700 calories a day, a quarter of that is Coca-Cola. I drink at least five 12-ounce servings. I do it everyday."